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Sparknotes Complete 1000 SAT Vocab Part 1

Terms

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ascertain
(v.) to perceive, learn (With a bit of research, the student ascertained that some plants can live for weeks without water
arboreal
(adj.) of or relating to trees (Leaves, roots, and bark are a few arboreal traits
adept
(adj.) extremely skilled (Tarzan was adept at jumping from tree to tree like a monkey
artisan
(n.) a craftsman (The artisan uses wood to make walking sticks
abscond
(v.) to sneak away and hide (In the confusion, the super-spy absconded into the night with the secret plans
acumen
(n.) keen insight (Because of his mathematical acumen, Larry was able to figure out in minutes problems that took other students hours
agnostic
(adj.) believing that the existence of God cannot be proven or disproven (Joey's parents are very religious, but he is agnostic
aisle
(n.) a passageway between rows of seats (Once we got inside the stadium we walked down the aisle to our seats
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 old, out of date (That antiquated car has none of the features, like power windows and steering, that make modern cars so great
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
alias
(n.) a false name or identity (He snuck past the guards by using an alias and fake ID
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 of or relating to an earlier period in time, outdated (In a few select regions of Western Mongolian, an archaic Chinese dialect is still spoken
anxiety
(n.) intense uneasiness (When he heard about the car crash, he felt anxiety
antithesis
(n.) the absolute opposite (Your values, which hold war and violence in the highest esteem, are the antithesis of my pacifist beliefs
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
aspire
(v.) to long for, aim toward (The young poet aspires to publish a book of verse someday
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
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
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
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
affront
(n.) an insult (Bernardo was very touchy, and took any slight as an affront to his honor
amicable
(adj.) friendly (Claudia and Jimmy got divorced, but amicably and without hard feelings
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
arid
(adj.) excessively dry (Little other than palm trees and cacti grow successfully in arid environments
abase
(v.) to humiliate, degrade (After being overthrown and abased, the deposed leader offered to bow down to his conqueror
arable
(adj.) suitable for growing crops (The farmer purchased a plot of arable land on which he will grow corn and sprouts
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
aggrieved
(adj.) distressed, wronged, injured (The foreman mercilessly overworked his aggrieved employees
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
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
arrogate
(v.) to take without justification (The king arrogated the right to order executions to himself exclusively
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
amenable
(adj.) willing, compliant (Our father was amenable when we asked him to drive us to the farm so we could go apple picking
abject
(adj.) wretched, pitiful (After losing all her money, falling into a puddle, and breaking her ankle, Eloise was abject
abjure
(v.) to reject, renounce (To prove his honesty, the President abjured the evil policies of his wicked predecessor
abate
(v.) to reduce, lessen (The rain poured down for a while, then abated
amiable
(adj.) friendly (An amiable fellow, Harry got along with just about everyone
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
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
anonymous
(adj.) being unknown, unrecognized (Mary received a love poem from an anonymous admirer
abrogate
(v.) to abolish, usually by authority (The Bill of Rights assures that the government cannot abrogate our right to a free press
appalling
(adj.) inspiring shock, horror, disgust (The judge found the murderer's crimes and lack of remorse appalling
ameliorate
(v.) to improve (The tense situation was ameliorated when Sam proposed a solution everyone could agree upon
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
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
adroit
(adj.) skillful, dexterous (The adroit thief could pick someone's pocket without attracting notice
animated
(adj.) lively (When he begins to talk about drama, which is his true passion, he becomes very animated
arbitrary
(adj.) based on factors that appear random (The boy's decision to choose one college over another seems arbitrary
apocryphal
(adj.) fictitious, false, wrong (Because I am standing before you, it seems obvious that the stories circulating about my demise were apocryphal
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
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
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
accolade
(n.) high praise, special distinction (Everyone offered accolades to Sam after he won the Noble Prize
accretion
(n.) slow growth in size or amount (Stalactites are formed by the accretion of minerals from the roofs of caves
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
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
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
appraise
(v.) to assess the worth or value of (A realtor will come over tonight to appraise our house
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
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
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
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
anguish
(n.) extreme sadness, torment (Angelos suffered terrible anguish when he learned that Buffy had died while combating a strange mystical force of evil
ardor
(n.) extreme vigor, energy, enthusiasm (The soldiers conveyed their ardor with impassioned battle cries
affluent
(adj.) rich, wealthy (Mrs. Grebelski was affluent, owning a huge house, three cars, and an island near Maine
appease
(v.) to calm, satisfy (When the child cries, the mother gives him candy to appease him
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
abet
(v.) to aid, help, encourage (The spy succeeded only because he had a friend on the inside to abet him
alleviate
(v.) to relieve, make more bearable (This drug will alleviate the symptoms of the terrible disease, but only for a while
antecedent
(n.) something that came before (The great tradition of Western culture had its antecedent in the culture of Ancient Greece
allocate
(v.) to distribute, set aside (The Mayor allocated 30 percent of the funds for improving the town's schools
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
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
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
accentuate
(v.) to stress, highlight (Psychologists agree that those people who are happiest accentuate the positive in life
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
acerbic
(adj.) biting, bitter in tone or taste (Jill became extremely acerbic and began to cruelly make fun of all her friends
apathetic
(adj.) lacking concern, emotion (Uninterested in politics, Bruno was apathetic about whether he lived under a capitalist or communist regime
anathema
(n.) a cursed, detested person (I never want to see that murderer. He is an anathema to me
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
advocate
1. (v.) to argue in favor of something (Arnold advocated turning left at the
ascribe
(v.) to assign, credit, attribute to (Some ascribe the invention of fireworks and dynamite to the Chinese
agile
(adj.) quick, nimble (The dogs were too slow to catch the agile rabbit
antiseptic
(adj.) clean, sterile (The antiseptic hospital was very bare, but its cleanliness helped to keep patients healthy
arcane
(adj.) obscure, secret, known only by a few (The professor is an expert in arcane Lithuanian literature
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.")
anarchist
(n.) one who wants to eliminate all government (An anarchist, Carmine wanted to dissolve every government everywhere
aspersion
(n.) a curse, expression of ill-will (The rival politicians repeatedly cast aspersions on each others' integrity
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
assail
(v.) to attack (At dawn, the war planes assailed the boats in the harbor
adorn
(v.) to decorate (We adorned the tree with ornaments
adverse
(adj.) antagonistic, unfavorable, dangerous (Because of adverse conditions, the hikers decided to give up trying to climb the mountain
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
antagonism
(n.) hostility (Superman and Bizarro Superman shared a mutual antagonism, and often fought
anecdote
(n.) a short, humorous account (After dinner, Marlon told an anecdote about the time he got his nose stuck in a toaster
amorous
(adj.) showing love, particularly sexual (Whenever Albert saw Mariah wear her slinky red dress, he began to feel quite amorous
approbation
(n.) praise (The crowd welcomed the heroes with approbation
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
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
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
adulation
(n.) extreme praise (Though the book was pretty good, Marcy did not believe it deserved the adulation it received
annul
(v.) to make void or invalid (After seeing its unforeseen and catastrophic effects, Congress sought to annul the law
altercation
(n.) a dispute, fight (Jason and Lionel blamed one another for the car accident, leading to an altercation
apprehend
1. (v.) to seize, arrest (The criminal was apprehended at the scene.) 2. (v.) to
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
aerial
(adj.) somehow related to the air (We watched as the fighter planes conducted aerial maneuvers
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

Deck Info

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