M

mawkish (adj.) characterized by sick sentimentality (Although some nineteenth-

century critics viewed Dickens’s writing as mawkish, contemporary readers have
found great emotional depth in his works.)

maxim (n.) a common saying expressing a principle of conduct (Miss Manners’s

etiquette maxims are both entertaining and instructional.)

meager (adj.) deficient in size or quality (My meager portion of food did nothing to
satisfy my appetite.)

medley (n.) a mixture of differing things (Susannah’s wardrobe contained an

astonishing medley of colors, from olive green to fluorescent pink.)

mendacious (adj.) having a lying, false character (The mendacious content of the tabloid
magazines is at least entertaining.)

mercurial (adj.) characterized by rapid change or temperamentality (Though he was

widely respected for his mathematical proofs, the mercurial genius was impossible to
live with.)

meritorious (adj.) worthy of esteem or reward (Manfred was given the congressional
medal of honor for his meritorious actions.)

metamorphosis (n.) the change of form, shape, substance (Winnifred went to the gym
every day for a year and underwent a metamorphosis from a waiflike girl to an
athletic woman.)

meticulous (adj.) extremely careful with details (The ornate needlework in the bride’s
gown was a product of meticulous handiwork.)

mitigate (v.) to make less violent, alleviate (When I had an awful sore throat, only
warm tea would mitigate the pain.)
SAT Vocabulary

moderate 1. (adj.) not extreme (Luckily, the restaurant we chose had moderate prices;
none of us have any money.) 2. (n.) one who expresses moderate opinions (Because
he found both the liberal and conservative proposals too excessive, Mr. Park sided
with the moderates.)

modicum (n.) a small amount of something (Refusing to display even a modicum of

sensitivity, Henrietta announced her boss’s affair in front of the entire office.)

modulate (v.) to pass from one state to another, especially in music (The composer
wrote a piece that modulated between minor and major keys.)

mollify (v.) to soften in temper (The police officer mollified the angry woman by giving
her a warning instead of a ticket.)
 N

morass (n.) a wet swampy bog; figuratively, something that traps and confuses (When
Theresa lost her job, she could not get out of her financial morass.)

mores (n.) the moral attitudes and fixed customs of a group of people. (Mores change
over time; many things that were tolerated in 1975 are no longer seen as being
socially acceptable.)

morose (adj.) gloomy or sullen (Jason’s morose nature made him very unpleasant to
talk to.)

multifarious (adj.) having great diversity or variety (This Swiss Army knife has
multifarious functions and capabilities. Among other things, it can act as a knife, a
saw, a toothpick, and a slingshot.)

mundane (adj.) concerned with the world rather than with heaven, commonplace (He
is more concerned with the mundane issues of day-to-day life than with spiritual
topics.)

munificence (n.) generosity in giving (The royal family’s munificence made everyone
else in their country rich.)

mutable (adj.) able to change (Because fashion is so mutable, what is trendy today will
look outdated in five years.)

myriad (adj.) consisting of a very great number (It was difficult to decide what to do
Friday night because the city presented us with myriad possibilities for fun.)

N
nadir (n.) the lowest point of something (My day was boring, but the nadir came when
I accidentally spilled a bowl of spaghetti on my head.)

SAT Vocabulary
nascent (adj.) in the process of being born or coming into existence (Unfortunately,
my brilliant paper was only in its nascent form on the morning that it was due.)

nebulous (adj.) vaguely defined, cloudy (The transition between governments meant
that who was actually in charge was a nebulous matter.)

nefarious (adj.) heinously villainous (Although Dr. Meanman’s nefarious plot to melt
the polar icecaps was terrifying, it was so impractical that nobody really worried
about it.)

negligent (adj.) habitually careless, neglectful (Jessie’s grandfather called me a

negligent fool after I left the door to his apartment unlocked even though there had
been a recent string of robberies.)
 O

neophyte (n.) someone who is young or inexperienced (As a neophyte in the literary
world, Malik had trouble finding a publisher for his first novel.)

nocturnal (adj.) relating to or occurring during the night (Jackie was a nocturnal
person; she would study until dawn and sleep until the evening.)

noisome (adj.) unpleasant, offensive, especially to the sense of smell (Nobody would
enter the stalls until the horse’s noisome leavings were
taken away.)

nomadic (adj.) wandering from place to place (In the first six months after college, Jose
led a nomadic life, living in New York, California, and Idaho.)

nominal (adj.) trifling, insignificant (Because he was moving the following week and
needed to get rid of his furniture more than he needed money, Jordan sold
everything for a nominal fee.)

nonchalant (adj.) having a lack of concern, indifference (Although deep down she was
very angry, Marsha acted in a nonchalant manner when she found out that her best
friend had used her clothing without asking.)

nondescript (adj.) lacking a distinctive character (I was surprised when I saw the movie
star in person because she looked nondescript.)

notorious (adj.) widely and unfavorably known (Jacob was notorious for always
arriving late at parties.)

novice (n.) a beginner, someone without training or experience (Because we were all
novices at yoga, our instructor decided to begin with the basics.)

noxious (adj.) harmful, unwholesome (Environmentalists showed that the noxious

weeds were destroying the insects’ natural habitats.)
SAT Vocabulary

nuance (n.) a slight variation in meaning, tone, expression (The nuances of the poem
were not obvious to the casual reader, but the professor was able to point them out.)

nurture (v.) to assist the development of (Although Serena had never watered the plant,
which was about to die, Javier was able to nurture it back to life.)

O
obdurate (adj.) unyielding to persuasion or moral influences (The obdurate old man
refused to take pity on the kittens.)

obfuscate (v.) to render incomprehensible (The detective did want to answer the
newspaperman’s questions, so he obfuscated the truth.)
 O

oblique (adj.) diverging from a straight line or course, not straightforward (Martin’s
oblique language confused those who listened to him.)

oblivious (adj.) lacking consciousness or awareness of something (Oblivious to the

burning smell emanating from the kitchen, my father did not notice that the rolls in
the oven were burned until much too late.)

obscure (adj.) unclear, partially hidden (Because he was standing in the shadows, his
features were obscure.)

obsequious (adj.) excessively compliant or submissive (Mark acted like Janet’s servant,
obeying her every request in an obsequious manner.)

obsolete (adj.) no longer used, out of date (With the inventions of tape decks and CDs,
which both have better sound and are easier to use, eight-track players are now
entirely obsolete.)

obstinate (adj.) not yielding easily, stubborn (The obstinate child refused to leave the
store until his mother bought him a candy bar.)

obstreperous (adj.) noisy, unruly (Billy’s obstreperous behavior prompted the librarian
to ask him to leave the reading room.)

obtuse (adj.) lacking quickness of sensibility or intellect (Political opponents warned

that the prime minister’s obtuse approach to foreign policy would embroil the nation
in mindless war.)

odious (adj.) instilling hatred or intense displeasure (Mark was assigned the odious task
of cleaning the cat’s litter box.)

officious (adj.) offering one’s services when they are neither wanted nor needed
(Brenda resented Allan’s officious behavior when he selected colors that might best

SAT Vocabulary
improve her artwork.)

ominous (adj.) foreboding or foreshadowing evil (The fortuneteller’s ominous words

flashed through my mind as the hooded figure approached me in the alley.)

onerous (adj.) burdensome (My parents lamented that the pleasures of living in a
beautiful country estate no longer outweighed the onerous mortgage payments.)

opulent (adj.) characterized by rich abundance verging on ostentation (The opulent

furnishings of the dictator’s private compound contrasted harshly with the meager
accommodations of her subjects.)
 P

oration (n.) a speech delivered in a formal or ceremonious manner (The prime minister
was visibly shaken when the unruly parliament interrupted his oration about failed
domestic policies.)

ornate (adj.) highly elaborate, excessively decorated (The ornate styling of the new
model of luxury car could not compensate for the poor quality of its motor.)

orthodox (adj.) conventional, conforming to established protocol (The company’s

profits dwindled because the management pursued orthodox business policies that
were incompatible with new industrial trends.)

oscillate (v.) to sway from one side to the other (My uncle oscillated between buying a
station wagon to transport his family and buying a sports car to satisfy his boyhood
fantasies.)

ostensible (adj.) appearing as such, seemingly (Jack’s ostensible reason for driving was
that airfare was too expensive, but in reality, he was afraid of flying.)

ostentatious (adj.) excessively showy, glitzy (On the palace tour, the guide focused on
the ostentatious decorations and spoke little of the royal family’s history.)

ostracism (n.) exclusion from a group (Beth risked ostracism if her roommates
discovered her flatulence.)

P
pacific (adj.) soothing (The chemistry professor’s pacific demeanor helped the class
remain calm after the experiment exploded.)

palatable (adj.) agreeable to the taste or sensibilities (Despite the unpleasant smell, the
exotic cheese was quite palatable.)
SAT Vocabulary

palette (adj.) a range of colors or qualities (The palette of colors utilized in the painting
was equaled only by the range of intense emotions the piece evoked.)

palliate (v.) to reduce the severity of (The doctor trusted that the new medication
would palliate her patient’s discomfort.)

pallid (adj.) lacking color (Dr. Van Helsing feared that Lucy’s pallid complexion was
due to an unexplained loss of blood.)

panacea (n.) a remedy for all ills or difficulties (Doctors wish there was a single panacea
for every disease, but sadly there is not.)

paradigm (n.) an example that is a perfect pattern or model (Because the new SUV was
so popular, it became the paradigm upon which all others were modeled.)