SAT VOCABULARY

PACKAGE 5

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(v)

1. ABHOR
to loathe, detest

(v)
to renounce under oath, to abandon forever, to
abstain from

2. ABJURE

George abhorred his exhausting new job at

the supermarket.

After having been devout for most of his life,

he suddenly abjured his beliefs, much to his
family's disappointment.

dislike, hate, despise

renounce, disavow
(v)

3. ABNEGATE

4. BASTION

to give up, to deny oneself

fortification, strong-hold

After his retirement, the former police

commissioner found it difficult to abnegate
authority.

The club was well known as a bastion of

conservative values in the liberal city.

abjure, surrender, renounce

bulwark, defence, haven

(adj)
displaying calmness and joy, relating to a
state of celestial happiness.

5. BEATIFIC

6. BECALM

The warm air becalmed the choppy waves.

angelic, blissful

quiet, allay, still

(adj)

impartial and honest in speech

(v)

to stop the progress of, to soothe

After spending three months in India, she

had a beatific peace about her.

7. CANDID

(n)

(adj)
having difficult, uncooperative, or stubborn
disposition

8. CANTANKAROUS

The observations of a child can be charming

because they are candid and unpretentious

The most outwardly cantankerous man in the

nursing home was surprisingly sweet and
loving with his grandchildren.

direct, forthright, frank, honest, open

contentions, ornery

9. CAPACIOUS

(adj)

10. DECEIVE

large, roomy, extensive

give false impression

We wondered how many hundreds of stores

occupied the capacious mall.

Chantalle has deceived her classmates into

thinking that she's a tough cookie, but in
reality she is very sensitive.

ample, commodious

mislead

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(v)

11. DECIBEL

(n)

12. DECIDUOUS

(adj)

unit of sound intensity

losing leaves in the fall, short-lived,

temporary

Derek's mom told him to turn down the

decibel level on his amplifier because the
neighbours were complaining about the
noise.

Deciduous trees are bare in winter, which is

why coniferous trees, such as evergreens, are
used during winter holidays.
ephemeral

13. EFFICACY

(n)

14. EFFIGY

effectiveness

stuffed doll, likeness of a person

The efficacy of penicillin was unsurpassed

when it was first introduced, completely
eliminating almost all bacterial infections.

The anti-American militants burned Uncle

Sam in effigy during their demonstration.

dynamism, effectiveness, efficiency, force

dummy, figure, image

(adj)
effective with a minimum of unnecessary
effort or waste

15. EFFICIENT

Timmy liked to eat his corn on the cob in an

efficient manner by neatly chomping off one
row at a time.

16. FANFARE

(n)

(n)

a showy public display

Josh enjoyed the fanfare the football team
received at the start of every game.

resourceful, proficient

17. FASTIDIOUS

(v)

18. FATHOM

careful with details

penetrate the meaning of

Brett was normally so fastidious that Rachel

was astonished to find his desk littered with
clutter.

Chantalle could not fathom why her mom

wore her hair in a beehive.

meticulous, painstaking, precise,

punctilious, scrupulous

Comprehend

19. GESTATION

(n)

20. GIBBER

growth process from conception to birth

prattle unintelligently

The longer the gestation period of an

organism, the more developed the baby is at
birth.

Ashley's baby cousin gibbered happily

whenever Ashley picked him up.

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(v)

(v)

development, gravidity, pregnancy

21. HAUGHTY

babble
(adj)

22. HAZARDOUS

(adj)

arrogant and condescending

risky, perilous

George did not like the haughty attitude that

Chantalle was giving him.

Willow panicked when she spotted hazardous

waste materials in the school stairwell.

lofty, pompous

dangerous
(v)

23. IMBUE

24. IMITATE

(v)

to infuse, to dye, wet, moisten

copy, impersonate

Marcia struggled to imbue her children with

decent values, a difficult task in this day and
age.

Knock-off designers often imitate the popular

designs of expensive brands.

charge, freight, impregnate, permeate,

pervade

ape, emulate, mime

25. IMMODERATE

(adj)

26. JUBILATION

excessive

joy, celebration

Ashley's mother did not approve of the

immoderate amount of soda her daughter
drank.

Derek's jubilation over having his band beg

him to come back was strong.

inordinate, exorbitant

exultation

27. JUDICIOUS

(adj)

28. LARCENY

(n)

(n)

sensible, showing good judgment

theft of property

The wise and distinguished judge was well

known for having a judicious temperament.

Paul quickly dialed the police when witnessed

a man committing larceny by stealing a car.

circumspect, prudent, sagacious, sapient

breaking and entering, robbery

29. LARGESS

(adj)

30. MALFEASANCE

generosity

wrongdoing or misconduct, especially by a

public official

She'd always relied on her parent's largess,

but after graduating, she had to get a job.

Not only was the deputy's malfeasance

humiliating, it also spelled the end of his
career.

philanthropy

corruption, fraud

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(n)

31. MALIGN

(n)

to speak about in an evil manner

(n)
the accidental, often comical, use of a word
which resembles the one intended, but has a
different, often contradictory meaning

32. MALAPROPISM

The candidate maligned her opponent in an

effort to ruin his campaign.

She meant to say public broadcasting but

instead it came out a malapropism: public
boredcasting.

defame, vilify

misstatement

(adj)
the practice of communicating with the dead
in order to predict the future

33. NEGLIGENT

(n)

34. NEONATE
a new born child

Ashley was negligent in her duties as pep

squad captain when she forgot to order
uniforms for the three new members.

The neonate was born prematurely so she's

still in the hospital.

derelict, lax

baby, infant

35. OBSTACLE

(n)

36. OBSCURE

(adj)

impediment

pushy, too conspicuous

Shanna never let her dyslexia become an

obstacle to getting top grades.

Although it was a bit obtrusive, Shanna

interrupted the teacher's conversation to ask
him why she received a C on her paper.

encumbrance

intrusive

37. PANEGYRIC

(n)

elaborate praise, formal hymn of praise

(adj)
excessively hopeful, marked by the thought
that all is for the best

38. PANGLOSSIAN

The director's panegyric for the donor who

kept his charity going was heart-warming.

Jesse was so panglossian about their finances

that Nicole often had to leave the room to
keep from screaming.

compliment, homage

optimistic

39. PARADIGM

(n)

40. PANTOMIME

an outstandingly clear or typical example

communication through gestures

The new restaurant owner used the fastfood giant as a paradigm for expansion into
new locales.

Marisol thought it would be fun to spend a

day communicating through pantomime
rather than talking to people.

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(n)

model

gesture
(n)

41. RACONTEUR

42. RADIANT

witty, skillful storyteller

glowing, beaming, emitting heat

The raconteur kept all the passengers

entertained with his stories during the sixhour flight.

Marisol looked radiant as she walked the

catwalk at the school fashion show.

anecdotalist, monologist

aglow, sunny
(v)

43. SATURATE
to fill completely

(adj)

(adj)
cold and steady in mood, gloomy, slow to act

44. SATURINE

Sally saturated her daisy patch with water.

Her saturnine expression every day made her

hard to be around.

soak

sullen, bitter
(n)

45. SAVANT

46. SALIENT

(adj)

a person of learning, especially one with

knowledge in a special field

prominent, of notable significance

The savant so impressed us with his

knowledge that we asked him to come speak
at our school.

His most salient characteristic is his tendency

to dominate every conversation.

scholar

noticeable, marked, outstanding

47. TEMERITY

(n)

48. TEMPERANCE

(n)

unreasonable or foolhardy disregard for

danger, recklessness

restraint, self-control

I offered her a ride since it was late at

night, but she had the temerity to say she'd
rather walk.

Marisol showed great temperance when she

passed the table packed with delicious
desserts and took only one.

boldness

moderation

49. TEMPESTUOUS

(adj)

50. UNKEMPT

(adj)

stormy, turbulent

sloppily, maintained

Our camping trip was cut short when the

sun shower we were expecting turned into a
tempestuous downpour.

Eli whipped out a comb and fixed his unkempt

hair in time for the yearbook photo.

tumultuous, blustery

messy

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