SAT List A8.txt

(n) [uh gran DIZ mənt] an increase in rank or wealth; growth in power. Shortie’s murder of the rival gang leader resulted in an aggrandizement of his status among his homies.

(adj.) [AR joo us] hard to do; strenuous. We ended our basic training with an arduous forced march through the snake infested swamps.

(adj.) [bom BAS tik] high sounding; marked by the use of language without much real meaning. The listeners were too shrewd to be fooled by the political commentator’s bombastic speech.

(adj.) [seh LES chul] having to do with the heavens; divine. The new astronauts will be the celestial pioneers of the twenty-first century.

(n) [dis uh BEL] disorder, especially in dress; sloppily dressed; disrobed. Hastily evacuated from the burning hotel, the shivering guests stood in the cold morning air in various states of dishabille.

(v) [EN er vayt] to weaken, to lessen the strength of. After a week of strenuous dieting, Sharon was too enervated to move from the couch.

(n) [yoo JEN iks] the science of genetic control. The botanist crossbred two varieties of corn in an attempt to apply eugenics to the world food crisis.

(n) [giy nuh KOL uh jist] a physician or surgeon who specializes in treating women. Although most physicians can examine a patient for cervical cancer, a gynecologist has specialized training in the discovery and treatment of this disease.

(n) [HOL uh kost] great destruction, especially by fire. The holocaust in Malibu, California, burned many expensive homes, but fortunately took no lives.

(adj.) [im per TUR buh bul] remaining calm and unworried in spite of problems or difficulties. When the imperturbable student realized that her graduation was only hours away, she finally showed some emotion.

(adj.) [IN klem ent] stormy. No one expected inclement weather, so everyone was disappointed when the Senior Picnic was canceled because of the hurricane.

(adj.) [in KREJ oo lus] showing doubt, skeptical; disbelieving. The audience fixed an incredulous stare on the magician as he levitated his youthful assistant.

(adj.) [uh FISH us] meddling; giving unnecessary or unwanted advice or services. Although Mr. Klar was a well-meaning neighbor, his officious manner made his friends avoid discussing problems with him.

(adj.) [ri KAL sih trent] refusing to obey rules or follow orders; unmanageably resistant. The mule is perhaps the most recalcitrant domesticated animal.

(adj.) [THRED bayr] with the nap worn down so that the threads show; frayed or shabby; used so often that it is stale. The salesman’s string of threadbare jokes cost him the sale since his customers fled from the showroom.