2014-09-27 Barron's SAT High Frequency Word List - Barron's SAT High Frequency Word List Flashcards
surreptitious
obtained, done, made, etc., by stealth; secret or unauthorized; clandestine
abridge
condense or shorten
abstemious
sparing in eating and drinking; temperate
abstract
theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational
abstruse
obscure; profound; difficult to understand; recondite; esoteric
accessible
easy to approach; obtainable
acclaim
applaud; announce with great approval
acknowledge
recognize; admit
adulation
excessive devotion to someone; servile flattery
adversary
opponent
adversity
unfavorable fortune; hardship; a calamitous event
advocate
urge; plead for
aesthetic
artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciation of the beautiful
affable
easily approachable; warmly friendly
affirmation
positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath
alleviate
relieve
aloof
apart; reserved, reticent
altruistic
unselfishly generous; concerned for others
ambiguous
unclear or doubtful in meaning, equivocal
ambivalence
the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes
analogous
comparable
anarchist
person who seeks to overturn the established government; advocate of abolishing authority
anecdote
short account of an amusing or interesting event
animosity
active enmity
antagonism
hostility; active resistance
antidote
medicine to counteract a poison or disease
antiquated
old-fashioned; obsolete
apathy
lack of caring; indifference
appease
pacify or sooth; relieve
apprehension
fear
arbitrary
capricious; randomly chosen; tyrannical
archaic
antiquated
arrogance
pride; haughtiness
articulate
to utter clearly and distinctly; pronounce with clarity
artifact
object made by human beings, either handmade or mass-produced
artisan
manually skilled worker; craftsman, as opposed to artist
ascendancy
controlling influence; domination
ascetic
practicing self-denial; austere(strict)
aspire
seek to attain; long for
astute
wise; shrewd; keen
attribute
to consider as a quality or characteristic of the person, thing, group, etc., indicated
augment
increase; add to
austere
forbiddingly stern; severely simple and unornamented
authoritarian
subordinating the individual to the state; completely dominating another’s will
autonomous
self-governing
aversion
firm dislike
belie
contradict; give a false impression, misrepresent
benevolent
generous; charitable
bolster
support; reinforce
braggart
boaster
brevity
conciseness, shortness, terseness
cajole
coax; wheedle; persuade by flattery or promises
calculated
deliberately planned; likely
candor
frankness; open honesty
capricious
unpredictable; fickle; fanciful
censorious
severely critical
censure
blame; criticize; an official reprimand
coercion
use of force to get someone to obey
commemorate
honor the memory of
compile
assemble; gather; accumulate
complacency
a feeling of quiet pleasure or security, often while unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like; self-satisfaction or smug satisfaction with an existing situation, condition, etc; inclination to please
compliance
readiness to yield, conformity in fulfilling requirements
composure
mental calmness
comprehensive
thorough; inclusive
concede
admit; yield, to acknowledge as true, just, or proper, to acknowledge before officially established
conciliatory
reconciling; soothing
concise
brief and compact
concur
agree
condone
overlook; forgive; give tacit approval; excuse
conflagration
great fire
confound
confuse; puzzle
consensus
general agreement
constraint
compulsion; repression of feelings, limitation or restriction
contend
struggle; compete; assert earnestly
contentious
quarrelsome, characterized by argument or controversy
contract
compress or shrink; make a pledge; catch a disease
conviction
judgement that someone is guilty of a crime; strongly held belief
cordial
courteous and gracious; friendly; warm
corroborate
confirm; support
credulity
belief on slight evidence; gullibility; naivete
criterion
standard used in judging
cryptic
mysterious in meaning; puzzling; ambiguous
cursory
casual; hastily done
curtail
shorten; reduce
decorum
propriety; orderliness and good taste in manners
deference
courteous or respectful regard for another’s wish
degradation
humiliation; debasement; degeneration
delineate
portray; depict; sketch
denounce
condemn; criticize
deplore
regret; disapprove of
depravity
extreme corruption; wickedness
deprecate
express disapproval of; protest against; belittle
deride
ridicule; make fun of
derivative
unoriginal; derived from another source
despondent
depressed; gloomy, feeling or showing profound hopelessness
detached
emotionally removed; calm and objective; physically unconnected
deterrent
something that discourages; hindrance
detrimental
harmful; damaging
devious
without definite course; vagrant
devise
think up; invent; plan
diffuse
wordy; rambling; spread out (like a gas)
digression
wandering away from the subject
diligence
steadiness of effort; persistent hard work
diminution
lessening; reduction in size
discerning
mentally quick and observant; having insight
disclose
reveal
discordant
not harmonious; conflicting
discount
disregard; dismiss
discrepancy
lack of consistency; difference
discriminating
able to see differences; prejudiced
disdain
view with scorn or contempt
disinclination
unwillingness
dismiss
put away from consideration; reject
disparage
belittle
disparity
difference; condition of inequality
disperse
scatter
disputatious
argumentative; fond of arguing
disseminate
distribute; spread; scatter
dissent
disagree
divergent
differing; deviating
doctrine
teachings, in general; particular principle (religious, legal, etc.) taught
document
provide written evidence
dogmatic
opinionated; arbitrary; doctrinal; asserting opinions in a doctrinaire or arrogant manner; opinionated
dubious
questionable; filled with doubt
duplicity
deceitfulness in speech or conduct, as by speaking or acting in two different ways to different people concerning the same matter; double-dealing
eclectic
composed of elements drawn from disparate sources
egotism
excessive and objectionable reference to oneself in conversation or writing; conceit; boastfulness; selfishness; egoism
elated
overjoyed; in high spirits
eloquence
expressiveness; persuasive speech
elusive
evasive; baffling; hard to grasp
embellish
adorn; ornament
emulate
imitate; rival
endorse
approve; support
enhance
increase; improve
enigma
puzzle; mystery
enmity
ill will; hatred
ephemeral
short-lived; fleeting
equivocal
allowing the possibility of several different meanings, as a word or phrase, especially with intent to deceive or misguide; susceptible of double interpretation; deliberately ambiguous
erroneous
mistaken; wrong; straying from what is moral, decent, proper
erudite
learned; scholarly
esoteric
hard to understand; known only to the chosen few; recondite
eulogy
expression of praise, often on the occasion of someone’s death
euphemism
mild expression in place of an unpleasant one
exacerbate
worsen; embitter
exalt
raise in rank or dignity; praise