SAT Reading Core Vocabulary

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering high-frequency and advanced SAT reading vocabulary and their definitions from official guide tests and practice materials.

acoustic

Related to sound or to the sense of hearing.

by no means

Not at all.

substantial

Large in amount, value or importance.

adverse

Negative and unpleasant; not likely to produce a good result.

incur

To be in a situation in which you have to deal with something unpleasant, or to have to pay costs.

imprudence

The fact of not being wise or sensible.

disposition

The natural qualities of a person's character.

repose

A state of rest, sleep or feeling calm.

reciprocate

To behave or feel towards somebody in the same way as they behave or feel towards you; or to move backwards and forwards in a straight line.

ambivalent

Having or showing both positive and negative feelings about somebody or something.

succumb

To not be able to fight an attack, a temptation, etc.

tenuous

Very uncertain or weak (describing a connection, reason, or position); so weak or uncertain that it hardly exists.

nuance

A very slight difference in meaning, sound, colour or feelings that is not usually very obvious.

unobtrusive

Not easily noticed or not drawing attention to oneself.

mitigate

To make something less harmful, serious, etc.

opaque

Not clear enough to see through or allow light through; difficult to understand; not clear.

conjecture

An opinion or idea that is not based on definite knowledge and is formed by guessing.

pragmatic

Solving problems in a practical and sensible way rather than by having fixed ideas or theories.

equanimity

A calm state of mind that means that you do not become angry or upset, especially in difficult situations.

proponent

A person who supports an idea or course of action.

disparate

Made up of parts or people that are very different from each other; so different from each other that they cannot be compared or cannot work together.

counterintuitive

Contrary to what common sense would suggest.

dormant

Not active or growing now but able to become active or to grow in the future.

repudiate

To refuse to accept something, or to officially and publicly state that something is not true.

impartial

Not supporting one person or group more than another.

haphazard

With no particular order or plan; not organized well.

premeditated

Planned in advance.

rudimentary

Dealing with only the most basic matters or ideas; not highly or fully developed.

surmise

To guess or suppose something using the evidence you have, without definitely knowing.

discreet

Careful in what you say or do, in order to keep something secret or to avoid causing difficulty or embarrassment for someone.

precarious

Not safe or certain; dangerous.

inadvertently

By accident; without intending to.

ameliorate

To make something better.

conspicuous

Easy to see or notice; likely to attract attention.

prudent

Sensible and careful when you make judgements and decisions; avoiding unnecessary risks.

overt

Done in an open way and not secretly.

exacerbate

To make something worse, especially a disease or problem.

preclude

To prevent something from happening or somebody from doing something; to make something impossible.

anomalous

Different from what is normal or expected.

meticulous

Paying careful attention to every detail.

pristine

Fresh and clean, as if new; not developed or changed in any way; left in its original condition.

pervasive

Existing in all parts of a place or thing; spreading gradually to affect all parts of a place or thing.

empirical

Based on experiments or experience rather than ideas or theories.

vindicate

To prove that something is true or that you were right to do something; to prove that somebody is not guilty or is right.

supplant

To take the place of somebody or something (especially somebody or something older or less modern).

venerate

To have and show a lot of respect for somebody or something, especially somebody or something considered to be holy or very important.

candor

The quality of saying what you think openly and honestly.

corollary

A situation, an argument or a fact that is the natural and direct result of another one.

exhaustive

Including everything possible; very thorough or complete.

ubiquitous

Seeming to be everywhere or in several places at the same time; very common.

stymie

To prevent somebody from doing something that they have planned or want to do; to prevent something from happening.

resilience

The ability of people or things to recover quickly after something unpleasant, such as shock, injury, etc.