SAT Vocabulary – Complete Word List with
Definitions and Synonyms comprehensive
Study Guide and Answer Key
abase --Correct ANW:(v.) to humiliate, degrade (After being overthrown and
abased, the deposed leader offered to bow down to his conqueror.)
abate --Correct ANW:(v.) to reduce, lessen (The rain poured down for a while, then
abated.)
abdicate --Correct ANW:(v.) to give up a position, usually one of leadership (When
he realized that the revolutionaries would surely win, the king abdicated his throne.)
abduct --Correct ANW:(v.) to kidnap, take by force (The evildoers abducted the
fairy princess from her happy home.)
aberration --Correct ANW:(n.) something that differs from the norm (In 1918, the
Boston Red Sox won the World Series, but the success turned out to be an
aberration, and the Red Sox have not won a World Series since.)
abet --Correct ANW:(v.) to aid, help, encourage (The spy succeeded only because
he had a friend on the inside to abet him.)
abhor --Correct ANW:(v.) to hate, detest (Because he always wound up kicking
himself in the head when he tried to play soccer, Oswald began to abhor the sport.)
abide --Correct ANW:1. (v.) to put up with (Though he did not agree with the
decision, Chuck decided to abide by it.) 2. (v.) to remain (Despite the beating
they've taken from the weather throughout the millennia, the mountains abide.)
abject --Correct ANW:(adj.) wretched, pitiful (After losing all her money, falling into
a puddle, and breaking her ankle, Eloise was abject.)
abjure --Correct ANW:(v.) to reject, renounce (To prove his honesty, the President
abjured the evil policies of his wicked predecessor.)
abnegation --Correct ANW:(n.) denial of comfort to oneself (The holy man slept on
the floor, took only cold showers, and generally followed other practices of
abnegation.)
,abort --Correct ANW:(v.) to give up on a half-finished project or effort (After they ran
out of food, the men, attempting to jump rope around the world, had to abort and go
home.)
abridge --Correct ANW:1. (v.) to cut down, shorten (The publisher thought the
dictionary was too long and abridged it.) 2. (adj.) shortened (Moby-Dick is such a
long book that even the abridged version is longer than most normal books.)
abrogate --Correct ANW:(v.) to abolish, usually by authority (The Bill of Rights
assures that the government cannot abrogate our right to a free press.)
abscond --Correct ANW:(v.) to sneak away and hide (In the confusion, the super-spy
absconded into the night with the secret plans.)
absolution --Correct ANW:(n.) freedom from blame, guilt, sin (Once all the facts
were known, the jury gave Angela absolution by giving a verdict of not guilty.)
abstain --Correct ANW:(v.) to freely choose not to commit an action (Everyone
demanded that Angus put on the kilt, but he did not want to do it and abstained.)
abstruse --Correct ANW:(adj.) hard to comprehend (Everyone else in the class
understood geometry easily, but John found the subject abstruse.)
accede --Correct ANW:(v.) to agree (When the class asked the teacher whether they
could play baseball instead of learn grammar they expected him to refuse, but
instead he acceded to their request.)
accentuate --Correct ANW:(v.) to stress, highlight (Psychologists agree that those
people who are happiest accentuate the positive in life.)
accessible --Correct ANW:(adj.) obtainable, reachable (After studying with
SparkNotes and getting a great score on the SAT, Marlena happily realized that her
goal of getting into an Ivy-League college was accessible.)
acclaim --Correct ANW:(n.) high praise (Greg's excellent poem won the acclaim of
his friends.) accolade (n.) high praise, special distinction (Everyone offered
accolades to Sam after he won the Noble Prize.)
accolade --Correct ANW:(n.) high praise, special distinction (Everyone offered
accolades to Sam after he won the Noble Prize.)
accommodating --Correct ANW:(adj.) helpful, obliging, polite (Though the
apartment was not big enough for three people, Arnold, Mark, and Zebulon were all
friends and were accommodating to each other.)
,accord --Correct ANW:(n.) an agreement (After much negotiating, England and
Iceland finally came to a mutually beneficial accord about fishing rights off the cost
of Greenland.)
accost --Correct ANW:(v.) to confront verbally (Though Antoinette was normally
quite calm, when the waiter spilled soup on her for the fourth time in 15 minutes she
stood up and accosted the man.)
accretion --Correct ANW:(n.) slow growth in size or amount (Stalactites are formed
by the accretion of minerals from the roofs of caves.)
acerbic --Correct ANW:(adj.) biting, bitter in tone or taste (Jill became extremely
acerbic and began to cruelly make fun of all her friends.)
acquiesce --Correct ANW:(v.) to agree without protesting (Though Mr. Correlli
wanted to stay outside and work in his garage, when his wife told him that he had
better come in to dinner, he acquiesced to her demands.)
acrimony --Correct ANW:(n.) bitterness, discord (Though they vowed that no girl
would ever come between them, Biff and Trevor could not keep acrimony from
overwhelming their friendship after they both fell in love with the lovely Teresa.)
acumen --Correct ANW:(n.) keen insight (Because of his mathematical acumen,
Larry was able to figure out in minutes problems that took other students hours.)
acute --Correct ANW:1. (adj.) sharp, severe (Arnold could not walk because the pain
in his foot was so acute.) 2. (adj.) having keen insight (Because she was so acute,
Libby instantly figured out how the magician pulled off his "magic.")
adamant --Correct ANW:(adj.) impervious, immovable, unyielding (Though public
pressure was intense, the President remained adamant about his proposal.)
adept --Correct ANW:(adj.) extremely skilled (Tarzan was adept at jumping from
tree to tree like a monkey.)
adhere --Correct ANW:1. (n.) to stick to something (We adhered the poster to the
wall with tape.) 2. (n.) to follow devoutly (He adhered to the dictates of his religion
without question.)
admonish --Correct ANW:(v.) to caution, criticize, reprove (Joe's mother admonished
him not to ruin his appetite by eating cookies before dinner.)
adorn --Correct ANW:(v.) to decorate (We adorned the tree with ornaments.)
, adroit --Correct ANW:(adj.) skillful, dexterous (The adroit thief could pick someone's
pocket without attracting notice.)
adulation --Correct ANW:(n.) extreme praise (Though the book was pretty good,
Marcy did not believe it deserved the adulation it received.)
adumbrate --Correct ANW:(v.) to sketch out in a vague way (The coach adumbrated
a game plan, but none of the players knew precisely what to do.)
adverse --Correct ANW:(adj.) antagonistic, unfavorable, dangerous (Because of
adverse conditions, the hikers decided to give up trying to climb the mountain.)
advocate --Correct ANW:1. (v.) to argue in favor of something (Arnold advocated
turning left at the stop sign, even though everyone else thought we should turn
right.) 2. (n.) a person who argues in favor of something (In addition to wanting to
turn left at every stop sign, Arnold was also a great advocate of increasing national
defense spending.)
aerial --Correct ANW:(adj.) somehow related to the air (We watched as the fighter
planes conducted aerial maneuvers.)
aesthetic --Correct ANW:(adj.) artistic, related to the appreciation of beauty (We
hired Susan as our interior decorator because she has such a fine aesthetic sense.)
affable --Correct ANW:(adj.) friendly, amiable (People like to be around George
because he is so affable and good-natured.)
affinity --Correct ANW:(n.)a spontaneous feeling of closeness (Jerry didn't know
why, but he felt an incredible affinity for Kramer the first time they met.)
affluent --Correct ANW:(adj.) rich, wealthy (Mrs. Grebelski was affluent, owning a
huge house, three cars, and an island near Maine.)
affront --Correct ANW:(n.) an insult (Bernardo was very touchy, and took any slight
as an affront to his honor.)
aggrandize --Correct ANW:(v.) to increase or make greater (Joseph always dropped
the names of the famous people his father knew as a way to aggrandize his personal
stature.)
aggregate --Correct ANW:1. (n.) a whole or total (The three branches of the U.S.
Government form an aggregate much more powerful than its individual parts.) 2. (v.)
to gather into a mass (The dictator tried to aggregate as many people into his army
as he possibly could.)
Definitions and Synonyms comprehensive
Study Guide and Answer Key
abase --Correct ANW:(v.) to humiliate, degrade (After being overthrown and
abased, the deposed leader offered to bow down to his conqueror.)
abate --Correct ANW:(v.) to reduce, lessen (The rain poured down for a while, then
abated.)
abdicate --Correct ANW:(v.) to give up a position, usually one of leadership (When
he realized that the revolutionaries would surely win, the king abdicated his throne.)
abduct --Correct ANW:(v.) to kidnap, take by force (The evildoers abducted the
fairy princess from her happy home.)
aberration --Correct ANW:(n.) something that differs from the norm (In 1918, the
Boston Red Sox won the World Series, but the success turned out to be an
aberration, and the Red Sox have not won a World Series since.)
abet --Correct ANW:(v.) to aid, help, encourage (The spy succeeded only because
he had a friend on the inside to abet him.)
abhor --Correct ANW:(v.) to hate, detest (Because he always wound up kicking
himself in the head when he tried to play soccer, Oswald began to abhor the sport.)
abide --Correct ANW:1. (v.) to put up with (Though he did not agree with the
decision, Chuck decided to abide by it.) 2. (v.) to remain (Despite the beating
they've taken from the weather throughout the millennia, the mountains abide.)
abject --Correct ANW:(adj.) wretched, pitiful (After losing all her money, falling into
a puddle, and breaking her ankle, Eloise was abject.)
abjure --Correct ANW:(v.) to reject, renounce (To prove his honesty, the President
abjured the evil policies of his wicked predecessor.)
abnegation --Correct ANW:(n.) denial of comfort to oneself (The holy man slept on
the floor, took only cold showers, and generally followed other practices of
abnegation.)
,abort --Correct ANW:(v.) to give up on a half-finished project or effort (After they ran
out of food, the men, attempting to jump rope around the world, had to abort and go
home.)
abridge --Correct ANW:1. (v.) to cut down, shorten (The publisher thought the
dictionary was too long and abridged it.) 2. (adj.) shortened (Moby-Dick is such a
long book that even the abridged version is longer than most normal books.)
abrogate --Correct ANW:(v.) to abolish, usually by authority (The Bill of Rights
assures that the government cannot abrogate our right to a free press.)
abscond --Correct ANW:(v.) to sneak away and hide (In the confusion, the super-spy
absconded into the night with the secret plans.)
absolution --Correct ANW:(n.) freedom from blame, guilt, sin (Once all the facts
were known, the jury gave Angela absolution by giving a verdict of not guilty.)
abstain --Correct ANW:(v.) to freely choose not to commit an action (Everyone
demanded that Angus put on the kilt, but he did not want to do it and abstained.)
abstruse --Correct ANW:(adj.) hard to comprehend (Everyone else in the class
understood geometry easily, but John found the subject abstruse.)
accede --Correct ANW:(v.) to agree (When the class asked the teacher whether they
could play baseball instead of learn grammar they expected him to refuse, but
instead he acceded to their request.)
accentuate --Correct ANW:(v.) to stress, highlight (Psychologists agree that those
people who are happiest accentuate the positive in life.)
accessible --Correct ANW:(adj.) obtainable, reachable (After studying with
SparkNotes and getting a great score on the SAT, Marlena happily realized that her
goal of getting into an Ivy-League college was accessible.)
acclaim --Correct ANW:(n.) high praise (Greg's excellent poem won the acclaim of
his friends.) accolade (n.) high praise, special distinction (Everyone offered
accolades to Sam after he won the Noble Prize.)
accolade --Correct ANW:(n.) high praise, special distinction (Everyone offered
accolades to Sam after he won the Noble Prize.)
accommodating --Correct ANW:(adj.) helpful, obliging, polite (Though the
apartment was not big enough for three people, Arnold, Mark, and Zebulon were all
friends and were accommodating to each other.)
,accord --Correct ANW:(n.) an agreement (After much negotiating, England and
Iceland finally came to a mutually beneficial accord about fishing rights off the cost
of Greenland.)
accost --Correct ANW:(v.) to confront verbally (Though Antoinette was normally
quite calm, when the waiter spilled soup on her for the fourth time in 15 minutes she
stood up and accosted the man.)
accretion --Correct ANW:(n.) slow growth in size or amount (Stalactites are formed
by the accretion of minerals from the roofs of caves.)
acerbic --Correct ANW:(adj.) biting, bitter in tone or taste (Jill became extremely
acerbic and began to cruelly make fun of all her friends.)
acquiesce --Correct ANW:(v.) to agree without protesting (Though Mr. Correlli
wanted to stay outside and work in his garage, when his wife told him that he had
better come in to dinner, he acquiesced to her demands.)
acrimony --Correct ANW:(n.) bitterness, discord (Though they vowed that no girl
would ever come between them, Biff and Trevor could not keep acrimony from
overwhelming their friendship after they both fell in love with the lovely Teresa.)
acumen --Correct ANW:(n.) keen insight (Because of his mathematical acumen,
Larry was able to figure out in minutes problems that took other students hours.)
acute --Correct ANW:1. (adj.) sharp, severe (Arnold could not walk because the pain
in his foot was so acute.) 2. (adj.) having keen insight (Because she was so acute,
Libby instantly figured out how the magician pulled off his "magic.")
adamant --Correct ANW:(adj.) impervious, immovable, unyielding (Though public
pressure was intense, the President remained adamant about his proposal.)
adept --Correct ANW:(adj.) extremely skilled (Tarzan was adept at jumping from
tree to tree like a monkey.)
adhere --Correct ANW:1. (n.) to stick to something (We adhered the poster to the
wall with tape.) 2. (n.) to follow devoutly (He adhered to the dictates of his religion
without question.)
admonish --Correct ANW:(v.) to caution, criticize, reprove (Joe's mother admonished
him not to ruin his appetite by eating cookies before dinner.)
adorn --Correct ANW:(v.) to decorate (We adorned the tree with ornaments.)
, adroit --Correct ANW:(adj.) skillful, dexterous (The adroit thief could pick someone's
pocket without attracting notice.)
adulation --Correct ANW:(n.) extreme praise (Though the book was pretty good,
Marcy did not believe it deserved the adulation it received.)
adumbrate --Correct ANW:(v.) to sketch out in a vague way (The coach adumbrated
a game plan, but none of the players knew precisely what to do.)
adverse --Correct ANW:(adj.) antagonistic, unfavorable, dangerous (Because of
adverse conditions, the hikers decided to give up trying to climb the mountain.)
advocate --Correct ANW:1. (v.) to argue in favor of something (Arnold advocated
turning left at the stop sign, even though everyone else thought we should turn
right.) 2. (n.) a person who argues in favor of something (In addition to wanting to
turn left at every stop sign, Arnold was also a great advocate of increasing national
defense spending.)
aerial --Correct ANW:(adj.) somehow related to the air (We watched as the fighter
planes conducted aerial maneuvers.)
aesthetic --Correct ANW:(adj.) artistic, related to the appreciation of beauty (We
hired Susan as our interior decorator because she has such a fine aesthetic sense.)
affable --Correct ANW:(adj.) friendly, amiable (People like to be around George
because he is so affable and good-natured.)
affinity --Correct ANW:(n.)a spontaneous feeling of closeness (Jerry didn't know
why, but he felt an incredible affinity for Kramer the first time they met.)
affluent --Correct ANW:(adj.) rich, wealthy (Mrs. Grebelski was affluent, owning a
huge house, three cars, and an island near Maine.)
affront --Correct ANW:(n.) an insult (Bernardo was very touchy, and took any slight
as an affront to his honor.)
aggrandize --Correct ANW:(v.) to increase or make greater (Joseph always dropped
the names of the famous people his father knew as a way to aggrandize his personal
stature.)
aggregate --Correct ANW:1. (n.) a whole or total (The three branches of the U.S.
Government form an aggregate much more powerful than its individual parts.) 2. (v.)
to gather into a mass (The dictator tried to aggregate as many people into his army
as he possibly could.)
