SAT Vocab

abase

(v.) to humiliate

abate

(v.) to reduce

abdicate

(v.) to give up a position

abduct

(v.) to kidnap

aberration

(n.) something that differs from the norm (In 1918

abet

(v.) to aid

abhor

(v.) to hate

abide

1. (v.) to put up with (Though he did not agree with the decision

abject

(adj.) wretched

abjure

(v.) to reject

abnegation

(n.) denial of comfort to oneself (The holy man slept on the floor

abort

(v.) to give up on a half-finished project or effort (After they ran out of food

abridge

1. (v.) to cut down

abrogate

(v.) to abolish

abscond

(v.) to sneak away and hide (In the confusion

absolution

(n.) freedom from blame

abstain

(v.) to freely choose not to commit an action (Everyone demanded that Angus put on the kilt

abstruse

(adj.) hard to comprehend (Everyone else in the class understood geometry easily

accede

(v.) to agree (When the class asked the teacher whether they could play baseball instead of learn grammar they expected him to refuse

accentuate

(v.) to stress

accessible

(adj.) obtainable

acclaim

(n.) high praise (Greg's excellent poem won the acclaim of his friends.) accolade (n.) high praise

accolade

(n.) high praise

accommodating

(adj.) helpful

accord

(n.) an agreement (After much negotiating

accost

(v.) to confront verbally (Though Antoinette was normally quite calm

accretion

(n.) slow growth in size or amount (Stalactites are formed by the accretion of minerals from the roofs of caves.)

acerbic

(adj.) biting

acquiesce

(v.) to agree without protesting (Though Mr. Correlli wanted to stay outside and work in his garage

acrimony

(n.) bitterness

acumen

(n.) keen insight (Because of his mathematical acumen

acute

1. (adj.) sharp

adamant

(adj.) impervious

adept

(adj.) extremely skilled (Tarzan was adept at jumping from tree to tree like a monkey.)

adhere

1. (n.) to stick to something (We adhered the poster to the wall with tape.) 2. (n.) to follow devoutly (He adhered to the dictates of his religion without question.)

admonish

(v.) to caution

adorn

(v.) to decorate (We adorned the tree with ornaments.)

adroit

(adj.) skillful

adulation

(n.) extreme praise

adumbrate

(v.) to sketch out in a vague way (The coach adumbrated a game plan

adverse

(adj.) antagonistic

advocate

1. (v.) to argue in favor of something (Arnold advocated turning left at the stop sign

aerial

(adj.) somehow related to the air (We watched as the fighter planes conducted aerial maneuvers.)

aesthetic

(adj.) artistic

affable

(adj.) friendly

affinity

(n.)a spontaneous feeling of closeness (Jerry didn't know why

affluent

(adj.) rich

affront

(n.) an insult (Bernardo was very touchy

aggrandize

(v.) to increase or make greater (Joseph always dropped the names of the famous people his father knew as a way to aggrandize his personal stature.)

aggregate

1. (n.) a whole or total (The three branches of the U.S. Government form an aggregate much more powerful than its individual parts.) 2. (v.) to gather into a mass (The dictator tried to aggregate as many people into his army as he possibly could.)

aggrieved

(adj.) distressed

agile

(adj.) quick

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

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

alias

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

allay

(v.) to soothe

allege

(v.) to assert

alleviate

(v.) to relieve

allocate

(v.) to distribute

aloof

(adj.) reserved

altercation

(n.) a dispute

amalgamate

(v.) to bring together

ambiguous

(adj.) uncertain

ambivalent

(adj.) having opposing feelings (My feelings about Calvin are ambivalent because on one hand he is a loyal friend

ameliorate

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

amenable

(adj.) willing

amenity

(n.) an item that increases comfort (Bill Gates's house is stocked with so many amenities

amiable

(adj.) friendly (An amiable fellow

amorous

(adj.) showing love

amorphous

(adj.) without definite shape or type (The effort was doomed from the start

anachronistic

(adj.) being out of correct chronological order (In this book you're writing

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

anarchist

(n.) one who wants to eliminate all government (An anarchist

anathema

(n.) a cursed

anecdote

(n.) a short

anesthesia

(n.) loss of sensation (When the nerves in his spine were damaged

anguish

(n.) extreme sadness

animated

(adj.) lively (When he begins to talk about drama

annex

1. (v.) to incorporate territory or space (After defeating them in battle

annul

(v.) to make void or invalid (After seeing its unforeseen and catastrophic effects

anomaly

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

anonymous

(adj.) being unknown

antagonism

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

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

antipathy

(n.) a strong dislike

antiquated

(adj.) old

antiseptic

(adj.) clean

antithesis

(n.) the absolute opposite (Your values

anxiety

(n.) intense uneasiness (When he heard about the car crash

apathetic

(adj.) lacking concern

apocryphal

(adj.) fictitious

appalling

(adj.) inspiring shock

appease

(v.) to calm

appraise

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

apprehend

1. (v.) to seize

approbation

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