SAT (Even More Vocabulary)

So lets have some more worth memorizing SAT words for ya; they may not be as critical as the special vocabulary dealt with in previous posts but still are significant in their own regard.

• Manifest (v) showing something clearly; reveal. The ghost manifested itself just before us. Linda wasn't very happy going to the the family rendezvous and her looks manifested it.
• Conventional (adj) not extraordinary; orthodox. Conventional style of attack in the Pro Football tourney won't take the team past the knockout stage, you have to be innovative.
• Partisan (n)  a fervent and often biased supporters; freedom fighters. Partisans of the Nazi regime. 
• Contentious (adj) argumentative; quarrelsome. Her contentious and insubordinate behavior had her job in some serious question.
• Lament (v) express sadness or regret. She lamented the loss of her husband. She lamented the time she had wasted as the exams got closer and her prep was meager.
• Allusion (n) indirect reference. He made an allusion to financial constraints.
• Arbiter (n) a judge; someone who decides. Arbiters should be impartial. People questioned the decision of the arbiter, he had clearly compromised truth with relations.
• Inherent (adj) part of the essential nature; intrinsic (basic and essential). The accidents, occurring 12-hours of each other have highlighted the difficulty inherent in the project. The risks inherent in investing in the stock market. [!] Pay attention to how this word is used.
• Paradox (n) something absurd or contradictory. The ion smasher will produce a black hole that will swallow the earth is a paradox, despite being popular on physics forums. This is an apparent paradox, I mean, how can leg ulcers be cancerous. Time travelling is a paradox. Limo's dislike of ice creams is paradoxical since he works as the chief taster in the ice cream factory. Jason was a paradox; one moment he will say all the wrong things about Britney and the next he will be dancing fervently to Womanizer. 
• Cynic (n) a person who distrusts humans and their motives; somebody sarcastic. Many people have developed a cynical distrust of politicians. Cynics among us think that real romance is dead, people now woo loved ones for either money or personal gratification...but I assure you that a Romeo lives in my heart for whom you are the only Juliet. (Mafioso)
• Exposition (n) explanation; explanatory treatise (detailed written account). Hawking's 'A Brief History of Time" can be considered an exposition of time. Your expositions went in vain, the company has decided to look for another sponsor. He wrote a brief exposition of the Gospel of Matthews.
• Consensus (n) unanimity or agreement. A consensus was reached over amending the constitution. We were all in consensus that Josh wasn't fit to run for the president of the club.
• Comprehensive (adj) covering everything. A comprehensive AP Chemistry guide.
• Sagacious (adj) wise; possessing wisdom related to experience. The sagacious campaigner knew every nook and corner of the ground. Amit gazed admirably at the work of the sagacious, ancient dwellers of the cave.
• Deliberation (n) careful thought or discussion. After hours of deliberation, they finally reached a consensus.
• Precipitate (v/adj) to cause to happen abruptly or send into another state; without though or hurried. A minor border skirmish precipitated a full fledged war. The drug is known to precipitate migraines in patients suffering from weak vision. The wave of terrorism in the country precipitated a 300 index fall in the stock market. (adj) A precipitate departure. I may have been precipitate in accepting his business proposal.
• Pervade [per- through, -vadere go] (v) spread throughout something. The venom pervaded his body as we saw the distinct bluish tint cover his his face arms and legs. The fog pervades the atmosphere.
• Discourse (n)  a serious discussion. Our discourse was getting nowhere thus the cliche, an integrated ideology seldom changes. 
• Conjure (v) to summon something as if by magic; invoke. The smell of baking cookies can invoke childhood images. He was awed by what he was doing; conjuring demons!! The witch conjured a fake vision to deceive the valiant hero. [!] In normal day to day English, we don't encounter witches and demons as such, so the word is mostly used in conjunction with images and memories.
• Sanction (v\n) to approve or confirm; approval or penalty. The city government sanctioned the proposed security measures. Sorry, I won't be able to help you without a sanction from the MD. Sanctions imposed on Iran for violating international treaties.
• Genial (adj) good natured; mild. Her genial nature made her a well-loved figure at the high school. Genial climate. Genial and munificent aristocrats have become extinct. 
• Levee (n) artificial embankment besides river that prevents flooding. The levee couldn't withstand the tremendous force of the waves and collapsed, inundating the surrounding land with water.
• Erratic (adj) unpredictable; not following a certain course. Erratic pattern of the chart, pretty much summed up the situation of the country, fickle. Events took an erratic turn for the worse, the officers approached the shed where the enemy troopers had sought asylum.
• Abstinent (adj) restraining from indulging in a desire. Abstinence from alcohol is also stated in the Bible. The abstinent lifestyle of the ascetic was a truly holy one, he abstinence from alcohol and sex was unflappable.
• Placid (adj) pleasantly calm, not easily excited. The placid don struck terror in the hearts of his foes, he would stand smiling even if informed about the murder of his wife, and then would unleash the bubbling rage at the right moment, with often lurid consequences. (Mafioso)
• Exuberant (adj) full of enthusiasm; lavish. Many Bahamians have an artistic side, which they express through their colorful art, infectious music or exuberant dancing. Is it my rather exuberant coffee intake or is the floor really shaking? (Mafioso)
• Impede (v) hinder, deter. The resistor impeded the flow of current. Light was impeded by the blacked-out windows. For a great hunter-&-hunted shot, care must  be taken to not to hinder the progress of the pray. (Wildlife Photography)
• Permeate (v) [per- through, -meare pass] to pass through or spread through completely.  The waves started at the center but quickly permeated the whole pond. For it to arrive, it must permeate Germany and half-of Mother Russia...(The Battle). The bliss within his spirit was unbelievable today and he, without a second thought, let it permeate his work too. (Mafioso)
• Audacity (n) impertinence\impudent (showing harsh or bold lack of respect); daring or boldness. I am proud of the audacity my party has shown while speaking for womens' rights. This audacity won't go unpunished, you don't even know how to talk to your teacher. I was amazed- thunderstruck- and in fact, I may also say, frightened by the unparalleled audacity of the mission. (The Battle)
• Indignant (adj) [in- not, -dignare respect] angry at unfairness. Ahmad let out an indignant cry as his name was once again dropped off the list. The horse was in an indignant mood after being left out in the drenching rain the whole night.
• Implicit (adj) not stated but understood in what is expressed. (opposite of explicit, i.e, clear or obvious). I can see the implicit desire in your eyes. Your smile implicitly makes clear the fact that you like him. Implicit criticism.
• Renaissance (n) a rebirth or revival.Renaissance of classical dancing.
• Litigate (v) [lit- lawsuit, -agere to drive] to take to court; involve in legal proceedings. It is often necessary to litigate in the jurisdiction where the crime took place. We also sought the help of UK lawyers to litigate the slanderous claims there.
• Vex (v) to annoy or anger; to confound or puzzle. Little Molly vexed her brother until she got her lollipop back. The man besides me vexingly stared at my newspaper throughout the journey. The situation suddenly took a turn for the worse, leaving the rescue officers vexed.
• Anomaly (n) aberration, not normal. The anomalous reading was left out of the final calculations.
• Aberration (n) [aberrare- go astray] deviate from the norm. The aberration in the brain wave plot was vexing.
• Insouciant (adj) carefree; blithe. He passed off the acrimonious remarks with an insouciant shake of the head.
• Bereave (v) to deprive somebody of a beloved person or thing, especially through death. May God grant you the strength to withstand this gravest of bereavement of yours, the general stated with in a solemn tone, albeit with a tinge of grief. (The Battle). The government declared full financial support for the bereaved relatives. The end result, three destitute, bereaved widows. A bereaving event. RoadPeace provide vital help and support to those who have been injured or bereaved by a road crash. 
• Destitute (adj) [de- down, -stituere status or position] lacking basic necessities of life. Many people in Pakistan lead destitute and deprived lives.
• Connoisseur (n) an expert especially in the matters of art or taste. Well I am not a fine art connoisseur but I can say with utmost surety that even a kindergarten student can paint better. The hotel's connoisseur is amazing, hardly anything is tasteless here. He is a great connoisseur of diamonds.
• Corroborate (v) [co- together, -robotere strengthen (like robots from the Transformers :P)] to support or confirm especially with evidence. The photographs corroborate the testimony. He could have corroborated my account of the incident, I wish he was here.
• Frenetic (adj) frenzied.  A frenetic gesture.
• Polemic (n) a passionate critic; a passionate argument. Okay, I accept it, now stop being a polemic. A hard-hitting polemic directed against the CIA.
• Forbear (v) hold back from something; to tolerate something. I forbore to criticize their efforts, although criticism was well deserved. Forbearing your failure is one good thing, instead of getting all crazy about it, you should aim for the better next time. Even the the fans of the opposing team could not forbear to cheer. [!] Using inn the first sense, it is mostly followed by a to and then the action.
• Vindicate (v) to show something is blameless; justify something. You must vindicate yourself from all these offensive charges. I can vindicate my love for you in any way desirable. Time has vindicated his prediction.
• Conciliatory (adj) willing to resolve disputes. Their conciliatory stance wasn't reciprocated by the government and a rebellion looked inevitable now.
• Squalid (adj) [squalus- filthy] neglected and dirty; unpleasant and insanitary; without any fine qualities. The squalid and run-down conditions at the Glasgow zoo didn't happen overnight. The squalid conditions in the refugee camps are appalling.
• Inept (adj) incapable, ineffectual. The plumber was inept at handling modern equipment.

SAT Special (Vocabulary VI)

The last part of the need to know SAT Vocab...

• Brawn (n) muscles. WWE wrestlers have got some serious brawn.
• Contrite (adj) repentant; arising from a sense of guilt. Jacob was in a contrite mood after starving the kitten to death. "I knew Shawn's contrite promises would never become fulfilled, he will hurt me again and again," sobbed Christine.
• Exemplify (v) to become an example. Pakistan's World Cup victory of 1992 from the brink of eliminations, exemplifies resurgence.
• Hypothetical (adj) involving ideas and possibilities; uncertain or unproven. The hypothetical existence of Bigfoot.
• Recalcitrant (adj) defiant. I spent close to an hour working on the recalcitrant necktie, it was the best I had got and the situation demanded it so I was left without choices. (Mafioso)
• Ambulatory (adj) able to walk. Babies are a pain when they become ambulatory, you have to keep a strict watch over them, being lax for a few moments can spell disaster for your baby. (Babies: How to deal with them?)
• Diffident (adj) lacking confidence or shy. The diffident girl almost fainted when she was told to deliver a speech infront of the whole high school.
• Drone (v) talk in a boring voice. I could hear his voice droning on in the background.
• Gullible (adj) easily tricked or deceived because of trusting people too much. The gullible kid was robbed of his candy as the shrewd Matt asked him to hand it over so he could see the make.
• Marred (adj) to spoil something. The fight between the two giant elephants marred the tranquility of the forest.
• Parsimony (n) great frugality or avoidance of spending money. Peter's parsimony was known throughout the city, rumor has it that he died when his $10 bill got lost somewhere in the market.
• Propriety (n) good manner; decorum. If it weren't for propriety then Billy would have brought the place down with celebrations, as news of his wife delivering a baby boy reached him.
• Rejuvenate (v) make young again. The anti-ageing cream is famous for its rejuvenating effect. A few holidays on the beech rejuvenates you.
• Skeptical (adj) doubtful. Jimmy was skeptical about his chances to win the table tennis tournament, he was clearly intimidated by his #1 seeded opponent.
• Tenacious (adj) determined or stubborn; tight. The tenacious attitude of Khan's men triggered a remarkable turnaround. The Anaconda's tenacious grip showed no signs of loosening.
• Nostalgia (n) sentimental longing for the past. Here as elsewhere, the heroic past is not resurrected for nostalgia's sake. (Mafioso). Around 3000 people anticipated eagerly as the motoring nostalgia commenced officially, cars from the period of 1930-62 were a part of the exhibition. Some felt nostalgia for the warm and cosy homes they had left behind (The Battle)
• Pretentious (adj) pompous; self important. The pretentious model, spoke highly of herself and the lucrative deals she had signed.
• Saccharine (adj) overly sweet. Jane gave her most saccharine smile as her mother looked at her in consideration.
• Irascible (adj) easily angered or provoked. The factory worker were hesitant to approach their irascible department head for fear that he might throw a file carton at them.
• Stanza (n) a section of a poem.

SAT Special (Vocabulary V)

...continued

• Amity (n) friendship. The fight strained their amity.
• Stringent (adj) strictly controlled or enforced; strict or restrictive. The stringent dress code at the party didn't go down well with me. The stringent discipline master was always happy to brandish his oak stick. We undertook stringent security checks to ensure nothing untoward happens. [!] Do not assume that astringent is related to it any sense, it means sharp or acrid in tone.
• Voluminous (adj) large or spacious. The voluminous town hall was the site of the annual ball. 
• Auspicious (adj) promising for the future. Linda and Josh began their auspicious relationship, I must admit, they had a remarkable understanding of each other. The captain stood at the docks for a while, taking in the auspicious weather, before finally making his way too the doomed vessel. (Dangerous Waters)
• Fickle (adj) unpredictable, whimsical. The fickle general sent in his best men on the suicide mission just after stating that the job was too risky to be done.
• Lethargy (n) tiredness or languor. Lethargy found me quite comforting for some peculiar reason. I downed a pitcher of coffee in a futile effort to see the torpor abate. (Mafioso)
• Hackneyed (adj) overused; predictable. I try to be myself; to be original in style, not like everyone else who go by hackneyed fashion trends.
• Willful (adj) intentional; obstinate, stubborn. The willful kid wanted to have the toy at all costs, when his Dad didn't oblige, he went into a tantrum. I didn't want to run her down willfully, the slippery road is the culprit. [!] Note the spelling, be careful about that second l of ful.
• Bastion (n) stronghold or fortress. Reality TV is and should remain the last bastion of the desperate. The Kinova Sector was the bastion of the conflict; the post-Apocalyptic view it presented wretched the heart, bloody bodies lay strewn across the landscape, crashed building and the rickety remains of once beautiful abodes punctuated the region and a silver smoke covered the area much like doom once had. (The Battle)
• Trepidation (n) fear or uneasiness about a future event. Her heart protested in trepidation, smashing against her ribcage with ever increasing vigor, as the sound of those heavy boots came closer and closer...(Mafioso). He clung to me with growing trepidation; and on Mr. Heathcliff 's taking a seat and bidding him `` come hither " he hid his face on my shoulder and wept...(Wuthering Hights)
• Desecrate (v) insult or damage something holy. What about those desecrations at the Church? (The Exorcist). How dare you desecrate the Holy Koran and the Bible?
• Fortuitous (adj) occurring by fortune; accidental. The fortuitous bet on the yellow horse earned Jack a lottery. A fortuitous delay in crossing the road saved Anne from an out of control SUV that passed moments later.
• Vehement (adj) done with vigor, force or passion. Linda's vehement denial of being involved in the murder came as a surprise as she was caught on the security camera. Ali vehemently defended his case. Despite vehement protests from Manchester United players, the match continued as the referee didn't consult the linesman.
• Assuage (v) to provide relief from something distressing or painful. Constant reassurances couldn't assuage the fears of the passengers aboard the sinking steam liner. The painkiller assuaged the pain in my left thigh for the rest of the battle.
• Prodigious (adj) sizable or marvelous. This NatGeo documentary shows us how seals are able to perform their prodigious diving feats. Nathan was prescribed prodigious amounts of paracetamol for his spinal pain.
• Furtive (adj) done in a secretive or offhand way; shifty. The conspirators passed each other furtive glances as the poisonous gassed leaked into the parliament chamber..The burglar was easily identified at the police station because he was acting all furtive  and itchy.
• Supercilious (adj) haughty; patronizing. The arrogant girl passed a glance at poor Mary before superciliously rolling her eyes and looking away. [!] Patronize means to be condescending to someone; treating them as inferior.
• Prudent (adj) wise and careful in considering potential consequences. Linda's prudent brother didn't allow her to play with the plastic bag, lest she suffocates. It will be imprudent to keep all those sharp objects accessible to your toddler. It will be financially prudent to keep investing in this business.
• Verbose (adj) using to many words. The verbose 500-word assignment was well over the 250-word limit.
• Pedestrian (adj) commonplace. His pedestrian dressing style was always questionable due to his job as a receptionist, you have to look good here.
• Innocuous (adj) lacking the capacity to do harm. Even the seemingly innocuous Broad was accused of ball-tampering. Jane thought the creature to be innocuous, and prodded at it, but to her surprise it gave her one nasty bite.
• Fanatic (n) an extremist. The religious fanatic thought that Muslim women without a head-cover were punishable with death.
• Retract (v) to pull something back; to move back; withdraw statement. Cats can retract their claws much like tigers and leopards. The politician retracted his earlier statement. She retracted from her demands for a separate house. You have to die if you do not retract from your infamous calumny.
• Ambiguous (adj) confusable in interpretation. Old 19th century stories can be ambiguous for today's generation, considering the amount of change English language has underwent.
• Paucity (n) dearth; scarcity. The paucity of oil is evident nowadays by the hiking prices.
• Rescind (v) to make something invalid or void. Lets hope Obama rescinds everything Bush has done. The clock is fast ticking away; rescind the bargain while there is still time. I have made the agreement in the heat of things, no telling how soon I may have to rescind it. (The Kingdom of the Blind). She could not rescind her orders without a fresh wave of suspicions.
• Subtle (adj) crafty; ingenious; not obvious; able to make fine distinctions. The subtle hacker changed his IP every now and then so he could not be tracked. A subtle mind. Subtle differences in the original and fake painting. Subtle Joe immediately picked up the discrepancies in the two pictures. [!] Subtle is pronounced sut HAL and not sub THUL.
• Zealous (adj) showing passionate enthusiasm; energetic. Zealous fans.
• Benign (adj) harmless. A benign tumor.
• Compliant (adj) yielding or submissive. The forward was compliant to the demands of his coach and at once changed his off side position.
• Emulate (v) to be successful in competition or try to equal someone. Joey tried his utmost to emulate his ideal but always fell short on ideas. Emulates the revenues of other top class companies.
• Meander (v) to zigzag or wander aimlessly. We meandered in the vast, unending tundra.
• Authoritarian (adj) demanding strict following of rules or commands; like a dictator. The president was not at all authoritarian and therefore his grip over the government was meager or to put it right was nonexistent.

SAT Special (Vocabulary IV)

...continued

• Innate (adj) inborn; existing from birth. Mary has an innate affinity for well dressed people. Josh has an innate talent of blowing a whistle through his nose :P.
• Sycophant (n) someone who flatters people in power to gain favors. I don't know how bosses cannot distinguish between sycophants and hard workers.
• Amiable (adj) of a friendly disposition. Amiable Amy is always ready to help anyone with their Maths course.
• Esoteric (adj) understood only by a few. An esoteric ancient language. The esoteric script of the movie went over my head.
• Extraneous (adj) irrelevant; not essential or required. Most of the clothing Mary brought for the drama was extraneous. Don't divert the discourse to extraneous topics. On the shore, amidst the water. an extraneous sign read "No parking!"
• Tedious (adj) boring because of being long or monotonous; tiresome. The tedious algebra exercise wasn't even worth looking at. The tedious song was a pain for my ears, all it consisted of was the chorus. She worked tediously on her assignment for a week but still got a B.
• Caustic (adj) corrosive or acrid; sarcastic or hurting. Scrooge was as caustic and cold as ever, pompously neglecting the woes of the people around him.
• Inadvertent (adj) careless or resulting from carelessness (advert is to pay attention). The inadvertent boy didn't complete the assignment for 3 days in a row, much to the ire of the teacher. The inadvertent construction workers didn't coat the sides of the road with reflective paint. The doctor inadvertently injected the medicine into the artery rather than the vein.
• Exhaustive (adj) thorough or complete. An exhaustive account of the life of the army general. The exhaustive report on the incident covered 500 pages.
• Incongruous (adj) not harmonious or consistent. The pattern on that wall is incongruous to the one beside it. The juxtaposition of soldiers and recusant schoolchildren was both shocking and incongruous. The red of the rock against the blue sky, an incongruous sight of water in the desert.
• Belittle (v) to make or seem little. The mammoth 300 odd run 7th wicket stand between Broad and Trott was belittled by spot fixing allegations. The superb performance of Jay Sean was belittled by the fire accident behind the stage. The air force belittled the mass UFO sighting by putting forward bizarre scientific causes.
• Digress (v) to go off central topic. "But the Americans also did it," digressed Tom. I have to digress here a moment to explain the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist.
• Appease (v) too satisfy, pacify or calm. Timothy appeased his thirst with a long cool drink. Molly appeased her critics with a tremendous book.
• Frivolous (adj) not serious or with a hint of levity. I was frivolous about starting a relationship with her, I hope she doesn't take it seriously. We send a lot of texts to our friend each other, some rather frivolous, others a tad serious.
• Instigate (v) to stir up or to give rise to. The killing of the innocent boy instigated a citywide riot. Don't you even think of instigating a fight with Lee, he may look skinny at first glance but he is a trained martial artist.
• Sage (adj) somebody possessing wisdom and reverence due to experience. The sage, old fighter didn't take the abusive provocations of his opponent seriously, he let out his ire after the coup de grâce.
• Jeopardy (n) in question. The injury put the future career of the star sportsman in jeopardy.
• Tangible (adj) touchable; can be felt; actual or concrete. Lack of tangible evidence has given him a chance to win the legal battle. We shuddered together in the dark cave, the blizzard and the creatures of the night calling out to us, but my mind never responded to anything until I suddenly felt Josh's hand go limp and tangibly cold. (40 Nights)
• Indulgent (adj) generally tolerant and permissive; yielding to desire. The nice grandma was indulgent of her grandchildren letting them have her special dark chocolate pudding every time they came asking for it. An indulgent professor. Tom was a self-indulgent person, when he wanted to bang a girl he won't wait.
• Remorse (n) feeling\realization of guilt or regret. The bliss of having so much money at you disposal wasn't lasting, I was overcome by remorse, my happy trip had hit a dead end, faces of the people I killed were coming back to haunt me...(Mafioso)
• Respite (n) rest or delay. The devilish puppy realized my need for a respite and went back without causing his trademark mayhem. The respite between the earthquake shocks.
• Stoic (adj) indifferent or impassive; someone remaining patient in the face of adversity. The stoic general didn't here what the woman had to say and killed her. Bruce Willis is a stoic, brawny man.
• Peripheral (adj) outlying, not significant. A peripheral shake of the hand went unnoticed and the surgeon continued with the operation despite the anesthesia being incorrectly administered.
• Hedonistic (adj) seeking pleasure. There is a lot more to sex rather than just hedonism. The hedonistic lifestyle of Yoshi came to an end when his lottery winnings came to an end.
• Benefactor (n) a generous donor. The Earl was the soul benefactor of the new church. He was the most famous benefactor in town, giving away loads of money in charity.
• Apocryphal (adj) not true but widely regarded as truth. The apocryphal movie, 2012, had many a people worried about their future. An apocryphal story about Don.
• Virtuoso (n) exceptional music performer or a talented person. Altair, the 13th century fictional assassin, was a virtuoso of his craft. The animal trainer made the gifted walrus a virtuoso of  the saxophone.
• Slander (v) to defame or speak false of someone. Imran Khan sued Ian Botham for slandering and libel and won $ 400,000 in compensation.
• Animosity (n) hostility. Rats and squirrels are both quite similar rodents, but you don't show the same animosity to squirrels as you do to rats. (Inglorious Basterds)

SAT Special (Vocabulary III)

...continued

• Relegate (v) exile someone from a country or community; demote somebody or something to a less important position or category. After an abysmal season X Football Club saw themselves relegated to second division. The Shah of Iran was relegated from the country after the Islamic revolution.
• Anecdote (n) a short and usually amusing story. Hilton's grandma told him an anecdote about a dog that swam at the Olympics. 
• Scanty (adj) less than the requirement; meager. A scanty dinner. It is a norm to see models clad in scanty dresses for men's magazine photoshoots.
• Fallacious (adj) untrue or false. The girl spread fallacious rumors about the cancellation of the high school ball. He stood up against the fallacious beliefs of the cult and was killed that very moment.
• Acclaim (v) praise or admire someone or something highly. A critically acclaimed motion picture. The jury acclaimed the daring and innovative performance of the juggler.
• Uniform (adj) consistent or unchanging. A uniform force.
• Incoherent (adj) difficult to understand or make a meaning out of. She was clearly perplexed as the speech she delivered was incoherent in every sense of word. His speech was reduced to incoherent mumblings.
• Repress (v) suppress something usually by force. He repressed the laugh until his cheeks ached. The only practical solution left before us now is to repress the rebellion.
• Articulate (v) to express something understandably. Emy articulated her grief to her boyfriend.
• Solicit (v) to ask or to plead for something. I am ready to help you if cease soliciting alms. She was charged on accounts of soliciting the murder of her husband.
• Reproach (v) criticize for a wrongdoing; scold. The disciple master reproached little Jody for playing in the dirt.
• Condescend (v) to act in a superior way; to do something considered humiliating or of lower level. Honda makes great little cars, I am not trying to sound condescending but I was just saying that they made great sedans. The officer condescended to accepting a two figure bribe for the first time in his life. She condescended to travelling in our minivan as her own limo wouldn't start.
• Orthodox (adj) conventional; in line with already set principles. An orthodox cover drive. Your driving skills are not at all orthodox...you are the most rash driver I've been with.
• Indolent (adj) lethargic, inactive or insensitive to pain (secondary). The indolent dog always laid there, infront of the fireplace, barking in his sleep as if it were hot on chase. The indolent, obese man took a dip in the pool for the first time in his life.
• Congenial (adj) pleasant to be with. Jane had many a sleepless nights thinking about her 'monstrous' in-laws but was left flabbergasted when she found them to be quite congenial.
• Preclude (v) to prevent something from happening; to shut out; to make impossible. Having a relative in the company precludes me from taking part in the competition. The strong defense of Chelsea precluded Liverpool from scoring the winning goal.
• Apprehensive (adj) fearful or anxious. Josh was apprehensive about going trick 'r treating. The captain was apprehensive about sailing in those uncharted waters.
• Elaborate (adj) detailed or complex. An elaborate plan. An elaborate explanation of the topic.
• Arrogant (adj) feeling superior. The arrogant girl didn't even say hello to girls from poor or middle-class backgrounds.
• Taciturn (adj) habitually reserved or silent. Linda is of a taciturn and unsocial disposition, remaining silent until she has something to say that will awe the whole room.
• Ameliorate (v) to make something less painful or hard; or make better. The air hostess tried to ameliorate the doom that hung in the passenger cabin by switching on MTV, but still nothing would diverge the passengers' mind from the awaiting death. He tried to ameliorate the pain by applying ice to the cuts.
• Acquiesce (v) to agree or submit. I could not but acquiesce in his theory as I was too tired to argue more. The count would not acquiesce in letting her having a walk in the woods. The women alleged that the father, too, had acquiesced in killing the child.
• Atrophy (n) lose strength from the lack of use. Being bed-ridden for 6 weeks he could clearly feel the atrophy in his muscles. If the astronauts do not exercise when in space then they will face muscle atrophy when they get back to Earth.
• Dubious (adj) doubtful, hesitant. The dubious horse was in no mood of letting Sam ride. I was a little dubious about whether to trust him or not.
• Flagrant (adj) conspicuously bad such that the deed is against moral conduct. Guantanamo Bay Prison is a flagrant violation of human rights. The undertaker asked him for his last words before he was executed for his flagrant crime.
• Concise (adj) short and to the point. A concise report.
• Immutable (adj) unchanging or unchangeable. The hacker tried his utmost but still couldn't change the immutable password of the main server.
• Static (adj) stationary. The pendulum remains static for a fraction of a second at the highest point in its oscillation.
• Credulous (adj) believing, gullible, can be tricked. The credulous shopkeeper was tricked into thinking that they are going to pay but instead they ran off with the loot.
• Blasphemy (n) irreverence, disrespect of something considered religious. In India, slaughtering a cow is considered a blasphemy.
• Coalesce (v) to unify or come together or combine. Raindrops chased each other on the window, then coalesced. In a smoothie all the ingredients have to be coalesced to give the real taste.
• Lax (adj) not strict or careful enough. Your lax attitude while driving is going to land our passenger's safety in jeopardy. The security checks were lax and the security officials just checked the participants superficially.
• Levity (n) inappropriate lack of seriousness. His levity, as we fought to control the ship in punishing waves, was getting on my nerves.
• Ambivalent (adj) having mixed or uncertain feelings about something. The man for the first time was ambivalent about jumping off the building and the hard work of the psychologists seemed to pay off. The tourists were ambivalent about where they were and their tour guide was nowhere to be seen.
• Cryptic (adj) secret or hidden; mysterious or mystifying; having a secret or ambiguous meaning. They cryptic underground vaults of the London Bridge are one of the most haunted locales on Earth. The hieroglyphs are though to be cryptic. The cryptic paradise of Jurassic Period's remains wasn't found until the beginning of the 21st century. 

SAT Special (Vocabulary II)

...continued

• Vacillate (v) to waver back and forth; remain indecisive. When buying a pizza, I vacillated between Pepperoni, Ham and Sausage. Most of us vacillate between what is right and wrong under peer pressure. She vacillates when it comes to buying just one junk food.
• Fervor (n) passionate enthusiasm or intensity or simple passion. Before the final game the stadium was bubbling with fervor. The patriotic fervor in the soldiers was extremely pleasing to see.
• Dispassionate (adj) lacking passion; objective and not easily influenced by emotion. Like all hunters a Tiger kills its pray dispassionately. The dispassionate fans were really hurtful for the team considering the controversy they have been through.
• Pragmatic (adj) concerned more with practical outcomes; learning lessons from history. Haily was a pragmatic person, concerned more with how a practical demonstration would end rather than what is behind it. He was a successful and pragmatic ruler, concerned with solutions that made the most sense. I am just being pragmatic in my approach, a bottle of acid will open up the drain equally well as digging it up and taking out the obstruction.
• Rigorous (adj) severe; taxing; precise. A rigorous fitness program. Hiking in rigorous conditions.
• Solemn (adj) showing seriousness or gravity. He wore a solemn expression as the death of his friend was announced before him.
• Alleviate (v) lessen something so it becomes bearable, usually temporarily. The painkiller shot alleviated the excruciating pain for half and hour before it escalated again.
• Negligence (n) carelessness. The crime took place because of the negligence of the police officers.
• Conspicuous (adj) standing out, obtrusive; highly noticeable. She found herself increasingly conspicuous as she was the only one wearing an informal dress on the event.
• Advocate (v) to speak in favor of; to endorse; to support. The senator advocated the use force to suppress the rebellion.
• Ascetic (adj) choosing austerity and self denial to practice religion or for personal reasons. Elvin always wanted to live an ascetic life with the monks but his desire never became practical.
• Profound (adj) deep, strong or intense. Capturing and caring for stray cats is a profound interest of mine.
• Ironic (adj) words stating opposite of their literal meaning (satire), incongruous, something that doesn't happen contrary to expectations. Irony was evident in the laughable ranking of inventors who got killed by their own inventions. The discipline master, quite ironically, didn't punish Ron and let him go unscathed over his serious wrong doing.
• Dogmatic (adj) prone to expressing strongly held beliefs or opinions. The dogmatic guy had the talk show on fire, letting out contradictory statements every now and then. The dogmatic mouse said that all cats feared his animosity.
• Condone (v) be willing to overlook something that is bad or immoral. Joey's parents condoned his late night comings and then had the shock of their lives when their son got jailed for burglary.
• Dissent (v/n) expressing disagreement on widely held opinion (v); discord. Emily expressed her dissent by shrieking at her parents. Hamish dissented from the opinions of the committee.
• Volition (n) ability to choose or exercising free will. The prisoner, although present in the discourse, wasn't allowed to say or do anything much like a finely molded statue rather than a man having life and volition. Jane accepted her guild and went into exile by her own volition.
• Voluntary (adj) of free will. His response never looked voluntary, it was more of a reflex for survival in the face of danger. 
• Didactic (adj) tending to give instructions even when they are not needed or welcomed. The didactic lab assistant stood over me and without doubt was a pain in the ass. Nerds are often labelled as didactic.
• Disparate (adj) strongly differing; incomparable. The two guys were too disparate to be friends but they surprised everyone when they became bosom buddies. My personality is divided into two disparate halves, wait till you see the other one. [!] Don't confuse with desperate (overwhelmed with urgency and anxiety).
• Disparage (v) to refer disapprovingly or contemptuously; to belittle. The elite, fashionable girls disparaged Jennifer because of her modest looks and attire. Joshua's teacher disparaged him because of his lack of interest in class.
• Ephemeral (adj) short lived. The success of the movie was ephemeral and collections dropped into the second week as the word spread about its insipid story line.
• Compliant (adj) ready to confirm or agree; submissive. I drove my car in compliance to the speed limit. The new-found compliant behavior of the child was heart-warming for her mother. The compliant servant was treated miserably by his master.
• Prosaic (adj) lacking imagination; without complexities. Let me be prosaic as the facts are; there is no time for an imaginative narration. Lilly, Cristinna's 2-year-old daughter, is so sharp for her age that yesterday she made a pirate hat out of paper, albeit a prosaic one. The prosaic story line received bad reviews from every critic.
• Profuse (adj) copious; abundant; extravagant; volubly expressed. The profuse bleeding went on unabated and his friends started to fear for his life. Linda's profuse apologies went in vain as the headmaster mad her stay and clean the lab.
• Expedient (adj) appropriate or advantageous in situation; serving self-interest. She found waiting for her aunt in the torrential rain expedient because of all the hardships she had born for her. The hunt for the black orchid came to an expedient end as all the mean members of the group were killed by the anaconda.
• Fastidious (adj) meticulous (pain-staking & precise) or delicate (easily disgusted) or difficult to please.  Eyre is fastidious about her appearance; spending hours on getting the makeup and hairstyle right. Judges at the American Idol are fastidious when it comes to the singing ability of the contestants. She was fastidious when it comes to the shave of boys, even the slightest carelessness in grooming would turn her off.
• Belligerent (adj) hostile, aggressive. Belligerent Bob is known throughout the town for his frequent, vicious bar fights.
• Astute (adj) clever and discerning especially where personal benefit is in question. The astute investor was very perspicacious about his investments, investing only on profitable and future-proof locations. The astute possum carried her children on her back to keep track of them.
• Languish (v) to be neglected or deprived; to lose vitality or strength. The languished park has become a dump-yard and a hideout for criminals. Thousands of people in Pakistan are languishing in makeshift camps in the wake of recent floods.
• Censure (v) to criticize or condemn. The politician censured the approach of the government towards dealing with terrorism.
• Stagnation (n) to remain static or motionless. The stagnation of vehicles on the main road didn't clear until the early hours of yesterday. Industrial stagnation lead to many workers becoming redundant.
• Mitigate (v) to lessen the severity of something. The lollipop did a lot to the mitigate the whining of the kid. She found sewing to have a mitigating effect on her melancholy surrounding. Only she can mitigate the suffering of my wretched heart.
• Reprehensible (adj) highly unacceptable and deserving censure or blame. The human rights violation in many 3rd world countries are reprehensible. Lil' Monty was reprehensible for breaking the window.
• Engender (v) to create or give rise to. Stuart's hesitance in going through the metal detector engendered suspicion in the heart of the security officer. The abstract painting engendered questions in the heart of the viewers.
• Exemplary (adj) setting an example. The steadfastness displayed by Josh in those hard times was exemplary.