SAT Prep Vocabulary #7 & #8

Extol (v): to praise highly; exalt

He quoted a well-known patriotic poem extolling India as “the best place in the world.”

Deference (n):

submission or courteous yielding to the opinion of another

Mitigate (v): make less severe; alleviate; become milder

To mitigate Sharice's punishment for driving under the influence, the judge ruled on probation for two years and mandatory community service instead of the 90 days in jail.

Alleviate (v):Relieve or improve; ease a pain or burden

He put on his sunglasses, which did little to alleviate the headache sunlight gave him.

Ameliorate (v): to make or become better; improve; to step in and make a bad situation better

“Going Green” is a new and popular strategy to ameliorate the negative effects on the environment.

Connotations and Word Nuances MATTER!

The difference: Alleviate suggests a temporary lessening of distress without removing the cause.

Ameliorate suggests improving circumstances that demand change.

The patient's condition was ameliorated when we administered pain medicine to alleviate her headache.

While some of these words are synonyms, their usage changes based on the nuance of the terms.

Tactile (adj): relating to the sense of touch

Blind students learn braille, which is a tactile way of reading.

Juxtaposition (n): placing two things side by side, esp. for comparison or contrast

A juxtaposition of the two cars shows that one gets 50% better mileage than the other.

Miffed (v): put out; annoyed; irritated

Kareem was miffed when John borrowed his new sneakers and scuffed them during a basketball game.

Onerous (adj): troubling; burdensome

Charlie thought that shoveling snow was an onerous task because it kept snowing as he was shoveling.

Vexation (n): annoyance; irritationRush-hour traffic is a daily vexation for those who travel in the city of Atlanta for work.

Absolution (n): forgiveness; pardon; release

For Catholics, absolution is granted when confessing and repenting of sins to a priest.

Blatant (adj): obvious and intentional

The scholar showed a blatant disregard for the school rules when he punched the student in the face in front of the principal.

It’s pretty blatant what the issue is here, don’t you think?

Ensconce (v): establish firmly in a position

Once my youngest daughter is ensconced in her bed, I can enjoy some quiet time.

Hasten (v): hurry; accelerate; rush

The officer gave George a warning when he was pulled over for speeding as he hastened to the hospital with a sick baby in the backseat.

Laceration (n): a cut

Looking down, he realized that his arm had been lacerated in the car crash and he would need stitches.

Plausible (adj): can be believed; reasonable

When Jason forgot his Crucible project at home, he tried to come up with a plausible excuse that Ms. Favors would believe.

Tawdry (adj): of little value; gaudy; cheap

Mark’s tawdry taste in clothing was an embarrassment to his girlfriend who wanted to go to an expensive restaurant for dinner.

Abstain (v): to go without; withdraw

Peter’s dad was an alcoholic, so Peter abstained from liquor and beer and stayed sober his entire life.

Blighted (adj): damaged; destroyed; ruin

The Irish famine was caused by the potato blight; food was a scarcity once the crops were ruined.

Enshroud (v): cover

After a cool swim, I like to enshroud myself in a warm, fluffy towel.