Hard SAT Words

bacchanalian  

a. drunken; relating to reveling and drunkenness

badinage  

n. teasing conversation; good-humored, playful conversation

bailiff  

n. legal officer to whom some degree of authority

bang  

n. sudden loud noise, as of an explosion; sudden loud blow or bump; sudden burst of action

bantering  

a. good-natured ridiculing; cleverly amusing in tone

barterer  

n. trader; one who trades goods for other goods without involving money

bate  

v. let down; restrain; lessen force or intensity of; moderate

batter  

v. hit heavily and repeatedly with violent blows

bead  

n. small, often round piece of material, such as glass, plastic, or wood, that is pierced for stringing or threading

beamline  

n. line traveled by a particle beam in an accelerator

beatific  

a. completely happy and contented; showing or producing exalted joy

beatitude  

n. blessedness; state of extreme happiness

becalm  

v. keep from motion, or stop progress of; make calm or still

beckon  

v. signal or summon, as by nodding or waving; attract because of inviting or enticing appearance

becloud  

v. make less visible; obscure or blur; darken with or as if with clouds

bedeck  

v. adorn or ornament in a showy fashion

bedizen  

v. ornament something in showy, tasteless, or gaudy finery

bedraggle  

v. wet thoroughly; stain with mud; soil or wet by dragging in dirt, mud, moist places

beforehand  

ad. in advance; early; at an earlier or preceding time

befuddle  

v. confuse thoroughly; becloud and confuse, as with liquor; make stupid with alcohol

behemoth  

n. something enormous in size or power

beleaguer  

v. besiege or attack; harass; surround with troops

bellicose  

a. warlike or hostile in manner or temperament; showing or having impulse to be combative

bemoan  

v. regret strongly; express disapproval of

bemused  

a. confused; lost in thought; preoccupied

besiege  

v. surround with hostile forces; crowd around; cause to feel distressed or worried

bestial  

a. beastlike; brutal; lacking in intelligence or reason

betoken  

v. signify; indicate; be a visible sign of; give evidence of

betroth  

v. become engaged to marry; promise to marry

bevy  

n. large group; a group of animals or birds, especially larks or quail

bewilder  

v. lead into perplexity or confusion; perplex with mazes

bicameral  

a. composed of or based on two legislative chambers or branches

biennial  

a. every two years; lasting or living for two years

billowing  

a. swelling out in waves; surging; stormy; affected by storms

bitumen  

n. any of various naturally occurring impure mixtures of hydrocarbons

bivouac  

n. temporary encampment; a site where people on holiday can pitch tent

blandishment  

n. flattery; speech or action expressive of affection or kindness, and tending to win the heart

blare  

n. loud, harsh roar or screech; dazzling blaze of light

bleak  

a. depressing, sombre, cold

blench  

v. draw back, from lack of courage or resolution; turn pale, as if in fear

blighted  

a. suffering from a disease; destroyed, ruined, or spoiled

blindside  

v. to take by surprise

bludgeon  

n. short heavy club, usually of wood; heavy-headed weapon

bolster  

v. support or prop up with or as if with a long narrow pillow or cushion

bombardment  

n. attack with missiles; continuous attack with shot and shell upon a town, fort, or other position

bombastic  

a. pompous; using inflated language; high-sounding but with little meaning

boost  

v. raise or lift by pushing up from behind or below; increase; raise

booth  

n. small enclosed compartment with a window, used to separate the occupant from others; small stall for the display and sale of goods

boson  

n. any particle that obeys Bose-Einstein statistics but not the Pauli exclusion principle

botnet  

n. a collection of compromised computers that is slowly built up then unleashed as a DDOS attack or used to send very large quantities of spam

bounty  

n. liberality in giving; something that is given liberally; goodness, kindness

bovine  

a. dull, slow-moving, and stolid, like an ox; placid and dull

bowdlerize  

v. edit by omitting or modifying parts considered offensive, vulgar, or otherwise unseemly

brandish  

v. move or wave, as a weapon; raise and move in various directions

brindled  

a. of brownish, tawny colour, with streaks, spots, or patterns

bristling  

a. rising like bristles; showing irritation

bristly  

a. having or covered with protective barbs or others; very irritable

broil  

v. cook by direct exposure to heat over fire; subject to great heat; be subjected to the action of heat; be greatly heated

brood  

n. children in one family; young of certain animals

brush  

n. short and sometimes occasional encounter or experience

buccaneer  

n. pirate; robber upon the sea

bucolic  

a. rustic; pastoral; agricultural; relating to country affairs, or to shepherd's life and occupation

buffoonery  

n. clowning; arts and practices of buffoon, as low jests, ridiculous pranks, vulgar tricks and postures

bumptious  

a. offensively self-assertive; liable to give or take offense; forward; pushing

bungle  

v. mismanage; blunder; work or act in clumsy, awkward, or blundering manner

burgeon  

v. to develop or grow rapidly

burnish  

v. make shiny by rubbing; polish

bursar  

n. treasurer or keeper of funds; purser or treasurer of college or other community

bursary  

n. treasury, especially of a public institution or religious order; scholarship granted to a university student in need

buttress  

v. support physically; prop up; support something or someone by supplying evidence

cabal  

n. small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests

cacophonous  

a. discordant; inharmonious; sounding harshly; ill-sounding

cactus  

n. any of various succulent, spiny, usually leafless plants native mostly to arid regions

cadaverous  

a. like corpse; pale; Having appearance or color of dead human body

cadence  

n. rhythmic rise and fall of words or sounds; beat

cajole  

v. influence or urge by gentle urging or flattering

caldron  

n. large kettle or boiler of copper, brass, or iron

callow  

a. youthful; immature; inexperienced; without feathers

calorific  

a. capable of producing heat; causing heat; heating

canister  

n. small box or case for tea, coffee, etc

cannibalize  

v. remove parts of machine for use in other similar machines; consume another of one's own type or kind

canny  

a. having pleasing or useful qualities; gentle; knowing; cautious; cunning; shrewd

cantankerous  

a. ill humored; irritable; marked by ill-tempered contradiction or opposition; ugly; malicious

cantata  

n. story or poem set to music that can be sung by chorus

canto  

n. part or division of poem of some length

caper  

n. crime, especially theft, or a narrative about such a crime

capitalize  

v. to use something to one's benefit for advantage

capitulate  

v. surrender; end all resistance; give up; go along with or comply

capsize  

v. to cause to overturn (usually a vessel)

captious  

a. intended to confuse in an argument

captivate  

v. charm; enthrall; seize by force, as an enemy in war, or anything belonging to enemy

cardiovascular  

a. of, relating to, or involving the heart and the blood vessels

careen  

v. lean to one side, as a ship under press of sail; sway from side to side

careworn  

a. worn or burdened with care; showing the signs of long-term stresses

caribou  

n. large reindeer native to northern North America

carnage  

n. massive slaughter, as in war; massacre; corpses, especially of those killed in battle

carping  

a. fault-finding; excessive complaining; of unreasonable criticism or censure

cartel  

n. a combination of independent business organizations formed to regulate production, pricing, and marketing of goods by the members

cartographer  

n. one who makes maps or charts

castigate  

v. criticize severely; punish; revise or make corrections to publication

cataclysm  

n. an event resulting in great loss and misfortune; deluge or overflowing of water

catapult  

v. increase the status of something rapidly; shoot forth or launch

cataract  

n. disease of the eye causing its opacity and, unless treated, leading to blindness

catcall  

n. shout of disapproval; shout or whistle expressing dislike, especially from crowd or audience

catechism  

n. book for religious instruction; instruction by question and answer

categorical  

a. absolute; having no exception; of using category or categories

cater  

v. supply what is needed or desired; provide food professionally for special occasion

caulk  

v. make watertight by filling in cracks

causal  

a. implying cause-and-effect relationship

cavil  

v. criticise for petty or frivolous reasons; raise trivial objections

cede  

v. yield or formally resign and surrender to another

censorious  

a. critical; addicted to censure; severe in making remarks on others, or on their writings or manners; implying or expressing censure

centigrade  

a. measure of temperature, used widely in Europe

centrifugal  

a. radiating; departing from the center

centripetal  

a. tending toward center; moving or directed toward center or axis

centurion  

n. officer of ancient Roman army, in command of a century of soldiers or minor division

cerebral  

a. intellectual rather than emotional

cerebration  

n. act of cerebrating; thinking, mental activity

ceremonious  

a. marked by formality; strictly observant of or devoted to ceremony or ritual

certitude  

n. state of being certain; complete assurance; confidence

chaffing  

a. joking; use of light, frivolous language by way of fun or ridicule

chalice  

n. goblet; bowl-shaped drinking vessel; large drinking cup, often having stem and base

chary  

a. cautious; sparing or restrained about giving

chasten  

v. rid of excess; refine or purify; correct by punishment or reproof

cherubic  

a. angelic; innocent-looking; like a baby; infantile

chicanery  

n. mean or unfair artifice to obscure truth; deception by trickery or sophistry

choleric  

a. hot-tempered; easily angered; bad-tempered; expressing anger

chortle  

v. chuckle with delight; joyful laugh or chuckle; laugh quietly or with restraint

christening  

n. a Christian ceremony involving baptizing and naming an infant

chug  

v. dull explosive sound, usually short and repeated, made by or as if by a laboring engine

churlish  

a. difficult to work with; rude; unyielding; unmanageable

circa  

ad. approximately, about; commonly abbreviated ca. -- used especially before dates and numerical measures.

circumlocution  

n. indirect or roundabout expression; evasion in speech or writing

circumscribe  

v. limit narrowly; confine; draw a line around; encircle

citadel  

n. fortress; fortified place which people could go for shelter during battle

clamber  

v. climb with difficulty, especially on all fours; climb by crawling

clan  

n. a large group of relatives, friends, or associates; a traditional social unit, consisting of a number of families claiming a common ancestor

clangor  

n. loud, resounding noise; sharp, metallic, ringing sound; resonant, clanging sound

climactic  

a. relating to the highest point; ascending or leading to climax

clime  

n. region; climate; particular region as defined by its weather or climate

cloying  

a. distasteful because excessive; excessively sweet or sentimental

coagulate  

v. cause transformation of liquid into or as if into soft, semisolid, or solid mass

coalesce  

v. combine; fuse; grow together; come together so as to form one whole; unite

codify  

v. arrange laws, rules as a code; classify; arrange or systematize

cogency  

n. power of proving or of producing belief; quality of being highly probable or convincing; force; credibility

cogent  

a. reasonable and convincing; based on evidence; forcefully persuasive

cogitate  

v. think earnestly or studiously; meditate; ponder; think deeply

cognate  

a. related by blood; having common ancestor; related or analogous in nature, character, or function

cognizance  

n. knowledge or recognition; awareness; range of what one can know or understand

cohere  

v. stick or hold together in a mass that resists separation