SAT Vocab

Abate v. to become less active, less intense, or less in amount Abstract adj. existing purely in the mind; not representing actual reality Abysmal adj. extremely bad Accordingly adv. in accordance with Acquisition n. the act of gaining a skill or possession of something Adapt v. to make suit a new purpose Adept adj. having knowledge or skill (usu. in a particular area) Adequate adj. having sufficient qualifications to meet a specific task or purpose Advent n. the arrival or creation of something (usu. historic) Adversarial adj. relating to hostile opposition Advocate n. someone who promotes or defends something Aesthetic adj. relating to beauty or refined taste Afford v. to be able to buy Agitate v. to promote something (usu. a cause) Allow v. to permit or consent to Allude v. to make a secretive mention of something Altercation n. a noisy argument or confrontation Ambiguous adj. unclear or vague in meaning Ambitious adj. having a powerful desire for success or achievement Ambivalence n. the state of being uncertain or stuck between two or more options Analogous adj. similar but not identical Annihilate v. to destroy or cause devastating destruction Anomaly n. something different from the norm Anticipate v. assume to be likely to happen Antipathy n. a strong feeling of dislike Apex n. the highest point of something Apprehension n. fearful expectation of something Articulate v. to clearly express in words Artificial adj. something made; not occurring naturally Assertion n. a strong declaration Austere adj. extremely plain Authenticity n. the quality of being real and true instead of fake and contrived Avenue n. an intangible path or approach to something Avid adj. actively interested in or enthusiastic about something Basic adj. relating to the foundation or basis of something Bear v. to have as a characteristic Benevolent adj. kind, generous Bias n. a preconception that prevents objectivity Bittersweet adj. tinged with a feeling of sadness Bolster v. to support, strengthen, or fortify Boost n. an increase or growth Brawl n. an intense, loud fight Brevity n. the quality of being brief or terse Candid adj. direct, blunt Candor n. the trait of being honest and frank Capitalize v. to use to your advantage Capture v. to trap or take possession of Civic adj. relating to the city or citizens Clinical adj. emotionally unattached (usu. used in medical or scientific setting) Clout n. special advantage or power Coarse adj. indicating a rough texture Coincide v. to happen at the same time Commission n. the use of payment to request something (e.g., a service or product) Comparable adj. able to be compared Competent adj. sufficiently qualified Complacent adj. satisfied, with no desire to change or improve Complement v. to make perfect or complete Concede v. to be forced to agree or surrender Conceive v. to imagine or come up with Condone v. to overlook, approve, or allow Conducive adj. Conduct v. to control or manage Confide v. to share something secretive with someone Confine v. to put limits on; to restrict Consensus n. overall agreement Constitute v. to form or compose (part of) something Contemplate v. to think deeply about Contend v. to maintain or assert (an opinion) Contradict v. to be in contrast with Controversial adj. highly debatable and causing contention Conventional adj. abiding by accepted standards Convey v. to pass on or transfer (information) Conviction n. a firm belief in something Corroborate v. to provide evidence for; to back up (a claim) Counteract v. to work in opposition to Counterargument n. an argument used to criticize or dismantle another argument Counterproductive adj. hindering the achievement of a goal Culmination n. the final act or climax Cultivate v. to foster the growth of Decree v. to declare formally and with authority Deference n. respect; regard Deficient adj. not enough in degree or amount Demonstrate v. to do as an example Demur v. to object to Deplete v. to (over)use over time (usu. resources) Desolate adj. bare, barren, empty Devise v. to come up with (a plan) Dilemma n. a problem, usually requiring a choice between two options Diligence n. conscientiousness; the quality of being committed to a task Diminish v. to become smaller in scope or degree Dire adj. hopeless and dangerous or fearful Discord n. disagreement Disdain n. a lack of respect and strong dislike (toward something or someone) Dismay n. hopelessness, stress, or consternation Disparage v. to belittle or speak down to Dispatch v. to send off a message or messenger Diversification n. the act of becoming diverse Doctrine n. a principle, theory, or position, usu. advocated by a religion or gov't Dominion n. power and authority (usu. over a territory) Dreary adj. sad, gloomy, dull Dubious adj. doubtful, questionable Eccentric adj. peculiar or odd; deviating from the norm Egregious adj. extremely bad Eloquent adj. having refined or expressive communication skills (in speaking or writing) Eminent adj. superior or distinguished; high in position or status Emit v. to discharge, give forth, or release Emphatic adj. very expressive; using emphasis Empirical adj. derived from experience, observation, or an experiment Endow v. to equip or bestow (usu. a quality or ability) Endure v. to withstand, sustain, or hold out against Entail v. to involve or include Entrenched adj. firmly established Enumerate v. to specify or count Envy n. excessive jealousy Erratic adj. having no fixed course; deviating from the norm Establish v. to enact Evoke v. to draw forth or call up Exacerbate v. to make worse or increase the severity of Excel v. to do something extremely well or to be superior in Exert v. to put into use (usu. as effort) Exhilarating adj. invigorating, stimulating, or exciting Expend v. to use up (as in energy or money) Exploit v. to use selfishly or for profit Facilitate v. to aid the progress of Feasibility n. the practicality or possibility of something Ferocity n. viciousness, violence Fiscal adj. Fiscal policy is how the government uses money to influence the economy. Flourish v. to prosper, grow, or make fast progress Fluctuate v. to be unstable; to rise and fall Foment v. to stir up Foreseeable adj. capable of being predicted or anticipated Frankly adv. directly, clearly Freewheeling adj. carefree Fundamental adj. the most essential or most basic part Galvanizing adj. thrilling, exciting, stimulating Geriatric adj. relating to old age Hostile adj. harmful, dangerous Hypothetical adj. supposed; related to a hypothesis Ignominious adj. publicly shameful or humiliating Impart v. to transmit, bestow, or disclose Impartiality n. the equal and objective treatment of opposing views Imposing adj. impressive (esp. in size or appearance) Imposition n. an unnecessary burden Imprudent adj. not cautious or prudent; rash Incite v. to encourage or stir up Indifference n. apathy, emotional detachment Indiscriminately adv. randomly; with little or no distinction Indulge v. to give into; to satisfy or gratify Infer v. to guess, conclude, or derive by reasoning Innovative adj. novel or new (esp. as an idea or invention) Insatiable adj. can't be satisfied Inversion n. a reversal Invoke v. to call on; to appeal to (e.g., a higher power) Irreconcilable adj. incapable of being in harmony or agreed upon Lament v. to feel sorrow for; to mourn Locomotion n. movement Lucrative adj. capable of making a lot of money; profitable Malicious adj. harmful, spiteful Malleable adj. capable of being molded or changed Materialistic adj. superficial; focus on material possessions Melodramatic adj. extravagant or exaggerated (as of a melodrama) Modest adj. simple and humble Modify v. to change, alter, or tweak Momentous adj. historically significant Novel adj. new, innovative Nuance n. a subtle difference in meaning Null adj. legally void and ineffective Objectivity n. judgment based on observations instead of emotions or opinions Obsolete adj. no longer used; rare or uncommon Omnipotent adj. almighty and all powerful Onset n. the beginning or early stages Opine v. to openly express an opinion Ornate adj. highly detailed and decorated Oust v. to remove or force out of (usu. a position or office) Paramount adj. predominant, superior, most important Peculiar adj. strange, bizarre Perish v. to die; to pass away Persecute v. to cause suffering to Petulant adj. cranky, pouty, irritable Pinnacle n. highest level or degree Pitiable adj. deserving pity Plausible adj. reasonable and possibly true Postulate v. to assert Potent adj. having great influence Pragmatic adj. practical, useful Precedent n. an example or subject from earlier in time Predecessor n. someone who comes before you (usu. in position or office) Prescribe v. to command orders Principle n. basic truth, assumption, or rule Prohibit v. to command against, to outlaw Prompt adj. punctual, on time Promulgate v. to put into law or formally declare Prosecute v. to bring criminal action against someone (in a trial) Provocative adj. intending to provoke, inspire, or arouse Qualitative adj. involving qualities of something (features and content) Quantitative adj. involving quantities (numbers and amounts) Quirk n. a strange habit Ramify v. to split into two or more branches Rash adj. without attention to danger or risk Raw adj. unrefined Readily adv. right away and without difficulty Reconsideration n. thinking again about a previously made choice Reform n. a change for the better; improvement Refute v. to prove to be untrue, unfounded, or incorrect Reinforce v. to strengthen or add support to Reluctantly adv. somewhat unwillingly Renounce v. to give up (usu. power or a position) Reproach v. to criticize Repudiate v. to refuse to recognize as true Retention n. the act of keeping something Satiated adj. satisfied (usu. in hunger) Savvy adj. having practical intelligence or knowledge Scandalous adj. morally offensive, often causing damage to one's reputation Scorn v. to look down on with disdain Scrupulous adj. paying great attention to detail Scrutinize v. to examine carefully and critically Secrete v. to produce or release (a substance) Sentiment n. opinion Sheer adj. so thin that light can shine through Simple adj. easy; not complex Sinister adj. ominous, evil Solidarity n. the joining of commonalities or common purposes among a group Sparingly adv. insufficiently, meagerly, or in a restricted manner Spawn v. to release eggs Spur v. to stimulate or incite Squalid adj. run-down, sordid, or sleazy Stark adj. very plain; devoid of any details or features Static adj. motionless Subordinate adj. lower in rank Subsequently adv. happening later or after something Substantial adj. very large in amount or degree Substantiate v. to strengthen with new evidence or facts Subtle adj. hard to detect or analyze Sufficient adj. enough; just meeting a requirement Surly adj. unfriendly; inclined to anger Surmount v. to get on top of or overcome Susceptible adj. to be vulnerable (to something) Tactful adj. skilled at dealing with people Taut adj. pulled tight Teeming adj. abundantly filled (usu. with living organisms) Temperament n. usual mood or feelings Tentative adj. not yet finalized Transparent adj. see-through; so thin that light can shine through Treacherous adj. dangerous and unstable Tremendous adj. very large, good, or bad in degree or size Ubiquitous adj. being everywhere at once Unadorned adj. undecorated, plain Undermine v. to weaken or subvert (usu. gradually or secretly) Underscore v. to emphasize or give additional weight to Undulate v. to move as ripples or in a wavy pattern Unilateral adj. one-sided Unjust adj. unfair; not justified Unmitigated adj. downright, utter, total Unprecedented adj. completely new and never having happened before; historic Unveil v. to make visible; to reveal Urge n. desire or impulse Validate v. to prove or declare valid Viability n. ability to be done in a practical or useful way Vital adj. urgently necessary Vow v. to promise Warrant v. to prove to be reasonable Yield n. production of an amount