Hot words for the SAT

laconic

using few words in speech

pithy

brief and full of meaning and substance; concise

quiescent

quiet; still; inactive

reticent

not talking much; reserved

taciturn

silent; sparing of words; close-mouthed

terse

using only the words that are needed to make the point; very concise, sometimes to the point of rudeness

bombastic

using language in a pompous, showy way; speaking to impress others

garrulous

talkative; loquacious

voluble

talking a great deal with ease; glib

ostentatious

having to do with showing off; pretentious

pretentious

claiming or pretending increased importance; ostentatious; affectedly grand

supercilious

looking down on others; proud and scornful

banal

dull or stale because of overuse; trite; hackneyed

insipid

lacking flavor or taste; unexciting

prosaic

dull; commonplace

vapid

lacking freshness and zest; flat; stale

allay

to lessen fear; to calm; to relieve pain

assuage

to alleviate; to lessen pain or conflict; pacify

conciliate

to win a person over through special considerations or persuasive methods; reconcile

mollify

to pacify, soothe, or appease; to make less severe or violent

affable

easy to talk to; easy to approach, friendly; kind; amiable

congenial

compatible; having kindred needs or tastes; sympathetic

convivial

sociable, outgoing in a festive way, especially when pertaining to eating and drinking; fond of good company

gregarious

sociable, outgoing

captious

made for the sake of quarreling; quibbling

polemical

inclined to argue or debate; controversial

largess

generous giving

munificent

very generous

prodigal

wasteful; lavish

austere

having great economy; showing self-control when it comes to foregoing luxuries and frills; stern in manner or appearance (spartan?)

mercenary (adj)

greedy for self-gain; thinking only of money-making

parsimonious

overly thrifty or miserly

penurious

stingy; relating to great poverty, destitution

conflagration

a huge fire, an inferno

baneful

causing ruin, harmful, pernicious

deleterious

harmful to one's health or overall welfare; pernicious

iniquitous

showing a lack of fairness; wicked; vicious

odious

loathsome; evil; revolting in a disgusting way

pernicious

very destructive or harmful; usually in an inconspicuous and relentless way

carp

to find fault; to be critical (harp)

castigate

to scold or punish severely

deprecate

to show mild disapproval

impugn

to oppose or attack someone or something as false or refutable

upbraid

to chide; to scold bitterly

aloof

uninterested; showing no concern; emotionally removed or distant

phlegmatic

hard to get excited or emotional; calm; slow-moving

stolid

lacking emotion or not showing any emotion; stoical

languor

a weak or lifeless feeling

lassitude

a tired feeling, usually resulting from depression or too much work

soporific

sleep-inducing; sleepy

torpid

lacking energy; relating to inactivity; feeling sluggish