SAT HIT Parade Word List Ways to Speak clarity cogent cohesive compelling convoluted didactic dogmatic effusive emphatic florid fluid hackneyed rapport adage poignant clearness in thought or expression convincing; reasonable condition of sticking together forceful; urgently demanding attention intricate; complex intended to instruct characterized by a stubborn adherence to insufficiently proved beliefs describing unrestrained emotional expression; gushy expressed with emphasis describing flowery or elaborate speech easily flowing overfamiliar through overuse; trite a relationship of mutual trust or affinity a wise old saying profoundly moving; touching This is hard! I don t get it! abstruse hard to understand arduous difficult; painstaking futile having no useful purpose heinous hatefully evil; abominable impede to slow the progress of impenetrable incapable of being understood
Don t have much dilatory describing one who habitually delays or is tardy enervate to weaken the strength or vitality of indolent lazy listless lacking energy; lazy soporific causing sleep or sleepiness stupor a state of reduced or suspended sensibility sedentary not migratory; settled torpor laziness; inactivity; dullness paucity fewness; an extreme lack of Overboard ebullience farce frenetic garrulous gratuitous insipid ponderous sonorous squalor superfluous intense enthusiasm an absurdly ridiculous situation wildly excited or active given to excessive, rambling talk given freely; unearned; unwarranted uninteresting; unchallenging extremely dull having or producing sound a filthy condition or quality extra; unnecessary
Be careful what you say! specious slander ruse facetious pander propriety having the ring of truth or plausibility but actually false false charges and malicious oral statements or reports about someone a crafty trick egregious conspicuously bad or offensive playfully humorous to cater to the lower tastes and desires of others or exploit their weaknesses appropriateness of behavior Ha-ha wry dryly humorous, often with a touch of irony lampoon (n) or (v) a broad satirical piece; or to broadly satire parody an artistic work that imitates the style of another work for comic effect Things about Kings abdicate annihilate benevolent to formally give up power to destroy completely kind; generous
despotic dictatorial haughty imperious omnipotent patronizing usurp characterized by exercising absolute power tyranically domineering; oppressively overbearing condescendingly proud arrogantly domineering or overbearing all-powerful treating in a condescending manner to take power by force Hard-working adamant extremely stubborn assiduous hard-working conscientious careful and principled diligent marked by painstaking effort; hard-working dogged stubbornly persevering exemplary commendable fastidious possessing careful attention to detail intrepid courageous; fearless meticulous extremely careful and precise obstinate stubbornly adhering to an opinion or a course of action tenacity persistent adherence to a belief or a point of view milk to draw or extract profit or advantage from zealous passionate; extremely interested in pursuing something punctilious strictly attentive to minute details; picky Make things better
alleviate to ease a pain or a burden asylum a place of retreat or security auspicious attended by favorable circumstances benign kind and gentle emollient softening and soothing mitigate to make less severe or painful mollify to calm or soothe sanction (v) to give official authorization or approval to substantiated supported with proof or evidence; verified exculpate to free from guilt or blame Going against the grain debunk to expose the falseness of deleterious having a harmful effect; injurious disingenuous not straightforward; crafty disparate fundamentally distinct or different fabricated made; concocted in order to deceive recalcitrant defiant of authority; stubborn; not easily managed spurious not genuine; false capricious impulsive and unpredictable If you can t say anything nice... disdain glower to regard or treat with contempt; to look down on to look or stare angrily or sullenly
pejorative plagiarism trite vacuous vilify disparage describing words or phrases that belittle or speak negatively of someone the act of passing off as one s own the ideas or writings of another unoriginal; overused; stale devoid of matter; empty to make vicious statements about to speak of in a slighting way or negatively; to belittle Oddities aberration a deviation from the way things normally happen or are done dubious doubtful; of unlikely authenticity ostentatious describing a showy or pretentious display quandary a state of uncertainty or perplexity stymied thwarted; stumped; blocked wily cunning That s pretty aesthetic decorous embellish idyllic medley having to do with the appreciation of beauty proper; marked by good taste to make beautiful by ornamenting; to decorate simple and carefree an assortment or a mixture, especially of musical pieces
mural opulent ornate pristine serene lucid a big painting applied directly to a wall exhibiting a display of great wealth elaborately ornamented not spoiled; pure calm easily understood Friendly affable easy-going; friendly amenable responsive; agreeable amiable good-natured and likable camaraderie good will between friends cordial warm and sincere; friendly gregarious enjoying the company of others; sociable salutary promoting good health sanguine cheerfully confident; optimistic innocuous having no bad effect; harmless Nasty brusque describing a rudely abrupt manner cantankerous grumpy; disagreeable caustic bitingly sarcastic or witty contemptuous feeling hatred; scornful feral savage, fierce, or untamed fractious quarrelsome; unruly incorrigible unable to be reformed ingrate an ungrateful person
insolent insulting in manner or speech malevolent having or exhibiting ill will; wishing harm to others; hateful notorious known widely and usually unfavorably; infamous obdurate stubborn; inflexible repugnant causing disgust or hatred unpalatable not pleasing to the taste parsimonious excessively cheap On the road itinerant remote transitory unfettered traveling from place to place located far away short-lived or temporary set free from restrictions or bonds Who knows what ll happen? harbinger ominous portend prophetic impromptu one that indicates what is to come; a forerunner menacing; threatening to serve as an omen or a warning of foretelling or predicting future events not planned in advance; spur of the moment Sittin on the fence
ambiguous ambivalent arbiter inconsequential open to more than one interpretation simultaneously feeling opposing feelings, such as love and hate a judge who decides a disputed issue unimportant Full to overflowing ample burgeoning capacious copious permeated prodigious replete describing a large amount of something expanding or growing rapidly roomy; spacious plentiful; having a large quantity spread or flowing throughout enormous abundantly supplied; filled Get to the point candor frank pragmatic purist terse insightful curtailed sincerity; openness open and sincere in expression; straightforward practical one who is particularly concerned with maintaining traditional practices brief and to the point; concise perceptive cut short; abbreviated
Earth, Wind, and Fire arid describing a dry, rainless climate conflagration a widespread fire nocturnal of or occurring in the night temperate moderate; mild Revolution s in the air clandestine coup enmity heresy implacable maverick mercurial pugnacious rancorous stratagem wary thwart reclamation furtive impetuous secretive, especially in regards to concealing an illicit purpose a brilliant and sudden overthrow of a government mutual hatred or ill-will an opinion that disagrees with established, dearly held beliefs impossible to appease one who is independent and resists adherence to a group quick and changeable in mood combative; belligerent hateful; marked by deep seated ill-will a clever trick used to deceive or outwit on guard; watchful to prevent the occurrence of a restoration or rehabilitation to productivity or usefulness characterized by stealth; sneaky characterized by sudden energy or emotion
Put your affairs in order catalog (v) equanimity composure feasible apt solvent facile liquid plausible to make an itemized list of the quality of being calm and even-tempered; capable of being accomplished; possible suitable; appropriate able to pay one s debts done or achieved with little effort; easy flowing readily seemingly valid or acceptable; credible I ll be the judge of that biased prejudiced incontrovertible indisputable; not open to question jurisprudence the philosophy or science of law vindicated freed from blame penitent expressing remorse for one s misdeeds Feeling at home incumbent (adj) indigenous innate inveterate habitual parochial imposed as a duty; obligatory originating and living in a particular area possessed at birth; inborn long established; deep-rooted; narrow in scope
pervasive having the quality or tendency to be everywhere at the same time Under the weather impinge laconic lament obsolete reticent sanction (n) suppressed surreptitious wane to encroach in a way that violates the rights of another using few words to express grief for; mourn no longer in use; old-fashioned reluctant to speak an economic or military measure put in place to punish another country subdued; kept from being circulated done by secretive means truncated shortened; cut off to decrease gradually in intensity; decline Ever so slightly ephemeral lasting for a markedly brief time obscure (adj or v) relatively unknown; or to conceal or make indistinct tacit implied but not actually expressed tenuous having little substance or strength; shaky; flimsy timorous shy; timid trepidation uncertainty; apprehension
So status quo immutable mundane prosaic prudent tenet stoic austere genre staid archaic not able to be changed commonplace; ordinary unimaginative; dull exercising good judgment or common sense a principle held as being true by a person or an organization indifferent to pleasure or pain; impassive somber, stern describing a category of artistic endeavor characterized by a strait-laced sense of propriety; serious characteristic of an earlier, more primitive period; old-fashioned I m new at this emulate naïve nascent novice/neophyte to try to equal or excel, especially through imitation lacking sophistication coming into existence; emerging a beginner Things that suck toxic brittle poisonous easily broken when subjected to pressure
malice extreme ill will or spite malfeasance misconduct or wrongdoing, especially by a public official Isn t that special dilettante eclectic intuitive laudatory novel paramount urbane epiphany trenchant whimsical unpredictable a dabbler in or one who superficially understands an art or a field of knowledge made up of a variety of sources or styles knowing or perceiving quickly and readily expressing great praise strikingly new, unusual, or different of chief concern or importance notably polite and elegant in manner; suave a sudden burst of understanding or discovery keen; incisive subject to erratic behavior;