SAT Words

Abash

to make ashamed; to embarrass

Abate

to subside; to reduce

Abdicate

to step down from a position of power or responsibility

Aberration

something not typical; a deviation from the standard

Abhor

to hate very, very much; to detest

Abject

hopeless; extremely sad and servile; defeated

Abnegate

to deny oneself things; to reject; to renounce

Abortive

unsuccessful

Abridge

to shorten; to condense

Absolute

total; unlimited

Absolve

to forgive or free from blame; to free from sin; to free from an obligation

Abstinent

abstaining; voluntarily not doing something, especially something pleasant that is bad for you or has a bad reputation

Abstract

theoretical; impersonal

Abstruse

hard to understand

Abysmal

extremely hopeless or wretched; bottomless

Accolade

an award; an honor

Accost

to approach and to speak to someone aggressively

Acerbic

sour; severe; like acid in temper, mood, or tone

Acquiesce

to comply passively; to accept; to assent; to agree

Acrid

harshly pungent; bitter

Acrimonious

full of spite; bitter; nasty

Acumen

keenness of judgment; mental sharpness

Acute

sharp; shrewd

Adamant

stubborn; unyielding; completely inflexible

Address

to speak to; to direct one's attention to

Adherent

a follower; supporter; believer

Admonish

to scold gently; to warn

Adroit

skillfull; dexterous; clever; shrewd; socially at ease

Adulation

wild or excessive admiration; flattery

Adulterate

to contaminate; to make impure

Adverse

unfavorable, antagonistic

Aesthetic

having to do with artistic beauty; artistic

Affable

easy to talk to; friendly

Affectation

unnatural or artificial behavior; usually intended to impress

Affinity

sympathy; attraction; kinship; similarity

Affluent

rich; prosperous

Agenda

program; the things to be done

Aggregate

sum total; a collection of separate things mixed together

Agnostic

one who believes that the existence of a god can be neither proven nor disproven

Agrarian

Relating to land; relating to the management or farming of land

Alacrity

Cheerful eagerness or readiness to respond

Allege

To assert without proof

Alleviate

To relieve, usually temporarily or incompletely; to make bearable; to lessen

Allocate

to distribute; to assign; to allot

Alloy

A combination of two or more things, usually metals

Allusion

An indirect reference (often to a literary work); a hint

Aloof

uninvolved; standing off; keeping one’s distance

Altruism

selflessness; generosity; devotion to the interests of others

Ambience

Atmosphere; mood; feeling

Ambiguous

unclear in meaning; confusing; capable of being interpreted in different ways

Ambivalent

undecided; having opposed feelings simultaneously

Ameliorate

to make better or more tolerable

Amenable

obedient; willing to give in to the wishes of another; agreeable

Amenity

pleasantness; attractive or comfortable feature

Amiable

friendly; agreeable

Amnesty

an official pardon for a group of people who have violated a law or policy

Amoral

lacking a sense of right and wrong; neither good nor bad, neither moral nor immoral; without moral feelings

Amorous

feeling loving, especially in a sexual sense; in love; relating to love

Amorphous

shapeless; without a regular or stable shape; bloblike

Anachronism

something out of place in time or history; an incongruity in time

Analogy

a comparison of one thing to another; similarity

Anarchy

Absence of government or control; lawlessness; disorder

Anecdote

A short account of a humorous or revealing incident

Anguish

agonizing physical or mental pain

Animosity

resentment; hostility; ill will

Anomaly

an aberration; an irregularity; a deviation

Antecedent

someone or something that went before; something that provides a model for something that came after it

Antipathy

firm dislike; a dislike

Antithesis

the direct opposite

Apartheid

the former policy of racial segregation and oppression in the Republic of South Africa

Apathy

lack of interest; lack of feeling

Aphorism

a brief, often witty saying; a proverb

Apocalypse

a prophetic revelation, especially one concerning the end of the world

Apocryphal

of dubious authenticity; fictitious; spurious

Apotheosis

elevation to divine status; the perfect example of something

Appease

to soothe; to pacify by giving in to

Appreciate

to increase in value

Apprehensive

worried; anxious

Approbation

approval; praise

Appropriate

to take without permission; to set aside for a particular use

Aptitude

capacity for learning; natural ability

Arbiter

one who decides; a judge

Arbitrary

random; capricious

Arcane

mysterious; known only to a select few

Archaic

extremely old; ancient; outdated

Archetype

an original model or pattern

Ardent

passionate; enthusiastic

Arduous

hard; difficult

Aristocratic

of noble birth; snobbish

Artful

crafty; wily; sly

Artifice

a clever trick; cunning

Ascendancy

supremacy; domination

Ascetic

hermitlike; practicing self-denial

Assiduous

hardworking;busy;quite dilligent

Assimilate

to take in; to absorb; to learn thoroughly

Assuage

to soothe; to pacify; to ease the pain of; to relieve

Astute

shrewd; keen in judgment

Atheist

one who does not believe in the existence of any god or divine being

Attrition

a gradual wearing away, weakening, or loss; a natural or expected decrease in numbers or size

Audacity

boldness; reckless daring; impertinence