Unit 1: Essential SAT Vocabulary – Words 1-5
Directions: FIRST, highlight the words that have a positive connotation in green; highlight the words that have
a negative connotation in red; highlight the neutral words in yellow. NEXT, complete the practice exercises that
follow. FINALLY, highlight the context clues in each of the sample sentences.
Note: The letter and number to the left of the term and its definition refer to the level and unit where the term
can be found in the Sadlier-Oxford vocabulary workbooks.
C2
1. venerate v. to regard with respect, reverence, or as holy or sacred
SAT synonyms: deify, apotheosize, idolize, exalt
Her followers erected a shrine to _____ her memory and to list the reasons she was loved.
F1
2. hackneyed adj. made unoriginal or commonplace by overuse
SAT synonyms: banal, trite, platitudinous, insipid
The writer was instructed to replace the _____ expression “as fresh as a daisy” with an original phrase.
E9
3. rancor n. bitter hatred, ill will or resentment, malice
SAT synonyms: acrimony, antipathy, animosity, enmity
India and Pakistan were once one colony of the British Empire, but the _____ the people of the areas
felt for one another finally led to the creation of two countries that persist in their enmity.
F11 4. florid adj. excessively showy, ostentatious OR ruddy, flushed
SAT synonyms: ornate, grandiloquent, gaudy, flamboyant
The overly _____ buildings that French rococo architects once favored can be jarring to those who
revere the simple style of Frank Lloyd Wright or the Bauhaus.
G7
5. ephemeral adj. lasting a very short time, passing, fleeting
SAT synonyms: evanescent, transient, fugacious, transitory
During the 1950s, the hula hoop was a(n) _____ fad, lasting only a few years and virtually forgotten
today.
Unit 1: Essential SAT Vocabulary – Practice Exercises
ephemeral
florid
hackneyed
rancor
venerate
COMPLETING THE SENTENCE: Choose the word from the word bank that best completes each of the following
sentences. Write the word on the line provided. As you complete the sentences, highlight the context clue (a word or phrase).
hackneyed 1. The works of the “Fireside Poets” of nineteenth century America may seem __________ to
modern readers, yet they were wildly popular in their day.
venerate 2. The pilgrims __________ the cathedral, as it was the place where Saint Thomas a Becket had been
murdered by four of the king’s barons.
ephemeral 3. During the anarchy of the fourth century, one __________ Roman emperor followed another in
quick succession.
florid 4. My brother likes to read hard-boiled detective novels, while I prefer a __________ historical romance.
rancor 5. In Canada in the 1800s, the __________ between the two major fur-trading companies was so great
that their ill-will occasionally turned violent.
SYNONYMS:
ANTONYMS:
venerate
1. deify, idolize, revere
florid
1. plain, simple, unaffected
rancor
2. malice, animosity, ill will
hackneyed
2. fresh, new, uncommon
hackneyed
3. unoriginal, trite, banal
venerate
3. detest, ridicule
florid
4. ostentatious, gaudy, flamboyant
ephemeral
4. eternal, everlasting
ephemeral
5. fleeting, transient, evanescent
rancor
5. goodwill, benevolence
CHOOSING THE RIGHT WORD: Choose the right word. Then, highlight the context clue (a word or phrase).
1. In a (hackneyed/florid), flamboyant speech that included some highly exaggerated remarks, the mayor of
our town congratulated the state basketball champions.
2. Clichés such as “smart as a whip” and “cool as a cucumber” are (ephemeral/hackneyed), stale expressions,
and you should try to avoid them in your writing.
3. The terms of a peace treaty must be delicately conceived and worded, for the optimal goal is for all parties to
agree to end the conflict and to manage and maintain the peace without (veneration/rancor).
4. A biologist might speak of the (ephemeral/florid) life of a butterfly.
5. Some people simply (venerate/rancor) their heroes; others strive to be like them as another form of praise.