400+ SAT words

For my fellow SAT takers :) - (WIP)

erratic

unpredictable, inconsistent, irregular

secluded

hard to reach, hidden away

fluctuate

to rise and fall irregularly

exalt

to praise, to worship

admonish

to warn or scold someone

abrupt

sudden, unexpected, without warning

content

satisfied

eccentric

uncommon, strange

mired

stuck in mud

colloquial

used in casual conversation

reconcile

settle one’s differences, make compatible, bring back to peace

alienate

to cause someone to feel isolated or lonely

distinguish

to tell the difference between

adequate

sufficient, enough, acceptable

contend

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

skeptical

having doubts

enfranchise

to give the right to vote

sophisticated

1) having a lot of worldly experience and knowledge 2) complicated

radical

1) thorough, complete, extensive 2) fundamental, essential 3) revolutionary, extreme

formulate

to create or think up

attest

to confirm or verify

vexing

annoying, irritating

unassuming

humble, low-key

coerce

to pressure or force someone to do something

adept

very skilled at something

eloquent

fluent or persuasive in speaking or writing

austere

plain and without decoration, comforts, or anything extra

dread

to fear, be afraid of

inevitable

unavoidable

to stress

to emphasize

spawn

to produce, generate, or create

renounce

to give up, deny, or surrender something

unprecedented

never done or known before

broach

to bring up a difficulty subject for discussion

proxy

a person authorized to act on behalf of another; substitute

detrimental

harmful, damaging

secular

having no religious or spiritual basis

innovative

new and different

tangible

real and able to be shown or touched

disseminate

to spread widely (particularly information)

delegate

to assign a task to another person

apparent

clearly visible or understood; obvious

postulate

to suggest or propose something

speculate

to guess, to form a theory without firm evidence

bazaar

a market selling a large variety of goods

sporadic

scattered, irregular, unpredictable

suffrage

the right to vote

incredulous

unwilling or unable to believe something

idealistic

unrealistically aiming for perfection

conflate

to mix or combine into one (typically ideas)

paucity

poverty, scarcity

ephemeral

 temporary, short-lived

prompt

to cause (someone) to take a course of action

reverence

deep respect for someone or something

disparity

a great difference

dispassionate

not influenced by strong emotion, fair-minded

phenomenon

a noteworthy occurrence or situation

boast

to brag, to show off

irksome

irritating, annoying

allude

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

omnipotence

having unlimited or great power

provoke

to cause a reaction or emotion (usually anger); to trigger

indulge

to allow oneself to enjoy the pleasure of

entrenched

firmly established and unlikely to change

inherent

built-in, existing in something as a permanent or essential characteristic

vernacular

everyday informal language, local dialect

Inquisition

interrogation, questioning

anecdote

a short personal story

malign

evil in nature, harmful

anomaly

oddity, something that is not normal

inhibit

to hold someone or something back, to suppress, to prevent

mutable

changeable

petty

 1) of little importance 2) caring too much about trivial matters

avid

passionate about something

invoke

to call on or refer to something

imprudent

 foolish, reckless

tenacity

persistence, determination

venerable

respected

authoritarian

enforcing strict obedience to authority

quarrel

 an angry argument or disagreement

yield

1) to produce or generate (a result) 2) to surrender

ambivalent

having mixed feelings

endeavor

to try hard to do something

insurrection

a violent uprising or rebellion

contemplate

to think about for a long time

compel

to force someone to do something

feasible

possible to do easily or conveniently

conjecture

an opinion or conclusion that is unproven, a guess

arbitrary

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

reinforce

to make stronger

To temper

to serve as a neutralizing or counterbalancing force to something

decree

an official order or command

brevity

concise use of words in writing or speech

equivocal

open to more than one interpretation; unclear

stronghold

a place that is strongly defended, a fortress

conceive

to form or create a plan or idea

vanity

excessive pride in one’s own appearance or achievements

sluggish

slow-moving

intuition

instinct, the ability to understand something immediately

Inexorable

Impossible to stop or prevent