SAT Vocabulary Ep. 22: 10 High-Frequency Words, Definitions & Practice Quiz

Study 10 SAT words about skill and setbacks - Adroit, Contrite, Malaise, Palpable & more - with definitions and a free quiz.

CRAMBOOKNOTES SAT Vocab Series

SAT High-Frequency Vocabulary

Ep.22 Words in Context - Set 22

High School Grades 10-12 10 Key Words Digital SAT

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Word List

Word	Part of Speech	Definition	SAT Context
Adroit Positive	adjective	Clever and skillful, especially in physical or mental tasks	"The negotiator's adroit handling of the dispute kept both parties at the table long enough to reach a compromise."
Bereft Negative	adjective	Deprived of or lacking something, especially something valued; devastated by loss	"The essay describes a community left bereft of its main employer after the factory's sudden closure."
Contrite Positive	adjective	Feeling or showing genuine remorse for wrongdoing	"The company's contrite public apology included a detailed plan to prevent the same mistake from happening again."
Doldrums Negative	noun	A state of stagnation, low spirits, or inactivity	"After a string of losing seasons, the once-dominant program fell into a decade-long doldrums."
Facetious Negative	adjective	Treating a serious matter with inappropriate humor; flippant in a joking way	"The witness's facetious response drew laughter from the gallery but earned a stern warning from the judge."
Malaise Negative	noun	A general feeling of discomfort, illness, or unease, often without a specific cause	"The report attributes the town's economic malaise to the gradual closing of its three largest factories."
Obdurate Negative	adjective	Stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or course of action	"Despite mounting pressure from shareholders, the board remained obdurate, refusing to reconsider the merger."
Palpable Neutral	adjective	So intense as to be almost tangible; easily perceived	"The tension in the courtroom was palpable as the jury filed back in to deliver the verdict."
Sanctimonious Negative	adjective	Making a show of being morally superior to others; hypocritically pious	"Critics found the politician's sanctimonious lecture on honesty especially hard to take given his own record."
Truncate Neutral	verb	To shorten something by cutting off a part	"The editor was forced to truncate the article significantly to fit the space available on the front page."

Look-Alike Words

Opposite Charge · Contrast Pair

Contrite

Genuinely sorry and humble about having done something wrong.

Sanctimonious

Acting morally superior to others, often hypocritically.

Tip: Contrite is honest humility after a mistake. Sanctimonious is a false sense of moral superiority, often without any mistake to be humble about.

Commonly Confused · Similar Meaning

Malaise

A vague feeling of discomfort or unease, often without a clear cause.

Doldrums

A period of stagnation, low energy, or lack of progress.

Tip: Malaise is more about a feeling. Doldrums is more about a stretch of time when nothing seems to move forward.

Commonly Confused · Similar Function

Truncate

To cut something short, removing part of it.

Bereft

Left without something important, especially through loss.

Tip: Truncate is an action - something gets shortened. Bereft is a state - someone is left without something they valued.

Vocabulary Video

Watch - SAT Vocabulary Ep.22

Practice Quiz

SAT Vocab Ep.22 - Practice Quiz

Question 1 of 13

Her __________ footwork allowed her to dodge every obstacle in the final round of the competition.

Question 2 of 13

The family was left __________ after losing both their home and their savings in the same year.

Question 3 of 13

His __________ letter acknowledged the mistake in detail and offered a genuine plan to make things right.

Question 4 of 13

Ticket sales fell into a summer __________, with attendance dropping every week for two months straight.

Question 5 of 13

The intern's __________ remark about the fire drill didn't land well with the safety officer.

Question 6 of 13

A general __________ hung over the company after the third round of layoffs in a single year.

Question 7 of 13

No amount of evidence could move the __________ committee chair from his original position.

Question 8 of 13

You could feel the __________ excitement in the stadium the moment the home team took the lead.

Question 9 of 13

Her __________ speech about punctuality felt hollow coming from someone who was late to the meeting herself.

Question 10 of 13

The publisher asked the author to __________ the final chapter to fit the page limit.

Question 11 of 13

Look-Alike Check: A student who lectures classmates about academic honesty right after being caught cheating himself is being __________, not contrite.

Question 12 of 13

Look-Alike Check: A town where nothing has opened, closed, or changed in the local economy for three straight years is stuck in the __________, rather than simply experiencing a passing malaise.

Question 13 of 13

Look-Alike Check: A family who loses their only source of income overnight is left __________, rather than simply having their budget truncated.

out of 13 correct

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

Answer Key & Explanations

1Adroit. Footwork skillful enough to dodge every obstacle in a final round is exactly what adroit describes.

2Bereft. A family left devastated after losing both their home and savings in one year is exactly what bereft describes.

3Contrite. A letter that acknowledges a mistake in detail and offers a genuine plan to fix it is exactly what contrite describes.

4Doldrums. Attendance dropping every week for two months straight is exactly what doldrums describes, a period of stagnation.

5Facetious. A joking remark about a fire drill that doesn't land well with a safety officer is exactly what facetious describes.

6Malaise. A vague, general unease hanging over a company after repeated layoffs, without one specific cause, is exactly what malaise describes.

7Obdurate. A committee chair who won't budge from his position no matter the evidence is exactly what obdurate describes.

8Palpable. Excitement intense enough to be felt the moment a team takes the lead is exactly what palpable describes.

9Sanctimonious. A lecture on punctuality that feels hollow coming from someone who was late herself is exactly what sanctimonious describes.

10Truncate. Shortening a final chapter to fit a page limit is exactly what truncate means.

11Sanctimonious. Lecturing classmates about honesty right after being caught cheating is being sanctimonious, falsely superior, not contrite.

12Doldrums. A town where nothing has changed in the local economy for three years is stuck in the doldrums, a lasting stagnation, rather than simply experiencing a passing malaise.

13Bereft. A family losing their only source of income overnight is left bereft, devastated by loss, rather than simply having their budget truncated.

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