SAT Vocabulary

Abate

(verb) To reduce in intensity, amount, or degree. | diminish, subside, wane

Ephemeral

(adj.) Lasting for a very short time. | fleeting, transient, momentary

Exacerbate

(verb) To make a problem worse. | aggravate, worsen, intensify

Pragmatic

(adj.) Dealing with things sensibly and realistically. | practical, sensible, realistic

Ubiquitous

(adj.) Present everywhere. | omnipresent, pervasive, universal

Diminish

(verb) To reduce in size or importance. | decrease, lessen, dwindle

Empirical

(adj.) Based on observation or experience rather than theory. | observational, experimental, evidence-based

Prolific

(adj.) Producing a large amount of something. | productive, fertile, abundant

Scrutinize

(verb) To examine closely. | inspect, analyze, dissect

Substantiate

(verb) To prove with evidence. | verify, corroborate, confirm

Tenuous

(adj.) Weak or insubstantial. | fragile, shaky, flimsy

Ambiguous

(adj.) Open to multiple interpretations. | vague, unclear, equivocal

Catalyst

(noun) Something that speeds up a reaction or change. | trigger, spark, impetus

Compelling

(adj.) Evoking interest or attention; convincing. | persuasive, gripping, forceful

Deleterious

(adj.) Harmful or damaging. | detrimental, injurious, harmful

Elicit

(verb) To draw out a response or reaction. | evoke, provoke, extract

Extrapolate

(verb) To infer or estimate based on known data. | infer, project, deduce

Fortuitous

(adj.) Happening by chance, often in a lucky way. | serendipitous, accidental, coincidental

Idiosyncratic

(adj.) Peculiar or individual in nature. | eccentric, quirky, distinctive

Intricate

(adj.) Very detailed and complicated. | complex, elaborate, convoluted

Mitigate

(verb) To make less severe or serious. | alleviate, lessen, reduce

Plausible

(adj.) Seeming reasonable or likely. | credible, believable, feasible

Propensity

(noun) A natural inclination or tendency. | tendency, inclination, predisposition

Recalcitrant

(adj.) Resistant to authority or control. | defiant, stubborn, unruly

Sagacious

(adj.) Wise and insightful. | shrewd, perceptive, astute

Anecdotal

(adj.) Based on personal accounts rather than facts or research. | informal, unscientific, subjective

Attest

(verb) To serve as proof or evidence of something. | certify, confirm, verify

Augment

(verb) To increase or add to. | supplement, expand, enhance

Capricious

(adj.) Given to sudden changes in mood or behavior. | unpredictable, whimsical, fickle

Coalesce

(verb) To come together to form one whole. | merge, unite, converge

Cogent

(adj.) Convincing and logical. | persuasive, coherent, compelling

Conducive

(adj.) Making a certain outcome likely or possible. | favorable, helpful, supportive

Conjecture

(noun) A guess or speculation without complete evidence. | speculation, hypothesis, supposition

Copious

(adj.) Abundant or plentiful. | abundant, ample, profuse

Delineate

(verb) To describe or outline precisely. | define, outline, demarcate

Discrepancy

(noun) A difference or inconsistency. | inconsistency, disparity, divergence

Disseminate

(verb) To spread widely. | distribute, circulate, propagate

Dormant

(adj.) Inactive or temporarily not in use. | inactive, latent, hibernating

Efficacy

(noun) The ability to produce a desired effect. | effectiveness, potency, capability

Enhance

(verb) To improve or make better. | improve, elevate, boost

Erratic

(adj.) Unpredictable or inconsistent. | unpredictable, irregular, volatile

Exorbitant

(adj.) Unreasonably high or excessive. | excessive, extravagant, steep

Extensive

(adj.) Covering a large area or amount. | comprehensive, broad, wide-ranging

Homogeneous

(adj.) Consisting of parts that are all of the same kind. | uniform, consistent, identical

Inadvertently

(adv.) Without intention; accidentally. | accidentally, unintentionally, unknowingly

Incongruous

(adj.) Not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings. | inconsistent, out of place, incompatible

Ineffable

(adj.) Too great or extreme to be expressed in words. | indescribable, inexpressible, unutterable

Intransigent

(adj.) Unwilling to change one's views or agree. | stubborn, inflexible, unyielding

Magnanimous

(adj.) Generous, forgiving, or noble in spirit. | generous, gracious, benevolent

Meticulous

(adj.) Extremely careful and precise. | thorough, precise, painstaking

Nascent

(adj.) Just beginning to develop. | emerging, budding, fledgling

Nebulous

(adj.) Vague, unclear, or ill-defined. | vague, hazy, indistinct

Obfuscate

(verb) To make something unclear or difficult to understand. | confuse, muddle, obscure

Ostensible

(adj.) Stated or appearing to be true, but not necessarily so. | apparent, seeming, supposed

Paradigm

(noun) A typical example or model of something. | model, framework, standard

Precarious

(adj.) Not secure; risky or unstable. | unstable, dangerous, uncertain

Precipitous

(adj.) Dangerously high or steep; sudden and dramatic. | steep, abrupt, sharp

Proliferation

(noun) Rapid increase or spread. | expansion, surge, spread

Quintessential

(adj.) Representing the most typical or ideal example. | archetypal, classic, definitive

Reinforce

(verb) To strengthen or support. | strengthen, bolster, solidify

Repudiate

(verb) To reject or disown something. | reject, denounce, disavow

Salient

(adj.) Most noticeable or important. | prominent, key, notable

Spurious

(adj.) False or not genuine. | false, fraudulent, bogus

Synthesize

(verb) To combine elements into a whole. | integrate, combine, consolidate

Taciturn

(adj.) Reserved or silent. | reserved, reticent, uncommunicative

Tenacious

(adj.) Persistent, stubborn, unwilling to quit. | persistent, determined, resolute

Unfounded

(adj.) Not based on facts. | baseless, groundless, unsubstantiated

Universal

(adj.) Present everywhere or applicable to all. | widespread, global, all-encompassing

Unprecedented

(adj.) Never seen or done before. | unparalleled, unmatched, novel

Antebellum

(adj.) Existing before a war. In American English, it is most commonly used to describe the period of time, culture, and architecture just before the American Civil War. | pre-war, pre-Civil War

Anthropogenic

(adj.) Originating from human activity. | human-caused, human-induced, man-made

Anthrophony

(noun) All sounds generated by humans and human-made technology.

Anthropomorphism

(noun) The attribution of human characteristics, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities like animals, objects, or deities. | personification, humanization

Antipathy

(noun) Deep-seated, instinctive feeling of dislike. | aversion, hatred, animosity

Autodidact

(noun) A person who is entirely self-taught, acquiring skills and knowledge outside of formal education. | self-taught person, self-educated person

Automaton

(noun) An autonomous mechanical device; a person who acts in a mechanical, unthinking way. | robot, android, machine

Benediction

(noun) A spoken blessing, especially at the end of a religious service. | blessing, prayer, invocation

Malediction

(noun) A curse or expression of ill will toward someone. | curse, hex, imprecationB

Bifurcate

(verb) To divide into two branches or parts. | split, divide, forkAnn

Annuity

(noun) A fixed sum of money paid to someone each year. | allowance, pension, stipend

Secede

(verb) To formally withdraw from an alliance or organization. | withdraw, separate, break away

Anachronism

(noun) Something that belongs to a different time period than the one it appears in. | relic, anomaly, archaism

Circumambulate

(verb) To walk all the way around something. | circle, orbit, walk around

Circumlocution

(noun) The use of an unnecessarily large number of words to express an idea. “Talking in circles” to avoid saying something directly. Think: politicians. | verbosity, evasiveness

Circumvent

(verb) To find a way around an obstacle or rule. | bypass, evade, sidestep

Cognizant

(adj.) Aware or conscious of something. | aware, informed, conscious

Prognosticate

(verb) To predict or forecast a future event. | predict, forecast, prophesy

Collude

(verb) To secretly cooperate with someone for a dishonest purpose. | conspire, scheme, plot

Conclave

(noun) A private or secret meeting. Traditionally, the sacred gathering to elect a Pope. | assembly, gathering, council

Demagogue

(noun) A political leader who appeals to emotions and prejudices instead of reason. Think: Hitler. | agitator, populist

Tenuous

(adj.) Weak or insubstantial. | fragile, shaky, flimsy

Tentative

(adj.) Not certain or fixed; done with hesitation. | provisional, uncertain, hesitant

Tenable

(adj.) Able to be defended or maintained | defensible, justifiable, reasonable

Discombobulate

(verb) To confuse or unsettle someone. | confuse, unsettle, bewilder

Indict

(verb) To formally charge someone with a crime. | charge, accurse, arraign

Ameliorate

(verb) To make something bad or unsatisfactory better. | improve, alleviate, remedy

Sanction

(noun/verb) Official permission or approval; or a penalty imposed on a country or person. | authorize, approve, penalize

Postulate

(verb) To suggest or assume something as a basis for reasoning. | propose, hypothesize, theorizeP

Posit

(verb) To put forward as fact or argument. | assert, propose, suggest

Chauvinist

(noun) A person who believes their own group is superior to others. | bigot, jingoist, supremacist