This document lists 500 important words for the SAT organized into groups based on their meaning or usage. The words are listed alphabetically with their definition and the conceptual grouping they fall into such as "politics and tradition", "knowledge and skill", or "friends and enemies". Mastering these words would help improve vocabulary for the SAT exam.
This document lists 500 important words for the SAT organized into groups based on their meaning or usage. The words are listed alphabetically with their definition and the conceptual grouping they fall into such as "politics and tradition", "knowledge and skill", or "friends and enemies". Mastering these words would help improve vocabulary for the SAT exam.
This document lists 500 important words for the SAT organized into groups based on their meaning or usage. The words are listed alphabetically with their definition and the conceptual grouping they fall into such as "politics and tradition", "knowledge and skill", or "friends and enemies". Mastering these words would help improve vocabulary for the SAT exam.
This document lists 500 important words for the SAT organized into groups based on their meaning or usage. The words are listed alphabetically with their definition and the conceptual grouping they fall into such as "politics and tradition", "knowledge and skill", or "friends and enemies". Mastering these words would help improve vocabulary for the SAT exam.
1 abate lessen size, amount, location 2 aberration deviation, not normal politics and tradition 3 abhor, abhorrence hatred friends and enemies 4 abstruse difficult to understand argument and language 5 accost confront politics and tradition 6 acrimony bitter animosity friends and enemies 7 acumen insightfulness knowledge and skill 8 adamant not yielding politics and tradition 9 adept skillful knowledge and skill 10 adroit skillful knowledge and skill 11 affected haughty pride 12 alacrity eagerness energy 13 allocate assign, portion size, amount, location 14 altruistic, altruism generous money 15 amenable yielding give up? 16 amiable friendly friends and enemies 17 amicable friendly friends and enemies 18 antediluvian very old time 19 anthropology study of human beings knowledge and skill 20 antipathy dislike friends and enemies 21 apathetic, apathy lacking interest politics and tradition 22 apt appropriate, inclined argument and language 23 arcane mysterious, known only by a few truth 24 ascendancy influence, domination politics and tradition one who practices self-denial as a 25 ascetic, asceticism politics and tradition spiritual discipline 26 aspire strive for give up? 27 assail belittle praise and criticism 28 assiduous diligent give up? 29 assuage relieve, appease give up? 30 atrophy waste away size, amount, location 31 attenuate weaken, reduce size, amount, location 32 august dignified politics and tradition 33 aura air, feeling emotions 34 auspicious favorable war and peace 35 autocrat, autocratic dictator, dictatorial politics and tradition 36 automaton a person who acts like a robot politics and tradition 37 avarice greed money 38 banal common politics and tradition 39 barrage bombardment, torrent war and peace 40 belie give a false impression truth 41 belligerent aggressive, warlike war and peace 42 benevolent generous money 43 bequeath hand down (through a will) money 44 berate scold harshly praise and criticism supported by two opposing groups 45 bipartisanship politics and tradition (political parties) 46 blighted destroyed war and peace 47 bog marsh, swamp science 48 bolster support war and peace 49 bombastic pompous emotions 50 boorish, boorishness crude knowledge and skill 51 buoyant cheerful, floating emotions 52 burgeon grow, flourish size, amount, location 53 buttress support war and peace 54 byzantine convoluted, complex the senses 55 cacophonous, cacophony discordant sound the senses 56 cajole coax argument and language 57 callous insensitive emotions 58 cantankerous(ness) irritable emotions 59 capricious fickle emotions 60 castigate belittle praise and criticism 61 caustic bitter emotions 62 censorious harshly critical praise and criticism 63 censure scold praise and criticism 64 cerebral intellectual knowledge and skill 65 chagrin mortification pride 66 charlatan swindler truth 67 chastise belittle praise and criticism 68 chide belittle praise and criticism 69 churlish vulgar, boorish knowledge and skill 70 circuitous indirect truth 71 circumscribe restrict size, amount, location 72 circumvent escape, avoid war and peace 73 clandestine secretive truth 74 coalesce blend, fuse science 75 compendious succinct argument and language complacency, 76 self-satisfaction, smugness pride complacent 77 compliant, compliance yielding give up? 78 conciliate, conciliatory compromising, apologizing pride 79 concur agree argument and language 80 conflagration large destructive fire war and peace a place where things merge or flow 81 confluence science together 82 congenial pleasant friends and enemies 83 conscientious careful knowledge and skill 84 consternation dismay praise and criticism 85 contempt(uous) disdainful praise and criticism 86 contemptible despicable praise and criticism 87 contentious belligerent, quarrelsome war and peace 88 convivial sociable, lively emotions 89 copious abundant size, amount, location strengthen or support with 90 corroborate law and order additional evidence 91 cosmopolitan sophisticated, urbane knowledge and skill the trait of trusting others too 92 credulity, credulous knowledge and skill much 93 culpable blameworthy praise and criticism 94 cursory hasty, superficial the senses 95 dauntless courageous give up? 96 dearth scarcity size, amount, location 97 debacle failure give up? 98 debilitate(d) weaken(ed) give up? 99 debunk prove wrong give up? 100 decimate destroy war and peace 101 decorum, decorous order, politeness law and order 102 deference, deferential respectful submission, yielding give up? 103 degradation humiliation pride 104 deleterious harmful war and peace 105 delineate list, explain argument and language 106 demonstrative openly emotional emotions 107 demure, demurral overly modest pride 108 demystify make clear and comprehensible truth 109 denigrate belittle praise and criticism 110 depose dethrone, remove from power politics and tradition 111 depravity moral corruption war and peace 112 deprecate disapprove, belittle praise and criticism depreciation, 113 decrease in value money depreciatory 114 deride make fun of praise and criticism 115 derivative not original politics and tradition 116 derogatory, derogate disparaging, belittling praise and criticism 117 desecration violate the sacredness of politics and tradition 118 despondent sad, depressed emotions 119 despot dictator politics and tradition 120 destitute poor money 121 deterrent hindrance, impediment give up? 122 devoid lacking size, amount, location (often excessively) morally 123 didactic knowledge and skill instructive 124 diffident, diffidence shy emotions 125 diffuse spread out size, amount, location 126 digress(ion) stray from the subject at hand argument and language 127 dilatory tending to waste time time 128 diminutive, diminution extremely small size, amount, location 129 dire urgent, dreadful war and peace 130 discern, discerning perceive, perceptive knowledge and skill 131 discomfited disappointed, defeated emotions 132 discount (verb) disregard praise and criticism 133 disheartening discouraging give up? 134 disillusionment disenchantment, disappointment emotions 135 disingenuous insincere truth 136 disparage belittle praise and criticism 137 dispassionate unemotional emotions 138 dispel to drive away or disprove give up? 139 disputatious quarrelsome friends and enemies 140 disquiet(ing) (causing) anxiety give up? 141 disseminate scatter widely science 142 distaste dislike, aversion friends and enemies 143 divergent different, conflicting war and peace 144 divisive creating conflict war and peace 145 divulge make known truth religious, political, or philosophical 146 doctrine politics and tradition principles or teachings tending to force one's own 147 dogmatic politics and tradition opinions on other people 148 dormant inactive energy 149 dupe deceive truth 150 duplicitous, duplicity deliberately deceptive truth 151 ebullient enthusiastic energy 152 eclectic from diverse sources politics and tradition 153 efface(ment) erase size, amount, location 154 effervesce bubble, fizz science 155 egalitarian belief in equality politics and tradition 156 elated, elation joyful emotions 157 elicit bring about science 158 elucidate clarify argument and language 159 elude evade war and peace 160 elusive difficulty to catch or define war and peace 161 embitter(ed) make worse war and peace 162 embroil(ed) involve in an argument or conflict argument and language 163 empathetic, empathy compassionate friends and enemies based on observation and 164 empiric(al) argument and language experiment (not theory) 165 encompass include, surround size, amount, location 166 encroaching intrusive size, amount, location 167 encumbrance burden war and peace 168 enigma(tic) mystery, mysterious truth 169 enumerate list argument and language 170 ephemeral short-lived time 171 epiphany sudden realization knowledge and skill 172 epitome, epitomize representative example argument and language 173 equanimity calmness energy 174 equitable even-handed law and order 175 equivocal ambiguous argument and language 176 erudite, erudition scholarly knowledge and skill 177 esoteric understood only by a few knowledge and skill 178 estrange, estrangement alienate, alienation friends and enemies 179 eulogy, eulogize praising speech praise and criticism 180 evoke bring about, stir up emotions 181 exacting demanding, severe requirements friends and enemies 182 excavate unearth, dig up size, amount, location 183 exemplar representative example argument and language exhibitionist, deliberately behaving a certain way 184 politics and tradition exhibitionistic to attract attention 185 exhort encourage argument and language 186 exorbitant too expensive money 187 expedient useful argument and language a report designed to reveal the 188 exposé truth truth to the public 189 extol praise praise and criticism 190 extricate disentangle size, amount, location 191 facile superficial, effortless give up? 192 faction group within a larger group politics and tradition 193 fallacious deceitful, incorrect truth 194 fallacy false belief truth 195 fanaticism excessive enthusiasm politics and tradition 196 fastidious careful knowledge and skill 197 fathom (verb) understand argument and language 198 felicitous well-suited, happy emotions 199 finesse tact, elegant skill knowledge and skill 200 flagrant evident, obvious argument and language 201 flippant, flippancy disrespectful pride 202 florid(ity) flushed, flowery argument and language 203 flummox confuse knowledge and skill 204 folly foolishness knowledge and skill 205 foolhardy recklessly daring knowledge and skill 206 forlorn sad emotions 207 fortitude courage emotions 208 fortuitous fortunate, lucky war and peace 209 fraudulent deceitful truth 210 frugal(ity) cheap(ness) money 211 furor commotion, anger emotions 212 furtive sneaky truth 213 futile, futility hopeless give up? 214 gait manner of walking the senses 215 gallant(ry) courageous give up? 216 gargantuan gigantic size, amount, location 217 garish tastelessly showy the senses 218 genial friendly friends and enemies 219 germinate (cause to) grow size, amount, location someone who eats and drinks too 220 glutton(ous) the senses much 221 grandiose pompous, pretentious knowledge and skill 222 hackneyed common politics and tradition 223 hamper (verb) hinder, restrict size, amount, location 224 hardy robust, sturdy energy 225 hasten speed up the progress of time belief contrary to the established 226 heresy, heretic politics and tradition opinion 227 histrionic excessively dramatic or emotional emotions 228 hubris arrogance pride idiosyncracy, 229 unique personal trait, quirky politics and tradition idiosyncratic 230 idyllic simply tranquil emotions 231 ignominy, ignominious dishonor, humiliation pride 232 illicit illegal law and order 233 impasse obstacle give up? 234 imperious arrogant pride 235 impetuous rash, passionate emotions 236 impudence, impudent disrespectful, insolent pride 237 inane senseless, stupid knowledge and skill 238 incongruity, incongruous inappropriateness, discrepancy argument and language 239 incredulous, incredulity skeptical truth 240 incriminate accuse someone of a crime law and order 241 incubate develop, grow size, amount, location 242 indeterminate left doubtful, inconclusive truth 243 indict(ment) formally accuse of a crime law and order 244 indigenous native to a region science 245 indignant angered (by injustice) law and order 246 indiscriminate unselective, random size, amount, location 247 indolent lazy energy 248 indomitable too strong to be defeated give up? 249 induce cause science 250 indulgent lenient law and order 251 ineffable impossible to express in words argument and language 252 ineptitude incompetence knowledge and skill 253 inert, inertia not moving or active science 254 ingenuous unsophisticated and trusting, naïve knowledge and skill 255 inherent intrinsic, natural science 256 inhibit(ing) restrain(ing) size, amount, location 257 innate intrinsic, natural size, amount, location 258 innocuous harmless size, amount, location 259 innuendo implicit suggestion argument and language 260 inscrutable mysterious truth 261 insipid dull, boring energy 262 insolence, insolent disrespectful pride 263 instigate provoke, start energy 264 insular(ity) related to or similar to an island size, amount, location 265 intrepid courageous give up? 266 inundate flood size, amount, location 267 invoke call forth, appeal to energy 268 irate angry emotions incongruity between what is 269 irony, ironic truth expected and what actually results 270 irreverent, irreverence disrespectful pride 271 jaded tired, bored emotions 272 jocular cheerful emotions 273 jovial cheerful emotions 274 judicious fair law and order 275 lackadaisical lacking energy, lethargic energy 276 laconic concise argument and language 277 laggard lazy person energy 278 languid inactive, dreamy energy the state of being not yet evident 279 latent, latency size, amount, location or active 280 laud, laudatory praise praise and criticism 281 listless languid, sluggish energy 282 lithe graceful, supple knowledge and skill 283 lucid clear, easily understood argument and language 284 lucrative profitable money 285 lull short period of calm energy 286 lurid sensational, shocking the senses 287 luxuriant lush, elaborate money magnanimity, 288 generosity, generous money magnanimous 289 malleable capable of being shaped, pliable the senses 290 marred scarred war and peace 291 maudlin overly sentimental emotions 292 melancholy bleak emotions 293 mercenary motivated by money money 294 mercurial fickle emotions 295 miserly cheap, stingy money 296 mitigate, mitigator moderate, alleviate size, amount, location 297 modicum small amount size, amount, location 298 morose depressed emotions 299 motley diverse, heterogeneous size, amount, location 300 multifarious many types science 301 nebulous vague argument and language 302 nefarious evil war and peace 303 neophyte beginner knowledge and skill 304 notoriety, notorious infamous, ill fame pride 305 noxious poisonous praise and criticism 306 nuance subtle difference argument and language 307 obdurate stubborn pride 308 obstinate (obstinacy) stubborn(ness) pride 309 officious meddlesome, interfering friends and enemies 310 onerous difficult, trying give up? opportunist, a person who takes advantage of 311 pride opportunistic opportunities, often unethically 312 oracle prophet time 313 orthodox conservative, traditional politics and tradition 314 ostensible apparent, seeming truth 315 oversight mistake knowledge and skill one who completely opposes 316 pacifist politics and tradition violence 317 pacify soothe, calm energy 318 painstaking careful knowledge and skill 319 palliate, palliative relieve pain without curing war and peace 320 paradigm clear example argument and language 321 parch make dry size, amount, location 322 parody intentional mockery friends and enemies 323 partisan someone with biased beliefs politics and tradition financially support, be 324 patronize money condescending towards 325 paucity scarcity size, amount, location pedant, pedantic, a person who makes a great show 326 knowledge and skill pedantry of his knowledge 327 peevish unpleasant emotions 328 penchant preference emotions 329 penurious cheap, stingy money 330 peremptory bossy, decisive pride done routinely with little interest or 331 perfunctory emotions care 332 peripheral outermost, secondary size, amount, location 333 perquisite additional payment, bonus money 334 petulant irritable emotions philanthropist, 335 someone who supports charity money philanthropic 336 piety, pious religious devotion politics and tradition 337 placate calm someone down energy 338 placid calm energy malleability, the ability to be 339 plasticity size, amount, location shaped or molded 340 plausible, plausibility likely true truth 341 plethora, plethoric surplus size, amount, location 342 pliable, pliant easily shaped or influenced size, amount, location 343 polemical controversial politics and tradition 344 prattle babble argument and language 345 precarious dangerous, unstable war and peace 346 precipitate outcome science 347 preclude prevent size, amount, location early development in maturity and 348 precocious knowledge and skill intelligence 349 presumptuous too bold, arrogant pride 350 pretext misleading claim or appearance truth 351 prevaricator liar truth 352 procure get or provide money 353 prodigious huge size, amount, location 354 profound, profundity intense, significant emotions 355 profuse, profusion plentiful size, amount, location 356 prohibitive, prohibition restrictive size, amount, location 357 proliferate, proliferation grow, increase size, amount, location 358 prolific fertile, fruitful size, amount, location 359 pronouncement formal declaration argument and language 360 propensity inclination, tendency emotions 361 proponent supporter argument and language 362 prosaic lacking imagination, dull argument and language 363 prospective likely or expected to become time 364 provident prudent, frugal money 365 provincial narrow-minded, unsophisticated knowledge and skill 366 punctilious meticulous, attentive to detail knowledge and skill 367 pundit a knowledgeable commentator knowledge and skill 368 quell suppress, quench size, amount, location 369 quixotic foolish knowledge and skill 370 rampant unrestrained, growing size, amount, location 371 ramshackle poorly constructed the senses 372 rancor(ous) bitter resentment friends and enemies 373 rapport relationship friends and enemies 374 ratify approve, confirm law and order 375 raucous harsh, rowdy energy 376 ravenous insatiable, having a huge appetite size, amount, location 377 raze destroy, demolish war and peace 378 reap harvest, gather size, amount, location 379 rebuttal defense, counterargument argument and language 380 recalcitrant stubborn pride 381 recant reject argument and language 382 recessive tending to go backward size, amount, location 383 recluse, reclusive hermit friends and enemies 384 rectify, rectitude put right, correct truth 385 redolent reminiscent, having smell the senses 386 refutation, refute arguing that a claim is false truth 387 regressive tending to return or revert time 388 relegate demote size, amount, location 389 relinquish give back size, amount, location 390 renounce reject politics and tradition 391 repertory collection size, amount, location 392 reprehensible blameworthy praise and criticism 393 reprimand belittle praise and criticism 394 reproach scold praise and criticism 395 repudiate reject argument and language 396 repugnant offensive, disgusting emotions 397 rescind annull, retract argument and language 398 reticent, reticence emotionally reserved emotions 399 reverent respectful, pious politics and tradition (related to) elegant speech/writing, 400 rhetoric(al), rhetorician argument and language elegant speaker/writer 401 rouse, rousing provoke, excite energy 402 sage wise knowledge and skill pretending to be religious, 403 sanctimonious truth hypocritical 404 sanction (verb) formally approve law and order 405 sanctity holiness politics and tradition 406 sanguine cheerfully confident, optimistic emotions 407 satiate satisfy fully size, amount, location 408 satire, satirical, satirize sarcastic imitation friends and enemies 409 saturate flood, soak size, amount, location 410 scanty barely sufficient size, amount, location 411 scathing harshly critical praise and criticism 412 scintillating lively, effervescent energy 413 scope opportunity, range size, amount, location 414 scrupulous very careful and precise knowledge and skill 415 scrutinize, scrutiny examine carefully argument and language 416 self-righteous smug, holier-than-thou pride 417 self-serving selfish pride 418 serendipity luck war and peace 419 servile submissive, subservient give up? 420 shrewd astute, smart knowledge and skill 421 shroud hide, obscure the senses 422 simile comparison argument and language 423 slight (verb) insult, snub praise and criticism 424 slipshod careless, sloppy knowledge and skill 425 solace comfort, consolation emotions expressing care or concern, often 426 solicitous(ness) friends and enemies too much 427 somber bleak emotions 428 sophistry deceptive reasoning truth 429 spartan simple, self-disciplined war and peace 430 sporadic occurring at irregular intervals time 431 spurious false, inauthentic truth 432 spurn reject with contempt praise and criticism 433 squander waste money 434 stagnant, stagnation not moving energy 435 stark(ness) harsh, plain the senses 436 static (adjective) not moving energy 437 staunch strong and loyal politics and tradition 438 steadfast not yielding give up? 439 stock (adjective) standard, hackneyed politics and tradition 440 strident loud and harsh politics and tradition 441 stupefy, stupefaction bewilder knowledge and skill 442 subservient yielding give up? 443 substantiate confirm, establish as genuine truth one who intends to overthrow the 444 subversive politics and tradition government 445 succulent delicious the senses 446 supercilious arrogant pride 447 superfluous more than necessary size, amount, location 448 supplant to take the place of politics and tradition 449 surfeit surplus size, amount, location 450 susceptible easily influenced or affected knowledge and skill 451 sycophant suck up, flatterer politics and tradition 452 tangential digressive, irrelevant argument and language 453 teem, teeming abundant size, amount, location 454 temperamental moody emotions 455 temporize delay, evade time 456 tenacious, tenacity stubborn, determined give up? 457 tenuous insignificant, flimsy give up? 458 tirade critical speech praise and criticism 459 toady suck-up politics and tradition 460 torpor drowsiness, apathy energy 461 totalitarian undemocratic, rigid political control politics and tradition 462 tout praise praise and criticism 463 tractable easily managed or controlled knowledge and skill 464 transient lasting for only a short time time extensive written argument about 465 treatise argument and language some topic 466 trepidation apprehension emotions 467 tribulation suffering give up? 468 trifling frivolous, unimportant size, amount, location 469 trite common politics and tradition 470 truculent, truculence aggressive, bad-tempered emotions 471 ubiquitous ever-present, pervasive size, amount, location 472 unabashed not embarrassed pride 473 uncanny extraordinary, weird knowledge and skill 474 uncouth crude knowledge and skill 475 unfathomable incomprehensible, unbelievable knowledge and skill 476 ungainly clumsy knowledge and skill 477 unruly boisterous, unrestrained energy 478 unwitting unintentional friends and enemies 479 urbane elegant, sophisticated knowledge and skill 480 usurp seize power without authority politics and tradition 481 vacuous, vacuity empty size, amount, location 482 vanquish conquer, defeat war and peace 483 vapid dull, uninteresting energy 484 venal(ity) willing to accept bribes money commanding respect because of 485 venerable knowledge and skill age, dignity 486 verbose wordy, long-winded argument and language felt indirectly by imagining 487 vicarious emotions someone else's experiences 488 vigilant watchful, alert war and peace 489 vindicate, vindication clear of blame or suspicion law and order 490 vindictive seeking revenge war and peace 491 virtuoso, virtuosity one with exceptional musical skill knowledge and skill 492 virulent poisonous war and peace 493 viscous thick, sticky size, amount, location 494 vocation career money 495 vying striving give up? 496 waning lessening size, amount, location 497 wayward selfish, stubborn pride 498 wrath anger emotions 499 wry clever or grim sense of humor knowledge and skill 500 zealot fanatic politics and tradition