SAT Vocabulary Level 3 — Set 47

Set 47 of SAT Vocabulary Level 3 covers 5 words: raspy, belligerent, knotty, tawdry, indisposed. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

1. raspy · adjective/ˈræ.spi/

   having a harsh or grating sound

   After yelling for hours at the concert, her voice became raspy and barely audible.

   Synonyms: hoarse, grating, harsh

   Origin: The word 'raspy' originates from Middle English 'rasp', meaning to scrape or to make a rough sound, which is derived from Old French 'rasper' meaning 'to rasp'.

2. belligerent · adjective/bəˈlɪdʒ.ə.rənt/

   hostile and aggressive

   His belligerent attitude during negotiations made it difficult for both sides to reach an agreement.

   Synonyms: hostile, aggressive, combative

   Origin: from Latin 'belligerare', meaning 'to wage war' (from 'bellum' meaning 'war' and 'gerere' meaning 'to carry')

3. knotty · adjective/ˈnɑːti/

   full of knots or difficult to resolve

   The project presented a knotty problem that took the team weeks to resolve.

   Synonyms: tangled, complex, convoluted

   Origin: The word 'knotty' originates from the Old English 'cnotta', meaning a knot, combined with the suffix '-y' to describe something characterized by knots or difficulty.

4. tawdry · adjective/ˈtɔː.dri/

   showing a lack of style or subtlety and often cheap in appearance

   The shop was filled with tawdry souvenirs that lacked any real artistic value.

   Synonyms: tacky, gaudy, cheap

   Origin: The word 'tawdry' originally comes from 'Tawdry lace', which was a cheap lace named after St. Audrey (Etheldreda), whose fair was famous for such lace in 12th century England. Over time, 'tawdry' came to refer to things that were cheap and showy.

5. indisposed · adjective/ˌɪndɪsˈpoʊzd/

   slightly unwell or unable to do something

   She was feeling indisposed and decided to skip the meeting.

   Synonyms: unwell, ailing, unfit

   Origin: The word 'indisposed' comes from the Latin 'indispositus,' which means 'not arranged or disposed,' from 'in-' (not) + 'disponere' (to arrange).