Vocabulary List #7: PSAT/SAT Vocabulary

1. Atrophy (verb)-to waste away from lack of use. Many years in a wheelchair can reduce one’s leg muscles to atrophy. Without the ability to exercise, the legs can soon get worse to a point where there is little to no real muscle left.
2. Banal (adj.)-dull, boring, commonplace. We were indifferent about watching the movie because the dialogue was banal and the plot was uninteresting.
3. Complacent (adj.)-self-satisified; smug. Too many students are complacent with just passing that it's difficult to get them to strive to earn the 90 or higher.
4. Depravity (noun)-corruption; wickedness. There is so much depravity in governments run by dictators that people don't know who to trust.
5. Discern (verb)-to distinguish or decide one thing from another. It was difficult to discern between the identical twins, since they look and act so much alike.
6. Dubious(adj.)-doubtful. It's dubious that you'll earn a high score on the SAT unless you study for many months in advance.
7. Ephemeral (adj.)-short-lived, having a short life span, fleeting. Teenagers tend to have ephemeral romantic interests; relationships don't tend to last longer than a month or two.
8. Inevitable (adj.)-unavoidable; bound to happen. The weatherman said that thunderstorms were inevitable today, so I brought an umbrella to school.
9. Insipid (adj.)-bland, boring, or banal. The meal tasted insipid until I added spices to add flavor.
10. Magnanimous (adj.)-generous in treating or judging others. The holiday spirit produces a great number of magnanimous people wanting to do good for those in need.
11. Obscure (adj.)-unclear; difficult to understand. The test's instructions appeared obscure until the teacher explained them clearly.
12. Penchant (noun) a preference or a strong liking; Ms. Conn has a penchant for William Shakespeare's plays, and it's evident when she teaches his plays every semester.
13. Rectify (verb)-to make right or correct. After receiving the teacher's corrections, the student had to rectify his mistakes.
14. Rectitude (noun)-moral and right behavior; integrity; Her rectitude is such that no one can criticize her relationship with others.
15. Reiterate (verb)-to say, state, or perform again; She kept reiterating her request for a menu since the waiter didn't bring one for her table, and they had been waiting for 30 minutes.
16. Surmise (verb)-to guess; infer; I will surmise that Info Tech's graduates will be accepted to many top colleges and universities because many work diligently to succeed in school.
17. Valorous (adj.) courageous; brave; A valorous man jumped in the railroad tracks to save the fallen boy and was later recognized in the newspapers for his courage.
18. Viable (adj.)-capable of working, functioning, or developing adequately; Hillary Clinton seems to be a viable candidate for president in 2016 because she has been a very successful secretary of state, senator and former first lady.
19. Vivacious (adj.) energetic; lively; Tyra Banks has a vivacious TV personality; her audience viewers are always eager to watch her uplifting vibe on the screen."
20. Vociferous (adj.)-vocal; expressive in a loud manner; Gary often becomes vociferous during arguments; he states his opinion very loudly.