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Vocabulary Unit 19: Top SAT Words. Vocabulary.com. PRETENTIOUS. making claim to or creating an appearance of (often undeserved) importance or distinction ADJECTIVE
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Vocabulary Unit 19: Top SAT Words Vocabulary.com
PRETENTIOUS • making claim to or creating an appearance of (often undeserved) importance or distinction • ADJECTIVE • Use the adjective pretentious as a way to criticize people who try to act like they are more important or knowledgeable than they really are.
PROCRASTINATE postpone doing what one should be doing • VERB • Procrastinates means putting off doing something until a future time. When people sit down to write term papers, they can find all kinds of clever ways to procrastinate: reorganizing the paperclips, calling everyone they know, typing "I am bored" fifty times in a row.
PROSAIC • lacking wit or imagination • ADJECTIVE • Prosaic means ordinary or dull. Most of us lead a prosaic everyday life, sometimes interrupted by some drama or crisis.
PROSPERITY • the condition of prospering; having good fortune • NOUN • USEprosperity to refer to the state of being successful. In the US, the decades following World War II were characterized by rising prosperity, with large numbers moving into the middle class.
PROVOCATIVE • serving or tending to provoke, excite, or stimulate; stimulating discussion or exciting controversy • ADJECTIVE • If something is provocative, it provokes a reaction. A provocative, or low cut blouse might make people think you're attractive. A provocative statement, such as "I hate babies," will get another kind of reaction.
PRUDENT • careful and sensible; marked by sound judgment • ADJECTIVE • Describe an action as prudent if it is the wise thing to do under the existing circumstances. If you're getting in trouble, it is probably prudent to keep your mouth closed and just listen.
QUERULOUS • habitually complaining • ADJECTIVE • Querulous means “having a tendency to complain” or, more directly put, “whiny.” Sure, no one can be happy all the time, but that’s no excuse for being querulous.
RANCOROUS • showing deep-seated resentment • ADJECTIVE • The adjective rancorous comes in handy when you're describing someone's bitter grudge, like the attitude of your cousin who still won't speak to you after the April Fool's Day prank you played four years ago.
RECLUSIVE • withdrawn from society; seeking solitude • ADJECTIVE • The adjective reclusive describes a desire for seclusion or privacy. A reclusive movie star is the one tabloid photographers dream of capturing on film.
RECONCILIATION • the reestablishing of cordial relations • NOUN • Reconciliation is the act of getting two things to be compatible with one another. You might have a reconciliation with a former enemy, or your mom might call for a reconciliation between your spending habits and your diminishing bank account.