Sat Vocabulary Unit 1

SOPHOMORE SAT VOCABULARY – UNIT 2

QUIZ: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

KNOW THE DEFINITIONS AND HOW TO USE THE WORD IN A SENTENCE.

1. acrimonious ADJ – Caustic (ak ruh MONE ee us) SYN: bitter ANT: cordial The prisoner of war had acrimonious remarks for those that mistreated him. 2. ameliorate VERB – To make better, to relieve, to improve (uh MEE lee o rate) SYN: ------ANT: to make worse, to aggravate Social workers attempt to ameliorate the conditions of people living in the slum areas. 3. amenable ADJ – Open to or willing to follow advice or suggestion, tractable, malleable (uh MEN uh bul) SYN: docile, obedient ANT: unwilling Since I like him and usually agree with him, I am always amenable to listening to his ideas. 4. amorphous ADJ – Shapeless, having no definite form (uh MOR fuss) SYN: ------ANT: structured In the science fiction movie, the amorphous mass terrorized the town. 5. buoyant ADJ – Capable of floating; cheerful (BOY unt) SYN: ------ANT: likely to sink Because the log was buoyant, it stayed afloat. OR The girl’s buoyant spirit made her pleasant company. 6. cajole VERB – To persuade with deliberate flattery, to coax, to wheedle (kuh JOLE) SYN: ------ANT: to browbeat I will not be cajoled into allowing you to stay up past your bedtime. 7. calamity NOUN – A serious event causing distress or misfortune (kuh LAM uh tee) SYN: cataclysm, catastrophe ANT: good fortune The earthquake in Mexico was a calamity. 8. debase VERB – To reduce in dignity or quality (deh BASE) SYN: corrupt, debauch, demean ANT: to glorify Do not debase yourself by swearing. 9. ephemeral ADJ – Lasting a short period of time, fleeting (eh FEM ur ul) SYN: fleeting, transient ANT: lasting, timeless, eternal The microorganism had an ephemeral lifespan, and it died shortly after it was created. 10. flourish VERB – To thrive, to grow well (FLUR ish) SYN: ------ANT: to wither The company flourished after a new board of directors took control. 11. haughty ADJ – Arrogant, excessively proud and vain (HAW tee) SYN: disdainful, insolent, lordly ANT: humble Being quarterback of the football team does not give him the right to be haughty. 12. impervious ADJ – Incapable of being entered or penetrated, not capable of being damaged (im PUR vee us) SYN: ------ANT: penetrable Because this watch is impervious to water, I can go swimming while wearing it. 13. inane ADJ – Lacking significance, meaning or point; silly, insipid (eh NANE) SYN: banal, flat, vapid ANT: pertinent, intelligent, significant Your comments are inane and are preventing the discussion of the main topic. 14. indolence NOUN – Laziness (IN duh luns) SYN: slothfulness ANT: industriousness The hot and humid weather in the tropics encourages indolence. 15. infallible ADJ – Incapable of error (in FAL uh bul) SYN: ------ANT: erroneous, fallacious Since everyone makes mistakes, no human is infallible. 16. languid ADJ – Slow, sluggish, listless, weak (LANG gwid) SYN: lethargic, stuporous, torpid ANT: animated The old man’s walk was languid, each pace requiring great effort. 17. malice NOUN – Desire to harm others SYN: malevolence, malignity, (MAL is) ANT: concern spite His death was caused by malice and was not accidental. 18. oblique ADJ – Slanting, indirect, evasive, devious, misleading (uh BLEEK) SYN: ------ANT: direct Because of the suspect’s oblique answers, our interrogation of him led us in the wrong direction. 19. opulence NOUN – Wealth, affluence, abundance (OP yuh luns) SYN: ------ANT: meagerness, scarcity Until the recent decline in the price of oil, the Hunt name was synonymous with opulence. 20. penitent ADJ – Showing or feeling regret for wrongdoing, repentant (PEN eh tunt) SYN: contrite, remorseful ANT: unrepentant He became penitent when he realized that his prank resulted in serious injury.

SAT word lists compiled by Laying the Foundation, Inc.