SAT VOCAB WORDS

Memoir

A historical account or autobiography written from special knowledge

Dexterity

Skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands

Harvest

The process/period of gathering in crops or To obtain or acquire something, often with effort/skill

Degrade

To decline in physical condition or to humiliate or belittle, or demean someone

Emerge

Move out of or away from something and become visible

Divert

Cause someone or something to change course or tun from one direction to another

Retrospect

The act of looking back or reflecting on past events, experiences or situations

Forge

Create something strong, enduring, or successful

Inane

Silly: stupid

Impudent

Not showing due respect for another person; impertinent

Vulgar

Lacking refinement or good taste, offensive or inappropriate

Invigorate

Give strength or energy to

Malevolent

Having or showing a wish to do evil to others

Disparage

Regard or represent as being of little worth

Impartial

Fair and just in judgement or decision making, considering all relevant factors objectively

Prosaic

Ordinary, lacking imagination or excitement

Pilgrimage

A pilgrim’s journey

Ratify

To formally approve or confirm something, usually by a vote or signature

Elusive

Difficult to find, catch, achieve

Subtle

Delicate, elusive, or not immediately obvious

Narrative

A spoken or written account of connected events; a story

Predatory

Seeking to exploit or oppress others

Evoke

Bring or recall a feeling, memory, or image to the conscious mind

Candor

The quality of being open and honest

Ideal

Satisfying one's conception of what is perfect; most suitable

Suppress

To prevent the expression or occurrence of something

Renounce

To formally give up, reject, or disown something, such as a claim, belief, or title

Deviate

Depart from an established course

Pivotal

Of crucial importance in relation to the development or success of something else

Disdain

Consider to be unworthy of one's consideration

Prudent

Showing good judgment and caution, especially in practical matters

Domestic

Of or relating to the running of a home or to family relations

Abstain

Choose not to do something

Perceptive

Having or showing keen insight, understanding, or awareness

Fortuitous

Fortunately happening by chance or accident rather than design

Overburdened

Load with too great a burden

Tenuous

Weak, slender, or fragile, lacking strength or substance

Hackneyed

Lacking significance through having been overused; unoriginal

Annotate

Add notes giving explanation or comment

Effectual

Successful in producing a desired or intended result

Aberration

A deviation from the normal or typical

Yield

To surrender to authority or To produce / provide a result

Frugal

Living in a simple, thrifty, or sparing manner, often avoiding unnecessary expenses or waste

Peripheral

On the edge of something, not centrally important

Replicable

Capable of being replicated or reproduced, often in a scientific or experimental context

Stimulus

A factor or event that incites activity or development

Monarch

A sovereign head of state, especially a king or queen

Wary

Cautious, watchful, or suspicious of potential danger

Cosmic

Relating to the universe or cosmos

Juvenile

Relating to young people

Tangible

Objects or qualities that are physical, material, or substantial in nature, as opposed to abstract

Stoic

A person who is unaffected by or indifferent to pleasure or pain, showing self-control

Rhetoric

The art of using language effectively and persuasively, often with the aim of influencing others

Fanciful

Over Imaginative and unrealistic

Condescending

Looking down upon others or considering oneself as more knowledgeable or important

Transient

Temporary or passing, not lasting or permanent

Circuitous

Longer than the most direct way

Inexplicable

Unable to be explained or accounted for

Censure

Formal disapproval or criticism

Harbinger

A herald of something to come, often serving as a sign or indication of future events

Brazen

Bold and without shame

Stately

Dignified and impressive in appearance or manner

Infrastructure

Basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (i.e. buildings, roads, etc.)

Nefarious

An action or activity that wicked or criminal

Aide

A person who helps in particular work

Adhere

To remain attached or connected to something

Contrite

Feeling or expressing remorse at the recognition that one has done wrong

Entitled

Believing oneself to be deserving of privileges

Pretentious

Attempting to impress by affecting greater importance or merit than is actually possessed

Abstract

Existing in thought but not having physical existence

Inhibit

Hinder, restrain, or prevent an action or process

Correlate

To establish a connection or correspondence between elements, factors, or phenomena

Superficial

Concerned only with surface appearances and lacking depth or substance

Twentieth Century

The period from 1901 to 1999

Ascend

Go up or climb

Undermine

To weaken, sabotage, or subvert from below or secretly

Adversity

Difficulties or misfortune

Porous

Capable of allowing the passage or diffusion of substances through pores or openings

Dismissive

Feeling that something is unworthy of consideration

Profound

Having deep meaning, significance, or insight

Rudimentary

Basic or undeveloped, lacking complexity or sophistication

Cultivate

Prepare and use land for crops or gardening or To promote the growth and development

Capitulate

To cease resisting or fighting; to admit defeat or accept an unfavorable outcome

Dynamic

Characterized by constant change, activity, or progress

Acquire

Buy or obtain an object or asset

Contemplate

To think deeply or carefully about something

Alleviate

Make suffering less severe

Vigor

Physical or mental strength, energy, or vitality

Satire

A literary or artistic work that uses irony, humor, or exaggeration to criticize or mock

Colonial

Relating to the control exerted by one country over another

as a colony

Inconsequential

Not important or significant

Whimsical

Playfully quaint or fanciful, having a sense of unpredictable or fantastical charm

Chronicle

A factual written account of important events

Foster

Encourage the development of something, especially something desirable

Invasive

Tending to spread prolifically and undesirably or harmfully

Infamy

The state of being well known for some bad quality or deed

Aboriginal

Being the first inhabitants of a region

Conceal

To hide or keep something or someone from being seen, discovered, or known

Facetious

Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor

Intrigue

Arouse the curiosity or interest of; fascinate