SENIOR VOCABULARY LIST
Words occurring frequently on standardized tests:
On one piece of paper:
1. Write the word
2. Write the definition
3. Write the part of speech
On a second piece of paper:
Write a complete sentence where the meaning is clear.
List 1
1. abashed
2. condiment
3. ennui
4. pungent
5. castigate
6. sagacious
7. corpulent
8. maladroit
9. sibling
10. emaciated
11. cadaver
12. dastardly
13. inebriated
14. prevaricate
15. lagniappe
16. florid
17. zenith
18. facilitate
19. apparition
20. clandestine
List 2
1. allusion
2. enigma
3. buffoon
4. adamant
5. amalgamate
6. capitulate
7. avaricious
8. limpid
9. destitute
10. verbose
11. accord
12. abridged
13. berserk
14. broach
15. brooch
16. cite
17. procrastinate
18. terse
19. rectify
20. masticate
21. dispersed
List 3
1. adage
2. articulate
3. demeanor
4. caricature
5. condone
6. lethal
7. incognito
8. clairvoyant
9. indolent
10. insolent
11. noisome
12. panacea
13. raze
14. lethargic
15. malingerer
16. gape
17. gist
18. fissure
19. sepulcher
20. affluent
21. taut
List 4
1. obese
2. ambidextrous
3. pensive
4. garish
5. deluge
6. deluge
7. hirsute
8. erudite
9. indigent
10. ameliorate
11. i.e.
12. ca.
13. e.g.
14. etc.
15. vs.
16. et. al.
17. vis.
List 5
1. astute
2. lucrative
3. cajole
4. tepid
5. nebulous
6. copious
7. coquette
8. debilitate
9. toxic
10. risque
11. besotted
12. trepidation
13. abyss
14. frugal
15. parody
16. harass
17. agnostic
18. ascertain
19. gregarious
20. arduous
21. diaphanous
List 6
1. ubiquitous
2. illimitable
3. incorrigible
4. nefarious
5. dilettante
6. nefarious
7. opiate
8. pittance
9. cartage
10. quell
11. cogent
12. dirge
13. gauche
14. superfluous
15. coy
16. dogmatic
17. connoisseur
18. covert
19. crone
20. placid
21. crux
List 7
1. schism
2. dauntless
3. nepotism
4. façade
5. chastise
6. brusque
7. callous
8. callus
9. dank
10. feasible
11. burly
12. attenuate
13. poignant
14. throes
15. buoyant
16. complacent
17. chagrin
18. adulation
List 8
1. tribulation
2. compunction
3. ascetic
4. aesthetic
5. antipathy
6. a capella
7. acme
8. archaic
9. haggard
10. nostalgia
11. vain
12. diffident
13. paltry
14. malleable
15. amorphous
16. specious
17. fallacious
18. fallible
19. bias
20. cogitate
List 9
1. indubitable
2. carrion
3. flotsam
4. jetsam
5. teetotaler
6. posthumous
7. callow
8. dross
9. delectable
10. pudgy
11. sycophant
12. disconsolate
13. bliss
14. lackey
15. buxom
16. melancholy
17. gala
18. antithesis
19. malodorous
20. harlequin
List 10
1. malevolent
2. decrepit
3. declivity
4. maudlin
5. svelte
6. obsequious
7. ornithology
8. benign
9. salubrious
10. plaudit
11. inveterate
12. progeny
13. pathos
14. cherubic
15. blandishment
16. lesion
17. aviary
18. droll
19. laudatory
20. calumnious
List 11
1. staid
2. empathy
3. sinuous
4. misanthropy
5. atypical
6. macrocosm
7. microcosm
8. monocle
9. neurology
10. matriarchy
11. levity
12. sardonic
13. loath
14. apogee
15. perigee
16. abject
17. gentility
18. sanguine
19. piece de resistance
20. Ostentatious
SAT LISTS
List 1
Indifferent – not caring one way or the other; mediocre; lacking a preference;
neutral
Apathy – lack of emotion or interest
Obscure – unclear; clouded; partially hidden; hard to understand
Impartial – unbiased; neutral
Objective – without bias (as opposed to subjective)
Revere – to worship; to honor (think of a reverend)
Discriminate – to differentiate; to make a clear distinction; to see the difference
Denounce – to speak out against; to condemn
Innovate – to be creative; to introduce something new
Relevant – important; pertinent
Candid – honest; frank
List 2
Discernment – insight; ability to see things clearly
Disdain – arrogant scorn; contempt
Abstract – theoretical; lacking substance (the opposite of concrete)
Temperate – moderate; restrained
Enigma – mystery
Inevitable – unavoidable; bound to happen
Eccentric – not conventional; a little kooky; irregular
Provincial – limited in outlook to one’s own small corner of the world; narrow
Futile –hopeless; without effect
Diverse – varied
List 3
Benevolent – kind; good-hearted; generous
Pious – reverent or devout; outwardly (and sometimes falsely) reverent or devout
Conciliatory – making peace; attempting to solve a dispute through goodwill
Resignation – reluctant acceptance of a bad situation (secondary meaning)
Resolute – determined; firm; unwavering
Servile – submissive and subservient; like a servant
Acute – sharp; shrewd
Reticent – restrained; uncommunicative
Anarchy – absence of government or control; lawlessness; disorder
Virulent – extremely poisonous; malignant; full of hate
List 4
Scrutinize – to examine closely
Discord – disagreement (the opposite of concord)
Repudiate – to reject; to deny
Diligent – hardworking
Superficial – on the surface only; shallow; not thorough
Contempt – reproachful disdain
Lucid – clear; easy to understand
Aesthetic – having to do with artistic beauty; artistic (not to be confused with
ascetic)
Prodigal – extravagant; wasteful
Augment – to add to; to increase; to make bigger
List 5
Complacent – smug; self-satisfied; pleased with oneself; contented to a fault
Guile – cunning; duplicity
Squander – to waste
Incessant – unceasing; never-ending
Laudable – worthy of praise
Deter – to prevent; to stop; to keep from doing something
Redundant – repetitive; unnecessary; excessively wordy
Infamous – shamefully wicked; having (and deserving) an extremely bad
reputation; disgraceful
Provocative – exciting; attracting attention
Depravity – moral corruption
Gravity – seriousness (secondary meaning)
List 6
Banal – unoriginal; ordinary
Extol – to praise
Euphony – pleasant sound (the opposite is cacophony)
Deride – to ridicule; to laugh at contemptuously
Insipid – dull; banal
Austere – unadorned; stern; forbidding; without much money
Expedite – to make faster or easier
Heresy – an opinion violently opposed to established beliefs
Novel – new; original
Philanthropy – love of mankind; donating to charity
Tentative – experimental; temporary; uncertain
List 7
Deference – submission to another’s will; respect; courtesy
Vacillate – to be indecisive; to waver back and forth
Fervor – passion
Dispassionate – without passion; objective; neutral
Pragmatic – practical; down-to-earth; based on experience rather than theory
Rigorous – strict; harsh; severe
Solemn – serious; grave
Alleviate – to lesson; to relieve, usually temporarily or incompletely; to make
bearable
Negligence – carelessness
Conspicuous – standing out; obvious
List 8
Advocate – to speak in favor of; to support
Ascetic – hermitlike; practicing self-denial
Profound – deep; insightful (the opposite of superficial)
Ironic – satiric; unexpected
Dogmatic – arrogantly assertive of unproven ideas; arrogantly claiming that
something (often a system of beliefs) is beyond dispute
Condone – to overlook; to permit to happen
Dissent – disagreement
Volition – will; conscious choice
Voluntary – willing; unforced
Didactic – instructive; intended to instruct
Disparate – different; incompatible
List 9
Disparage – to belittle; to say uncomplimentary things about, usually in a
somewhat indirect way
Ephemeral – short-lived; fleeting; not lasting
Compliant – yielding; submissive
Prosaic – dull; unimaginative; like prose
Profuse – flowing; extravagant
Expedient – providing an immediate advantage; serving one’s immediate selfinterest
Fastidious – meticulous; demanding
Belligerent – combative; quarrelsome; waging war
Astute – perceptive; intelligent
Languish – to become weak, listless, or depressed
Censure – to condemn severely for doing something bad
List 10
Stagnation – motionlessness; inactivity
Mitigate – to lesson the severity of something
Reprehensible – worthy of blame or censure
Engender – to create; to produce
Exemplary – outstanding; setting a great example
Neutral – unbiased; not taking sides; objective
Relegate – to banish; to send away
Anecdote – a brief, entertaining story
Scanty – inadequate; minimal
Fallacious – false
Acclaim – praise; applause; admiration
Uniform – consistent; unchanging; the same for everyone
List 11
Incoherent – jumbled; chaotic; impossible to understand
Repress – to hold down
Articulate – speaking clearly and well
Solicit – to ask for; to seek
Reproach – to scold
Condescend – to stoop to someone else’s level, usually in an offensive way; to
patronize
Indolence – laziness
Congenial – agreeably suitable; pleasant
Preclude – to prevent; to make impossible; to shut out
List 12
Apprehensive – worried; anxious
Elaborate – detailed; careful; thorough
Arrogant – feeling superior to others; snooty
Elusive – hard to pin down; evasive
Efface – to erase; to rub away the features of
Taciturn – untalkative by nature
Ameliorate – to make better or more tolerable
Acquiesce – to give in; to agree
Atrophy – to waste away from lack of use
Dubious – doubtful; uncertain
Flagrant – shocking; outstandingly bad
List 13
Concise – brief and to the point; succinct
Immutable – unchangeable; permanent
Static – stationary; not changing or moving (not radio fuzz)
Credulous – believing; gullible
Blasphemy – irreverence; an insult to something held sacred; profanity
Coalesce – to come together as one; to fuse; to unite
Lax – careless; not diligent; relaxed
Cryptic – mysterious; mystifying
Levity – lightness; frivolity; unseriousness
Ambivalent – undecided; blowing hot and cold
Innate – existing since birth; inborn; inherent
List 14
Sycophant – one who sucks up to others
Amiable – friendly
Esoteric – hard to understand; understood only by a select few; peculiar
Extraneous – irrelevant; extra; unnecessary; unimportant
Tedious – boring
Caustic – like acid; corrosive
Inadvertent – lax; careless; without intention
Exhaustive – thorough; complete
Belittle – to make to seem little
Unprecedented – happening for the first time; novel; never seen before
Digress – to go off the subject
List 15
Appease – to soothe; to pacify by giving in to
Frivolous – not serious; not solemn; with levity
Instigate – to provoke; to stir up
Sage – wise; possessing wisdom derived from experience or learning
Predecessor – someone or something that came before another
Jeopardy – danger
Tangible – touchable; palpable
Indulgent – lenient; yielding to desire
Remorse – sadness; regret
Pivotal – crucial
Scrupulous – strict; careful; hesitant for ethical reasons
List 16
Refute – to disprove; to prove to be false
Respite – a rest; a period of relief
Stoic – indifferent (at least outwardly) to pleasure or pain, to joy or grief, to
fortune or misfortune
Volatile – quick to evaporate; highly unstable; explosive
Peripheral – unimportant
Hedonistic – pleasure-seeking; indulgent
Idiom – a peculiar expression
Benefactor – generous donor
Brevity – briefness
Apocryphal – of doubtful origin; false
Virtuoso – masterful musician; a masterful practitioner in some other field
Slander – to defame; to speak maliciously of someone
List 17
Animosity – resentment; hostility; ill will
Deplete – to use up; to reduce; to lessen
Amity – friendship
Stringent – strict; restrictive
Voluminous – very large; spacious (this word has nothing to do with sound)
Auspicious – favorable; promising; pointing to a good result
Fickle – capricious; whimsical; unpredictable
Lethargy – sluggishness; laziness; drowsiness; indifference
Hackneyed – banal; overused; trite (a cliché is a hackneyed expression)
Amass – to accumulate
Willful – deliberate; obstinate; insistent on having one’s way
List 18
Bastion – stronghold; fortress; fortified place
Trepidation – fear; apprehension; nervous trembling
Desecrate – to profane a holy place (the opposite is consecrate)
Fortuitous – accidental; occurring by chance
Vehement – urgent; passionate
Assuage – to soothe; to pacify; to ease the pain of; to relieve
Prodigious – extraordinary; enormous
Torpor – sluggishness; inactivity; apathy
Furtive – secretive
Supercilious – haughty; patronizing
Prudent – careful; having foresight
Verbose – wordy; overly talkative
List 19
Pedestrian – common; ordinary; banal (secondary meaning)
Innocuous – harmless; banal
Fanatic – one who is extremely devoted to a cause or idea
Enhance – to make better; to augment
Retract – to take back; to withdraw; to pull back
Ambiguous – unclear in meaning; confusing; capable of being interpreted in at
least two similarly plausible ways
Paucity – scarcity
Rescind – to repeal; to take back formally
Subtle – not obvious; able to make fine distinctions; ingenious; crafty
Zealous – fervent; enthusiastically devoted to something
Benign – gentle; not harmful; kind; mild
List 20
Compliant – yielding; submissive
Emulate – to strive to equal or excel, usually through imitation
Innumerable – too many to number or count; many
Meander – to wander slowly, like a winding river
Authoritarian – like a dictator
Brawn – bulk; muscles
Contrite – deeply apologetic; remorseful
Exemplify – to serve as an example of
Facilitate – to make easier
Hypothetical – uncertain; unproven
Recalcitrant – stubbornly defiant of authority or control
Ambulatory – able to walk; walking
List 21
Diffident – timid; lacking in self-confidence
Drone – to talk on and on in a dull way
Gullible – overly trusting; willing to believe anything
Marred – damaged; bruised
Nullify – to make unimportant
Parsimony – stinginess
Propriety – properness; good manners
Rejuvenate – to make young and strong again
Skeptical – doubting (opposite of gullible)
Tenacious – tough; hard to defeat
Animated – alive; moving
Authentic – real
Bias – prejudice; tendency; tilt
List 22
Blithe – carefree; cheerful
Dearth – a lack of; scarcity
Divert – to change the direction of; to alter the course of; to amuse
Enthrall – to thrill
Heed – to listen to
Hindrance – an obstruction; an annoying interference or delay
Irascible – irritable
Merger – a joining or marriage
Nostalgia – a sentimental longing for the past; homesickness
Pretentious – pompous; self-important; ETS-like
Saccharine – sweet; excessively or disgustingly sweet
Stanza – a section of a poem; verse
Venerate – to revere; to treat as something holy, especially because of great age
Vilify – to say vile things about; to defame