SAT Words of the Day 4

Terse (turs) adj. Brief and to the point; concise Rich could tell that he annoyed the teacher when she gave him a terse reply. Hemingway is best known for his terse style of writing. His sentences are short. Still, he gets his point across.

Coerce (koh URS) v. To force someone by threatening or physically overpowering him/her It was evident from the videotaped footage that the hostage was coerced to lie about the status of her condition. The burglar’s confession was coerced by the police.

Abide (ah BYDE) v. To put up with; endure; tolerate Uh oh… (ah BYDE) v. To put up with; endure; tolerate Julie knew she would have a difficult time abiding by the list of 100 rules. Josh’s father always told him if he made a promise, he must abide by it.

Abate (ah BAIT) v. To reduce; to lessen Marta’s defeat in the tennis game did not abate her love of the game. When the storm finally abated, the baseball game was able to resume.

Lithe (lythe) adj. Graceful and flexible The lithe ballerina stretched her muscles before her performance. If you are a fan of Twilight, you know that Alice Cullen is exceptionally lithe, to the point that it seems like she is dancing when she is just walking.

Jaunt (jawnt) n. A short trip for fun After not taking a family vacation for two years, a jaunt to the beach was a pleasant experience. Mary and Brian always enjoy their annual jaunt to Yosemite.

Aesthetic (es THET ik) adj. Having to do with artistic beauty; pleasing in appearance Japanese rock gardens demonstrate aesthetic values important to the Japanese culture. When buying a car, don’t get too sidetracked with aesthetic features and neglect to ask about other important factors, like performance and reliability.

Auspicious (aw SPISH uhs) adj. promising success; opportune; favorable I knew my interview was not off to an auspicious start when I got a flat tire along the way. Meeting the president would be considered an auspicious occasion to most. An inauspicious event

Superfluous (soo PUR floo uhs) adj. Exceeding what is necessary or sufficient; not needed Some students might feel that the many details Nathaniel Hawthorne includes in The Scarlet Letter are superfluous. When she couldn’t close her suitcase, Sally realized she had to take out the superfluous items -- she didn’t really need ten pairs of shoes!

Loquacious (low KWAY shuhs) adj. Chatty; a tendency to talk a great deal; full of excessive talk With such a loquacious dinner guest, no one else could get a word in edgewise! The loquacious student was constantly getting reprimanded by the teacher for disrupting the class.