WIXLIB

Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word listAttentive adj. considerate; thoughtful; payingattention. Thuy is very attentive to herVietnamese-speaking parents, acting ,as theirinterpreter and helping them deal withAmerican society Attribute v. ascribe; explain. I attribute hersuccess in science to the encouragement shereceived from her parents.Audacious adj. daring; bold. Audiences cheeredas luke Skywalker and Princess leia made theiraudacious, death-defying leap to freedom,escaping Darth Vader's troops. Audacity, n.Augment v. increase; add to. Beth augmentedher inadequate, salary by selling Tupperware at"'parties at" frien ds' homes.Word Ust8Austerity n. sternness; severity; strict economy;lack of luxuries. The bishops charged withconducting the heresy inquiry were a solemn,somewhat forbidding group; their demeanorreflected their austerity. Austere, adj.Authentic adj. genuine. The art expert was ableto distinguish the authentic Van Gogh paintingfrom the forged copy. Authenticate, v." . .a.-".:.;""",. . . "" . ; -"f,., . t . --' . -- . . --" . . . -- . ··0.: "B'elittre v. disparage; make fun of. Parentsshould not belittle their children's earlyattempts at drawing, but should encouragetheir effortsBelligerent adj. quarrelsome. Whenever he hadtoo much to drink, ,he became belligerent andtried to pick fights with strangers.Word list 9Benevolent adj. generous; charitable. Mr.Fezziwag was a benevolent employer whowished to make Christmas merrier for youngScrooge and his other employees.Benign adj. kindly; favortlble; not m Ugn nt.,Though her benign smile and gentle bearingmade Miss Marple seem a sweet little old lady,in reality she was a tough-minded, shrewdobserver of human nature.Bequeath v.leave to someone by a will; handdown. Although Maud had intended tobequeath the family home to her nephew, shedied before changing her will. Bequest n.Biased adj. slanted; pr judiced. Because thejudge played gold regularly with the districtattorney's father, we .tea red ,he. might be biased,.,,,. ,." ,.;"""; ",,,, . .a. . '. -"',. . ---·"'0 . .control; nondemocratic. Forced to obey thedictates of the authoritarian regime, the peoplehad no control over their won destiny. Also n.Autonomous adj. self-governing. Although theUniversity of California at Berkeley is just onepart of the state university system, in manyways Cal Berkeley is autonomous, for it runsseveral programs that are not subject to outsidecontrol. Autonomy, n.Aversionn. firm dislike. Their mutual aversionwas so great that they refused to speak to oneanother.:Banal adj. hackneyed; commonplace; trite. Wasit Pendleton's stale plot or his cfiche-ridden, dialogue that made his play seem so banal?Banality, n.Bane n. cause of ruin. lack of publictransportation is the bane of urban life.Belie v. contradict; give a false impression. Hiscoarse, hard",bltten exterior belied his innerBland adj. soothing; mild; dull. Unless you wantyour stomach lining to be eaten away, stick to abland diet. Blandness, n.Blasphemy n. irreverence; sacrilege; cursing. Inmy father's house, the Dodgers were the holiestof holies; to cheer for another team was toutter words of blasphemy. Blasphemous, adj.Bolster v. support; reinforce. The debatersamassed file boxes full of evidence to bolstertheir arguments.Braggart n. boastful person. I wouldn't mindBob's being such a braggart if I felt he'd doneanything worth bragging about.Brawn n. muscular strength; sturdiness. It takesbrawn to become achampion weight lifter.Brawny, adj.Brevity n. conciseness; briefness. Brevity isessential when you send a telegram orcablegram; you are charged for every word.,t""4\.,

Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word listWord List -10Buttress v. support; prop up. The attorney cameup with several far-fetched arguments in avainattempt to buttress his weak case. Also n.Cacophonous adj. discordant; inharmonious.DO the students in the orchestra enjoy thecacophonous sounds they make when they'retuning up? I don't know how they can stand theracket. Cacophony, n.Cajole v. coax; wheedle. Diane tried to cajoleher father into letting her drive the family car.Cajolery, n.Calculated adj. deliberately planned; likely.,, LexYs choicedf clothes to wear to the debatetournament was carefully calculated. Herconventional suit was one calculated to appealto the conservative judges.Candor n. frankness. The candor with whichGene spoke during the job interview impressedus all; it was· clear he held nothing back, candid,adj Capricious adj. fickle; incalculable. The stormwas capricious, changing its course constantly.Caricature n. distortion; burlesque. Thecaricatures he dre'w arway mph c:i7Pri personal weakness of the people he burlesquedalso v.Censorious adj. critical. Censorious peopledelight in casting'blame.Censure v. blame; criticize. The senator wascensured for his inappropriate behavior. Also n.Certitude n. certainty. Though there was oncertitude of his getting the job, Lou thought hehad a good chance of doing so.Word List 11Charlatan n. quack; pretender to knowledge.When they realized that the Wizard didn't knowhow to get them back to Kansas, Dorothy andher companions were indignant that they'dbeen duped by a charlatan.Chronicle v. report; record (in chronologicalorder). The gossip columnist was paid tochronicle the latest escapades of sociallyprominent celebrities. Also n.Civil adj. having to do with citizens or the state;courteous and polite. Although InternalRevenue Service agents are civil servants, theyare not always civil to suspected tax cheats.Civility, n.Clamor n. noise. The damor of the children atplay outside made it impossible for her to take anap.Alsov.Clemency n. disposition to be lenient; mildness,as of the weather. Why did the defense lawyerlook pleased when his case was sent to JudgeBland's chambers? Bland was known for herclemency toward first offenders. Clem nt, adj.Coerdon n. use offorce to get someorf scompliance. They forced him to obey, but onlyby using great coercion, coerce, v.Commemorate v. honor the memory of. Thestatue of the Minuteman commemorates thevaliant soldiers who fought in the RevolutionaryWar.Compelling adj. overpowering; irresistible ineffect. The prosecutor presented a well reasoned case, but the defense attorney'scompelling arguments for leniency won overtho. iu"" -.,-Compile v. assemble; gather; accumulate. Weplanned to compile a list of the words mostfrequently used on the SAT examinations.Compliance n. readiness to yield; conformity infulfilling requirements. When I give an order, Iexpect compliance, not defiance. The design forthe new school had to be in compliance withthe local building code. Comply, v.Word Ust 12Composure n. mental calmness. Even the latestcrisis at work failed to shake Nancy'scomposure.Comprehensive adj. thorough; inclusive. Thisbook provides a comprehensive review ofcritical reading skills for the SAT.Concede v. admit; yield. Despite all theevidence Monica had assembled, Mark refusedto concede that she was right. Concession, n.Condllatory adj. reconCIling; appeasing;amiable. Hoping to end the coldness that had···gro\Nh f)etween tnem, he wrote a conciliciforynote. conciliate, v. . . .5

Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word List\Cq cis .adjTbrief and CQmpa .Wh.en youdefine a mi!'w word, be concise: the shorter thedefinition, the easier it is to remember.Conclusive adj. convincing; decisive. We haveconclusive evidence that proves her innocence.Concur v. agree in opinion. Justice O'Connorwrote a minority opinion because she did notconcur with the reasoning of her fellow justices.Condone v. overlook voluntarily; forgive.Although she had excuse Huck for his earlierescapades, Widow Douglas refused to condonehis latest prank.Confirm v. corroborate; verify; support. I havesev ral witnesses who will confirm my account. 'of-what happened'Conflagration n. great fire. In the conflagrationthat followed the 1906 earthquake, much ofSan Francisco burned to the ground.Word List 13Confound v. confuse; puzzle. No mystery couldconfound Sherlock Holmes for longConfront v. face; challenge. Alii ask is thechance to confront my accusers face to face.Conscientious a j. scrupulous; careful. Adefinition for its accuracy.Consensus n. general agreement. After hours ofdebate, the consensus of the group was that weshould approve the executive directorsproposal.Consistency n'. absence of contradictions;depend-ability; uniformity; degree of thickness.Holmes judged puddings and explanations ontheir consistency: he liked his puddings withoutlumps and his explanations withoutimprobabilities.Constraint n. compulsion; repression of feelings.Because he trusted his therapist completely, hediscussed his feelings openly with her withoutfeeling the feast constraint. Constrain, v;Contagion n. infection. Fearing contagion, theytook great steps to prevent the spread of thedisease.Contemporary n. person belonging to the sameperiod. Though Charlotte Bronte and GeorgeEliot were contemporaries, the two novelistsdepicted their Victorian world in markedlydifferent ways. Also adj.Contend v. struggle; compete; assert earnestly.Sociologist Harry Edwards contends that youngAfrican-American athletes are exploited bysome college recruiters. Contention, n.Contentious adj. quarrelsome. Disagreeingviolently with the referees' ruling, the coachbecame so contentious that they threw him outof the game. ';:/:.:t .-;'.;" '-- Word List 14Contract v. compress or shrink; make a pledge;catch a disease. Warm metal expands; coldmetal contractsConverge v. approach; tend to meet; cometogether. African-American men from all overthe United States converged on Washington totake part in the historic MiI1ion Man march.Conviction n. strongly held belief. Nothing .couldshake his conviction that she was innocent.(secondary meaning)greeted us at the airport with a cordial welcomeand a hearty hug.Corroborate v. confirm; support. Though Huckwas quite willing to corroborate Tom's story,Aunt Polly knew better than to believe either ofthem.Corrosion n. destruction by chemical action.The corrosion of the girders supporting the bridge took place so gradually that no onesuspected any danger until the bridge suddenlycollapsed. Corrode, v.Credibility n. believeability. Because thecandidate had made some pretty unbelieveablepromises, we began to question the credibilityof everything he said.Credulity n. belief on slight evidence; gullibility;naivete. Con artists take advantage of thecredulity of inexperienced investors to swindlethem out of their savings. Credulous, adj.6rt ;

Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word ListCryptic:adj. mysterious; hidden;secret. Martinloved to act mysterious, making crypticcomments no one could understand.Word List 15Cursory adj. casual; hastily done. Because acursory examination of the ruins indicates thepossibility of arson, we believe the insuranceagency should undertake a more extensiveinvestigation of the fire's cause.Curtail v. shorten; reduce. When Elton askedCher for a date, she said she was really sorry.she couldn't go out with ijm, but her dad hadordered her to curtail her-social life.Cynic n. one who is keptical or distrustful ofhuman motives. A born cynic, Sidney wassuspidous whenever anyone gave hima gift"with no strings attached." Cynical, adj.Daunt V. intimidate; frighten. IIBoast all you likeof your prowess. Mere words cannot dauntme,lI the hero answered the villain.Dawdle v.loiter; waste time. We have to meeta deadline so don't dawdle; just get down towork.Debirrtate v. weaken; enfeeble. Mir.h::lpl'c;severe bout of the flue debilitated him so muchthat he was too tired to go to work for a week.Debunk v. expose something as nonsensical orfalse. I have gathered enough evidence todebunk the legend that Billy the Kid was aheroic, Robin Hood-like figure.Decorum n. propriety; orderliness and goodtaste in manners. Even the best-manneredstudents have trouble behaving with decorumon the last day of school. Decorous, adjDefame v. harm someone's reputation; malign.If you try to defame my good name, my lawyerswill see you in court. Defamation, n.Deference n. courteous regard for another'swish. In deference to the minister's request,please do not take photographs d'uring thewedding service.WordUst 16Defiance R. refysal to yield; Fesis aHee. 'NnenDegenerate v. become worse; deteriorate. Asthe fight dragged on, the champion's staminadegenerated until he oculd barely keep on hisfeet.Degrade v.lower in rank or dignity; debase.Some secretaries object to fetching the boss acup of coffee because they feel it degradesthem to do such lowly tasks.Deliberate v. consider; ponder. Offered the newjob, she asked for time to deliberate before shetold them her decision.Delineate v. portray; depict; sketch. Using onlya few descriptive phrases, Austen delineates thech rader of Mr 'Collins 0 wellthat wecah .predict his every move. Delineation, n.Denounce v. condemn; criticize. The reformcandidate denounced the corrupt city officersfor having betrayed the public's trust.Denunciation, n.Deny v. contradict; refuse. Do you deny hisstory, or do you support what he says? Denial, n.Depict v. portray; describe. Some newspaperaccounts depicted the movie star as a reclusiveprima donna; others portrayed her as aC:: I"I itj\f ?rt!st h:!!":!ssed b\' the mecHa.Depiction, n.Deplore v. regret strongly; express grief over.Although I deplore the disintegration of themodern family, I understand that not everymarriage can be saved.Depravity n. corruption; wickedness. EvenRomans who had grown accustomed toperversions and immorality during Tiberius'reign were shocked by the depravity of theemperor Caligula.Word List 17Deprecate v. express disapproval of; protestagainst; belittle. A firm believer in old-fashionedcourtesy, Miss Post deprecated the moderntendency to address new acquaintances bytheir first names. Deprecatory, adj.Deride v. ridicule; make fun of. The criticsderided his pretentious dialogue and refused toCOltside.lds play seriously. Denslon, n.John reached the IIterrible two's'" he respondeddefiance. Defy, v. defiant, adj.7

.Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word ListDerivaJive·,adj.unor:iginqJ deriv from anothersource. Although her early poetry was clearlyderivative in nature, the critics felt she had.promise and eventually would find her ownvoice.Despondent adj. depressed; gloomy. To theconcern of his parents, William becameseriously despondent after he broke up with Jan.Despondency, n.Despot n. tyrant; harsh authoritarian ruler. Howcould a benevolent king turn overnight into adespot?Detached adj. emotionally removed; calm andobjective; indifferent. A sychoanalyst must.maintain a detached pointof view and stay ':. 'uninvolved with her patients' personal lives.Detachment, n. (secondary meaning)Deterrent n. something that discourages;hindrance. Does the threat of capitalpunishment serve as a deterrent to potentialkillers? Deter, v.Detrimental adj. harmful; damaging. Thecandidate's acceptance of major financialcontributions from a well-known racistultimately proved detrimental to his campaign,fr!!" h 'r! the b ddng !;! ny !;f hi,,: r !"!ygrassroots supporters. Detriment, n.Devious adj. roundabout; erratic; not straight forward. His plan was so devious that it wasonly with great difficulty we could follow itsshifts and dodges.Devise v. think up; invent; plan. How clever hemust be to have devised such a devious plantWhat ingenious inventions 'might he havedevised if he had turned his mind to science andnot to crime!WordUst18Oidactic adj. teaching; instructional. Pope'slengthy poem An Essay on Man is too didacticfor my taste: I dislike it when poets turnpreachy and moralize.Diffuse adj. wordy; rambling; spread out. If youpay authors by the word, you tempt them toproduce diffuse manuscripts rather thanconcISe ones.Di.gression n. wandering away from the subject.Nobody minded when Professor Renoir'slectures wandered away from their officialthemes; his digressions were always morefascinating than the topic of the day. Digress, v.Diligence n. steadiness of effort; persistent hardwork. Her employers were greatly impressed ybher diligence and offered her a partnership inthe firm. Diligent, adj.Diminution n.lessening; reduction in size. OldJack was as sharp at eighty as he had been atfifty; increasing age led to no diminution of hismental acuity.Disban v.dissolve; disperse. The chess clubdlsbanded'after its 'disastrous initial season.Discerning adj. mentally quick and observant;having insight. Though no genius, the star wassufficiently discerning to tell her true friendsfrom the countless phonies who flattered her.Discernment, n.Disdose'v reveal; Although competitors offeredhim bribes, he refused to disclose anyinformation about his company's forthcomingproduct. Disclosure, n.Discordant adj. not harmonious; conflicting.junior high school orchestra tuning up.Discord,.n.Discount v. disregard. Be prepared to discountwhat he has to say about his ex-wife; he is stillvery bitter about the divorce.Word List 19Discredit v. defame; destroy confidence in;disbelieve. The campaign was highly negative intone; each candidate tried to discreit the others.Discrepancy n.lack of consistency; difference.Noticing some discrepancies in his descriptionof the crime, the police began to mistrust thewitness's testimony.Discriminating adj. abre to see differences;prejudiced. A superb interpreter of Picasso, shewas sufficiently discriminating to judge themost complex works of modern art. (secondarymeaning) discrimination, n.8.,

Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word listDiscursive adj. digressing; rambling. As thelecturer wandered from topic to topic, wewondered what if any point there was to hisdiscursive remarks.Disdain v. view with corn or contempt. In thefilm Funny Face, the bookish heroine disdainedfashion models for their lack of intellectualinterests. Also n.Disinclination n. unwillingness. Some morningsI feel a great disinclination to get out of bed.Disinterested adj. unprejudiced. In view of thejudge's political ambitions and the lawyers'financial interest in the case, the onlydisinterested persbn niinecourtroom mayhave been the court reporter.Dismantle v. take apart. When the show closed,they dismantled the scenery before storing it.Dismiss v. put away from consideration; reject.;Believing in John's love for her, she dismissedthe notion that he might be unfaithful.' (secondary meaning)Disparage v. belittle. Do not disparage anydonation, no matter how small it may be; everypenny counts, and these little gifts mean a lot.WordUst20Disparity n. difference; condition of inequality.Their disparity in rank made no difference at allto the prince and Cinderella.Dispassionate adj. calm; impartial. Known inthe company for his cool judgment, Bill couldimpartially examine the causes of a problem,giving a dispassionate analysis of what had gonewrong, and go on to suggest how to correct themess.Dispel v. drive away; scatter; cause to vanish.The bright sunlight eventually dispelled themorning mist.Disperse v. cause to break up; scatter. Thepolice fired t

Barron's SAT High-Frequency Word List . Word Ust 1 Abate v. subside or moderate. Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for the storm to . abate. Abatement, N. Aberrant adj. abnormal or deviant. Given the . aberrant . nature of the data, we came to doubt the validity of the entire exp