Psat Vocab

Front 1

abase

Back 1

Lower, humiliate. Defeated, Queen Zenobia was forced to abase herself before the conquering Romans, who forced her to march before the Emperor Aurelian in the procession celebrating his triumph.

Front 2

abate

Back 2

sunsude, decrease, lessen. Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for the storm to abate.

Front 3

abdicate

Back 3

renounce, give up. When Edward VIII abdicated the British throne to marry the woman he loved, he surprised the entire world. When the painted Gauguin abdicated his family responsibilities to run off to Samoa, he surprised no one at all.

Front 4

aberration

Back 4

deviation from the expected or the normal; mental irregularity or disorder. Survivors of a major catastrophe are likely to exhibit aberrations of behavior because of the trauma they have experienced.

Front 5

abet

Back 5

encourage, aid. She was accused of aiding and abetting the drug dealer by engaging in a money laundering scheme to help him disguise his illegal income.

Front 6

abeyance

Back 6

suspended action. The deal was held in abeyance until her arrival.

Front 7

abject

Back 7

hopeless and crushed, servile and spiritless, wretched. On the streets of NEw York the homeless live in abject poverty, lying huddled in doorways to find shelter from the wind.

Front 8

abrade

Back 8

wear away by friction, scrape, erode. The sharp rocks abraded the skin on her legs, so she put iodine on her abrasions.

Front 9

abscond

Back 9

depart secretly to avoid capture. The teller who absconded with the bonds was not capture until someone recognized him from his photofraph on America's Most Wanted.

Front 10

absolute

Back 10

complete, totally unlimited, certain. ALthough the King of Siam was an absolute monarch, he did not want to behead his unfaithful wide iwthiout absolute evidence of her infidelity.

Front 11

absolve

Back 11

pardon (an offense), free from blame. The father confessor absolved him of his sins.

Front 12

abstain

Back 12

refrain, hold oneself back viluntarily from an action or practice (especialy one regarded as improper or unhealthy). After considering the effect of alcohol on his athletic performance, he decided to abstain from drinking while he trained for the race.

Front 13

abstract

Back 13

theoretical, not concrete, nonrepresentational. To him, hunger was an abstract concept; he had never missed a meal.

Front 14

abstruse

Back 14

obscure, profound, difficult to understand. She carried around abstruse works of philosophy, not because she understands them but because she wanted her friends to think she does.

Front 15

accelerate

Back 15

move faster. In our science class, we learn how falling bodies accelerate.

Front 16

accessible

Back 16

easy to approach, obtainable. We asked out guide whether the ruins were accessible on foot.

Front 17

accessory

Back 17

additional object, useful but not essential thing. The accessories she bought cost more than the dress.

Front 18

acclaim

Back 18

applaud, announce with great approval. The NBC sportscasters acclaimed every American victory in the Olympics and lamented every American defeat.

Front 19

accolade

Back 19

award of merit. In the world of public relations, a "Clio" is the highest accolade an advertising campaign can receive

Front 20

accommodate

Back 20

provide lodgings. Mary asked the room clerk whether the hotel would be able to accommodate the tour group on such short notice OR oblige or help someone, adjust or bring into harmony, adapt. Mitch always did everything possible to accommodate his elderly relatives, from driving them to medical appointments to helping them with paperwork.

Front 21

accomplice

Back 21

partner in crime. Because he had provided the criminal with the lethal weapon, he was arrested as an accomplice in the murder.

Front 22

acknowledge

Back 22

recognize, admit. Although Ira acknowledged that the Beatles' tunes sounded pretty dated nowadays, he still preferred them to the punk rock songs his nephew played.

Front 23

acquittal

Back 23

declaration of innocence, deliverance from a charge. His acquittal by the jury surprised those who had thought him guilty.

Front 24

acrimony

Back 24

bitterness of words or manner. THe candidate attacked his opponent with great acrimony.

Front 25

acumen

Back 25

mental keenness. His business acumen helped him to succeed where others had failed.

Front 26

adamant

Back 26

hard, inflexible. Bronson played hte part of a revenge-driven man, adamant in his determination ro punbish the criminals who had destroyed his family.

Front 27

adapt

Back 27

alter, modify. Some species of animals have become extinct because they could not adapt to a changing environment.

Front 28

addiction

Back 28

compulsive, habitual need. His addiction to drugs caused his friends much grif.

Front 29

adhere

Back 29

stick fast to. I will adhere to this opinion until someone comes up with solid proof that I am wrong.

Front 30

adjacent

Back 30

adjoining, neighboring, close by. Philip's best friend Jason lived only four ohuses away, close but not immediately adjacent.

Front 31

adjudicate

Back 31

pass legal judgement on, sit in judgement. Do you trust Judge Judy to adjudicate disputes impartially?

Front 32

admonish

Back 32

warn, scold. The preacher admonished his listeners to change their wicked ways.

Front 33

adroit

Back 33

skillful, nimble. The juggler's admirers particularly enjoyed his adroit handling of difficult balancing tricks.

Front 34

adulation

Back 34

flattery, admiration. The rock start relished the adulation she received from her groupies and yes-men.

Front 35

adulterate

Back 35

make impure by adding inferior or tainted substances. It is a crime to adulterate foods without informing the buyer; when consumers learned that the manufacturer had adulterated its apple juice by mixing it with water, they protested vigorously.

Front 36

adversary

Back 36

opponent. "Aha!" cried Holmes. "Watson, I suspect this delay is the work of my old adversary Professor Moriarty."

Front 37

adverse

Back 37

unfavorable, hostile, 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.

Front 38

adversity

Back 38

poverty, misfortune. We must learn to meet adversity gracefully.

Front 39

advocate

Back 39

urge, plead for. Noted abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth advocated the eradication of the Southern institution of slavery.

Front 40

adjudicate

Back 40

pass legal judgement on, sit in judgement. Do you trust Judge Judy to adjudicate disputes impartially?

Front 41

admonish

Back 41

warn, scold. The preacher admonished his listeners to change their wicked ways.

Front 42

adroit

Back 42

skillful, nimble. The juggler's admirers particularly enjoyed his adroit handling of difficult balancing tricks.

Front 43

adulation

Back 43

flattery, admiration. The rock start relished the adulation she received from her groupies and yes-men.

Front 44

adulterate

Back 44

make impure by adding inferior or tainted substances. It is a crime to adulterate foods without informing the buyer; when consumers learned that the manufacturer had adulterated its apple juice by mixing it with water, they protested vigorously.

Front 45

adversary

Back 45

opponent. "Aha!" cried Holmes. "Watson, I suspect this delay is the work of my old adversary Professor Moriarty."

Front 46

adverse

Back 46

unfavorable, hostile, 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.

Front 47

adversity

Back 47

poverty, misfortune. We must learn to meet adversity gracefully.

Front 48

advocate

Back 48

urge, plead for. Noted abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth advocated the eradication of the Southern institution of slavery.