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.