SAT Vocabulary

Broach—start to discuss, approach

Sometimes it is difficult

to broach

uncomfortable topics

with people to whom

we do not always get

along.

Lavish—on a grand scale, wasteful

Ferrari makes such

lavish cars.

Obtuse—mentally dull

Mr. Pewterschmidt is

typically an idiot,

making him literally

obtuse.

Espouse—promote, take up, support

When it comes to

books, such ideas

should always be

espoused!

Hone—sharpen, increase

Students would do well

to work at honing their

study skills.

Lax—careless, not strict

Homer’s lax attitude

toward his job nearly

made the power plant

meltdown.

Riddled—full of (usually holes)

Objects do not protect

people from bullets or

objects the way they

would think; the object

will still be riddled.

Aesthetic—concerning art or beauty

The aesthetic view of

flowers in a field is

priceless.

Defunct—no longer in existence

The use of a pay phone

is completely defunct

technology.

Odious—hateful

Lord Voldemort acted

odiously toward Harry

Potter and other

muggle borns.

Posterity—future generations

Scientists study global

warming because

posterity is a concern—

we need an Earth for

our grand-children.

Affable—friendly, social, easygoing

As a society, it would be

better if we could all be

a little more affable.

Eulogy—praising speech/words

Popular at funerals,

eulogies are meant to

help loved ones

celebrate the life of

those that have died.

Hypochondriac—a person obsessed with

health, having imaginary illnesses

The site WebMD is terrible for

a hypochondriac because it

makes them believe random

health issues are major

illnesses.

Rigor—thoroughness

Rigor requires

students to not work

harder, but be more

engaged learners.

Euphemism—a polite phrase to cover

something unpleasant

Santa’s euphemism is

much more pleasant

than “Hey, Elf, you’re

fired."

Lethargic—tired, without energy

After playing in the yard

all day, the dog is very

lethargic.

Ogle—stare at, observe in an obvious

manner

Very few people

appreciate being ogled;

it is considered rude.

Postulate—hypothesize, propose

Homer tries to postulate

a solution for creating

more donuts.

Robust—strong, healthy, tough

Peter’s imagination is

robust, which is how he

is riding Falcor, the luck

dragon from The

NeverEnding Story.

Levity—flippancy, joking about serious

matters

South Park’s levity

toward genuine global

issues helps people

deal with things that

scare and upset us.

Potable—suitable for drinking

Unfortunately, Detroit

does not have potable

water.

Alibi—an excuse that shows someone was

not at a crime scene

I thought my alibi was

airtight, but I should have

realized there would be an

issue, since it was actually a

lie.

Idiosyncrasy—a personal peculiarity,

something unique to an individual

I thought my

idiosyncrasy was

adorable, actually it

really just annoyed

people.

Ominous—threatening

The on-coming storm

was ominous.

Potent—powerful, compelling, strong

The spice in peppers

can be extremely

potent!

Ruminate—think over something, ponder

Genie does not

ruminate; he likes to act

quickly and see what

happens!

Exacerbate—make worse

Homer

exacerbates

issues, mostly by

existing.

Ruse—trick, stratagem

The Trojan Horse is the

most clever ruse in all

of military history.

Transgress—go astray, disobey, commit a

sin

Craig committed his

first transgression by

giving into Smokey’s

offer of marijuana.