PSAT Vocabulary
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Created by:
kmazzarella on September 21, 2011
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410 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Abandon | total lack of inhibition |
| Abase | to humble; disgrace |
| Abate | decrease, reduce |
| Abdicate | to give up a position, right, or power |
| Aberration | something different from the usual |
| Abet | to aid; act as accomplice |
| Abhor | to loathe, detest |
| Abject | meserable, pitiful |
| Abolitionist | one who opposes the practice of slavery |
| Abortive | interrupted while incomplete |
| Abridge | to condense, shorten |
| Abrogate | to put an end to, abolish by authority |
| Abscond | to depart secretly |
| Absolve | to forgive, free from blame |
| Abstain | to choose not to do something |
| Accolade | praise, distinction |
| Accrue | to accumulate, grow by additions |
| Acerbic | bitter, sharp in taste or temper |
| Acme | highesst point; summit |
| Acquiesce | to agree; comply quietly |
| Acrid | harsh, bitter |
| Acrimony | bitterness, animosity |
| Acuity | sharpness |
| Acumen | sharpness of insight |
| Adage | old saying or proveb |
| Adamant | uncompromising, unyielding |
| Adapt | to accommodate; adjust |
| Adhere | to cling or follow without deviation |
| Adjacent | next to |
| Admonish | to causion or reprimand |
| Adroit | skillful, accomplished, highly competent |
| Adulation | high praise |
| Adumbrate | to sketch, outline in a shadowy way |
| Adversarial | antagonistic, competitive |
| Aerie | nook or nest built high in the air |
| Aesthetic | pertaining to beauty or art |
| Affable | friendly, easy to approach |
| Affected | pretentious, phony |
| Affluent | rich, abundant |
| Affront | personal offense, insult |
| Agenda | plan, schedule |
| Agile | well coordinated, nimble |
| Agitation | commotion, excitement; uneasiness |
| Agrarian | relating to farming or rural matters |
| Alacrity | cheerful willingness, eagerness; speed |
| Alias | assumed name |
| Alienated | distanced, estranged |
| Allegory | symbolic representation |
| Alleviate | to relieve, improve partially |
| Allure | to entice by charm; attract |
| Allusion | indirect reference |
| Aloof | detached, indifferent |
| Altruism | unselfish concern for others' welfare |
| Ambiguous | uncertain; subject to multiple interpretation |
| Ambivalence | attitude of uncertainty; confliscting emotions |
| Ameliorate | to make better, improve |
| Amend | to improve or correct flaws in |
| Amenity | pleasantness; something increasing comfort |
| Amiable | friendly, pleasant, likable |
| Amicable | friendly, agreeable |
| Amoral | unprincipled, unethical |
| Amorphous | having no definite form |
| Amphibian | creature equally at home on land or in water |
| Ample | abundant, plentiful |
| Amulet | ornament worn as a charm against evil spirits |
| Anachronistic | out of date |
| Anarchy | absence of government or law; chaos |
| Animation | enthusiasm, excitement |
| Animosity | hatred, hostility |
| Annul | to cancel, nullify, declare void, or make legally invalid |
| Anomaly | irregularity or deviation from the norm |
| Anonymity | condition of haying no name or an unknown |
| Antagonist | foe, opponent, adversary |
| Antecedent | coming before in place or time |
| Anthology | collection of literary works |
| Antipathy | dislike, hostility; extreme opposition or aversion |
| Antiquated | outdated, obsolete |
| Antiquity | ancient times; the quality of being old |
| Antithesis | exact opposite or direct contrast |
| Apathy | lack of feeling or emotion |
| Aphorism | old saying or short, pithy statement |
| Apocryphal | not genuine; fictional |
| Appease | to satisfy, placate, calm, pacify |
| Approbation | praise; official approval |
| Appropriate | to take possession of |
| Aprable | suitable for cultivation |
| Arbitrary | depending solely on individual will; inconsistent |
| Apboreal | relating to trees; living in trees |
| Arcane | secret, obscure, known only to a few |
| Archaic | antiquated, from an earlier time; outdated |
| Archipelago | large group of islands |
| Ardent | passionate, enthusiastic, fervent |
| Arduous | extreme difficulty, laborious |
| Arid | extremely dry or deathly boring |
| Arsenal | ammunition storehouse |
| Articulate | well spoken, expressing oneself clearly |
| Artisan | craftsperson; expert |
| Ascend | to rise or climb |
| Ascetic | self-denying, abstinent, austere |
| Ashen | resembling ashes; pale |
| Askew | crooked, tilted |
| Aspersion | false rumor, damaging report, slander |
| Aspire | to have great hopes; to aim at a goal |
| Assail | to attack, assault |
| Assiduous | diligent, persistent, hard-working |
| Assuage | to make less severe, ease, relieve |
| Astringent | harsh, severe, stern |
| Astute | having good judgement |
| Atone | to make amends for a wrong |
| Atrocious | monstrous, shockingly bad |
| Attain | to accomplish, gain |
| Attenuate | to make thin or slender; weaken |
| Audacious | bold, daring, fearless |
| Audible | capable of being heard |
| Augment | to expand, extend |
| August | dignified, awe inspiring, venerable |
| Auspicious | having facorable prospects, promising |
| Austere | stern, strict, unadorned |
| Authoritarian | extremely strict, bossy |
| Autocrat | dictator |
| Avarice | greed |
| Avenge | to retaliate, take revenge for an injury or crime |
| Aver | to declare to be true, affirm |
| Aversion | intense dislike |
| Avert | to turn (something) away; prevent, hinder |
| Aviary | large enclosure housing birds |
| Awry | crooked, askew, amiss |
| Baleful | harmful |
| Ballad | folk song, narrative poem |
| Balm | soothing, healing influence |
| Banal | trite, overly common |
| Bane | something causing death, destructuion, or ruin |
| Banter | playful conversation |
| Bastion | fortification, stronghold |
| Bay | to bark, especially in a deep, prolonged way |
| Beguile | to deceive, mislead; charm |
| Behemoth | huge creature |
| Belabor | to insist repeatedly or harp on |
| Belie | to misrepresent; expose as false |
| Belligerent | hostile, tending to fight |
| Benefactor | someone giving aid or money |
| Beneficent | kindly, charitable; doing good deeds; producing good effects |
| Benighted | unenlightened |
| Benign | kindly, gentle, or harmless |
| Bequeath | to give or leave through a will; to hand down |
| Berate | to scold harshly |
| Beseech | to beg, plead, implore |
| Bestial | beastly, animal-like |
| Bias | prejudice, slant |
| Bibliography | list of books |
| Bisect | to cut into two (usually equal) parts |
| Blanch | to pale; take the color out of |
| Blandish | to coax with flattery |
| Blasphemous | cursing, profane, irreverent |
| Blatant | glaring, obvious, showy |
| Blight | to afflict, destroy |
| Boisterous | rowdy, loud, unrestrained |
| Bombastic | using high-sounding but meaningless language |
| Boor | crude person, one lacking manners or taste |
| Botanist | scientist who studies plants |
| Bovine | cowlike; relating to cows |
| Brazen | bold, shameless, impudent; of or like brass |
| Broach | to mention or suggest for the first time |
| Burgeon | to sprout or flourish |
| Burnish | to polish, make smooth and bright |
| Buttress | to reinforce or support |
| Cacophony | jarring, unpleasant noise |
| Cajole | to flatter, coax, persuade |
| Callous | thick-skinned, insensitive |
| Callow | immature, lacking sophistication |
| Candor | honesty of expression |
| Canny | smart; founded on common sense |
| Capitulate | to submit complete, surrender |
| Caricious | impulsive, whimsical, without much thought |
| Caricature | exaggerated portrait, cartoon |
| Cartography | science or art of making maps |
| Castigate | to punish, chastise, criticize severely |
| Catalyst | something causing change without being changed |
| Catholic | universal; broad and comprehensive |
| Caucus | smaller group within an organization; a meeting of such a group |
| Caustic | biting, sarcastic; able to burn |
| Cede | to surrender possession of something |
| Censorious | severely critical |
| Cessation | temporary or complete halt |
| Chagrin | shame, embarrassment, humiliation |
| Champion | to defend or support |
| Chaotic | extremely disorderly |
| Charlatan | quack, fake |
| Chary | watchful, cautious, extremely shy |
| Chastise | to punish, discipline, scold |
| Chide | to scold, express disapproval |
| Chromatic | relating to color |
| Circuitous | roundabout |
| Circumference | boundary or distance around a circle or sphere |
| Circumscribe | to encircle; set limits on, confine |
| Circumspect | cautious, wary |
| Citadel | fortress or stronghold |
| Civil | polite; relating to citizens |
| Clairvoyant | to be able to see the future; psychic |
| Clamor | to make a noisy outcry |
| Clandestine | secretive |
| Clemency | merciful leniency |
| Cloister | to confine, seclude |
| Coalesce | to grow together or cause to unite as one |
| Coddle | to baby, treat indulgently |
| Coerce | to compel by force or intimidation |
| Cogent | logically forceful, compelling, convincing |
| Coherent | intelligible, lucid, understandable |
| Collateral | accompanying |
| Colloquial | characteristics of informal speech |
| Collusion | collaboration, complicity, conspiracy |
| Commensurate | proportional |
| Commodious | roomy, spacious |
| Communicable | transmittable |
| Commute | to change a penalty to less severe one |
| Compensate | to repay or reimburse |
| Complacent | self-satisfied, smug |
| Complement | to complete, perfect |
| Compliant | submissive and yielding |
| Complicity | knowing partnership in wrongdoing |
| Compunction | feeling of uneasiness caused by guilt or regret |
| Concave | curving inward |
| Concede | to yield, admit |
| Conciliatory | overcoming distrust or hostility |
| Concur | to agree |
| Condone | to pardon or forgive; overlook, justify or excuse a fault |
| Conduit | tube, pipe, or similar passage |
| Conflagration | big, jdestructive fire |
| Confound | to baffle, perplex |
| Congeal | to become thick or solid, as a liquid freezing |
| Congenial | similar in tastes and habits |
| Conglomerate | collected group of varied things |
| Conjecture | speculation, prediction |
| Conscientious | governed by conscience; careful and thorough |
| Consecrate | to declare sacred; dedicated to a goal |
| Consensus | unanimity, agreement of opinion or attitude |
| Consolation | something providing comfort or solace for a loss or hardship |
| Consolidate | to combine; incorporate |
| Constrained | forced, compelled; confined, restrained |
| Construe | to explain or interpret |
| Contentious | quarrelsome, disagreeable, belligerent |
| Continence | self-control, self-restraint |
| Contravene | to contradict, deny, act contrary to |
| Contrite | deeply sorrowful and repentant for a wrong |
| Conundrum | riddle, puzzle or problem with no solution |
| Convalescence | gradual recovery after an illness |
| Convene | to meet, come together, assemble |
| Conventional | typical, customary, commonplace |
| Convex | curved outward |
| Convoluted | twisted, complicated, involved |
| Copious | abundant, plentiful |
| Corroborate | to confirm, verify |
| Cosmetic | relating to beauty; affecting the surface of something |
| Cosmopolitan | sophisticated, free from local prejudices |
| Coterie | small group of persons with a similar pupose |
| Covert | hidden; secret |
| Covet | to desire strongly something possessed by another |
| Crass | crude, unrefined |
| Craven | cowardly |
| Credence | acceptance of something as true or real |
| Credulous | gullible, trusting |
| Creed | statement of belief or principle |
| Cryptic | puzzling |
| Cuisine | characteristic style of cooking |
| Culmination | climax, final stage |
| Culpable | guilty, responsible for wrong |
| Cupidity | greed |
| Curmudgeon | cranky person |
| Cursory | hastily done, superficial |
| Curt | abrupt, blunt |
| Curtail | to shorten |
| Cynic | person who distrusts the motives of others |
| Daunt | to discourage, intimidate |
| Dearth | lack, scarcity, insufficiency |
| Debase | to degrade or lower in quality or stature |
| Debilitate | to weaken, enfeeble |
| Debunk | to discredit, disprove |
| Deciduous | falling off or shed seasonally; short-lived, temporary |
| Decorum | proper behavior, eriquette |
| Decry | to belittle, openly condemn |
| Deface | to mar the appearance of, vandalize |
| Defamatory | slanderous, injurious to the reputation |
| Deferential | respectful and polite in a submissive way |
| Deflation | decrease, depreciation |
| Defunct | no longer existing, extinct |
| Delectable | appetizing, delicious |
| Delegate | to give powers to another |
| Deleterious | harmful, destructive, detrimental |
| Deluge | flood |
| Demagogue | rabble-rousing leader, usually using appeals to emotion or prejudice |
| Demean | to degrade, humiliate, humble |
| Demographics | data relating to study of human population |
| Demote | to reduce to a lower grade or rank |
| Demur | to express doubts or objections |
| Denigrate | to slur someone's reputation |
| Deplete | to use up, exhaust |
| Deplore | to express or feel desapproval of; regret strongly |
| Deploy | to spread out strategically over an area |
| Depravity | sinfulness, moral corruption |
| Deprecate | to belittle, disparage |
| Depreciate | to lose value gradually |
| Deride | to mock, ridicule, make fun of |
| Derivative | copied or adapted; not original |
| Desiccate | to dry copletely, dehydrate |
| Desist | to stop doing something |
| Depondent | feeling descouraged and dejected |
| Despot | tyrannical ruler |
| Desultory | at random, rambling, unmethodical |
| Deter | to discourage; prevent from happening |
| Deviate | to stray, wander |
| Dexterous | skilled physically or mentally |
| Dialect | regional style of speaking |
| Diaphanous | allowing light to show through; delicate |
| Diatribe | bitter verbal attack |
| Dictum | authoritative statement; popular saying |
| Didactic | excessively instructive |
| Diffidence | shyness, lack of confindence |
| Diffuse | widely spread out |
| Digress | to turn aside; to stray from the main point |
| Dilapidated | in disrepair, run down, neglected |
| Dilate | to enlarge, swell, extend |
| Dilatory | slow, tending to delay |
| Diplomacy | discretion, tact |
| Dirge | funeral hymn |
| Disarray | clutter, disorder |
| Disburse | to pay out |
| Discern | to perceive something obscure |
| Disconcerting | bewildering, perplexing, slightly disturbing |
| Discordant | harsh-sounding, badly out of tune |
| Discredit | to dishonor or disgrace |
| Discrepancy | difference between |
| Disdain | to regard with scorn and contempt |
| Disgorge | to vomit, discharge violently |
| Disheveled | untidy, disarranged, unkempt |
| Disparage | to belittle, speak disrespectfully about |
| Disparate | dissimilar, different in kind |
| Dispassionate | free from emotion; impartial, unbiased |
| Dispel | to drive out or scatter |
| Dispense | to distribute, administer |
| Disperse | to break up, scatter |
| Dispirit | to disheaten, make dejected |
| Disrepute | disgrace, dishonor |
| Dissemble | to pretend, disguise one's motives |
| Disseminate | to spread far and wide |
| Dissipate | to scatter; to persue pleaseure to excess |
| Dissuade | to persuade someone to alter original intentions |
| Distraught | very worried and distressed |
| Dither | to move or act confusedly or without clear purpose |
| Diurnal | daily |
| Divine | to foretell or know by inspiration |
| Divisive | creating disunity or conflict |
| Docile | tame, willing to be taught |
| Doctrinaire | rigidly devoted to theories |
| Dogmatic | rigidly fixed in opinion, opinionated |
| Doleful | sad, mournful |
| Dormant | at rest, inactive, in suspend animation |
| Doting | excessively fond, loving to excess |
| Dour | sullen and gloomy; stern and severe |
| Drivel | stupid talk; slobber |
| Droll | amusing in a wry, subtle way |
| Dulcet | pleasant sounding, soothing to the ear |
| Dupe | to deceice, trick; a fool or pawn |
| Duplicity | deception, dishonesty, double-dealing |
| Dyspeptic | suffering from indigestion; gloomy and irritable |
| Ebb | to fade away, recede |
| Ebullient | exhilarated, full of enthusiasm and high spirits |
| Eclectic | selecting from various sources |
| Ecstatic | joyful |
| Edict | law, command, official public order |
| Edifice | building |
| Edify | to instruct morally and spiritually |
| Efface | to erase or make illegible |
| Effervescent | bubbly, lively |
| Effigy | stuffed doll; likeness of a person |
| Effrontery | impudent boldness; audacity |
| Effulgent | brilliantly shining |
| Effusive | expressing emotion without restraint |
| Egocentric | acting as if things are centered around oneself |
| Egregious | conspicuously bad |
| Elation | exhilaration, joy |
| Elegy | mournful poem |
| Elicit | to draw out, provoke |
| Eloquence | fluent and effective speech |
| Emaciated | skinny, scrawny, gaunt, especially from hunger |
| Emancipate | to set free, liberate |
| Embellish | to ornament; make attractive with decoration or details; add details to a statement |
| Embezzle | to steal money in violation of a trust |
| Eminent | celebrated, distinguished; oustanding, towering |
| Emollient | having soothing qualities, especially for skin |
| Empathy | identification with another's feelings |
| Emulate | to copy, imitate |
| Endemic | belonging to a particular area, inherent |
| Enervate | to weaken, sap strength from |
| Engender | to produce, cause, bring about |
| Enigmatic | puzzling, inexplicable |
| Enjoin | to urge, order, command; forbid or prohibit, as by judicial order |
| Enmity | hostility, antagonism, ill-will |
| Ennui | boredom, lack of interest and energy |
| Enormity | state of being gigantic or terrible |
| Ensconce | to settle comfortably into a place |
| Enthrall | to captivate, enchant, enslave |
| Entreat | to plead, beg |
| Enunciate | to pronounce clearly |
| Ephemeral | momentary, transient, fleeting |
| Epicure | person with refined taste in food and wine |
| Epigram | short, witty saying or poem |
| Epilogue | concluding section of a literary work |
| Epitome | representative of an entire group; summary |
| Equanimity | calmness, composure |
| Equine | relating to horses |
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