PSAT: Challenging Words: List 5

We've identified 200 challenging words you may see on the PSAT. Rely on your knowledge of roots, prefixes, and suffixes to guess the meaning of each word as you practice and master each list.
15 words 182 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. queue
    a line of people or vehicles waiting for something
  2. cajole
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
  3. jurisprudence
    the branch of philosophy concerned with the law
  4. ameliorate
    make better
  5. specious
    plausible but false
  6. demagogue
    a leader who seeks support by appealing to popular passions
  7. obdurate
    stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
  8. supercilious
    having or showing arrogant superiority
  9. predilection
    a predisposition in favor of something
  10. perfunctory
    hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
  11. cabal
    a clique that seeks power usually through intrigue
  12. usury
    the act of lending money at an exorbitant rate of interest
  13. behest
    an authoritative command or request
  14. obeisance
    bending the head or body in reverence or submission
  15. threadbare
    thin and tattered with age
Created on Thu Jun 05 15:35:00 EDT 2025

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