1-125, 500 KEY WORDS FOR THE SAT

Charles Gulotta

Abstract

theoretical; not concrete

Abstruse

hard to understand

Accolade

an award, or praise

Acclaim

praise; applaud

Acquiescent

reluctantly agreeable; compliant

Acrimony

words or behavior filled with harshness or anger

Adament

refusing to change; stubborn, unyielding

Adroit

skillful in physical activity, or in handling difficult situations

Advocate

support; plead for; speak on behalf of

Affable

riendly; easygoing

Affirmation

positive statement; assertion; agreement

Alienate

to push someone away, or cause him to separate from people

Aloof

detached; apart; indifferent

Altruistic

unselfish; caring

Ambidextrous

able to use both hands with equal skill

Ambiguous

unclear; vague; having several possible interpretations

Ambivalence

feeling of being pulled in two directions

Ameliorate

to make an unpleasant situation better; to improve

Amity

friendship

Amorphous

without form or shape

Analogous

similar

Anarchy

a lack of order; chaos

Anathema

a religious curse, or the thing or person being cursed

Antagonistic

in hostile competition; opposing

Antiquated

too old to be useful; outdated; obsolete

Antithesis

opposite

Apathy

lack of interest or concern

Apex

top; highest point; summit

Appease

calm; pacify

Arbitrary

selected by random choice and without solid reason

Arcane

secret; mysterious

Archaic

old; antiquated

Arrogant

acting superior, obnoxious, smug, or rude

Articulate

able to speak clearly and effectively

Ascendance

domination; controlling power

Ascetic

person who rejects physical comfort and luxury for self-discipline

Asperity

roughness; harshness; irritability

Assail

attack with words or force

Assiduous

persistent; hard-working; diligent; attentive to detail

Assuage

relieve; ease; pacify

Astute

wise; insightfully clever; shrewd

Atrophy

waste away; wither

Audacious

brazen; brash; nervy

Augment

make larger; increase

Auspicious

taking place under promising conditions; likely to succeed

Austere

stern; plain;

Avarice

greed

Averse

feeling repelled; wanting to avoid

Baleful

harmful; menacing

Banal

boring; trite; insipid

Beguile

to cheat or deceive, usually through charm; to amuse

Belie

to give an impression that is the opposite of the way things really are; to misrepresent

Belligerent

having a strong tendency to argue and fight

Benediction

good wishes; a blessing

Benevolent

kind-hearted; good-natured; generous

Benign

gentle; kind-hearted; mild

Bequeath

to leave behind or hand down through a will; transmit

Blight

decay; disease; widespread death

Bolster

to support; to reinforce

Bombast

speech or writing intended to impress the audience; pompous

Brevity

briefness; conciseness

Bumptious

pushy; obnoxiously self-assertive

Cacophony

harshness of sound; opposite of harmony

Cajole

to fool with flattery or false promises; coax; deceive

Candor

honesty; frankness

Capacious

large; roomy; spacious

Capitulate

surrender; yield

Capricious

unpredictable

Castigate

scold; punish

Caustic

burning, either with chemicals or sarcasm

Celerity

speed

Censure

to criticize

Chasten

punish; discipline; castigate

Chastise

scold; punish; castigate

Choler

anger

Circumscribe

draw a line around; define limits; confine; restrict

Circumspect

cautious

Clemency

mercy

Coalesce

unite; grow together

Coerce

to force someone by threatening or physically overpowering him

Cloister

secluded or isolated from the outside world; also, a place of seclusion

Complacent

self-satisfied; unconcerned

Compliant

following someone else's demands; conforming; obeying

Composure

calmness; equanimity

Concede

admit reluctantly; yield

Concise

short and to the point; terse

Condone

to overlook, excuse, or pardon

Concur

agree

Confound

to mix up (in your own mind); or, to confuse someone else

Consonance

a blending of sounds or opinions; harmony; agreement

Consummate

to complete or make whole

Contend

to argue a point or position; or, to struggle for

Contingent

dependent upon other circumstances; conditional

Contract

squeeze together; shrink

Contrite

sorry; penitent

Conundrum

riddle; mystery

Converge

move together to meet at a common point

Conviction

an opinion that is strongly held

Convivial

fond of parties; sociable

Copious

in large quantity; abundant