SAT High Frequency Words : 91-100

1. Deprecate (v) . express disapproval of; protest against; belittle. A firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy, Miss Post deprecated the modern tendency to address new acquaintances by their first names.
2. Deride V. ridicule; make fun of. The critics derided his pretentious dialogue and refused to consider his play seriously.
3. Derivative ADJ. unoriginal; derived from another source. Although her early poetry was clearly derivative in nature, the critics thought she had promise and eventually would find her own voice.
4. Despondent ADJ. depressed; gloomy. To the dismay of his parents, William became seriously despondent after he broke up with Jan; they despaired of finding a cure for his gloom.
5. Detached ADJ. emotionally removed; calm and objective; physically unconnected. A psychoanalyst must maintain a detached point of view and stay uninvolved with his or her patients’ personal lives.
6. Deterrent N. something that discourages; hindrance. Does the threat of capital punishment serve as a deterrent to potential killers?
7. Detrimental ADJ. harmful; damaging. The candidate’s acceptance of major financial contributions from a wellknown racist ultimately proved detrimental to his campaign, for he lost the backing of many of his early grassroots supporters.
8. Devious ADJ. roundabout; erratic; not straightforward. The Joker’s plan was so devious that it was only with great difficulty we could follow its shifts and dodges.
9. Devise V. think up; invent; plan. How clever he must be to have devised such a devious plan! What ingenious inventions might he have devised if he had turned his mind to science and not to crime.
10. Diffuse ADJ. wordy; rambling; spread out (like a gas). If you pay authors by the word, you tempt them to produce diffuse manuscripts rather than brief ones.