500 key words for the SAT

consonance

a blending of sounds or opinions; harmony; agreement

anarchy

a lack of order; chaos

anathema

a religious curse, or the thing or person being cursed

articulate

able to speak clearly and effectively

ambidextrous

able to use both hands with equal skill

arrogant

acting superior, obnoxious, smug or rude

concede

admit reluctantly; yield

concur

agree

accolade

an award, or praise

conviction

an opinion that is strongly held

choler

anger

assail

attack with words or force

banal

boring; trite; insipid

audacious

brazen; brash; nervy

brevity

briefness; conciseness

caustic

burning, either with chemicals or sarcasm

appease

calm; pacify

composure

calmness; equanimity

circumspect

cautious

blight

decay; disease; widespread death

contingent

dependent upon other circumstances; conditional

aloof

detached; apart; indifferent

ascendance

domination; controlling power

circumscribe

draw a line around; define limits; confine; restrict

averse

feeling repelled; wanting to avoid

compliant

following someone else's demands; comforming; obeying

convivial

fond of parties; sociable

affable

friendly; easy-going

amity

friendship

benign

gentle; kind-hearted; mild

benediction

good wishes; a blessing

avarice

greed

abstruse

hard to understand

baleful

harmful; menacing

cacophony

harshness of sound; opposite of harmony

belligerent

having a strong tendency to argue and fight

candor

honesty; frankness

antagonistic

in hostile competition; opposing

copious

in large quantity; abundant

ambivalence

indecision; feeling of being pulled in two directions

benevolent

kindhearted; good-natured; generous

apathy

lack of interest or concern

capacious

large; roomy; spacious

augment

make larger; increase

clemency

mercy

converge

move together to meet at a common point

archaic

old; antiquated

antithesis

opposite

assiduous

persistent; hard-working; diligent; attentive to detail

ascetic

person who rejects physical comfort and luxuy for self-discipline

affirmation

positive statement; assertion; agreement

acclaim

praise; applaud

chasten

punish; discipline; castigate

bumptious

pushy; obnoxiously self-assertive

adamant

refusing to change; stubborn, unyielding

assuage

relieve; ease; pacify

acquiescent

reluctantly agreeable; compliant

conundrum

riddle; mystery

asperity

roughness; harshness; irritability

castigate

scold; punish

chastise

scold; punish; castigate

cloister

secluded or isolated from the outside world; also, a place of seclusion

arcane

secret; mysterious

arbitrary

selected by random choice and without solid reason

complacent

self-satisfied; unconcerned

concise

short and to the point; terse

analogous

similar

adroit

skillful in physical activity, or in handling difficult situations

contrite

sorry; penitent

bombast

speech or writing intended to impress the audience; pompous

celerity

speed

contract

squeeze together; shrink

austere

stern; plain; without luxuries

advocate

support; plead for; speak on behalf of

capitulate

surrender; yield

auspicious

taking place under promising conditions; likely to succeed

abstract

theoretical; not concrete

contend

to argue a point or position; or, to struggle for

beguile

to cheat or deceive, usually through charm; to amuse

consummate

to complete or make whole

censure

to criticize

cajole

to fool with flattery or false promises; coax; deceive

coerce

to force someone by threatening or physically overpowering him

belie

to give an impression that is the opposite of the way things really are; to misrepresent

bequeath

to leave behind or hand down through a will; transmit

ameliorate

to make an unpleasant situation better; to improve

confound

to mix up (in your own mind); or, to confuse someone else

condone

to overlook, excuse, or pardon

alienate

to push someone way, or cause him to separate from people

bolster

to support; to reinforce

antiquated

too old to be useful; outdated; obsolete

apex

top; highest point; summit

ambiguous

unclear; vague; having several possible interpretations

coalesce

unite; grow together

capricious

unpredictable

altruistic

unselfish; caring

atrophy

waste away; wither

astute

wise; insightfully clever; shrewd

amorphous

without form or shape

acrimony

words or behavior filled with harshness or anger