High Point High School
SAT
Words of the Week

Words of the Week  --  2005-2006

1.                    extol, laud – v - to praise

censure – v – to sharply scold; n - the act of condemning strongly

2.                    advocate – v- to support; n – a supporter

virtuoso – n – a person with great artistic talent; adj – artistically great

3.                    egoist – n – a person who is concerned with him or herself

pragmatist – n – a person who is practical

4.                    maverick – n – an independent person, a nonconformist

glutton – n – a person given to greedy, voracious eating and drinking

5.                    shiftless – adj – lazy, lacking ambition

vapid – adj – dull, bland, uninteresting

6.                    derivative – adj – derived from and therefore lacking originality; n – a by-product

banal, trite – adj – common, lacking originality

7.                    elated, exuberant, exhilarated – adj – very happy, filled with joy

mercurial – adj – very changeable

8.                    exasperating – adj – very annoying; irksome

excruciating – adj – very painful

9.                    ominous – adj – very threatening

perilous – adj – very dangerous

10.                 garish – adj – very loud, bright in color

egregious – adj – very bad

11.                 destitute – adj – very poor, indigent

discerning – adj – very insightful

12.                 despicable – adj – vile, contemptible

immaculate – adj – very clean, perfect

13.                 plausible – adj – believable, credible

incorrigible – adj – not subject to being reformed; set in bad habits

14.                 allegation – n – an assertion not yet supported by facts

discrepancy – n – an inconsistency, lack of agreement

15.                 corroborate – v – to support with evidence

fabricate – v- to make up or invent

16.                 repudiate – v – to take back or disavow

dissolution – n – the act of breaking apart

17.                 enlighten – v – to inform, instruct, illuminate

enumerate – v – to count, to list by number

18.                 anachronism – n – a chronological misplacing of event, persons, or objects

proliferation – n – an increase or rapid spread

19.                 autonomy – n – self-rule, self-government, control

amalgam – n – a combination, a mixture

20.                 anthology – n – a collection of poems, stories, and/or other pieces of writing

vignette – n – a brief incident or scene

21.                 parody – n – a funny imitation, a caricature

astute – adj – shrewd, smart, keen-minded

22.                 disingenuous – adj – not sincere, not straightforward

docile, tractable – adj – easy to manage, submissive

23.                 pervasive – adj – spread all throughout

ubiquitous – adj – everywhere, omnipresent

24.                 mesmerize – v – to hypnotize, charm

mercenary – n – a soldier hired to serve in a foreign army; adj – working for payment only

25.                 translucent – adj – transmitting light but not clear images

opaque – adj – not transmitting light; dark, dull

26.                 incessant – adj – constant, continuing without stopping

lucrative – adj – profitable, producing extreme profit or wealth

27.                 philanthropist – n – someone who exhibits charity and good will through monetary contributions or gifts.

misogynist – n – someone who hates women

28.                 avert – v – to turn away

arduous – adj – difficult to do, laborious

29.                 exorbitant – adj – excessive; beyond what is reasonable

expedient – adj - convenient