SAT Vocabulary Ep. 21: 10 High-Frequency Words, Definitions & Practice Quiz

Learn 10 SAT words about hostility and appearances - Abhor, Grandiose, Ostensible, Trenchant & more - with a free practice quiz.

CRAMBOOKNOTES SAT Vocab Series

SAT High-Frequency Vocabulary

Ep.21 Words in Context - Set 21

High School Grades 10-12 10 Key Words Digital SAT

◀ Previous Set All SAT Vocab Sets Next Set ▶

Word List

Word	Part of Speech	Definition	SAT Context
Abhor Negative	verb	To regard with disgust and hatred; to detest	"The author makes clear that her narrator abhors dishonesty in any form, even when a small lie might make life easier."
Discreet Positive	adjective	Careful and circumspect in speech or action, especially to avoid causing embarrassment	"The assistant handled the executive's calendar with discreet professionalism, never revealing details of private meetings."
Enmity Negative	noun	Deep-seated hatred or hostility between people or groups	"The treaty formally ended decades of enmity between the two neighboring nations."
Grandiose Negative	adjective	Impressively large in scope or scale, often in an exaggerated or pompous way	"Critics questioned whether the mayor's grandiose plan for a new stadium was realistic given the city's shrinking budget."
Immutable Neutral	adjective	Not able to be changed over time	"The scientist insisted that certain physical laws are immutable, regardless of how much our understanding of the universe evolves."
Nettle Negative	verb	To irritate or provoke someone	"The senator's offhand remark seemed minor at first, but it continued to nettle her colleagues for weeks afterward."
Ostensible Neutral	adjective	Stated or appearing to be true, but not necessarily so	"The ostensible reason for the meeting was to discuss scheduling, though everyone suspected the real topic would be the recent layoffs."
Pique Neutral	verb	To stimulate interest or curiosity; also, to cause annoyance	"The unusual fossil piqued the paleontologist's curiosity enough to delay the rest of the dig by two full days."
Trenchant Positive	adjective	Sharp and forceful in expression or thought; incisive	"The columnist's trenchant analysis cut straight through the vague political language to the policy's actual consequences."
Vacuous Negative	adjective	Lacking thought or intelligence; empty of substance	"The debate coach warned against vacuous arguments that sound persuasive but collapse under any real scrutiny."

Look-Alike Words

Opposite Charge · Contrast Pair

Trenchant

Sharp, forceful, and incisive in expression or thought.

Vacuous

Empty of real thought or substance.

Tip: Trenchant cuts straight to the point with real insight. Vacuous sounds like it's saying something but really isn't.

Commonly Confused · Similar Meaning

Nettle

To irritate or provoke someone, often repeatedly.

Pique

To stir up a feeling, most often curiosity or, less commonly, irritation.

Tip: Nettle almost always means to annoy. Pique usually means to spark interest, though it can also mean to irritate - context decides which.

Commonly Confused · Similar Function

Abhor

To feel deep disgust and hatred toward something.

Enmity

A state of deep hostility or hatred between people or groups.

Tip: Abhor is a verb describing a personal feeling. Enmity is a noun describing the relationship itself.

Vocabulary Video

Watch - SAT Vocabulary Ep.21

Practice Quiz

SAT Vocab Ep.21 - Practice Quiz

Question 1 of 13

She __________ small talk, preferring to skip straight to meaningful conversation.

Question 2 of 13

Being __________ about the surprise party, she avoided mentioning it even when directly asked.

Question 3 of 13

Years of quiet __________ between the two departments finally boiled over during the budget meeting.

Question 4 of 13

His __________ vision for the company included offices on every continent within five years.

Question 5 of 13

The professor argued that certain mathematical truths are __________, unaffected by any new discovery.

Question 6 of 13

It continued to __________ him that no one had ever thanked him for organizing the event.

Question 7 of 13

The __________ goal of the retreat was team building, though most employees suspected it was really about morale after the layoffs.

Question 8 of 13

The strange sound coming from the attic __________ her curiosity enough to investigate.

Question 9 of 13

The editor's __________ notes exposed exactly where the argument fell apart.

Question 10 of 13

The speech sounded confident, but underneath the polished delivery, the argument was completely __________.

Question 11 of 13

Look-Alike Check: An essay that uses big words but never actually makes a clear point is __________, not trenchant.

Question 12 of 13

Look-Alike Check: A mysterious locked door in an old house is more likely to __________ someone's curiosity than to nettle them.

Question 13 of 13

Look-Alike Check: A long-standing rivalry between two neighboring villages that neither side can quite explain anymore is best described as __________, rather than something either side actively abhors.

out of 13 correct

Full explanations for every question appear below after you check your answers.

Answer Key & Explanations

1Abhors. Preferring to skip small talk entirely and go straight to meaningful conversation shows a deep dislike, exactly what abhor describes.

2Discreet. Carefully avoiding mention of a surprise party even when directly asked is exactly what discreet describes.

3Enmity. Years of quiet hostility between two departments finally boiling over is exactly what enmity means.

4Grandiose. A vision for offices on every continent within five years is impressively large in scope, exactly what grandiose describes.

5Immutable. Mathematical truths unaffected by any new discovery are exactly what immutable describes.

6Nettle. Continuing to irritate someone over a lack of thanks for weeks is exactly what nettle means.

7Ostensible. A stated goal that most people suspect isn't the real reason is exactly what ostensible describes.

8Piqued. A strange sound stimulating enough curiosity to prompt investigation is exactly what pique means.

9Trenchant. Notes sharp enough to expose exactly where an argument fails are exactly what trenchant describes.

10Vacuous. An argument that sounds confident but is empty of real substance underneath is exactly what vacuous describes.

11Vacuous. An essay using big words but never making a clear point is vacuous, empty of real substance, not trenchant.

12Pique. A mysterious locked door is more likely to pique curiosity, stirring interest, than to nettle someone with irritation.

13Enmity. A long-standing rivalry that neither side can explain anymore is best described as enmity, a state of deep hostility, rather than something either side actively abhors as a feeling.

CramBookNotes.com - Free study guides for students and educators - Back to Home