SAT Vocabulary List

Word list 02

Group 1

Acrid	sharp; pungent (used of smells and tastes)
Boorish	ill-mannered
Cynical	believing that people act only out of selfish motives
Epistle	a letter (form of communication)
Heresy	against orthodox opinion
Lance	spear; spike; javelin
Obscure	difficult to understand; partially hidden
Poignant	deeply moving; strongly affecting the emotions
Respite	a break; intermission
Terse	concise; to the point

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Group 2

Acrophobia	fear of heights
Bourgeois	middle class
Debility	weakness; incapacity
Epistolary	concerned with letters; through correspondence
Hiatus	interruption; pause
Languid	tired; slow
Obscured	hidden; covered; buried
Poised	calm; collected; self-possessed
Resplendent	shining; glowing
Therapeutic	medicinal; curative

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Group 3

Acuity	sharpness (mental or visual)
Braggart	someone who boasts
Debunking	exposing false claims or myths
Epitomized	typified; characterized; personified
Hidebound	rigid in opinions
Languish	decay; fade away; get weaker
Obsequious	servile; submissive
Polemical	causing debate or argument
Restorative	a tonic
Thwart	prevent; frustrate

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Group 4

Adamant	forceful; inflexible
Brawny	muscular
Decathlon	an athletic competition with ten events
Equivocate	speak ambiguously; avoid telling the truth
Hieroglyphics	1. picture writing; 2. writing which is difficult to read or enigmatic
Larceny	theft; robbery; stealing
Obsession	a dominating concern
Ponderous	weighty; slow and heavy
Retention	preservation; withholding
Timorous	cowardly; fearful

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Group 5

Adroit	skilful / skillful
Brevity	being brief
Decorum	dignified, correct behavior [decorous (a)]
Err	make a mistake
Hinder	obstruct
Largess	generosity
Obsolete	no longer valid
Pontificate	speak pompously or dogmatically
Reticent	restrained; holding something back; uncommunicative
Tirade	stream of verbal abuse

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Group 6

Adulation	strong admiration; worship
Bristle	to show irritation
Decoy	lure; trap; trick
Erratic	wandering; irregular
Histrionic	theatrical; exaggerated
Laud	praise
Obstreperous	noisy and boisterous
Portend	foretell
Retraction	withdrawal; cancellation of a statement
Titter	giggle quietly

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Group 7

Adversity	hardship
Broach	start to discuss; approach
Deference	respect
Esoteric	obscure and difficult to understand
Hoary	old
Lavish	on a grand scale; wasteful
Obtuse	mentally dull
Portent	a warning sign; omen
Revere	worship
Tome	large book

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Group 8

Advocate	support
Brusque	blunt; abrupt
Defoliate	cause leaves to fall off
Espouse	promote; take up; support
Hone	sharpen; increase; whet
Lax	careless; not strict
Obviate	avoid; make unnecessary
Poseur	someone who puts on an act
Riddled	full of (usually full of holes)
Torpid	inactive; lazy; stagnant

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Group 9

Aesthetic	concerning art or beauty
Bulwark	fortification; barricade; wall
Defunct	no longer in existence
Etymology	the study of word origins
Hyperbole	grossly exaggerated speech
Legend	1. key to map; 2. myth or story
Odious	hateful
Posterity	future generations
Rife	common
Torpor	dormancy; sluggishness; inactivity

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Group 10

Affable	friendly; social; easygoing
Bureaucracy	officialdom
Degradation	deprivation; poverty; debasement
Eulogy	praise
Hypochondriac	a person obsessed with health; having imaginary illnesses
Legion	in large numbers
Officious	domineering; intrusive; meddlesome
Posthumous	after death
Rigor	thoroughness
Totter	walk unsteadily

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