Pre-AP English II SAT Voc.

1. Pre-AP English II SAT Voc. Lesson 2

2. 1. antithesis • noun – a direct opposite, a contrast • Example – Good is the antithesis of evil. • Derivatives – antithetic, antithetical, antithetically

3. 2. ascend • v. – to move upward, to rise from a lower station • Example – The climbers ascended the mountain. • Derivatives – ascendancy, ascendance, ascendant, ascension, ascending, ascetic

4. 3. austere • adj. – strict, stern; unadorned, ascetic • Example – Pioneers usually led an austere existence. • Derivatives – austereness, austerely, austerity

5. 4. autonomous • adj. – independent, self-contained • Example – One who is autonomous needs no help from others. • Derivatives – autonomic, autonomously, autonomy, autonomist Statue of Freedom

6. 5. banal • adj. – common, ordinary, lacking freshness, hackneyed • Example – Because of his use of overused trite remarks, his speeches are banal. • Derivatives – banality, banally A rather banal American meal – burgers and fries with ketchup and mustard

7. 6. benign • adj. – not causing harm, of gentle disposition, beneficial • Example – The minister was loved because of his benign attitude toward all types of people. • Derivatives – benignly, benignant, benignancy, benignantly, benignity

8. 7. capricious • adj. – changing suddenly, fickle • Example – Her capricious moods are difficult to anticipate. • Derivatives – caprice, capriciously, capriciousness

9. 8. dawdle • v. – to waste time, to spend time idly, to move in a lackadaisical manner • Example – Since we have a deadline, do not dawdle over your work. • Derivatives– dawdled, dawdling

10. 9. defamation • n. – act of harming or ruining another’s reputation • Example - The defamation of another’s character is a horrible thing. • Derivatives – defamatory, defame, defamed, defamer, defamingly

11. 10. esoteric • adj. – understood only by a small group or a select few • Example – The English teachers were having an esoteric discussion about the correct usage of some obscure word. • Derivatives – esoterical, esoterically, esotericism, esotericist, esoterism, esotery

12. 11. exacerbate • v. – to aggravate, to irritate, to vex • Example – You will only exacerbate the situation if you try to call her. • Derivatives – exacerbatingly, exacerbation

13. 12. extol • v. – to praise, to glorify • Example – The teacher would always extol students who tried to do their best. • Derivatives – extolled, extolling, extoller

14. 13. fastidious • adj. – reflecting a meticulous or demanding attitude, critical to an extreme • Example – He considered her fastidious because she was offended by insignificant mistakes or errors. • Derivatives – fastidiously, fastidiousness

15. 14. furtive • adj. – secret in an underhanded way, stealthy • Example – During the test, he made some furtive glances at other classmates’ papers. • Derivatives – furtively, furtiveness

16. 15. gregarious • adj. – sociable and outgoing • Example – He became much more gregarious after he developed an interest in girls. • Derivatives – gregariously, gregariousness

17. 16. hypocrite • n. – one who is insincere or deceitful • Example – Saying one thing and then doing the other is the mark of a hypocrite. • Derivatives – hypocrites, hypocritical, hypocritically, hypocritical, hypocrisy

18. 17. innate • adj. – existing from birth, inborn • Example – He has innate athletic talents that cannot be taught. • Derivatives – innately, innateness

19. 18. lethargic • adj. – sluggish, languid • Example – Having had too much to drink, he was very lethargic the morning after the party. • Derivatives – lethargically, lethargy

20. 19. melancholy • n. – depression of spirits • adj. – mournful, depressed (a melancholy mood); causing sadness (a melancholy occasion) • Example – After Dad lost his job, he fell into a state of melancholy. • Derivatives – melancholia, melancholic, melancholically

21. 20. opaque • adj. – not allowing the passage of light, not transparent; hard to understand • Example – I am going to place something opaque in the window so that no one will be able to see into this room. • Derivatives – opaquely, opaqueness

22. 21. prolific • adj. – abundantly fruitful, marked by great productivity • Example – Since he has written a great number of books in a short period, Stephen King is known as a prolific writer. • Derivatives – proliferation, proliferate, proliferous, proliferously

23. 22. reprove • v. – to scold or to rebuke for a misdeed usually with a kindly intent • Example – A teacher sometimes needs to reprove a student for talking during class. • Derivatives – reprovable, reprovingly, reproving, reproves, reproof

24. 23. symmetry • n. – balanced proportions • Example – The symmetry of the gardens of Versailles creates a beautiful and balanced atmosphere. • Derivatives – symmetrical, symmetric, symmetrically

25. 24. tranquil • adj. – peaceful, calm • Example – Weather in Texas can quickly change from tranquil to turbulent. • Derivatives – tranquilization, tranquilize, tranquility, tranquilizer

26. 25. venerate • v. – to honor, to revere • Example – Although she did not always agree with President Kennedy, she venerates his memory. • Derivatives – veneration, venerator, venerable, venerability