PSAT vocabulary words

brevity

quality of succinct expression

judicious

showing sound judgement; prudent

adjudicate

to hear and judge a case

scrutinize

to examine carefully

prudent

using good judgement

loquacious

very talkative

circumlocution

evasive speech; talking around the subject

colloquial

conversational, using everyday language

grandiloquent

speaking in a pompous manner

elocution

expressive delivery of public speech

benefactor

one who supports or helps another

benign

harmless

benevolent

kind; considerate

immutable

unchangeable

transmute

to transform

amorphous

lacking shape, changeable in form

mercurial

erratic, subject to wild changes in character

hackneyed

overused, trite

mundane

ordinary, typical

vacuous

lacking substance

prosaic

unimaginative, ordinary

insipid

uninteresting, dull, without flavor

banal

ordinary, trivial

sanguine

cheerfully optimistic

phlegmatic

emotionally calm, sluggish

choleric

easily angered

recalcitrant

stubbornly resistant to authority

lethargic

sluggish; dully apathetic

spurious

fake; counterfeit

guile

trickery, deceit

beguile

to deceive with charm

strategem

a deceitful scheme

surreptitious

deceptive; sneaky

clandestine

secret; hidden

stealth

sneakiness; ability to avoid detection

transient

fleeting; short-lived

ephemeral

short-lived

sporadic

irregular or unpredictable; infrequent

transire

to go across

capricious

given to sudden or unaccountable changes in mood or behavior

fickle

changing frequently, especially as regards to one's loyalties, interests, or affections

evanescent

likely to vanish

vanescere

to disappear

extemporaneous

done with little or no practice

anachronism

something out of place in time

caustic

corrosive, sarcastic

admonish

to reprimand mildly

repudiate

to cast off publicly

guile

sly or cunning intelligence

evanescent

soon passing out of sight, memory, or existence; quickly fading or disappearing

sanctimonious

falsely pious or self-righteous

sanctimonious

making a show of being morally superior to others

sanctimonious

making a hypocritical show of religious devotion, piety, righteousness, etc...

Sacrosanct

profoundly sacred

sacriligious

grossly irreverent, disrespectful of something sacred

deference

respect for the wishes of others

indomitable

unable to be conquered

redoubtable

arousing fear, formidable, awesome

anthology

a collection of works

convoke

to call together

eclectic

made up of parts from many different sources

legere

to choose

eclectic

deriving ideas, style, or taste from a wide and diverse range of sources

yoke

to join different things

callous

hardened, insensitive

supercilious

full of haughty arrogance

supercillious

behaving or looking as though one thinks one is superior to others

idiosyncrasy

a peculiar trait or habit

lassitude

a feeling of weakness

lassitude

a state of physical or mental weariness; a lack of energy

inert

sluggish, inactive

listless

sluggish; without energy

quiescent

resting; quiet

quiescent

in a state or period of inactivity or dormancy

languid

weak, sluggish

languid

weak or faint from illness or fatigue

languid

(of a person, manner, or gesture) displaying or having a disinclination for physical exertion or effort; slow and relaxed

irascible

easily angered

pugnacious

quarrelsome; warlike

irascible

having or showing a tendency to be easily angered

acrimony

bitterness of feeling; harsh words

acrid

harsh smelling or tasting

acrimony

bitterness or ill-feeling

acrid

having an irritatingly strong and unpleasant taste or smell