UNIT 4 SAT VOCABULARY
AFFABLE
adj. courteous and
pleasant, sociable,
easy to speak to
Synonyms: genial,
amicable,
agreeable, cordial
Antonyms: surly,
cantankerous, dour,
inhospitable
I was relieved to find that my new roommate was
quite affable.
AGGRANDIZE
v. To increase in
greatness, power, or
wealth; to build up or
intensify; to make appear
greater
Synonyms: augment, amplify,
enhance, exalt
During World War II Adolf Hitler was
able to aggrandize himself because
of his powerful rhetorical skills.
Antonyms: reduce, decrease,
diminish
Donald Trump was able to aggrandize his
wealth with countless real estate
transactions.
AMORPHOUS
adj. shapeless, without
definite form; of no
particular type or
character; without
organization
Synonyms: formless,
unstructured, nebulous,
inchoate
Antonyms: definite, welldefined, clear-cut
Everyone can remember
watching the amorphous body of
the amoeba under the
microscope.
In science class, I made an
amorphous glob of liquid that
would turn into a solid if you
applied pressure.
ARCHETYPE
(n) an original model on
which something was
patterned or replicated;
the ideal example
Synonyms: model,
prototype, epitome


Achilles is the archetype
of the epic hero.
To many people, James Dean was the
archetype for the “bad boy” we see in
movies.
AURA
n. That which surrounds (as
an atmosphere); a
distinctive air or personal
quality
Synonyms: ambience,
atmosphere
Despite his hard life, the
child had an aura of
kindness about him.
CONTRABAND
n. illegal traffic, smuggled
goods;
adj. illegal, prohibited
Synonyms: illicit, bootleg,
unlawful
Antonyms: legal, lawful, licit
Tom Buchanan accused Jay
Gatsby of selling contraband
through a chain of drug stores
ERUDITE
adj. scholarly, learned,
bookish, pedantic
Synonyms: profoundly
educated, well-read
Antonyms: ignorant,
uneducated, illiterate
While Albert Einstein was
extremely erudite, he also had
a fun side.
For your research papers, you will find erudite articles which
will shed new perspectives on your topics.
adj. thin, light, delicate,
insubstantial
n. A very thin, light cloth
Synonyms: filmy,
diaphanous, sheer, airy,
feathery, gauzy
Antonyms: thick, dense,
solid, massive
Flowers and lace
tend to be
extremely
gossamer.
INSCRUTABLE
(adj.) incapable of being
understood; impossible to
see through physically
Synonyms: impenetrable,
incomprehensible,
enigmatic
For inscrutable
papers I usually
write the phrase, “If
I can’t read it, I can’t
grade it”.
Antonyms:
comprehensible,
intelligible, penetrable
The Mona Lisa is known for her inscrutable smile
INSULAR
(adj.) relating to, characteristic
of, or situated on an island;
narrow or isolated outlook or
experience
Synonyms: narrow-minded,
parochial, provincial
The survivors became very
insular after having been on the
island for ten years.
Antonyms: catholic,
cosmopolitan, liberal
The religious views of the Puritans were very
insular and did not embrace the views of others.
IRREVOCABLE
(adj.) incapable of being changed
or called back
Synonyms: irreversible,
unrecallable, unalterable
Antonyms: reversible, changeable
In most cases, getting a tattoo is
irrevocable, so be sure to think it
through before getting one.
The official’s call was
irrevocable.
PROPENSITY
(n.) a natural inclination or
predilection toward
Synonyms: natural bent, proclivity,
penchant
Antonyms: natural incapacity or
inability
My brother, who has a propensity for
aimlessly driving around, refused to
stop and ask for directions.
QUERULOUS
(adj.) peevish, complaining,
fretful
Synonyms: petulant, touchy,
cranky, irritable
Antonyms: uncomplaining,
stoical, serene, placid
The children were querulous on
the road trip to their grandma’s
house.
(V.) to argue or plead with
someone against something,
protest against, object to.
Synonyms: reason
against, expostulate
The students remonstrated
with their teacher to
postpone the test, but to no
avail.
REPUDIATE
(V.) to disown,
reject, or deny
the validity of
Synonyms: disavow,
abjure, renounce
Antonyms: avow,
affirm, aver, avouch.
After making a false
accusation, I had to
repudiate my earlier
statement to set things
straight.
I repudiate Ben
Roethlisberger’s offfield behavior, but I
can’t help but admire
the fact that he did
make it to the Super
Bowl.
RESILIENT
(Adj.) able to return to an
original shape or form;
able to recover quickly
Synonyms: springy,
elastic, buoyant, bouncy
Antonyms: rigid, stiff,
inflexible, unyielding.
After the biking accident,
resilient Emily was able to
compete in the race after
just two weeks of recovery.
REVERBERATE
(V.) to re-echo, resound; to reflect
or be reflected repeatedly
Synonyms: rumble,
thunder, boom, echo
The choirs’ singing
reverberated off of the
walls of the enormous
church.
SCURRILOUS
(Adj.) Coarsely
abusive, vulgar or low
(especially in
language), foul
mouthed
Synonyms: obscene, filthy ,
abusive, vituperative
His scurrilous words
left me frozen with my
mouth hanging open.
Antonyms: decorous, seemly,
tasteful, dignified
The marauders launched a scurrilous attack on the townspeople as
they began their looting.
SEDULOUS
(Adj.) persistent,
showing industry and
determination
Synonyms: assiduous, tireless,
indefatigable
Antonyms: lackadaisical,
listless, indolent, otiose
She was a very sedulous student who turned in
all of her work on time.
SLEAZY
(Adj.) thin or flimsy in
texture; cheap; shoddy or
inferior in quality or
character; ethically low,
mean, or disreputable.
Synonyms: inferior, cheesy,
tawdry, tatty
Antonyms: superior, first-rate,
quality, sturdy
The sleazy news
reporter was so
desperate that he
took a random
picture and started
making up a story
without the facts.