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100 SAT Words Beginning with "F"

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  1. fabricate
    put together out of artificial or natural components
    Generally they are fabricated in that hardest of all metals—steel.Hungerford, Edward
  2. facet
    a distinct feature or element in a problem
    For the last two years, my work has focused on all facets of the energy sector, including investment, development and policy issues.Forbes (Feb 16, 2012)
  3. facetious
    cleverly amusing in tone
    I am looked upon as highly facetious at night, for I crack jokes with everybody near me until we fall asleep.Forster, John
  4. facile
    performing adroitly and without effort
    His facile talent adapted itself to every style in turn.Gozzi, Carlo
  5. facsimile
    an exact copy or reproduction
    These ultra-counterfeits are light years beyond the weak facsimiles produced by most forgers, who use desktop printers.
  6. faction
    a dissenting clique
    According to reports, an Islamist, al-Qaeda-linked faction known as Ansar Dine spearheaded the city’s takeover, likely muscling out more secular Tuareg and rebel comrades.
  7. fallacy
    a misconception resulting from incorrect reasoning
    It's called the straw man fallacy: refuting arguments nobody's made.
  8. fallible
    wanting in moral strength, courage, or will
    We regard them as extraordinary but fallible and imperfect men, whom it would be very unsafe to follow in every view and line of conduct.Various
  9. fallow
    left unplowed and unseeded during a growing season
    But before that the fields, which had lain fallow through the winter, must be ploughed and harrowed.Beyerlein, Franz
  10. falter
    the act of pausing uncertainly
    Tom tried to speak, but he faltered and moved from one foot to the other, in an embarrassed and hesitating way.Lever, Charles James
  11. familial
    relating to a social unit living together
    They are also highly familial, with very high rates among first-degree relatives of affected people.Scientific American (Jan 18, 2011)
  12. famine
    a severe shortage of food resulting in starvation and death
    To address famine in developing countries, genetic engineers can make inexpensive food crops, such as rice or corn, that contain extra nutrients.Nature (Feb 29, 2012)
  13. farcical
    broadly or extravagantly humorous
    Mr. Sheldon's The Havoc seems also farcical in its type; nevertheless it is a serious satiric thrust at certain extreme conceptions of marital relations.Burton, Richard Francis, Sir
  14. fastidious
    giving careful attention to detail
    Clodagh bent her head, noting with the fastidious intolerance of youth that his clothes were baggy and his hands unclean.Thurston, Katherine Cecil
  15. fatal
    bringing death
    It was a very fatal complication, death resulting in all but two instances.Various
  16. fatuous
    devoid of intelligence
    Seth Meyers’s opening monologue: Background required to understand jokes: Like other celebrities, professional athletes are occasionally fatuous and commit embarrassing acts in their personal lives.New York Times (Jul 15, 2010)
  17. fauna
    all the animal life in a particular region or period
    Bore holes and wells drilled in Australia, however, have revealed an amazing water beetle fauna of about 100 species.
  18. fawning
    attempting to win favor by flattery
    Waiters at fashionable hotels, who hung on the chairs of rich guests with more than usual fawning, were boasting of fortunes made in a day.Dixon, Thomas
  19. fealty
    the loyalty that one owes to a country, sovereign, or lord
    In Germany and France the vassal owned supreme fealty to his lord, against all foes, even the King himself.Parmele, Mary Platt
  20. feasible
    capable of being done with means at hand
    There are many evening classes at universities in major metropolitan areas, which make it more feasible when you're working full-time.BusinessWeek (Jun 21, 2011)
  21. feckless
    generally incompetent and ineffectual
    Her research helped change the stereotype of bankrupt people as feckless deadbeats: many, she showed, are middle-class workers upended by divorce or illness.New York Times (Mar 24, 2010)
  22. feign
    give a false appearance of
    Robots, says Christian, have become quite good at feigning conversation, giving an appearance of interchange, when in fact there is none.Forbes (Feb 9, 2012)
  23. felicity
    state of well-being characterized by contentment
    In those warm climates men imagined there could be no greater felicity than shades and murmuring brooks.
  24. feral
    wild and menacing
    Rural Arkansans are seeing Razorback red as feral hogs are destroying yards, wreaking havoc on gardens and leaving behind their waste.
  25. fervent
    characterized by intense emotion
    Inside was an uproar of adulation: repeated standing ovations, eagerly shouted requests, Cuban flags and banners unfurled, fervent singalongs, roses hurled onstage.New York Times (Jun 7, 2010)
  26. fiasco
    a complete failure or collapse
    Still, it’s hard to imagine a more embarrassing public relations fiasco than being connected with child sex trafficking — even indirectly.
  27. fickle
    liable to sudden unpredictable change
    Once Hollywood’s most reliable audience, teenagers have become increasingly fickle and distracted by other leisure activities, like video games.New York Times (Feb 2, 2012)
  28. fidelity
    the quality of being faithful
    Her fidelity to Scriptural language may be seen in the following simple verses: Have ye heard the invitation, Sinners ruined by the fall?Ryden, Ernest Edwin
  29. figurative
    not literal
    The cat-in-heat joke, the judge said, quoting from a previous court decision, was "colorful, figurative rhetoric that reasonable minds would not take to be factual."Seattle Times (May 5, 2010)
  30. filial
    designating the generation following the parental generation
    Filial cannibalism, where a mother eats her own offspring, is much rarer, particularly among great apes, in which it has only once been reported before.BBC (Feb 1, 2010)
  31. filibuster
    a tactic for delaying legislation by making long speeches
    The government has accused Labour of deliberately trying to sabotage the bill by stretching out debate - known as filibustering.BBC (Jun 23, 2010)
  32. finesse
    subtly skillful handling of a situation
    Drivers say that turning on ice requires finesse — turn too much, and you will spin out; don’t turn enough, and the turn will not happen.New York Times (Mar 23, 2010)
  33. finicky
    fussy, especially about details
    After overeating for a day or two, Dr. Levitsky said, people become very finicky; starving yourself will decrease food selectivity.New York Times (Aug 8, 2011)
  34. finite
    bounded in magnitude or spatial or temporal extent
    Scientists have long taught that all female mammals are born with a finite supply of egg cells, called ooctyes, that runs out in middle age.Time (Feb 20, 2012)
  35. firebrand
    someone who deliberately foments trouble
    The firebrand rarely pulled punches, and some obituarists are following his lead.Slate (Mar 2, 2012)
  36. firmament
    the sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
    The firmament above us was without a cloud, and of a darkness almost equal to that which surrounded the moon at 2 a.m.Tyndall, John
  37. fissure
    a long narrow depression in a surface
    The fissures produced in the crust are sometimes clean, sharply defined divisional planes, like cracks across a pane of glass.Various
  38. flabbergasted
    as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
    I should translate from experience: " Flabbergasted; astounded and bewildered at the same time, with a slight dash of premature second childhood thrown in."Williamson, A. M. (Alice Muriel)
  39. flagrant
    conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible
  40. flail
    thrash about
    Coach Tom Coughlin was raging as only he can, arms flailing in all directions, after a blocked field-goal attempt in the fourth quarter.New York Times (Sep 12, 2011)
  41. flaunt
    display proudly
    Between the corridors of Saddar, Karachi’s old city, sunlit storefronts still flaunt glorious silks and chiffons, offering distractions from striking poverty on the street.New York Times (Mar 5, 2012)
  42. flippant
    showing an inappropriate lack of seriousness
    I may be flippant—several people have called me flippant—but I draw the line at making jokes about murder.Birmingham, George A.
  43. flora
    all the plant life in a particular region or period
    “The flora is so vivid — every few meters you come across a different plant,” he explained later.New York Times (Dec 31, 2010)
  44. florid
    elaborately or excessively ornamented
    The North Korean Central News Agency, in its typically florid language, derided the exercise as warmongering and threatened “a merciless counterblow.”New York Times (Sep 24, 2010)
  45. flounder
    move clumsily or struggle to move, as in mud or water
    He set out for it, limping, while the sharp gravel rolled under his bleeding feet as he floundered up the climbing trail.Bindloss, Harold
  46. flourish
    grow vigorously
    Roses are a flourishing industry in India, particularly around Valentine’s Day.New York Times (Feb 14, 2012)
  47. fluke
    a stroke of luck
    Cautious that it might be a fluke, Midas tried the program in St. Louis and got similarly encouraging results.
  48. fluster
    cause to be nervous or upset
    Ms. Ryan also includes time for role-playing situations that might fluster the student, like being pulled over by a police officer.New York Times (Mar 27, 2012)
  49. flux
    a state of constant change
    Though plans are still in flux, he will likely travel by sailboat, kayak, foot and mountain bike.New York Times (Dec 30, 2011)
  50. fodder
    coarse food composed of plants or leaves and stalks
    "The products will be mainly fruits and vegetables, and we're looking at cereals as well, fodder, livestock and fisheries."
  51. foible
    a minor weakness or peculiarity in someone's character
    In truth, the leading foible of Hodgkinson through life, was vanity—the great taproot of all his irregularities and errors.Carpenter, S. C. (Stephen Cullen)
  52. foil
    hinder or prevent, as an effort, plan, or desire
    On March 1st, a Turkish newspaper reported that the country's intelligence service had foiled an attempt by Syrian agents to kidnap the colonel.
  53. foliage
    the aggregate of leaves of one or more plants
    Witch hazel will burst into small yellow flowers in January, and striking plants like Japanese maple will have brilliant red foliage throughout summer and fall.New York Times (Dec 26, 2010)
  54. foment
    try to stir up
    Iran is often accused of instigating, fomenting, or stirring up violence and anti-Americanism in other countries.Slate (Apr 5, 2012)
  55. forage
    collect or look around for, as food
    Banded birds also arrived later at the breeding grounds and took longer trips to forage for food.
  56. foray
    an initial attempt
    Another big question is whether Apple will reveal its rumored foray into making TV sets.Seattle Times (Mar 7, 2012)
  57. foreboding
    a feeling of evil to come
    There were forebodings of evil in attempting this winter journey now stretched out to fifteen hundred miles, under conditions which increased its perils.Greely, Adolphus W.
  58. forecast
    a prediction about how something will develop
    We broke another record today as forecasts show the March warm spell continuing into next week.
  59. forensic
    used in the investigation of facts or evidence in court
    Defence lawyers said the large number of forensic tests which had been carried out had failed to find any substantial evidence linked to the accused.
  60. foresee
    realize beforehand
    Shortly thereafter the political atmosphere was considerably disturbed by the Crete affair, just as Chevket Pasha had foreseen.Straus, Oscar S.
  61. foreshadow
    indicate by signs
    Rising wealth disparities could foreshadow a year of tensions, as failed harvests and inflation cause famines, riots, hoarding and trade wars worldwide.
  62. foresight
    seeing ahead; knowing in advance; foreseeing
    Mr. Bourassa said that General Lea, gifted with an astonishing foresight, predicted all that was happening in Europe and in the world.Desjardins, Louis-Georges
  63. forestall
    keep from happening or arising; make impossible
    Many hundreds, perhaps thousands, of the guards — at some points posted every 15 feet — had apparently been deployed to forestall disruptions.New York Times (Oct 18, 2011)
  64. forfeit
    lose the right to or lose by some error, offense, or crime
    By giving up its status as a U.S. bank holding company, Deutsche Bank is forfeiting its access to the Federal Reserve’s emergency lending window.Washington Post (Mar 24, 2012)
  65. forge
    create by hammering
    Forging and Welding.—The process of pressing or hammering wrought iron when at a red or white heat into any desired shape is called forging.Low, David Allan
  66. forlorn
    marked by or showing hopelessness
    Hans, the resort in such emergencies, was given a light sledge, the two surviving dogs, and to him was committed the forlorn hope.Mudge, Zachariah Atwell
  67. formidable
    extremely impressive in strength or excellence
    That has not prevented China from producing modern weapons systems, buying arms elsewhere and building up a formidable military with both.New York Times (Nov 21, 2011)
  68. forsake
    leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
    He was not going to forsake her, but would serve her to the day of his death.Pennell, T. L. (Theodore Leighton)
  69. forte
    an asset of special worth or utility
    Playmaking has never been Anthony’s forte, but the ball moved a bit better and, at times, the offense hummed in the first half.New York Times (Dec 30, 2011)
  70. forthcoming
    available when required or as promised
    Two colleges aren’t forthcoming with solid offers, leaving you at an unreasonable disadvantage in making your important decision on deadline.New York Times (Apr 14, 2011)
  71. fortified
    having something added to increase the strength
    Some of the houses at Wells were fortified; one in particular was defended by fifteen men under a militia captain named Convers.LeSueur, William Dawson
  72. fortitude
    strength of mind that enables one to endure adversity
    Have you ever proved your fortitude by suffering protracted pain, enduring continued hunger, or sustaining great fatigue?Schoolcraft, Henry Rowe
  73. fortress
    a fortified defensive structure
    Before the invention of gunpowder Castle Reifenstein had been an impregnable fortress, although it owed little of its impregnability to art.Streckfuss, Adolph
  74. fortuitous
    lucky; occurring by happy chance
    Did the prosperities and confident hopes with which the twentieth century opened, mark nothing more than a culmination of fortuitous good luck?H. G.
  75. fortunate
    having unexpected good luck
    Chet was not so fortunate, as his gun failed to go off.Stratemeyer, Edward
  76. fortune
    a large amount of wealth or prosperity
    He has an independent fortune, though not called rich in this country.Various
  77. forum
    a public facility to meet for open discussion
    Britain and Hong Kong set up a forum earlier this year to discuss working more closely in yuan trade clearing and settlement.Wall Street Journal (Mar 8, 2012)
  78. foster
    help develop or grow
    Paris and Pyongyang do not have formal diplomatic relations, but France opened an office in North Korea last year to foster cultural exchanges.Seattle Times (Mar 9, 2012)
  79. foul
    highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust
    There was panic buying of bottled water in some areas in Jiangsu after residents noticed a foul smell coming from the tap water.
  80. founder
    a person who establishes some institution
    Microsoft founder Bill Gates is expected to testify.Washington Post (Oct 19, 2011)
  81. founding
    the act of starting something for the first time
    Eight years later, Garay succeeded in founding Buenos Aires after Zarate, the third adelantado, had failed as badly as any of his predecessors.Dawson, Thomas C.
  82. foyer
    a large entrance or reception room or area
    Suddenly James, their stooping, white-haired Irish servant pushed through the doorway from the paneled entry foyer.Hoover, Thomas
  83. fracas
    a noisy quarrel
    After an estimated half-dozen individual altercations on the court, some Chinese onlookers joined the fracas, the Washington Post reported late on Thursday.
  84. fractious
    easily irritated or annoyed
    The last-minute haggling between 19 countries involved in the test over whether and how to make the test's design available, highlights fractious European Union decision-making.
  85. fracture
    breaking of hard tissue such as bone
    He was convicted of recklessly causing grievous bodily harm to Cowley, who sustained fractures to his jaw, eye socket, cheekbone and nose.Seattle Times (Mar 18, 2012)
  86. fragile
    easily broken or damaged or destroyed
    Larvae lack mouths, eyes and guts and are so fragile that colliding with an air bubble could kill them.Scientific American (Apr 6, 2012)
  87. fragrant
    pleasant-smelling
    Michael found himself wrapped in a cloud of filmy linen fragrant with feminine perfumes.Blasco Ib??ez, Vicente
  88. frail
    physically weak
    He had been frail for years, using a walker to get around.Seattle Times (Oct 9, 2011)
  89. fraud
    intentional deception resulting in injury to another person
    Despite claims of sporadic vote rigging in Sunday’s presidential election, it is becoming increasingly clear that Mr. Putin had enough support to win without fraud.New York Times (Mar 8, 2012)
  90. fraught
    marked by distress
    His girlfriend’s parents are divorced, and her family situation is fraught.New York Times (Mar 16, 2012)
  91. frenetic
    fast and energetic in an uncontrolled or wild way
    But the Rams mimic the frenetic nature of their mentor; they run, press, take charges and go at least nine players deep.New York Times (Jan 31, 2010)
  92. frenzy
    state of violent mental agitation
    Inside the store, glassy-eyed staff were whipped up into a frenzy of excitement, jumping up and down, clapping and shouting.
  93. fresco
    a mural done with watercolors on wet plaster
    "She's an unmitigated nuisance," declared an artist, proceeding to Natal in order to paint some frescoes for one of the important buildings.Westerman, Percy F. (Percy Francis)
  94. frolic
    play boisterously
    More nimble now than when he was young, he frolics about, cuts capers, and leaps from the bottom of a large pitcher.Michelet, Jules
  95. frontier
    an international boundary or the area immediately inside it
    Thus threatened with invasion on her German and Italian frontiers, France was disabled by anarchy within.Various
  96. frugal
    avoiding waste
    Such banking represents the kind of “ frugal innovation” that India has become known for in recent years — finding inexpensive solutions to its development challenges.New York Times (Sep 29, 2011)
  97. fulminate
    criticize severely
    Mr. Cameron has fulminated publicly about cutting public sector pay and decreed that members of Parliament themselves take a 5 percent pay cut.New York Times (May 25, 2010)
  98. fulsome
    unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating
    Fulsome, fool′sum, adj. cloying or causing surfeit: nauseous: offensive: gross: disgustingly fawning.—adj.Various
  99. furtive
    secret and sly
    I anticipated finding them deceitful and evasive: furtive people, wandering in devious ways and disappearing into mysterious houses, at dead of night.Street, Julian
  100. futile
    producing no result or effect
    He took up elocution lessons for a while, but eventually concluded that his efforts to become an Englishman were futile.
Created on April 6, 2012 (updated August 11, 2014)

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