Vocabulary Unit 12: Top SAT Words

1. Vocabulary Unit 12: Top SAT Words Full list can be found on Vocabulary.com

2. Abate • Become less in amount or intensity • Your enthusiasm for skiing might abate after falling off a ski lift and getting a mouthful of snow.

3. Abdicate • To give up, such as power, as of monarchs and emperors, or duties and obligations • Sometimes someone in • power might decide to • give up that power and • step down from his or • her position. When they • do that, they abdicate their authority, giving up all duties and perks of the job.

4. Aberration • A state or condition markedly different from the norm • An example of an aberration • is when the temperature hits • 90 degrees in January • — it's nice and warm, but • it's really strange.

5. Abstain • Choose not to consume • People usually abstain from things that are considered vices — like drinking alcohol or eating chocolate.

6. Adversity • A state of misfortune or affliction • When circumstances or a situation works against you, you face adversity.

7. Aesthetic • Concerning or characterized by an appreciation of beauty or good taste • A velvet painting of dogs playing poker might have minimal aesthetic appeal.

8. Amicable • Characterized by friendship and good will • The end of a romantic relationship that's less than amicable might involve broken dishes or broken bones.

9. Anachronistic • Chronologically misplaced • Something that's • old-fashioned • and maybe a little • out of place is • anachronistic, like a clunky black rotary-dial telephone sitting on a desk beside a sleek new smart-phone (or whatever the new technology when you read this).

10. Arid • Lacking sufficient water or rainfall • Death Valley in California features an arid climate, which is why it's called Death Valley and not Life Valley.

11. Asylum • A shelter from danger or hardship • Any mom taking care of the kids day in and day out is probably more than ready to seek asylum, or refuge, at a local spa.