SAT Vocab List

abhor

to hate

abstinence

deliberate self-restraint

abstruse

difficult to understand

acclaim

to praise

accord

agreement

acerbic

bitter

acrimony

hostility

acuity

sharp perception or vision

adept

very skilled

admonish

to gently criticize or warn

adorn

to decorate

adroit

very skilled

adulation

excessive flattery

adversity

great hardship

advocate

to speak in favor of, promote

aesthetic

concerning beauty

affable

friendly

affluent

wealthy

alacrity

eagerness, enthusiasm

alienate

to make unfriendly or hostile

alleviate

to make more bearable

altruistic

unselfishly concerned for the welfare of others

amalham

a combination of diverse elements

ambiguous

unclear

ambivalent

having opposing feelings; uncertain

ameliorate

to improve

amenable

open to advice or suggestion

amiable

friendly

amicable

friendly

amorphous

lacking definite form

anachronistic

in the wrong time period

anecdote

a short account of an interesting or humorous incident

animosity

bitter hostility

antagonistic

hostile

apathetic

lacking interest, concern, or emotion

appease

to bring peace, quiet, or calm to; to relieve

apprehensive

fearful

arbitrary

determined by impulse or chance, without reason

archaic

outdated; really old

ardor

energy, intensity, enthusiasm

arid

dry

articulate

characterized by clear and expressive language

ascertain

to discover

aspire

to have great ambition

assess

to make a judgment about

assiduous

hard working

astute

having sharp judgment

atrophy

to waste away

audacity

disrespectful boldness

augment

to make greater in size or quantity

auspicious

favorable; successful

austere

strict or severe in discipline

autonomy

independence

avarice

greed

averse

reluctant

awe

a mixed emotion of respect, wonder, and dread

banal

ordinary or commonplace

bane

a cause of death or ruin

belie

to represent falsely

belittle

to speak of in an insulting way

belligerent

eager to fight

bemuse

to confuse, stun, or stump

benevolent

inclined to perform kind acts

benign

kind; beneficial

berate

to criticize severely or angrily

boisterous

noisy; disorderly

bolster

to support; to reinforce

bombastic

using arrogant or pretentious speech

brazen

rudely bold

brusque

rudely brief

buoyant

cheerful

burgeon

to grow

buttress

to support or strengthen

cacaphony

jarring, disagreeable sound

cajole

to persuade by flattery

callous

emotionally hardened or unfeeling

camaraderie

goodwill among friends

candid

honest and straightforward

cantankerous

ill-tempered

capricious

impulsive, unpredictable

carnivorous

meat-eating

cathartic

emotionally cleansing or relieving

caustic

harsh, stinging; sarcastic

censure

to criticize severely

cerebral

intellectual

chronic

continuing or lingering

circuitous

being or taking a roundabout course

circumspect

cautious and wise

circumvent

to avoid or get around

clairvoyance

the power to see things that cannot be perceived by the senses

clandestine

kept or done in secret

cogent

forcefully convincing

cognizant

aware

coherent

logically connected; making sense

cohesive

sticking or holding together

collaborate

to work together

commend

to praise

compel

to exert a strong, irresistible force on

competent

having adequate ability

complacent

self-satisfied to the point of inactivity; unconcerned