SAT VOCABULARY PREP

abdicate

to give up a position, right, or power, often in a formal manner

example: The king abdicated his throne and left.

synonyms: cede; quit; resign; relinquish; resign; yield

VERB

aberration

something different from the usual

example: The strange aberration in sales made the business go bankrupt.

synonyms: irregularity; anomaly; deviation; abnormality

NOUN

acerbic

bitter, sharp, or sour in taste or temper/tone

example: Her acerbic tone made everyone afraid in the office.

synonyms: acidic, biting, tart

ADJECTIVE

acquiesce

to agree or to comply quietly

example: The princess acquiesced to the demands that she must marry a nobleman, even thought she wasn’t happy about it.

synonyms: accede; consent; submit

VERB

adulterate

to corrupt or make impure

example: The manager of a restaurant told the waiters to adulterate the ketchup with water to make it last longer.

synonyms: contaminate; dilute

VERB

aggrandize

to make larger or greater in power

example: The millionaire only wanted to aggrandize his wealth as much as possible.

synonyms: advance; elevate; exalt; glorify

VERB

allegory

symbolic representation

example: The girl wore black in the movie as an allegory for her depression.

synonyms: symbolism; metaphor

NOUN

anterior

previous, before, prior to, or preceding

example: The student’s study sessions were anterior to the exam.

synonyms: before; previous

ADJECTIVE

antipathy

dislike; hostility; extreme opposition or aversion

example: The antipathy between the children would often lead to fights.

synonyms: antagonism; enmity; malice

NOUN

ardent

passionate, enthusiastic, fervent

example: The teacher’s most ardent students were disappointed when seeing the essay portion on the test.

synonyms: fervid, intense, vehement

ADJECTIVE

ardor

great emotion or passion

example: The girl’s ardor for painting really amazed the judges once her artwork was revealed.
synonyms: enthusiasm; zeal

NOUN

adhere

to believe in and follow the practices of something

example: It can be difficult for a high school student to adhere to a certain sleep schedule.

VERB

advocate

to publicly recommend or support

example: Before elections for the school club were held, I tried my hardest to advocate for my friend.

VERB

allude

to suggest or call attention to indirectly; to hint at

example: Annoyed at her class, the teacher was clearly trying to allude about getting a new job.

VERB

ambivalence

having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone

example: Since he showed ambivalence to her, she couldn’t tell if he liked her or hated her.

NOUN