sat words A-C
268 words
Terms
undefined, object
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- consecrate
- (v.) to dedicate something to a holy purpose (Arvin consecrated his spare bedroom as a shrine to Christina
- calumny
- (n.) an attempt to spoil someone else's reputation by spreading lies (The local official's calumny ended up ruining his opponent's prospect of winning the election
- confound
- (v.) to frustrate, confuse (MacGuyver confounded the policemen pursuing him by covering his tracks
- accord
- (n.) an agreement (After much negotiating, England and Iceland finally came to a mutually beneficial accord about fishing rights off the cost of Greenland
- conformist
- (n.) one who behaves the same as others (Julian was such a conformist that he had to wait and see if his friends would do something before he would commit
- arbiter
- (n.) one who can resolve a dispute, make a decision (The divorce court judge will serve as the arbiter between the estranged husband and wife
- assess
- (v.) to evaluate (A crew arrived to assess the damage after the crash
- affront
- (n.) an insult (Bernardo was very touchy, and took any slight as an affront to his honor
- confection
- (n.) a sweet, fancy food (We went to the mall food court and purchased a delicious confection
- arboreal
- (adj.) of or relating to trees (Leaves, roots, and bark are a few arboreal traits
- affluent
- (adj.) rich, wealthy (Mrs. Grebelski was affluent, owning a huge house, three cars, and an island near Maine
- adumbrate
- (v.) to sketch out in a vague way (The coach adumbrated a game plan, but none of the players knew precisely what to do
- apathetic
- (adj.) lacking concern, emotion (Uninterested in politics, Bruno was apathetic about whether he lived under a capitalist or communist regime
- compliant
- (adj.) ready to adapt oneself to another's wishes (Sue had very strong opinions about what to do on a first date, and Ted was absolutely compliant
- beseech
- (v.) to beg, plead, implore (The servant beseeched the king for food to feed his starving family
- boisterous
- (adj.) loud and full of energy (The candidate won the vote after giving several boisterous speeches on television
- acumen
- (n.) keen insight (Because of his mathematical acumen, Larry was able to figure out in minutes problems that took other students hours
- adhere
- 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
- canvas
- 1. (n.) a piece of cloth on which an artist paints (Picasso liked to work on canvas
- anonymous
- (adj.) being unknown, unrecognized (Mary received a love poem from an anonymous admirer
- circumscribed
- (adj.) marked off, bounded (The children were permitted to play tag only within a carefully circumscribed area of the lawn
- concise
- (adj.) brief and direct in expression (Gordon did not like to waste time, and his instructions to Brenda were nothing if not concise
- compound
- 1. (v.) to combine parts (The difficulty of finding a fire escape amid the smoke was compounded with the dangers posed by the panicking crowds.) 2. (n.) a combination of different parts (My attraction to Donna was a compound of curiosity about the unknown, physical desire, and intellectual admiration.) 3. (n.) a walled area containing a group of buildings (When the fighting started, Joseph rushed into the family compound because it was safe and well defended
- battery
- 1.(n.) a device that supplies power (Most cars run on a combination of power from a battery and gasoline.) 2. (n.)assault, beating (Her husband was accused of assault and battery after he attacked a man on the sidewalk
- blemish
- (n.) an imperfection, flaw (The dealer agreed to lower the price because of the many blemishes on the surface of the wooden furniture
- cunning
- (adj.) sly, clever at being deceitful (The general devised a cunning plan to surprise the enemy
- brazen
- (adj.) excessively bold, brash (Critics condemned the novelist's brazen attempt to plagiarize Hemingway's story
- collateral
- 1. (adj.) secondary (Divorcing my wife had the collateral effect of making me poor, as she was the only one of us with a job or money.) 2. (n.) security for a debt (Jacob left his watch as collateral for the $500 loan
- capitulate
- (v.) to surrender (The army finally capitulated after fighting a long costly battle
- arable
- (adj.) suitable for growing crops (The farmer purchased a plot of arable land on which he will grow corn and sprouts
- camaraderie
- (n.) brotherhood, jovial unity (Camaraderie among employees usually leads to success in business
- aspire
- (v.) to long for, aim toward (The young poet aspires to publish a book of verse someday
- calamity
- (n.) an event with disastrous consequences (The earthquake in San Francisco was a calamity worse than any other natural disaster in history
- condolence
- (n.) an expression of sympathy in sorrow (Brian lamely offered his condolences on the loss of his sister's roommate's cat
- candor
- (n.) honesty, frankness (We were surprised by the candor of the mayor's speech because he is usually rather evasive
- accessible
- (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
- anecdote
- (n.) a short, humorous account (After dinner, Marlon told an anecdote about the time he got his nose stuck in a toaster
- abase
- (v.) to humiliate, degrade (After being overthrown and abased, the deposed leader offered to bow down to his conqueror
- beguile
- (v.) to trick, deceive (The thief beguiled his partners into surrendering all of their money to him
- confidant
- (n.) a person entrusted with secrets (Shortly after we met, she became my chief confidant
- augment
- (v.) to add to, expand (The eager student seeks to augment his knowledge of French vocabulary by reading French literature
- clairvoyant
- (adj.) able to perceive things that normal people cannot (Zelda's uncanny ability to detect my lies was nothing short of clairvoyant
- bequeath
- (v.) to pass on, give (Jon's father bequeathed his entire estate to his mother
- constituent
- (n.) an essential part (The most important constituent of her perfume is something called ambergris
- abet
- (v.) to aid, help, encourage (The spy succeeded only because he had a friend on the inside to abet him
- cacophony
- (n.) tremendous noise, disharmonious sound (The elementary school orchestra created a cacophony at the recital
- construe
- (v.) to interpret (He construed her throwing his clothes out the window as a signal that she wanted him to leave
- ameliorate
- (v.) to improve (The tense situation was ameliorated when Sam proposed a solution everyone could agree upon
- convention
- 1. (n.) an assembly of people (The hotel was full because of the cattle-ranchers' convention.) 2. (n.) a rule, custom (The cattle-ranchers have a convention that you take off your boots before entering their houses
- attain
- (v.) to achieve, arrive at (The athletes strived to attain their best times in competition
- copious
- (adj.) profuse, abundant (Copious amounts of Snapple were imbibed in the cafeteria
- conflagration
- (n.) great fire (The conflagration consumed the entire building
- absolution
- (n.) freedom from blame, guilt, sin (Once all the facts were known, the jury gave Angela absolution by giving a verdict of not guilty
- callous
- (adj.) harsh, cold, unfeeling (The murderer's callous lack of remorse shocked the jury
- cordial
- (adj.) warm, affectionate (His cordial greeting melted my anger at once
- cerebral
- (adj.) related to the intellect (The books we read in this class are too cerebral— they don't engage my emotions at all
- circuitous
- (adj.) roundabout (The bus's circuitous route took us through numerous outlying suburbs
- capricious
- (adj.) subject to whim, fickle (The young girl's capricious tendencies made it difficult for her to focus on achieving her goals
- anachronistic
- (adj.) being out of correct chronological order (In this book you're writing, you say that the Pyramids were built after the Titanic sank, which is anachronistic
- antipathy
- (n.) a strong dislike, repugnance (I know you love me, but because you are a liar and a thief, I feel nothing but antipathy for you
- captivate
- (v.) to get the attention of, hold (The fireworks captivated the young boy, who had never seen such things before
- choreography
- (n.) the arrangement of dances (The plot of the musical was banal, but the choreography was stunning
- arbitrary
- (adj.) based on factors that appear random (The boy's decision to choose one college over another seems arbitrary
- curtail
- (v.) to lessen, reduce (Since losing his job, he had to curtail his spending
- aspersion
- (n.) a curse, expression of ill-will (The rival politicians repeatedly cast aspersions on each others' integrity
- coagulate
- (v.) to thicken, clot (The top layer of the pudding had coagulated into a thick skin
- benevolent
- (adj.) marked by goodness or doing good (Police officers should be commended for their benevolent service to the community
- bane
- (n.) a burden (Advanced physics is the bane of many students' academic lives
- balk
- (v.) to stop, block abruptly (Edna's boss balked at her request for another raise
- cadence
- (n.) a rhythm, progression of sound (The pianist used the foot pedal to emphasize the cadence of the sonata
- complicit
- (adj.) being an accomplice in a wrongful act (By keeping her daughter's affair a secret, Maddie became complicit in it
- ambiguous
- (adj.) uncertain, variably interpretable (Some people think Caesar married Cleopatra for her power, others believe he was charmed by her beauty. His actual reasons are ambiguous
- anxiety
- (n.) intense uneasiness (When he heard about the car crash, he felt anxiety
- abhor
- (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
- assail
- (v.) to attack (At dawn, the war planes assailed the boats in the harbor
- berate
- (v.) to scold vehemently (The angry boss berated his employees for failing to
- coalesce
- (v.) to fuse into a whole (Gordon's ensemble of thrift-shop garments coalesced into a surprisingly handsome outfit
- adorn
- (v.) to decorate (We adorned the tree with ornaments
- annex
- 1. (v.) to incorporate territory or space (After defeating them in battle, the Russians annexed Poland.) 2. (n.) a room attached to a larger room or space (He likes to do his studying in a little annex attached to the main reading room in the library
- cognizant
- (adj.) aware, mindful (Jake avoided speaking to women in bars because he was cognizant of the fact that drinking impairs his judgment
- arid
- (adj.) excessively dry (Little other than palm trees and cacti grow successfully in arid environments
- archetypal
- (adj.) the most representative or typical example of something (Some believe George Washington, with his flowing white hair and commanding stature, was the archetypal politician
- allocate
- (v.) to distribute, set aside (The Mayor allocated 30 percent of the funds for improving the town's schools
- capacious
- (adj.) very spacious (The workers delighted in their new capacious office space
- compress
- (v.) to apply pressure, squeeze together (Lynn compressed her lips into a frown
- anomaly
- (n.) something that does not fit into the normal order ("That rip in the space-time continuum is certainly a spatial anomaly," said Spock to Captain Kirk
- acquiesce
- (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
- adroit
- (adj.) skillful, dexterous (The adroit thief could pick someone's pocket without attracting notice
- affinity
- (n.)a spontaneous feeling of closeness (Jerry didn't know why, but he felt an incredible affinity for Kramer the first time they met
- anathema
- (n.) a cursed, detested person (I never want to see that murderer. He is an anathema to me
- contusion
- (n.) bruise, injury (The contusions on his face suggested he'd been in a fight
- accentuate
- (v.) to stress, highlight (Psychologists agree that those people who are happiest accentuate the positive in life
- colloquial
- (adj.) characteristic of informal conversation (Adam's essay on sexual response in primates was marked down because it contained too many colloquial expressions
- cursory
- (adj.) brief to the point of being superficial (Late for the meeting, she cast a cursory glance at the agenda
- concord
- (n.) harmonious agreement (Julie and Harold began the evening with a disagreement, but ended it in a state of perfect concord
- buttress
- 1. (v.) to support, hold up (The column buttresses the roof above the statue.) 2. (n.) something that offers support (The buttress supports the roof above the statues
- attribute
- 1. (v.) to credit, assign (He attributes all of his success to his mother's undying encouragement.) 2. (n.) a facet or trait (Among the beetle's most peculiar attributes is its thorny protruding eyes
- abort
- (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
- carp
- (v.) to annoy, pester (The husband divorced his wife after listening to her carping voice for decades
- antecedent
- (n.) something that came before (The great tradition of Western culture had its antecedent in the culture of Ancient Greece
- credulity
- (n.) readiness to believe (His credulity made him an easy target for con men
- conciliatory
- (adj.) friendly, agreeable (I took Amanda's invitation to dinner as a very conciliatory gesture
- anarchist
- (n.) one who wants to eliminate all government (An anarchist, Carmine wanted to dissolve every government everywhere
- coup
- 1. (n.) a brilliant, unexpected act (Alexander pulled off an amazing coup when he got a date with Cynthia by purposely getting hit by her car.) 2. (n.) the overthrow of a government and assumption of authority (In their coup attempt, the army officers stormed the Parliament and took all the legislators hostage
- abscond
- (v.) to sneak away and hide (In the confusion, the super-spy absconded into the night with the secret plans
- animated
- (adj.) lively (When he begins to talk about drama, which is his true passion, he becomes very animated
- anguish
- (n.) extreme sadness, torment (Angelos suffered terrible anguish when he learned that Buffy had died while combating a strange mystical force of evil
- approbation
- (n.) praise (The crowd welcomed the heroes with approbation
- contemporaneous
- (adj.) existing during the same time (Though her novels do not
- atone
- (v.) to repent, make amends (The man atoned for forgetting his wife's birthday by buying her five dozen roses
- antagonism
- (n.) hostility (Superman and Bizarro Superman shared a mutual antagonism, and often fought
- ascertain
- (v.) to perceive, learn (With a bit of research, the student ascertained that some plants can live for weeks without water
- acute
- 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.")
- accolade
- (n.) high praise, special distinction (Everyone offered accolades to Sam after he won the Noble Prize
- audible
- (adj.) able to be heard (The missing person's shouts were unfortunately not audible
- bias
- (n.) a tendency, inclination, prejudice (The judge's hidden bias against smokers led him to make an unfair decision
- ballad
- (n.) a love song (Greta's boyfriend played her a ballad on the guitar during their walk through the dark woods
- bard
- (n.) a poet, often a singer as well (Shakespeare is often considered the greatest bard
- antithesis
- (n.) the absolute opposite (Your values, which hold war and violence in the highest esteem, are the antithesis of my pacifist beliefs
- consensus
- (n.) an agreement of opinion (The jury was able to reach a consensus only after days of deliberation
- congruity
- (n.) the quality of being in agreement (Bill and Veronica achieved a perfect congruity of opinion
- acrimony
- (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
- connive
- (v.) to plot, scheme (She connived to get me to give up my vacation plans
- antiquated
- (adj.) old, out of date (That antiquated car has none of the features, like power windows and steering, that make modern cars so great
- atrophy
- (v.) to wither away, decay (If muscles do not receive enough blood, they will soon atrophy and die
- congenial
- (adj.) pleasantly agreeable (His congenial manner made him popular wherever he went
- curt
- (adj.) abruptly and rudely short (Her curt reply to my question made me realize that she was upset at me
- crescendo
- (n.) a steady increase in intensity or volume (The crescendo of the brass instruments gave the piece a patriotic feel
- boon
- (n.) a gift or blessing (The good weather has been a boon for many businesses located near the beach
- abide
- 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
- artifact
- (n.) a remaining piece from an extinct culture or place (The scientists spent all day searching the cave for artifacts from the ancient Mayan civilization
- convoluted
- (adj.) intricate, complicated (Grace's story was so convoluted that I couldn't follow it
- alias
- (n.) a false name or identity (He snuck past the guards by using an alias and fake ID
- concede
- (v.) to accept as valid (Andrew had to concede that what his mother said about Diana made sense
- aloof
- (adj.) reserved, distant (The scientist could sometimes seem aloof, as if he didn't care about his friends or family, but really he was just thinking about quantum mechanics
- congeal
- (v.) to thicken into a solid (The sauce had congealed into a thick paste
- archaic
- (adj.) of or relating to an earlier period in time, outdated (In a few select regions of Western Mongolian, an archaic Chinese dialect is still spoken
- bilk
- (v.) cheat, defraud (The lawyer discovered that this firm had bilked several clients out of thousands of dollars
- culpable
- (adj.) deserving blame (He was culpable of the crime, and was sentenced to perform community service for 75 years
- amalgamate
- (v.) to bring together, unite (Because of his great charisma, the presidential candidate was able to amalgamate all democrats and republicans under his banner
- aggrandize
- (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
- appraise
- (v.) to assess the worth or value of (A realtor will come over tonight to appraise our house
- commensurate
- (adj.) corresponding in size or amount (Ahab selected a very long roll and proceeded to prepare a tuna salad sandwich commensurate with his enormous appetite
- aggrieved
- (adj.) distressed, wronged, injured (The foreman mercilessly overworked his aggrieved employees
- cloying
- (adj.) sickeningly sweet (Though Ronald was physically attractive, Maud found his constant compliments and solicitous remarks cloying
- culmination
- (n.) the climax toward which something progresses (The culmination of the couple's argument was the decision to divorce
- ambivalent
- (adj.) having opposing feelings (My feelings about Calvin are ambivalent because on one hand he is a loyal friend, but on the other, he is a cruel and vicious thief
- brusque
- (adj.) short, abrupt, dismissive (The captain's brusque manner offended the passengers
- apocryphal
- (adj.) fictitious, false, wrong (Because I am standing before you, it seems obvious that the stories circulating about my demise were apocryphal
- advocate
- 1. (v.) to argue in favor of something (Arnold advocated turning left at the
- calibrate
- (v.) to set, standardize (The mechanic calibrated the car's transmission to make the motor run most efficiently
- congregation
- (n.) a gathering of people, especially for religious services (The priest told the congregation that he would be retiring
- cumulative
- (adj.) increasing, building upon itself (The cumulative effect of hours spent in the sun was a deep tan
- agnostic
- (adj.) believing that the existence of God cannot be proven or disproven (Joey's parents are very religious, but he is agnostic
- bereft
- (adj.) devoid of, without (His family was bereft of food and shelter following the tornado
- cajole
- (v.) to urge, coax (Fred's buddies cajoled him into attending the bachelor party
- chaos
- (n.) absolute disorder (Mr. Thornton's sudden departure for the lavatory plunged his classroom into chaos
- abjure
- (v.) to reject, renounce (To prove his honesty, the President abjured the evil policies of his wicked predecessor
- concomitant
- (adj.) accompanying in a subordinate fashion (His dislike of hard work carried with it a concomitant lack of funds
- contrite
- (adj.) penitent, eager to be forgiven (Blake's contrite behavior made it impossible to stay angry at him
- coronation
- (n.) the act of crowning (The new king's coronation occurred the day after his father's death
- circumspect
- (adj.) cautious (Though I promised Rachel's father I would bring her home promptly by midnight, it would have been more circumspect not to have specified a time
- complement
- (v.) to complete, make perfect (Ann's scarf complements her blouse beautifully, making her seem fully dressed even though she isn't wearing a coat
- criteria
- (n.) standards by which something is judged (Among Mrs. Fields's criteria for good cookies are that they be moist and chewy
- chide
- (v.) to voice disapproval (Lucy chided Russell for his vulgar habits and sloppy appearance
- circumvent
- (v.) to get around (The school's dress code forbidding navel-baring jeans was circumvented by the determined students, who were careful to cover up with long coats when administrators were nearby
- bombastic
- (adj.) excessively confident, pompous (The singer's bombastic performance disgusted the crowd
- allege
- (v.) to assert, usually without proof (The policeman had alleged that Marshall committed the crime, but after the investigation turned up no evidence, Marshall was set free
- analogous
- (adj.) similar to, so that an analogy can be drawn (Though they are unrelated genetically, the bone structure of whales and fish is quite analogous
- avarice
- (n.) excessive greed (The banker's avarice led him to amass a tremendous personal fortune
- chronicle
- 1. (n.) a written history (The library featured the newly updated chronicle of World War II.) 2. (v.) to write a history (Albert's diary chronicled the day-to-day growth of his obsession with Cynthia
- apprehend
- 1. (v.) to seize, arrest (The criminal was apprehended at the scene.) 2. (v.) to
- constrain
- (v.)to forcibly restrict (His belief in nonviolence constrained him from taking revenge on his attackers
- coherent
- (adj.) logically consistent, intelligible (Renee could not figure out what Monroe had seen because he was too distraught to deliver a coherent statement
- ascetic
- (adj.) practicing restraint as a means of self-discipline, usually religious (The priest lives an ascetic life devoid of television, savory foods, and other pleasures
- ascribe
- (v.) to assign, credit, attribute to (Some ascribe the invention of fireworks and dynamite to the Chinese
- bourgeois
- (n.) a middle-class person, capitalist (Many businessmen receive criticism for their bourgeois approach to life
- adverse
- (adj.) antagonistic, unfavorable, dangerous (Because of adverse conditions, the hikers decided to give up trying to climb the mountain
- atypical
- (adj.) not typical, unusual (Screaming and crying is atypical adult behavior
- accede
- (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
- chronological
- (adj.) arranged in order of time (Lionel carefully arranged the snapshots of his former girlfriends in chronological order, and then set fire to them
- ardor
- (n.) extreme vigor, energy, enthusiasm (The soldiers conveyed their ardor with impassioned battle cries
- alacrity
- (n.) eagerness, speed (For some reason, Chuck loved to help his mother whenever he could, so when his mother asked him to set the table he did so with alacrity
- consumption
- (n.) the act of consuming (Consumption of intoxicating beverages is not permitted on these premises
- catalog
- 1. (v.) to list, enter into a list (The judge cataloged the victim's injuries before calculating how much money he would award.) 2. (n.) a list or collection (We received a catalog from J. Crew that displayed all of their new items
- conduit
- (n.) a pipe or channel through which something passes (The water flowed through the conduit into the container
- commodious
- (adj.) roomy (Holden invited the three women to join him in the back seat of the taxicab, assuring them that the car was quite commodious
- abridge
- 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
- astute
- (adj.) very clever, crafty (Much of Roger's success in politics results from his ability to provide astute answers to reporters' questions
- banal
- (adj.) dull, commonplace (The client rejected our proposal because they found
- cogent
- (adj.) intellectually convincing (Irene's arguments in favor of abstinence were so cogent that I could not resist them
- amicable
- (adj.) friendly (Claudia and Jimmy got divorced, but amicably and without hard feelings
- annul
- (v.) to make void or invalid (After seeing its unforeseen and catastrophic effects, Congress sought to annul the law
- canny
- (adj.) shrewd, careful (The canny runner hung at the back of the pack through much of the race to watch the other runners, and then sprinted past them at the end
- colossus
- (n.) a gigantic statue or thing (For 56 years, the ancient city of Rhodes featured a colossus standing astride its harbor
- abject
- (adj.) wretched, pitiful (After losing all her money, falling into a puddle, and breaking her ankle, Eloise was abject
- blight
- 1. (n.) a plague, disease (The potato blight destroyed the harvest and bankrupted
- cupidity
- (n.) greed, strong desire (His cupidity made him enter the abandoned gold mine despite the obvious dangers
- arbitration
- (n.) the process or act of resolving a dispute (The employee sought official arbitration when he could not resolve a disagreement with his supervisor
- agile
- (adj.) quick, nimble (The dogs were too slow to catch the agile rabbit
- amenable
- (adj.) willing, compliant (Our father was amenable when we asked him to drive us to the farm so we could go apple picking
- carouse
- (v.) to party, celebrate (We caroused all night after getting married
- altercation
- (n.) a dispute, fight (Jason and Lionel blamed one another for the car accident, leading to an altercation
- consummate
- (v.) to complete a deal; to complete a marriage ceremony through sexual
- compelling
- (adj.) forceful, demanding attention (Eliot's speech was so compelling that Lenore accepted his proposal on the spot
- adept
- (adj.) extremely skilled (Tarzan was adept at jumping from tree to tree like a monkey
- acerbic
- (adj.) biting, bitter in tone or taste (Jill became extremely acerbic and began to cruelly make fun of all her friends
- contravene
- (v.) to contradict, oppose, violate (Edwidge contravened his landlady's rule against overnight guests
- adulation
- (n.) extreme praise (Though the book was pretty good, Marcy did not believe it deserved the adulation it received
- clergy
- (n.) members of Christian holy orders (Though the villagers viewed the church rectory as quaint and charming, the clergy who lived there regarded it as a mildewy and dusty place that aggravated their allergies
- caustic
- (adj.) bitter, biting, acidic (The politicians exchanged caustic insults for over an hour during the debate
- corpulence
- (adj.)extreme fatness (Henry's corpulence did not make him any less attractive to his charming, svelte wife
- behemoth
- (n.) something of tremendous power or size (The new aircraft carrier is among several behemoths that the Air Force has added to its fleet
- antiseptic
- (adj.) clean, sterile (The antiseptic hospital was very bare, but its cleanliness helped to keep patients healthy
- coerce
- (v.) to make somebody do something by force or threat (The court decided that Vanilla Ice did not have to honor the contract because he had been coerced into signing it
- accommodating
- (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
- appalling
- (adj.) inspiring shock, horror, disgust (The judge found the murderer's crimes and lack of remorse appalling
- consign
- (v.) to give something over to another's care (Unwillingly, he consigned his mother to a nursing home
- agriculture
- (n.) farming (It was a huge step in the progress of civilization when tribes left hunting and gathering and began to develop more sustainable methods of obtaining food, such as agriculture
- compliment
- (n.) an expression of esteem or approval (I blushed crimson when Emma gave me a compliment on my new haircut
- cavort
- (v.) to leap about, behave boisterously (The adults ate their dinners on the patio, while the children cavorted around the pool
- arrogate
- (v.) to take without justification (The king arrogated the right to order executions to himself exclusively
- amorous
- (adj.) showing love, particularly sexual (Whenever Albert saw Mariah wear her slinky red dress, he began to feel quite amorous
- asylum
- 1. (n.) a place of refuge, protection, a sanctuary (For Thoreau, the forest served as an asylum from the pressures of urban life.) 2. (n.) an institution in which the insane are kept (Once diagnosed by a certified psychiatrist, the man was put in an asylum
- caucus
- (n.) a meeting usually held by people working toward the same goal (The ironworkers held a caucus to determine how much of a pay increase they would request
- avenge
- (v.) to seek revenge (The victims will take justice into their own hands and strive to avenge themselves against the men who robbed them
- accost
- (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
- cleave
- 1. (v.) to divide into parts (Following the scandalous disgrace of their leader, the entire political party cleaved into warring factions.) 2. (v.) to stick together firmly (After resolving their marital problems, Junior and Rosa cleaved to one another all the more tightly
- contentious
- (adj.) having a tendency to quarrel or dispute (George's contentious personality made him unpopular with his classmates
- covert
- (adj.) secretly engaged in (Nerwin waged a covert campaign against his enemies, while outwardly appearing to remain friendly
- clamor
- 1. (n.) loud noise (Each morning the birds outside my window make such a clamor that they wake me up.) 2. (v.)to loudly insist (Neville's fans clamored for him to appear on stage, but he had passed out on the floor of his dressing room
- aversion
- (n.) a particular dislike for something (Because he's from Hawaii, Ben has an aversion to autumn, winter, and cold climates in general
- consonant
- (adj.) in harmony (The singers' consonant voices were beautiful
- aggregate
- 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
- anthology
- (n.) a selected collection of writings, songs, etc. (The new anthology of Bob Dylan songs contains all his greatest hits and a few songs that you might never have heard before
- assiduous
- (adj.) hard-working, diligent (The construction workers erected the skyscraper during two years of assiduous labor
- appease
- (v.) to calm, satisfy (When the child cries, the mother gives him candy to appease him
- censure
- 1. (n.) harsh criticism (The frustrated teenager could not put up with anymore of her critical mother's censure.) 2. (v.) to rebuke formally (The principal censured the head of the English Department for forcing students to learn esoteric vocabulary
- assuage
- (v.) to ease, pacify (The mother held the baby to assuage its fears
- buffet
- 1. (v.) to strike with force (The strong winds buffeted the ships, threatening to
- accretion
- (n.) slow growth in size or amount (Stalactites are formed by the accretion of minerals from the roofs of caves
- abrogate
- (v.) to abolish, usually by authority (The Bill of Rights assures that the government cannot abrogate our right to a free press
- clandestine
- (adj.) secret (Announcing to her boyfriend that she was going to the gym, Sophie actually went to meet Joseph for a clandestine liaison
- aisle
- (n.) a passageway between rows of seats (Once we got inside the stadium we walked down the aisle to our seats
- compunction
- (n.) distress caused by feeling guilty (He felt compunction for the shabby way he'd treated her
- cultivate
- (v.) to nurture, improve, refine (At the library, she cultivated her interest in spy novels
- artisan
- (n.) a craftsman (The artisan uses wood to make walking sticks
- conundrum
- (n.) puzzle, problem (Interpreting Jane's behavior was a constant conundrum
- abnegation
- (n.) denial of comfort to oneself (The holy man slept on the floor, took only cold showers, and generally followed other practices of abnegation
- alleviate
- (v.) to relieve, make more bearable (This drug will alleviate the symptoms of the terrible disease, but only for a while
- audacious
- (adj.) excessively bold (The security guard was shocked by the fan's audacious attempt to offer him a bribe
- benign
- (adj.) favorable, not threatening, mild (We were all relieved to hear that the
- confluence
- (n.) a gathering together (A confluence of different factors made tonight the perfect night
- convivial
- (adj.) characterized by feasting, drinking, merriment (The restaurant's convivial atmosphere put me immediately at ease
- bashful
- (adj.) shy, excessively timid (Frankie's mother told him not to be bashful when he refused to attend the birthday party
- consolation
- (n.) an act of comforting (Darren found Alexandra's presence to be a consolation for his suffering
- combustion
- (n.) the act or process of burning (The unexpected combustion of the prosecution's evidence forced the judge to dismiss the case against Ramirez
- covet
- (v.) to desire enviously (I coveted Moses's house, wife, and car
- condone
- (v.) to pardon, deliberately overlook (He refused to condone his brother's crime
- complacency
- (n.) self-satisfied ignorance of danger (Colin tried to shock his friends out of their complacency by painting a frightening picture of what might happen to them
- arcane
- (adj.) obscure, secret, known only by a few (The professor is an expert in arcane Lithuanian literature
- amenity
- (n.) an item that increases comfort (Bill Gates's house is stocked with so many amenities, he never has to do anything for himself
- corrosive
- (adj.) having the tendency to erode or eat away (The effect of the chemical was highly corrosive
- concoct
- (v.) to fabricate, make up (She concocted the most ridiculous story to explain her absence
- aerial
- (adj.) somehow related to the air (We watched as the fighter planes conducted aerial maneuvers
- amiable
- (adj.) friendly (An amiable fellow, Harry got along with just about everyone
- aberration
- (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
- abate
- (v.) to reduce, lessen (The rain poured down for a while, then abated