100 SAT Words Beginning with "A" : Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus

She is not abased or dejected, but exalted, rather.
—Sinclair, May

While Tampa Bay has taken a huge nosedive a year after going 10-6, maybe that 2010 success was an aberration.
—Seattle Times (Dec 26, 2011)

abhor

There are sane readers who abhor gratuitous violence but love Reacher’s menacing wisecracks.
—New York Times (Sep 20, 2011)

abject

Mr. Jobling stood wringing his hands helplessly, his flaccid features expressive of abject despair.
—Douglas, Hudson

abrasive

“He has always been focused, driven, demanding and, as a result, very difficult and abrasive,” Mr. Norman said.
—New York Times (Oct 7, 2011)

abstain

Griffin felt that he had better abstain from questioning, and let his host run on.
—Marsh, Richard

abstract

Presenting an abstract concept, waving our arms trying to describe it, we will lose our audience right away.
—Inc (Feb 20, 2012)

abundant

Fringing and barrier reefs are abundant throughout the archipelago, surrounding nearly every island.
—Gabel, Norman E.

accentuate

It was a carefully studied costume; and he accentuated its eccentricity by adopting theatrical attitudes and an air of satisfied negligence.
—Leblanc, Maurice

acclimate

The Jets will leave Friday for Denver, the better to acclimate to the altitude and change in time zone.
—New York Times (Oct 14, 2010)

accomplice

Tiller, the thief, and a supposed accomplice, are under arrest.
—Various

accord

Friday's accord removes one of two main sticking points that have been holding up a strategic partnership agreement between the two countries.
—Wall Street Journal (Mar 9, 2012)

acerbic

They were complaining, sometimes yelling, and maybe a bit acerbic.
—New York Times (Mar 29, 2012)

acme

Paris wholly has got to the acme of its frenzy; whirled, all ways, by panic madness.
—Various

acquiesce

I favored building a fire and staying there till morning, but Frank preferred pushing on to camp, so I acquiesced.
—Shields, George O.

acquit

He said that in the absence of other evidence, “the accused is acquitted and discharged.”
—New York Times (Jan 9, 2012)

acrimonious

At times, the two groups squabble like schoolchildren, and the exchange gets acrimonious.
—BBC (Feb 9, 2010)

acute

Labor shortages are already so acute in many Chinese industrial zones that factories struggle to find enough people to operate their assembly lines.
—New York Times (Mar 31, 2012)

adamant

But high profile or no, Mr. Kors is adamant about keeping his personal life under wraps — even as his wedding day approaches.
—New York Times (Aug 5, 2011)

adept

He proved an adept playmaker, however, making several nice passes and finishing with 7 assists.
—New York Times (Jan 7, 2012)

adhere

Adhering to strict safety standards has kept me alive in some very dangerous situations.
—Time (Mar 18, 2012)

admonish

"Children, children, stop quarrelling, right here in public!" admonished Mrs. Dering, in a low, shocked tone.
—Perry, Nora

adorn

Old master reproductions adorn chianti-colored walls; tapestries hang in the restrooms.
—Seattle Times (Feb 9, 2012)

adroit

Neither is he adroit in the exercise of his duty; instead performs it bunglingly; his thoughts preoccupied, and eyes wandering about.
—Reid, Mayne

adulation

Taylor, a demagogue of the Democratic party, was hypocritically appealing to his "horny handed neighbors" in language of feigned adulation.
—Levy, T. Aaron

adversity

Forty years in the wilderness, meeting adversities together, fighting enemies, marching as one host, made them a nation.
—Hurlbut, Jesse Lyman

advocacy

That sentiment faded after the 1930s, he said, as consumer advocacy focused more on protecting shoppers.
—New York Times (Nov 11, 2011)

aesthetic

In old-fashioned, aesthetic terms, his glossy, color pictures of modern housing projects in Turkish cities under moody, gray skies are beautiful.
—New York Times (Oct 14, 2011)

affable

She is restless, irritable, out of sorts, censorious, complaining at home; animated, gracious, affable, complaisant abroad.
—Hyde, William De Witt

affinity

Malaysia has a close affinity with many Middle Eastern nations through their shared religion.
—Reuters (Feb 12, 2012)

affliction

Firm and exceptional natures are thus moulded out of miseries, misfortunes and afflictions.
—Leonard, Arthur Glyn

affluent

Affluent families can afford guns, which are more efficient for bagging some elusive animals than a poorer household’s typical snare trap.
—New York Times (Dec 27, 2011)

aggrandize

Louis XIV. was growing increasingly ambitious of enlarging his domains and aggrandizing his power.
—Abbott, John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot)

agile

Are not many beasts physically stronger, more nimble and agile than man?
—Nordau, Max Simon

agrarian

We’re not an agrarian society any longer, where more hands help farm the land.
—New York Times (Jun 20, 2011)

alacrity

The men obeyed with alacrity, as all were glad to go, lying in camp so long.
—Terrill, J. Newton

alienate

Keeping schools closed and blocking certain public services is not a strategy we support and could alienate public opinion and play into the governor’s hand.
—New York Times (Feb 18, 2011)

allege

David is alleged to have written several Psalms, but of this there is little evidence beyond pious assertion.
—Bradlaugh, Charles

allegiance

Notwithstanding this good fortune, Pontiac daily saw his followers dropping off from their allegiance; for even the boldest had lost heart.
—Parkman, Francis

allegory

Achingly beautiful, quiet and graceful, his award-winning novel Waiting is a love story superimposed on a political allegory.
—The Guardian (Feb 16, 2011)

alleviate

Lewis said he got a Synvisc shot – an injection commonly used to alleviate arthritic symptoms – in his left knee on Monday.
—Washington Post (Mar 7, 2012)

allude

In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, Mr. Obama turned up the heat, alluding to the plan without fleshing out details.
—New York Times (Jan 27, 2012)

aloof

Too much focus on official duties can make an incumbent look isolated and aloof.
—New York Times (Mar 12, 2012)

altruistic

The gesture was not necessarily altruistic; he was hoping for a donation in return.
—New York Times (Jan 24, 2011)

ambiguous

"The election law in New York is written in an ill-defined, ambiguous way," Goldfeder said, adding that he did not believe any laws were broken.
—Reuters (Sep 16, 2011)

ambivalent

"If managers are ambivalent, or wavering, then investor uncertainty increases and the stocks become more volatile."
—Reuters (Oct 26, 2011)

ameliorate

Possessed of broadly humanitarian sympathies, he became interested in ameliorating the conditions of imprisoned debtors.
—Bolton, Herbert Eugene

amiable

He was also remarkable for his amiable and cheerful manners.
—Anonymous

amicable

Thus, by kindness, the natives of this region were won to friendship, and amicable relations were established.
—Abbott, John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot)

amnesty

After three years in prison, he was released last October in an amnesty that freed about 200 political detainees.
—Seattle Times (Mar 5, 2012)

amorphous

The problem is that where genes are tidy bits of DNA, the environment is huge, amorphous and hard to quantify.
—New York Times (Jun 9, 2010)

ample

Both are highly respected and well known, with ample experience in development and economic policy making.
—New York Times (Mar 22, 2012)

anachronism

Today, the British monarchy seems like even more of an anachronism, notes my friend Merida, a London bureau friend now living in New York.
—Time (Apr 20, 2011)

analogous

The two conditions, although apparently analogous, are, in reality, very different.
—Various

anecdote

With his fourth book, “Business at 16,” Mr. Bagchi hopes to get teenagers interested in business, partly by using fictional anecdotes, including boy-meets-girl stories.
—New York Times (Nov 29, 2011)

animosity

In this brutal contest, two opposing teams face off against each other with competing agendas, borrowed tuxedos and tight smiles concealing deep animosities.
—New York Times (Jan 14, 2011)

annihilate

Men deployed may fall back and escape; a mass of columns under direct artillery fire must surrender or be annihilated.
—Morse, John

anomaly

In this view, crises can be understood only as anomalies, the consequences of unusual outside shocks.
—BusinessWeek (Dec 6, 2011)

anonymous

Throughout the process, the targeted consumers are tagged with an alphanumeric code, removing their names and making the data anonymous.
—New York Times (Feb 21, 2012)

antagonism

It bred a sense of resentment and secret antagonism which he took less pains to hide, from that night.
—Prichard, Katharine Susannah

antecedent

Paul Bunyan is known by his mighty works; his antecedents and personal history are lost in doubt.
—Laughead, W. B.

anthropomorphic

The same anthropomorphic fallacy that accords human attributes to giant corporations like BP distorts clear thinking about how to limit their political influence.
—Salon (Jul 28, 2010)

anticipate

I will continue to sit here as usual, waiting, grinning, tapping and anticipating my future.
—New York Times (Mar 22, 2012)

antipathy

At any rate, they had, as a matter of fact, produced widespread discontent and bitter antipathies between classes.
—Stephen, Leslie

antithetical

Memorisation has a bad reputation in education today, dismissed as antithetical to creativity.
—The Guardian (Apr 10, 2011)

apathy

When not thus engaged, his days were passed in listless apathy.
—Anonymous

aptitude

If there is such a thing as inherited aptitude for art it certainly showed itself in the family of Bach.
—Forkel, Johann Nikolaus

arbitrary

The pieces don’t build or develop, sections are carelessly joined, endings seem arbitrary.
—New York Times (Jun 4, 2011)

arcane

Not just the knowledge of world geography but the very conceptualisation of space in this late medieval map looks to us remote and arcane.
—The Guardian (Apr 24, 2010)

archaic

There are other advantages as well to reading the classics electronically—you can tap archaic words on the screen for an instant definition.
—Time (Feb 9, 2012)

archetype

In many ways, Mr. Romney and Mr. Huntsman embody the Mormon archetype: clean-cut, Republican American family men.
—New York Times (Nov 18, 2011)

ardent

Age, study, experience, retirement, reflection, had in no wise dimmed the fire of his ardent nationalism.
—McCarthy, Justin

arduous

He seemed about thirty-five years of age, though the trace of arduous mental and physical exertion gave him a rather worn and older appearance.
—Lindley, Augustus F.

aristocratic

Several aristocratic families were stripped of their status after World War II, limiting the number of royal matches.
—BusinessWeek (Feb 16, 2012)

artifice

But small men use lying artifices and disguises to protect themselves.
—Hillis, Newell Dwight

ascetic

Another frequent cause of visions is long-continued fasting combined with more or less ascetic devotion.
—Vere, Maximilian Schele de

aspire

India’s leaders, eager for a bigger footprint in global affairs, now aspire to a permanent seat on an expanded United Nations Security Council.
—New York Times (Mar 31, 2012)

assimilation

On the contrary, they themselves become Americanised, thanks to that faculty of assimilation which they possess in a high degree.
—Allyn, Jack

assuage

Moreover, I became at rest within myself, and the gaping, aching void which has filled my vitals these many days, became assuaged.
—Hamilton, J. Angus

atone

But let us pause for a moment to remember what “redeeming” actually is: atoning or making up for some mistake or wrongdoing.
—New York Times (Jan 25, 2011)

attest

Anticipating compensation, thousands flooded treatment centers seeking medical certificates attesting to their cholera.
—New York Times (Mar 31, 2012)

attire

She was elegantly and fashionably attired, wearing rich earrings, gold chain and locket, three valuable rings in addition to her wedding-ring, and so forth.
—Whymper, Frederick

attribute

This means that fundamentally important attributes such as common sense and curiosity are starting to take primacy.
—Washington Post (Mar 29, 2012)

attribution

But borrowing from sample essays found online or other online sources without attribution, even unintentionally, might result in your application being rejected.
—BusinessWeek (Dec 15, 2011)

audacious

It was such an audacious, daring thing that the very thought made her dizzy.
—Stokes, Katherine

audible

Tavannes answered--but his words were barely audible above the deafening uproar.
—Weyman, Stanley J.

augment

Computer engineers, in high demand but short supply, can command six-figure salaries right out of college, augmented by signing bonuses and equity or stock options.
—New York Times (Jan 25, 2012)

augur

But ultimately the numbers augured an inescapably grim fate: Lieberman's approval rating in Connecticut bottomed out at just 31 percent last fall.
—Time (Jan 19, 2011)

augury

It was altogether a pretty picture, that seemed to be a happy augury of the good times in store.
—Oxley, J. Macdonald (James Macdonald)

auspicious

The coast at the point at which he reached it seemed specially designed by nature for his favorable and auspicious reception.
—Johnson, Willis Fletcher

austere

Adams was poor, simple, ostentatiously austere; the blended influence of Calvinistic theology and republican principles had indurated his whole character.
—Stark, James H.

authentic

This census is not considered authentic, as many transparent errors were found in various parts of it.
—Casseday, Ben

authoritarian

But, he said, “all the ingredients of a repressive regime, an authoritarian regime, are there.”
—New York Times (Dec 13, 2011)

authoritative

His plays are being revived, and an authoritative and exhaustive edition of his writings is being issued by a leading publishing house.
—Ingleby, Leonard Cresswell

avarice

Greed about getting or keeping money pertains to avarice, not necessarily to simony.
—Callan, Charles Jerome

avenge

But Amon-Ra of Thebes avenged the dishonour that had been done him, and stirred up his adorers to successful revolt.
—Sayce, A. H. (Archibald Henry)

aversion

Our peculiar aversion, nay, our dread, of various alimentary substances are well known.
—Millingen, J. G. (John Gideon)

avid

An avid runner, Moyer eventually began arriving six hours early on game days to exercise on an underwater treadmill.
—New York Times (Mar 21, 2012)

avuncular

He is a consummate retail politician, given to small talk and an avuncular style.
—New York Times (Feb 27, 2011)

awe

The aurora deeply impressed him, inspiring feelings of awe and reverence.
—Mudge, Zachariah Atwell

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simply nice nad helpful

Thanks , You too !!!

Nice Collection of Words... Better go for the details of word list prior taking test... Really nice. !!

Omg!!!

huh susah tpy srnk dpt menjwb walaupon bnyk slh huhu

It's really helpful.thanks a lot

helpful!!!!

pretty good

This is really helping, thank you

its hard :(

Great list!

Very helpful, Thank you.

Nice work

This is really helpful but super hard!!!!!!!

I wonder if we have to learn some of the words form the SAT lists again if we have already completed some of them. Anyway, how many points do you guys have? I have played at Vocabulary.com for two weeks already and I have 100,000 points so far. I am hoping to get the Verbisaur achievement over the the summer, that would be 300,000 more points to go!

Hi Triet,

We have as many points as you can earn! Scroll down your "My Progress" page and you will see all of the achievements you can earn.

The SAT lists are designed so that once you finish the A words, you can move on to the B words, then the C words, etc. If you keep making your way alphabetically through the SAT lists, I am sure you will reach your Verbivore goal in no time!

Kudos!

Thank you for making this list, it will help in my SAT very much!

how do you restart the game from the begining?

Hi Virginia,

If you want to play or learn a list of words again, you will have that opportunity AFTER you have mastered the list the first time. Once you see your final score, you will see the "play again" button in the bottom right corner of the box.

If you are asking about resetting your entire Vocabulary.com account, you would click on "My Account," then "Application Settings," and then the "Reset My Account" button. This option, however, erases all your points and achievements (it's starting over).

Does that help?

Good, but where is the "B" word list.

Hi c.neisha,

Here is the B list: www.vocabulary.com/lists/148713

When you finish each SAT list, the link to the next letter's list is in the description box at the top of the list (when you click on "Review Mode").

Keep going!

nice collection of words

Very helpful! Thank you!!

Really helpful?

keep the nice work and the nice collections! many thanks!!

These lists are amazing! For studying for the SAT would you recommend the Challenge or these SAT lists?

Hi John S,

We would recommend beginning with the Challenge to let Vocabulary.com start doing its work at assessing your level and sending appropriate words your way, and then start mastering these A,B,C SAT lists. Play the Challenge until you challenge 5-10 words, and then master all the SAT lists. You can always return to the Challenge once you have completed the SAT word lists. Let us know how it goes!

can you restart your whole program as if it didn't know you?

Hi Virginia F.,

Yes! Login and go to "My Account." Then click "Application Settings," and you will see the reset option.
Warning: hitting "reset" wipes away all of your prior points and achievements.

Good luck!

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big words x(

Good1 :)

great list!

love it

This thing is really helpful...

Its a nice LIST, but how do i mix up the letters Starting from various alphabets ?

great

very helpful...

i need this very much it is fantastic for English Lerner...(Parmanand Pathe)

Hi, brilliant list .. I would really be a great help if someone could tell me how to put up all the words starting with various alphabets together and learn it. :)

Love thAt

This helps so much

Fantastic tool to master vocabs....!

Is it REALLY subtible for children (probably from year 6) who are doing their SATs?

Is there anyone taking part for an english paper?I need help!

simply awesome! very helpful! i am preparing for my GMAT test, and this is really helping me out. thank you!

im loving this

THIS LIST IS AWESOME!!!! :D

ABCDEFGHIJKlMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ vary good fake name guy I am a runing dictionary
Are you brinyavk
Well I spelled it wrong

it's helpful but how can I get electric dictionary and some good english text book Thank

I love reading but I don't have much time, what can I do?

please can you sell out your vocabulary text book and also i want to know if you can put everything on discs. And make it available for every one thanks

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meap

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what is sat words?

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Thank you!This list is awesome :)

Here is the list of word in A.Really helpful for me. Thanks a lot

fun and helpful

Too easy. Did spelling bee and got 99% (mistyped 'annihilate').

quiet hard but i learned a lot

Hi there. I am looking for q list of words ordered by sounds. Anyone knows where can I get them? Thanks

Some words start with A is really different to our pronunciation like agile,allege...but it is very useful for me...thanks very much indeed..

this the best website i come have across based on increasing your vocabulary..this is really helping me a lot.:)

i am glad to have come across this wonderful website.This website is helping me to enhance my vocabulary and the word list is amazing.:)

It's hard yet helpful. I am really getting the hang of it now, though. Now, I am improving my vocabulary really fast. Thank you, Vocabulary.com!!!

No I am
SESQUIPEDALIANIST

hard :(

Thank you, vocabulary.com

need and regular using words for starters like me :)

good

Really increases my vocabulary, thanks for the list. (: Helpful for those who don't take SAT too. :D

i never fearing death or dying i only fear never trying i m whatever i m only god can judge me now this vocabulary we own it...

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100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"

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