400 SAT VOCAB

agony and fear

abate

to become less intense or widespread

abject

miserable, hopeless, awful

abrupt

sudden, unexpected, without warning

abstract

existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical or concrete existence; conceptual

absurd

ridiculous or completely unreasonable

abundant

plentiful

acquisition

something that is bought or obtained, an act of purchase

actuate

1) to cause (a machine or device) to operate 2) to cause (someone) to act in a particular way

adept

very skilled at something

adequate

sufficient, enough, acceptable

admonish

to warn or scold someone

adorn

to decorate

adversary

one's opponent or enemy

advocate

1) to support an idea 2) a person who publicly supports an idea

aesthetic

concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty

affluent

wealthy

aggrandize

to make someone more powerful or important

aggregate

collection or sum total

agitate

1) to make someone troubled or nervous 2) to campaign for something in public

alienate

to cause someone to feel isolated or lonely

allude

to suggest or call attention to indirectly, to make a reference to something

altercation

a noisy argument or disagreement

ambiguous

open to more than one interpretation; unclear

ambivalent

having mixed feelings

amend

to revise, to make changes

amicable

friendly

analogy

a comparison between two things

ancestral

belonging to or inherited from one's ancestors

anecdote

a short personal story

anomaly

oddity, something that is not normal

antipathy

hatred, dislike

apparent

clearly visible or understood; obvious

apprehensive

anxious or fearful that something bad or unpleasant will happen

apt

appropriate or suitable in the circumstances

arbitrary

based on random choice or personal impulse, rather than any reason or system

articulate

having the ability to speak fluently and persuasively

artisan

a person who does skilled work with his or her hands

ascertain

to find (something) out for certain

aspire

to hope to achieve something or be successful

assert

to state a fact or belief confidently and forcefully

assess

to judge the quality or importance of something

attest

to confirm or verify

atypical

unusual, uncommon

austere

plain and without decoration, comforts, or anything extra

authoritarian

enforcing strict obedience to authority

avid

passionate about something

bazaar

a market selling a large variety of goods

bias

an unfair personal opinion that influences your judgment

bluster

talk intended to seem important or threatening but which is not taken seriously and has little effect

boast

to brag, to show off

brevity

concise use of words in writing or speech

broach

to bring up a difficulty subject for discussion

burden

a difficulty, problem, or responsibility

calibrate

to carefully measure or adjust

candor

honesty

cleave

to cut or split into at least two parts

clout

power and influence (especially in politics or business)

coarse

1) rough, not smooth 2) rude or offensive in manner or speech

coerce

to pressure or force someone to do something

colloquial

used in casual conversation

compel

to force someone to do something

competent

having the necessary ability, knowledge, or skill to do something successfully

complacent

overly satisfied or pleased with oneself

complement (verb)

to add to (something) in a way that enhances or completes it

comprise

to consist of or to be made up of

concede

admit that something is true after first denying it

conceive

to form or create a plan or idea

conception

1) origin or beginning 2) an idea or concept

conducive

providing the right conditions for something to happen or exist; to help bring about

confinement

imprisonment, captivity

conflate

to mix or combine into one (typically ideas)

conform

to behave according to an expectation or rule

confound

to cause surprise or confusion in someone

conjecture

an opinion or conclusion that is unproven, a guess

consensus

general agreement

consolidate

1) strengthen 2) combine or unite

constitute

to be the parts that form something

construe

to interpret in a particular way

consummate (adj.)

complete or perfect, having a high degree of skill

contemplate

to think about for a long time

contend

1) to deal with someone or something 2) to claim or state a belief confidently

content

satisfied

continuum

a continuous sequence; a range

contradiction

a combination of statements or ideas that are opposed to one another; inconsistency

conventional

traditional, accepted, mainstream, standard

convey

to make (an idea or feeling) known or understandable to someone; to communicate

convoke

to summon, to call together

convulsion

a sudden, violent, irregular movement of the body

corroborate

to confirm, to verify

credibility

believability, authority

crux

the essence, the main point

cultivate

to grow, to develop

dabble

to try an activity in a casual way

deceive

to trick or mislead someone

decree

an official order or command

decrepit

1) weak, disabled 2) in a run-down state, decayed

deference

respect

degrade

treat with disrespect

delegate (verb)

to assign a task to another person

demeanor

manner, attitude, appearance