SAT words Flashcards

(80 cards)

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
Aerie
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.
26
Affected
adj phony, artificial The affected hairdresser spouted French phrases, though she had never been to France.
27
Aggregate
noun a collective mass, the sum total An aggregate of panic-stricken customers mobbed the bank, demanding their life savings.
28
Algorithm
noun an established procedure for solving a problem or equation The accountant uses a series of algorithms to determine the appropriate tax bracket.
29
Alimentary
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."
30
Allay
verb to lessen, ease, reduce in intensity Trying to allay their fears, the nurse sat with them all night.
31
Amity
noun friendship, goodwill Correspondence over the years contributed to a lasting amity between the women.
32
Amorphous
adj having no definite form "The Blob" featured an amorphous creature that was constantly changing shape.
33
Animus
noun a feeling of animosity or ill will Though her teacher had failed her, she displayed no animus toward him.
34
Anodyne
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
Anomaly
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
Anthropomorphic
adj suggesting human characteristics for animals and inanimate things Many children's stories feature anthropomorphic animals such as talking wolves or pigs.
37
Antiquated
adj too old to be fashionable or useful Next to her coworker's brand-new model, Marisa's computer looked antiquated.
38
Aphorism
noun a short statement of a principle The country doctor was given to such aphorisms as "Still waters run deep."
39
Aplomb
noun self-confident assurance; poise For such a young dancer, she had a great aplomb, making her perfect to play the young princess.
40
Apostate
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
Apposite
adj strikingly appropriate or well adapted The lawyer presented an apposite argument upon cross-examining the star witness.
42
Apprise
verb to assign to a particular purpose, allocate The fund's manager appropriated funds for the clean-up effort.
43
Appropriate
verb to assign to a particular purpose, allocate The fund's manager appropriated funds for the clean-up effort.
44
Arable
adj suitable for cultivation The overpopulated country desperately needed more arable land.
45
Arcane
adj secret, obscure; know only to a few The arcane rituals of the sect were passed down through many generations
46
Archipelago
noun a large group of islands Between villages in the Stockholm archipelago, boat taxis are the only form of transportation.
47
Arrears
noun unpaid, overdue debts or billy; neglected obligations After the expensive lawsuit, Dominic's accounts were in arrears.
48
Arrogate
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
Askance
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
Assent
verb to agree, as to a proposal After careful deliberation, the CEO assented to the proper merger.
51
Atavistic
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
Autocrat
noun a dictator Mussolini has been described as an autocrat who tolerated no opposition.
53
Aver
verb to declare to be true; to affirm "Yes, he was wearing a mask," the witness averred.
54
Avuncular
adj like an uncle in behavior, especially in kindness and warmth The coach's avuncular style made him well liked.
55
Awry
adv crooked, askew, amiss Something must have gone awry in the computer system because some of my files were missing.
56
Balk
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
Ballast
noun a structure that helps stabilize or steady Communication and honesty are the true ballasts of a good relationship.
58
Beatific
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
Becalm
verb to stop the progress of; to soothe The warm air becalmed the choppy waves.
60
Becloud
verb to make less visible; to obscure, or blur Her ambivalence about the long commute beclouded her enthusiasm about the job.
61
Bedraggle
adj soiled, wet and limp, dilapidated The child's bedraggled blanket need a good cleaning.
62
Beget
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
Behemouth
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
Beneficient
adj pertaining to an act of kindness The beneficient man donated the money anonymously.
65
Berate
verb to scold harshly When my manager found out I had handled the situation so insensitively, he berated me.
66
Bilious
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
Blasphemous
adj cursing, profane; extremely irreverant The politician's offhanded comments seemed blasphemous, given the context of the orderly meeting.
68
Blatant
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
Blithely
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
Bombastic
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
Bovine
adj relating to cows; having qualities characteristic of a cow, such sluggishness and dullness His bovine demeanor did nothing to engage me.
72
Bragga
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
Broach
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
Bucolic
adj pastoral, rural My aunt likes the hustle and bustle of the city, but my uncle prefers a more bucolic setting.
75
Burnish
verb to polish; to make smooth and bright Mr. Frumpkin loved to stand in the sun and burnish his luxury car.
76
Bursar
noun a treasurer or keeper of funds The bursar of the school was in charge of allocating all scholarship funds.
77
Cache
noun a hiding place; stockpile It's good to have a cache where you can stash your cash.
78
Cacophony
noun a jarring, unpleasant noise As I walked into the open-air market after my nap, a cacophony of sounds surrounded me.
79
Calumny
noun a false and malicious accusation; misrepresentation The unscrupulous politician used calumny to bring down his opponent in the senatorial race.
80
Cantankerous
adj having difficult, uncooperative, or stubborn disposition The outwardly cantankerous man in the nursing home was surprisingly sweet and loving with his grandchildren.