SAT Words to Know

abrupt

sudden or unexpected.

absorbed

deeply interested or involved; preoccupied.

accelerator

a device that increases the speed of a vehicle or a process.

acceptable

able to be agreed on; suitable.

accommodate

to provide space or to adjust for someone or something.

accomplishment

something that has been achieved successfully.

acknowledged

recognized as being good or important.

acquired

obtained or received by effort or learning.

adhere

to stick firmly to something.

advantageous

creating favorable circumstances that increase the chances of success.

advocacy

public support for or recommendation of a particular cause or policy.

aerial

existing, happening, or operating in the air.

aesthetic

concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty.

aggravate

to make a problem, injury, or offense worse or more serious.

alleviate

to make suffering, deficiency, or a problem less severe.

ambivalence

having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone.

annotate

to add notes or comments to a text or diagram for explanation or criticism.

anon

soon; shortly.

anticipating

expecting or predicting something.

appropriate

suitable or proper in the circumstances.

approximate

close to the actual, but not completely accurate or exact.

acquisition

an asset or object bought or obtained, typically by a library or museum.

argue

to give reasons or cite evidence in support of an idea, action, or theory.

attribute (v)

to regard something as being caused by someone or something.

authenticity

the quality of being authentic or genuine.

beneficial

producing good or helpful results; advantageous.

beneficiary

a person who derives advantage from something, especially a trust, will, or life insurance policy.

benign

gentle, kindly; not harmful in effect.

binary

relating to, composed of, or involving two things.

bureaucratic

relating to the business of running an organization, or government.

buttress

a structure built against a wall to support or strengthen it.

bystander

a person who is present at an event or incident but does not take part.

careful

making sure to avoid potential danger, mishap, or harm.

catastrophic

involving or causing sudden great damage or suffering.

challenged

faced with a difficult task or situation.

characteristic

a feature or quality belonging typically to a person, place, or thing and serving to identify it.

circumvent

to find a way around an obstacle.

civilian

a person not in the armed services or the police force.

coincide

to occur at or during the same time.

collaborate

to work jointly on an activity or project.

collected with

gathered together with something else.

commissioned

given an official assignment or task.

committed

dedicated to a cause, activity, or relationship.

common

occurring, found, or done often; prevalent.

comparable to

able to be likened to another; similar.

compelling

evoking interest, attention, or admiration in a powerfully irresistible way.

complementary

combining in such a way as to enhance or emphasize the qualities of each other or another.

compose

to write or create a work of art, especially music or poetry.

comprises

consists of; is made up of.

concealed

kept secret; hidden.

concede

to admit that something is true or valid after first denying or resisting it.

conceptualize

to form a concept or idea of something in the mind.

concern about

a feeling of worry or anxiety about something.

concerning

on the subject of or in connection with; about.

conditions

the circumstances affecting the way in which people live or work.

confident

feeling or showing confidence in oneself or one's abilities.

confined to

restricted or limited to a particular space or area.

conflicted

having or showing confused and mutually inconsistent feelings.

conform to

to comply with rules, standards, or laws.

conjecture

an opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information.

consistent with

in agreement with something.

contemporary

belonging to or occurring in the present.

contrive

to create or bring about an object or a situation by deliberate use of skill and artifice.

controversial

giving rise or likely to give rise to public disagreement.

convey

to communicate or express something.

corollary

a proposition that follows from one already proved; a natural consequence.

counterintuitive

contrary to what one would intuitively expect.

created

brought something into existence.

credited

attributed to someone or something.

critical

expressing adverse or disapproving comments or judgments.

decentralized

transferred from central to local government or other central authority.

deceptive

giving an appearance or impression different from the true one; misleading.

deciding

resolving or determining a course of action.

decisive

settling an issue; producing a definite result.

defends

protects from harm or danger.

delegate

to entrust a task or responsibility to another person.

delve

to investigate or research deeply.

demands

requests urgently and forcefully.

demonstrative

tending to show feelings, especially of affection, openly.

denied

refused to give or grant something requested or desired.

derived from

obtained something from a specific source.

deviates

departs from an established course.

discernible

able to be perceived or recognized.

disconcerting

causing one to feel unsettled.

discourage

to cause someone to lose confidence or enthusiasm.

disengage

to release from an attachment or connection.

disorienting

making someone feel confused or lost.

disparate

essentially different in kind; not allowing comparison.

dispute

a disagreement, argument, or debate.

distraction

something that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else.

ditty

a short, simple song.

diverge

to separate from another route and go in a different direction.

diversification

the action of diversifying something or the fact of becoming more diverse.

dormant

temporarily inactive or inoperative.

doth

an archaic third-person singular form of "do."

doubts

feelings of uncertainty or lack of conviction.

drafting

preparing a preliminary version of a text or design.

dulcet

sweet and soothing, often used ironically.

dynamic

characterized by constant change, activity, or progress.

eclipse

to obscure the light from or to another celestial body.