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SAT words Flashcards

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1
Q

Abandon

A

(noun)
total lack of inhibition
With her strict parents out of town, Kelly danced all night with abandon

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2
Q

Abate

A

verb
to decrease; to reduce
My hunger abated when i saw how filthy the chef’s hands were

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3
Q

Abet

A

verb
to aid; to act as an accomplice
While Derwin robbed the bank, Marvin abetted his friend by pulling up the getaway car

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4
Q

Abjure

A

verb
to renounce under oath; to abandon forever; to abstain from
After having been devout for most of his life, he suddenly abjured his beliefs, much to his family’s disappointment

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5
Q

Abnegate

A

verb
to give up; to deny to oneself
After his retirement, the former police commisioner found it difficult to abnegate authority

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6
Q

Abortive

A

adj
ending without results
Her abortive attempt to swim the full five miles left her frustrated

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7
Q

Abrogate

A

verb
to annul; to abolish by authoritative action
The president’s job is to abrogate any law that fosters inequality among citizens

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8
Q

Abscond

A

verb
to leave quickly in secret
The criminal absconded during the night with all of his mother’s money

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9
Q

Abstemious

A

adj
done sparingly; consuming in moderation
The spa served no sugar or wheat, but the clients found the retreat so calm that they didn’t mind the abstemious rules.

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10
Q

Accede

A

verb
to express approval; to agree to
Once the mayor heard the reasonable request, she happily acceded to the proposal.

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11
Q

Acclivity

A

noun
an incline or upward slope, the ascending side of a hill
We were so tired from hiking that by the time we reached to aclivity, it looked more like a mountain than a hill.

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12
Q

Accretion

A

noun
a growth in size, an increase in amount
The committee’s strong fund-raising efforts resulted in an accretion in scholarship money

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13
Q

Acme

A

noun
the highest level or degree attainable
Just when he reached acme of his power, the dictator was overthrown.

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14
Q

Actuate

A

verb
to put into motion, to activate, to motivate or influence to activity
The leaders rousing speech actuated the crowd into a peaceful protest

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15
Q

Acuity

A

noun
sharp vision or perception characterized by the ability to resolve fine detail
With unusual acuity, she was able to determine that the masterpiece was fake.

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16
Q

Acumen

A

noun
sharpness of insight, mind, and understanding; shrewd judgement
The investor’s financial acumen helped him to select high-yield stocks.

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17
Q

Adamant

A

adj
stubbornly unyielding
She was adament about leaving the restaurant after the waiter was rude.

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18
Q

Adept

A

adj
extemely skilled
She is adept at computing math problems in her head.

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19
Q

Adjudicate

A

verb
to hear and settle in a matter; to act as a judge
The principal adjudicated the disagreement between two students.

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20
Q

Adjure

A

verb
to appeal to
The criminal adjured to the court for mercy.

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21
Q

Admonish

A

verb
to caution or warn gently in order to correct something
My mother admonished me about my poor grades.

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22
Q

Adroit

A

adj
skillful; accomplished; highly competent
The adroit athlete completed even the most difficult obstacle course with ease.

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23
Q

Adulation

A

noun
excessive flattery or admiration
The adulation she showed her professor seemed insincere; I suspected she really wanted a better grade.

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24
Q

Adumbrate

A

verb
to give a hint or indication of something to come
Her constant complaining about the job adumbrated her intent to leave.

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25
Q

Aerie

A

noun
a nest built high in the air; an elevated, often secluded dwelling
Perched high among the trees, the eagle’s aerie was filled with eggs.

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26
Q

Affected

A

adj
phony, artificial
The affected hairdresser spouted French phrases, though she had never been to France.

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27
Q

Aggregate

A

noun
a collective mass, the sum total
An aggregate of panic-stricken customers mobbed the bank, demanding their life savings.

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28
Q

Algorithm

A

noun
an established procedure for solving a problem or equation
The accountant uses a series of algorithms to determine the appropriate tax bracket.

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29
Q

Alimentary

A

adj
pertaining to food, nutrition, or digestion
After a particularly good meal, Sherlock turned to his companion and exclaimed,”I feel quite good, very well fed. It was alimentary my dear Watson.”

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30
Q

Allay

A

verb
to lessen, ease, reduce in intensity
Trying to allay their fears, the nurse sat with them all night.

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31
Q

Amity

A

noun
friendship, goodwill
Correspondence over the years contributed to a lasting amity between the women.

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32
Q

Amorphous

A

adj
having no definite form
“The Blob” featured an amorphous creature that was constantly changing shape.

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33
Q

Animus

A

noun
a feeling of animosity or ill will
Though her teacher had failed her, she displayed no animus toward him.

34
Q

Anodyne

A

noun
a source of comfort; a medicine that relieves pain
The sound of classical music is usually just the anodyne I need after a tough day at work.

35
Q

Anomaly

A

noun
a deviation from the common rule, something that is difficult to classify
Among the top-ten albums of the year was one anomaly-a compilation of polka classics.

36
Q

Anthropomorphic

A

adj
suggesting human characteristics for animals and inanimate things
Many children’s stories feature anthropomorphic animals such as talking wolves or pigs.

37
Q

Antiquated

A

adj
too old to be fashionable or useful
Next to her coworker’s brand-new model, Marisa’s computer looked antiquated.

38
Q

Aphorism

A

noun
a short statement of a principle
The country doctor was given to such aphorisms as “Still waters run deep.”

39
Q

Aplomb

A

noun
self-confident assurance; poise
For such a young dancer, she had a great aplomb, making her perfect to play the young princess.

40
Q

Apostate

A

noun
one who renounces a religious faith
So that he could divorce his wife, the king scoffed at the church doctrines and declared himself an apostate.

41
Q

Apposite

A

adj
strikingly appropriate or well adapted
The lawyer presented an apposite argument upon cross-examining the star witness.

42
Q

Apprise

A

verb
to assign to a particular purpose, allocate
The fund’s manager appropriated funds for the clean-up effort.

43
Q

Appropriate

A

verb
to assign to a particular purpose, allocate
The fund’s manager appropriated funds for the clean-up effort.

44
Q

Arable

A

adj
suitable for cultivation
The overpopulated country desperately needed more arable land.

45
Q

Arcane

A

adj
secret, obscure; know only to a few
The arcane rituals of the sect were passed down through many generations

46
Q

Archipelago

A

noun
a large group of islands
Between villages in the Stockholm archipelago, boat taxis are the only form of transportation.

47
Q

Arrears

A

noun
unpaid, overdue debts or billy; neglected obligations
After the expensive lawsuit, Dominic’s accounts were in arrears.

48
Q

Arrogate

A

verb
to claim without justification; to claim to oneself without a right
Lynn watched in astonishment as her boss arrogated the credit for her brilliant work on the project.

49
Q

Askance

A

adv
with disapproval; with a skeptical sideways glance
She looked askance at her son’s failing report card as he mumbled that he had done all the schoolwork.

50
Q

Assent

A

verb
to agree, as to a proposal
After careful deliberation, the CEO assented to the proper merger.

51
Q

Atavistic

A

adj
characteristic of a former era, ancient
After spending three weeks on a desert island, Roger became a survivalist with atavistic skills that helped him endure.

52
Q

Autocrat

A

noun
a dictator
Mussolini has been described as an autocrat who tolerated no opposition.

53
Q

Aver

A

verb
to declare to be true; to affirm
“Yes, he was wearing a mask,” the witness averred.

54
Q

Avuncular

A

adj
like an uncle in behavior, especially in kindness and warmth
The coach’s avuncular style made him well liked.

55
Q

Awry

A

adv
crooked, askew, amiss
Something must have gone awry in the computer system because some of my files were missing.

56
Q

Balk

A

verb
to stop short and refuse to go on
When the horse balked at jumping over the high fence, the rider was thrown off.

57
Q

Ballast

A

noun
a structure that helps stabilize or steady
Communication and honesty are the true ballasts of a good relationship.

58
Q

Beatific

A

adj
displaying calmness and joy, relating to a state of celestial happiness
After spending three months in India, she had a beatific peace about her.

59
Q

Becalm

A

verb
to stop the progress of; to soothe
The warm air becalmed the choppy waves.

60
Q

Becloud

A

verb
to make less visible; to obscure, or blur
Her ambivalence about the long commute beclouded her enthusiasm about the job.

61
Q

Bedraggle

A

adj
soiled, wet and limp, dilapidated
The child’s bedraggled blanket need a good cleaning.

62
Q

Beget

A

verb
to produce, especially as an effect or outgrowth; to bring about
The mayor believed that finding petty offenders would help reduce serious crime because, he argued, small crimes beget big crimes.

63
Q

Behemouth

A

noun
something of monstrous size or power; huge creature
The budget became such a behemouth that observers believed the film would never make a profit.

64
Q

Beneficient

A

adj
pertaining to an act of kindness
The beneficient man donated the money anonymously.

65
Q

Berate

A

verb
to scold harshly
When my manager found out I had handled the situation so insensitively, he berated me.

66
Q

Bilious

A

adj
ill-tempered, sickly, ailing
The party ended early when the bilious five-year-old tried to run off with the birthday girl’s presents.

67
Q

Blasphemous

A

adj
cursing, profane; extremely irreverant
The politician’s offhanded comments seemed blasphemous, given the context of the orderly meeting.

68
Q

Blatant

A

adj
completely obvious and conspicious, especially in an offensive, crass manner
Such blatant advertising within the bounds of the school drew protest from parents.

69
Q

Blithely

A

adv
merrily, lightheartedly cheerful; without appropriate thought
Wanting to redecorate the office, she blithely assumed her coworkers wouldn’t mind and moved the furniture in the space.

70
Q

Bombastic

A

adj
high-sounding but meaningless; obstentatiously lofty in style
The lawyer’s speeches were mostly bombastic; his outrageous claims had no basis in fact.

71
Q

Bovine

A

adj
relating to cows; having qualities characteristic of a cow, such sluggishness and dullness
His bovine demeanor did nothing to engage me.

72
Q

Bragga

A

noun
a person who brags or boasts in a loud and empty manner
Usually the biggest braggart at the company party, Susan’s boss was unusually quiet at this year’s event.

73
Q

Broach

A

verb
to mention or suggest for the first time
Sandy wanted to go to college away from home, but he didn’t know how to broach the topic with his parents.

74
Q

Bucolic

A

adj
pastoral, rural
My aunt likes the hustle and bustle of the city, but my uncle prefers a more bucolic setting.

75
Q

Burnish

A

verb
to polish; to make smooth and bright
Mr. Frumpkin loved to stand in the sun and burnish his luxury car.

76
Q

Bursar

A

noun
a treasurer or keeper of funds
The bursar of the school was in charge of allocating all scholarship funds.

77
Q

Cache

A

noun
a hiding place; stockpile
It’s good to have a cache where you can stash your cash.

78
Q

Cacophony

A

noun
a jarring, unpleasant noise
As I walked into the open-air market after my nap, a cacophony of sounds surrounded me.

79
Q

Calumny

A

noun
a false and malicious accusation; misrepresentation
The unscrupulous politician used calumny to bring down his opponent in the senatorial race.

80
Q

Cantankerous

A

adj
having difficult, uncooperative, or stubborn disposition
The outwardly cantankerous man in the nursing home was surprisingly sweet and loving with his grandchildren.

SAT words (1 decks)

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