SAT Vocab

From "The 1000 Most Common SAT Words" by SparkNotes

abase

to humiliate, degrade

abate

to reduce, lessen

abdicate

to give up a position of leadership

abduct

to kidnap, take by force

aberration

something that differs from the norm

abet

to aid, help, encourage

abhor

to hate, detest

abide

to put up with; to remain

abject

wretched, pitiful

abjure

to reject, renounce

abnegation

denial of comfort to oneself

abort

to give up on a half-finished project

abridge

to cut down, shorten

abrogate

to abolish, usually by authority

abscond

to sneak away and hide

absolution

freedom from blame, guilt, sin

abstain

to freely choose not to do something

abstruse

hard to comprehend

accede

to agree

accentuate

to stress, highlight

accessible

obtainable, reachable

acclaim

high praise

accolade

special distinction, award

accommodating

helpful, obliging

accord

an agreement

accost

to confront verbally

accretion

slow growth in size or amount

acerbic

biting, bitter in tone or taste

acquiesce

to agree without protest

acrimony

bitterness, discord

acumen

keen insight

acute

sharp, severe; having keen insight

adamant

unyielding, firm

adept

extremely skilled

adhere

to stick to; to follow devoutly

admonish

to caution, criticize

adorn

to decorate

adroit

skillful, dexterous

adulation

extreme praise

adumbrate

to sketch out vaguely

adverse

unfavorable, antagonistic

advocate

to argue for; one who argues for

aerial

related to the air

aesthetic

artistic, related to beauty

affable

friendly, amiable

affinity

a spontaneous feeling of closeness

affluent

rich, wealthy

affront

an insult

aggrandize

to increase in power or status

aggregate

a whole; to gather into a mass

aggrieved

distressed, wronged

agile

quick, nimble

agnostic

believing God’s existence unprovable

agriculture

farming

aisle

a passageway between rows

alacrity

eagerness, speed

alias

a false name

allay

to soothe, ease

allege

to assert without proof

alleviate

to relieve, make bearable

allocate

to distribute, set aside

aloof

reserved, distant

altercation

a dispute, fight

amalgamate

to unite, combine

ambiguous

uncertain, interpretable

ambivalent

having mixed feelings

ameliorate

to improve

amenable

willing, compliant

amenity

something that increases comfort

amiable

friendly

amicable

friendly, peaceable

amorous

showing love, esp. sexual

amorphous

without definite shape

anachronistic

out of chronological order

analgesic

something that reduces pain

analogous

similar, comparable

anarchist

one who wants no government

anathema

a cursed, detested person

anecdote

a short, humorous account

anesthesia

loss of sensation

anguish

extreme sadness, torment

animated

lively

annex

to add territory; an added room

annul

to make void

anomaly

something out of place

anonymous

unknown, unnamed

antagonism

hostility

antecedent

something that came before

antediluvian

ancient

anthology

a collection of works

antipathy

strong dislike

antiquated

old, outdated

antiseptic

clean, sterile

antithesis

the exact opposite

anxiety

intense uneasiness

apathetic

lacking concern

apocryphal

of doubtful authenticity

appalling

shocking, horrifying

appease

to calm, satisfy

appraise

to assess the value of