ACT Vocab Words

Abbreviate

To shorten a word or phrase.

Ambivalent

Having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone.

Abridge

To shorten a text without losing its essential meaning.

Amicable

Characterized by friendliness and absence of discord.

Abstain

To choose not to do something, especially to refrain from voting.

Anachronistic

Belonging to a period other than that being portrayed; out of place in time.

Acrimonious

Angry and bitter in speech or tone.

Anomaly

Something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected.

Adulation

Excessive praise or admiration.

Antiseptic

Free from contamination; clean and sterile.

Adversity

Difficulties or misfortune.

Arable

Suitable for growing crops.

Affected

Influenced or touched by an external factor.

Arbitrary

Based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system.

Alacrity

Cheerful readiness or eagerness.

Ascetic

Characterized by severe self-discipline and abstention from indulgence.

Alleviate

To make suffering, deficiency, or a problem less severe.

Astute

Having or showing an ability to accurately assess situations or people.

Audacious

Showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks.

Circumlocution

The use of many words where fewer would do, especially in a deliberate attempt to be vague.

Auspicious

Conducive to success; favorable.

Circumvent

To find a way around an obstacle or to overcome a problem.

Belated

Coming or happening later than should have been the case.

Cloying

Excessively sweet or sentimental.

Benevolent

Well-meaning and kindly.

Cognizant

Having knowledge or being aware of.

Bereft

Deprived of or lacking something, especially a non-material asset.

Collaborate

To work jointly with others or together, especially in an intellectual endeavor.

Bourgeois

Characteristic of the middle class, typically with reference to its perceived materialistic values.

Competent

Having the necessary ability, knowledge, or skill to do something successfully.

Camaraderie

Mutual trust and friendship among people who spend a lot of time together.

Composure

The state or feeling of being calm and in control of oneself.

Capricious

Given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior.

Concise

Giving a lot of information clearly and in a few words; brief but comprehensive.

Caustic

Able to burn or corrode organic tissue; sarcastic in a scathing and bitter way.

Condolence

An expression of sympathy, especially on the occasion of a death.

Conformity

Compliance with standards, rules, or laws.

Delegate

To assign responsibility or authority to another person.

Consolation

Comfort received by a person after a loss or disappointment.

Demure

Reserved, modest, and shy.

Consummated

Completed or perfected in every detail.

Derivative

Imitative of the work of another artist, often lacking originality.

Contemporary

Living or occurring at the same time; belonging to the present.

Destitute

Without the basic necessities of life.

Convoluted

Extremely complex and difficult to follow.

Diffident

Modest or shy because of a lack of self-confidence.

Criterion

A principle or standard by which something may be judged or decided.

Digress

To leave the main subject temporarily in speech or writing.

Curtail

To reduce in extent or quantity; to impose a restriction on.

Diligent

Having or showing care and conscientiousness in one's work or duties.