Vocab Booster SAT Supplement Vocabulary: Bad Character Traits

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p. 116-21.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. boast
    talk about oneself with excessive pride or self-regard
  2. bombast
    pompous or pretentious talk or writing
  3. braggart
    a very boastful and talkative person
  4. exaggerate
    enlarge beyond bounds or the truth
  5. flamboyant
    tending to attract attention; marked by ostentatious display
  6. flaunt
    display proudly
  7. florid
    elaborately or excessively ornamented
  8. garish
    tastelessly showy
  9. gaudy
    tastelessly showy
  10. gloat
    dwell on with satisfaction
  11. ostentatious
    intended to attract notice and impress others
  12. overstate
    enlarge beyond bounds or the truth
  13. poseur
    a person who habitually pretends to be something he is not
  14. pretentious
    creating an appearance of importance or distinction
  15. strut
    walk in a proud, confident way
  16. swagger
    walk with a lofty proud gait
  17. tawdry
    tastelessly showy
  18. aloof
    distant, cold, or detached in manner
  19. arrogant
    having or showing feelings of unwarranted importance
  20. audacity
    aggressive or outright boldness
  21. brazen
    not held back by conventional ideas of behavior
  22. complacency
    the feeling you have when you are satisfied with yourself
  23. complacent
    contented to a fault with oneself or one's actions
  24. condescending
    characteristic of those who treat others with arrogance
  25. dismissive
    showing indifference or disregard
  26. egotism
    an exaggerated opinion of your own importance
  27. grandiloquent
    lofty in style
  28. grandiose
    impressive because of unnecessary largeness or magnificence
  29. gall
    a digestive juice secreted by the liver
  30. haughty
    having or showing arrogant superiority
  31. hubris
    overbearing pride or presumption
  32. lofty
    of imposing height; especially standing out above others
  33. megalomania
    a psychological state characterized by delusions of grandeur
  34. narcissism
    an exceptional interest in and admiration for yourself
  35. patronize
    provide support for
  36. philistine
    a person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits
  37. pompous
    puffed up with vanity
  38. pontificate
    administer a pontifical office
  39. priggish
    exaggeratedly or self-righteously proper
  40. smug
    marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction
  41. supercilious
    having or showing arrogant superiority
  42. delirious
    experiencing hallucinations
  43. demented
    affected with madness or insanity
  44. distraught
    deeply agitated especially from emotion
  45. disturb
    trouble deeply
  46. insane
    afflicted with or characteristic of mental derangement
  47. lunatic
    an insane person
  48. mad
    roused to anger
  49. rabid
    marked by excessive enthusiasm for a cause or idea
  50. absurd
    inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense
  51. bizarre
    conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual
  52. irrational
    not consistent with or using reason
  53. ludicrous
    inviting ridicule
  54. nonsensical
    having no intelligible meaning
  55. preposterous
    inviting ridicule
  56. ridiculous
    incongruous or absurd
  57. zany
    ludicrous or foolish
  58. abrasive
    causing irritation or erosion by friction
  59. aggravate
    make worse
  60. agitate
    move or cause to move back and forth
  61. annoy
    disturb, especially by minor irritations
  62. belabor
    beat soundly
  63. bristle
    a stiff hair
  64. cajole
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
  65. captious
    tending to find and call attention to faults
  66. carp
    any of various freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae
  67. cavil
    raise trivial objections
  68. discord
    lack of agreement or harmony
  69. disrupt
    make a break in
  70. encroach
    advance beyond the usual limit
  71. faze
    disturb the composure of
  72. grate
    reduce to shreds by rubbing against a perforated surface
  73. gripe
    complain
  74. harass
    annoy continually or chronically
  75. harry
    make a pillaging or destructive raid on, as in wartimes
  76. heckle
    challenge aggressively
  77. impinge
    infringe upon
  78. infringe
    advance beyond the usual limit
  79. interloper
    someone who intrudes on the privacy or property of another
  80. intrusive
    tending to enter uninvited
  81. irksome
    tedious or irritating
  82. irritate
    cause annoyance in
  83. meddle
    intrude in other people's affairs or business
  84. obtrusive
    sticking out; protruding
  85. obnoxious
    causing disapproval or protest
  86. obstreperous
    noisily and stubbornly defiant
  87. officious
    intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner
  88. parasite
    an animal or plant that lives in or on a host
  89. peevish
    easily irritated or annoyed
  90. perturb
    disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried
  91. pester
    annoy persistently
  92. pique
    call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
  93. pry
    be nosey
  94. smarmy
    unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating
  95. unctuous
    unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating
  96. banal
    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
  97. drab
    a dull greyish to yellowish or light olive brown
  98. cliche
    a trite or obvious remark
  99. derived
    formed or developed from something else; not original
  100. dull
    so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
  101. hackneyed
    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
  102. insipid
    lacking interest or significance or impact
  103. jejune
    lacking interest or significance or impact
  104. lackluster
    not having brilliance or vitality
  105. monotonous
    sounded or spoken in a tone unvarying in pitch
  106. mundane
    found in the ordinary course of events
  107. nondescript
    lacking distinct or individual characteristics
  108. pedestrian
    a person who travels by foot
  109. prosaic
    lacking wit or imagination
  110. soporific
    inducing sleep
  111. staid
    characterized by dignity and propriety
  112. tedious
    so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
  113. tedium
    the feeling of being bored by something
  114. trite
    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
  115. varying
    marked by diversity or difference
  116. vapid
    lacking significance or liveliness or spirit or zest
  117. grotesque
    distorted and unnatural in shape or size
  118. hideous
    grossly offensive to decency or morality; causing horror
  119. marred
    blemished by injury or rough wear
  120. unkempt
    not properly maintained or cared for
  121. dissociate
    break away from; stop having a relationship with
  122. dissident
    a person who objects to some established policy
  123. enclave
    an enclosed territory that is culturally distinct
  124. hermit
    one retired from society for religious reasons
  125. inhospitable
    lacking cordiality and generosity toward guests or strangers
  126. maverick
    someone who exhibits independence in thought and action
  127. nonconformist
    someone who refuses to conform to standards of conduct
  128. outcast
    a person who is rejected (from society or home)
  129. ostracize
    expel from a community or group
  130. pariah
    a person who is rejected from society or home
  131. polemic
    a verbal or written attack, especially of a belief or dogma
  132. rebel
    someone who exhibits independence in thought and action
  133. recalcitrant
    stubbornly resistant to authority or control
  134. recluse
    one who lives in solitude
  135. reclusive
    withdrawn from society; seeking solitude
  136. renegade
    someone who rebels and becomes an outlaw
  137. scapegoat
    someone who is punished for the errors of others
  138. sequester
    keep away from others
  139. shun
    avoid and stay away from deliberately
  140. spurned
    rebuffed (by a lover) without warning
  141. wayward
    resistant to guidance or discipline
  142. intractable
    difficult to manage or mold
  143. incorrigible
    impervious to correction by punishment
  144. rambunctious
    noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline
  145. demand
    request urgently and forcefully
  146. fastidious
    giving careful attention to detail
  147. persnickety
    characterized by excessive attention to trivial details
  148. ultimatum
    a final peremptory demand
  149. adamant
    very hard native crystalline carbon valued as a gem
  150. contumacious
    willfully obstinate; stubbornly disobedient
  151. defiant
    boldly resisting authority or an opposing force
  152. headstrong
    habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition
  153. inflexible
    resistant to being bent
  154. intransigent
    impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, or reason
  155. obdurate
    stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
  156. obstinate
    refusing to change one's mind or ways; difficult to convince
  157. pigheaded
    impossibly stubborn
  158. rebellious
    resisting control or authority
  159. stubborn
    refusing to change one's mind or ways; difficult to convince
  160. unyielding
    stubbornly unwilling to give in
  161. willful
    done by design
  162. agape
    with the mouth wide open as in wonder or awe
  163. aghast
    struck with fear, dread, or consternation
  164. lurid
    glaringly vivid and graphic; marked by sensationalism
  165. stupefy
    make someone dazed or foolish
  166. stunning
    causing bewilderment, shock, or insensibility
  167. dalliance
    the act of delaying and playing instead of working
  168. dilatory
    wasting time
  169. dormant
    inactive but capable of becoming active
  170. hesitate
    pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
  171. hibernate
    be in an inactive or dormant state
  172. idle
    not in action or at work
  173. inanimate
    not endowed with life
  174. indolence
    inactivity resulting from a dislike of work
  175. indolent
    disinclined to work or exertion
  176. inert
    unable to move or resist motion
  177. inertia
    the tendency of something to stay in rest or motion
  178. languid
    lacking spirit or liveliness
  179. lethargic
    deficient in alertness or activity
  180. listless
    lacking zest or vivacity
  181. malingerer
    someone shirking duty by feigning illness or incapacity
  182. procrastinate
    waste time or postpone doing what one should be doing
  183. saturnine
    bitter or scornful
  184. sedentary
    requiring sitting or little activity
  185. shiftless
    lacking ambition or initiative
  186. sluggish
    moving slowly
  187. torpid
    in a condition of biological rest or suspended animation
  188. unhurried
    relaxed and leisurely; without hurry or haste
  189. feeble
    pathetically lacking in force or effectiveness
  190. fragile
    easily broken or damaged or destroyed
  191. susceptible
    yielding readily to or capable of undergoing a process
  192. tenuous
    lacking substance or significance
  193. vulnerable
    capable of being wounded or hurt
  194. wispy
    thin and weak
  195. decadence
    the state of being degenerate in mental or moral qualities
  196. deteriorate
    become worse or disintegrate
  197. jaded
    exhausted
  198. mangy
    affected with a skin disease causing itching and hair loss
  199. threadbare
    thin and tattered with age
  200. defile
    make dirty or spotty
  201. impure
    combined or contaminated with extraneous elements
  202. muck
    any thick, viscous matter
  203. slovenly
    negligent of neatness especially in dress and person
  204. sludge
    any thick, viscous matter
  205. sully
    make dirty or spotty
  206. taint
    place under suspicion or cast doubt upon
  207. tarnish
    make or become dirty or dull, as by exposure to air
  208. biased
    favoring one person or side over another
  209. subjective
    taking place within the mind and modified by individual bias
  210. predilection
    a predisposition in favor of something
  211. prejudiced
    showing bias or bigotry or influenced by preconceived ideas
  212. attrition
    the act of rubbing together
  213. atrophy
    a decrease in size of an organ caused by disease or disuse
  214. contusion
    an injury in which the skin is not broken
  215. corpulent
    excessively large
  216. crippled
    disabled in the feet or legs
  217. debilitate
    make weak
  218. emaciated
    very thin, especially from disease or hunger or cold
  219. fester
    generate pus
  220. gaunt
    very thin, especially from disease or hunger or cold
  221. haggard
    showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
  222. hypochondriac
    a patient with imaginary symptoms and ailments
  223. incapacitate
    make unable to perform a certain action
  224. injure
    cause bodily harm to
  225. jaundiced
    affected by yellowing of the skin
  226. laceration
    the act of tearing irregularly
  227. infirmity
    the state of being weak in health or body
  228. languish
    become feeble
  229. maim
    injure or wound seriously and leave permanent disfiguration
  230. malady
    impairment of normal physiological function
  231. noxious
    injurious to physical or mental health
  232. queasy
    causing or able to cause nausea
  233. scourge
    something causing misery or death
  234. toxic
    of or relating to or caused by a poison
  235. tribulation
    an annoying or frustrating or catastrophic event
  236. vertigo
    a reeling sensation; a feeling that you are about to fall
  237. virulent
    extremely poisonous or injurious; producing venom
  238. wizened
    lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness
  239. aberration
    a state or condition markedly different from the norm
  240. moral
    concerned with principles of right and wrong
  241. corruption
    use of a position of trust for dishonest gain
  242. deviant
    a person whose behavior does not conform to social norms
  243. devious
    turning away from a straight course
  244. hypocritical
    professing feelings or virtues one does not have
  245. ignoble
    dishonorable in character or purpose
  246. immoral
    deliberately violating principles of right and wrong
  247. ignominious
    deserving or bringing disgrace or shame
  248. impious
    lacking piety or reverence for a god
  249. profligate
    unrestrained by convention or morality
  250. unconscionable
    greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation
  251. unscrupulous
    without principles
  252. venal
    capable of being corrupted
  253. abhorrent
    offensive to the mind
  254. bane
    something causing misery or death
  255. dastardly
    extremely wicked
  256. depraved
    deviating from what is considered moral or right or proper
  257. depravity
    moral perversion; impairment of virtue and moral principles
  258. despicable
    morally reprehensible
  259. detestable
    offensive to the mind
  260. diabolical
    showing cunning or ingenuity or wickedness
  261. egregious
    conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible
  262. exceptionable
    likely to cause objection or disapproval
  263. execrable
    unequivocally detestable
  264. flagrant
    conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible
  265. ghastly
    shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
  266. hateful
    evoking or deserving hatred
  267. heinous
    extremely wicked or deeply criminal
  268. horrendous
    causing fear or dread or terror
  269. insidious
    working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way
  270. invidious
    containing or implying a slight or showing prejudice
  271. loathsome
    highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust
  272. malevolent
    wishing or appearing to wish evil to others
  273. nefarious
    extremely wicked
  274. nemesis
    a personal foe or rival that cannot be easily defeated
  275. odious
    extremely repulsive or unpleasant
  276. reprehensible
    bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure
  277. reprobate
    a person without moral scruples
  278. repugnant
    offensive to the mind
  279. sanguinary
    accompanied by bloodshed
  280. turpitude
    a corrupt or depraved or degenerate act or practice
  281. unspeakable
    defying expression or description
  282. vicious
    having the nature of evildoing
  283. vile
    morally reprehensible
  284. blasphemy
    profane language
  285. desecrate
    violate the sacred character of a place or language
  286. exorcism
    freeing from evil spirits
  287. heresy
    a belief that rejects the orthodox tenets of a religion
  288. impenitent
    not remorseful
  289. incantation
    a ritual reciting of words believed to have a magical effect
  290. iconoclast
    someone who attacks cherished ideas or institutions
  291. irreverent
    showing lack of due respect or veneration
  292. malediction
    the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil
  293. peccadillo
    a petty misdeed
  294. profane
    grossly irreverent toward what is held to be sacred
  295. profanity
    vulgar or irreverent speech or action
  296. sanctimonious
    excessively or hypocritically pious
  297. secular
    someone who is not a clergyman or a professional person
  298. unorthodox
    breaking with tradition or typical norms
Created on Fri Jan 31 17:24:10 EST 2020 (updated Thu Apr 02 20:04:35 EDT 2020)

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