ACT Vocab List #1

abate

to reduce in amount; diminish

aberration

deviation from what is normal

abstain

to choose not to do something

adversity

a state of misfortune

aesthetic

related to beauty or art

amicable

a desire to avoid conflict; peaceful

anachronistic

out of place in time

arid

extremely dry

assiduous

showing great care and effort

benevolent

showing goodwill

bias

showing a favorable preference for an object, event, or person

boisterous

loud, energetic, unrestrained

brazen

bold; shamelessly

camraderie

feeling of trust and friendship

capitualte

to surrender

capricious

impulsive; unpredictable

clairvoyant

being able to percieve beyond the range of the five senses

collaborate

to work with others

compassion

deep feeling or care for another's suffering

compromise

settlement of a dispute by each party giving up demands

condescending

acting as if oneself is superior

conformist

someone who behaves in accordance with societal customs or "the crowd"

convergence

when two or more things come together to form a new whole

deleterious

harmful in a subtle or unexpected way

demagogue

leader who uses popular prejudices and false claims or promises to gain power

digression

act of leaving the main subject or topic in writing or talking

diligent

carrying out tasks with care and perserverance

discredit

to make something seem untrustworthy

disdain

to show feeling that something is inferior

divergent

extending different directions from a common point

empathy

the ability to understand what others feel and see things from their point of view

emulate

to imitat something you look up to in an effort to be equal

enervating

depriving of strength or effor

ephermal

lasting for a very short time

evanescent

quickly fading or disappearing

exemplary

being a good example for others to follow

florid

excessively ornate or complex

foster

to promote the growth of; encourage

frugal

careful about spending(ex. money); stingy

haughty

arrogant and full of pride

hypothesis

idea or explanation studied through experimentation

impetuous

acting without consideration; rash; impulsive

impute

to blame falsely or unjustly

inconsequential

unimportant; ignorable

inevitable

unavoidable

intrepid

person/action that is bold or brave

lobbyist

someone hired to persuade public officials

mundane

ordinary; dull; uninteresting

novice

inexperienced; a beginner

opulent

rich in appearance; showing greath wealth