SAT Vocab

Terms	Definitions
abase	to humiliate, degrade
abate	to reduce, lessen
abbot	The superior of a community of monks
abdicate	to give up a position, usually one of leadership
abdominal	of, pertaining to, or situated on the abdomen
abduct	to kidnap, take by force
aberration	something that differs from the norm
abet	to aid, help, encourage
abeyance	a state of suspension or temporary inaction
abhor	to hate, detest
abide	to put up with
abject	wretched, pitiful
abjure	to reject, renounce
able-bodied	competent for physical service
ablution	a washing or cleansing, especially of the body
abnegation	denial of comfort to oneself
abominable	causing moral revulsion
aborigines	the original of earliest known inhabitants of a country
abort	to give up on a half-finished project or effort
abridge	to cut down, shorten
abrogate	to abolish, usually by authority
abcission	the act of cutting off or removing
abscond	to depart suddenly and secretly, as for the purpose of escaping arrest
absolution	freedom from blame, guilt, sin
abstain	to freely choose not to commit an action
abstemious	characterized by self denial or abstinences, as in the use of drink, food
abstruse	hard to comprehend
abundant	plentiful
abut	to touch at the end or boundary line
accede	to agree
accentuate	to stress, highlight
accessible	obtainable, reachable
accession	induction or elevation, as to dignity, office, or government
acclaim	high praise
accolade	high praise, special distinction
accommodating	helpful, obliging, polite
accord	agreement, harmony
accost	to confront verbally
accretion	slow growth in size or amount
accumulate	to become greater in quantity or number
accusatory	of, pertaining to, or involving an accusation
accustom	to make familiar by use
acerbic	biting, bitter in tone or taste
acquiesce	to agree without protesting
acquire	to get as one's own
acrid	harshly pungent or bitter
acrimony	bitterness, discord
acumen	keen insight
acute	sharp, severe
adage	an old saying
adamant	impervious, immovable, unyielding
adept	extremely skilled
adhere	to stick to something
adjacency	the state of being adjacent
adjuration	a vehement appeal
admissible	having the right or privilege of entry
admonish	to caution, criticize, reprove
adorn	to decorate
adroit	skillful, dexterous
adulation	extreme praise
adulterate	to reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients
adumbrate	to sketch out in a vague way
adverse	antagonistic, unfavorable, dangerous
advocate	to argue in favor of something
aerial	somehow related to the air
aesthetic	artistic, related to the appreciation of beauty
affable	friendly, amiable
affinity	a spontaneous feeling of closeness
affluent	rich, wealthy
affront	an insult
agglomerate	to pile or heap together
aggrandize	to increase or make greater
aggravate	to make heavier, worse, or more burdensome
aggregate	a whole or total
aggrieved	distressed, wronged, injured
agile	quick, nimble
agnostic	believing that the existence of God cannot be proven or disproven
agog	in eager desire
agriculture	farming
ailment	slight sickness
akin	of similar nature or qualities
alabaster	white or delicately tinted fine-grained gypsum
alacrity	eagerness, speed
alchemy	a medieval science aimed at the transmutation or metals, especially base metals into gold; any magical or wonderful transformation
alcove	a covered recess connected with or at the side of a larger room
alias	a false name or identity
allay	to soothe, ease
allege	to assert, usually without proof
alleviate	to relieve, make more bearable
allocate	to distribute, set aside
alloy	to commingle; to debase by mixing with something inferior
alluvion	flood
aloof	reserved, distant
altercation	a dispute, fight
amalgamate	to bring together, unite
ambidextrous	having the ability of using both hands with equal skill or ease
ambiguous	uncertain, variably interpretable
ambivalent	having opposing feelings
ameliorate	to improve
amenable	willing, compliant
amenity	an item that increase comfort
amiable	disposed to please
amicable	friendly
amorous	showing love, particularly sexual
amorphous	without definite shape or type
anachronistic	being out of chronological order
anagram	the letters of a word or phase so transposed as to make a different word or phrase
anaglestic	something that reduces pain
analogous	similar to, so that an analogy can be drawn
analogy	reasoning in which from certain and known relations or resemblance others are formed
anarchist	one who wants to eliminate all government
anathema	a cursed, detested person
anecdote	a short, humorous account
anemia	condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles
anesthesia	loss of sensation
angelic	saintly
anguish	extreme sadness, torment
animadversion	the utterance of criticism or censure
animated	lively
animosity	hatred
annex	to incorporate territory or space
annotate	to make explanatory or critical notes on or upon
annul	to make void or invalid
anode	to point where or path by which a voltaic current enters an electrolyte or the like
anodyne	soothing
anomaly	something that does not fit into the normal order
anonymous	being unknown, unrecognized
antagonism	hostility
antecedent	something that came before
antediluvian	ancient
anthology	a selected collection of writings, songs, etc
anthropomorphous	having or resembling human form
antidote	anything that will counteract or remove the effects of poison, disease, or the like
antipathy	a strong dislike. repugnance
antiquated	old, out of date
antiseptic	clean, sterile
antithesis	the absolute opposite
anxiety	intense uneasiness
apathetic	lacking concern, emotion
aperture	hole
apiary	a place where bees are kept
aplomb	confidence; coolness
apocryphal	fictitious, false, wrong
apogee	the climax
apostate	a person who renounces a religious or political belief or principle
apostle	any messenger commissioned by or as by divine authority
apotheosis	deification
appalling	inspiring shock, horror, disgust
apparition	ghost
appease	to calm, satisfy
apposite	appropriate
appraise	to assess the worth or value of
appreciable	capable of being discerned by the senses or intellect
apprehend	to seize, arrest
apprehensible	capable of being conceive
apprise	to give notice to; to inform
approbation	praise
appropriate	to take, make use of
aquatic	relating to water
arabesque	complex, ornate design
arable	suitable for growing crops
arbiter	one who can resolve a dispute, make a decision
arbitrary	based on factors that appear random
arbitration	the process or act of resolving a dispute
arboreal	of or relating to trees
arcane	obscure, secret, known only by a few
archaic	of or relating to an earlier period in time, outdated
archetypal	the most representative or typical example of something
ardor	extreme vigor, energy, enthusiasm
arduous	strenuous, taxing, requiring significant effort
argot	a specialized vocabulary peculiar to a particular group
arid	excessively dry
arrant	notoriously bad
arrest	to suspend; to engage
arrogate	to take without justification
artifact	a remaining piece from an extinct culture or place
artisan	a craftsman
artless	completely without guile; natural; without artificiality
ascension	the act of rising
ascertain	to perceive; learn
ascetic	practicing restraint as a means of self- discipline, usually religious
ascribe	to assign, credit, attribute to
aspersion	a cures, expression of ill-will
aspire	to long for, aim toward
assail	to attack
assay	the analysis or testing of an alloy ore to determine ingredients
asses	to evaluate
assiduous	hard-working, diligent
assonant	having resemblance of sound
assuage	to ease, pacify
astringent	harsh in disposition or character
astute	very clever, crafty
asylum	a place of refuge, protection, a sanctuary
atheism	the denial of the existence of God
atone	to repent, make amends
atrocity	great cruelty or reckless wickedness
atrophy	to wither away, decay
attache	a subordinate member of a diplomatic embassy
attain	to achieve, arrive at
attenuate	to rarefy, weaken or make thinner, lessen
attribute	to credit, assign
atypical	not typical, unusual
audacious	excessively bold
audible	able to be heard
augment	to add to, expand
augury	omen
august	majestic, vulnerable
aura	pervasive psychic influence supposed to emanate from persons
auspicious	favorable, indicative of good things
austere	very bare. bleak
autocrat	any one who claims or wields unrestricted or undisputed authority or influence
auxiliary	one who or that which aids or helps, especially when regarded as subsidiary or accessory
avarice	excessive greed
avenge	to seek revenge
aver	to avouch, justify or prove
aversion	a particular dislike for something
aviary	a spacious cage of enclosure in which live birds are kept
avidity	greediness
avow	to declare openly
axiom	a universally recognized principle; a generally accepted or common saying
baleful	malignant
balk	to stop, block abruptly
ballad	a love song
banal	dull, commonplace
bane	a burden
bard	a poet, often a singer as well
bashful	shy, excessively timid
bask	to make warm by genial heat
beatify	to make supremely happy
bedaub	to smear over, as with something oily or sticky
bedizen	to adorn, especially in a cheap showy manner; festoon, caparison
bedlam	a scene of uproar
beget	to produce by sexual generation
beguile	to trick, deceive
behemoth	something of tremendous power or size
belie	to give a false impression of, to misrepresent
belittle	to disparage
bellicose	warlike
belligerent	manifesting a warlike spirit
benediction	a solemn invocation of the divine blessing
benefactor	a doer of kindly and charitable acts
benevolent	marked by goodness or doing good
benign	favorable. not threatening, mild
bent	leaning, inclination, proclivity, tendency
bequeath	to pass on, give
berate	to scold vehemently
bereft	devoid of, without
beseech	to beg, plead, implore
besmear	to smear over, as with any oily or sticky substance
bestrew	to sprinkle or cover with things strewn
bewilder	to confuse the perceptions or judgement of
bias	a tendency, inclination, prejudice
bilk	cheat, defraud
blandish	to coax by using flattery
blandishment	flattery intended to persuade
blase	sated with pleasure
blaspheme	to indulge in profane oaths
blatant	noisily or offensively loud or clamorous
bleak	desolate
blemish	an imperfection, flaw
blight	a plague, disease
blithe	joyous
boisterous	loud and full of energy
bolster	to support, as something wrong
bombastic	excessively confident, pompous
boon	a gift or blessing
boor	a rude or insensitive person; lout; yokel
bourgeois	a middle-class person, capitalist
bray	a loud harsh sound, as the cry of an ass or the blast of a horn
brazen	excessively bold, brash
breach	the violation of official duty, lawful right, or a legal obligation
brevity	shortness of duration
brigadier	general officer who commands a brigade, ranking between a colonel and a major-general
brittle	fragile
broach	to mention, for the first time
brook	to tolerate, endure, countenance
brusque	short, abrupt. dismissive
bucolic	rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural area and their inhabitants
buffet	to strike with force
bumptious	full of offensive and aggressive self-conceit
buoyant	having the power or tendency to float or keep afloat
burgeon	to grow rapidly or flourish
burnish	to polish, shine
buttress	to support, hold up
byzantine	labyrinthine, complex
cabal	a number of persons secretly united for effecting by intrigue some private purpose
cacophony	tremendous noise, disharmonious sound
cadence	a rhythm, progression of sound
cadge	to sponge, beg, or mooch
cajole	to urge, coax
calamity	an event with disastrous consequences
calibrate	to set, standardize
callous	harsh, cold, unfeeling
callow	without experience of the world
calumny	an attempt to spoil someone's reputation by spreading lies
camaraderie	brotherhood, jovial unity
candor	honesty, frankness
canny	shrewd, careful
canon	an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature
cant	to talk in a singsong, preaching tone with affected solemnity
canvas	a piece of cloth on which an artist paints
capacious	very spacious
capitulate	to surrender
capricious	subject to whim, fickle
captious	hypercritical
captivate	to get the attention of, hold
cardinal	of basic importance or consequence; primary
caret	an insertion mark (^) used by editors and proofreaders
carnage	massacre
carnal	sensual
carouse	to party, celebrate
castigation	severe criticism or punishment
casualty	a fatal or serious accident or disaster
cataclysm	a large-scale and violent event in the natural world
catalog	to list, enter into a list
catalyze	to change, inspire
cataract	opacity or the lens of the eye resulting in complete or partial blindness
catastrophe	any great and sudden misfortune or calamity
caucus	a meeting usually held by people working toward the same goal
caustic	bitter, bitting, acidic
cavort	to leap about, behave boisterously
censure	harsh criticism
centurion	a captain of a company of one hundred infantry in the ancient Roman army
cerebral	related to the intellect
ceremonious	observant of ritual
cessation	discontinuance, as of actin or motion
chagrin	keen vexation, annoyance, or mortification, as at one's failures or errors
chaos	absolute disorder
chary	careful; wary; cautious
chastise	to criticize severely
chastity	sexual or moral purity
chauvinist	one blindly devoted to a group of which one is a member
cherish	to feel or show affection toward something
chicanery	the use of trickery to deceive
chide	to voice disapproval
chimera	an illusion; originally an imaginary fire-breathing she-monster
chivalry	the knightly system with its moral and social code
choreography	the arrangement of dances
chronicle	a written history
chronological	arranged in order of time
churlish	boorish, vulgar, loutish; difficult and intractable
circuitous	roundabout
circumlocution	indirect and wordy language
circumscribed	marked off, bounded
circumspect	cautious
circumvent	to get around
clairvoyant	able to see things that normal people cannot
clamor	loud noise
clandestine	secret
clangor	clanking or a ringing, as of arms, chains, or bells; clamor
cleave	to divide into parts
clemency	mercy
clergy	members of Christian holy orders
cloying	sickeningly sweet
clumsy	awkward of movement
coagulate	to thicken, clot
coalesce	to fuse into a whole
cobbler	a person who makes or repairs shoes
coda	concluding section to a musical or literary piece, something that concludes or completes
coddle	to treat as a baby or an invalid
codicil	a supplement adding to, revoking or explaining in the body of a will
coerce	to make somebody do something by force or threat
coeval	existing during the same period of time; also, a contemporary
cogent	intellectually convincing
cogitate	consider carefully and deeply; ponder
cognizant	aware, mindful
coherent	logically consistent, intelligible
coincide	to correspond
collapsible	that may or can collapse
collateral	secondary
colloquial	characteristic of informal conversation
collusion	secret agreement, conspiracy
color	to change as if by dyeing, influence, distort or gloss over
colossus	a giant statue or thing
combustion	the act or process of burning
comestible	fit to be eaten
commemorate	to serve as a remembrance of
commendation	a notice of approval or recognition
commensurate	corresponding in size or amount
commingle	to blend or mix
commodious	roomy
commotion	a disturbance or violent agitation
commute	to put something, especially something less severe, in place of
compelling	forceful, demanding attention
compensate	to make an appropriate payment for something
complacent	self-satisfied ignorance of danger
complaisance	politeness
complement	to complete make perfect
compliant	ready to adapt to anotherís wishes
complication	a circumstance that presents a difficulty
complicit	being an accomplice in a wrongful act
compliment	an expression of esteem or approval
comport	to conduct or behave (oneself)
compound	to combine parts
comprehensive	including everything
compress	to apply pressure, squeeze together
compunction	distress caused by feeling guilty
concede	to accept as valid
conceit	self-flattering opinion
conciliatory	friendly, agreeable
concise	brief and direct in expression
concoct	to fabricate, make up
concomitant	accompanying in subordinate fashion
concord	harmonious agreement
concur	to agree
condense	to abridge
condescend	show feelings of superiority; patronize
condolence	an expression of sympathy in sorrow
condone	to pardon, deliberately overlooked
conduit	a pipe or channel through which something passes
confection	a sweet, fancy food
confer	to bestow
confidant	a person entrusted with secrets
conflagration	great fire
confluence	a gathering together
conformist	one who behaves the same as others
confound	to frustrate, confuse
congeal	to thicken into a sold
congenial	pleasantly agreeable
congregation	a gathering of people, especially for religious services
congruity	the quality of being in agreement
conjoin	to unite
connive	to plot, scheme
connoisseur	a critical judge of art, especially one with thorough knowledge an sound judgement of art
connubial	pertaining to marriage or matrimony
consanguineous	descended from the same parent or ancestor
conscience	the faculty in man by which he distinguishes between right and wrong in character and conduct
consecrate	to dedicate something to a holy purpose
consensus	an agreement of opinion
consequential	pompous, self-important
consign	to give something over to anotherís care
consolation	an act of comforting
consolidate	to combine into one body or system
consonant	in harmony
conspicuous	clearly visible
conspire	to plot
constable	an officer whose duty is to maintain the peace
constellation	an arbitrary assemblage or group of stars
consternation	panic
constituent	an essential part
constrain	to forcibly restrict
constrict	to bind
construe	to interpret
consummate	to complete a deal, extremely
consumption	the act of consuming
contagion	the communication of disease from person to person
contemporaneous	existing during the same time
contemptuous	disdainful
contentious	having the tendency to quarrel or dispute
contiguous	touching or joining at the edge or boundary
continuity	uninterrupted connection is space, time, operation, or development
contradiction	the assertion of the opposite of that which has been said
contravene	to contradict, oppose, violate
contrite	penitent, eager to be forgiven
contrivance	a thing that is created skillfully and inventively to serve a particular
contumacy	contemptuous disregard of the requirements of rightful authority
contusion	bruise, injury
conundrum	puzzle, problem
convene	to call together
convention	an assembly of people
converge	come from different directions and meet
conversant	thoroughly informed
convex	curving like the segment of the globe or of the surface of a circle
convivial	characterized by feasting, drinking, merriment
convoluted	intricate, complicated
copious	profuse, abundant
coquette	a flirt
cordial	warm, affectionate
cornucopia	the horn of plenty, symboling peace and prosperity
coronation	the act of crowning
corporeal	of a material nature; physical
corpulence	extreme fatness
correlate	to put in some relation of connection or correspondence
corrigible	capable of being set right, correctable, reparable
corroborate	to support with evidence
corrosive	having the tendency to erode or eat away
cosmetic	pertaining to the art of beautifying, especially the complexion
cosmopolitan	sophisticated, worldly
countenance	to approve of or tolerate
counteract	to neutralize, make ineffective
counterfeit	mad to resemble something else
countervail	to offset
coup	a brilliant, unexpected act
courageous	brave

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