3 STEP TEST PREP
Road to Better Vocab
Making a “Vocab Roadmap” draws links between familiar ideas to new and unfamiliar ones,
like seeing that statue around the corner that rings a bell about where you are, when you’re
lost. Remember that a difficult word to remember for some can be very easy for others;
vocab is our language and vocab is personal. Let’s try to make some roadmaps for the following word.
Ostentatious - “characterized by or given to pretentious or conspicuous show in an attempt
to impress others” (dictionary.com)
Roadmap
Road 1 - The ostentatious kids in school dress to impress. (think of someone you know)
Road 2 - Everyone knows an ostentatious showoff that talks his mouth off.
(think of someone you know)
Road 3 - I want to be humble, I don’t want to be ostentatious. (humble is an antonym)
Tests are written by people, who read books, magazines, and articles on the internet, and
listen to other people speak on various forms of media. In addition to studying these 300
words, it’s also a good idea to keep an eye out for new vocab from reputable sources like
Time Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, etc.
Aberration - departure from the norm
Abstruse - difficult to understand
Admonish - warn firmly
Adroit - skillful
Affable - friendly
Agnostic - non-believer of God
Alacrity - eagerness
Alleviate - make better
Altruism - selflessness
Amalgamate - combine in a mix
Amass - bring the mass together
Ambivalent - having mixed feelings
Ameliorate - make better
Anachronistic - misplaced in time
Anomaly - something not normal
Antagonize - to make another hostile
Aptitude - ability
Arbitrate - reach a decision
Arcane - secret to most
Ascertain - make sure of
Astute - bright and sharp
Aural - relating to hearing
Autonomous - independent
Banal - unoriginal
Barter - economy of trading
Belie - contradict / disprove
Bellicose - wanting to fight
Belittle - to make look unimportant
Belligerent - wanting to fight
Benevolent - kind and giving
Benign - kind
Bereave - stripped of loved one
Bombastic - flashy but fake
Brevity - conciseness
Bucolic - pleasant countryside like
Byzantine - complicated / maze like
Callous - insensitive
Candid - truthful / in the moment
Cantankerous - ill-tempered
Capricious - unpredictable
Chicanery - a trick
Chide - scold
Clairvoyant - possessing supernatural sight
Coddle - overprotect
Concord - harmony
Condone - approve
Conduit - network of tubes
Connotate - shorten
Consecrate - make holy
Contempt - a condescending feeling
Copious - abundant and full
Corollary - what comes next naturally
Corroborate - support and confim
Cosmopolitan - worldly
Credence - belief
Credulity - eagerness for belief
Cultivate - develop
Curative - curing properties
Cursory - rushed
Cynical - believing everyone is selfish
Dalliance - casual relationship
Debilitated - weak and unable
Debunk - reveal a myth
Decorous - proper
Deft - skillful
Delineate - describe
Denude - make nude
Deride - mock
Desolate - deserted
Deter - discourage from
Diaphanous - fine and light
Didactic - teacher like
Dilatory - causing delay, like a filibuster
Dilletante - dabbler of this and that
Discern - distinguish
Disclose - reveal
Dismay - startle
Disparage - make feel less worthy
Disseminate - distribute
Distend - to swell
Docile - submissive
Dowager - elderly woman
Dubious - doubtful
Eccentric - unconventional person (adj or n)
Eclectic - diverse
Edify - educate
Efface - erase or hide
Effusive - grateful
Egalitarian - belief of equal right for all
Equanimity - composure
Equivocal - uncertain and ambiguous
Emancipate - to free
Emphatic - giving emphasis
Empirical - practical rather than theoretical
Encroach - intrude another’s space
Enigma - puzzle
Entreat - ask firmly
Ephemeral - shortlived
Epitome - the perfect example
Eradicate - remove completely
Erratic - unpredictable
Erudite - knowledgable
Esoteric - known to few
Exacerbate - make worse
Exonerate - free from blame
Extirpation - complete removal of organ
Fastidious - attentive to detail
Felicity - happiness
Fervent - passionate
Fickle - unsure and always changing
Finagle - obtain illegitimately
Flabbergasted - shocked and astonished
Flotsam - sea wreckage
Folly - silliness
Futile - useless
Gaiety - happy / gay
Gaudy - flashy
Grating - annoying and unpleasant
Hilarity - something hilarious
Hinder - get in the way / slow down
Holistic - relating to the whole
Husbandry - relating to farming
Hubris - overly prideful
Iconoclast - opponent of traditional belief
Idiosyncrasy - a peculiar characteristic
Ignominy - disgrace
Immerse - submerge
Implement - put in use
Impetuous - hasty and reckless
Impugn - challenge validity
Inane - stupid
Inconsequential - insignificant
Incorrigible - unfixable
Indictment - formal charge of crime
Indigent - needy
Indignation - injustice induced anger
Indomitable - undefeatable
Ineffable - indescribable
Ineptitude - lack of skill
Innocuous - unharmful
Insipid - dull and uninteresting
Insolence - disrespect
Insurrection - violent uprising
Intermittent - irregularly occuring
Irascible - short-tempered
Irresolute - uncertain
Irreverent - disrespectful
Jaded - tired of it
Jingoism - violent patriotism
Judicious - sensical
Juxtaposition - contrast from comparing
Lackadaisical - careless and lazy
Laconic - not wordy
Lassitude - low energy
Languid - weak and slow
Lithe - graceful
Loquacious - talkative
Lucid - bright and clear
Lugubrious - sad
Magnanimous - generous
Mar - disfigure
Melodramatic - overemotional
Mendicant - beggar like
Mercurial - prone to changing mind
Meticulous - painstaking attentive to detail
Miff - annoy
Miscreant - lawbreaker type
Misnomer - a wrong label
Mitigate - lighten and improve
Modicum - small amount
Mollify - appease and soften
Motley - diverse
Multifarious - varied
Mundane - dull
Myopic - lacking foresight
Nefarious - evil
Nostalgic - sentimental
Notorious - famous for badness
Obliterate - destroy completely
Obsequious - extremely obedient and attentive
Obstinate - stubborn
Occlude - to close up
Odoriferous - full of odor
Officious - annoyingly authoritative
Omnipotent - Godly
Onerous - heavily burdening
Opaque - not transparent
Opulence - wealth
Orthography - spelling system of a language
Ossify - turn into hard bone
Ostentatious - pretentious and showoff-ish
Oust - to drive out
Palpable - tangible and touchable
Panacea - the ultimate solution
Patronage - support (usually of a patron)
Penchant - strong liking
Penurious - very poor
Perfidious - deceptive
Peruse - examine carefully
Petulant - short-tempered
Phlegmatic - calm and stoic
Placid - calm and peaceful
Plaudits - praise
Pliable - flexible and bendable
Pragmatic - practical rather than theoretical
Preclude - prohibit
Predilection - preference
Preeminent - leading and distinguished
Pretentious - showoff ish
Procure - obtain
Prod - poke
Prognosis - a likely forecast
Prophecy - prediction
Propulsion - act of driving forward
Prosaic - ordinary and conventional
Provocative - alluring and seductive
Prudent - careful and reserved
Pugnacious - wanting to fight
Punctilious - attentive to detail
Purveyor - seller or promoter
Quell - to end
Raiment - clothing
Rambunctious - uncontrollable and wild
Rancorous - bitter
Ratify - officialize
Raze - destroy completely
Reconciliation - restoration of relationship
Rectitude - righteousness
Remiss - negligent
Remonstrate - a strong protest
Reprimand - scold officially
Resilient - enduring and relentless
Reticent - reserved
Retrench - reduce
Rigid - stiff and inflexible
Rousing - exciting
Rudimentary - basic
Sanctimonious - self-righteous
Scarce - insufficent
Scour - wupe clean
Scrupulous - attentive to detail
Scrutinize - to examine closely
Sedulous - dedicated
Shrewd - sharp and wise
Shroud - to conver and conceal
Slipshod - careless
Solace - consolation
Soporific - sleep inducing
Spurn - reject harshly
Squander - waste
Stipulation - consequence
Stringent - strict and tough
Succinct - concise and clear
Sullen - short-tempered
Sundry - varied
Supercilious - snobby
Supplant - replace
Surfeit - excessive amount
Surreptitious - stealthy
Sustenance - nurishment
Tacit - silently understood
Tactile - relating to touch
Tactful - considerate
Temporize - hesitate
Tenable - sustainable
Tenacious - persistent
Tenuous - weak and slighted
Transient - feeting
Treacle - flattery
Tremulous - nervous and shaky
Trepid - fearful and shaking
Trivial - unimportant
Truculent - wanting to fight
Tribulation - suffering
Undulate - move like a sine wave
Usurp - take by force
Vacillate - oscillate between decisions
Valor - courage
Variegated - varied
Vehement - fierce
Verbose - wordy
Viable - possible for life
Vicarious - experienced from elsewhere
Vigilant - watchful
Virulent - fatal
Visceral - relating to feeling rather than logic
Venal - prone to bribery
Venerable - respectable
Vex - to frustrate
Vindicate - free from blame
Viscous - syrupy
Vocation - a profession
Voracious - overly eager
Wary - watchful
Winnow - to blow air
Wizened - dry and wrinkled
Wistful - longing
Zeal - enthusiam
Zenith - apex or peak
Zephyr - gentle breeze