Vocabulary Unit 19: Top SAT Words

Vocabulary.com

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.

PRETENTIOUS

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.

PROCRASTINATE

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.

PROSAIC

the condition of prospering; having good fortune

NOUN

USE prosperity 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.

PROSPERITY

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.

PROVOCATIVE

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.

PRUDENT

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.

QUERULOUS

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.

RANCOROUS

withdrawn from society; seeking solitude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.

RECLUSIVE

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.

RECONCILIATION