SAT Keywords

abate (v)

to reduce in amount, degree, or severity/subside; The pain abated after she took her pills

abhor (v)

to hate; She abhors the thought of injustice

abstain (v)

to refrain or hold back; He abstained from drinking

accretion (n)

a gradual buildup or growth by addiction; The accretion of stress over time can lead to burnout

acerbic (adj)

sharp or biting in tone/sarcastic; She was well-known for her acerbic tone

acquire (v)

to gain possession of; He had acquired a taste for salmon

acumen (n)

keen insight or judgement; She has good acumen on the world hunger crisis

adhere (v)

to stick fast; She adhered to a rigid scheduele

admonish (v)

to advise against; The parent admonished the kid to not be late for school

affable (adj)

friendly, good-natured, and easy to talk to; His affable manner is what he most know for

aesthetic (adj)

relating to beauty or good taste; She loved her friend’s aesthetic the most

alleviate (v)

to relieve or make more bearable; Running helped to alleviate her stress

amiable (adj)

friendly and good-natured; His amiable personality was the reason people knew he couldn’t be the bully

ample (adj)

more than sufficient in size or scope; We had ample time to make it to class

analogous (adj)

similar or comparable in certain respects; This job interview is analogous to trying out for a sport

anomaly (n)

something that is different form the norm; The girl on the right was an anomay

antipathy (n)

a deep dislike or aversion; She had a big antipathy for hardened criminals

arbitrary (adj)

chosen at random, with no reason; Everyone felt it was an arbitrary decision to pick the loudest girl for the next game

arrogant (adj)

having an exaggerated sense of self-importance; The arrogant policeman arrested the wrong man despite the public’s opinion

aspire (v)

to strive for; She aspired to be a professional dancer

aversion (n)

a strong feeling of dislike; She had an aversion to olives since birth

banal (adj)

lacking originality; Her style was so banal it pained many to look at her outfits

belittle (v)

to make someone or something seem unimportant; Her dad constantly belittled her for not being as smart as her sister

belligerent (adj)

hostile, aggressive; The belligerent boy was known for picking useless fights

benevolent (adj)

characterised by or expressing goodwill; She made a benevolent donation to the orphan shleter

bolster (v)

to give vital support, reinforce, or strengthen; Asking her teacher for more past papers helped bolster her knowledge in the subject

bombastic (adj)

high-sounding but with little meaning/inflated or pretentious language/pompous; Her bombastic tone made many annoyed

boon (n)

a blessing, timely benefit, or assistance; She was a boon to her mother

brevity (n)

concise expression without waster words; You need to have brevity when talking to important officials

brusque (adj)

abrupt or offhand in speech or manner/rudely concise; Having asked politely, I got brushed off with a brusque denial

byzantine (adj)

very complicated or intricate; The byzantine code was hard to crack

callous (adj)

insensitive; He had a callous attitude to those he didn’t know well

candor (n)

honesty, frankness, sincerity; The interview thanked her for her candor

capricious (adj)

impulsive or unpredictable; Her tendency to alcohol meant she could be quite capricious at times

castigate (v)

to criticise severely; The teacher castigated the student for forgetting their homework again

censure (v)

blame or condemn; The president was censured for corruption

circumspect (adj)

cautious in speech or action; She was circumspect in sharing details until she understood the full requirements of the mission

conscientious (adj)

guided by conscience or a sense of right; She stayed true to herself and was known for being very conscientious

dearth (n)

scarcity; There is a dearth of good quality revision resources due to low quality preparation