SAT Reading: Vocab w/ Definitions

Only definition, no example sentences in this one.

abase

(v.) to humiliate, degrade

abate

(v.) to reduce, lessen

abdicate

(v.) to give up a position, usually one of leadership

abduct

(v.) to kidnap, take by force

aberration

(n.) something that differs from the norm

abet

(v.) to aid, help, encourage

abhor

(v.) to hate, detest

abide

1. (v.) to put up with

2. 2. (v.) to remain

abject

(adj.) wretched, pitiful

abjure

(v.) to reject, renounce

abnegation

(n.) denial of comfort to oneself

abort

(v.) to give up on a half-finished project or effort

abridge

1. (v.) to cut down, shorten

2. (adj.) shortened

abrogate

(v.) to abolish, usually by authority

abscond

(v.) to sneak away and hide

absolution

(n.) freedom from blame, guilt, sin

abstain

(v.) to freely choose not to commit an action

abstruse

(adj.) hard to comprehend

accede

(v.) to agree

accentuate

(v.) to stress, highlight

accessible

(adj.) obtainable, reachable

acclaim

(n.) high praise

accolade

(n.) high praise, special distinction

accommodating

(adj.) helpful, obliging, polite

accord

(n.) an agreement

accost

(v.) to confront verbally

accretion

(n.) slow growth in size or amount

acerbic

(adj.) biting, bitter in tone or taste

acquiesce

(v.) to agree without protesting

acrimony

(n.) bitterness, discord

acumen

(n.) keen insight

acute

1. (adj.) sharp, severe

2. (adj.) having keen insight

adamant

(adj.) impervious, immovable, unyielding

adept

(adj.) extremely skilled

adhere

1. (n.) to stick to something

2. (n.) to follow devoutly

admonish

(v.) to caution, criticize, reprove

adorn

(v.) to decorate

adroit

(adj.) skillful, dexterous

adulation

(n.) extreme praise

adumbrate

(v.) to sketch out in a vague way

adverse

(adj.) antagonistic, unfavorable, dangerous

advocate

1. (v.) to argue in favor of something

2. (n.) a person who argues in favor of something

aerial

(adj.) somehow related to the air

aesthetic

(adj.) artistic, related to the appreciation of beauty

affable

(adj.) friendly, amiable

affinity

(n.)a spontaneous feeling of closeness

affluent

(adj.) rich, wealthy

affront

(n.) an insult

aggrandize

(v.) to increase or make greater

aggregate

1. (n.) a whole or total

2. (v.) to gather into a mass

aggrieved

(adj.) distressed, wronged, injured

agile

(adj.) quick, nimble

agriculture

(n.) farming (It was a huge step in the progress of civilization when tribes left hunting and gathering and began to develop more sustainable methods of obtaining food, such as agriculture.)

aisle

(n.) a passageway between rows of seats (Once we got inside the stadium we walked down the aisle to our seats.)

alacrity

(n.) eagerness, speed (For some reason, Chuck loved to help his mother whenever he could, so when his mother asked him to set the table he did so with alacrity.)

alias

(n.) a false name or identity (He snuck past the guards by using an alias and fake ID.)

allay

(v.) to soothe, ease (The chairman of the Federal Reserve gave a speech to try to allay investors' fears about an economic downturn.)

allege

(v.) to assert, usually without proof (The policeman had alleged that Marshall committed the crime, but after the investigation turned up no evidence, Marshall was set free.)

alleviate

(v.) to relieve, make more bearable (This drug will alleviate the symptoms of the terrible disease, but only for a while.)

allocate

(v.) to distribute, set aside (The Mayor allocated 30 percent of the funds for improving the town's schools.)

aloof

(adj.) reserved, distant (The scientist could sometimes seem aloof, as if he didn't care about his friends or family, but really he was just thinking about quantum mechanics.)

altercation

(n.) a dispute, fight (Jason and Lionel blamed one another for the car accident, leading to an altercation.)

amalgamate

(v.) to bring together, unite (Because of his great charisma, the presidential candidate was able to amalgamate all democrats and republicans under his banner.)

ambiguous

(adj.) uncertain, variably interpretable (Some people think Caesar married Cleopatra for her power, others believe he was charmed by her beauty. His actual reasons are ambiguous.)

ambivalent

(adj.) having opposing feelings (My feelings about Calvin are ambivalent because on one hand he is a loyal friend, but on the other, he is a cruel and vicious thief.)

ameliorate

(v.) to improve (The tense situation was ameliorated when Sam proposed a solution everyone could agree upon.)

amenable

(adj.) willing, compliant (Our father was amenable when we asked him to drive us to the farm so we could go apple picking.)

amenity

(n.) an item that increases comfort (Bill Gates's house is stocked with so many amenities, he never has to do anything for himself.)

amiable

(adj.) friendly (An amiable fellow, Harry got along with just about everyone.) amicable (adj.) friendly (Claudia and Jimmy got divorced, but amicably and without hard feelings.)

amorous

(adj.) showing love, particularly sexual (Whenever Albert saw Mariah wear her slinky red dress, he began to feel quite amorous.)

amorphous

(adj.) without definite shape or type (The effort was doomed from the start, because the reasons behind it were so amorphous and hard to pin down.)

anachronistic

(adj.) being out of correct chronological order (In this book you're writing, you say that the Pyramids were built after the Titanic sank, which is anachronistic.)

analgesic

(n.) something that reduces pain (Put this analgesic on the wound so that the poor man at least feels a little better.)

analogous

(adj.) similar to, so that an analogy can be drawn (Though they are unrelated genetically, the bone structure of whales and fish is quite analogous.)

anarchist

(n.) one who wants to eliminate all government (An anarchist, Carmine wanted to dissolve every government everywhere.)

anathema

(n.) a cursed, detested person (I never want to see that murderer. He is an anathema to me.)

anecdote

(n.) a short, humorous account (After dinner, Marlon told an anecdote about the time he got his nose stuck in a toaster.)

anesthesia

(n.) loss of sensation (When the nerves in his spine were damaged, Mr. Hollins suffered anesthesia in his legs.)

anguish

(n.) extreme sadness, torment (Angelos suffered terrible anguish when he learned that Buffy had died while combating a strange mystical force of evil.)

animated

(adj.) lively (When he begins to talk about drama, which is his true passion, he becomes very animated.)

annex

1. (v.) to incorporate territory or space (After defeating them in battle, the Russians annexed Poland.) 2. (n.) a room attached to a larger room or space (He likes to do his studying in a little annex attached to the main reading room in the library.)

annul

(v.) to make void or invalid (After seeing its unforeseen and catastrophic effects, Congress sought to annul the law.)

anomaly

(n.) something that does not fit into the normal order ("That rip in the space- time continuum is certainly a spatial anomaly," said Spock to Captain Kirk.)

anonymous

(adj.) being unknown, unrecognized (Mary received a love poem from an anonymous admirer.)

antagonism

(n.) hostility (Superman and Bizarro Superman shared a mutual antagonism, and often fought.)

antecedent

(n.) something that came before (The great tradition of Western culture had its antecedent in the culture of Ancient Greece.)

antediluvian

(adj.) ancient (The antediluvian man still believed that Eisenhower was president of the United States and that hot dogs cost a nickel.)

anthology

(n.) a selected collection of writings, songs, etc. (The new anthology of Bob Dylan songs contains all his greatest hits and a few songs that you might never have heard before.)

antipathy

(n.) a strong dislike, repugnance (I know you love me, but because you are a liar and a thief, I feel nothing but antipathy for you.)

antiquated

(adj.) old, out of date (That antiquated car has none of the features, like power windows and steering, that make modern cars so great.)

antiseptic

(adj.) clean, sterile (The antiseptic hospital was very bare, but its cleanliness helped to keep patients healthy.)

antithesis

(n.) the absolute opposite (Your values, which hold war and violence in the highest esteem, are the antithesis of my pacifist beliefs.)

anxiety

(n.) intense uneasiness (When he heard about the car crash, he felt anxiety because he knew that his girlfriend had been driving on the road where the accident occurred.)

apathetic

(adj.) lacking concern, emotion (Uninterested in politics, Bruno was apathetic about whether he lived under a capitalist or communist regime.)

apocryphal

(adj.) fictitious, false, wrong (Because I am standing before you, it seems obvious that the stories circulating about my demise were apocryphal.)

appalling

(adj.) inspiring shock, horror, disgust (The judge found the murderer's crimes and lack of remorse appalling.)

appease

(v.) to calm, satisfy (When the child cries, the mother gives him candy to appease him.)

appraise

(v.) to assess the worth or value of (A realtor will come over tonight to appraise our house.)

apprehend

1. (v.) to seize, arrest (The criminal was apprehended at the scene.) 2. (v.) to perceive, understand, grasp (The student has trouble apprehending concepts in math and science.)

approbation

(n.) praise (The crowd welcomed the heroes with approbation.)