THE WORD LIST
Don’t be intimidated; there are only about 375 words here, and you probably
know some of them already.
Bear in mind that some of the words on this list could appear in another form.
You therefore should learn to recognize various forms of a word, like refute and
refutation. The sentences and illustrations that follow the definitions are
examples of the memorization techniques we described. Enjoy, and may you be
blessed by the almighty vocabulary god until you get to zyzzyva.
A
aardvark
Aardvark is the first real word in the dictionary, so we figured that we should
start with it even though it has never been and probably never will be on the
SAT.
abase
lower; humiliate
“I will not abase myself by admitting that I don’t even have a basic knowledge
of vocabulary,” said Paul.
abate
to lessen
Abigail’s sister screamed, “Ab ate all the cookies!” Later, of course, her anger
abated.
abstruse
profound; difficult to understand
When Abraham Lincoln wrote a confusing peace agreement to end the Civil
War, people commented that Abe’s truce was abstruse.
acclivity
an upward slope (as in a hill)