Hard SAT Words
Group 1
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Hard SAT Words (Group 1)
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abase
abash
abbreviate
abdicate
abdication
abet
abhorrent
abjure
ablution
abnegate
abnegation
abrade
abridge
abrogate
abscond
abstemious
acclimate
acclivity
accolade
accost
accouter
accretion
acerbity
acetic
acidulous
acquisition
acrimonious
acrimony
acrophobia
actuarial
actuate
acuity
adage
addle
adjoin
adjudicate
adjunct
adjure
admonition
adulation
adulterate
adumbrate
adventitious
advert
aerie
affix
affluence
agglomeration
aggrandize
agnostic
aka
alacrity
algorithm
alimentary
allay
allege
allegory
alliteration
allocate
allusion
altar
amalgam
amalgamate
amass
ambidextrous
ambivalence
amble
ambulatory
ameliorate
amity
amorphous
amphitheater
amplify
amputee
anachronistic
analgesic
anathema
ancestry
ancillary
anew
angular
animus
annotate
anodyne
antecede
antecedents
antediluvian
anthology
anthropocentric
anthropoid
anthropomorphic
anticlimax
antipathy
apartheid
aphasia
aphorism
apiary
aplomb
apogee
apolitical
apologist
apostate
apotheosis
appall
append
apposite
appraise
apprenticeship
apprise
aquifer
archetype
archipelago
arena
aristocracy
arraign
arrogate
artisan
aseptic
ashen
askance
aspect
asperity
aspirant
assay
assimilate
astigmatism
astringent
asymmetric
at loggerheads
atavism
atavistic
atheistic
atrocity
attenuate
attrition
atypical
aura
aureole
auroral
austerity
authenticate
authoritarian
autocrat
autocratic
automaton
autonomous
avalanche
aviation
avocation
avuncular
Word and Definition List
abase
v. humiliate; lower or depress in rank or esteem
abash
v. embarrass; make ashamed or uneasy; disconcertabbreviate
v. make shorter; reduce to shorter form intended to represent full form, as for word or phraseabdicate
v. give up, renounce, abandon, lay down, or withdraw from, as a right or claimabdication
n. the act of giving up or renouncing a right, office, or position of power etc.abet
v. aid, usually in doing something wrong; encourageabhorrent
a. disgusting, loathsomeabjure
v. renounce upon oath; abandon foreverablution
n. washing or cleansing of the body, especially as part of religious riteabnegate
v. give up or surrender; deny something to oneselfabnegation
n. repudiation; self-sacrifice; renouncing your own interests in favor of interests of othersabrade
v. wear away by friction; scrape; erodeabridge
v. condense; shorten; reduce length of written textabrogate
a. abolish, do away with, or annul, especially by authorityabscond
v. leave quickly and secretly and hide oneself, often to avoid arrest or prosecutionabstemious
a. sparing or moderation in eating and drinking; temperateacclimate
v. accustom or become accustomed to a new environment or situation; adaptacclivity
n. upward slope, as of hillaccolade
n. award of merit; expression of approval; praiseaccost
v. approach and speak to boldly or aggressively, as with demand or requestaccouter
v. equip; provide with military equipmentaccretion
n. growth or increase in size by gradual external addition, fusion, or inclusionacerbity
n. bitterness of speech and temper; sourness or acidness of taste, character, or toneacetic
a. having properties of vinegar; souracidulous
a. slightly sour in taste or in manner; sharp; causticacquisition
n. the act of acquiring or gaining possessionacrimonious
a. bitter and sharp in language, tone, or manneracrimony
n. animosity, sharp or bitter hatredacrophobia
n. fear of heights; abnormal fear of high placesactuarial
a. calculating; pertaining to insurance statisticsactuate
v. put into motion or action; activateacuity
n. sharpness; acuteness of vision or perception; keennessadage
n. an old saying, that has obtained credit by long useaddle
v. muddle; drive crazy; become confusedadjoin
v. be next to; be contiguous to; border onadjudicate
v. hear and settle a case by judicial procedureadjunct
n. something added on or attached generally nonessential or inferioradjure
v. appeal to or entreat earnestly; command or enjoin solemnly, as under oathadmonition
n. gentle or friendly reproof; cautionary advice or warningadulation
n. excessive flattery or admiration; unmerited praiseadulterate
v. make impure by adding inferior or tainted substancesadumbrate
v. give hint or indication of something; disclose partially or guardedly; overshadow; shadeadventitious
a. accidental; casual; not inherent but added extrinsicallyadvert
n. advertisement an ad; public promotion of some product or serviceaerie
n. nest of bird, such as eagle, built on a cliff or other high placeaffix
v. fasten; append; add on; secure to somethingaffluence
n. abundance; a plentiful supply of material goods; wealthagglomeration
n. collection; heap; act or process of gathering into a massaggrandize
v. increase scope of; extend; intensify; make greater in power, influence, stature, or reputationagnostic
n. one who is skeptical of existence of a god or any ultimate realityaka
ad. as known or named at another time or place; also known asalacrity
n. cheerful promptness or willingness; eagerness; speed or quicknessalgorithm
n. established procedure for solving problemalimentary
a. providing nourishment; concerned with food, nutrition, or digestionallay
v. calm; pacify; reduce the intensity of; relieveallege
v. to assert to be trueallegory
n. symbolic representation of abstract ideas or principles in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial formalliteration
n. repetition of beginning sound in poetryallocate
v. assign; distribute according to planallusion
n. an indirect referencealtar
n. elevated place or structure before which religious ceremonies may be enacted or upon which sacrifices may be offeredamalgam
n. a combination of many different things; an alloy of mercury and other metalsamalgamate
v. combine; unite in one body; mix or alloy a metal with mercuryamass
v. collect; gather for oneself, as for one's pleasure or profitambidextrous
a. capable of using either hand with equal easeambivalence
n. state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes, such as love and hateamble
n. moving at an easy pace; walk slowly or leisurelyambulatory
a. able to walk; formed or adapted for walking; not stationaryameliorate
v. make or become better; improve; grow betteramity
n. friendship; peaceful relations, as between nationsamorphous
a. formless; lacking shape or definitionamphitheater
n. oval building with tiers of seats from central open space or arenaamplify
v. broaden or clarify by expanding; intensify; make larger or more powerful; increaseamputee
n. a person who has had one or more limbs removed by amputationanachronistic
a. having time error in story; erroneous in date; in wrong timeanalgesic
a. serving to reduce sensibility to pain without loss of consciousnessanathema
n. solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curseancestry
n. family descent; series or line of ancestors; lineageancillary
a. serving as aid or accessory; auxiliaryanew
ad. once more; again; in a new and different wayangular
a. sharp-cornered; consisting of an angle or angles; stiff in manneranimus
n. feeling of animosityannotate
v. comment; make explanatory notesanodyne
n. source of relaxation or comfort; medicine that relieves painantecede
v. precede; go before in time, and sometimes in place, rank, or logical orderantecedents
n. preceding events or circumstances that influence what comes later; ancestors or early backgroundantediluvian
a. antiquated; extremely old and ancient; belonging to very ancient timesanthology
n. book of literary selections by various authorsanthropocentric
a. regarding human beings as the center of the universeanthropoid
a. manlike; resembling a human, especially in shape or outward appearanceanthropomorphic
a. having human form or characteristicsanticlimax
n. letdown in thought or emotion; decline viewed in disappointing contrast with previous riseantipathy
n. strong feelings of aversion or dislikeapartheid
n. South Africa's policy of racial separation, in place from 1948 to 1990.aphasia
n. loss of speech due to injury or illnessaphorism
n. definition or concise statement of principle; tersely phrased statement of truth or opinionapiary
n. place where bees and beehives are kept, especially where bees are raised for their honeyaplomb
n. poise; self-confident assuranceapogee
n. the highest point; point in orbit most distant from the body being orbitedapolitical
a. having aversion or lack of concern for political affairsapologist
n. person who argues in defense or justification of something, such as doctrine, policy, or institutionapostate
n. one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefsapotheosis
n. elevation to godhood; fact or action of becoming a god; an ideal example of somethingappall
v. depress or discourage with fear; grow faint or become weakappend
v. attach; add as supplement or appendixapposite
a. strikingly appropriate and relevant; well-suitedappraise
v. estimate value of; evaluate, especially in official capacityapprenticeship
n. term during which one learns a trade from skilled worker; service or legal condition of an apprenticeapprise
v. inform; give notice to; make awareaquifer
n. underground bed or layer yielding ground water for wells and springs etcarchetype
n. prototype; original model or type after which other similar things are patternedarchipelago
n. a large group of islands; a sea, containing a large number of scattered islandsarena
n. an enclosed area, often outdoor, for the presentation of sporting events or other spectacular eventsaristocracy
n. hereditary nobility; privileged classarraign
v. officially charge someone in a court of lawarrogate
v. claim without justification; claim for oneself without rightartisan
n. manually skilled worker; craftsman, as opposed to artistaseptic
a. preventing infection; having cleansing effectashen
a. ash-colored; very pale; consisting of ashesaskance
a. with sideways or indirect look; Turned to side, especially of eyesaspect
n. look, or particular appearance of the face; the visual percept of a regionasperity
n. harshness of manner, roughnessaspirant
n. one who aspires, as to advancement, honors, or a high positionassay
v. analyze; evaluate; examine by trial or experiment; put to testassimilate
v. to make similar, to incorporate or absorb intoastigmatism
n. eye defect that prevents proper focusastringent
a. causing contraction; having the effect of drawing tissue together; stern or austereasymmetric
a. not identical on both sides of a dividing central lineat loggerheads
ad. engaged in a disputeatavism
n. resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents; deformity returning after passage of two or more generationsatavistic
a. displaying characteristics of previous cultural era or of previous ancestral formatheistic
a. denying existence of God; godlessatrocity
n. extreme criminality or cruelty; quality of being shockingly cruel and inhumaneattenuate
v. make slender, fine, or small; weaken; lessen density ofattrition
n. gradual decrease in numbers; reduction in work force without firing employees; wearing away of opposition by means of harassmentatypical
a. not normal; unusual or irregular; not representative of a group, class, or typeaura
n. an invisible breath; distinctive atmosphere or quality associated with somethingaureole
n. the outermost region of the sun's atmosphere; haloauroral
a. characteristic of dawn; dawning, eastern, like new beginning; relating to the atmospheric phenomenon aurorasausterity
n. severe and rigid economy; severe or rigorous simplicity; absence of adornment or luxuryauthenticate
v. prove genuine; establish authenticity ofauthoritarian
a. expecting absolute obedience; completely dominating another's willautocrat
n. dictator; ruler having unlimited powerautocratic
a. having absolute, unchecked power; dictatorialautomaton
n. mechanism that imitates actions of humansautonomous
a. self-governing; not controlled by others or by outside forces; independentavalanche
n. fall or slide of a large mass, as of snow or rock, down a mountainsideaviation
n. art or act of flying; specifically, the science or art of directing and controlling flying-machinesavocation
n. activity taken up in addition to one's regular work or profession, usually for enjoymentavuncular
a. in manner of uncle, pertaining to uncle; kind, genial, benevolent or tolerant