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SAT Words #2-

Terms in this set (75)

Works Cited
Dictionary.reference.com and Google.com
aloofness
[uh-loof-nis]
(n.) Indifference, shyness: being reserved and disinterested
Example: His abstraction and seeming aloofness were the first things conspicuous about him.
ambassador
[am-bas-uh-der, -dawr]
(n.) An official representative of a country's government
Example: Simon Wright has been the ambassador to China for ten years.
aspersion
[uh-spur-zhuh n, -shuh n]
(n.) a damaging or derogatory statement; the act of slandering or defaming
Example: Isabelle casts an aspersion against Anna before the student council election.
belligerence
[buh-lij-er-uh ns]
(n.) Aggression
Example: The teacher scolded Freddy for his belligerence toward other students.
concession
[kuh n-sesh-uh n]
(n.) An acknowledgement that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable.
Example: We will never resolve the issue unless you make a concession.
cowardice
[kou-er-dis]
(n.) lack of courage
Example: Bullies act from cowardice and insecurity.
denunciation
[dih-nuhn-see-ey-shuh n, -shee-]
(n.) Expression of strong disapproval made openly or publicly
Example: After Thomas Paine released his book, a group of conservative had weighed in with a denunciation
dictum
[dik-tuh m]
(n.) A formal or authoritative statement
Example: My mother followed the dictum of eating an apple each day.
diplomacy
[dih-ploh-muh-see]
(n.) Negotiation between nations
Example: Diplomacy failed and war began.
hospitality
[hos-pi-tal-i-tee]
(n.) a friendly welcome and treatment of guests
Example: The nurse treated their patient with hospitality.
indigence
[in-di-juh ns]
(n.) Extreme poverty
Example: The coastal region have a lot of people on indigence.
inquiry
[in-kwahyuh r-ee, in-kwuh-ree]
(n.) A request for information
Example: At her inquiry, Patrick informed her that he had a mansion.
perfidy
[pur-fi-dee]
(n.) faithlessness, treachery
Example: An example of perfidy is spreading a friend's secret to everyone.
prudence
[prood-ns]
(n.) wisdom, caution, restraint
Example: Since Ronald is a man of prudence, he often check his bank account before spending his money.
respite
[res-pit]
(n.) a period of relief or rest
Example: Realizing that there were no respite, he bravely set about his task.
stimulus
[stim-yuh-luh s]
(n.) A change in an organism's surroundings that causes the organism to react
Example: The dolphins responded to some stimulus with a whistle.
tenacity
[tuh-nas-i-tee]
(n.) Hanging on to something persistently or stubbornly
Example: The injured athlete completed the difficult race with tenacity.
chaotic
[key-ot-ik]
(adj.) Extremely disorderly
Example: The classroom was chaotic when the teacher left for a phone call.
commercial
[kuh-mur-shuh l]
(adj.) concerned with or engaged in commerce.
Example: Commercial fishing can be concentrated far from any human settlement.
cryptic
[krip-tik]
(adj.) puzzling, mystifying, or enigmatic
Example: Daniel posted a cryptic message on a web site.
derivative
[dih-riv-uh-tiv]
(adj.) unoriginal, obtained from another source
Example: Pam lead a derivative life, shaped and bound by the actions of others.
eager
[ee-ger]
(adj.) Looking forward to with great interest or desire
Example: The kids from first and second grades seem so eager and bright.
evolving
[ih-volv]
(v.) to develop gradually by process of growth and change
Example: The field of computer forensics is rapidly evolving.
improbable
[im-prob-uh-buh l]
(adj.) Not likely to happen
Example: It is improbable to win a lottery on the first try.
inaccessible
[in-uh k-ses-uh-buh l]
(adj.) not easily approached, entered, or obtained
Example: Many of the birds nest on protected lands are inaccessible to the public.
inept
[in-ept, ih-nept]
(adj.) having or showing no skill or appropriateness; clumsy.
Example: Helen has been inept at expressing her feelings.
jubilant
[joo-buh-luh nt]
(adj.) Joyful
Example: The jubilant crowd celebrate Christmas together in their local church.
nascent
[nas-uh nt, ney-suh nt]
(adj.) starting to develop; coming into existence
Example: Digital textbooks remain a nascent business and a tough market to enter.
pedestrian
[puh-des-tree-uh n]
(adj.) Lacking excitement; ordinary and dull
Example: Kenny returned the pedestrian books to the teacher.
prohibitive
[proh-hib-i-tiv]
(adj.) so high as to prevent the purchase or use of; preventing; forbidding
Example: The prohibitive price keeps fans from seeing the concert.
provoked
[pruh-vohk]
(adj.) aroused to action or anger
Example: Stingrays are fairly docile and typically strike only when provoked.
pugnacious
[puhg-ney-shuh s]
(adj.) quarrelsome, eager to fight
Example: The small pugnacious dog barks and nips at the other dogs.
rousing
[rou-zing]
(adj.) exciting, stirring
Example: Building slowly, she delivered a rousing speech as tears streamed down her angry face.
subtle
[suht-l]
(adj.) Difficult to detect; faint; mysterious; likely to elude perception
Example: In fact, our own lives sometimes depend on recognizing the subtle differences.
supercilious
[soo-per-sil-ee-uh s]
(adj.) having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy
Example: The supercilious woman remarked, " Nothing in this restaurant is good enough for me."
unprecedented
[uhn-pres-i-den-tid]
(adj.) Happening for the first time, never heard of before
Example: Jenny took home nine metals in the Olympics -- an unprecedented achievement.
viable
[vahy-uh-buh l]
(adj.) Capable of living (or growing, developing, etc.); practical, workable
Example: George devised a viable plan to save a small portion of money in order to purchase a car.
antagonize
[an-tag-uh-nahyz]
(v.) To act hostile towards; provoke
Example: Don't antagonize the people who helped you all this time.
derail
[dee-reyl]
(v.) cause (a train or trolley car) to leave its tracks accidentally.
Example: Let us not derail this useful and interesting thread.
dominate
[dom-uh-neyt]
(v.) to rule over by strength or power, control; to tower over, command due to height
Example: Alexander dominated many regions.
equivocate
[ih-kwiv-uh-keyt]
(v.) to speak or act in a way that allows for more than one interpretation; to be deliberately vague or ambiguous
Example: You may equivocate, you may lie in your business, but you don't lie to the press.
negotiate
[ni-goh-shee-eyt]
(v.) To discuss something in an attempt to reach agreement
Example: There's always room to negotiate.
stimulate
[stim-yuh-leyt]
(v.) To make more active
Example: One major challenge was to find a way to stimulate procrastinators.
flippant
[flip-uh nt]
(adj.) Humorous in a disrespectful, casual way; rudely witty
Example: The main ghost of the story sounds too flippant.
horror
[hawr-er, hor-]
(n.) Fiction in which events evoke a feeling of dread in both the characters and the reader.
Example: Benny froze in terror when he enter the haunted house.
malicious
[muh-lish-uh s]
(adj.) Intended to hurt or harm
Example: Dan spread malicious gossip around school.
mournful
[mawrn-fuh l, mohrn-]
(adj.) Feeling or expressing grief
Example: At the mournful note in her voice, he hugged her tightly.
pessimistic
[pes-uh-mis-tik]
(adj.) Gloomy; having a negative outlook; expecting the worst
Example: The pessimistic student believes that he will fail the test.
pompous
[pom-puh s]
(adj.) overly self-important in speech and manner; excessively stately or ceremonious
Example: The pompous officer enjoyed giving orders.
remorseful
[ri-mawrs-fuh l]
(adj.) Filled with sorrow or guilt
Example: A woman was remorseful after she criticized his student.
ribald
[rib-uh ld]
(adj.) irreverently mocking; coarse, vulgar, or indecent in language
Example: The Florence streets rang with Lorenzo's ribald songs.
satiric
[suh-tir-i-kuh l]
(adj.) mocking
Example: The gray eyes held a glint of something more than humor, but his lips twisted into a satirical smile.
scornful
[skawrn-fuh l]
(adj.) Expressing offensive reproach; derisive; contemptuous
Example: The scornful student attacked the teachers with rude remarks.
serious
[seer-ee-uh s]
(adj.) solemn or thoughtful in character or manner; acting or speaking sincerely and in earnest, rather than in a joking or halfhearted manner.
Example: A serious person never laugh or smile easily.
somber
[som-ber]
(adj) dark, gloomy; depressed or melancholy in spirit
Example: His somber gaze met hers and then drifted to her lips.
taunting
[tawnt-inhg]
(v.) provoke or challenge (someone) with insulting remarks
Example: Students began taunting her about her weight.
cumulative/loose sentence
[kyoo-myuh-luh-tiv, -ley-tiv]/[sen-tns]
(n.) An independent clause followed by a series of subordinate constructions (phrases or clauses) that gather details about a person, place, event, or idea.
Example: The buildings surround the streets, standing tall and prideful, looming over millions of people, and contained more people.
periodic sentence
[peer-ee-od-ik][sen-tns]
(n.) A sentence that, by leaving the completion of its main clause to the end, produces an effect of suspense
Example: Looking at the clock, pacing back and forth in the waiting room, and reassuring with the nurse, I couldn't stop worrying.
dependent clause
[dih-pen-duh nt] [klawz]
(n.) A clause that modifies the principal clause or some part of it or that serves a noun function in the principal clause
Example: The paper airplane flew until it hit a pole. "until it hit a pole"
independent clause
[in-di-pen-duh nt] [klawz]
(n.) A clause that can stand alone as a sentence, containing a subject and a predicate with a finite verb
Example: The sun is bright.
complex syntax
[kom-pleks][sin-taks]
(n.) English sentence structure of a sentence containing an independent clause plus one or more dependent clauses
Example: I could not stay still when you wandered in the city all alone, so I left to find you.
verbals
[vur-buh ls]
(n.) A verb form that functions in a sentence as a noun or a modifier rather than as a verb (participles, gerunds, and infinitives)
Example: Go start working. "working"
infinitive
[in-fin-i-tiv]
(n.) A verbal--often preceded by the particle to--that can function as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb
Example: I refuse to look at scary movies. "to look"
gerund
[jer-uh nd]
(n.) A verbal that ends in -ing and functions as a noun
Example: Riding a horse is the most enjoyable activity ever. "Riding"
gerund phrase
[jer-uh nd][freyz]
(n.) A word group consisting a gerund, its object, and all modifiers
Example: How does knowing how to cook pork chops is related to learning how to bake cupcakes? "knowing how to cook pork chops" "learning how to bake cupcakes"
participle
[pahr-tuh-sip-uh l, -suh-puh l]
(n.) A verbal that functions as an adjective
Example: Laughing, he point at the ridiculous artwork that looked terribly lopsided. "laughing"
participial phrase
[pahr-tuh-sip-uh l, -suh-puh l] [freyz]
(n.) A word group consisting of a present participle (also known as an -ing form) or past participle (also known as an -en form), plus any modifiers, objects, and complements
Example: He found his laundry hanging on the fence. "hanging on the fence"
prepositional phrase
[prep-uh-zish-uh nal] [freyz]
(n.) A group of words made up of a preposition, its object, and any of the object's modifiers
Example: I made strawberry banana cake with Lisa. "with Lisa"
noun clause
[noun] [klawz]
(n.) A dependent clause that functions as a noun (that is, as a subject, object, or complement) within a sentence
Example: I cannot tell what he likes for dinner. "what he likes for dinner"
adverbial clause
[ad-vur-bee-uh l] [klawz]
(n.) A dependent clause used as an adverb within a sentence to indicate time, place, condition, contrast, concession, reason, purpose, or result
Example: If she didn't go to your home, did she go to the park? "if she didn't go to your home"
adjectival clause
[aj-ik-tahy-vuh l] [klawz]
(n.) A dependent clause used as an adjective within a sentence
Example: The man that we saw this morning was actually my boss in disguise. "that we saw this morning"
noun phrase
[noun] [freyz]
(n.) A word group with a noun or pronoun as its head
Example: My best friends like to eat pizza but not me. "my best friends"
adverbial phrase
[ad-vur-bee-uh l] [freyz]
(n.) A word group with an adverb as its head
Example: You might want to park somewhere near the back. "somewhere near the back"
adjectival phrase
[aj-ik-tahy-vuh l] [freyz]
(n.) A word group with an adjective as its head
Example: The consequences for cheating are far too serious. "far too serious"
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