SAT VOCAB

abandon

give up completely

abate

lessen

abject

completely without pride or dignity

aberration

deviation from the norm

abjure

renounce a belief, cause, or claim

abnegation

renounce or reject something

abrogate

do away with (a law, right, or responsibility)

abscond

flee

abstruse

dense or obscure

abysmal

terrible

accede

agree to a demand

acumen

ability to make good judgments

adamant

stubborn

adapt

modify

admonish

reprimand someone

advantageous

beneficial circumstances

affluent

wealthy

alacrity

brisk eagerness

ambivalence

state of uncertainty

anomaly

outside of what is normal or expected

antipathy

strong dislike

antiseptic

clean or pure

apt

accurate or appropriate

assertion

statement

assiduous

showing great care

bane

source of distress or harm

beguile

charm or enchant

beneficial

helpful

berate

scold or criticize

bereft

deprived or lacking

blandishment

a flattering statement used to persuade someone

bias

prejudice

bolster

support

bombastic

inflated

bovine

cow-like

braggart

someone who boasts

brevity

concise

cacophony

a discordant mixture of sounds

cajole

persuade someone via flattery

callous

cruel disregard for others

calumny

slander

camaraderie

friendship

candid

truthful

candor

quality of being honest

carouse

drink and party in a lively way

carp

complain about trivial matters

catastrophic

involving large-scale damage, usually sudden

cavort

dance around excitedly

censorious

critical of others

circumlocution

using many words, particularly in an evasive way

circumscribe

restrict within limits

clamor

a loud and confused noise

clout

influence or power

cognizant

having knowledge of

commensurate

equal to

comparable

similar to another thing

complement

add to or make complete

compunction

a feeling of guilt

concomitant

naturally accompanying

conducive

helps produce positive or desired results

conduit

a vessel or channel for transporting something

conflagration

a large fire

connive

trick; conspire

consign

assign or deliver something into someone else’s custody

constituent

being part of a whole

constructive

helpful, useful

construe

interpret

contend

reckon with; struggle against

contusion

a bruise

contrite

feeling of remorse or guilt

contentious

likely to cause an argument

contravene

violate the order of; conflict

convivial

friendly and cheerful environment

corpulence

obesity; fatness

covet

want greatly

cupidity

greed for money

dearth

a lack of something

debacle

a fiasco or failure

debauch

ruin or debase, particularly in a moral sense

defunct

no longer working

demagogue

a political leader who appeals to the prejudices of the common people

demur

show reluctance; raise objections

denigrate

disparage

despot

a tyrant

diaphanous

light and translucent

dirge

song of lament for the dead

discomfit

make someone uncomfortable

disparate

different from one another

disrepute

state of disgrace

duplicity

deceitfulness

duress

intimidation or coercion to force someone to perform an act

eclectic

wide-ranging

edict

an official order

ebullient

cheerful and lively

efficacious

has the power to achieve a particular result

effluvia

unpleasant odor

egregious

outstandingly bad

elegy

a poem of reflection, typically a lament for the dead

elicit

evoke or draw out

eloquent

well-spoken