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500 Most Important Words
500 Most Important Words
These words were generated using a top-hits list and are those most likely to recur on the SAT
every year. They have been organized by theme and by difficulty. The Most Important 500 Words
is a word list of medium difficulty and a good starting point for most students. The two Basic Word
Lists contain easier vocabulary for students who need an easier starting point. The two Challenging
Word Lists contain more difficult vocabulary for students needing a challenge.
Word
abstruse
apt
cajole
compendious
concur
delineate
digress(ion)
elucidate
embroil(ed)
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empiric(al)
enumerate
epitome, epitomize
equivocal
exemplar
exhort
expedient
fathom (verb)
flagrant
florid(ity)
incongruity,
incongruous
ineffable
innuendo
laconic
lucid
nebulous
nuance
paradigm
prattle
pronouncement
proponent
prosaic
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Definition
difficult to understand
appropriate, inclined
coax
succinct
agree
list, explain
stray from the subject at hand
clarify
involve in an argument or conflict
based on observation and experiment
(not theory)
list
representative example
ambiguous
representative example
encourage
useful
understand
evident, obvious
flushed, flowery
Group
argument and language
argument and language
argument and language
argument and language
argument and language
argument and language
argument and language
argument and language
argument and language
inappropriateness, discrepancy
impossible to express in words
implicit suggestion
concise
clear, easily understood
vague
subtle difference
clear example
babble
formal declaration
supporter
lacking imagination, dull
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rebuttal
recant
repudiate
rescind
rhetoric(al),
rhetorician
scrutinize, scrutiny
simile
tangential
defense, counterargument
reject
reject
annul, retract
(related to) elegant speech/writing,
elegant speaker/writer
examine carefully
comparison
digressive, irrelevant
extensive written argument about some
treatise
topic
verbose
wordy, long-winded
aura
air, feeling
bombastic
pompous
buoyant
cheerful, floating
callous
insensitive
cantankerous(ness) irritable
capricious
fickle
caustic
bitter
convivial
sociable, lively
demonstrative
openly emotional
despondent
sad, depressed
diffident, diffidence shy
discomfited
disappointed, defeated
disillusionment
disenchantment, disappointment
dispassionate
unemotional
elated, elation
joyful
evoke
bring about, stir up
felicitous
well-suited, happy
forlorn
sad
fortitude
courage
furor
commotion, anger
histrionic
excessively dramatic or emotional
idyllic
simply tranquil
impetuous
rash, passionate
irate
angry
jaded
tired, bored
jocular
cheerful
jovial
cheerful
maudlin
overly sentimental
melancholy
bleak
mercurial
fickle
morose
depressed
peevish
unpleasant
penchant
preference
done routinely with little interest or
perfunctory
care
petulant
irritable
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profound,
profundity
propensity
repugnant
reticent, reticence
sanguine
solace
somber
temperamental
trepidation
truculent,
truculence
vicarious
wrath
alacrity
dormant
ebullient
equanimity
hardy
indolent
insipid
instigate
invoke
lackadaisical
laggard
languid
listless
lull
pacify
placate
placid
raucous
rouse, rousing
scintillating
stagnant,
stagnation
static (adjective)
torpor
unruly
vapid
abhor, abhorrence
acrimony
amiable
amicable
antipathy
congenial
disputatious
intense, significant
inclination, tendency
offensive, disgusting
emotionally reserved
cheerfully confident, optimistic
comfort, consolation
bleak
moody
apprehension
emotions
emotions
emotions
emotions
emotions
emotions
emotions
emotions
emotions
aggressive, bad-tempered
felt indirectly by imagining someone
else's experiences
anger
eagerness
inactive
enthusiastic
calmness
robust, sturdy
lazy
dull, boring
provoke, start
call forth, appeal to
lacking energy, lethargic
lazy person
inactive, dreamy
languid, sluggish
short period of calm
soothe, calm
calm someone down
calm
harsh, rowdy
provoke, excite
lively, effervescent
emotions
not moving
not moving
drowsiness, apathy
boisterous, unrestrained
dull, uninteresting
hatred
bitter animosity
friendly
friendly
dislike
pleasant
quarrelsome
energy
energy
energy
energy
energy
friends and enemies
friends and enemies
friends and enemies
friends and enemies
friends and enemies
friends and enemies
friends and enemies
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emotions
emotions
energy
energy
energy
energy
energy
energy
energy
energy
energy
energy
energy
energy
energy
energy
energy
energy
energy
energy
energy
energy
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distaste
empathetic,
empathy
estrange,
estrangement
exacting
genial
officious
parody
rancor(ous)
rapport
recluse, reclusive
satire, satirical,
satirize
solicitous(ness)
unwitting
amenable
aspire
assiduous
assuage
compliant,
compliance
dauntless
debacle
debilitate(d)
debunk
deference,
deferential
deterrent
disheartening
dispel
disquiet(ing)
facile
futile, futility
gallant(ry)
impasse
indomitable
intrepid
onerous
servile
steadfast
subservient
tenacious, tenacity
tenuous
tribulation
vying
acumen
dislike, aversion
compassionate
alienate, alienation
demanding, severe requirements
friendly
meddlesome, interfering
intentional mockery
bitter resentment
relationship
hermit
sarcastic imitation
expressing care or concern, often too
much
unintentional
yielding
strive for
diligent
relieve, appease
yielding
courageous
failure
weaken(ed)
prove wrong
give up?
give up?
give up?
give up?
give up?
give up?
give up?
give up?
give up?
give up?
give up?
give up?
give up?
give up?
give up?
give up?
give up?
give up?
give up?
give up?
give up?
give up?
give up?
give up?
knowledge and skill
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adept
adroit
anthropology
boorish,
boorishness
cerebral
churlish
conscientious
cosmopolitan
credulity,
credulous
didactic
discern, discerning
epiphany
erudite, erudition
esoteric
fastidious
finesse
flummox
folly
foolhardy
grandiose
inane
ineptitude
ingenuous
lithe
neophyte
oversight
painstaking
pedant, pedantic,
pedantry
precocious
provincial
punctilious
pundit
quixotic
sage
scrupulous
shrewd
slipshod
stupefy,
stupefaction
susceptible
tractable
uncanny
uncouth
unfathomable
skillful
skillful
study of human beings
crude
intellectual
vulgar, boorish
careful
sophisticated, urbane
bewilder
easily influenced or affected
easily managed or controlled
extraordinary, weird
crude
incomprehensible, unbelievable
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ungainly
urbane
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venerable
virtuoso, virtuosity
wry
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corroborate
decorum, decorous
equitable
illicit
incriminate
indict(ment)
indignant
indulgent
judicious
ratify
sanction (verb)
vindicate,
vindication
altruistic, altruism
avarice
benevolent
bequeath
depreciation,
depreciatory
destitute
exorbitant
frugal(ity)
lucrative
luxuriant
magnanimity,
magnanimous
mercenary
miserly
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patronize
penurious
perquisite
philanthropist,
philanthropic
procure
provident
squander
venal(ity)
vocation
aberration
accost
clumsy
elegant, sophisticated
commanding respect because of age,
dignity
one with exceptional musical skill
clever or grim sense of humor
strengthen or support with additional
evidence
order, politeness
even-handed
illegal
accuse someone of a crime
formally accuse of a crime
angered (by injustice)
lenient
fair
approve, confirm
formally approve
decrease in value
poor
too expensive
cheap(ness)
profitable
lush, elaborate
money
money
money
money
money
money
generosity, generous
motivated by money
cheap, stingy
financially support, be condescending
towards
cheap, stingy
additional payment, bonus
money
money
money
money
money
money
money
money
money
politics and tradition
politics and tradition
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money
money
money
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adamant
apathetic, apathy
ascendancy
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ascetic, asceticism
august
autocrat, autocratic
automaton
banal
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bipartisanship
depose
derivative
desecration
despot
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doctrine
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dogmatic
eclectic
egalitarian
exhibitionist,
exhibitionistic
faction
fanaticism
hackneyed
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heresy, heretic
idiosyncracy,
idiosyncratic
orthodox
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pacifist
partisan
piety, pious
polemical
renounce
reverent
sanctity
staunch
stock (adjective)
strident
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subversive
supplant
sycophant
toady
totalitarian
not yielding
lacking interest
influence, domination
one who practices self-denial as a
spiritual discipline
dignified
dictator, dictatorial
a person who acts like a robot
common
supported by two opposing groups
(political parties)
dethrone, remove from power
not original
violate the sacredness of
dictator
religious, political, or philosophical
principles or teachings
tending to force one's own opinions on
other people
from diverse sources
belief in equality
deliberately behaving a certain way to
attract attention
group within a larger group
excessive enthusiasm
common
belief contrary to the established
opinion
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trite
usurp
zealot
assail
berate
castigate
censorious
censure
chastise
chide
consternation
contempt(uous)
contemptible
culpable
denigrate
deprecate
deride
derogatory,
derogate
discount (verb)
disparage
eulogy, eulogize
extol
laud, laudatory
noxious
reprehensible
reprimand
reproach
scathing
slight (verb)
spurn
tirade
tout
affected
chagrin
complacency,
complacent
conciliate,
conciliatory
degradation
demure, demurral
flippant, flippancy
hubris
ignominy,
ignominious
imperious
impudence,
impudent
common
seize power without authority
fanatic
belittle
scold harshly
belittle
harshly critical
scold
belittle
belittle
dismay
disdainful
despicable
blameworthy
belittle
disapprove, belittle
make fun of
disparaging, belittling
disregard
belittle
praising speech
praise
praise
poisonous
blameworthy
belittle
scold
harshly critical
insult, snub
reject with contempt
critical speech
praise
haughty
mortification
self-satisfaction, smugness
pride
compromising, apologizing
humiliation
overly modest
disrespectful
arrogance
pride
pride
pride
pride
pride
dishonor, humiliation
arrogant
pride
pride
disrespectful, insolent
pride
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insolence, insolent
irreverent,
irreverence
notoriety,
notorious
obdurate
obstinate, -acy
opportunist,
opportunistic
peremptory
presumptuous
recalcitrant
self-righteous
self-serving
supercilious
unabashed
wayward
bog
coalesce
confluence
disseminate
effervesce
elicit
indigenous
induce
inert, inertia
inherent
multifarious
precipitate
abate
allocate
atrophy
attenuate
burgeon
circumscribe
copious
dearth
devoid
diffuse
diminutive,
diminution
efface(ment)
encompass
encroaching
excavate
extricate
gargantuan
disrespectful
pride
disrespectful
pride
pride
pride
pride
extremely small
erase
include, surround
intrusive
unearth, dig up
disentangle
gigantic
Ivy Global
pride
pride
pride
pride
pride
pride
pride
pride
pride
science
science
science
science
science
science
science
science
science
science
science
science
size, amount, location
size, amount, location
size, amount, location
size, amount, location
size, amount, location
size, amount, location
size, amount, location
size, amount, location
size, amount, location
size, amount, location
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germinate
hamper (verb)
incubate
indiscriminate
inhibit(ing)
innate
innocuous
insular(ity)
inundate
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latent, latency
mitigate, mitigator
modicum
motley
parch
paucity
peripheral
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plasticity
plethora, plethoric
pliable, pliant
preclude
prodigious
profuse, profusion
prohibitive,
prohibition
proliferate,
proliferation
prolific
quell
rampant
ravenous
reap
recessive
relegate
relinquish
repertory
satiate
saturate
scanty
scope
superfluous
surfeit
teem, teeming
trifling
ubiquitous
vacuous, vacuity
viscous
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restrictive
grow, increase
fertile, fruitful
suppress, quench
unrestrained, growing
insatiable, having a huge appetite
harvest, gather
tending to go backward
demote
give back
collection
satisfy fully
flood, soak
barely sufficient
opportunity, range
more than necessary
surplus
abundant
frivolous, unimportant
ever-present, pervasive
empty
thick, sticky
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waning
byzantine
cacophonous,
cacophony
cursory
gait
garish
lessening
convoluted, complex
discordant sound
hasty, superficial
manner of walking
tastelessly showy
the senses
the senses
the senses
the senses
glutton(ous)
lurid
malleable
ramshackle
redolent
shroud
stark(ness)
succulent
antediluvian
dilatory
ephemeral
hasten
oracle
prospective
regressive
sporadic
temporize
transient
arcane
belie
charlatan
circuitous
clandestine
demystify
disingenuous
divulge
dupe
duplicitous,
duplicity
enigma(tic)
the senses
the senses
the senses
the senses
the senses
the senses
the senses
the senses
time
time
time
time
time
time
time
time
time
time
truth
truth
truth
truth
truth
truth
truth
truth
truth
deliberately deceptive
mystery, mysterious
a report designed to reveal the truth to
the public
deceitful, incorrect
false belief
deceitful
sneaky
truth
truth
skeptical
left doubtful, inconclusive
mysterious
truth
truth
truth
expos
fallacious
fallacy
fraudulent
furtive
incredulous,
incredulity
indeterminate
inscrutable
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truth
truth
truth
truth
truth
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irony, ironic
ostensible
plausible,
plausibility
pretext
prevaricator
rectify, rectitude
refutation, refute
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sanctimonious
sophistry
spurious
substantiate
auspicious
barrage
belligerent
blighted
bolster
buttress
circumvent
conflagration
contentious
decimate
deleterious
depravity
dire
divergent
divisive
elude
elusive
embitter(ed)
encumbrance
fortuitous
marred
nefarious
palliate, palliative
precarious
raze
serendipity
spartan
vanquish
vigilant
vindictive
virulent
truth
truth
likely true
misleading claim or appearance
liar
put right, correct
arguing that a claim is false
truth
truth
truth
truth
truth
truth
truth
truth
truth
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
war and peace
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