ISEE Upper Level VOCABULARY LIST Updated

ISEE Upper Level VOCABULARY LIST abandon - leave someone who needs or counts on you Abate - become less in amount or intensity abbreviate - shorten abduct - take away to an undisclosed location against their ...

ISEE Upper Level VOCABULARY LIST abandon - leave someone who needs or counts on you Abate - become less in amount or intensity abbreviate - shorten abduct - take away to an undisclosed location against their will and usually in order to extract a ransom abdicate - give up, such as power, as of monarchs and emperors, or duties and obligations abet - assist or encourage, usually in some wrongdoing abide - put up with something or somebody unpleasant abridge - to shorten absolve - let off the hook absurd - inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense **abundant - present in great quantity accelerate - move faster **acclaim - enthusiastic approval acclimate - adjust to climate or environment; adapt accuse - blame for, make a claim of wrongdoing or misbehavior against accustom - To make familiar achieve - to gain with effort acknowledge - accept (someone) to be what is claimed or accept his power and authority acquit - pronounce not guilty of criminal charges acrid - harsh in taste or odor; sharp in manner or temper adamant - unyielding; firm in opinion adapt - make fit for, or change to suit a new purpose admire - feel admiration for **admonish - warn strongly aesthetic - pertaining to beauty affable - diffusing warmth and friendliness affection - a fond or tender feeling affluent - rich, wealthy **agenda - a temporally organized plan for matters to be attended to agressive - quick to attack; inclined to hostile actions; assertive; bold and energetic agile - moving quickly and lightly agony - intense feelings of suffering allege - to declare that something is true without proof alleviate - provide physical relief, as from pain allocate - assign; set apart for a particular purpose aloof - reserved, distant alter - cause to change **altrustic - Unselfish, concerned with the welfare of others amass - collect or gather ambiguous - open to two or more interpretations ambush - a surprise attack amend - to make better **ameliorate - to make better amiable - friendly amoral - nonmoral; having no understanding of right and wrong anology - comparison made between two things to show how they are alike ancestor - someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent) angst - anxiety; fear; dread anguish - extreme mental distress announcement - a formal public statement ancient - very old annoy - to bother; to make angry by repeated noise or action anomaly - deviation from the normal or common order or form or rule anonymous - having no known name or identity or known source antecedent - something that came before **anthology - a collection of selected literary passages antipathy - a feeling of intense dislike antiquated - obsolete, out of fashion, no longer usable antithesis - the direct opposite, a sharp contrast anxious - worried; concerned **apathy - the trait of lacking enthusiasm for or interest in things generally apex - the highest point (of something) appraise - place a value on apprehend - to seize; to arrest archaic - antiquated, old, out of use ardor - intense feeling of love arouse - to excite or bring about array - an impressive display arrest - the act of apprehending (especially apprehending a criminal) arrogant - having or showing feelings of unwarranted importance out of overbearing pride articulate - expressing yourself easily or characterized by clear expressive language artificial - Made by human beings and not by nature ascend - travel up, "We ascended the mountain" aspire - have an ambitious plan or a lofty goal assassinate - to murder for political reasons asset - a useful or valuable quality assert - to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true assign - select something or someone for a specific purpose assimilate - to absorb fully or make one's own; to adopt as one's own; to adapt fully assist - give help or assistance assuage - to calm assume - to take for granted; to suppose assure - make certain of astonish - affect with wonder astound - affect with wonder austere - of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor authority - official permission or approval aware - knowing about something banal - obvious and dull bane - the cause of ruin, harm, distress, or death banish - to force to leave barren - not productive, bare belittle - lessen the authority, dignity, or reputation of belligerent - given to fighting, warlike; combative, aggressive; one at war, one engaged in war benefactor - a person who helps people or institutions (especially with financial help) benevolent - doing or producing good benign - harmless bizarre - Extremely strange, unusual, atypical blatant - unpleasantly or offensively noisy; glaring bleak - (adj.) bare, dreary, dismal blight - anything that destroys, prevents growth, or causes devaluation bliss - a state of extreme happiness bolster - support and strengthen boredom - the condition of being unexcited breach - a rift or tear **brevity - brief in duration, does not last long bungle - to handle badly, botch ############CONTINUED....(36Pages)