real SAT

Abate

v. to become less active, less intense, or less in amount As I began my speech, my feelings of nervousness quickly abated.

Abrupt

adj. Sudden and unexpected. His abrupt departure surprised everyone.

Abstract

adj. existing purely in the mind; not representing actual reality Julie had trouble understanding the appeal of the abstract painting.

Abysmal

adj. extremely bad I got an abysmal grade on my research paper!

Acceptable

adj. Satisfactory or permissible. The teacher deemed Sara's late assignment acceptable.

Accidental

adj. Happening by chance. The oil spill was purely accidental.

Accommodate

1 

[+ object]

a : to provide room for (someone) : to provide a place to stay and sleep for (someone)

• The hotel can only accommodate about 100 people. [=is only large enough for about 100 people]

• Over 600 people can be accommodated on the cruise ship.

b : to have room for (someone or something)

• The ceilings were too low to accommodate his terrific height.

• The table accommodates [=seats] 12 comfortably.

• This ancient stadium could accommodate [=hold] up to 60,000 people.

2 

[+ object] somewhat formal : to do something helpful for (someone)

• They were kind enough to accommodate me with a ride to the train station.

: to provide what is needed or wanted for (someone or something)

• I asked them for additional money, and they accommodated me with a loan.

• He would often change his schedule to accommodate his clients.

• New facilities are being added to accommodate the special needs of elderly residents.

3 

: to get used to or become comfortable with something : to adapt or adjust to something

[no object]

• Smart investors quickly accommodated to the new market conditions.

[+ object]

• Smart investors quickly accommodated themselves to the new market conditions. = Smart investors quickly became accommodated to the new market conditions.

Accuracy

n. The quality of being correct or precise. The accuracy of the intern's report was impressive.

Acknowledge

v. To recognize or admit the truth. She refused to acknowledge her mistake.

Acquired

adj. Gained through effort or experience. Edmund had acquired a taste for fine wine.

Adapt

v. To adjust to new conditions. Newly-released animals generally adapt to their environments over time.

Adept

adj. having knowledge or skill (usu. in a particular area) Beth loves playing the piano, but she’s especially adept at the violin.

Adequate

adj. having sufficient qualifications to meet a specific task or purpose Though his resume was adequate, the company doubted whether he’d be a good fit.

Adhere

v. To stick to or follow closely. You must adhere to the rules if you don't want to get in trouble.

Adjust

v. To modify or change slightly. He had to adjust his seat for comfort.

Admire

v. To respect or look up to. I admire my mother's dedication to her work.

Advantageous

adj. Beneficial or useful. Speaking multiple languages is advantageous.

Advent

1 

[singular] : the time when something begins or arrives : the first appearance of something

• the advent of spring

• the advent of the printing press

• the advent of personal computers

Advise

v. To recommend or give guidance. I advise you to study for the exam.

Aggravate

v. To worsen or intensify. Scratching the rash will only aggravate it.

Aggressive

adj. Forceful or overly assertive. The man's aggressive tone made everyone uneasy.

Allude

v. to make a secretive mention of something She alluded to the problem at hand but didn’t say anything more about it.

Ambiguity

n. Uncertainty or multiple interpretations. The ambiguity in his vague statement caused confusion.

Ambivalence

n. Mixed or conflicting feelings. Jessie felt ambivalence about moving to a new city.

Ameliorate

[+ object] formal

: to make (something, such as a problem) better, less painful, etc.

• trying to ameliorate the suffering of people who have lost their jobs

• This medicine should help ameliorate the pain.

— amelioration /əˌmiːljəˈreɪʃən/ noun [noncount]

Amplify

v. To increase in size or effect. The microphone will amplify your voice.

Amusing

adj. Entertaining or humorous. Jason's joke was quite amusing.

Analogous

adj. similar but not identical Green onions are considered analogous to spring onions.

Annotate

v. To add notes or comments. Please annotate the medical text with your observations.

Announce

v. To make a public statement. The CEO will announce the new policy tomorrow.

Anomaly

n. something different from the norm This result is an anomaly and very rarely happens.

Antagonistic

adj. Showing hostility or opposition. His antagonistic behavior created tension at work.

Antecedent

n. A preceding event or condition. The antecedent to the war was political unrest.

Anticipate

v. To expect or predict. Does the weatherman anticipate a rise in temperatures next week?

Antipathy

formal

: a strong feeling of dislike

[noncount]

• There has always been strong antipathy between the two groups.

• feelings of antipathy

[count]

• The author's antipathies and prejudices are obvious.

— often + to or toward

• The author's antipathy to/toward other cultures is obvious.

— antipathetic /ˌæntɪpəˈθɛtɪk/ adjective

• antipathetic views/feelings

— often + to

• He is antipathetic to change.

Apex

n. the highest point of something The spring play was the apex of our school year.

Appropriate

adj. Suitable for a specific situation. Lily's velvet dress was appropriate for the formal occasion.

Approximate

adj. Nearly accurate or close to. The approximate cost is $50.

Arcane

[more arcane; most arcane]

: secret or mysterious : known or understood by only a few people

• an arcane scientific puzzle

• an arcane ritual

• a theory filled with arcane details

Arduous

adj. Difficult and requiring effort. The steep hike up the mountain was arduous.

Assemble

v. To gather or put together. We need to assemble the bed if we want a place to sleep tonight.

Austere

[more austere; most austere]

1 

: simple or plain : not fancy

• They choose austere furnishings for the office.

• He was known for his austere style of writing.

2 

of a person : having a serious and unfriendly quality

• Her father was an austere [=stern, unapproachable] figure.

3 

: having few pleasures : simple and harsh

• They lived an austere life in the country.

— austerely adverb

• an austerely furnished office

Avoid

v. To stay away from or prevent. Mara hates fighting, so she always tries to avoid conflict.

Beneficial

adj. Producing good results. A balanced diet is beneficial to your health.

Benevolent

adj. kind, generous Many cultures believe in benevolent spirits.

Bold

adj. Courageous or striking. Elsie made a bold move by quitting her job.

Borrow

v. To take temporarily. Libraries will let you borrow books for several weeks.

Buttress

v. To support or strengthen. The evidence will buttress his argument.

Bypass

v. To go around or avoid. We took a shortcut to bypass traffic.

Calibrate

v. To adjust for precision. The scientist had to calibrate the instrument to ensure his measurements were accurate.

Candid

[more candid; most candid]

1 

: expressing opinions and feelings in an honest and sincere way

• He was quite candid about his past.

• a candid confession

• a refreshingly/remarkably candid interview

• She gave us her candid opinion on the matter.

2 

photography : showing people acting in a natural way because they do not know that they are being photographed

• a candid snapshot

— candidly adverb

• He stated his opinion candidly.

• She spoke candidly about some of the difficulties she had been experiencing.

— candidness noun [noncount]

• He responded to the question with surprising candidness. [=(more commonly) candor]

Carelessly

adv. Without caution. He carelessly left his keys on the bus.

Catastrophic

adj. Disastrous or causing great damage. The catastrophic hurricane destroyed dozens of homes.

Cause

n. A reason for an action or event. The fire's cause is still unknown.

Characterization

n. The way a character is described. The novel's characterization was deep and complex.

Circumvent

v. To find a way around. They found a loophole to circumvent the rule.

Coincidence

n. A surprising and unexpected event. Meeting my neighbor at the airport was a coincidence.

Collaboration

n. Working together on a task. The scientists' collaboration led to a breakthrough.

Commercialization

n. The process of making something a business. The commercialization of the product increased sales.

Committed

adj. Dedicated to a cause or task. Ava is committed to her studies and always wants top grades.

Common

adj. Occurring frequently or shared. It's very common for students to feel stressed before exams.

Compelling

adj. Captivating or persuasive. The debater gave a compelling argument.

Competent

adj. Having the necessary ability or skill. Noah has worked at this job for a long time and is a competent engineer.

Complementary

adj. Enhancing or completing another. The artist and the engineer have skills that are complementary in the project.

Complexity

n. The state of being intricate or complicated. The complexity of the 1,000 piece puzzle made it challenging.

Compose

v. To create or write. Jordan plans to compose a new symphony.

Compound

v. To intensify or combine. The traffic was compounded by bad weather.

Comprise

v. To consist of or include. The book comprises ten chapters.

Conceal

v. To hide or keep secret. Luca tried to conceal his disappointment.

Concede

v. To admit or yield. She conceded that she was wrong during the argument.

Conceptualize

v. To form an idea or concept. In this lab, scientists conceptualize new theories on viruses.

Concerning

adj. Causing worry or distress. The news about the approaching hurricane is quite concerning.

Condition

n. The state of something. The car I bought is in excellent condition.

Confident

adj. Feeling sure or self-assured. Michael Jordan is confident in his abilities as a basketball player.

Conflated

: to combine two or more separate things

The director conflated two different storylines into a single, cohesive film.

: to treat two distinct things as if they are the exact same thing

People often mistakenly conflate the national debt with the federal deficit.

Conform

v. To comply with rules or expectations. The alternative rocker refuses to conform to societal norms.

Consensus

n. General agreement. The team finally reached a consensus on the decision.

Consistent

adj. Acting in the same way over time. My grandmother's knitting is always consistent in quality.

Conspicuous

adj. Easily noticed or standing out. Veronica's red dress was conspicuous in the crowd.

Constant

adj. Occurring continuously. The criminal lived in constant fear that he'd be found out.

Contentious

adj. Causing disagreement or debate. Politics are highly contentious these days.

Contingent

adj. Dependent on something else. Our family ski trip is contingent on the weather.

Contradict

v. to be in contrast with The camera footage contradicts his alibi.

Contrived

[more contrived; most contrived]

: having an unnatural or false appearance or quality

• The movie's contrived ending was a big disappointment.

• The results of the test seemed somewhat contrived.

Controversial

adj. Causing public disagreement. The judge's decision to free the criminal was highly controversial.

Cordially

adv. In a warm or friendly manner. The two old friends greeted each other cordially.

Corroborate

v. to provide evidence for; to back up (a claim) The note signed by her father corroborates her claim that she was absent from class that day.

Costly

adj. Expensive or requiring sacrifice. The mistake was a costly one and caused the company to go bankrupt.

Counteract

v. to work in opposition to This ingredient seems to counteract the other ones.

Critical

adj. Expressing analysis or judgment. The review was highly critical of the film.

Criticize

v. To express disapproval. My father tends to criticize others harshly.

Deceptive

adj. Misleading or dishonest. The advertisement was deceptive in its claims of weight loss.

Deciding

adj. Determining or influencing an outcome. The final goal was the deciding factor in the match.

Decisive

adj. Conclusive or firm. My boss's decisive leadership helped solve our company's crisis.

Deficient

[more deficient; most deficient]

1 

: not having enough of something that is important or necessary

• a nutritionally deficient diet

— usually + in

• a diet deficient in certain vitamins

• a man who is deficient in judgment [=a man whose judgment is poor]

• students who are deficient [=lacking] in their knowledge of history

2 

: not good enough : not as good as others

• mentally deficient

• Several bridges in the city are structurally deficient.

Defunct

adj. No longer existing or functional. After people stopped using fax machines, the fax company became defunct.

Delegate

v. To assign tasks or authority to others. A good leader knows how to delegate responsibilities.

Deliberation

n. Careful consideration or discussion. After much deliberation, they made their decision.

Delicate

adj. Fragile or requiring careful handling. The delicate glass sculpture broke easily.

Demarcate

v. To set boundaries or distinguish. The Tornio river demarcates the border between Sweden and Finland.