Lesson OneSAT Words– AP Laying the

Foundation

Altruistic to Taciturn

Altruisticadj—self-less; unselfishly concerned for the welfare of others;

generous

Some of the richest people in America are also among the most altruistic; Bill Gates is a case in point.

Ambivalent-(adj)undecided; having contrary feelings or

attitudes

I am ambivalent about what college to attend; Virginia has many wonderful options.

Angular—adjlean; sharp cornered

After being incarcerated, the prisoner’s face appeared gaunt and angular.

Arrogant—adjhaughty, proud

I can’t believe how arrogant the player was after he won the game; he trounced around the field as if he was invincible.

Aversion– nreluctance, loathing;

strong disliking

Donatti used aversion training, demonstrating the results by shocking a hungry rabbit, to get clients to quit smoking.

Discern-v to tell between; differentiate

My vision is poor at night and I find it difficult to discern the lines on the roads.

Disdain—n.intense dislike; to treat with

scorn or contempt

He had utter disdain for his mother-in-law, which ultimately led to the couple’s divorce.

Disparity—n.inequality; the condition or

fact of being unequal

There is a disparity of wealth in Ashburn, as evidenced by the varied styles of housing.

Disparage—verb-belittle; deprecate; damage; to speak of someone or something in a derogatory manner

He disparaged their reputations by posting the pictures of them at the party in the school newspaper.

Embellish-verbto decorate; make beautiful with

ornamentation

She embellished her handwriting with hearts, circles, and flowers, much to her teacher’s dismay.

Engender—v—to cause; create; to produce

Initially the rallies engendered good will among the participants, but eventually, things became rowdy.

Innocuous- adj—harmless, producing no injury, benign

I did not mean to offend her; I truly thought my comment was innocuous.

Insipid—adj flavorless; boring; stupid; inane

When will we ever get out of this boring and insipid class?

The vegetable dish was rather insipid; it begged for salt.

Lament—verb—to mourn, to express sorrow in a demonstrative mannerThe widow lamented the loss of her husband and dressed in

black for ten years.

Laud—verbto praise; to extol

The President was initially lauded for his victories; but lately, he has been criticized repeatedly.

Obscure—adjdifficult to see; vague

We found an obscure reference to my grandfather in a public document at the National Archives.

Ostentatious—adj—showy; pretentiousSome people prefer subtle decorations at Christmas, while others love ostentatious displays.

Prodigal—adjwasteful, a person given to extravagance

The prodigal son was warmly welcomed, even though he had lost his father’s fortune.

Repudiate—verbto reject; to disown; to disavow

It is said that Chaucer actually repudiated his work, even while others lauded it.

Reticence—n.restraint in Speech; reluctance to speak

Her reticence at school is out of character with the personality she displays at home.

Serene—adj—calm; placid

The serene setting was so relaxing, I took a nap.

Revere-verb-to honor; to regard with respect

We adults were raised in a time when children revered their elders.

Subtle- adj-delicate; elusive; not obvious

I tasted a subtle hint of cinnamon in the prize winning chili dish.

Superfluous—adjbeyond what is needed or required, an overflow

Try to weed the superfluous words from your writing; be as direct and precise as

you can be.

Taciturn—adjquiet; not verbose

He had trouble keeping up a conversation with his blind date; she was too taciturn for him.