300 Words to Know for ISEE Upper Level

A list of 300 words that will potentially show up on the ISEE assessment.

Abbreviate

Verb

shorten, reduce, condense

She chose to ABBREVIATE her name from Samantha to Sam.

Abundant

Adj.

ample, plenty, enough

They had ABUNDANT evidence to convict the criminal.

Abridge

Verb

compress, reduce, decrease

It is illegal to ABRIDGE the rights of citizens.

Abrupt

Adj.

brief, blunt, rude

She caught her daughter's arm, bringing her to an ABRUPT halt.

Absolute

Adj.

complete, full, entire

He only loosened his collar out of ABSOLUTE necessity.

Accentuate

Verb

emphasize, highlight, focus on

She likes to wear clothes that ACCENTUATE her athletic build.

Adamant

Adj.

determined, unyielding, firm

The doctors were ADAMANT about the correct treatment plan.

Adept

Adj.

capable, proficient, skilled

After much practice, Darin became quite ADEPT at woodworking.

Adorn

Verb

embellish, enhance, garnish

Not much has been done to ADORN the new house; the walls are still bare.

Adversary

Noun

enemy, attacker, rival

The congresswoman was a determined ADVERSARY of the new law.

Affluent

Adj.

rich, prosperous, well-off

AFFLUENT individuals have a societal responsibility to be generous.

Affront

Verb

insult, criticize, offend

He regarded her impolite behavior as a personal AFFRONT.

Aghast

Adj.

very surprised, appalled, shocked

The whole nation listened, AGHAST, to the dictator's manifesto.

Agenda

Noun

calendar, schedule, plan

So what's on your family's AGENDA for the day?

Agile

Adj.

athletic, energetic, lively

The goats were AGILE and easily scaled the steep mountain.

Ailment

Noun

illness, disease, sickness

I've been to the doctor five times this month, but he can't find the cause of my ____________.

Alleviate

Verb

relieve, lessen, ease

She took painkillers to ____________ her terrible headache.

Aloof

Adj.

standoffish, detached, haughty

They often maintained an ____________ manner at social events.

Ambiguous

Adj.

unclear, vague, obscure

The politician gave an ____________ answer to the reporter's questions.

Ambivalence

Noun

doubt, hesitation, uncertainty

She felt ____________ towards the two available lunch options.

Amiable

Adj.

friendly, pleasant, agreeable

Tory had an ____________ personality, always ready with a kind word and a smile.

Ample

Adj.

abundant, plentiful, sufficient

I've left ____________ stores of food and water for you.

Animosity

Noun

extreme hatred, dislike, hostility

If there is ____________ between rival supporters, they will be asked to leave.

Anomalous

Adj.

Unusual, atypical, unnatural

She found herself in an ____________ situation.

Anonymous

Adj.

nameless, unknown, unidentified

"There's always an ____________ tip," Betsy said.

Antagonist

Noun

enemy, opponent, competitor

It is difficult to write an interesting story without an ____________ or conflict.

Appease

Verb

satisfy, pacify, calm

He came to help them, to ____________ his guilt once and for all.

Arduous

Adj.

difficult, hard to endure, exhausting

We had an ____________ climb up the mountain.

Arid

Adj.

dry, parched, moistureless

In the desert, ____________ conditions prevail.

Aspire

Verb

aim, hope, strive

What do you ____________ to achieve in the coming year?

Barren

Adj.

desolate, empty, unproductive

The site of the town is a ____________, rocky mountain valley.

Bias

Noun

favoritism, partiality, preference

Her natural ____________ was to respect things as they were.

Bizarre

Adj.

strange, wild, unusual

Brian broke the ____________ set of rules on the first day.

Blatant

Adj.

shameless, conspicuous, overt

She lowered her head in ____________ dejection.

Bliss

Noun

gladness, joy, euphoria

The whale watching trip was sheer ____________!

Boast

Verb

brag, self-congratulate, flaunt

He tended to ____________ about the many cars and boats he owned.

Boisterous

Adj.

noisy, unruly, rowdy

The ____________ student disrupted class every day.

Boycott

Verb

avoid, ban, exclude

Our plan is to ____________ the circus.

Calamity

Noun

disaster, tragedy, mishap

The city suffered a severe ____________: a large earthquake.

Callous

Adj.

insensitive, apathetic, heartless

Stealing the coats was a ____________ act!

Camouflage

Noun

disguise, mask, coverup

The chameleon's ____________ allowed it to hide from predators.

Candid

Adj.

honest, blunt, outspoken

The owner was ____________ about the things that went wrong as well as the successes.

Cater

Verb

help, provide, supply

The ceramicist has to ____________ to the taste of the buying public.

Certify

Verb

approve, authorize, authenticate

The newly-discovered inscriptions ____________ the existence of the ancient kingdom.

Collaborate

Verb

work together, cooperate, participate

Teams of scientists in different countries can ____________ virtually.

Coma

Noun

deep unconsciousness, stupor, deep sleep

He woke up suddenly, after having been in a ____________ for fifteen years.

Compassionate

Adj.

benevolent, charitable, sympathetic

Mother Theresa was known for being ____________ to those in need.

Condescending

Adj.

snobby, arrogant, disdainful

He read the letter in the same ____________ tone with which it was written.

Contrite

Adj.

regretful, apologetic, repentant

After stealing the last piece of cake, Marge felt ____________ and confessed to her mother.

Controversial

Adj.

disputed, questionable, at issue

The philosopher was reclusive and held many ____________ ideas.

Convoluted

Adj.

complicated, intricate, confusing

She couldn't follow her friend's train of thought: it was too complicated and ____________.

Corrosive

Adj.

abrasive, consuming, destructive

If taken internally, the salt can be a ____________ poison.

Chronic

Adj.

persistent, lingering, constant

In spite of the lead singer's ____________ unpopularity, the band's catchy music spread across the country.

Chronology

Noun

timeline, itinerary, program

Due to missing records, the ____________ of the empress's reign is not entirely certain.

Cliché

Noun

overused phrase, platitude, common saying

"Time heals all wounds" is a ____________ that people don't usually want to hear after a loss.

Clinch

Verb

secure a goal, decide, confirm

The baseball team ____________ their win with one last home run.

Cohesive

Adj.

united, connected, close-knit

I always begin each essay with an outline, in order to be sure that my argument sounds ____________.

Colossal

Adj.

very large, enormous, gigantic

By a ____________ eruption, of which no historical record remains, the upper half of the cone was blown away.

Concise

Adj.

to the point, succinct, brief

His arguments were ____________, simple, and clear.

Concur

Verb

agree, approve, assent

"Do you ____________ with my three conditions?" the pirate asked in a husky voice.

Copious

Adj.

abundant, extensive, ample

She held up her pad of ____________ notes.

Cower

Verb

hide, crouch, cringe

Even though he was terrified of the bigger dog, the little puppy wouldn't ____________ in front of him.

Crucial

Adj.

important, necessary, essential

At last, the scientist made a ____________ discovery.

Cryptic

Adj.

secret, obscure, ambiguous

Two days later, a ____________ message was posted on his regular secure web site.

Culpable

Adj.

guilty, at fault, blamable

Much as we believe he's ____________, we don't have any hard evidence.

Custom

Noun

ritual, policy, routine

It is a ____________ to shake hands in many Western cultures.

Dearth

Noun

absence, inadequacy, lack

There was a ____________ of talent in the incoming class of artists.

Debilitate

Verb

disable, cripple, harm

The self-defense class taught how to ____________ an attacker in any dangerous situation.

Decent

Adj.

respectable, appropriate, proper

I'm going to get an education and a ____________ job.

Decor

Noun

furnishings, ornamentation, decoration

Miriam seemed as impressed by the artwork and ____________ as Yan had been.

Deduction

Noun

conclusion, answer, inference

She made a correct ____________ that her mother had bought more ice cream at the grocery store.

Deficient

Adj.

imperfect, inadequate, faulty

Fortunately, Frederick had never been ____________ in courage.

Deliberate

Adj.

intentional, purposeful, planned

He approached with caution, his movements ____________ and his voice steady and low.

Depiction

Noun

drawing, illustration, representation

Her latest painting-- another seaside ____________ of Fisherman's Wharf-- leaned against one wall, ready to be delivered to Isabella's shop.

Desist

Verb

stop, refrain from, cease

"Lise, I beg you to ____________," said Andrew still more emphatically.

Despondent

Adj.

depressed, dejected, morose

The children were ____________ when they realized it was too rainy to play outside.

Destitute

Adj.

poor, impoverished, bankrupt

After gambling all of his money on race horses, Kym was left ____________.

Detain

Verb

arrest, apprehend, hinder

The escaped criminal was ____________ at the border.

Detest

Verb

hate, despise, loathe

You know how everyone at the school ____________ it.

Detrimental

Adj.

damaging, destructive, harmful

The new law will have ____________ influences on certain people.

Devour

Verb

swallow, consume, eat

Most earthworms live in the soil, which they ____________ as they burrow through it.

Dialogue

Noun

talk, communication, conversation

The play's characters were well-drawn, and the ____________ was full of comic strength.

Didactic

Adj.

educational, preachy, instructive

James was a very ____________ person; he really loved teaching.

Diminish

Verb

lessen, decline, decrease

Even as she grew quite elderly, her quick wit did not ____________.

Discard

Verb

cancel, abandon, get rid of

The boy accidentally ____________ an important document while taking out the trash.

Disdain

Noun

hate, indifference, scorn

The cat viewed the cheap supermarket cat food with ____________ and stalked away.

Disparate

Adj.

contrasting, different, inconsistent

The group of friends was quite ____________, with a variety of backgrounds and interests.

Dispose

Verb

place, order, deal with

He always ____________ of the newspapers after reading them.

Distort

Verb

misrepresent, alter, warp

Reflections can ____________ in moving water.

Divisive

Adj.

disruptive, at odds, conflicting

The ____________ issue kept the brothers from talking to each other for years.

Dormant

Adj.

inactive, asleep, inoperative

A volcano that is not currently erupting is referred to as ____________.

Dubious

Adj.

doubtful, arguable, questionable

After he made some ____________ claims about his past, many of Patrick's friends stopped trusting him.

Eclectic

Adj.

diverse, varied, wide-ranging

She prided herself on her ____________ music taste, which ranged across many genres, styles, and eras.

Effective

Adj.

productive, efficient, compelling

The soccer coach gave the whole team a very ____________ pep talk!

Elation

Noun

extreme happiness, bliss, glee

His ____________ increased at the prospect of a visit from his best friend.

Eloquent

Adj.

articulate, expressive, outspoken

Many people must learn to be ____________ on the right occasion in order to be successful.

Elusive

Adj.

hidden, mysterious, puzzling

The ____________ neighborhood cat only appeared in our backyard when it felt like it.

Embargo

Noun

ban, restriction, barrier

The government put an ____________ on the release of confidential information.

Embezzle

Verb

steal money, misuse, thieve

The company's founder was eventually imprisoned for ____________ client funds.

Endeavor

Noun

attempt to achieve, effort, struggle

Climbing the mountain was a large ____________, but we succeeded.