Top 100 Most Challenging SAT Vocabulary
Words C - D (Weeks: April 18-22 – April 25-29)
Look up the following words in the dictionary and record: 1. the sentence part(s) 2. any helpful notes and 3. an original
sentence that uses the word correctly
1. caustic
SENTENCE PART: adjective
NOTES: Greek root “kaiein”
Means “to burn”
2. cacophony
SENTENCE PART: noun
NOTES:
DEFINITION: 1) capable of destroying or eating away by chemical reaction
2) critical, biting, or sarcastic
SAMPLE SENTENCE: All caustic household cleaners must be kept out of the reach of
children.
YOUR SENTENCE: I made a caustic remark to Simeon about my oboe playing.
DEFINITION: tremendous noise, disharmonious sound
SAMPLE SENTENCE: The elementary school orchestra created a cacophony at the recital.
YOUR SENTENCE: When the cars collided we heard a cacophony of glass breaking and
metal twisting.
3. circumlocution
DEFINITION: 1) the use of many words when few would do 2) evasive, roundabout talk
PART of speech: noun
SAMPLE SENTENCE: Instead of the circumlocution “The medical profession dis-approves
of the use of tobacco by young people,” say “Doctors think kids shouldn’t smoke.”
NOTES:
Circum – Latin “around”
Logui – Latin “to speak”
YOUR SENTENCE: When I don’t know a word in Spanish, I use circumlocution to get my
meaning across.
4. circumscribe
DEFINITION: 1) to draw a line around or encircle 2) to confine or limit
SENTENCE PART: verb
SAMPLE SENTENCE: To fortify their camp by night, pioneers circumscribed it with their
covered wagons.
NOTES:
Circum – latin “around”
Scribe – latin – “to write”
YOUR SENTENCE: Archimedes circumscribed the sphere in a cylinder to calculate the
cylinder’s volume.
The teacher circumscribed our papers to 3 pages.
5. cogent
DEFINITION: intellectually convincing
SENTENCE PART:
SAMPLE SENTENCE: Irene’s arguments in favor of the defendent were so cogent that
the jury voted unanimously.
NOTES:
YOUR SENTENCE:
6. cognition
DEFINITION: the act of perceiving or knowing
SENTENCE PART:
SAMPLE SENTENCE: Researchers in artificial intelligence seek to use the computer to
reproduce human cognition.
NOTES:
YOUR SENTENCE:
7. conflagration
DEFINITION: a large and destructive fire
SENTENCE PART:
SAMPLE SENTENCE: The conflagration consumed the entire building.
NOTES:
YOUR SENTENCE:
8. consecrate
SENTENCE PART:
NOTES:
DEFINITION: 1) dedicated to a sacred purpose 2) to make or declare sacred
SAMPLE SENTENCE: The consecrate gold tablets which John Smith claimed to have
found formed the basis for the Book of Mormon.
YOUR SENTENCE:
9. contrite
SENTENCE PART:
NOTES:
10. credulity
SENTENCE PART:
NOTES:
DEFINITION: penitent, eager to be forgiven
SAMPLE SENTENCE: Blake’s contrite behavior made it impossible to stay angry at him.
YOUR SENTENCE:
DEFINITION: readiness to believe
SAMPLE SENTENCE: His credulity made him an easy target for con men.
YOUR SENTENCE:
11. creed
DEFINITION: set of fundamental beliefs; guiding principles.
SENTENCE PART:
SAMPLE SENTENCE: The Amish live by a strict creed that rejects many of the values and
practices of modern society.
NOTES:
12. declaim
SENTENCE PART:
NOTES:
YOUR SENTENCE:
DEFINITION: 1) to speak rhetorically; to recite something 2) to speak pompously and
bombastically
SAMPLE SENTENCE: The actress declaimed her lines with passion
YOUR SENTENCE:
13. deify
SENTENCE PART:
NOTES:
14. demur
SENTENCE PART:
NOTES:
15. demure
SENTENCE PART:
NOTES:
16. deprecate
SENTENCE PART:
DEFINITION: 1) to make a god of
SAMPLE SENTENCE: In order to deify themselves and thus gain political power,
Egyptian pharaohs claim to descend from the sun god.
YOUR SENTENCE:
DEFINITION: 1) to raise an objection 2) to delay
SAMPLE SENTENCE: Before sending an acceptance letter to a college, students often
demur until they have visited the campus.
YOUR SENTENCE:
DEFINITION: quiet, modest, reserved
SAMPLE SENTENCE: Though everyone else at the party was dancing and going crazy,
she remained demure
YOUR SENTENCE:
DEFINITION: to belittle, depreciate
SAMPLE SENTENCE: Always over-modest, he deprecated his contribution to the local
charity.
NOTES:
YOUR SENTENCE:
17. desecrate
DEFINITION: to violate the sacredness of a thing or place
SENTENCE PART:
NOTES:
18. diaphanous
SENTENCE PART:
SAMPLE SENTENCE: They feared that the construction of a golf course would desecrate
the preserved wilderness
YOUR SENTENCE:
DEFINITION: light, airy, transparent
SAMPLE SENTENCE: Sunlight poured in through the diaphanous curtains, brightening the
room.
NOTES:
YOUR SENTENCE:
19. dictatorial
DEFINITION: domineering; like a dictator
SENTENCE PART:
SAMPLE SENTENCE: The teacher had to take on a dictatorial manner when the class
wouldn’t listen.
NOTES:
YOUR SENTENCE:
20. diction
SENTENCE PART:
NOTES:
DEFINITION: 1) choice of words in speech or writing 2) a person’s manner or uttering or
pronouncing words.
SAMPLE SENTENCE: The teacher’s Southern diction became familiar to students.
YOUR SENTENCE:
21. discursive
DEFINITION: rambling, lacking order
SENTENCE PART:
SAMPLE SENTENCE: The professor’s discursive lectures seemed to be about every
subject except the one initially described
NOTES:
YOUR SENTENCE:
22. dissemble
DEFINITION: to conceal, fake
SENTENCE PART:
SAMPLE SENTENCE: Not wanting to appear heartlessly greedy, she dissembled and hid
her intention to sell her ailing father’s stamp collection.
NOTES:
YOUR SENTENCE:
23. dogmatic
SENTENCE PART:
DEFINITION: 1) pertaining to a doctrine 2) expressed in an authoritative or arrogant
manner.
NOTES:
SAMPLE SENTENCE: In Marxism, class conflict is dogmatic and is the reason for social
change.
24. dour
YOUR SENTENCE:
DEFINITION: stern; grim; gloomy
SAMPLE SENTENCE:
SENTENCE PART:
YOUR SENTENCE:
NOTES:
25. duress
DEFINITION: forced constraint; coercion against one’s will
SAMPLE SENTENCE: News of hostages held under duress reached their families only
SENTENCE PART:
NOTES:
sporadically as other hostages were released.
YOUR SENTENCE: