SAT & PSAT Vocabulary: Testmasters Essential Word List

abridge

to shorten without losing the main sense.

acclaim

enthusiastic public praise.

affinity for

a natural liking or attraction to something.

dearth

a scarcity or lack of something.

decouple from

to separate or disconnect from something.

decried

publicly denounced or criticized.

defunct

no longer existing or functioning.

amalgamated

combined or united to form one structure.

amorphous

without a clearly defined shape or form.

analyses

detailed examinations of elements or structure.

deliberation

careful consideration or discussion.

denigrate

to unfairly criticize or belittle.

denounce

to publicly declare wrong or evil.

desultory

lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm.

dissonance

lack of harmony or agreement.

disparage

to speak of as unimportant or bad.

disparity

a great difference.

dispassionate

not influenced by emotion; impartial.

dispersed

scattered or spread widely.

disseminate

to spread or disperse widely.

dissipate

to disappear or cause to disappear.

dogmatic

asserting opinions as undeniable truths.

downplay

to make something appear less important.

dwindle

to gradually decrease in size or amount.

dynamic

characterized by constant change or activity.

earnest

showing sincere and intense conviction.

eccentric

unconventional and slightly strange.

eclipsed

overshadowed or made less important.

analogical

based on analogy or comparison.

ambiguous

open to more than one interpretation.

ambivalent

having mixed or contradictory feelings.

ameliorate

to make something better or more tolerable.

anomalous

deviating from what is standard or normal.

antagonistic

showing opposition or hostility.

apathy

lack of interest or concern.

appraising

evaluating or estimating the worth of something.

apprised of

informed or notified about something.

arcane

understood by few; mysterious or secret.

assimilate

to absorb or integrate into a larger group.

assuage

to make less intense; to ease.

augment

to make greater by adding to.

banal

so lacking in originality as to be obvious.

belies

gives a false impression of.

breadth of

the wide scope or range of something.

brooded on

thought deeply about something troubling.

efficacy

the ability to produce a desired result.

eliciting

drawing out a response or reaction.

emblematic of

serving as a symbol of something.

embraced

accepted or supported willingly.

emulate

to imitate or match, typically by admiration.

buttress

support or strengthen.

candor

the quality of being open and honest.

coalesce

to come together and form one whole.

coincide

to happen at the same time.

collaborate

to work jointly with others.

complementary

combining to enhance or complete each other.

compressed

pressed into a smaller space.

compulsory

required by law or rule; obligatory.

conflate

to combine two or more things into one.

confound

to confuse or perplex.

conjectures

guesses based on incomplete information.

consensus

general agreement.

conspicuous

easily seen or noticed; attracting attention.

constitute

to be part of a whole; to make up.

constraint

a limitation or restriction.

constrict

to make narrower; tighten.

contemplate

to think about deeply and at length.

encapsulate

to express the main idea briefly.

engender

to cause or give rise to.

entail

to involve or require as a necessary part.

enumerate

to list one by one.

envision

to imagine as a future possibility.

epitomized

served as a perfect example of.

equitable

fair and impartial.

equivocal

open to multiple interpretations; ambiguous.

erratic

unpredictable; inconsistent.

evince

to show clearly; reveal.

exemplification

the act of showing by example.

expediency

convenience; practicality over principle.

exploit

to make full use of; benefit unfairly from.

extraneous

irrelevant or unrelated to the subject.

extrapolate

to infer from known information.

extricate

to free from difficulty.

facetious

treating serious issues with humor.

fecundity

ability to produce offspring or new growth.

foresight

the ability to predict or plan for the future.

hallmark

a distinguishing characteristic or feature.

haphazard

lacking any obvious principle of organization.

harbinger

something that signals the approach of another.

contentious

causing or likely to cause an argument.

convene

to come together for a meeting.

cornerstone

an essential or foundational element.

corroborate

to confirm or support with evidence.

counteract

to act against; neutralize the effect of.

counterbalance

to offset or balance the effect of something.

critique

a detailed analysis and assessment.

curtail

to reduce or limit something.

cynical

distrustful of human sincerity or integrity.

pretentious

attempting to impress with greater importance.

prevail

to triumph or be widespread.