SAT Vocabulary Words - Day #2 ("Acrid"-"Advocate")

Acrimonious

(adj.) Bitter in words or manner; Hostile, bitter, unfriendly, or spiteful ex. It was a very hostile campaign: the rival candidates attacked each other using highly acrimonious terms.

Adroit

(adj.) Having skill or resourcefulness in coping with situations; Skillful, clever, resourceful, or adept ex. I had to admire the clever, adroit excuses that Dexter found to get out of doing any chores he disliked.

Acrid

(adj.) Sharply bitter in taste or odor; Pungent, sharp, harsh, or bitter ex. A pistol shot rang out; the acrid odor of burnt gunpowder filled the room.

Adverse

(adj.) Unfavorable or preventing success; Harmful, disadvantageous, or unfortunate ex. The recession had a highly adverse effect on Father's investment portfolio: he lost so much money that he could no longer afford the butler and the upstairs maid.

Adversity

(n) A force negatively affecting one's well-being; Misfortune, hardship, affliction, or poverty ex. Dirt-poor and out of work, he did not give up, but rather continued struggling to overcome adversity and misfortune.

Adherent (n)

(n) Someone who follows a leader or supports a cause; A supporter, follower, advocate, or believer of someone or something ex. As news of the scandal spread, the senator's supposedly loyal adherents quickly deserted him.

Adversary

(n) Someone who resists or opposes someone or something; An opponent or enemy ex. The young wrestler struggled to defeat his experienced adversary.

Advocate

(v) To speak in favor of someone or something; To support, urge, or recommend someone or something ex. Seeking the end of slavery, the abolitionists advocated and spoke in favor of the freedom of all current slaves from their masters.

Acute (3 Meanings)

-(adj.) Quickly perceptive; Astute or quick-witted -ex. The quick, acute young doctor realized immediately that his patient was suffering from a rare, but deadly, tropical infection after he viewed the severe rash that covered the patient's entire body. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -(adj.) Keen; Sharp or sensitive -ex. The girl's once sharp, acute sense of hearing deteriorated rapidly after contracting a severe case of ear infection. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -(adj.) Brief and severe; Critical, urgent, or extreme -ex. Acute diseases, like the common cold, are often characterized by their rapid onsets and short courses, as opposed to the long-lasting, persistent effects of chronic diseases.

Adopt (4 Meanings)

-(v) To legally take a child or animal as one's own; To choose or select someone or something -ex. Tom and Mary finally decided to adopt a child after years of failed attempts to give birth to one of their own. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -(v) To choose to follow an approach or idea; To embrace or endorse someone or something -ex. After Jennifer Lopez adopted the controversial weight-loss program, thousands of her fans, including Mary, followed her lead. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -(v) To assume a position or attitude; To take on a position or put on an attitude -ex. Tom adopted a patronizing tone in response to Mary's new weight-loss program, saying that fad diets like these never worked. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -(v) To formally accept (a suggestion or report); To support or approve someone or something -ex. Was the committee's report adopted unanimously, or did any of the members vote against it?