Pre-SAT Vocab

Julia E.
Perfect for students working up to, but not quite at, SAT level. Kids aged 10-15 will find this list perfectly attainable, yet will still learn many great vocabulary words which will be used again, and again in everyday literature.

Taken from Kids Vocabulary Cartoons and 100 Words Every 6th Grader Should Know
138 words 126 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. goad
    a verbalization that encourages you to attempt something
  2. encroach
    impinge or infringe upon
  3. congenial
    suitable to your needs
  4. reverence
    a feeling of profound respect for someone or something
  5. magnate
    a very wealthy or powerful businessperson
  6. incite
    provoke or stir up
  7. carp
    raise trivial objections
  8. endorse
    give support or one's approval to
  9. incense
    make furious
  10. pawn
    leave as a guarantee in return for money
  11. intimate
    marked by close acquaintance, association, or familiarity
  12. saturnine
    bitter or scornful
  13. laconic
    brief and to the point
  14. succor
    help in a difficult situation
  15. prevail
    prove superior
  16. fervor
    feelings of great warmth and intensity
  17. inept
    generally incompetent and ineffectual
  18. quixotic
    not sensible about practical matters
  19. herculean
    extremely difficult; requiring great strength
  20. castigate
    inflict severe punishment on
  21. prissy
    exaggeratedly proper
  22. divulge
    make known to the public information previously kept secret
  23. zany
    ludicrous or foolish
  24. inert
    unable to move or resist motion
  25. raze
    tear down so as to make flat with the ground
  26. paltry
    contemptibly small in amount or size
  27. adagio
    slowly
  28. shackle
    a restraint that confines or restricts freedom
  29. detain
    cause to be slowed down or delayed
  30. conjecture
    a hypothesis that has been formed by speculating
  31. aerodynamics
    the branch of mechanics that deals with the motion of gases
  32. belligerent
    characteristic of an enemy or one eager to fight
  33. pandemonium
    a state of extreme confusion and disorder
  34. bilk
    cheat somebody out of what is due, especially money
  35. expedite
    process fast and efficiently
  36. mar
    destroy or injure severely
  37. genteel
    marked by refinement in taste and manners
  38. rue
    feel sorry for; be contrite about
  39. plumb
    exactly vertical
  40. anachronism
    locating something at a time when it couldn't have existed
  41. unwieldy
    difficult to use or handle because of size or weight
  42. tirade
    a speech of violent denunciation
  43. gall
    irritate or vex
  44. tantalize
    harass with persistent teasing or baiting
  45. Mercurial
    relating to or having characteristics (eloquence, shrewdness, swiftness, thievishness) attributed to the god Mercury
  46. tulle
    a fine fabric net used for veils, tutus, or gowns
  47. behoove
    be appropriate or necessary
  48. ratify
    approve and express assent, responsibility, or obligation
  49. vegetate
    lead a passive existence without using one's body or mind
  50. whet
    sharpen by rubbing
  51. gewgaw
    cheap showy jewelry, ornament, or decoration
  52. flummox
    be a mystery or bewildering to
  53. neophyte
    a participant with no experience with an activity
  54. vocation
    the particular occupation for which you are trained
  55. jocular
    characterized by jokes and good humor
  56. salient
    conspicuous, prominent, or important
  57. mettle
    the courage to carry on
  58. rakish
    marked by a carefree unconventionality or disreputableness
  59. tortuous
    marked by repeated turns and bends
  60. plaintiff
    a person who brings an action in a court of law
  61. plaintive
    expressing sorrow
  62. insinuate
    suggest in an indirect or covert way; give to understand
  63. dissolute
    unrestrained by convention or morality
  64. desegregate
    open to members of all races and ethnic groups
  65. foreshadow
    indicate by signs
  66. improvident
    not supplying something useful for the future
  67. stoical
    seeming unaffected by pleasure or pain; impassive
  68. ardent
    characterized by intense emotion
  69. regale
    occupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion
  70. procure
    get by special effort
  71. elicit
    call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
  72. abate
    become less in amount or intensity
  73. lament
    a cry of sorrow and grief
  74. dismay
    the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
  75. aloof
    distant, cold, or detached in manner
  76. assert
    declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true
  77. succumb
    give in, as to overwhelming force, influence, or pressure
  78. denounce
    speak out against
  79. uncouth
    lacking refinement or cultivation or taste
  80. concede
    give over
  81. peruse
    examine or consider with attention and in detail
  82. destitute
    poor enough to need help from others
  83. offset
    compensate for or counterbalance
  84. susceptible
    yielding readily to or capable of undergoing a process
  85. liable
    likely to be affected with
  86. caliber
    a degree or grade of excellence or worth
  87. assimilate
    make alike
  88. discern
    perceive, recognize, or detect
  89. ominous
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
  90. feign
    make believe with the intent to deceive
  91. solicit
    request urgently or persistently
  92. grueling
    characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion
  93. resolve
    reach a decision
  94. monotonous
    tediously repetitious or lacking in variety
  95. benevolent
    showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding
  96. brashly
    in a brash cheeky manner
  97. ensue
    take place or happen afterward or as a result
  98. scour
    examine minutely
  99. avail
    be of use to, be useful to
  100. emaciated
    very thin, especially from disease or hunger or cold
  101. elusive
    skillful at evading capture
  102. impede
    be a hindrance or obstacle to
  103. furtive
    secret and sly
  104. manifestation
    an indication of the existence of some person or thing
  105. brawny
    possessing physical strength and weight; rugged and powerful
  106. cynicism
    a pessimistic feeling of distrust
  107. integrity
    an undivided or unbroken completeness with nothing wanting
  108. incur
    make oneself subject to
  109. fraudulent
    intended to deceive
  110. amiable
    diffusing warmth and friendliness
  111. catalyst
    something that causes an important event to happen
  112. advocate
    a person who pleads for a person, cause, or idea
  113. foil
    hinder or prevent, as an effort, plan, or desire
  114. incremental
    increasing gradually by regular degrees or additions
  115. curtail
    terminate or abbreviate before its intended or proper end
  116. cite
    make reference to
  117. status quo
    the existing state of affairs
  118. confine
    restrict or limit
  119. avid
    marked by active interest and enthusiasm
  120. myriad
    a large indefinite number
  121. interlude
    an intervening period or episode
  122. impart
    bestow a quality on
  123. prosaic
    lacking wit or imagination
  124. infirmity
    the state of being weak in health or body
  125. adversity
    a stroke of ill fortune; a calamitous event
  126. plight
    a situation from which extrication is difficult
  127. perplexing
    lacking clarity of meaning
  128. despondent
    without or almost without hope
  129. innovative
    introducing new ideas or creative methods
  130. tact
    consideration in dealing with others
  131. versatile
    having great diversity or variety
  132. implore
    beg or request earnestly and urgently
  133. precarious
    not secure; beset with difficulties
  134. exodus
    a journey by a large group to escape from a hostile environment
  135. covert
    secret or hidden
  136. surrogate
    someone or something that takes the place of another
  137. relinquish
    turn away from; give up
  138. forlorn
    marked by or showing hopelessness
Created on Thu Jul 12 14:20:23 EDT 2012 (updated Mon Aug 04 13:53:08 EDT 2014)

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