SAT 1 Vocab: A (Aback - Arrant)
Terms
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- aback
- (preceded by "taken") surprised; startled
- abandon
- to leave; to give up; to discontinue
- abase
- to lower; to humiliate; to humble
- abash
- ashamed; embarrassed
- abate
- to lessen or decrease
- abdicate
- to yield; to give up
- abduct
- to take away; to kidnap
- aberration
- abnormality; deviation
- abet
- to aid; to encourage
- abeyance
- a temporary postponement
- abhor
- to detest; to hate
- abide
- to remain; to put up with
- abject
- miserable; wretched
- abjure
- to give up (one's rights)
- ablution
- a cleansing; a washing
- abnegate
- to deny; to reject
- abolition
- putting an end to
- abominate
- to detest thoroughly
- aborigine
- an original inhabitant
- abortive
- unsuccessful
- abound
- to be large in number
- aboveboard
- open; honest; frank
- abrade
- to wear away
- abridge
- to shorten
- abrogate
- to do away with
- abscond
- to flee; to leave secretly
- absolve
- to free from guilt or responsibility
- abstemious
- moderate or sparing in food or drink
- abstinence
- self-denial; resisting temptation
- abstract
- to remove (verb); a summary (noun)
- abstruse
- hard to understand
- absurd
- ridiculous; unreasonable
- abut
- to touch; to rest on or against
- abysmal
- wretched; extremely bad
- abyss
- a bottomless pit; anything infinite
- academic
- pertaining to school; theoretical or unrealistic
- accede
- to agree to
- accelerate
- to speed up; to move faster
- accessible
- easy to approach; open
- access
- approach; admittance
- accessory
- something additional
- acclaim
- to greet with approval
- acclimate
- to adapt to
- acclivity
- an upward slope
- accolade
- honor; award; approval
- accommodate
- to make fit; to help
- accomplice
- a partner in crime
- accord
- agreement
- accost
- to approach and speak to
- accoutrement
- equipment; outfit
- accredit
- to approve; to certify
- accretion
- an increase; an addition
- accrue
- to accumulate
- acerbic
- sharp or bitter in smell or taste
- Achilles' heel
- a weakness
- acknowledge
- to admit; to confess
- acme
- the highest point; a peak
- acoustics
- a branch of physics dealing with sound
- acquiesce
- to agree; to consent
- acquit
- to free of guilt; to clear
- acrid
- bitter to the taste or smell; sarcastic
- acrimonious
- harsh in speech or behavior
- acronym
- word formed from initials
- acrophobia
- fear of heights
- actuate
- to put into motion or action
- acumen
- mental keenness; shrewdness
- acute
- sharp; keen
- ad infinitum
- forever; endlessly
- ad lib
- to act or speak without preparation
- adage
- a familiar saying
- adamant
- stubborn; unyielding
- adapt
- to adjust; to change
- addendum
- something added as a supplement
- addled
- confused
- adduce
- to give an example in proving something
- adept
- highly skilled
- adherent
- a follower or a supporter (noun); sticking fast (adjective)
- adipose
- fatty
- adjacent
- nearby; adjoining
- adjudicate
- to judge
- adjunct
- a subordinate; an assistant
- admonish
- to warn
- ado
- fuss; trouble
- adonis
- a very handsome man
- adorn
- to dress up; to decorate
- adroit
- skillful; clever
- adulation
- excessive praise or flattery
- adulterate
- to make impure
- advent
- an arrival; a coming
- adventitious
- accidental; nonessential
- adversary
- enemy; opponent
- adversity
- hardship; misfortune
- advocate
- to recommend; to defend
- aegis
- a shield; sponsorship
- aesthetic
- pertaining to beauty
- affable
- friendly; agreeable
- affectation
- a phony attitude; insincerity
- affiliate
- to associate or to unite with
- affinity
- attraction to
- affirmation
- a statement that something is true
- affix
- to attach
- affliction
- a hardship; great suffering
- affluence
- wealth
- affront
- an insult
- aftermath
- the result; the outcome
- agape
- open; surprised
- agenda
- a list or program of things to be done
- aggrandize
- to enlarge; to expand
- aggravate
- to worsen an already bad situation
- aggregate
- to gather together; to collect
- aghast
- terrified; shocked
- agile
- able to move quickly
- agitate
- to upset; to stir up
- agnostic
- one who doubts the existence of God
- agoraphobia
- fear of open places
- agrarian
- pertaining to farmers and agriculture
- ague
- a fever; a plague
- albatross
- a sea bird; a constant burden
- albeit
- although
- alchemy
- chemistry of the Middle Ages
- alias
- an assumed name
- alien
- strange; foreign
- alienate
- to make others unfriendly towards you
- alimentary
- furnishing nourishment or food
- allay
- to relieve or calm
- alleged
- so-called; supposed
- allegory
- a symbolic work of literature
- allegro
- rapid; quick
- alleviate
- to relieve; lessen
- allocate
- to set aside for a specific purpose
- allude
- to hint at; to refer to indirectly
- alluring
- tempting; fascinating; charming
- alluvial
- pertaining to sand deposits formed by flowing water
- aloft
- up in the air; high
- aloof
- cool; indifferent; reserved
- alter
- to change
- altercation
- an argument; a disagreement
- amalgamate
- to combine; to unite; to blend
- amass
- to collect; to accumulate
- amazon
- a big, strong, masculine woman
- ambidextrous
- equally skillful with either hand
- ambient
- surround; on all sides
- ambiguous
- unclear; open to more than one interpretation
- ambivalence
- conflicting feelings toward something or someone
- ambrosial
- pleasing to the taste or smell
- ambulatory
- moving about; capable of walking
- ambuscade
- a secret or hidden attack
- ameliorate
- to improve; to make better
- amenable
- agreeable; responsive
- amend
- to change or alter
- amenities
- courtesies; social graces; pleasantries
- amiable
- friendly; pleasant
- amicable
- friendly; agreeable
- amiss
- wrong; faulty; improper
- amity
- friendship
- amnesty
- official pardon for an offense
- amoral
- lacking a sense of right and wrong
- amorphous
- shapeless
- amphibious
- able to live on both land and water
- ample
- roomy; abundant
- amplify
- to make larger or greater
- amulet
- a charm worn to keep evil away
- anachronism
- something out of time or place
- analgesic
- a pain-relieving drug
- analogy
- similarity or comparison
- anarchy
- absence of government
- anathema
- a curse; a person or thing to be avoided
- ancillary
- helping; of secondary importance
- anecdote
- a short, entertaining story
- anent
- regarding; concerning
- anguish
- great suffering or grief
- anhydrous
- without water
- animadversion
- criticism; comment that opposes
- animate
- to give life to
- animosity
- hatred; hostility
- animus
- hostile feeling
- annals
- historical records
- anneal
- to heat and then cool; to toughen
- annihilate
- to totally destroy
- annuity
- specified income payable at stated intervals
- annul
- to cancel; to do away with
- anon
- soon
- anoxia
- lack of oxygen
- antecedent
- that which goes before something else
- antediluvian
- primitive
- anterior
- located in front or forward
- anteroom
- a lobby or waiting room
- anthem
- a song of praise
- anthology
- collection of literary works
- anthropoid
- resembling man
- anthropomorphic
- attributing human form to objects, gods, etc
- antic
- a prank
- anticlimax
- something unimportant coming after something important
- antidote
- a remedy; a counteractive
- antipathy
- hatred
- antipodes
- opposite sides (of the earth)
- antiquated
- ancient
- antithesis
- an exact opposite
- apathy
- indifference
- ape
- a monkey (noun); to mimic or imitate(verb)
- aperture
- an opening; a gap
- apex
- the highest point; the summit
- aphasia
- loss of the ability to speak
- aphorism
- a proverb
- apiary
- place where bees are kept
- aplomb
- self-confidence; poise
- apocryphal
- doubtful; not genuine
- apogee
- the farthest point from the earth
- apoplexy
- sudden loss of consciousness; paralysis
- apostate
- one who gives up his beliefs
- apothecary
- druggist
- apothegm
- brief instructive saying
- apotheosis
- glorification of a person to the rank of God
- appall
- to frighten; to cause loss of courage
- apparel
- clothing; attire
- apparition
- a ghost
- appease
- to soothe; to satisfy
- appellation
- a name
- append
- to add; to attach
- apposite
- appropriate
- apprehend
- to seize; to understand
- apprehensive
- fearful; anxious
- apprise
- to inform
- approbation
- approval
- appropriate
- to take possession of (verb); suitable (adjective)
- appurtenance
- something added to another more important thing
- apropos
- relevant; appropriate; fitting
- aptitude
- ability
- aquatic
- pertaining to water
- aquiline
- like an eagle; curved or hooked
- arable
- good for farming
- arbiter
- a judge; an umpire
- arbitrary
- biased; partial
- arbor
- a shaded area
- arcane
- mysterious
- archaic
- out-dated; old-fashioned
- archeology
- study of remains of past cultures
- archetype
- original; first of its kind
- archipelago
- a group of islands
- archives
- public records and documents
- ardent
- intensely enthusiastic
- arduous
- difficult; strenuous
- aria
- a solo in an opera
- arid
- dry
- armistice
- a truce; suspension of hostilities
- aromatic
- pleasant-smelling
- arraign
- to accuse
- arrant
- completely; thorough; downright