SAT Vocabulary Ep. 27: 10 High-Frequency Words, Definitions & Practice Quiz

SAT high-frequency vocabulary Set 27: deride, enervate, levity, obtuse, perturb, and 5 more words with definitions, look-alike word pairs, and a 13-question practice quiz.

CRAMBOOKNOTES SAT Vocab Series

SAT High-Frequency Vocabulary

Ep.27 Words in Context - Set 27

High School Grades 10-12 10 Key Words Digital SAT

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Word List

Word	Part of Speech	Definition	SAT Context
Deride Negative	verb	To express contempt for someone or something; to mock	"Early reviewers derided the novel's unconventional structure, though later critics would praise the very same choice as groundbreaking."
Enervate Negative	verb	To drain someone of energy or strength	"The prolonged drought seemed to enervate the entire farming community, leaving little energy for anything beyond basic survival."
Levity Positive	noun	A lighthearted or humorous approach to a serious situation	"The comedian's brief moment of levity gave the otherwise somber documentary a rare chance to breathe."
Obtuse Negative	adjective	Slow to understand; lacking sharpness of intellect or perception	"Critics called the senator's response obtuse, arguing that he had either misunderstood the question or deliberately avoided it."
Perturb Negative	verb	To make someone anxious or unsettled; to disturb	"The unexpected results perturbed the research team enough to delay publishing their findings by several months."
Rife Negative	adjective	Widespread, especially of something undesirable	"The report describes an industry rife with outdated safety standards that regulators have been slow to address."
Sage Positive	adjective	Wise, especially through experience and good judgment	"The retiring coach offered one final piece of sage advice: trust your preparation more than your nerves."
Truculent Negative	adjective	Eager or quick to argue or fight; aggressively defiant	"The truculent tone of the press release only heightened tensions between the two companies instead of resolving them."
Vapid Negative	adjective	Lacking flavor, liveliness, or interest; dull	"Critics dismissed the sequel's dialogue as vapid, lacking the wit that had made the original screenplay so memorable."
Zenith Positive	noun	The highest point or peak of something, especially success or achievement	"Historians consider the empire's territorial reach to have peaked at its zenith in the early third century."

Look-Alike Words

Opposite Charge · Contrast Pair

Obtuse

Slow to understand or perceive something clearly.

Sage

Wise, especially through experience and good judgment.

Tip: Obtuse describes someone missing the point. Sage describes someone whose judgment consistently gets it right.

Commonly Confused · Similar Function

Enervate

To drain someone's energy or strength.

Perturb

To make someone anxious, uneasy, or disturbed.

Tip: Enervate leaves you tired. Perturb leaves you unsettled - they can happen together, but they describe different effects.

Commonly Confused · Similar Function

Deride

To mock or express contempt for something.

Truculent

Aggressively defiant and quick to argue.

Tip: Deride is a specific act of mockery. Truculent describes a broader hostile attitude, ready to argue at any moment.

Vocabulary Video

Watch - SAT Vocabulary Ep.27

Practice Quiz

SAT Vocab Ep.27 - Practice Quiz

Question 1 of 13

Critics __________ the album when it first came out, though it later became one of the decade's most influential records.

Question 2 of 13

The humidity seemed to __________ the entire crowd by the third hour of the outdoor concert.

Question 3 of 13

She added a bit of __________ to the eulogy with a funny story about her father's terrible cooking.

Question 4 of 13

His __________ response made it clear he had missed the point of the question entirely.

Question 5 of 13

The strange noise from the engine continued to __________ the pilot throughout the short flight.

Question 6 of 13

The forum was __________ with rumors long before the company made any official statement.

Question 7 of 13

Coaches often repeat the same __________ advice: focus on what you can control.

Question 8 of 13

The __________ tone of his email made it clear he wasn't interested in compromise.

Question 9 of 13

The interview felt __________, full of rehearsed answers that said almost nothing.

Question 10 of 13

The company's stock reached its __________ just before the market correction began.

Question 11 of 13

Look-Alike Check: A mentor who always seems to know exactly the right advice to give is __________, not obtuse.

Question 12 of 13

Look-Alike Check: A strange email from an unknown sender at midnight is more likely to __________ someone than to simply enervate them.

Question 13 of 13

Look-Alike Check: A customer who crosses his arms and refuses to back down at the slightest disagreement is being __________, rather than simply deriding the staff.

out of 13 correct

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

Answer Key & Explanations

1Derided. Critics mocking an album's unconventional structure, only for it to later be praised, is exactly what deride means.

2Enervate. Humidity draining a crowd's energy over several hours is exactly what enervate describes.

3Levity. Adding a funny story to lighten a serious eulogy is exactly what levity means, a lighthearted moment in a serious situation.

4Obtuse. A response that misses the point of a question entirely is exactly what obtuse describes.

5Perturb. A strange engine noise continuing to unsettle a pilot is exactly what perturb means.

6Rife. A forum full of rumors before any official statement is exactly what rife describes, widespread with something undesirable.

7Sage. Repeating wise advice about focusing on what you can control is exactly what sage describes.

8Truculent. An email tone that signals no interest in compromise is exactly what truculent describes, aggressively defiant.

9Vapid. An interview full of rehearsed answers that say almost nothing is exactly what vapid describes.

10Zenith. A stock reaching its highest point just before a correction is exactly what zenith means.

11Sage. A mentor who always seems to know the right advice is sage, wise from experience and good judgment, not obtuse, which describes someone slow to understand.

12Perturb. A strange midnight email is more likely to unsettle someone, which is perturb, than to simply enervate them, which describes draining energy rather than causing unease.

13Truculent. Refusing to back down at the slightest disagreement describes a broader hostile attitude, which is truculent, rather than deride, a specific act of mockery.

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