147, 247. SAT Words

Question 1

abase

(v)

Answer 1

lower; humiliate.

Defeated, Queen Zenobia was forced to abase herself before the conquering Romans, who made her march in chains before the emperor in the procession celebrating his triumph

Question 2

abash

(v)

Answer 2

embarrass

He was not at all abashed by her open admiration

Question 3

abate

(v)

Answer 3

subside; decrease, lessen

Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for thee storm to abate

Question 4

abdicate

(v)

Answer 4

renounce; give up.

When Edward VII abdicated the British throne to marry the woman he loved, he surprised the entire world

Question 5

aberrant

(n)

Answer 5

abnormal or deviant

Given the aberrant nature of the data, we doubted the validity of the entire experiment

Question 6

abet

(v)

Answer 6

aid, usually in doing something wrong; encourage

She was unwilling to abet him in the swindle he had planned

Question 7

abhor

(v)

Answer 7

detest; hate

She abhorred all forms of bigotry

Question 8

abject

(adj)

Answer 8

wretched; lacking pride

On the streets of New York the homeless live in abject poverty, huddling in doorways to find shelter from the wind.

Question 9

abjure

(v)

Answer 9

renounce upon oath

He abjured this allegiance to the king

Question 10

abnegation

(n)

Answer 10

repudiation; self-sacrifice

Though Rudolph and Duchess Flavia loved one another, their love was doomed, for she had to marry the king; their act of abnegation was necessary to preserve the kingdom

Question 11

abominable

(adj)

Answer 11

detestable; extremely unpleasant; very bad

Mary liked John until she learned he was dating Susan; then she called him an abominable young man, with abominable taste in women.

Question 12

aboriginal

(adj)

Answer 12

being the first of its kind in a region; primitive; native

Her studies of the primitive art forms of the aboriginal Indians were widely reported in the scientific journals.

Question 13

abortive

(adj)

Answer 13

unsuccessful; fruitless

Attacked by armed troops, the Chinese students had to abandon their abortive attempt to democratize Beijing peacefully.

Question 14

abrade

(v)

Answer 14

wear away by friction; scrape; erode

Because the sharp rocks had abraded the skin on her legs, she dabbed iodine on the scrapes and abrasions

Question 15

abrasive

(adj)

Answer 15

rubbing away; tending to grind down

Just as abrasive cleaning powders can wear away a shiny finish, abrasive remarks can wear away a listener’s patience

Question 16

abridge

(v)

Answer 16

condense or shorten

Because the publishers felt the public wanted a shorter version of War and Peace, they proceeded to abridge the novel

Question 17

abscond

(v)

Answer 17

depart secretly and hide

The teller who absconded with the bonds went uncaptured until someone recognized him from his photograph on “America’s Most Wanted”

Question 18

absolve

(v)

Answer 18

pardon(an offense)

The father confessor absolved him of his sins

Question 19

abstain

(v)

Answer 19

refrain; hold oneself back voluntarily from an action or practice.

After considering the effect of alcohol on his athletic performance, he decided to abstain from drinking while he trained for the race

Question 20

abstemious

(adj)

Answer 20

sparing in eating and drinking; temperate

Concerned whether her vegetarian son’s abstemious diet provided him with sufficient protein, the worried mother pressed food on him

Question 21

abstract

(adj)

Answer 21

theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational

To him, hunger was an abstract concept; he had never missed a meal

Question 22

abstruse

(adj)

Answer 22

obscure; profound; difficult to understand

Baffled by the abstruse philosophical texts assigned in class, Dave asked Lexy to explain Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason

Question 23

abundant

(adj)

Answer 23

plentiful; possessing riches or resources.

At his immigration interview, Ivan listed his abundant reasons for coming to America: the hope of religious freedom, the prospect of employment, the promise of a more abundant life

Question 24

mono

Answer 24

one

monarchy government by one ruler
monotheism belief in one god

Question 25

multi

Answer 25

many

multifarious having many parts
multitudinous numerous

Question 26

neo

Answer 26

new

neologism newly coined word
neophyte beginner; novice

Question 27

non

Answer 27

not

noncommittal undecided
nonentity person of no importance

Question 28

ob, oc, of ,op

Answer 28

against

obloquy infamy; disgrace
obtrude push into prominence
occlude close; block out
offend insult
opponent someone who struggles against; foe

Question 29

olig

Answer 29

few

oligarchy government by a few

Question 30

pan

Answer 30

all, every

panacea cure-all
panorama unobstructed view in all directions

Question 31

para

Answer 31

beyond, related

parallel similar
paraphrase restate; translate

Question 32

per

Answer 32

through, completely

permeable allowing passage through
pervade spread throughout

Question 33

peri

Answer 33

around, near

perimeter outer boundary
periphery edge
periphrastic stated in a roundabout way

Question 34

poly

Answer 34

many

polygamist person with several spouses
polyglot speaking several languages

Question 35

post

Answer 35

after

postpone delay
posterity generations that follow
posthumous after death.

Question 36

pre

Answer 36

before

preamble introductory statement
prefix word part placed before a root/stem
premonition forewarning

Question 37

prim

Answer 37

first

primordial existing at the dawn of time
primogeniture state of being the first born

Question 38

pro

Answer 38

forward, in favor of

propulsive driving forward
proponent supporter

Question 39

proto

Answer 39

first

prototype first of its kind

Question 40

pseudo

Answer 40

false

pseudonym pen name