ACT - Vocabulary for Reading

Abundant

Present in large quantities

Accurate

Correct; free from errors

Acquire

To come into possession of

Adamant

Refusing to change an opinion

Adequate

enough, sufficient

Adjacent

Close to or next to

Adverse

Unfavorable; against one's desires

Affable

Friendly, easy to talk to

Ambiguous

Having several potential meanings; unclear and difficult to understand

Ambitious

Having a powerful desire for success or achievement

Annihilate

To destroy or kill

Antipathy

A strong feeling of dislike

Apparent

Readily seen or understood

Ascent

Upward movement; advancement

Attribute

To give credit

Arbitrary

Based on a whim or random decision

Arduous

Requiring a lot of effort

Benevolent

Kind, generous

Bias

A preconception that prevents objectivity

Bolster

To support, strengthen, or fortify

Burgeoning

Growing quickly; flourishing

Bypass

To avoid

Candid

Direct, blunt

Candor

The trait of being honest and frank

Capitalize

To use to your advantage

Catalyst

Something that causes a change or new event

Ceaseless

Unending, without pause

Censure

To express strong disapproval

Clarify

To make clear or intelligible

Coincide

To happen at the same time

Competent

Sufficiently qualified

Complacent

Satisfied, with no desire to change or improve

Complement

To make perfect or complete

Conceal

To hide

Concur

To agree

Condense

To reduce to a shorter form; to make more compact

Confine

After breaking curfew for the third time, Tony's parents confined him to the house for a month.

Confluence

A coming together of people or things; a joining

Consecutively

One after another in uninterrupted succession

Console

To give comfort; to lessen grief

Contention

A dispute; opposition; rivalry

Contours

Line or edge that defines the bounds of an object

Contradict

To be in contrast with

Controversial

Highly debatable and causing contention

Conventional

Abiding by accepted standards

Convey

To pass on or transfer (information)

Cordial

Friendly; courteous

Copious

Abundant

Crucial

Critical; extremely important

Crude

Rudimentary; unrefined

Cumbersome

Unwieldy; burdensome

Deceive

To trick or deceive

Deference

Respect; regard

Deficiency

A lack

Depict

To represent

Deplete

To overuse over time so that resources become scarce.

Desolate

Bare, empty

Derive

To deduce; to obtain from a source or origin

Devoid

Lacking

Dexterity

Skill in moving the hands or body; cleverness

Digress

To stray from the main topic

Discrepancy

An inconsistency or difference

Dismantle

To take apart

Distinctive

Distinguishing

Dominant

Ruling, controlling; being in a position of authority

Efficient

Maximizing productivity

Eliminate

To remove

Eminent

Superior or distinguished; high in position or status

Engrossed

To fully occupy the mind or attention

Erode

To wear away (figuratively or literally)

Estimate

An approximate value

Eternal

Without beginning or end

Exemplify

To serve as a superior example of a thing

Expend

To use up (as in energy or money)

Expedite

To speed the process

Expertise

Expert knowledge or skill in a particular skill

Expose

To reveal or unmask

Extensive

Covering a large area; great in number

Fastidious

Hard to please; taking excessive care

Flaw

An imperfection or defect

Fluctuate

To be unstable; to rise and fall

Frenetic

Frantic, frenzied

Functional

Capable of working or operating

Grandeur

Being awesome or impressive

Historic

Important in history

Hitherto

Up until now

Hostile

Harmful, dangerous

Hypothetical

Supposed; related to a hypothesis

Indifferent

Apathetic, not caring

Immense

Huge, vast

Imminent

About to happen

Inconceivable

Unimaginable

Informal

Casual, without ceremony

Inhibit

To hinder or prohibit

Innovative

New or different

Intricate

Complex; having many interrelated parts

Jumbled

An unorganized mess; confused or muddled

Languid

Slow; lacking energy

Latter

The second of two things

Listless

Indifferent; having little energy or interest