Positive/Negative/Neutral Words to Know - SAT Reading

Adept

skilled (POSITIVE)

Align (oneself with)

support or adopt the position of (POSITIVE)

Authentic

genuine (POSITIVE)

Centrality

state of being central or essential (POSITIVE)

Complement

to complete or perfect (POSITIVE)

Comprehensive

thorough, complete (POSITIVE)

Contingent

dependent upon (POSITIVE)

Confer

give, grant (POSITIVE)

Cultivate

grow, raise (POSITIVE)

Elucidate

make clear (POSITIVE)

Esteemed

held in high regard (POSITIVE)

Invigorating

intensely energizing, exciting (POSITIVE)

Extant

still in existence (POSITIVE)

Fervor (adj., Fervid)

excitement, intensity (POSITIVE)

Innovative

new and revolutionary (POSITIVE)

Mirth

happiness (POSITIVE)

Mitigate

make less severe (POSITIVE)

Precocious

done at an earlier age than usual (POSITIVE)

Prevail

win (adjective means widespread & generally accepted) (POSITIVE)

Sovereignty

political independence, self-rule (POSITIVE)

Adversary

opponent (NEGATIVE)

Bureaucracy

administrative portion of a government or organization; usually has a connotation of unnecessary hassle or complication (NEGATIVE)

Conventional

traditional, what has always been done (NEGATIVE)

Displace

to force someone or something from its home or habitat (NEGATIVE)

Disparity (adj., Disparate)

difference, gap (NEGATIVE)

Feign

to fake or pretend (NEGATIVE)

Fruitful/Fruitless

productive/unproductive (NEGATIVE)

Haphazard

careless (NEGATIVE)

Impede, Inhibit

prevent; get in the way of (NEGATIVE)

Indecipherable

incomprehensible (NEGATIVE)

Impenetrable

impossible to understand or access (NEGATIVE)

Marginal

insignificant (NEGATIVE)

Rudimentary

very basic (NEGATIVE)

Trivial

unimportant (NEGATIVE)

Acquisition

something received or purchased (NEUTRAL)

Constitute

make up, compose; often used as a more sophisticated synonym for is (NEUTRAL)

Corollary

a statement or condition that logically results for a proven argument (NEUTRAL)

Contemporary

current (NEUTRAL)

Contrive

think up (NEUTRAL)

Disposition

personality (NEUTRAL)

Ethics

moral principles (NEUTRAL)

Epistemology

branch of philosophy dealing with the theory of knowledge (NEUTRAL)

Ideology

belief system (NEUTRAL)

Fluctuate

go back and forth, be unstable (NEUTRAL)

Inherent, Innate, Intrinsic

inborn, existing in something by definition (NEUTRAL)

Intuitive

without thought, done instinctively (NEUTRAL)

Lineage

a family sequence (NEUTRAL)

Judicial

related to law (NEUTRAL)

Magnitude

large size (NEUTRAL)

Mutable

changeable (NEUTRAL)

Preliminary

occurring before main event (NEUTRAL)

Premediated

planned beforehand (often negative, not always) (NEUTRAL)

Reciprocate

respond to an action of behavior with the same action/behavior (NEUTRAL)

Successor

person who inherits another’s position (NEUTRAL)

Critic/Criticism

a person who writes commentary—either positive or negative—-about a subject (LOOK NEGATIVE BUT NOT)

Discern

to recognize or distinguish (adj., mans highly perceptive) (LOOK NEGATIVE BUT NOT)

Imminent

about to happen (LOOK NEGATIVE BUT NOT)

Immune, Invulnerable

not affected by something (LOOK NEGATIVE BUT NOT)

Improvise

spontaneously invent (LOOK NEGATIVE BUT NOT)

Incentivize

provide someone with a reward for doing something (LOOK NEGATIVE BUT NOT)

Incisive

sharply focused and accurate (LOOK NEGATIVE BUT NOT)

Induce

persuade, bring about a desired action (LOOK NEGATIVE BUT NOT)

Infallible

unable to be wrong (LOOK NEGATIVE BUT NOT)

Infuse

fill with (LOOK NEGATIVE BUT NOT)

Ingenious

clever, brilliant (LOOK NEGATIVE BUT NOT)

Inimitable

unique, one-of-a-kind (LOOK NEGATIVE BUT NOT)

Innate, Intrinsic

inborn, natural (LOOK NEGATIVE BUT NOT)

Innocuous

harmless (LOOK NEGATIVE BUT NOT)

Invaluable

having immense value, priceless (LOOK NEGATIVE BUT NOT)

Unassuming

modest (LOOK NEGATIVE BUT NOT)

Unqualified

absolute (LOOK NEGATIVE BUT NOT)