SAT VOCAB midterm

• (adj)
• marked by grandeur and awe
• The coronation of the queen was an august occasion that was full of pomp and circumstance.

• (adj)
• subsidiary; providing assistance
• The senior executive of the firm hired an ancillary worker to do his filing and typing

• (noun)
• an outward likeness in form or appearance
• The suspect's alibi was only a partial semblance of the truth.

• (noun)
• a self-taught person
• With accomplishments in law, politics, and literature, Abe Lincoln is perhaps the most famous autodidact in American history.

• (adj)
• exhibiting poor judgment or intelligence
• Jonah revealed his asinine tendencies when he rudely insulted the rabbi

• (conj.)
• although; even though
• It was rainy and miserable all summer, albeit good for the crops.

• (noun)
• a means by which something is transmitted
• The telephone wire must be plugged into the conduit for the computer to connect to the Internet

• (noun)
• one who collects stamps
• As a prominent philatelist, Dr. James has over ten thousand stamps in his collection.

• (adj)
• tireless; incapable of being fatigued
• Dave was so passionate about his work that he seemed almost indefatigable to the rest of the group

• (noun) one who suffers or sacrifices for a cause
• Martin Luther King Jr. became a martyr for the civil rights movement when an assassin killed him.

• (noun)
• a minor misdeed
• If it is scandalous enough, a single indiscretion can cost a politician his or her career

• (noun)
• a gradual, often unconscious, process of absorption
• Living in a foreign country allowed Jerry to learn its language by osmosis

• (adj) of very little value; trivial
• Mike's picayune collection of toy trucks had more sentimental value than the few dollars it would get at auction

• (noun)
• a file of detailed information on a person or subject
• The police had a large dossier on the man accused of the theft

• (noun)
• a command or urgent request
• Tyler grudgingly obeyed his mother's behest to come home early after the school dance.

• (adj)
• not concert; free from care
• Jenna's insouciant attitude made her easy to befriend

• (adj)
• without force or movement; stationary
• The old truck remained static in the front yard because it was out of gasoline

• (verb)
• to specify a required part of an agreement
• The developer stipulated that before construction could begin, the homeowners must first provide a down payment.

• (noun) the general spirit of the time
• Some consider the zeitgeist of the 1960's to be one of moral decay, while others see it as a time of reform

• (verb) to grow or reproduce rapidly
• The plant food enabled Bob's irises to proliferate throughout the flower bed.

• (noun)
• a belief or principle held to be true
• Belief in the Holy Trinity is one of the main tenets of Christianity

• (verb)
• to think deeply or repeatedly
• The great philosopher could often be found ruminating over the questions of humanity

• (adj)
• alert at all times; watchful
• The family;s watchdog remained vigiland during the day, but fell into a deep sleep at night

• (noun)
• someone who disagrees
• The dissidents of the proposed welfare bill staged a protest

• (adj)
• rude in speech or behavior; peevish
• Mike's petulant remarks toward his boss earned him a demotion and a cut in pay

• (noun)
• not the original; coming from another source
• The modern English word 'engine'' is a derivative of the Latin word ''ingenium''

• (noun)
• an award or honor
• The reporter received accolade for her newest article that uncovered a serious money-laundering scandal.

• (verb)
• to disapprove or to take exception
• Martin demurred when Sandy suggested that they spend Friday evening at the ballet.

• (adj)
• transparent; clear
• The warm, limpid waters of the Aegean Sea provide excellent snorkeling opportunities

(adj) tending to cause discontent, harm, or resentment; offensively unfiar

• (adj)
• having a rich,smoothly flowing sound
• The singer's mellifluous voice contributed to the relaxed atmosphere of the lounge

• (adj)
• taking pleasure in food and drink
• The epicurean chef taught his student not only how to cook food, but also how to enjoy it.

• (noun)
• the complete work of an artist\

Shakespeare's oeuvre is one of the most repeated groups of literary works ever written

• (noun)
• a person with the ability to resolve a disagreement; a judge
• The principle ended the conflict by acting as an arbiter between the two angry students.

• (adj)
• fresh and green, referring to plant life
• The verdant landscape reminded the O'Connells of their native Ireland so much that they decided to build a home there.

• (noun)
• unpredictable action or behavior
• Kristin;s vagaries prevented her from holding a job as an air traffic controller

• (adj)
• lacking intelligence
• The student's vacuous expression revealed his failure to study for the test

• (noun)
• a wearing down over time
• The company faced a severe attrition of its stock price because of the bad publicity.

• (noun) a prototype or original model
• The archetype for the first airplane was only a toy model, but it has led modern jets and supersonic planes

• (noun)
• formal approval of an act
• The president gave his approbation for the rescue of ten citizens who were being held hostage at a foreign embassy.

• (verb)
• to grow, expand, or bloom
• Increased colonization caused the island city to burgeon

• (adj)
• an equal measure; corresponding in size and measurement
• Thought Margie and Liz attended different universities, they received commensurate educations.

• (noun)
• a surprising, brilliant, and usually successful act
• The rebels planned a coup to overthrow the current Prime Minister and install a new leader

• (adj)
• not spiritual or religious; worldly
• Many religions warn of the dangers of the secular world because they believe it is full of sin

• (adj)
• not able to be conquered; impenetrable
• The Greek warriors were unable to conquer the impregnable Trojan fortress

• (noun)
• an intense dislike or fear of strangers or foreigners
• Tim's xenophobia gave him an unwarranted hatred for immigrants coming to America

• (adj)
• essential
• Exhaust and air-pollution are inherent features and drawbacks of the automobile

• (adj)
• disrespectful
• John's irreverent attitude toward his pastor embarrassed and angered his mother

• (verb)
• to dominate, conquer, or bring under control
• Plantation owners subjugated their slaves and forced them to do manual labor

• (verb)
• to increase the rate of progress
• More construction workers were brought on to the project to help expedite the construction of the new bridge

• (verb)
• to attempt to block a bill from becoming law by speaking at length against it
• the Senator from Mississippi gave an eight-hour speech to filibuster the new tax bill

• (adj)
• pure; completely clean and uncontaminated
• The vast, pristine wilderness of northern Alaska is too cold and remote for most people to inhabit

• (adj)
• full meaning; concise
• The pithy statements in greeting cards are often short and sweet

• (noun)
• an insult or abuse in speech
• Scott's invective, aimed at his teacher, resulted in an immediate trip to the principal's office

• (adj)
• reckless, wasteful, and extravagant
• The prodigal actor was notorious for his lavish, excessive, and unruly lifestyle.

• (adj)
• easily bent or flexible
• NASA had to devise a new, more pliable spacesuit for astronauts working on the space station

• (adj)
• losing motion, feeling or power; lacking in energy
• The sleeping gas caused the hero's mind to become torpid

• (adj)
• not dense or thick; having little substance
• Even though it was published, the dissertation put forth a very tenuous theory on intelligence

• (adj)
• being in disagreement
• The angry and discordant voices echoed throughout the conference room

• (adj)
• careful;heedful;attentive to all points
• Although I tried to be circumspect when packing for camp, I never guessed that I should have packed an extra clock

• (noun)
• a gentle breeze (sometimes specifically the West Wind)
• A sweet-smelling zephyr ruffled the laundry on the line

• (noun)
• one who deserts one side in favor of another; traitor; outlaw
• the members of the old party called him a renegade; the members of his new party called him a patriot

• (noun) something justly deserved
• , especially a punishment
• The boys had to spend the weekend picking up litter in retribution for having spray-painted graffiti on the bus

• (verb)
• to move or to fling swiftly and with great force
• The big fullback hurtled his way through the defensive line and scored the winning touchdown

• (noun)
• a person or thing that causes great trouble or misfortune
• Cancer remains one of the worst scourges of mankind

• (adj)
• biting; stingingly sharp or sarcastic
• Because of his caustic comments, his wife finally left him.

• (adj)
• not fond of talking; usually silent
• We were amazed when the taciturn young man signed up for public speaking

• (noun)
• one who believes that the existence of God can neither be proved nor disproved
• Although he did not officially believe in god, the agnostic sometimes prayed ''just in case''

• (adj)
• brief and to the point
• Julia didn't give me any details about her break-up, just a terse, ''it's over.''

• (adj)
• weird; strange; so keen or acute as to seem bizarre
• Tess had an uncanny memory for details; she knew exactly what she had worn on any given day for the past eleven years

• (noun)
• a mass departure or emigration
• The many defeated tribes made a speedy exodus from the war-torn valley

• (adj)
• remorseful; sorry for having done wrong
• Seeing the boy's penitent expression, the judge was easier on him than he might otherwise have been.

• (verb)
• to clear of suspicious or accusations.
• Darren sued for libel in order to vindicate his reputation

• (noun)
• good-humored ridicule or teasing
• James much prefers Carson's raillery to the cynical slur of other comedians

• (verb)
• to cause resentment; to provoke
• The old gentleman was piqued because he was not given a seat at the head table

• (noun)
• the scientific study of the structure sounds, and meaning of language
• /the professor of linguistics explained how English evolved from a number of languages.

• (noun)
• a commoner; one from the lower class
• (adj) common or vulgar

• NOUN: Seniors treated the freshman as though they were plebeians
• ADJ: The baroness refused to do the plebeian chores of cooking and cleaning.

• (adj)
• showing early development, especially mental
• Anthony was such a precocious three-year-old that he could already play the violin well.

• (adj)
• inclined to prey on others
• The buzzard is scavenger, but the hawk is predatory animal

• (noun)
• superior skill or ability
• Ty's physical prowess was matched by his superior mental ability

• (adj)
• eager and ready to fight; quarrelsome
• Because he was so pugnacious, he had few friends.

• (verb)
• to steal
• They had not planned to purloin the jewels, but the temptation was too great.

• (adj)
• cowardly; fearful
• The Wizard of Oz granted the pusillanimous lion his wish to have courage.

• (verb)
• to put an end to; to allay or quiet
• The police were called in to quell the riot

• (adj)
• very idealistic; impractical; caught up in romantic notions
• As a young man, he had the quixotic notion that he could single-handedly end poverty in the country.

• (noun)
• a disorderly crowd, a mob
• The guards had to protect the president from the rabble in the streets

• (adj)
• raging; fanatical
• After working out, Chrissy had a rabid thirst and drank two gallons of water.

• (noun)
• a person skilled at telling stories
• An exceptional raconteur, Lorna held the whole audience spellbound with her stories.

• (adj)
• seeking revenge; bearing a grudge
• Out of some vindictive urge, Steve slashed his ex-girlfriend's tires.