SAT

Abate

v. to become less active, less intense, or less in amount; lessen

Abscond

v. to run off and hide; leave secretly; flee

Abstract

adj. existing purely in the mind; theoretical

Abysmal

adj. extremely bad

Accordingly

adv. in accordance with; appropriately

Acme

n. highest point; summit; the highest level or degree attainable

Acquiescent

adj. reluctantly agreeable; compliant

Acquisition

n. the act of gaining a skill or possession of something; obtain; "acquire"

Acrid

adj. harsh in taste or odor; sharp in manner or temper

Adapt

v. to accommodate oneself to a new condition; change

Adept

adj. having knowledge or skill; skillful

Adequate

adj. having sufficient qualifications to meet a specific task or purpose; enough (just average)

Adhere

v. to believe in the practices of; stand by; stick to (literally)

Admonish

v. to caution or advise against something; to scold mildly

Advent

n. arrival or creation of something

Adversarial

adj. relating to hostile opposition; "adversary"

Advocate

n. someone who promotes or defends something; supporter

v. to defend or promote something (belief, theory, opinion etc); speak for

Aesthetic

adj. relating to beauty or refined taste; elegant

Affluent

adj. rich; wealthy

Afford

v. to be able to buy/spare

Affront

n. an action or remark that causes outrage or offense; insult

Agitate

v. to promote something (cause, etc)

v. to make someone troubled or upset

Akin

adj. related by blood; having similar qualities or character

Allay

v. to calm or pacify, set to rest; to lessen or relieve

Allow

v. to permit or consent to

Allude

v. to make a secretive mention of something; suggest

Altercation

n. a noisy argument or confrontation; quabble

Altruistic

adj. unselfish; concerned with the welfare of others

Ambiguous

adj. unclear or vague in meaning; cryptic

Ambitious

adj. having a powerful desire for success or achievement; aspiring

Ambivalence

n. the state of being uncertain or stuck between two or more options; indecision

Amble

v. to casually walk; stroll

Analogous

adj. similar but not identical; related

Annihilate

v. to destroy or cause devastating destruction; obliterate

Anomaly

n. something different from the norm; abnormality

Anticipate

v. assume to be likely to happen; expect

Antipathy

n. a strong feeling of dislike; hostility

Apex

n. the highest point of something

Aphorism

n. a concise statement of a truth or principle

Apprehension

n. fearful expectation of something; anxiety; alarm

Ardently

adv. eagerly; passionately; intensely

Articulate

v. to clearly express in words; fluent

Artificial

adj. something made; not occurring naturally

Askance

adv. with suspicion, distrust, or disapproval

Assertion

n. a strong declaration

Assuage

v. to make easier; relieve; to calm; quench

Auspicious

adj. favorable; fortunate

Austere

adj. extremely plain; basic

adj. stern and forbidding; strict

adj. relating to self-denial; selflessness

Authenticity

n. the quality of being real and true instead of fake and contrived; original

Avenue

n. an intangible path or approach to something; method

Avid

adj. actively interested in or enthusiastic about something; eager

Benumbed

v. to make numb or inactive

Bolster

v. support; prop up

Brusque

adj. abrupt; blunt; with no formalities

Bucolic

adj. pertaining to the countryside; rural; rustic

Caliber

n. the quality of someone's character or the level of someone's ability

Cavalier

adj. showing an offhand or carefree disregard; arrogant

Cavil

v. to find fault in a petty way; carp

Chasten

v. to discipline, to use punishment to correct behavior

Circumvent

v. to get around; to bypass

Codified

v. arranged and recorded systematically

Cognitive

adj. how we encode, process, store, and retrieve information

Colloquial

adj. informal spoken language or conversation

Complacent

adj. self-satisfied; smug

Concede

v. to admit defeat; yield

Conceited

adj. arrogant; vain

Conjecture

n. a guess

Conscientious

adj. diligent and careful

Consternation

n. dismay; confusion

Contentious

adj. quarrelsome, inclined to argue

Convalescent

adj. recovering from illness

Convolution

n. a rolling up, coiling, or twisting together

Copious

adj. abundant; plentiful

Cordial

adj. warm and friendly; polite

Corroborate

v. to confirm; make more certain; bolster; substantiate

Coveted

adj. greedily desired or wished for

Curtail

v. to cut short or reduce

Cynical

adj. doubtful or distrustful of the goodness or sincerity of human motives

Decadent

adj. overly luxurious and lacking moral discipline; excessive

Delimited

v. to establish the limits and boundaries

Disabuse

v. to set right; to free from error

Discomfiture

n. anxious embarrassment

Duress

n. compulsion by threat; forcible confinement

Edify

v. to improve someone morally

Embankment

n. a wall or bank of earth or stone built to prevent a river flooding an area; dam

Embossed

adj. decorated with a design

Enigmatic

adj. mysterious; inexplicable; not easily understood

Ephemeral

adj. short-lived

Equivocal

adj. open to more than one interpretation; ambiguous

Exacerbated

v. make (a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling) worse

Expansively

adv. with a willingness to talk, share

Expound

v. to explain in detail; to clarify

Extirpate

v. root out and destroy completely

Extol

v. to praise highly; laud

Extort

v. to obtain by force or threat

Fecund

adj. fertile; productive; fruitful

Ferverent

adj. having or displaying a passionate intensity

Flinty

adj. extremely hard and firm

Fluorescent

adj. glowing; bright; shining; flaming.

Foreboding

n. a feeling that something bad will happen