TestNinjas

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DSAT Difficult Word List

Aberration (n) - a departure from what is normal, usual, or expected, typically one
that is unwelcome; aberration or deviation

Abnegation (n) - the act of renouncing or rejecting something

Abnegation (n) - the act of renouncing or rejecting something; abnegation or self-

denial

Abrogate (v) - to repeal or do away with (a law, right, or formal agreement); to

abrogate or annul

Abscond (v) - to leave hurriedly and secretly, typically to avoid detection of or arrest
for an unlawful action; to abscond or flee

Accretion (n) - the process of growth or increase, typically by the gradual accumula-
tion of additional layers or matter; accretion or buildup

Acerbic (adj) - sharp and forthright; acerbic or caustic

Acumen (n) - the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions; acumen or
shrewdness

Admonish (v) - to warn or reprimand someone firmly; to admonish or scold

Adumbrate (v) - to report or represent in outline; to foreshadow or adumbrate

Aesthetic (adj) - concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty; aesthetic or

artistic

Bellicose (adj) - demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight; bellicose or bel-

ligerent

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Benevolent (adj) - well meaning and kindly; benevolent or compassionate

Bombastic (adj) - high-sounding but with little meaning; inflated or bombastic

Boon (n) - a gift or blessing

Broach (v) - to raise (a sensitive or difficult subject) for discussion; to broach or bring
up

Byzantine (adj) - excessively complicated or convoluted in design or construction;

byzantine or intricate

Cacophony (n) - a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds; cacophony or dissonance

Capitulate (v) - to cease to resist an opponent or an unwelcome demand; to capitulate

or surrender

Capricious (adj) - given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior;

capricious or unpredictable

Castigate (v) - to reprimand severely; to castigate or criticize harshly

Catalyst (n) - a person or thing that precipitates an event or change; a catalyst or

stimulus

Circumlocution (n) - the use of many words where fewer would do, especially in a
deliberate attempt to be vague or evasive

Delineate (v) - to describe or portray (something) precisely; to delineate or define

Demagogue (n) - a leader who exploits popular prejudices and false claims and
promises in order to gain power

Denigrate (v) - to criticize unfairly; to denigrate or disparage

Deprecate (v) - to express disapproval of; to deprecate or criticize

Deride (v) - to ridicule or mock; to deride or scorn

Desultory (adj) - lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm; desultory or random

Ebullient (adj) - cheerful and full of energy; ebullient or exuberant

Efficacious (adj) - effective, producing the desired outcome; efficacious or successful

Effulgent (adj) - shining brightly; effulgent or radiant

Egregious (adj) - outstandingly bad or shocking; egregious or flagrant

Elegiac (adj) - relating to or characteristic of an elegy, mournful or melancholic; elegiac

or sorrowful

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Enervate (v) - to weaken or lessen the mental, moral, or physical vigor of; to sap the
strength of

Fastidious (adj) - very attentive to detail; meticulous or fastidious

Fatuous (adj) - silly or foolish; fatuous or inane

Fatuous (adj) - silly, foolish, especially in a smug or complacent manner

Feckless (adj) - lacking initiative or strength of character; feckless or ineffective

Fecund (adj) - fertile or productive; fecund or fruitful

Flagrant (adj) - conspicuously or obviously offensive; flagrant or blatant

Garrulous (adj) - excessively or pointlessly talkative; garrulous or loquacious

Grandiloquent (adj) - pompous or high-flown in speech

Grandiloquent (adj) - using pompous, exaggeratedly elaborate language; grandilo-

quent or bombastic

Gregarious (adj) - fond of company; sociable or gregarious

Guile (n) - sly or cunning intelligence; guile or deceit

Hapless (adj) - unlucky, unfortunate

Harangue (n/v) - a lengthy and aggressive speech; to lecture someone at length in an

aggressive or critical manner; harangue or diatribe

Iconoclast (n) - a person who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions; iconoclast or

heretic

Idiosyncrasy (n) - a distinctive or peculiar feature or characteristic of a place or

thing; an idiosyncrasy or quirk

Ignominy (n) - public shame or disgrace; ignominy or humiliation

Illicit (adj) - forbidden by law, rules, or custom; illicit or illegal

Immutable (adj) - unchanging over time or unable to be changed; immutable or

permanent

Incontrovertible (adj) - unquestionable, beyond dispute

Jejune (adj) - lacking interest or significance; dull; immature

Jingoistic (adj) - extreme patriotism, especially in the form of aggressive or warlike

foreign policy; jingoistic or nationalist

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Juxtapose (v) - to place two things together for contrasting effect; to juxtapose or
compare

Keen (adj) - intellectually sharp or perceptive; keen or astute

Kinetic (adj) - relating to or resulting from motion; kinetic or dynamic

Kismet (n) - destiny, fate, fortune

Lachrymose (adj) - tearful or given to weeping; lachrymose or mournful

Languid (adj) - lacking energy or vitality; languid or listless

Laudable (adj) - deserving praise and commendation; laudable or admirable

Legerdemain (n) - skillful use of one’s hands when performing conjuring tricks; leg-
erdemain or sleight of hand

Lethargic (adj) - affected by lethargy; sluggish or lethargic

Loquacious (adj) - talkative, wordy

Magnate (n) - a wealthy and influential person, especially in business; magnate or

tycoon

Malediction (n) - a curse; malediction or imprecation

Malfeasance (n) - wrongdoing, especially by a public official; malfeasance or miscon-

duct

Malignant (adj) - malevolent or cancerous; malignant or harmful

Mendacious (adj) - not telling the truth; lying; mendacious or deceitful

Mercurial (adj) - characterized by rapid and unpredictable change in mood

Nefarious (adj) - wicked or criminal; nefarious or villainous

Noisome (adj) - offensive or disgusting; foul-smelling; harmful or injurious

Obdurate (adj) - stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or course of action;

obdurate or inflexible

Obfuscate (v) - to confuse, bewilder, or stupefy

Obfuscate (v) - to render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible; to obfuscate or confuse

Palatable (adj) - pleasant to taste; acceptable or satisfactory; palatable or agreeable

Palliate (v) - to make less severe or unpleasant without removing the cause; to palliate
or alleviate

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Panacea (n) - a solution or remedy for all problems or difficulties; panacea or cure-all

Paragon (n) - a person or thing regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality;

paragon or model

Parsimony (n) - extreme unwillingness to spend money or use resources; parsimony

or frugality

Paucity (n) - the presence of something only in small or insufficient quantities; paucity
or scarcity

Pejorative (adj) - expressing contempt or disapproval; pejorative or derogatory

Penchant (n) - a strong or habitual liking for something or tendency to do something;

penchant or inclination

Querulous (adj) - complaining in a petulant or whining manner; querulous or peevish

Quiescent (adj) - in a state or period of inactivity or dormancy; quiescent or inactive

Rapacious (adj) - aggressively greedy or grasping; rapacious or avaricious

Recalcitrant (adj) - having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority

or discipline; recalcitrant or resistant

Recondite (adj) - exceeding ordinary knowledge and understanding

Redolent (adj) - strongly reminiscent or suggestive of something; redolent or evocative

Refulgent (adj) - shining brightly; radiant or refulgent

Sagacious (adj) - having or showing good judgment; sagacious or wise

Salubrious (adj) - healthy or beneficial to one’s well-being; salubrious or wholesome

Sanguine (adj) - cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confident

Sanguine (adj) - optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult

situation; sanguine or hopeful

Sardonic (adj) - grimly mocking or cynical; sardonic or sarcastic

Taciturn (adj) - reserved or uncommunicative in speech; taciturn or reticent

Tautology (n) - the saying of the same thing twice in different words, generally
considered to be a fault of style; tautology or redundancy

Temerity (n) - excessive confidence or boldness; temerity or audacity

Timorous (adj) - showing or suffering from nervousness, fear, or a lack of confidence;

timorous or timid

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Trenchant (adj) - vigorous or incisive in expression or style; trenchant or forceful
Unctuous (adj) - excessively flattering or ingratiating; oily or unctuous
Unctuous (adj) - excessively smooth or smug; trying too hard to give an impression
of earnestness, sincerity, or piety
Unfettered (adj) - free from restraint or inhibition; unfettered or unrestricted
Untenable (adj) - not able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection;
untenable or indefensible
Usurp (v) - to take (a position of power or importance) illegally or by force; to usurp
or seize
Vex (v) - to make someone feel annoyed, frustrated, or worried, especially with trivial
matters; to vex or irritate
Vitriolic (adj) - bitter, sarcastic; highly caustic or biting
Wan (adj) - pale and giving the impression of illness or exhaustion; wan or pallid
Whimsical (adj) - playfully quaint or fanciful, especially in an appealing and amusing
way; whimsical or capricious
Winsome (adj) - attractive or appealing in a sweet, innocent, or charming way; win-
some or engaging
Wistful (adj) - having or showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing; wistful or
nostalgic
Wry (adj) - using or expressing dry, especially mocking,
Xenophobia (n) - dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries; xeno-
phobia or racism
Xenophobic (adj) - having or showing a dislike of or prejudice against people from
other countries
Yearn (v) - to have an intense feeling of longing for something, typically something
that one has lost or been separated from; to yearn or long
Yoke (v) - to join, link
Zealot (n) - a person who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of their religious,
political, or other ideals; zealot or extremist
Zenith (n) - the highest point reached by a celestial or other object; the point in the
sky or celestial sphere directly above an observer; zenith or peak
Zephyr (n) - a soft gentle breeze; zephyr or gust

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