PSAT English Vocab
absolve | pardon (an offense) |
abstract | theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational |
accessible | easy to approach |
accomodate | provide lodgings; oblige or help someone |
acknowledge | recognize or admit |
acrimony | bitterness of words or manner |
adverse | unfavorable; hostile |
aesthetic | artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciating the beautiful |
affable | easily approachable; warmly friendly |
affinity | kinship; attraction to |
affluence | wealth; prosperity; abundance |
alleviate | relieve; lessen |
altruistic | unselfishly generous; concerned for others |
ambiguous | unclear or doubtful in meaning |
ambivalence | having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes |
amenable | readily managed; willing to give in; agreeable; submissive |
ample | abundant |
antagonism | hostility; active resistance |
antiquated | obsolete; outdated |
apathy | lack of caring; indifference |
apprehension | fear; discernment; capture |
apprenticeship | time spent as a novice learning a trade from a skilled worker |
appropriate (adj) | fitting or suitable; pertinent |
appropriate (v) | acquire; take possession of for one's own use; set aside for a special purpose |
aristocracy | hereditary nobility; privileged class |
arrogance | pride; haughtiness |
aspire | seek to attain; long for |
assert | state strongly or positively; insist on or demand recognition of |
assumption | something taken for granted; taking over or taking possession of |
attain | reach or accomplish; gain |
authentic | genuine |
autonomous | self-governing |
aversion | firm dislike |
beneficial | helpful; advantageous; useful |
benevolent | charitable; generous |
benign | kindly; favorable; not malignant |
betray | be unfaithful; reveal (unconsciously or unwillingly) |
brittle | easily broken; difficult |
buoyant | able to float; cheerful and optimistic |
candor | frankness; open honesty |
captivate | charm; fascinate |
caricature | distortion; burlesque |
censor | inspector overseeing public morals; official who prevents publication of offensive material |
charlatan | quack; pretender to knowledge |
chronicle | report; record (in chronological order) |
circumspect | prudent; cautious |
cite | quote; refer to; commend |
cliche | phrase dulled in meaning by repetition |
coalesce | combine; fuse |
compliance | readiness to yield; conformity in fulfilling requirements |
component | element; ingredient |
compromise | adjust or settle by making mutual concessions; endanger the interests or reputation of |
condone | overlook voluntarily; forgive; supply tacit approval |
confirm | corroborate; verify; support |
conformity | agreement or compliance; actions in agreement with prevailing social customs |
congenial | pleasant; friendly |
consistency | harmony of parts; dependability; uniformity; degree of thickness |
console | lessen sadness or disappointment; give comfort |
consolidation | unification; process of becoming firmer or stronger |
contentious | quarrelsome |
convention | social or moral custom; established practice |
corrosion | destruction by chemical action |
curtail | shorten; reduce |
cynical | skeptical or distrustful of human motives |
dawdle | loiter; waste time |
defamation | harming a person's reputation |
defiance | opposition; willingness to resist |
degenerate | become worse; deteriorate |
demean | degrade; humiliate |
denounce | condemn; criticize |
depict | portray |
deplete | reduce; exhaust |
deplore | regret strongly; express grief over |
derision | ridicule; mockery |
derivative | unoriginal; derived from another source |
detached | emotionally removed; calm and objective; indifferent |
deterrent | something that discourages; hindrance |
didactic | teaching; instructional |
digression | wandering away from the subject |
discernible | distinguishable; perceivable |
disclaimer | denial of a legal claim or right; disavowal |
disclose | reveal |
discord | lack of harmony; conflict |
disinterested | unprejudiced |
dismiss | put away from consideration; reject |
disparage | belittle |
disparate | basically different; unrelated |
dispel | scatter; cause to vanish |
disperse | scatter |
dissent | disagree |
dissipate | squander; waste; scatter |
distinction | honor; contract; discrimination |
divulge | reveal |
docile | obedient; easily managed |
doctrine | teachings, in general; particular principle (religious, legal, etc.) taught |
dogmatic | opinionated; arbitrary; doctrinal |
eclipse | darken; extinguish; surpass |
elated | overjoyed; in high spirits |
elusive | evasive; baffling; hard to grasp |
embellish | adorn |
endorse | approve; support |
enhance | increase; improve |
enigma | puzzle; mystery |
enumerate | list; mention one by one |
erode | eat away |
erratic | odd; unpredictable |
esoteric | hard to understand; known only to the chosen few |
erroneous | mistaken; wrong |
espouse | adopt; support |
esteem | respect; value |
excerpt | selected passage |
exemplary | serving as a model; outstanding |
expedite | hasten |
exploit (n) | deed or action, particularly a brave deed |
facilitate | help bring about; make less difficult |
fallacious | false; misleading |
farce | broad comedy; mockery |
fastidious | difficult to please; squeamish |
feasible | practical |
flippant | lacking proper seriousness |
forthright | outspoken; frank |
frail | weak |
futile | useless; hopeless; ineffectual |
garrulous | loquacious; wordy; talkative |
generate | cause; produce; create |
gluttonous | greedy for food |
gratify | please |
gregarious | sociable |
hamper | obstruct |
heed | pay attention to; consider |
hindrance | obstacle; block |
hostility | unfriendliness; hatred |
hypocritical | pretending to be virtuous; deceiving |
hypothetical | based on assumptions or hypothesis; supposed |
iconoclastic | attacking cherished traditions |
immutable | unchangeable |
impair | injure; hurt |
impede | hinder; block; delay |
imperceptible | unnoticeable; undetectable |
implacable | incapable of being pacified |
implement | put into effect; supply with tools |
implication | something hinted at or suggested |
incongruity | lack of harmony; absurdity |
inconsequential | insignficant; unimportant |
inconsistency | state of being self-contradictory; lack of uniformity or steadiness |
incorporate | introduce something into a larger whole; combine; unite |
indict | charge |
indifferent | unmoved or unconcerned by; mediocre |
induce | persuade; bring about |
industrious | diligent; hard-working |
inept | lacking skill; unsuited; incompetent |
infallible | unerring; faultless |
ingenious | clever; resourceful |
ingenuous | naive and trusting; young; unsophisticated |
ingrate | ungrateful person |
inherent | firmly established by nature or habit |
initiate | begin; originate; receive into a group |
innate | inborn |
innocuous | harmless |
inscrutable | impenetrable; not readily understood; mysterious |
insightful | discerning; perceptive |
intangible | not able to be perceived by the senses; vague |
intricacy | complexity; knottiness |
irony | hidden sarcasm or satire; use of words that seem to mean the opposite of what they actually mean |
larceny | theft |
loathe | detest |
malice | hatred; spite |
meek | quiet and obedient; spiritless |
meticulous | excessively careful; painstakingly scrupulous |
misconception | misunderstanding; misinterpretation |
misrepresent | give a false or incorrect impression, usually intentionally |
mock | ridicule; imitate, often in derision |
monarchy | government under a single ruler |
monotony | sameness leading to boredom |
mutability | ability to change in form; fickleness |
naivete | quality of being unsophisticated; simplicity; artlessness; gullibility |
nocturnal | relating to, occurring, or active in the night |
nostalgia | homesickness; longing for the past |
notorious | disreputable; widely known; scandalous |
nurture | nourish; educate; foster |
obnoxious | offensive; objectionable |
obscure (adj) | dark; vague; unclear |
obscure (v) | darken; make unclear |
opaque | not transparent; penetrable by light only |
optimist | person who looks on the good side |
outmoded | no longer stylish; old-fashioned |
pacifist | one opposed to force; antimilitarist |
pacify | soothe; make calm or quiet; subdue |
paradox | something apparently contradictory in nature; statement that looks false but is actually correct |
patronize | support; act superior toward; be a customer of |
pedantic | showing off learning; bookish |
perjury | false testimony while under oath |
perpetual | everlasting |
pervasive | pervading; spread throughout every part |
pessimism | belief that life is basically bad or evil; gloominess |
petulant | touchy; peevish |
phenomena | observable facts or events |
philanthropist | lover of mankind; doer of good |
plagiarize | steal another's words or ideas and pass them off as one's own |
potency | power; effectiveness; influence |
pragmatic | practical (as opp. to idealistic); concerned with the practical worth or impact of something |
precedent | something preceding in time that may be used as an authority or guide for future action |
predator | creature that seizes and devours another animal; person who robs or exploits others |
premise | assumption; postulate |
premonition | forewarning |
prevail | triumph; predominate; prove superior in strength, power, or influence; be current |
prey | target of a hunt; victim |
profound | deep; not superficial; complete |
proliferation | rapid growth; spread; multiplication |
prolific | abundantly fruitful |
prologue | introduction (to a poem or a play) |
prominent | conspicuous; notable; sticking out |
promote | help to flourish; advance in rank; publicize |
prophetic | foretelling the future |
prosperity | good fortune; financial success; physical well-being |
provocative | arousing anger or interest; annoying |
prudent | cautious; careful |
random | without definite plan, purpose, or aim; haphazard |
recluse | hermit, loner |
refute | disprove |
relinquish | give up something with reluctance; yield |
renown | fame |
repudiate | disown; disavow |
reserved | self-controlled; careful in expressing oneself |
resolution | determination |
resolve | decide; settle; solve |
restraint | moderation or self-control; controlling force; restriction |
retain | keep; employ |
reticent | reserved; uncommunicative; inclined to be silent |
reverent | respectful; worshipful |
ruthless | pitiless; cruel |
satirize | mock |
scrutinize | examine closely and critically |
seclusion | isolation; solitude |
serenity | calmness; placidity |
sever | cut; separate |
severity | harshness; intensity; austerity; rigidity |
singular | unique; extraordinary; odd |
skeptical | doubting |
stratagem | deceptive scheme |
subdued | less intense; quieter |
superficial | trivial; shallow |
superfluous | excessive; unnecessary |
suppress | crush; subdue; inhibit |
surpass | exceed |
suspend | defer or postpone; expel or eject; halt or discontinue; hang from above |
sustain | experience; support; nourish |
symmetry | arrangement of parts so balance is obtained; congruity |
synthesis | combining parts into a whole |
taciturn | habitually silent; talking little |
tedious | boring; tiring |
temperament | characteristic frame of mind; disposition; emotional excess |
termination | end |
thwart | baffle; frustrate |
toxic | poisonous |
transparent | easily detected; permitting light to pass through freely |
trepidation | fear; nervous apprehension |
turbulence | state of violent agitation |
urbane | suave; refined; elegant |
utopia | ideal place, state, or society |
vacillate | waver; fluctuate |
versatile | having many talents; capable of working in many fields |
vigor | active strength |
volatile | changeable; explosive |
wary | very cautious |
withhold | hold back; desist from giving; keep possession of |