504 Essential Words for SSAT & ISEE (Upper)

abnegation

the act of rejecting or renouncing something; self-denial

abject

existing to the highest amount, extreme (used to describe something bad); lacking dignity or pride, despicable (used to describe a person or behavior)

abjure

to relinquish or give up

abrogate

to formally abolish or repeal

abstemious

moderate or sparing; especially in eating and drinking

accost

to approach and address someone in an aggressive manner

Achilles

a great warrior and Trojan War leader (in Greek mythology); used to describe a weakness (Achilles' heel)

acumen

having the keenness of mind to make good judgements and quick decisions

adulterate

to corrupt or make impure

adumbrate

to foreshadow in a vague way; to indicate faintly

aggrandize

to make greater or enhance the reputation, power or wealth of someone or something

alias

an assumed or additional identity; otherwise known as

alacrity

promptness, cheerful readiness

alleviate

to make less severe, to make more bearable

allude

to indirectly hint at; to suggest

altruistic

showing an unselfish concern for others' welfare

ameliorate

to make better or to improve

amorphous

lacking a clearly defined form, character, or shape; having no focus or structure (when describing an organization or group)

anachronistic

belonging to another chronological period, usually an earlier one

anathema

a thing or person that is intensely disliked; a formal denouncement or curse by a religious leader or authority

annex

to add as an extra part; an addition to a building or a document

antithesis

something or someone that is the direct opposite of something or someone else

antediluvian

old fashioned, dating from the past; referring to the time before the Biblical flood

arcane

understood by few; mysterious or secret

apocryphal

something of doubtful authenticity

approbation

the expression of approval or favorable opinion, praise; official approval

archetypal

the most representative or typical example of something, relating to an original model or archetype

ardent

very enthusiastic, impassioned, having or expressing great feeling, passion, or intense devotion

artifact

an object made by a human being, typically an item of cultural or historical interest. from an earlier period

artifice

using cunning or stratagem to create false appearances or trickery

ascetic

one who leads a life of self-denial and contemplation; absent of luxury

aspersion

a damaging or derogatory statement or criticism; slander

assiduous

persistent, attentive; diligent and unremitting in an effort ar at a task

attenuate

to weaken in force or reduce in intensity; to make thin or slender

avaricious

greedy; strongly desiring material wealth

austerity

strict economy or severity of life or manner

balk

to become an obstacle to something, to hinder from proceeding; a defeat, hinderance or disappointment

bedlam

a state of confusion or chaos

beguile

to trick, mislead, or cheat; to divert or charm

benevolent

showing kindness, goodwill or charity; set up for benefits as opposed to profit

besmirch

to tarnish or soil; to remove honor from

bigot

someone showing extreme intolerance or prejudice to those of differing beliefs or race

blandishment

a speech or action intended to coax, flatter or entice

bogus

counterfeit, not genuine; a sham

brittle

hard and rigid, not able to be stretched or drawn out; easily damaged; lacking in sensitivity, warmth, or compassion; candy made with melted sugar and often nuts

boor

a rude person without manners

bulwark

a wall or protection built for defense against danger; someone giving strong support during a trial or struggle

carp

to complain or find fault in an annoying way

circumocution

an indirect, roundabout way of speaking or expressing an idea

buttress

an external prop or support used to steady a structure; to support or give encouragement

burgeon

to develop or flourish, to grow quickly; to begin to bud

cache

a hiding place; to conceal, to hide

cacophony

harsh discordance of sound

cajole

to persuade by flattery or promises

callow

inexperienced or immature

calumny

a false, malicious statement to injure reputation

candor

the quality or state of being sincere, open and frank in expression or speech

cant

insincere expression of expression of enthusiasm for goodness; special words or phrases used by a group; a sloping or slanting surface, or a tilt; to engage in hypocritical talk, to beg

capitulate

to surrender unconditionally, to give up resistance

capricious

indicating a sudden unpredictable change, erratic, fanciful

castigate

to punish in order to correct, to reprimand severely, to criticize

catalyst

in chemistry, a substance that causes or accelerates a chemical reaction; someone or something that causes activity or precipitates a change

chagrin

a feeling of frustration caused by humiliation or disappointment; to cause frustration by humiliating or disappointing

celerity

speed or swiftness

chimerical

absurd, imaginary, indulging in unrealistic fantasies

chauvinism

aggressive, biased, blind patriot

circumvent

to go around, to bypass, to avoid

cogent

believable or convincing due to clear presentation, relevant, pertinent

cognizant

being aware of or having legal jurisdiction

comely

pleasing in appearance, fair, attractive, seemly, becomingterm-71

compunction

a feeling of uneasiness or anxiety about the rightness of an action

commodious

spacious and convenient, roomy, ample or adequate for a specific purpose

concoction

a preparation or mixture of combined ingredients;

concomitant

existing or occurring with something else, often in a lesser way; accompanying; concurrent

condone

to treat something bad as forgivable or harmless

conduit

a channel or passageway through which something travels

conjecture

an opinion or theory formed without sufficient proof

conflagration

a large, disastrous, destructive fire; a conflict or war

congruity

a point of agreement; the state of being in harmony

connoisseur

a discerning judge of the best in the field; a person who is competent to pass judgement in the field

connive

to cooperate secretly; to pretend ignorance of

consternation

a sudden amazement or dismay that results in confusion

construe

to give the meaning of; to deduce by interpretation

consummate

to bring to completion, to achieve; complete, utter or perfect

constituent

making up a thing, a component; an element that make up a thing; a person who authorizes another to act on his or her behalf

contravene

to be in violation of, to be inconsistent with

conundrum

a riddle or seemingly unanswerable, difficult problem, a dilemma

contrite

full of remorse or guilt; caused by or showing sincere regret

countenance

the appearance, especially the face; to support, encourage, tolerate or endure

copious

large in number or quantity

corpulence

the state of having a large, bulky body

coterie

a small group with common interests who often associate with one another

coup

a brilliant and sudden triumph or successful act; the sudden overthrow of a government by a small group of persons

crescendo

a slow, steady increase in loudness, force or intensity; the peak of a gradual increase; gradually increasing in force, loudness or volume; to increase in force or loudness

culpable

deserving of blame

cupidity

excessive, strong desire, especially for money

decadence

a period, process, or condition of decline or deterioration

defunct

having ceased to live or exist, no longer in use

decrepit

worn out, weakened, or impaired by illness, old age or hard use

deleterious

having a harmful effect