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t, , Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word List, , Word Ust 1, Abate v. subside or moderate. Rather than, leaving immediately, they waited for the storm, to abate. Abatement, N., Aberrant adj. abnormal or deviant. Given the, aberrant nature of the data, we came to doubt, the validity of the entire experiment., Abrasive adj. rubbing away; tending to grind, down. Just as abrasive cleaning powders can, wear away a shiny finish, abrasive remarks can, wear away a listener's patience. Abrade v., Abridge v. condense or shorten. Because the, publishers felt the public wanted a shorter, .;.~~ v~rsioncof.WcifandPeace, they proceeded to, abridge the novel., Absolute adj. sparing in eating and drinking;, temperate. Concerned whether her vegetarian, son's abstemious diet provided him with, sufficient protein, the worried mother pressed, . food on him, Abstemious adj.spring in eating and drinking;, temperate. Concerned whether her vegetarian, son's abstemious diet provided him with, sufficient proten, the worried mother pressed, food on him., Abstract adj. theoretical; not concrete;, nonrepresentational. To him, hunger was an, abstract concept; he had never missed a meal., Abstruse adj. obscure; profound; difficult to, understand. She carries around abstruse works, of philosophy, not because she understands, them but because she wants her friends to, think she does., Accessible adj. easy to approach; obtainable., We asked our guide whether the ruins were, accessible on foot., Acdaim v. applaud; announce with great, approval. The NBC sportscasters acclaimed ., every American victory in the Olympics and, lamented every American defeat acclamation,, acclaim, n., WordUst2, Accolade n. award of merit. In the world of, public relations a "Clio" is the highest accolade, ~n advertising campaign can receive., Acknowledp v recognize; admit AltholJgh I ., acknowledgethat ·theBeatles'lunes souY,d, , pretty dated nowadays, I still prefer them to the, "gangsta" rap songs my brothers play., , Acquiesce v. assent; agree without protesting., When we asked her to participate in the play,, she immediately acquiesced. Acquiescence, n.;, acquiescent, adj., Acrimonious adj. bitter in words or manner., The candidate attacked his opponent in highly, acrimonious terms. Acrimony, n., Acute adj. quickly perceptive; keen; brief and, severe. The acute young doctor realized, .irriinedjatery th'af the gradtJaj- deterioration of, her patient's once-acute hearing was due to a, chronic illness, not an acute one., Adherent n. supporter; follower. In the wake of, the scandal, the senator's one-time adherents, quietly deserts him, Adjacent adj. neighboring; adjoining. You will, find questions based ·on this reading passage, located on the adjacent page., Adroit adj. skillful; nimble. The juggler's, admirers particularly enjoyed his adroit, handling- of difficult balancing tricks_, Adulation n. flattery; admiration. The rock star, relished the adulation she received from her, groupies and yes-men., Word tist 3, , Adversary n. opponent. The young wrestler, struggled to overcome his adversary., Adverse adj. unfavorable; hostile. The recession, had a highly adverse effect on Father's, investment portfolio: he lost so much money, that he could no longer afford the butler and, the upstairs maid. Adversity, n., Advocate v. urge; plead for. Noted abolitionists, such as Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth, advocated the eradication of the Southern, institution of slavery. Also n., Aesthetic adj. artistic; dealing with or capable, of appreciation of the beautiful. The beauty of, Tiffany's stained glass appealed to Esther's, aesttletiG seAse. Aesthete, n., Affable adj. easily approachable; warmly, fFieAElI~,,; Aeeustemed to cold; aloof supervisors .., , 1, , ;- i

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• ,, , Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word List, , Nicholas,was amazed'at howaffabfe his new, employer was., , ).., , Affinity n. natural liking; kinship; similarity., Octavia felt an immediate affinity for the folk, dancers she met; their love of dance was hers, as well., Affirmation m. positive assertion; confirmation;, solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an, oath. Despite Tom's affirmations of innocence,, Aunt Polly still suspected he had eaten the pie., Aggressor n. attacker. Before you punish both, boys for fighting, see ~nether you c;:an, determine which one was the aggressor, Alienate v. make hostile; separate. Heather's, attempts to alienate Amy from Ellen failed, because the two friends had complete faith in, one another., Alleviate v. relieve. The doctor's reassuring, remarks alleviated June's fears for the baby;, though he'd been born prematurely, he was, rapidly gaining weight and could go home in a, couple of weeks., . ,.' " . ', , .:, , ~, , •, , •, , .,~ l:St~'A, , '., , , . -", , _~..., , .,, , wantecfto join the fight to ameliorate the, working conditions in the factory, Amend v. correct; change, generally for the, better. Hoping to amend his circumstances,, luong 1ft Vietnam for the United States., Amorphous adj. formless; lacking shape or, definition. As soon as we have decided on our, itinerary, we shall send you a copy; right now,, our plans are still amorphous., Ample adj. abundant. Bond had ample, opportunity to escape. Why did he let us catch, him?, Analogy m. similarity; parallelism. A well-known, ,(lnalogy C~rt)pare,s lhe body's immune system, to an army whose'defending troops are the, lymphocytes or white blood cells. Analogous,adj., Anarchist n. person who seeks to overturn the, established government; advocate of abolishing, authority. Denying she was an anarchist, Katya, maintained she wished only to make changes in, our government, not to destroy entirely., Anarchy, n., Word UstS, Anecdote n. short account of an amusing or, , :t.•, • ~- .... ....., !It, ••,-"".u.... LJ3L, , inTorooc:Tincr, O\lOnT U-::»1"j...or' 1"h~n "",~i,~ ,.,..,., ,..."'"'''''''''', "'+'", _ .. --. - - - .....0 _ . _ .. " ....... _ ...... _ ...... _ •• , ., ""'...,....I"'., , Aloof adj. apart; reserved; standoffish. His, classmates thought James was a snob because,, instead of joining in their conversations, he, remained silent and aloof., Altruistic adj. unselfishly generous; concerned, for others. In providing tutorial assistance and, college scholarships for hundreds of, economically disadvantaged youths, Eugene, Lang performed a truly altruistic deed. Altruism,, , proposals for welfare reform, President Ronald, Reagan told anecdotes about poor people who, became wealthy despite their impoverished, backgrounds. Anecdotal, adj., Animosity n. active enmity. By advocating cuts, in campaign spending and limits on, congressional powers, the reform candidate, seemed almost to invite the animosity of the, party's leaders., Antagonistic adj. hostile; opposed. Despite his, lawyers' best efforts to stop him, the angry, prisoner continued to make antagonistic, remarks to the judge. Antagonism, n., Antidote n. medicine to counteract a poison or, disease. When Marge's child accidentally, swallowed some cleaning fluid, the local poison, control hotline told Marge how to minister the, antidote., Antiquated adj. old-fashioned; obsolete. Philip, had grown so accustomed to editing his articles, on word processors that he thought typewriters, , n., Ambiltlous adj. unclear or doubtful in meaning., The proctor's ambiguous instructions, thoroughly confused us; we didn't know which, columns we should mark and which we should, leave blank. Ambiguity, n., Ambivalence n. the state of having, contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes., Torn between loving her parents on minute and, hating them the next, she was confused by, ambiValence of fier feelings. AmblValent, adj., Ameliorate v. improve; make more satisfactory., , ~~, , '_I"~, , 'were to antRtUateafofhimHf5·lJse.··AritiqLiit'l~n., 2, , {, , :>

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word List, , AntitheSis n. contrast; direct opposite of or to., Good is the antithesis of evil, innocence the, antithesis of guilt, Apathy n. lack of caring; indifference. A firm, believer in democratic government, she could, not understand the apathy of people who never, bothered to vote. Apathetic, adj., Apocryphal adj. untrue; made up. To impress, his friends, Ted invented apocryphal tales of his, adventures in the big city., Appease v. pacify or soothe; relieve. Tom and, Jody tried to appease their crying baby by, offering him one toy after another. However,, .- 'they coufdn'tcalm him'(ibwnuntil they, appeased his hunger by giving him a bottle., Appreciate v. be thankful for; increase in worth;, be thoroughly conscious of. Little Orphan Annie, truly appreciated the stocks Daddy Warbucks, gave her, which appreciated in value, considerably over the years., Word List 6, Apprehension n. fear; discernment; capture., The tourist refused to drive his rental car, through downtown Miami because he felt some, apprehension that he might be carjacked., Apprehension, adj., Arable adj. fit for growing crops. The first, settlers wrote home glowing reports of the New, World, praising its vast acres of arable-land, ready for the plow., Arbitrary adj. unreasonable or capricious;, randomly selected without any reason; based, solely on one's unrestricted will or judgment., The coach claimed the team lost because the, umpire made some arbitrary calls., Archaic adj. antiquated. "Methinks," IIthee,", and Uthoult are archaic words that are no longer, part of our standard vocabulary., Ardor n. heat; passion; zeal. Katya's ardor was, catching; 500n all her fellow demonstrators, were busHy making posters and handing out, flyers, inspired by her enthusiasm for the cause., Ardent, adj., Arid adJ dry; barren Tbe c:ac:tys has aaapted te, , Arrogance n. pride; haughtiness. Convinced, that Emma thought she was better than anyone, else in the class, Ed rebuked her for her, arrogance. arrogant, adj., Articulate adj. effective; distinct. Her articulate, presentation of the advertising campaign, impressed her employers so much that they put, her in charge of the project. Also v., Artifact n. object made by human beings, either, handmade or mass-produced. Archaeologists, debated the significance of the artifacts., discovered in the ruins of Asia Minor but came, to no conclusion about the culture they, represented., ', Artisan n. manually skilled worker; craftsman,, as opposed to artist. Elderly artisans from Italy, trained Harlem teenagers to carve the stone, figures that would decorate the new wing of the, cathedral, Word Ust7, Ascendancy n. controlling influence. leaders of, reJigious cults maintain ascendancy over their, followers by methods that can verge on, hr~in\N~c:h'rI~_, , Ascetic adj. practicing self-denial; austere. The, wealthy, self-indulgent young man felt oddly, drawn to the ascetic life led by members of, some monastic orders. Also n., Aspire v. seek to attain; rong for. Because he, aspired to a career in professional sports, Philip, enrolled in a graduate program in sports, management. Aspiration, n., Assuage v. ease or lessen(pain); satiSfy, (hunger); soothe (anger). Jilted by Jane, Dick,, tried to assuage his heartache by indulging in, ice cream. One gallon later, he had assuaged his, appetite but not his grief., Astute adj. wise; shrewd. Expecting Miss, Marple to be woolly-headed old lady, Inspector, Craddock was startled by the astute, observations she made., Atrophyv. waste away. After three months in a, cast, Stan's biceps had atrophied somewhat;, nowever, he was sure that If he pumped Iron, Also,n., for a while he would soon buird them, , 3

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word list, , Attentive adj. considerate; thoughtful; paying, attention. Thuy is very attentive to her, Vietnamese-speaking parents, acting ,as their, interpreter and helping them deal with, American society~, Attribute v. ascribe; explain. I attribute her, success in science to the encouragement she, received from her parents., Audacious adj. daring; bold. Audiences cheered, as luke Skywalker and Princess leia made their, audacious, death-defying leap to freedom,, escaping Darth Vader's troops. Audacity, n., Augment v. increase; add to. Beth augmented, her inadequate, salary by selling Tupperware at, "'parties at" frien~ds' homes..., Word Ust8, Austerity n. sternness; severity; strict economy;, lack of luxuries. The bishops charged with, conducting the heresy inquiry were a solemn,, somewhat forbidding group; their demeanor, reflected their austerity. Austere, adj., Authentic adj. genuine. The art expert was able, to distinguish the authentic Van Gogh painting, from the forged copy. Authenticate, v., " .. ~ ...a..-"..:.......;""",, . . . "" .... ; ~-"f,...., ... t~ ..., _.. --' .. --_.... _ ... --" ... _ . . -- .. ··0, , .:, , ~~, , ", , B'elittre v. disparage; make fun of. Parents, should not belittle their children's early, attempts at drawing, but should encourage, their efforts, Belligerent adj. quarrelsome. Whenever he had, too much to drink, ,he became belligerent and, tried to pick fights with strangers., Word list 9, Benevolent adj. generous; charitable. Mr., Fezziwag was a benevolent employer who, wished to make Christmas merrier for young, Scrooge and his other employees., Benign adj. kindly; favortlble; not m~Ugn~nt..,, Though her benign smile and gentle bearing, made Miss Marple seem a sweet little old lady,, in reality she was a tough-minded, shrewd, observer of human nature., Bequeath v.leave to someone by a will; hand, down. Although Maud had intended to, bequeath the family home to her nephew, she, died before changing her will. Bequest n., Biased adj. slanted; pr~judiced. Because the, judge played gold regularly with the district, attorney's father, we .tea red ,he. might be biased, , ,....,,,.. ,..." __ ,..;""";_",,,, ... _.a. ...... ', _. -"',._. ---·"'0 ............... ., , control; nondemocratic. Forced to obey the, dictates of the authoritarian regime, the people, had no control over their won destiny. Also n., Autonomous adj. self-governing. Although the, University of California at Berkeley is just one, part of the state university system, in many, ways Cal Berkeley is autonomous, for it runs, several programs that are not subject to outside, control. Autonomy, n., Aversionn. firm dislike. Their mutual aversion, was so great that they refused to speak to one, another., :Banal adj. hackneyed; commonplace; trite. Was, it Pendleton's stale plot or his cfiche-ridden, , dialogue that made his play seem so banal?, Banality, n., Bane n. cause of ruin. lack of public, transportation is the bane of urban life., Belie v. contradict; give a false impression. His, coarse, hard",bltten exterior belied his inner, , Bland adj. soothing; mild; dull. Unless you want, your stomach lining to be eaten away, stick to a, bland diet. Blandness, n., Blasphemy n. irreverence; sacrilege; cursing. In, my father's house, the Dodgers were the holiest, of holies; to cheer for another team was to, utter words of blasphemy. Blasphemous, adj., Bolster v. support; reinforce. The debaters, amassed file boxes full of evidence to bolster, their arguments., Braggart n. boastful person. I wouldn't mind, Bob's being such a braggart if I felt he'd done, anything worth bragging about., Brawn n. muscular strength; sturdiness. It takes, brawn to become achampion weight~lifter., Brawny, adj., Brevity n. conciseness; briefness. Brevity is, essential when you send a telegram or, cablegram; you are charged for every word., ,t, , "", , 4, , \.,

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word list, , Word List -10, Buttress v. support; prop up. The attorney came, up with several far-fetched arguments in avain, attempt to buttress his weak case. Also n., Cacophonous adj. discordant; inharmonious., DO the students in the orchestra enjoy the, cacophonous sounds they make when they're, tuning up? I don't know how they can stand the, racket. Cacophony, n., Cajole v. coax; wheedle. Diane tried to cajole, her father into letting her drive the family car., Cajolery, n., Calculated adj. deliberately planned; likely., ,,~LexYs choicedf clothes to wear to the debate, tournament was carefully calculated. Her, conventional suit was one calculated to appeal, to the conservative judges., Candor n. frankness. The candor with which, Gene spoke during the job interview impressed, us all; it was· clear he held nothing back, candid,, adj~, , Capricious adj. fickle; incalculable. The storm, was capricious, changing its course constantly., Caricature n. distortion; burlesque. The, caricatures he dre'w arway~ ~mph~c:i7Pri ~, personal weakness of the people he burlesqued, also v., Censorious adj. critical. Censorious people, delight in casting'blame., Censure v. blame; criticize. The senator was, censured for his inappropriate behavior. Also n., Certitude n. certainty. Though there was on, certitude of his getting the job, Lou thought he, had a good chance of doing so., Word List 11, Charlatan n. quack; pretender to knowledge., When they realized that the Wizard didn't know, how to get them back to Kansas, Dorothy and, her companions were indignant that they'd, been duped by a charlatan., Chronicle v. report; record (in chronological, order). The gossip columnist was paid to, chronicle the latest escapades of socially, prominent celebrities. Also n., , Civil adj. having to do with citizens or the state;, courteous and polite. Although Internal, Revenue Service agents are civil servants, they, are not always civil to suspected tax cheats., Civility, n., Clamor n. noise. The damor of the children at, play outside made it impossible for her to take a, nap.Alsov., Clemency n. disposition to be lenient; mildness,, as of the weather. Why did the defense lawyer, look pleased when his case was sent to Judge, Bland's chambers? Bland was known for her, clemency toward first offenders. Clem~nt, adj., Coerdon n. use offorce to get someorf~s, compliance. They forced him to obey, but only, by using great coercion, coerce, v., Commemorate v. honor the memory of. The, statue of the Minuteman commemorates the, valiant soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary, War., Compelling adj. overpowering; irresistible in, effect. The prosecutor presented a well­, reasoned case, but the defense attorney's, compelling arguments for leniency won over, tho, _.. ­ iu"", , ~-.,-, , Compile v. assemble; gather; accumulate. We, planned to compile a list of the words most, frequently used on the SAT examinations., Compliance n. readiness to yield; conformity in, fulfilling requirements. When I give an order, I, expect compliance, not defiance. The design for, the new school had to be in compliance with, the local building code. Comply, v., Word Ust 12, Composure n. mental calmness. Even the latest, crisis at work failed to shake Nancy's, composure., Comprehensive adj. thorough; inclusive. This, book provides a comprehensive review of, critical reading skills for the SAT., Concede v. admit; yield. Despite all the, evidence Monica had assembled, Mark refused, to concede that she was right. Concession, n., Condllatory adj. reconCIling; appeasing;, amiable. Hoping to end the coldness that had, ···gro\Nh f)etween tnem, he wrote a concilicifory, note. conciliate, v. ., .. . ., 5

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word List, \, , Cq~cis~.adjTbrief and CQmpa~., , Wh..en you, define a mi!'w word, be concise: the shorter the, definition, the easier it is to remember., Conclusive adj. convincing; decisive. We have, conclusive evidence that proves her innocence., Concur v. agree in opinion. Justice O'Connor, wrote a minority opinion because she did not, concur with the reasoning of her fellow justices., Condone v. overlook voluntarily; forgive., Although she had excuse Huck for his earlier, escapades, Widow Douglas refused to condone, his latest prank., Confirm v. corroborate; verify; support. I have, sev~ral witnesses who will confirm my account, . 'of-what happened', Conflagration n. great fire. In the conflagration, that followed the 1906 earthquake, much of, San Francisco burned to the ground., Word List 13, Confound v. confuse; puzzle. No mystery could, confound Sherlock Holmes for long, Confront v. face; challenge. Alii ask is the, chance to confront my accusers face to face., Conscientious a~j. scrupulous; careful. A, definition for its accuracy., Consensus n. general agreement. After hours of, debate, the consensus of the group was that we, should approve the executive directors, proposal., Consistency n'. absence of contradictions;, depend-ability; uniformity; degree of thickness., Holmes judged puddings and explanations on, their consistency: he liked his puddings without, lumps and his explanations without, improbabilities., Constraint n. compulsion; repression of feelings., Because he trusted his therapist completely, he, discussed his feelings openly with her without, feeling the feast constraint. Constrain, v;, Contagion n. infection. Fearing contagion, they, took great steps to prevent the spread of the, disease., , Contemporary n. person belonging to the same, period. Though Charlotte Bronte and George, Eliot were contemporaries, the two novelists, depicted their Victorian world in markedly, different ways. Also adj., Contend v. struggle; compete; assert earnestly., Sociologist Harry Edwards contends that young, African-American athletes are exploited by, some college recruiters. Contention, n., Contentious adj. quarrelsome. Disagreeing, violently with the referees' ruling, the coach, became so contentious that they threw him out, of the game., ~';:/:.:t~~ ., , -;'.;" '--~, , Word List 14, Contract v. compress or shrink; make a pledge;, catch a disease. Warm metal expands; cold, metal contracts, Converge v. approach; tend to meet; come, together. African-American men from all over, the United States converged on Washington to, take part in the historic MiI1ion Man march., Conviction n. strongly held belief. Nothing .could, shake his conviction that she was innocent., (secondary meaning), greeted us at the airport with a cordial welcome, and a hearty hug., Corroborate v. confirm; support. Though Huck, was quite willing to corroborate Tom's story,, Aunt Polly knew better than to believe either of, them., Corrosion n. destruction by chemical action., The corrosion of the girders supporting the b, ridge took place so gradually that no one, suspected any danger until the bridge suddenly, collapsed. Corrode, v., Credibility n. believeability. Because the, candidate had made some pretty unbelieveable, promises, we began to question the credibility, of everything he said., Credulity n. belief on slight evidence; gullibility;, naivete. Con artists take advantage of the, credulity of inexperienced investors to swindle, them out of their savings. Credulous, adj., , 6, , r, , t ;

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word List, , Cryptic:adj. mysterious; hidden;secret.. Martin, loved to act mysterious, making cryptic, comments no one could understand., Word List 15, Cursory adj. casual; hastily done. Because a, cursory examination of the ruins indicates the, possibility of arson, we believe the insurance, agency should undertake a more extensive, investigation of the fire's cause., Curtail v. shorten; reduce. When Elton asked, Cher for a date, she said she was really sorry, .she couldn't go out with ijm, but her dad had, ordered her to curtail her-social life., Cynic n. one who is keptical or distrustful of, human motives. A born cynic, Sidney was, suspidous whenever anyone gave hima gift, "with no strings attached." Cynical, adj., Daunt V. intimidate; frighten. IIBoast all you like, of your prowess. Mere words cannot daunt, me,lI the hero answered the villain., Dawdle v.loiter; waste time. We have to meet, a deadline so don't dawdle; just get down to, work., Debirrtate v. weaken; enfeeble. Mir.h::lpl'c;, severe bout of the flue debilitated him so much, that he was too tired to go to work for a week., Debunk v. expose something as nonsensical or, false. I have gathered enough evidence to, debunk the legend that Billy the Kid was a, heroic, Robin Hood-like figure., Decorum n. propriety; orderliness and good, taste in manners. Even the best-mannered, students have trouble behaving with decorum, on the last day of school. Decorous, adj, Defame v. harm someone's reputation; malign., If you try to defame my good name, my lawyers, will see you in court. Defamation, n., Deference n. courteous regard for another's, wish. In deference to the minister's request,, please do not take photographs d'uring the, wedding service., WordUst 16, , Defiance R. refysal to yield; Fesis~aHee. 'Nnen, , Degenerate v. become worse; deteriorate. As, the fight dragged on, the champion's stamina, degenerated until he oculd barely keep on his, feet., Degrade v.lower in rank or dignity; debase., Some secretaries object to fetching the boss a, cup of coffee because they feel it degrades, them to do such lowly tasks., Deliberate v. consider; ponder. Offered the new, job, she asked for time to deliberate before she, told them her decision., Delineate v. portray; depict; sketch. Using only, a few descriptive phrases, Austen delineates the, ch~rader of Mr~'Collins $0 wellthat wecah ., predict his every move. Delineation, n., Denounce v. condemn; criticize. The reform, candidate denounced the corrupt city officers, for having betrayed the public's trust., Denunciation, n., Deny v. contradict; refuse. Do you deny his, story, or do you support what he says? Denial, n., Depict v. portray; describe. Some newspaper, accounts depicted the movie star as a reclusive, prima donna; others portrayed her as a, C::~I"I~itj\f~, , ?rt!st h:!!":!ssed b\' the mecHa., Depiction, n., Deplore v. regret strongly; express grief over., Although I deplore the disintegration of the, modern family, I understand that not every, marriage can be saved., Depravity n. corruption; wickedness. Even, Romans who had grown accustomed to, perversions and immorality during Tiberius', reign were shocked by the depravity of the, emperor Caligula., Word List 17, Deprecate v. express disapproval of; protest, against; belittle. A firm believer in old-fashioned, courtesy, Miss Post deprecated the modern, tendency to address new acquaintances by, their first names. Deprecatory, adj., Deride v. ridicule; make fun of. The critics, derided his pretentious dialogue and refused to, COltside.lds play seriously. Denslon, n., , John reached the IIterrible two's'" he responded, defiance. Defy, v. defiant, adj., 7

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., , Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word List, , DerivaJive·,adj.unor:iginqJ~ deriv~, , from another, source. Although her early poetry was clearly, derivative in nature, the critics felt she had., promise and eventually would find her own, voice., Despondent adj. depressed; gloomy. To the, concern of his parents, William became, seriously despondent after he broke up with Jan., Despondency, n., Despot n. tyrant; harsh authoritarian ruler. How, could a benevolent king turn overnight into a, despot?, Detached adj. emotionally removed; calm and, objective; indifferent. A~sychoanalyst must, .maintain a detached pointof view and stay ':.. ', uninvolved with her patients' personal lives., Detachment, n. (secondary meaning), Deterrent n. something that discourages;, hindrance. Does the threat of capital, punishment serve as a deterrent to potential, killers? Deter, v., Detrimental adj. harmful; damaging. The, candidate's acceptance of major financial, contributions from a well-known racist, ultimately proved detrimental to his campaign,, fr!!" h~ 'r!~ the b~ddng !;! ~~ny !;f hi,,: r~!"!y, grassroots supporters. Detriment, n., Devious adj. roundabout; erratic; not straight­, forward. His plan was so devious that it was, only with great difficulty we could follow its, shifts and dodges., Devise v. think up; invent; plan. How clever he, must be to have devised such a devious plant, What ingenious inventions 'might he have, devised if he had turned his mind to science and, not to crime!, , WordUst18, Oidactic adj. teaching; instructional. Pope's, lengthy poem An Essay on Man is too didactic, for my taste: I dislike it when poets turn, preachy and moralize., Diffuse adj. wordy; rambling; spread out. If you, pay authors by the word, you tempt them to, produce diffuse manuscripts rather than, concISe ones., , .Di.gression n. wandering away from the subject., Nobody minded when Professor Renoir's, lectures wandered away from their official, themes; his digressions were always more, fascinating than the topic of the day. Digress, v., Diligence n. steadiness of effort; persistent hard, work. Her employers were greatly impressed yb, her diligence and offered her a partnership in, the firm. Diligent, adj., Diminution n.lessening; reduction in size. Old, Jack was as sharp at eighty as he had been at, fifty; increasing age led to no diminution of his, mental acuity., Disban~ v.dissolve; disperse. The chess club, dlsbanded'after its 'disastrous initial season., Discerning adj. mentally quick and observant;, having insight. Though no genius, the star was, sufficiently discerning to tell her true friends, from the countless phonies who flattered her., Discernment, n., .Disdose'v~ reveal; Although competitors offered, him bribes, he refused to disclose any, information about his company's forthcoming, product. Disclosure, n., Discordant adj. not harmonious; conflicting., junior high school orchestra tuning up., Discord,.n., Discount v. disregard. Be prepared to discount, what he has to say about his ex-wife; he is still, very bitter about the divorce., Word List 19, Discredit v. defame; destroy confidence in;, disbelieve. The campaign was highly negative in, tone; each candidate tried to discreit the others., Discrepancy n.lack of consistency; difference., Noticing some discrepancies in his description, of the crime, the police began to mistrust the, witness's testimony., Discriminating adj. abre to see differences;, prejudiced. A superb interpreter of Picasso, she, was sufficiently discriminating to judge the, most complex works of modern art. (secondary, meaning) discrimination, n., , 8, , .,

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word list, , Discursive adj. digressing; rambling. As the, lecturer wandered from topic to topic, we, wondered what if any point there was to his, discursive remarks., Disdain v. view with corn or contempt. In the, film Funny Face, the bookish heroine disdained, fashion models for their lack of intellectual, interests. Also n., Disinclination n. unwillingness. Some mornings, I feel a great disinclination to get out of bed., Disinterested adj. unprejudiced. In view of the, judge's political ambitions and the lawyers', financial interest in the case, the only, disinterested persbn niinecourtroom may, have been the court reporter., Dismantle v. take apart. When the show closed,, they dismantled the scenery before storing it., Dismiss v. put away from consideration; reject., ;Believing in John's love for her, she dismissed, the notion that he might be unfaithful., .' (secondary meaning), Disparage v. belittle. Do not disparage any, donation, no matter how small it may be; every, penny counts, and these little gifts mean a lot., WordUst20, Disparity n. difference; condition of inequality., Their disparity in rank made no difference at all, to the prince and Cinderella., Dispassionate adj. calm; impartial. Known in, the company for his cool judgment, Bill could, impartially examine the causes of a problem,, giving a dispassionate analysis of what had gone, wrong, and go on to suggest how to correct the, mess., Dispel v. drive away; scatter; cause to vanish., The bright sunlight eventually dispelled the, morning mist., Disperse v. cause to break up; scatter. The, police fired tear gas into the crowd to disperse, the protesters., Disputatious adj. argumentative; fond of, arguing. Convinced he knew more than his, lawyers, Alan was a disputatious client, ready to, argue aboutthe best way to cond'ict tbe case., , Disseminate v. distribute; spread; scatter (like, seeds). BY their use of the Internet,, propagandists have been able to disseminate, their pet doctrines to new audiences around, the globe., Dissent v. disagree. In the recent Supreme, Court decision, JustiCe O'Connor dissented from, the majority opinion. Also n., Dissipate v. squander; waste; scatter. He is a, fine artist, but I fear he may dissipate his gifts if, he keeps wasting his time on such trivial, pursuits., Dissonance n. dissonance. Composer Charles, Ives often used rlissonance -clashing or, unresolved chords - for special effects in his, musical works., Dissuade v. advise against. Tom could not, dissuade Huck from running away from home., Dissuasion, n., Word List 21, Distant adj. reserved or afoof; cold in manner., His distant greeting made me feel unwelcome, from the start. (secondary meaning), Divergent adi. differing: deviating. Since, graduating from medical school, the two, doctors have taken divergent paths, one going, on to become a nationally prominent surgeon,, the other dedicating himself to a small family, practice in his home town. Divergence, n., Diverse adj. differing in some characteristics;, various. The professor suggested diverse ways, of approaching the assignment and, recommended that we choose one of the them., Diversity, n., Divulge v. reveal. No lover of gossip, Charlotte, would never divulge anything that a friend told, her in confidence, Doctrine n. teachings, in general; particular, principle (religious, legal, and so on) taught. He, was so committed to the doctrines of his faith, that he was unable to evaluate them impartially., Document v. provide written evidence. She, kept all the receipts from her business trip in, order to doeument her expenses FOi the firm., Alson., , 9

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word List, , Dogmatic adj. opinionated; arbitrarv;doctrinai., We tried to discourage Doug from being so, dogtTIatic, but never could convince him that his, opinions might be wrong., Dormant adj. sleeping; lethargic; latent. At fifty, her long-dormant ambition to write flared up, once more; within a year she had completed, the first of her great historical novels., Dubious adj. doubtful; questionable. Many, critics of the SAT contend the test is of dubious, wroth., Duplidty n. double-dealing; hypocrisy. When, Tanya learned that Mark had been twoOtiming, her, she was,"7 "t1., furious at his, duplicity., r, Duplicitous, adj., , \;'", , .'/_. •, ""!-.;, , •, , ""'j/o-, , •, , •, , w,, , •, , '., , Word List 22, Duration n. length of time something lasts., ,Because she wanted the children to make a, good impression on the dinner guests, Mother, promised them a treat if they would behave for, the duration of the meal., Dutiful adj. respectful; obedient. The dutiful, child grew up to be a conscientious adult, aware, of her civic obligations., E~~ v. ic~ede: fe55eii. :-:i5 fortuneS hegdn tu ebb, during the Recession. Also, n., Eccentric adj. odd; whimsical; irregular. The, comet passed close by Earth in its eccentric, orbit., Eclectic adj. Selective in ,choosing from a variety, of sources. The reviewers praised the new, restaurant's eclectic selection of dishes, which, ranged from Oriental stir fries to French ragouts, and stews., Eclipse v. darken; extinguish; surpass. The new, stock market high eclipsed the previous record, set in 1995., Effervescent adj. exuberant; bubbly and excited., Nothing depressed Amy for long; she was so, naturally effervescent that she was soon as, high-spirited as ever. Effervesce, v., Egotistical adj. excessively self-centered; self­, important; conceited. Typical egotistical, remark: "But enough of this chit-chat about you, and your httle problems. Let's talk about whafs, really important: me I" egotism, n., , E'lated adj. overjoyed; in high spirits. Grinning, from ear to ear, Bonnie Blair was clearly elated, by her fifth Olympic gold medal. Elation, n., Eloquence n. expressiveness; persuasive speech., The crowds were stirred by Martin luther King's, eloquence. Eloquent, adj., Word list 23, Elusive adj. evasive; baffling; hard to grasp., Trying to pin down exactly when the, contractors would be finished remodeling the, house, Nancy was frustrated by their elusive, replies. Elude, v., Embellish v. ad~rn;ornament. Thecostu,roe, designer embellished the leading lady's ball, gown with yards and yards of ribbon and lace., Emulate v. imitate; rival. In a brief essay,, describe a person you admire, someone whose, virtues you would like to emulate., Endorse v. approve; support. Everyone waited, to see which one ofthe rival candidates for the, citycouncif the mayor would endorse., Endorsement, n. (secondary·meaning), Enduring adj. lasting; surviving. Keats believed, in the.enduringpower ofgreat art, which would, outiitSf it.. cre;:.tors! brief Hves., Enervate v. weaken. She was slow to recover, from her illness; even a short walk to the, window would enervate her. Enervation n., Engender v. cause; produce. To receive praise, for real accomplishments engenders self­, confidence in a child., Enhance v. advance; improve. You can enhance, your chances of being admitted to the college, of your choice by learning to write well; an, excellent essay can enhance any application., Enigma r:!. puzzle; mystery. IIWhat do women, want?" asked Dr. Sigmund Freud. Their, behavior was an enigma to him., Enmity n. ill will; hatred. At Camp David, President Carter labored to bring an end at the, enmity that prevented Egypt and Israel from, living in peace., , WordUst24, Enumerate v.list; mention one by one. Huck, hung his head in shame as Miss Watson, , !, , '- "., , 10, , '

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word list, , Ephemeral,adj. short-lived; fleeti~g. With its", adult stage lasting less than two days, the, mayfly is by definition an ephemeral creature., Epic n.long heroic poem, or similar work of art., Kurosawa's film Seven Samurai is an epic that, portrays the struggle of seven warriors to, destroy a band of robbers. Also adj., Epicure n. connoisseur of food and drink., Epicures patronize this restaurant because it, features exotic wins and dishes. Epicurean, adj., Episodic adj. loosely connected; divided into, incidents; occurring at intervals. Though he, tried to follow the-plot of Gravity's Rainbow,, ,,;,john found the novel too episodic; he enjoyed, individual passages, but had trouble following, the work as a whole., Equanimity n. calmness of temperament;, composure. Even the inevitable strains of caring, for 'an ailing mother did not disturb Bea's, equanimity., ;Equivocal adj. ambiguous; intentionally, misleading. Rejecting the candidate's equivocal, comments on tax reform, the reporters pressed, himto say where he stood on the issue., Ectuivocate. v., , Erratic adj. odd; unpredictable; wandering., Investors become anxious when the stock, market appears erratic., Erroneous adj. mistaken; wrong. I thought my, answer was correct, but it was erroneous., Erudite adj. learned; scholarly. Though his, fellow students thought him erudite, Paul knew, he would have to,spend many years in serious, study before he could consider himself a scholar., , / !, , l \, , Word List 25, Esoteric adj. hard to understand; known only to, the chosen few. New Yorker short stories often, include esoteric allusions to obscure people and, events: the implication is, if you in the in-crow,, you'll get the reference; if you come from, Cleveland, you won't., Espouse v. adopt; support. She was always, ready to espouse a worthy cause., listeem v. fespeet, 'i8ltte, jttdge. Though II eject, Ezra Pound's politics, I esteem him for his, superb poetry and hisatate literarv (I itrcism: ., , Ethereal'adj. light; heavenly; unusually refined., In Shakespeare's the Tempest, the spirit Ariel is, an ethereal creature, too airy and unearthly for, our mortal world., Eulogy n. expression of praise, often on the, occasion of someone's death. Instead of, delivering a spoken eulogy at Genny's memorial, service, Jeffsang a song he had written in her, honor., Euphemism n. mild expression used in place of, an unpleasant one. Until recently, many, Southern Americans avoided the word bull in, polite speech, replacing it by a euphemism,, such as he-cow or male beast~, Euphonious adj. pleasing in sound. Euphonious, even when spoken, the Italian language is, particularly pleasing to the ear when sung., Euphony, n., Euphoria n. feeling of great happiness and well­, being (sometimes exaggerated). Delighted with, her SAT scores, sure that the university would, accept her, Allison was filled with euphoria., Euphoric, adj., Evanescent adj. fleeting; vanishing. Brandon's, satisfaction in his new joh w~c; ev~ne<;t:"ent, for, , he immediately began to notice its many, dravvbacks. Evanescence,n., Exacerbate v. worsen; embitter. The latest, bombing exacerbated England's already existing, bitterness against the IRA, causing the prime, minister to break off the peace talks abruptly., Word List 26, Exacting adj. extremely demanding. Cleaning, the ceiling of the Sistine chapel was an exacting, task, one that demanded extremely meticulous, care on the part of the restorers. Exaction, n., Exalt v. raise in rank or dignity; praise. The actor, Alec Guinness was exalted to the rank of, knighthood by the queen., Execute v. put into effect; carry out. The, choreographer wanted to see how well, Margaret could execute a pirouette. (secondary, meaning) execution, n., I!xernplary adj. serving as a model; outstanding., At commencement the dean praised Ellen for, her exemplarv D~lfaVfor as class president:, , 11

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word List, , Exe.r.npUfy.y. se,rve as ~r ,e,)5JIJl1.ple of;, embody.., For a generation of barletgoers, Rudolf Nureyev, exemplified the ideal of masculine grace., Exhaustive adj. thorough; comprehensive. We, have made an exhaustive study of all published, SAT tests and are happy to share our research, with you, Exhilarating adj•. invigorating and refreshing;, cheering. Though some of the hikers found, tramping through the snow tiring, Jeffrey found, the walk on the cold, crisp day exhilarating., Exonerate v. acquit; exculpate. The defense, team feverishly sought fresh evidence that, might exonerate the~r ~lient., ., 'Expedient adj. suitable to achieve a particular, end; practical; politiC. A pragmatic politician, he, was guided by what was expedient rather than, by what was ethical. Expediency, n., Expedite v. hasten. Because we are on a tight, schedule, we hope you will be able to expedite, the delivery of our order., Word List 27, , Expertise n. specialized knowledge; expert skill., Although she is knowledgeable in a number of, , ~)(tQ' v~, , praise; glorified The president extolled, , th~'~stronauts, calling them the pioneers of the, Space Age., Extraneous adj. not essential; superfluous. No, wonder Ted cant' think straightr His mind is so, cluttered up with extraneous trivia that he can't, concentrate on the essentials., Extricate v. free; disentangle. The fox could not, extricate itself from the trap., Exuberance n. overflowing abundance; joyful, enthusiasm; flamboyance; lavishness. I was, bowled over by the exuberance of Amy's, welcome. What an enthusiastic greeting!, Word List 28, facile adj. easily accomplished; ready or fluent;, superficial. Words came easily to Jonathan: he, was a facile speaker and prided himself on, being ready to make a speech ala moment's, notice., Facilitate v. help bring about; make less difficult., Rest and proper nourishment should facilitate, the patient's recovery., Fallacious adj. false; misleading. Paradoxically,, .fallacious. reasoning does not always yield, .., t=-.lo,..,..nnon •• (" rpC",'T'(,"..... 1""",_.- "Ia'l, ..., -_. _ ••, • w...,w, .....,. """' ..... , """"""'6.' ",...", ,\.,lUI, be faulty, the answer you get may nevertheless, be correct. Fallacy, n., Fanaticism n. excessive zeal; extreme devotion, to a belief or cause. When Islamic, fundamentalists demanded the death of Salman, Rushdie because his novel questioned their, faith, world opinion condemned them for their, fanaticism., Fastidious adj. difficult to please; squeamish., Bobby was such a fastidious eater that he would, eat a sandwich only if his mother first cut off, every scrap of crust., Feasible adj. practical. Was it feasible to build a, .new stadium for the Yankees on New York's, West Side? Without additional funding, the, project was clearly unrealistic., Fervor n. glowing ardor; intensity of feeling. At, the protest rally, the students cheered the, strikers and booed the dean with equal fervor., Fickle adj. changeable; faithless. As soon as, ~omeo sa~ Juliet, heforgot elll aQout.bis old, .~., , _~w...,, , computer programming., Explicit adj. totally clear; definite' outspoken., Don't just hint around that you're dissatisfied;, be explicit about what's bothering you., Exploit n. deed or action, particularly a brave, deed. Raoul Wallenberg was noted for his, exploits in rescuing Jews from Hitler's forces., Exploit v. make use of, sometimes unjustly., Cesar Chavez fought attempts to exploit, migrant farmworkers in California., Exploitation, n., Expository adj. explanatory; intended to explain., The manual that came with my VCR was no, masterpiece of expository prose: its, explanations were so garbfed that I couldn1t, even figure out how to rewind a tape., Exposition, n., Extant adj. still inexistence. I'd hoped to buy a, copy of Margaret Dean Smith's facsimile of The, Dandng Master~ Unfortunately, all the copies, extant are in libraries or private collections;, , 0\1(,,\"" ""~I""ifI"T"'", , IV6'\",, , ~, , ~., , 12

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word list, , Figl.lraJive adj. not.literaJ,> but metaphorical;, using a figure of speecij., '1'0 lose one's, marbles" is a figurative expression; if you're told, that Jack has lost his marbles, no one expects, you to rush out to buy him a replacement set., Flagrant adj. conspicuously wicked; blatant;, outrageous. The governor's appointment of his, brother-in-law to the State Supreme Court was, a flagrant violation of the state laws against, nepotism (favoritism based on kinship)., WordUst29, Flippant adj. lacking proper seriousness. When, "Mark'told Monahe loved her, she dismissed his, earnest declaration with a flippant "0h, you sya, that to all the girls!" flippancy, n., Florid adj. ruddy' reddish; flowery. If you go to, Florida and get a sunburn, your complexion will, look florid., Fluctuate v. waver; shift. The water pressure in, 'our shower fluctuates wildly; you start rinsing, yourself off with a trickle, and two minutes later,, you think you're gOing to drown., Foolhardy adj. rash; heedles~. Don't be a, foolhardy. Get some advke from p'\(r~rie"'t::ed, people before you strike out on your own., Foresight n. ability to foresee future, happenings; prudence. A wise investor, she had, the foresight to buy land just before the current, real estate boom., Forestall v. prevent by taking action in advance., By setting up a prenuptial agreement, the, prospective bride and groom hoped to forestall, any potential arguments about money in the, event of a divorce., Forsake v. desert; abandon; renounce. No one, expected Gauguin to forsake his wife and, children arid run off to Tahiti., Forthright adj. outspoke'n; frank. Never afraid, to call a spade aspade, she was perhaps too, forthright to be a successful party politician., Fortuitous adj. accidental; by chance. Though, he pretended their encounter was fortuitous,, he'd actually been hanging around her usual, IHIURts for the past hJe weeks., , foster v. rear; encourage; nurture. According to, the',egend, Romulus and Remus were fostered, by a she-wolf who raised them as if they were, her cubs. Also adj., Word List 30, Founderv. fail completely; sink. After hitting, the submerged iceberg, the Titanic started, taking in water rapidly and soon foundered, Founder n. person who establishes (an, organization, business). Among those drowned, where the Titanic sank was the founder of the, AbrR~am & Straus department store, Fraihi(jj~ weak. The sickly child seemedtoo frail, to lift the heavy carton., Frivolous adj. lacking in seriousness; self­, indulgently carefree; relatively unimportant., Though Nancy enjoyed Bill's frivolous,, lighthearted companionship, she sometimes, wondered whether he could ever be serious., Frivolity, n., Frugality n. thrift; economy. In economically, hard times, those who do not learn to practice, frugality risk bankruptcy. Frugal, adj., committee discussed all sorts of side issues, without ever getting down to addressing the, "fundamental problem., Furtive adj. stealthy; sneaky. Noticing the, furtive glance the customer gave the diamond, bracelet on the counter, the jeweler wondered, whether he had a potential shoplifter on his, hands., Futile adj. ineffective; fruitless. Why waste your, time on futile pursuits?, Galvanize v. stimulate by shock; stir up;, revitalize. News that the prince was alsmot at, their door galvanized the ugly stepsisters into a, frenzy of combing and primping., Garbled adj. mixed up; jumbled; distorted. A, favorite party game involves passing a, whispered message from one person to another,, till, by the time it reaches the last player, the, message istotally garbled., , 13

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word List, , Word list 31, Garrulous adj. loquacious; wordy; talkative. My, Uncle Henry can out-taIl< any three people I, know. He is the most garrulous person in, Cayuga County., Genre n. particular varie~y of art or literature., Both a short-story writer and a poet, Langston, Hughes proved himself equally skilled in either, genre., _", Germane adj. pertinent; bearing upon the case, at hand. The judge would not allow the, testimony to be heard by the jury because it, was not germane to the case., Glacial adJ. like a glacier; extremely cold. Never, , a warm perSon,10hn, whe~faffe'nde'Ct could, seem positively glacial., Glib adj. fluent; facile; slick. Keeping up a steady, patter to entertain his customers, the kitchen, 'gadget salesman was a glib speaker, never at a, loss for a word., Glutton n. someone who eats too much; greedy, person. Who is the glutton who ate up all the, chocolate chip cookies I made for dessert?, Gluttonous, adj., Gorge n. small, steep-walled canyon. The white­, \A'~h~r r~ftin"., . . -.--~, , • -, , ".IIirlp w::It"nor!, *._- "--, , .. _· .. · 0 0 - " - -, , Grievance n. cause of complaint. When her, sup.eniisor ignored her complaint, she took her, grievance to the union., Grudging adj. unwilling; reluctant; stingy. We, received only grudging support from the mayor, despite his earlier promises of aid.., Guile n. deceit; duplicity; wiliness; cunning. lago, uses considerable guile to trick Othello into, believing that Desdemona has been unfaithful., Gullible adj. easily deceived. Gullible people, have only themselves to blame if they fa II for, scams repeatedly. As the saying goes, /lFooi me, once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on, me.", Hacltneyed adj~ commonplace; trite. When the, reviewer criticized the movie for its hackneyed, plot, we agreed; we had seen similar stories, hundreds of times before., ttallowed adj. blessed; consecrated. Although, the dead girl's parents had never been active, churchgoers, they insisted that-their daughter, be buried in hallowed ground., Hamper v. obstruct. The new mother didn't, realize how much the effort of caring for an, infant would hamper her ability to keep an, , -- :lh,,"t, ----.......tho, -- ,.':)nir!c, --,""'._'""", , lit::, , farther downstream, where the river cut, through a narrow gorge., Grandiose adj. pretentious; high-flown;, ridiculously exaggerated; impressive. The aged, matinee idol still had grandiose notions of his, supposed importance in the theatrical world., Gratify v. please. Amy's success in her new job, gratified her parents., Gratuitous adj. given freely; unwarranted;, unprovoked. Who asked you to comment? We, don't need any gratuitous criticism from, someone who has no business dissing us., , WordUst32, Gravity n. seriousness. We could tell we were in, serious trouble from the gravity of the, principars expression. (secondary meaning), grave,' adj., Gregarious adj. sociable. Typically, partygoers, are greganous; hermits are not., , Harass v. annoy by repeated attacks' torment., When he could not pay his bills as quickly as he, had promised, he was harassed by his creditors., Word List 33, Hardy adj. sturdy; robust; able to stand, inclement weather. We asked the gardening, expert to recommend particularly hardy plants, that could withstand our harsh New England, winters., Haughtiness n. pride; arrogance. When she, realized that Darcy believed himself too good to, dance with his inferiors, Elizabeth took great, offense at his haughtiness., Hedonist n. one who believes that pleasure is, the sole aim in life. A thoroughgoing hedonist,, he considered only his own pleasure and, ,ignored any claims others had on his money or, time., Heed v. pay attention to; consider. We hope, you heed our advice and get a ,.,,.u..I'I.,,i ... ,,,.+', , 14, , f, , !

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word list, , Heresy.n. opinion contrary to popular belief;, opinion contrary to accepted religion. Galileo's, assertion that Earthmov.es around the sun, directly contradicted the religious teachings of, his day; as a result, he was tried for heresy., Heretic, n., Heterodox adj. unorthodox; unconventional. To, those who upheld the belief that Earth did not, move, Galileo's theory that Earth circles the sun, was disturbingly heterodox., Heterogeneous adj. dissimilar; mixed. This, year's entering class is a remarkably, heterogeneous body; it includes students from, , . ·40 differentstates and 26 fdFeign·countries,, some the children of billionaires, others the, offspring of welfare families., Heyday n. time of greatest success; prime. In, their heyday, the San Francisco Forty-Niners, won the Super Bowl two years running., Hiatus n. gap; interruption in duration or, continuity; pause. During the summer hiatus,, many students try to earn enough money to pay, their tuition for the next school year., Hierarchy n. arrangement by rank or standing;, authoritarian body divided into r(1nk5. To hp- low, man on the totem pole is to have an inferior, place in the hierarchy., Word List 34, Hindrance n. block; obstacle. Stalled cars along, the highway present a hindrance to traffic that, two trucks should remove without delay., Hinder/v., Hoard v. stockpile; accumulate for future use., Wheneverthere are rumors of a food shortage,, many people are tempted to hoard food. Also n., Homogenous adj. of the same kind. Because, the student body at Elite Prep was so, homogeneous, Sara and James decided to send, their daughter to a school that offered greater, cultural diversity., Honev. sharpen. Determined to get a good, shave, Ed Honed his razor with great care., Hostility n. unfriendliness; hatred. Children, ofteR feel hostUit'f tOn'8rd the Ilew baby in the, family., , Humane adj. marked by kindness or, consideration. It is ironic that the Humane, Society sometimes must show its compassion, toward mistreated animals by killing them to, put them out of their misery., Husband v. use sparingly; conserve; save., Marathon runners must husband their energy, so that they can keep going for the entire, distance., Hyperbole n. exaggeration; overstatement. As, far I'm concerned, Apple's claims about the new, computer are hyperbole: no machine is that, good., Hypocritical adj•.pretending to be virtuous;, deceiving. Believing Eddie to be interested only, in his own advancement, Greg resented his, hypocritical posing as a friend. Hypocrisy, n., Hypothetical adj. based on assumptions or, hypotheses; supposed. Suppose you are, accepted by Harvard, Stanford and Brown., Which one would you choose to attend?, Remember: this is only a hypothetical situation., Hypothesis, .n., W(trt:f tj~t, , 35, Iconoclast n. one who attacks cherished, traditions. A born iconoclast, Jean Genet, deliberately set out to shock conventional, theatergoers with his radical plays., Idiosyncrasy n. indiVidual trait, usually odd in, nature; eccentricity. One of Richard Nixon's, little idiosyncrasies was his liking for ketchup on, cottage cheese. One of Hanniballecter's little, idiosyncrasies was his liking for human flesh., Ignominy n. deep disgrace; shame or dishonor., To lose the Pin-Pong match to a trained, chimparizeel How could Rollo stand the, ignominy of his defeat?, Illicit adj. illegal. The defense attorney, maintained that her client had never performed, any illicit action., Illuminate v. brighten; clear up or make', understandable; enlighten. Just as a lamp can, illuminate a dark room, a perceptive comment, can illuminate a knotty problem., Illusory adj. deceptive; not real. Unfortunately,, tne cbstsof runmngfhelemonade standwere, so high that f()m~is profits proved illusory., , 15

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word list, , Imb~lance .~., lack of~Cllance .€?r symm~try;, disproportion. Because of the great imbalance, between the number of m·ales and females, invited, the dance was unsuccessful., Immaculate adj. spotless; flawless; absolutely, clean. Ken and Jessica were wonderful tenants, and left the apartment in immaculate condition, when they moved out., Immune adj. resistant to; free or exempt from., Fortunately, Florence had contracted chicken, pox as a child and was immuneto it when her, baby broke out in spots. Immunity, n., Immutable adj. unchangeable. All things change, overtime; nothing is immutable., , Word Ust36, Impair v. injure; hurt. Drinking alcohol can, impair your ability to drive safely; if you're, going to drink, don't drive., Impartial adj. not biased; fair. As members of, the jury, you must be impartial, showing no, favoritism to either party but judging the case, on its merits., Impassive adj. without feeling; imperturbable;, stoical. Refusing to let the enemy see how, dee~l" sh::tkfln, , hfl W~C: hy hie: r:::'l!'ttlrp. 1-hp, , prisoner kept his face impassive., Impeccable adj. faultless. the uncrowned, queen of the fashion industry, Diana was, acclaimed for her impeccable taste., Impecunious adj. without money. Though, Scrooge claimed he was too impecunious to, give alms, he easily could have afforded to be, charitable., ·Impede v. hinder; block; delay. A series of, accidents impeded the launching of the space, shuttle., Impel v. drive or force onward. A strong feeling, ·of urgency impelled her; if she failed to finish, the project right then, ·she knew that she would, never get it done., Imperceptible adj. unnoticeable; undetectable., Fortunately, the stain on the blouse was, Jmperceptible after the blouse had gone, ·thr9ugh the wash., , lmperio~s adj. domineering; haughty. Jane, rather liked a man to be masterful, but Mr., Rochester seemed so bent on getting his own, way that he was actually imperious!, , Word Ust37, Impetuous adj. violent; hasty; rash. "leap, before you look" was the motto suggested by, one particularly impetuous young man., Implausible adj. unlikely; unbelievable. Though, her alibi seemed implausible, it in fact turned, out to be true., Implement v. put into effect; supply with tools., The major was unwilling to implement th~:plan, . until she was sure if had the governor's backing, implementation n., Implication n. something hinted at or suggested., When Miss Watson said she hadn't seen her, purse since the last time Jim.wasin the house,, the implication was that she suspected Jim had, taken it. Imply, v., Implicit adj. understood but not stated. Jack, never told Jill he adored her; he believed his, love was implicit in his actions., Impoverishedadj poor. The loss of their, ;1" :""' ....... , ,~_:,..t.,~..t _~..t, .....'o.f:f., _ ... +hn, - •• _ ..........., ._ •••••, , •••• ,..,_. _ •• ...,.,'-''''-4 ........ ""-4, , ?"'l"'l:U:+..-:o • .f:-:o ......., , _", ...... '.........., , _ .., , _~, , ~, , without hope., Impromptu adj. without previous preparation;, off the cuff; on the spur of the moment. The, judges were amazed that she could make such a, thorough, well-supported presentation in an, impromptu speech., Impudence n. impertinence; insolence. When, kissed on the cheek by a perfect stranger, Lady, Catherine exclaimed, "Of all the nervel Young, man,l should have you horsewhipped for your, impudence.", Inadvertently adv. By oversight; carelessly or, unintentionally. He inadvertently failed to, answer two questions on the examination., lnane adj. silly; senseless. There's no pint to, what you're saying. Why are you bothering to, make such inane remarks?, , 16

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word list, , Word List,38, ,, Inaugurate v. start; initiate; install in office. The, airline decided to inaugurate its new route to, the Far East with a special reduced fare offer., Inaugural, adj., Incense v. enrage; infuriate. Cruelty to, defenseless animals incensed Kit., Incentive n. spur; motive. Mike's strong desire, to outshine his big sister was all the incentive he, needed to do well in school., Incessant adj. uninterrupted; unceasing. In a, famous TV commercial, the frogs I incessant, croaking goes on and 9n until eventually it turns, intoasing'Je word: I'Bud-weis-er.", Incidental adj. not essential; minor. The, scholarship covered his major expenses at, college and some of his incidental expenses as, well., 'hlcisive adj. cutting; sharp. Her incisive, commentary cut through the tangle of, arguments, exposing fallacies and logical flaws., Incite v. arouse to action; goad; motivate;, induce to exist. In a fiery speech, Mario incited, his fellow students to go out on strike to protest, the universitv'santi-affirmative-action stand., Incline n. slope; slant. The architect, recommended that the nursing home's ramp be, rebuilt because its indine was too steep for, wheelchairs., ', Inclined adj. tending or leaning toward; bent., Though I am inclined to be skeptical, the, witness's manner inclines me to believe his, story. Also v., InclUsive adj. tending to include ttll. The, comedian turned down the invitation to join the, Players' Club, saying any club' that would let him, in was too inclusive for him., WordUst39, Incoherent adj. unintelligible;, muddled; illogical., The bereaved father sobbed and stammered,, his words becoming almost incoherent in his, grief. Incoherence, n., Incongruous adj~ not fitting; absurd. Dave saw, notbing incoJlgruous aboijt weaFiAg sAeal~er3, with his tuxedo; he couldn't understand why his, date tookeR8 leek at Rima REI staRea to~a Hgh:, Incongruity,n., , Inconseq,uential adj. insignificant; unimportant., Brushing off Ali's apologies for having broken, the wineglass, Tamara said, "Don't worry about, it; its inconsequential.", Incontrovertible adj. indisputable; not open to, question. Unless you find the evidence against, my client absolutely incontrovertible, you must, declare her not gUilty of this charge., Incorrigible adj. uncorrectable. Though Widow, Douglass hoped to reform Huck, Miss Watson, called him incorrigible and said he would come, to no good end., Indefatigable adj. tireless. Although the effort, -of taking out the garbage tired Wayne" ouffhr, the entire morning, when it came to partying,, he was indefatigable., Indict v. charge. The district attorney didn't, want to indict the suspect until she was sure, she had a strong enough case to convince a jury., Indictment, n., Indifferent adj. unmoved; lacking concern., Because she felt no desire to marry, she was, indifferent to his constant proposals., Indigenous adj. native. Cigarettes are made of, tobacco: one of the indigenous ptant~ th~ ~?r!v, , explorers found in the New World., Indigent adj. poor; destitute. Someone who is, truly indigent can't even afford to buy a pack of, cigarettes. (Don't mix up indigent and, indigenous. See preceding example.), Word List 40, Indiscriminate adj. choosing at random;, ·confused. Disapproving of her son's, indiscriminate television viewing, Shirley, decided tC) restrict him to watching educational, programs., Indolent adj. lazy. Couch potatoes lead an, indolent life lying back in their lazyboy recliners, to watch TV. Indolence, n., Indomitable adj. unconquerable; unyielding., Focusing on her game despite all her personal, problems, tennis champion Steffi Graf proved, she had an indomitable will to win., Ihdubitable adj. unable to be doubted;, unquestionable. Auditioning for the chorus line,, " Molly was arr fndobltable tUt:the director frrea, theleadillg lady and hired Molly in her place!, , 17

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word List, , Induce-v.. persu·ade; br,ing. abo.uLAft~r the, quarrel,Tina said nothing could induc~ her to, talk to Tony again. Inducement, n., Indulge v. humor; treat leniently. Parents who, constantly indulge their children by giving in to, their every whim may thoroughly spoil them., Industrious adj. diligent; hard-working. If you, are industrious and apply yourself to your, assignments, you will do well in .college., Industry, n., Ineffectual adj. not effective; weak. Because, the candidate failed to get across his message, to the public, his campaign was ineffectual., Inept adj. unsuited; absurd; incompetent. The, ';'~inept glovemaker wasaUthumbs:, ., Inequity n. unfairness. In demanding equal pay, for equal work, women protest the basic, inequity of a system that gives greater financial, rewards to men., Word Ust41, Inert adj. inactive; lacking power to move. "Get, up, you lazybones," Tina cried to Tony, who lay, in bed inert., Inexorable adj. relentless; unyielding;, , Ingenious ~dj .. clever; res9urce.ful. Kit admired, the ingenious way that her computer keyboard, opened up to reveal the built-in CD-ROM below., Ingenuity, n., Ingrate n. ungrateful person. -rhat ingrate Bob, sneered at the tie I gave him., Inherent adj. firmly established by nature or, habit; intrinsic. Elaine's inherent love of justice, caused herto champion people whom she, thought society had treated unfairly., Word Ust42, Inimical adj. unfriendly; hostile; harmful;, detrimental. I've always been friendly to, Martha. Why is she so inimical to me?, Initiate v. begin; originate; receive into a group., The college is about to initiate a program to, reduce math anxiety among students., Injurious adj. harmful. Smoking cigarettes can, be injurious to your health., Innateadj~ inborn. Mozart's parents soon, recognized young Wolfgang's innate talent for, music•, . Innocuous adj. harmless. An occasional glass of, win with dinner is relatively innocuous and, _t.._ •• I_I t.._ .. __ .:.:11, , ·,,,,,, .... n,ur •• t'1V~, , please for clemency, the judge was inexorable,, giving the convicted felon the maximum, punishment allowed by law., Infamous adj. notoriously bad. Charles Manson, and Jeffrey Dahmer are both infamous killers., Infer v. deduce; conclude. From the students', glazed looks, it was easy for me to infer that, they were bored out of their minds., Infiltrate v. pass into or through; penetrate (an, organization) sneakily. In order to be able to, .infiltrate enemy lines at night without being, seen, the scouts darkened their faces and wore, black coveralls. Infiltrator, n., Infinitesimal adj. exceedingly small; so small as, to be almost nonexistent. Ma king sure, everyone was aware she on an extremely strict, diet, Melanie said she would have only an, infinitesimal sliver of pie., infraction n. violation (of a rule or regulation);, breach. When Dennis Rodman butted heads, with a referee, he committed a clear infraction, , f"_', , ,~., , Innovation n. change; introduction of, something new. Although Richard liked to keep, up with all the latest technological innovations,, he didn't always abandon tried and true, techniques in favor of something new., Innovate, v., Inopportune adj. untimely; poorly chosen. A, rock concert is an inopportune setting for a, quiet conversation., Insatiable adj. not easily satisfied; greedy., Lexy's passion for new clothes is insatiable; she, can shop til she literally drops., ·Insightful adj. discerning; perceptive. Sol, thought he was very insightful about human, behavior, but he hadn't a clue why people acted, the way they did., Insinuate v. hint; imply; creep in. When you said, I looked robust, were you trying to insinuate I'm, getting fat?, l;.., , 18, , \"

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word list, , Word Ust43, Insipid adj. racking in flavor; dull. Flat prose and, flat ginger ale are equally insipid: both lack, sparkle., Insolvent adj. bankrupt; unable to repay one's, debts. Although young lord Widgeon was, insolvent, he had no fear of being thrown into, debtors' prison; he was sure that, if his creditors, pressed him for payment, his wealthy parents, would repay what he owed., Instigate v. urge; start; provoke. Rumors of, police corruption led the mayor to instigate an, investigation into the department's activites., IrlsulariWI1~narrow-mind~dnes~; isolation. The, 'ins'ularitY ~fthe islanders manifested itself in, their suspicion of anything foreign. Insular, adj., Insuperable adj. insurmountable; unbeatable., Faced by a.lmost insuperable obstacles, the, members of the underground maintained their, courage and will to resist., ,Insurgent adj. rebellious. Because the insurgent, forces had occupied the capital and had gained, control of the railway lines, several of the war, correspondents covering the uprising predicted, a.rebel victory., i"l:diJgiul~ Cluj. not materiai; not abie to be, perceived by touch; vague; elusive. Emotions, are intangible and yet we know that we feel, love and hate though we cannot grasp these, feelings in our hands., Integral adj. complete; necessary for, completeness. Physical education is an integral, part of our curriculum; a sound mind and ~, sound body are complementary., Integrity n. uprightness; wholeness. lincoln,, whose personal integrity has inspired millions,, fought a civil war to maintain the integrity of, the republic, that these United States might, remain undivided for all time., Intermittent adj. periodic; on and off. The, outdoor wedding reception had to be moved, indoors to avoid the intermittent showers that, fell on and off all afternoon., J, , WordUst44, Intervene v. come between. Rachel tried to, JD!~~~eJ!lJ!l~,quarrelbetween her,twosons ., , Intimidate v. frighten. I'll learn karate and then, those big bullies won't be able to intimidate m~, any more., Intractable adj. unruly; stubborn; unyielding., Charlie Brown's friend Pigpen was intractable:, he absolutely refused to take a bath., Intransigence n. refusal of any compromise;, stubbornness. When I predicted that the strike, would be over in a week, I didn't expect to, encounter such intransigence from both sides., Intransigent, adj., Intrepid adj. fearless. For her intrepid conduct, in nursing the wounded during the war,, Floremterf':,lightingale was ;honored by Queen, Victoria., Intricate adj. complex; knotty; tangled. Eric, spent many hours designing mazes so intricate, that none of his classmates could solve them., Intricacy, n., Intrinsic adj. essential; inherent; built-in;, natural. Although my grandmother's china has, little intrinsic value} I shall always treasure it for, the memories it evokes., Introspective adj. looking within oneself., Though young Francis of Assisi led a wild and, worldly life, even he had introspective moments, during which he examined his soul., Intuition n. immediate insight; power of, knowing without reasoning. Even though Tony, denied that anything was wrong, Tina trusted, her intuition that something was bothering him., Intuitive, adj., Inundate v. overwhelm; flood; submerge. This, semester I am inundated with work. You should, see the piles of paperwork flooding my desk., Word Ust45, Invertv. turn upside down or inside out. When, he inverted his body in a handstand, he felt the, blood rush to his head., Irascible adj. irritable; easily angered. Miss, Minchin's irascible temper intimidated the, younger schoolgirls, who feared she'd burst into, a rage at any moment., Ironic adj. relating te a eafltradietioll be tween, an event's expeded result and its actual, .Qutcom@; saFcastic.-4t isireniethat lIissuccess ~ ~, came whenhe~leasfwantedit.lrony, n., , 19

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word List, , Irrational adj. illogical; lacking reC:lson; insane., Many people.have such an irrational fear of, snakes thC:lt they panic at the sight of a harmless, garter snake., Irrelevant adj, not applicable; unrelated. No, matter how irrelevant the patient's mumbJings, may seem, they give us some indications of, what he has on his mind., Irreproachable adj. blameless; impeccable., Homer's conduct at the office party was, irreproachable; even Marge didn't have, anything bad to say about how he behaved., Irresolute adj. uncertain how to act; weak. She, had no, respect, for'",. him"because, he seemed, ,.., ., ....., ;'.! .. ", .., . weak-willed and irresolute.', .', Irreverence n. lack of proper respect. Some, audience members were amused by the, irreverence of the comedian's jokes about the, Pope, others felt offended by his lack of respect, for their faith. Irreverent, adj., Jargon n.language used by a special group;, technical terminology; gibberish. The computer, salesmen at the store used a jargon of their, own that we simply couldn't follow; we had no, idea what they werejabbering about., do not take my jocular remarks seriously., Word List 46, Judicious adj, sound in judgment; wise. At a key, moment in his life, Tom made a judicious, investment that was the foundation of his later, wealth., Justification n. good or just reason; defense;, excuse. The jury found him guilty of the more, serious charge because they could see no, possible justification for his actions., :Kindle v. start a fire; inspire. Her teacher's, praise kindled a spark ofhope inside Maya., Lallyrinth n. maze. Hiding from Indian Jo, Tom, and Becky soon lost themselves in the labyrinth, of secret underground caves., Laconic adj. brief and to the point. Many of the, 'characters portrayed by Clint Eastwood are, laconic types: strong men of few words., IJimentv. grieve; expresS ·sorrow. Even, advocates of the war lamented the loss of so, , Lassitude n.languor; weariness. After a, massage and a long soak in the hot tub,lgave, in to my growing lassitude and lay down for a, nap., Laud v. praise. The HF lauded Boomer Esiason's, efforts to raise money to combatcysticfibrosis., laudable, laudatory, adj., Lavish adj. liberal; wasteful. The prince's lavish, gifts delighted the showgirl. Also v., Legacy n. a gift made by a will. Part of my, legacy from my parents is an album of family, photographs., Word List 47, Lethargic adj. drowsy; dull. The stifling, classroom made Sarah lethargic: she felt as if, she was about to nod off. lethargy, n., Levity n. lack of seriousness; lightness. Stop, giggling and wriggling around in your seats:, such levity is inappropriate in church., Linger v. loiter or dawdle; continue or persist., Hoping to see Juliet pass by, Romeo lingered, outside the Capulet house for hours. Though, Mother made stuffed cabbage on Monday, the, smelilingered,aroundthe.house for.days., absolutely vertical; instead, it lists to one side., (secondary meaning)., Listlessness n.lack in spirit or energy. We had, expected him to be full of enthusiasm and were, surpri~ed by his listlessness., Loathe v. detest. Booing and hissing, the, audience showed how much they loathed the, wicked villain., Lofty adj. very high. Barbara Jordan's fellow, students used to tease her about her lofty, ambitions., Loquacious adj. talkative. Though our daughter, barely says a word to us these days, put a, phone in her hand you'll see how loquacious, she really is: our phone bills are out of sight!, lucid adj. easily understood; clear; intelligible., Ellen made an excellent teacher: her, explanations of technical pints were lucid, enough for a child to grasp. lucidity, n., , 20

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Harron's SAT High-Frequency Word list, , Lurid adj. wild; sensational; graphic; gruesome., Do the lurid cover stories in the Enquirer, actually attract peopfe to buy that trashy, tabloid?, Word List 48, Magnanimous adj. generous. Philanthropists by, definition are magnanimous; misers, by, definition, are not. Magnanimity, n., Magnate n. person of prominence or influence., Growing up in Pittsburgh, Annie Dillard was, surrounded by the mansions of the great steel, and coal magnates who set their, mark on that, ,.,.:b, ', , City. :, , ,:.",-, , '"", , Maladroit adj. clumsy; bungling. How maladroit, it was of me to mention seeing you out partying, last night! From the look on his face, I take it, that your boyfriend thought you were, otherWise occupied., Malevolent adj. wishing evil. lago is a, malevotent villain who takes pleasure in ruining, Othello., Malice n.... hatred; .spite. Jealous of Cinderella's, beauty, her wicked stepsisters expressed their', manca by forcing her to do menial tasks., Malicious, adj., Malign v. speak evil of; bad-mouth; defame., Her hatred of her ex-husband ran so deep that, she maligned anyone who even casually ddated, him., Marred adj. damaged; disfigured. She had to, refinish the marred surface of the table. Mar, v., Martinet n. rigid disciplinarian; strict military, officer. No talking at mealsl No mingling wit the, servants! Miss Minchin was a martinet who, insisted that the schoolgirls in her charge, observe each regulation to the letter., Materialism n. preoccupation with physical, comforts and things. By its nature, materialism, is opposed to idealism, for where the, materialist emphasizes the needs of the body,, the idealist emphasizes the needs of the soul., Meager adj. scanty; inadequate. His salary was, far too meager for him to afford to buy a new, car., , Word list 49, Meander v. wind or turn in a course. Needing to, stay close to a source of water, he followed, every twist and tum of the stream as it, meandered through the countrySide., Medley n. mixture. The band played a medley, of Gershwin tunes., Meek adj. quiet and obedient; spiritless. Can, lois lane see through Superman's disguise and, spot the superhero hiding behind the guise of, meek, timorous Clark Kent?, Melancholy adj. gloomy; morose; blue. To, Eugene, stuck in hissmall town, a train whistle, Was.a~melancholy sound, for it made him think, of all the places he would never get to see., Mercenary adj. interested in money or gain., Andy's every act was prompted by mercenary, motives: his first question was always "What's, in it for me?" also n., Mercurial adj. capricious; changing; fickle., Quick as quicksilver to change, he was mercurial, in nature and therefore erratic., Merger n. combination (of two business, corporations). When the firm's president, married the director of financial planning, the, office joke was that it wasn't a marriage, it was, a merger., Methodical adj. systematic. An accountant, must be methodical and maintain order among, his financial records., Meticulous adj. excessively careful; painstaking;, scrupulous. Martha Stewart was a meticulous, housekeeper, fussing about each and every, detail that went into making up her perfect, home., Minute adj. extremely small. The twins, resembled one another closely; only minute, differences set them apart., Word List 50, Misanthrope n. one who hates mankind. In, Gulliver's Trave/s, Swift portrays an image of, humanity as vile, degraded beasts; for this, reason, some critics consider him a, misanthrope, Miserly adj. stingy; mean. The miserly old man, -. -greedily:-.-couAted the geld coins he had hoarded, over the years., , 21

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word List, , Misnomer n. wrong name; incorrect, designation. His tyrannical conduct proved to us, all that his niCkname, King Eric the Just, was a, misnomer., Mitigate v. appease; moderate. Nothing Jason, did could mitigate Medea's anger; she refused, to forgive him for betraying her., Mock v. ridicule; imitate, often in derision. It is, unkind to mock anyone; it isstupid to mock, anyone significantly bigger than you., Mockery, n., Mollify v. soothe. The airline customer service, representative tried to mollify the angry, passenger by offering her a seat in first class., Mom«!ntous adrverYimportant. When Marie, and Pierre Curie discovered radium, they had, no idea of the momentous impact their, discovery would have upon society., 'Monotony n. sameness leading to boredom. He, took a clerical job, but soon grew to hate the, monotony of his daily routine. Monotonous, adj., Morbid adj. given to unwholesome thought;, moody; characteristic of disease~ This morbid, dwelling on cancer is unhealthy; quit sitting, around brooding and think of more pleasant, , Naiveten. quality of being unsophisticated;, simplicity; artlessness; gUllibility. Touched by, the 'naivete of sweet, convent-trained Cosette,, Marius pledges himself to protect her, innocence. NaIve, adj., Nefarious adj. very wicked. The villain's crimes,, though various, were one and all nefarious., Negate v. cancel out; nullify; deny. A sudden, surge of adrenaline can negate the effects of, fatigue; there's nothing like a good shock to, wake you up., Nonchalance n. indifference; lack of concern;, composure. The first time they performed at, the club, all the guys tried to look cool and·, unconcerned/but. none of them could match, Dale's nonchalance; you would have thought, he'd been onstage for years. Nonchalant, adj., Nonentity n. person of no importance;, nonexistence. Don't dismiss William as a, nonentity; in his quiet way, he's very important, to the firm., Nostalgia n. homesickness; longing for the past., My grandfather seldom spoke of life in the old, country; he had little patience with nostalgia., Nostalgic, adj., , Morose adj. iII-h.umored; sullen; melancholy., Forced to take early retirement, Bill acted, morose for months; then, all of a sudden, he, shook off his sullen mood and was his usual, cheerful self., , Word List 52, Notoriety n. disrepute; ill fame. To the starlet,, any publicity was good publicity: if she COUldn't, have a good reputation, she'd settle for, notoriety. Notorious, adj., Novelty n. something new; newness. The, computer is no longer a novelty around the, office. Novel, adj., Novice n: beginner. Even a novice at word, processing can start writing letters right away, by following these simple directions., , Word ListS1, Mundane adj. worldly as opposed to spiritual., Uninterested in philosophical or spiritual, discussions, Tom talked only of mundane, matters such as the daily weather forecast or, the latest basketball results., :Munificent adj. very generqus. The Annenberg, Trust made a munificent gift that supported art, programs in the public schools. Munificence, n., Mutability n. ability to change in form; ,, fickleness. Going from rags to riches, and then, back to rags again, the bankrupt financier was a, victim of the mutability of fortune., , Nuance n.shade of difference in meaning or, color. Jody has an extraordinary eye for colors., She can look at a painting and see nuances in, the paint that are indistinguishable to me., Nullify v. to make invalid; void; abolish. Once, the contract was nullified, it no longer had nay, legal force., , Muted adj. silent, muffled, lOlled down. hllhe, funeral parlor, the mourners; voices had a, , 22

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word list, , Nurture v. nourish; educate; foster. The Head, Start program attempts, to nurture pre­, kindergarten children so that they will do well, when they enter public school. also n., Obdurate adj. stubborn. The manager was, obdurate in refusing to discuss the workers', grievances., Objective n. goal; aim. A degree in medicine, was her ultimate objective., Obliterate v. destroy completely. The explosion, obliterated the fa~de of the Federal Building,, gutting it completely., Word Ust53, Oblivion n. obscurity; forgetfulness. After a, brief period of popularity, Hurston's works fell, into oblivion; no one bothered to reprint them,, or even to read them any more., eblivious adj. inattentive or unmindful; wholly, absorbed. Deep in her book, Nancy was, oblivious to the noisy squabbles of her brother, and his friends., Obscure adj. dark; vague; unclear. Even after I, read the poem a fourth time, its meaning was, still obscure. Obscurity, n., Obscure v. darken ;make unclear. At times he, seemed purposely to obscure his meaning,, preferring mystery to clarity., Obsequious adj. slavishly attentive; servile;, fawning sycophantk. Why are some waiters in, fancy restaurants so obsequious? What makes, them think I want people fawning all over me?, Obsessive adj. related to thinking about, something constantly; preoccupying. Ballet,, which had been a hobby, began to dominate his, life; his love of dancing became obsessive., Obsession, n., Obstinate adj. stubborn; hard to control or, treat. We tried to persuade him to give up, smoking, but he was obstinate and refused to, change.Obstinacy,_n., Obtuse adj. blunt; stupid. What can you do with, somebody who's so obtuse that he can't even, tell that you're insulting him?, , Officious adj. meddlesome; excessively pushy in, offering one's services. After the long light, Jill, just wanted to nap, but the officious bellboy, was intent on showing her all the special, features of the deluxe suite., Ominous adj. threatening. Those clouds are, ominous; they suggest a sever storm is on the, way, Word Ust54, Opaque adj. dark; not transparent. The opaque, window shade kept the sunlight out of the, room., Opacity,n. opportunist n. individual who, sacrifices principles for expediency by taking, advantage of circumstances. Forget about, ethicsl He's such an opportunist that he'll vote, in favor of any deal that will give him break., Optimist n. person who looks on the good side., The pessimist says the glass is half-empty; the, optimist says it is half-full., Optional adj. not compulsory; left to one's, choice. I was impressed by the range of optional, accessories for my laptop computer that were, available. Option, n., Opulence n. extreme wealth; luxuriousness;, abundance. The glitter and opulence of the, ballroom took Cinderella's breath away., opulent, adj., Orator n. public speaker. The abolitionist, Frederick Douglass was a brilliant orator whose, speeches brought home to his audience the, evils of slavery., Ornate adj. excessively or elaborately, decorated: The furnishings of homes shown on, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous tend to be, highly ornate., Ostentatious adj. showy; pretentious. Trying to, attract attention, Trump's latest casino in, Atlantic City is the most ostentatious gambling, palace in the East: it easily out glitters its, competitors. ostentation, n., Pacifist n. one opposed to force; antimilitarist., During the war, pacifists, though they refused, te bear arf'flS, ne't-eftheless sel ved iI i tile Ollt, lines as ambulance drivers and medical, , r,, , 23

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word List, , Painstaki~ adj. showing hard work; taking, great care. the new high-frequency word list is, the result of painstaking efforts on the part of, our research staff., , Word List 55, Paltry adj. insignificant; petty; trifling. One, hundred dollars for a genuine imitation Rolex, watch! Lady, this is a paltry sum to pay for such, a high-class piece of jewelry., Paradigm n. model; example; pattern. Pavlov's, experiment in which he,trains a dog to salivate, on hearing a bell is a paradigm of the, con9Itio.~ed-:r~sponse exp.erim~nt in" behavioral, '.~;, , '.psychology~, , Paradox n. something apparently contradictory, in nature; statement tat looks false but is, actually correct. Richard presents a bit of a, paradox, for he is a card-carrying member of, both the National Rifle Association and the, relatively pacifist American Civil Liberties Union., paradoxical, adj., Paragon n. model of perfection her fellow, students disliked Lavinia because Miss Minchin, ,always pointed her out as a paragon of virtue., 'rc...",iiidi dUI. IId"UW if! uuiiouk; uJUvinciai;, related to parishes Although Jane Austen's, novels are set in small rural communities, her, concerns are universal, not'parochial., Parody n. humorous imitation; spoof; takeoff;, travesty. The show Forbidden Broadway, presents parodies spoofing the year's new, productions playing on Broadway., Par'ry v. ward off a blow; deflect. Unwilling to, injure his opponent in such apointless clash,, Dartagnan simply tried to parry his rival's, thrusts., Parsimony n. stinginess; exc~ssive frugality., Silas Marner's parsimony did not allow him to, indulge himself in any luxuries., Partial adj. incomplete. In this issue we have, published only a partial list of contributors, because we lack space to acknowledge, everyone., Partial adj. biased; having a liking for something., I am extremely partial to chocolate eclairs., partiality, n., , Partisan adj. one-sided; prejudiced; committed, to a party. on certain issues of conscience, she, refused to take a partisan stand. also n., Word List 56, Passive adj. not active; acted upon. Mahatma, Gandhi urged his followers to pursue a program, of passive resistance rather than resorting to, violence and acts of terrorism., Paucity n. scarcity; lack. They closed the, restaurant because the paucity of customers, meant that it was a losing proposition to, operate., Pedantic agj~ showi,J.J&,of,flearning; bookish., Leavening his decisions with humorous, down­, to-earth anecdotes, Judge Wapner was a, pleasant contrast to the typical pedantic legal, scholar pedant, pedantry, n., Penchant n. strong inclination; liking. Dave has, a penchant for taking risks: one semester he, went steady with three girls, two of whom were, stars on the school karate team., Perceptive adj. inSightful; aware; wise., Although Maud was a generally perceptive critic,, she had her blind spots: she could never see, Haws in the work of ner friends., , Perfunctory adj. superficial; not thorough;, lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm. The, auditor's perfunctory inspection of the books, failed to spot many obvious errors., Peripheral adj. marginal; outer. We lied, not in, central London, but in one of those peripheral, suburbs that spring up on the outskirts of a, great city. periphery, n., Perjury n. false testimony while under oath., Rather than lie under oath and perhaps be, indicted for perjury, the witness chose to take, the Fifth Amendment, refusing to answer any, questions on the grounds that he might, incriminate himself., Pernicious adj. very destructive. The Athenians, argues that Socrates's teachings had a, pernicious effect on young and susceptible, minds; therefore, they condemned him death., , 24

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word List, , Wo~UstS7, Perpetuate v. make something last; preserve, from extinction. Some critics attack The, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because they, believe Twain's book perpetuates a false image, of African-Americans in this country., Perturb v. disturb greatly. The thought that, electricity might be leaking out of the empty, light bulb sockets perturbed my aunt so much, that at night she crept about the house, screwing fresh bulbs in the vacant spots., Pervasive adj. pervading; spread throughout, every part. Despite airing them for several, ,:·hQurs~Marthacoufd not rid her clothes of the, pervasive odor of mothballs that clung to them., pervade, v., Pessimism n. belief that life is basically bad or, evil; gtoominess. Considering how well you have, done in the course so far, you have no real, reason for such pessimism about your final, grade., Petty adj. trivial; unimportant; very small. She, had no major complaints about his work, only, few petty quibbles that were almost too minor, to state.., Petulant adj. touchy; peevish. If you'd had, hardly any sleep for three nights and people, kept phoning and waking you up, you'd sound, petulant, too., Phenomena n. pI. observable facts; subjects of, scientific investigation. We kept careful records, of the phenomena we noted in the course of, these experiments., phenomenon, sing., Philanthropist n. lover of mankind; doer of, good. In his role as a philanthropist and public, benefactor, John D. Rockefeller, Sr., donated, millions to charity; as an individual, however, he, was a tight-fisted old man., Piousadj. devout; religious~ The challenge for, church people today is how to be pious in the, bestsense, that is, to be devout without, becoming hypocritical or sanctimonious., piety,n., Pitfall n. hidden danger; concealed trap her, parents warned youhgSophie against the many, RitfaUs tbat la¥ in wait foellerin tbe daager-Olls, bfgdtV·, , Word List 58, Pithy adj. concise; meaningful; substantial;, meaty. Some of Whoopi Goldberg's one-liners, at the Oscar Awards were pithy and to the, point: they packed wallop, but were short and, sweet., Pivotal adj. crucial; key; vital. The new "smart, weaponsH technology played a pivotal role in, the quick resolution of the war., Placate v. pacify; conciliate. The store manager, tried to placate the angry customer, offering to, replace the damaged merchandise or to give, back her ~.oney right away., Plagia~ize'v:'-steal another's ideas and pass, them off as one's own. The teacher could tell, that the student had plagiarized parts of his, essay; she recognized whole paragraphs, straight from Barron's Book Notes., Platitude n. trite remark; commonplace, statement. In giving advice to his son, old, Polonius expressed himself only in platitudes;, every word out of his mouth was a, commonplace., Plausible adj. having a show of truth but open, to doubt; specious. Your mother marie you c:;t~y, home from school because she needed you to, program the VCR? I'm sorry, you'll have to, come up with a more plausible excuse than that., Pliant adj. flexible; easily influenced. Pinocchio's, disposition was pliant; he was like putty in his, tempters' hands., Plight n. condition, state (especially a bad state, or condition~ predicament. Many people feel, that the federal government should do more to, alleviate the plight of the homeless., Poignancy n. quality of being deeply moving;, keenness of emotion. Watching the tearful, reunion of the long-separated mother and child,, the social worker was touche by the poignancy, of the scene. poignant, adj., Polemical adj. aggressive in verbal attack;, disputatious. Alexis was a master of polemical, rhetoric; she should have worn a T-shirt with, the slogan "Born to Debate." polemic, n., , 25

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word List, , WordUst59, Pomposity n. self-important behavior; acting, like a stuffed shirt. Although the, commencement speaker had some good things, o say" we had to laugh at his pomposity and, general air of parading his own dignity., pompous, adj., Ponderous adj. weighty; unwieldy. Sol's humor, lacked the light touch; his jokes were always, ponderous, Porous adj. full of pores; like a sieve. Dancers, like to wear porous clothing because it allows, the r:eady passage of water and (lir., 1 Potent adj. powerful; persuasive; greatly, influential. The jury was swayed by the highly, potent testimony of the crime's sole eyewitness., potency, n., Pragmatic adj. practical (as opposed to', idealistic); concerned with the practical worth, or impact of something. This coming trip to, France should provide me with a pragmatic test, of the value of my conversational French class., Prattle v. babble. Baby John prattled endlessly, about his cats and his ball and his bottle fo juice., ,~!'~!'k"~~ ~dj. uncertain;, , Precocious adj. advanced in development., Listening to the grown-up way the ch ild, discussed serious topics, we couldn't help, remarking how precocious she was. preCOCity, n., Predator n. creature that seizes and devours, another animal; person who robs or exploits, others. Not just cats, but a wide variety of, predators - owls, hawks, weasels, faxes - catch, mice for dinner. A carnivore is by definition, predatory, for it preys on weaker creatu res., prey, v., Predecessor n. former occupant of a post. I, hope I can live up to the fine example set by my, late predecessortnttlis office., Predilection n. partiality; preference. Although I, nave written all sorts of poetry over the years, I, have a definite predilection for occasional verse., Preposterous adj. absurd; ridiculous. When he, tried to downplay his youthful experiments with, marijuana by saying. he, hadn't inhaled, we all, thought, "What a preposterous excuse!", Prestige n. impression' produced by, achievements or reputation Did Rockefeller, become a philanthropist because he was, , risk'/. Saving the steck, , would be a precarious investment, Tom advised, me against purchasing it., Precedent n. something preceding in time that, may be used as an authority or guide for future, action. If I buy you a car for your sixteenth, birthday, your brothers will want me to buy, them cars when they turn sixteen, too; 'cant, afford to set such an expensive precedent., Precipitate adj. rash; premature; hasty; sudden., Though, was angry enough to resign on the, spot, I had enough sense to keep myself from, quitting a job in such a precipitate fashion., Precipitous adj. steep; overhasty. This hill is, difficult to climb because it is so precipitous;, one slip, and our descent will be precipitous as, well., , WordUst60, preclude v. make impossible; eliminate. The, faetthat the band was alieadybooked to play ill, Hollywood on New Years Eve precluded its, , social prestige by donating to popular causes?, Presumptuous adj. overconfident;, impertinently bold; taking liberties. Matilda, thought it was somewhat presumptuous of the, young man to have addressed her without first, having been introduced. Perhaps manners were, freer here in the New world., Pretentious adj. ostentatious; pompous;, making unjustified claims; overambitious. None, of the other prize winners is wearing her medal;, ,isn't it a bit pretentious of you to wear yours?, Prevalent adj. widespread; generally accepted., Aradical committed to social change, Reed had, no patience with the conservative views, prevalent in the America of his day., WordUst61, Problematic adj. doubtful; unsettled;, questionable; perplexing. Given the many areas, ofwnflict still awaitIng resolution, the outcome, of the peace talks remains problematiC., , 26, , (

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word List, , Protiivity n. inclination;riaturai tendency., Watching the two-year-old voluntarily put away, his toys# I was amazed by his proclivity for, neatness., Proaastinate v. postpone; delay or put off., looking at four years of receipts and check s ~e, still had to sort through, Bob was truly sorry he, had procrastinated for so long and not finished, filing his taxes long ago., Prodigal adj. wasteful; reckless with money., Don#tbe so prodigal spending my money; when, you've earned some money, you can waste it as, much as you wanU also n., -Prodigious adj. marvelous; enormous. ·Watching, the champion weight lifter heave the weighty, barbell to shoulder height and then boost it, overhead, we marveled at his prodigious, strength., ProdigyTi. marvel; highry gifted child. Menuhin, was a prodigy, performing wonders on his violin, when he'was barely eight years old., Profane v. violate; desecrate; treat unworthily., The members of the mysterious Far Eastern cult, sought to kill the British explorer because he, had profaned the sanctity of their holy goblet, by using it as an ashtray. also adj., Profligate adj. dissipate; wasteful; wildly, immoral. Although surrounded by wild a, profligate companions, she nevertheless, managed to retain some sense of decency., also n., Profound adj. deep; not superficial; complete., Freud's remarkable insights into human, behavior caused his feUciw scient!sts to honor, him as a profound thinker~ profundity, n., Profusion n. overabundance; lavish, expenditure; excess. At the wedding feast, food, and drink were served in such profusion that, the goodies piled on the tables almost, overflowed onto the floor., Word Ust 62, Proliferation n. rapid growth; spread;, multiplication. Times of economic hardship, inevitably encourage the proliferation of, countless get-rich~quick schemes., , Prolific adj. abundantly fruitful. My editors must, assume I'm a prolific writer: they expect me to, revise six books this year!, Prologue n. introduction (to a poem or play). In, the prologue to Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare, introduces the audience to the feud between, the Montagues and the Capulets., Prophetic adj. foretelling the future. I have no, magical prophetic powers; when I predict what, will happen, I base my predictions on common, sense prophesy, v., Propitious adj. favorable; fortunate;, advantageous. Chloe consulted her horoscope, to see;whether Tuesday would be a propitious, time to dump her boyfriend., Propriety n. fitness; correct conduct. Miss, manners counsels her readers so that they may, behave with due propriety in any social, situation and not embarrass themselves., Prosaic adj. dull and unimaginative; matter-of­, fact; factual. Though the ad writers had come, up with a wildly imaginative campaign to, publicize the new product, the head office, rejected it for a more prosaic, ordinary, approach., Protract v. prolong. Seeking to delay the union, members' vote, the management team tried to, protract the negotiations endlessly., Provincial adj. pertaining to a province; limited, in outlook; unsophisticated. As provincial, governor, Sir Henry administered the Queen's, law in his remote corner of Canada. Caught up, in local problems, out of touch with London, news, he became sadly provincial., Provisional adj. tentative. Edward's, appointment was provisional; he needed the, approval of the board of directors before it, would be made permanent., Word list 63, Provocative adj. arousing anger or interest;, annoying. In a typically provocative act, the, bully kicked sand into the weaker mans face., Proximity n. nearness. Blind people sometimes, dewlap a campeH58tory ability to sense the, proximity of objects around them., , 27

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word List, , Prudentadj'.cautious;'careful. A miser hoards, money not" because he is prudent but because, he is greedy. prudence, n., Pugnacity n. combativeness; disposition to fight., "put up your dukes!" he cried, making a fist to, show his pugnacity. pugnacious, adj., Pungent adj. stinging; sharp in taste or smell;, caustic. The pungent odor of ripe Limburger, cheese appealed to Simone but made Stanley, gag., Purse v. pucker; contract into wrinkles. Miss, Watson pursed her lips to show her disapproval, of Huck's bedraggled appearance., Qualified adj. limited restricted. Unable to give, ":~\the caHlfidate fulls'Upport;,the major,gave him, only a qualified endorsement. (secondary, meaning), Quandary n. dilemma. When both Harvard and, Stanford accepted laura, she was in a quandary, as to which school she should attend., Quell v. extinguish; put down; quiet. miss, . Minchin's demeanor was so stern and, forbidding that she could quell any unrest, among her students with one intimidating, glance., agreeable toddlers can begin to act querulous if, they miss their 'nap., Word List 64, .Quiescent adj. at rest; dormant; temporarily, inactive. After the great eruption; fear of Mount, Etna was great; people did not return to, cultivate its rich hillside lands until the volcano, had been quiescent for a full two years, Ramble v. wander aimles~ly (physically or, mentally). Ustening to the teacher ramble, Judy, wondered whether he'd ever make his point., Rancor n. bitterness; hatred. Let us forget our, rancor and join together in a new spirit of, friendship and cooperation., Rant v. rave; talk excitedly; scold; make a, grandiloquent speech. When he heard that I'd, totaled the family car, Dad began to rant at me, like a complete madman., Ratlfyv. approve formally;venfy. Before the, treaty.CQuldgointoeffect, it had.to· be ratified, , RaQcous· adj, harsh and shrill; disorderly and, boisterous. The raucous crowd of new Year's, Eve revelers got progressively noisier as, midnight drevy near., Raze v. destroy completely. Spelling is, important: to raise a building is to put it up; to, raze a building is to tear it down., Rebuttal n. refutation; response with contrary, evidence. The defense lawyer confidently, listened to the prosecutor sum up his case, sure, that she could answer his arguments in her, rebuttal., Recalcitrant adj. obstinately stubborn;, determined, to resist authority; unruly. Which "<'f, . animal do youthink is more recalcitrant, a pig, ora mule?, Recant v. disclaim or disavow; retract a, previous statement; openly confess error., Those who cao, keep true to their faith; those, who can't, recant., Word List 65, Receptive adj. quick or willing to receive ideas,, suggestions, etc. Adventure-loving Huck Finn, proved a receptive audience for Tom's tares of, Reduse n. hermit; loner. Disappointed in love,, Miss Emily became a recluse; she shut herself, away in her empty mansion and refused to see, another living soul. reclusive, adj., Recount v. narrate or tell; count over again. A, born storYteller, my father loved to recount, anecdotes about his earry years in New York., Rectifyv. set right; correct. you had better send, a check to rectify your account before American, Express cancels your credit card., Redundant adj. Superfluous; repetitious;, exceSSively wordy. In your essay, you, unnecessarily repeat several points; try to be, less redundant in future. redundancy, n., Refute v. disprove. The defense called several, respectable witnesses who were able to refute, the false testimony of the prosecution's sole, witness.., , 28

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word list, Relegate v. banish to an inferi'or po~iti~n;, delegate; assign. After Ralph dropped his, second tray of drinks that week, the manager, swiftly relegated him to a minor post cleaning, up behind the bar., Relevant adj. pertinent; referring to the case in, hand. How relevant Virginia Woolfs essays are, to women writers today! It's as if Woolf in the, 1930s foresaw their current literary struggles., relevance, n. relevancy, n., Relinquish v. give up something with, reluctance; yield Denise never realized how, hard it would be for her to relinquish her, i;t)1~Wbor.rl;:s6n to,the care of bis,adoptive parents;, Relish v. savor; enjoy. Watching Peter, enthusiastically chow down, I thought, "Now, there's a man who relishes a good dinner!", alson., Word List 66, ~emorse h.guilt; self-reproach. The murderer, felt no remorse for his crime., Renegade n. deserter; traitor. Because he had, abandoned his post and joined forces with the, Indians, hisfellow officers considered the hero, of Dancing with Wolves a renegade., Renounce v. forswear; repudiate; abandon;, discontinue. Joan of Arc refused to renounce, her testimony even though she knew she would, be burned at the stake as a witch., Repel v. drive away; disgust. Atfirst, the Beast's, ferocious appearance repelled Beauty, but she, came to love the tender heart hidden behind, that beastly exterior., Replete adj. filled to the brim or to the point of, being stuffed; abundantly supplied. The movie, star's memoir was replete with juicy details, about the love life of half of Hollywood., Reprehensible adj. deserving blame. Shocked, by the viciousness of the bombing, politicians of, every party uniformly condemned the, terrorists' reprehensible deed., Repress v. restrain; hold back; crush; suppress., Anne's parents tried to curb her impetuosity, without repressing her boundless high spirits, Reprimand v. reprove severely; rebuke. Every, ..._._._...=!imeErmeoga.n:leJIlade.a mjstake hi class,sbe, Was afraid that Miss 'Mihthihwould reprimand, , her and tell her father how badly she was doing, in school. also n., Reproach v. express disapproval. He never, could do anything wrong without imagining, how the look on his mother's face would, reproach him afterwards. also n. reproachful,, adj., Reprove v. censure; rebuke. The principle, severely reproved the students whenever they, talked in the halls., , Word Ust67, Repudiate v. disown; disavow. On separating, from Yong, Tina announced that she would .,, repudiate all debts incurred by her soon-to-be, ex-husband., Rescind v. cancel. Because of the public outcry, against the new taxes, the senator proposed a, bill to rescind the unpopular financial measure., Reserve n. self-control; formal but distant, manner. Although some girls were attracted by, Mark's air of reserve, Judy was put off by it, for, she felt his aloofness indicated a lack of, openness. reserved, adj., Resigned adj. unresisting; patiently submissive., Resigned to his downtrodden existence, Bob, Cratchit was too meek to protest Scrooge's, bullying, Resolution n. determination; resolve. Nothing, could shake his resolution that his children, would get the best education that money could, buy. resolute, adj., Resolve n. determination; firmness of purpose., How dare you question my resolve to take up, skydiving! Of course I haven't changed my, mind!, Resolve v. decide; settle; solve. Holmes, resolved to travel to Bohemia to resolve the, dispute between Irene Adler and the king., Respite n. interval of relief; time for rest; delay, in punishment. After working nonstop on this, project for three straight months, I need a, respite I, Resplendent adj. dazzling; glorious; brilliant., While all tbe ad'ilts were commeRtiRg how, glorious the emperor looked in his resplendent, cew ciotbes, olle~ittle be¥ '}Jas hearel ~e say;~~c~,,~~~"~"-.·-'_._.-'-"-'~, IlBu'fhe's naked!", 29

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word List, , Restraint n; controllingJ()rce;control over qne's, emotions. Amanda dreamed of living an, independent life free of all parental restraints., WordUst68, Reticent adj. reserved; uncommunicative;, inclined to be silent. Fearing his competitors, might get advance word about his plans form, talkative staff members, Hughes preferred, reticent employees to loquacious ones., reticence, n., Retiring adj. modest; shy. Given Susan's retiring, personality, no one expected her to take up, public speaking; surprisingly enough, she, :becar11ea star-JOf the 'school debate team~, Retract v. withdraw; take back. When I saw how, Fred and his fraternity brothers had trashed the, frat house, I decided to retract my offer to let, them use our summer cottage for the weekend., retraction, n., Reverent adj. respectful. The young 'acolyte's, reverent attitude was appropriate in a house of, worship., Rhetorical adj. pertaining to effective, communication; insincere in language. To win, , Word list 69, Sage n. person celebrated for wisdom. Hearing, tales of a mysterious Master of All Knowledge, who lived in the hills of Tibet Sandy was, possessed with a burning desire to consult the, legendary sage. also adj., Sanction v. approve; ratify. Nothing will, .convince me to sanction the engagement of my, daughter to such a worthless young man., Sanctuary n. refuge; shelter; shrine; holy place., The tiny attic'was Helen's sanctuary to which, she fled when she had to get away form the, rest of her family, Sarcasm n~~~~grr:tful r~~rrarks; stinging rebuke,., Though Ralphtried,to'ignore the mocking, comments of his supposed friends, their, sarcasm wounded him deeply., Satirical adj. mocking. The humor of cartoonist, Gary,Grudeau .often is satirical; through the, comments of the Doonesbury characters,, Trudeau ridicules political corruption and folly., Saturate v. soak thoroughly. Saturate your, sponge with water until it can'tholdany more., Savory adj. tasty; pleasing, attractive, or, agreeable.Julia Child~s,recipes.enabl.e.amateur, chef; to credte sdvory d~Hf:d(:i~s for (;'eir ell~5t5., , trick in the book., Rigorous adj. severe; harsh; demanding; exact., Disliked by his superiors, the officer candidate, in An Officer anda Gentleman went through an, extremely rigorous training program., Robust adj. vigorous; strong. After pumping, iron and taking karate for six months, the little, old lady was far more robust in health and, could break a p,lank with her fist., Rudimentary adj. not developed; e!ementary;, crude. Although my grandmother's English, vocabulary was limited to a few rudimentary, phrases, she always could make herself, understood., Ruthless adj. pitiless; cruel. Captain Hook was a, dangerous, ruthless villain who would stop at, nothing to destroy Peter Pan., Sagacious adj. perceptive; shrewd; having, inSight. Mr. Bond,that was not a particularly, , sagacious move on your part. I had not, expected such a foolishtrickfroma smart, , Scanty adj. conscientious; extremely thorough., I'm very happy to recommend Adam as an, employee because he's always been highly, scrupulous about doing a good job whenever, he's worked for me., Scrutinize v. examine closely and critically., Searching for flaws, the sergeant scrutinized, every detail of the private's uniform., Word List 70, Seclusion n. isolation; solitude. One moment, she loved crowds; the next, she sought, seclusion. secluded, adj., Sectarian adj. relating to a religious faction or, subgroup; narrow-minded; limited. Far from, being broad-minded, the religious leader was, intolerant of new ideas, paying attention only to, purely sectarian interests. sect, n, Sedentary adj. requiring sitting. Disliking the, effect of her sedentary occupatIon on her figure,, Stacy..decided to workout at the·gym every, , 30

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word List, , v., , SequeSter isolate; retl'(e fr~!11 public iife;, segregate; seclude. Banished from his kingdom,, the wizard Prospero sequestered himself on a, desert island., Serenity n. calmness; placidity. The sound of air, raid sirens pierced the serenity of the quiet, village of Pearl Harbor., Servile adj. slavishly submissive; fawning;, cringing. Constantly fawning on his employer,, Uriah Heep was a servile creature., Sever v. cut; separate. The released prisoner, wanted to begin a new life and sever all, connections with his criminal past. severance, n., Severity n. harshness;iritensity;austerity;, rigidity. The newspaper editorials disapproved, of the severity of the sentence., Shrewd adj. clever; astute. A shrewd investor,, he took clever advantage of the fluctuations of, the stockmarket. ', Singular adj. unique; extraordinary; odd., Thoughthey young man tried to understand, Father William's singular behavior, he still found, it odd that the old man incessantly stood on his, head. singularity, n., , Word Ust11, Skeptical adj. doubting; suspending judgment, until one has examined the evidence supporting, a point of view. I am skeptical about the new, health plan; I want some proof that it can work., skepticism, n., Slacken v. slow up; loosen. As they passed the, finish line, the runners slackened their pace., Slander n. defamation; utterance of false ,and, malicious statements consid~ring the negative, comments politicians make about each other,, it's a wonderthat'more of them aren't sued for, slander. also v., Slothful adj. lazy . The British word Illayabouf' is, a splendid descriptive term for someone, slothfur: What did the razy bum do? He {aid, about the house all day. Sloth, n., Sluggish adj. slow; lazy; lethargic. After two, nights without sleep, she felt sluggish and, incapable 9f exertieA., Solemnity n. seriousness; gravity. The minister, ,--was COAGeFAed tt:lat Aott:liflg shal.1fEl"1fisttJrb the, solemnity 6fthe marriage serVICe., , SQlicit v. request earnestly; se,ek. Knowing she, needed to have a solid majority for the budget, to pass, the mayortefephoned all the members, of the city council to solicit their votes., Solitude n. state of being alone; seclusion., Much depends on how much you like your own, company. What to one person seems fearful, isolation, to another is blessed solitude., Soluble adj. able to be dissolved; able to be, explained. Sherlock Holmes took the soluble, powder and dissolved it into a seven percent, solution., Somber adj. gloomy; depressing; dark; drab., From the doctorsgrirnexpression/l could tell:, he had somber news., Word List 12, Sparse adj. not think; thinly scattered; scanty., He had moved from the densely populated city, to the remote countryside where the, population was sparse., Spendthrift n. someone who wastes money., Easy access to credit encourages people to turn, into spendthrift s who shop till they drop., SDontaneity n. lack of ~remeditation;, naturalness; freedom from constraint. When, Betty and Amy met, Amy impulsively hugged, her roommate-to-be, but Betty drew back,, unprepared for such spontaneity., Spontaneous, adj., Sporadic adj. occurring irregularly. Although, you can still hear sporadic outbursts of laughter, and singing outside, the big Halloween parade, has passed; the party's over till next year., Spuriousadj. false; counterfeit. Unaccustomed, to the design of the new hundred-dollar bills,, many storekeepers rejected them as spurious., Spurn v. reject; scorn. The heroine spurned the, villain/s advances., Squalor n. filth; degradation; dirty, neglected, state. Rusted, broken-down cars in the yard,, trash piled up on the porch, tar paper peeling, from the root the shack was the picture of, squalor., Squander iI. waste. If yOU squander your, allowance on candy and comic books, you won't, haile aliy mOiley teft to buy the neW box of ­, crayons you want., , 31

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word List, , Stagnant ad1. motionless;' 'stal~; du'll., , Word List 73, Static adj. unchanging; lacking development., Nothing bad changed at home; life was static., Stasis, n., Steadfast adj. loyal;, unswerving. Penelope was, steadfast in her affections, faithfully waiting for, Ulysses to return from his wanderings., Stoic adj. impassive; unmoved f:)¥joyor grief. I, ,wasn't particularly stoic when I h~tf my flu'shot ', I squealed like a stuck pig. Also n., Strident adj. loud and harsh; insistent. We could, barely hear the speaker over the strident cries, of the hecklers., Strut n. pompous walk; swagger. Colonel, Blimp's strut as he marched about the parade, ground revealed him for what he was: a, pompous buffoon. Alsp v., Stupefy v. make numb; stun; amaze., Disapproving of drugs in general, Laura refused, , Substantiate v. establish by evidence; verify;, support. These endorsements from satisfied, customers substantiate our claim that Barron's, How to Prepare/or the SAris the best SAT-prep, book on the market., Subtlety n. perceptiveness; ingenuity; delicacy., Never obvious, she expressed herself with such, subtlety that her remarks went right over the, heads of most of her audience. Subtle, adj., Succinct adj. brief; terse; compact. Don't bore, your audience with excess verbiage: be succinct., Supercilious adj. arrogant; condescending;, patronizing. The supercilious headwaiter, sneered t customers who he thoughtdid not fit, i'n at a.{e-staurant.catering to an, ultrafashionable crowd., Superficial adj. trivial; shallow. Since your, report gave only a superficial analysis of the, problem, I cannot give you morethan a passing, grade., Superfluous adj~excessive; overabundant;, unnecessary. Please try not to include so many, superfluous details in your report; just give me, the facts. SuperflUity, n., SUpplant v. replace; usurp. Did the other, , tn, morHrino th~'", ... - t~fr~, ...- " .. - c:I~,u::tnintr, _·--,...·· .. 0 nillc:: "'", _" ~n", _ •• , "tho,", - ..... _ •••, , 'AI"m~n, ~r"'"~If", c::"nnl~n+, D..;nro<:,<:,, ni-::ln':>, '.",_ ••• _ •• -_, ... __ ." ...., _"I"It .............., _-_ ..... -__ .1-, , might stupefy her., Subdued adj. less intense; quieter. In the, hospital visitors spoke in a subdued tone of, voice for fear of disturbing the patients., Submissive adj. yielding; timid. Crushed by his, authoritarian father, Will had no defiance left in, him; he was totally submissive in the face of, authority., Subordinate adj. occupying a lower rank;, inferior; submissive. Bishop Proudie's wife, expected all the subordinate clergy to behave, with great deference to the wife of their, superior. Also n., v., Subside v. settle down; descend; grow quiet., The doctor assured us that the fever would, eventually subside., , Prince Charles's affections, or did Charles never, love Diana at aU?, Suppress v. crush; subdue; inhibit. After the, armed troops had suppressed the rebellion, the, city was placed under martia I law., Surmount v. overcome. I know you can, surmount any difficulties that may stand in the, way of your getting an education., , MosquitDe$ commonly breed in ponds of, stagnantwater. Stagnate, v., Stanza n. division of a poem. DO you know the, last stanza of {(The Star-Spangled Banner'?, , r·"~"", , I _ _ . _••• ~, , ..... _, , ..., , ;n, I.,, , Word List 75, Surpass v. exceed. Her SAT score has surpassed, our expectations., Surreptitious adj. secret; furtive; sneaky;, hidden. Hoping to discover where his mom had, hidden the Christmas presents, Timmy took a, surreptitious peek into the master bedroom, closet., , WordUst74, Substantial adj. ample; solid. The scholarship, , 32

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", , Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word List, , Suscep,tibleadj.impressJonable;,easily, influenced; having little resistance, as to a, disease; receptive to~ Said the patent medicine, man to the extremely susceptible customer:, "Buy this new miracle drug, and you will no, longer be susceptible to the common cold.", Sustain v. experience; support; nourish. Stuart, sustained such a severe injury that the doctors, feared he would be unable to work to sustain, his growing family., Swindler n. cheat. She was gullible and trusting,, an easy victim for the first swindler who came, along., .., ·Syt()phantn. servile flatterer; bootli~,ker;,yes., man. Fed up with the toadies and brownnosers, who made up his entourage, the star cried, "Get, out, all of you! I'm sick to death of sycophants!", Symmetry n.·arrangement of parts so that, balance is obtained; congruity. Something, lopsided by definition lacks symmetry., Taciturn aCfj:flabitually silent; talking little. The, stereotypical cowoy is a taciturn soul,, answering lengthy questions with "Yep" or, IINope.'", Taint v. contaminate; cause to Isoe purity;, modify with a trace of something bad. Fighting, to preserve her good name, Desdemona, wondered what had occurred to taint her, reputation. Also n., Tangential adj. peripheral; only slightly, connected; digressing. Despite Clark's attempts, to distract her with tangential remarks. lois, kept on coming back to her main question: why, couldn't he come out to dinner with Superman, and her?, , WordUst76, Tangible adj. able to be touched; real; palpable., Although Tom did not own a house, he had, several tangible assets -a car, a television, a PC, - that he could sell if he needed ash., Tantamount adj. equivalent in effect orva)ue., Though Rudy claimed his wife was off visiting, friends, his shriek of horror when she walked, into the room was tantamount to a mnfession, that he believed she was dead., , Tedious adj. boring; tiring. The repetitious, nature of work on the assembly line made, Martin's job very tedious. Tedium, n., Temper v. moderate; tone down or restrain;, toughen (steel). Not eve her supervisor's, grumpiness could temper Nancy's enthusiasm, for her new job., Tenacity n. firmness; persistence. Jean Valjean, could not believe the tenacity of Inspector, Javert. All Valjean had done was to stea I a loaf, of bread, and the inspector had pursued him, doggedly for twenty years! Tenacious, adj., Tentative adj. provisional; experimental;, qoubtfuL,¥aur tentative proposal sounds', feasible; let me know when the final details are, worked out., Termination n. end. Because of the unexpected, termination of his contract, he urgently needed, a new job., Terse adj. concise; abrupt; pithy. There is a fine, line between speech that is terse and to the, point and speech that is too abrupt., Threadbare adj. worn through till the threads, show; shabby and poor. The poor adjunct, professor hid the threadbare spots on his jacket, by sewing leather patches on his sleeves., Thrive v. prosper; flourish. Despite the impact, of the recession on the restaurant trade, Philip's, cafe thrived., Word Ust77, TIrade n. extended scolding; denunciation;, harangue. The cigar smoker went into a bitter, tirade denouncing the antismoking forces that, had succeeded in banning smoking from most, planes clnd restaurants., Torpor n.lethargy; sluggishness; dormancy., Throughout the winter, nothing aroused the, bear from his torpor: he would not emerge, from hibernation until spring., Tractable adj. docile; easily managed. Although, Susan seemed a tractable young woman, she, had a stubborn streak of independence that, occasionally led her to defy the powers=that=be, wl:ler:a sl:le felt they \,t~re iR the '.vFOflg., , 33

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word List, , Tranquility, n. c,almness;. peace. After th~" ,, comm~tion and excitement ~fthe city, r ., appreciate the tranquility of these fields and, forests., Transcendent adj. surpassing; exceeding, ordinary limits; superior. For the amateur chef,, dining at the four-star restaurant was a, transcendent experience: the meal surpassed, his wildest dreams., Transient adj. momentary; temporary; staying, for a short time. lexy's joy at finding the perfect, Christmas gift for Phil was transient; she still, had to find presents for Roger, laura, Allison, ,and Uncle Bob., ·i~;" transPa~e'nt adj. '~~siiy detected; permitting, . light to pass through freely. Bobby managed to, put an innocent look on his face; to his mother,, however, his guilt was transparent., Trepidationn. fear; nervous apprehension. If, you've never seen an SAT test, it's natural for, you to feel some trepidation when you take the, exam; if you're familiar with the test, however,, you've got a much better chance of staying, calm., Trifling adj. trivial; unimportant. Why bother, oni"., tn, --, , · 0 - .. • .. <', , C:~~, , ':), , --- -, , tJnd.ermil'!e v. weaken; sap. The recent, corruption scandals have undermined many, people's faith in the city government., Uniformity n. sameness; monotony. After a, while, the uniformity of TV situation comedies, becomes boring. Uniform, adj., Universal adj. characterizing or affecting all;, present everywhere. At first, no one shared, ChriStopher's opinions; his theory that the, world was round was met with universal disdain., Unkempt adj. disheveled; uncared for in, appearance. Jeremy hated his neighbor's, unkempt lawn: he thought its neglected, appearance had a. detrimental effect on, neighborhood property values., Unprecedented adj. novel; unparalleled. For a, first novel, Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone with, the Wind was an unprecedented success., Unwarranted adj.·unjustified;groundlessi, undeserved. We could not understand Martin's, unwarraFlted rudeness to his mother's guests., Word List 79, Usurp v. seize another's power or rank The, revolution ended:when the victorious rebel, , rfnrtnl'", fi-tl'" C:llrh ~ tl"'iflint7, - - _ .... - ... _. ___ "'. ­, "', ······n', , everyday cold?, Trite adj. hackneyed; commonplace. The trite, and predictable situations in many television, programs turn off many viewers, who respond, by turning off their sets., Word Ust78, Trivial adj. unimportan.t; trifling. Too many, magazines ignore newsworthy subjects and, feature trivial affairs. Trivia, n., Turbulence n state of violent agitation. Warned, of approaching turbulence in the atmosphere,, the pilot told the passengers to fasten their seat, , belts.., Turmoil n. great commotion and confusion., lydia running off with a soldier! Mother fainting, at the news! The Bennet household was in, turmoil., Tyranny n. oppression; cruel government., Fi edeaick Douglass fought agaillstthe tyl alilly, of slavery throughout his entire life., , throne., Vacillate v. waver; fluctuate. Uncertain which, suitor she ought to marry, the princess, vacillated, saying now one, now the other., Vacillation, n., Venerate V. revere. In Tibet today, the common, people still venerate their traditional spiritual, leader, the Dalai lama., Veracity n. truthfulness. Trying to prove Anita, Hill a liar,' Senator Specter repeatedly, questioned her veracity., Verbose adj. wordy We had to make some, major cuts in Senator Foghorn's speech, because it was far too verbose. VerboSity, n., Viable adj. practical or workable; capable of, maintaining life. The plan to build a new, baseball stadium, though missing a few details,, is viable and stands agood chance of winning, popular support., Vigor II. active sli eligth. Although he was over, seventy years old, Jack had the vigor of a man in, , 34

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Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word list, , VilHyv. slander. Waging' a hlghty'negative, campaign, the candidate attempted to vilify his, opponent's reputation., Vind'"ate v. clear from blame; exonerate; justify, or support. The lawyers goal was to vindicate, her client and prove him innocent on all charges., The critics' extremely favorable reviews, vindicate my opinion that The madness ofKing, George is a brilliant movie., Vindictive adj. out for revenge; malicious., Divorce sometimes brings out a vindictive, streak in people; when Tony told Tina he was, getting a divorce, she poured green Jello into, ,,',;~:hi.s aquarWr,n'()ndturn,ed histtbpical fisb into, dessert., WordUst80, Virtuoso n. highly skilled artist. The child, prodigy Y-ehudi Menuhin grew into a virtuoso, whose violin'perf0rmances thrilled millions., Virtuosity;,n., Virulent adj. extremely poisonous; hostile; biter., laid up with an extremely virulent case of, measles, he blamed his doctors because his, recovery took so long. In fact, he became quite, viruient on the subject ot the quality of modern, medical care. Virulence, n., Volatile adj. changeable; explosive; evaporating, rapidly. The political climate today is extremely, volatile: no one can pr~di¢t what the electorate, will do next. Maria Callas's temper was, extremely volatile: the' only thing you could, predict was that she would blow up. Acetone is, an extremely volatile liquid: it evaporates, instantly., Voluble adj. fluent; glib; talkative. An, excessively voluble speaker suffers from, logorrhea he runs off at the mouth a lot!, Voluminous adj. bulky; large. Despite her family, burdens, she kept up a voluminous, correspondence with her friends., Vulnerable adj. susceptible to wounds. His, opponents could not harm Achilles, who was, vulnerable only in his heel., , Whimsical adj. capricious; fanciful. He, dismissed his generous gift to his college as a, sentimental fancy, an old man's whimsical, gesture., Whimsy, n., Willful adj. intentional; headstrong; stubbornly, set on getting one's way. Donald had planned, to kill his wife for months' clearly, her death, was a case of deliberate, willful murder, n ot a, crime of passion committed by a hasty, willful, youth unable to foresee the consequences of, his deeds., Withhold v. refuse to give; hold back. The NCAA, , ' may withhold 'permission for academically, underprepared athletes to participate in, intercollegiate sports as freshmen., Zealot n. fanatic; person who shows excessive, zeal. Though Glenn was devout, he was no, zealot; he never tried to force his beliefs on his, friends., , 35