sat common vocab words

most common 100 vocabulary words you'll see on the sat

adhere (verb)

to believe in or follow the practices of

advocate (verb)

to publicly recommend or support

allude (verb)

to suggest that or call attention to indirectly; to hint at

ambivalence (noun)

the state of having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone

analogous (adjective)

comparable in certain aspects, typically in a way which makes clearer the nature of the things compared

anecdote (noun)

a short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person

apprehensive (adjective)

anxious or fearful that something bad or unpleasant will happen

arbitrary (adjective)

based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system

assert (verb)

to state a fact or belief confidently

bias (noun)

prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group, compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair

bolster (verb)

to support or strengthen/pop up

brevity (noun)

concise and exact use of words

buttress (verb)

to increase the strength of or justification for; to reinforce

capitalize (verb)

to attempt to gain an advantage from an opportunity or situation

circumvent (verb)

to find a way around

cohesion (noun)

the action of forming a united whole

compelling (adjective)

evoking interest, attention, or admiration

concede (verb)

to admit that something is true or valid after first denying or resisting it

congenial (adjective)

pleasant, friendly, or agreeable

consensus (noun)

a general agreement

converge (verb)

to come together to form a new whole

corroborate (verb)

to confirm or give support to a statement, theory, or finding

culpable (adjective)

guilty or worthy of blame

curtail (verb)

to reduce in extent or quality

decisive (adjective)

settling an issue; producing a definite result

deduce (verb)

to arrive at a conclusion through reasoning

deference (noun)

humble submission and respect

degrade (verb)

to treat or regard someone with contempt or disrespect

denouce (verb)

to publicly declare to be wrong or evil

derive (verb)

to obtain from a specific source

disconcerting (adjective)

causing one to feel unsettled or worried

dispute (verb)

to engage in an argument to cast doubt upon

divergent (adjective)

tending to be different or develop in different direction

dormant (adjective)

having normal physical functions suspended or slowed down for a period of time; in or as if in a deep sleep

elicit (verb)

to draw out a response or fact from someone

eloquent (adjective)

fluent or persuasive in speaking or writing

epitome (noun)

to be a perfect example of

equity (noun)

the quality of being fair or impartial

erratic (adjective)

irregular in pattern or movement

evince (verb)

to reveal the presence of a quality or feeling

evoke (verb)

to bring or recall to the conscious mind

exert (verb)

to make a physical or mental effort

explicit (adjective)

stated clearly and in detail, leaving no room for confusion or doubt

foster (verb)

to encourage or promote the development of

imminent (adjective)

about to happen

impede (verb)

to delay or prevent someone or something by obstructing; to hinder

implicit (adjective)

implied but not plainly expressed

impose (verb)

to force a rule or punishment to be accepted or obeyed

indecipherable (adjective)

not able to be read or understood

indifference (noun)

lack of interest; concern, or sympathy

induce (verb)

to succeed at influencing or persuading someone to do something

inevitable (adjective)

certain to happen; unavoidable

invoke (verb)

to cue or appeal to someone or something as an authority for an action or in support of an argument

ironic (adjective)

happening in the opposite way from what is expected, and typically causing amusement because of this

jarring (adjective)

inconsistent in a striking or shocking way

juxtapose (verb)

to place close together for contrasting effect

latent (adjective)

existing but not yet developed or manifest

mandate (verb)

to order something be done or someone behave in a certain way

meticulous (adjective)

showing great attention to detail; very careful and precise

mitigate (verb)

to make less serious, severe, or painful

novel (adjective)

new or unusual in an interesting way

nuanced (adjective)

characterized by slight degrees of meaning or expression

obscure (adjective)

not discovered or known about; uncertain

obsolete (adjective)

no longer produced or used; out of date

obstruct (verb)

to block or deliberately make something difficult

oppressive (adjective)

unjustly inflicting hardship and constraint; weighing heavily on the mind or spirits

outsized (adjective)

exceptionally large

palpable (adjective)

easily noticable

pervasive (adjective)

spreading widely throughout an area or a group of people, especially in an unpleasant way.

pragmatic (adjective)

dealing with things in a sensible or realistic manner; practical

preclude (verb)

to make impossible

prevalence (noun)

the fact or condition of being prevalent; commonness

profound (adjective)

having or showing great knowledge or insight

prominent (adjective)

important;famous

proponent (noun)

a person who argues for a theory, proposal, or concept

provoke (verb)

to stimulate or give ruse to a reaction or emotion, typically a strong or unwelcome one, in someone

reciprocate (verb)

to respond to a gesture or action by making a corresponding one

reconcile (verb)

restore friendly relations between

refute (verb)

to prove a statement or theory to be wrong or false; disprove

renounce (verb)

to formally declare one’s abandonment of a claim, right, or possession

repression (noun)

the restraint, prevention, or inhibition of a feeling, quality, etc

repudiate (verb)

to refuse to accept or be associated with

resilient (adjective)

able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions

retain (verb)

to continue to have something; keep possession of

skeptical (adjective)

not easily convinced; having doubts or reservations

speculate (adjective)

to form a theory or conjecture about a subject without firm evidence

strenuous (adjective)

requiring or expending great effort

substantiate (verb)

to provide to support or prove the truth of

subsumed (adjective)

included or absorbed into something else

subtle (adjective)

so delicate or precise as to be as to be difficult to analyze or describe

supplement (noun)

something that completes or enhances something else when added to it

tenuous (adjective)

very weak or slight

undermine (verb)

to lessen the effectiveness, power, or ability of a person or idea

underscore (verb)

to emphasize or draw attention to

unobtrusive (adjective)

not conspicuous or attracting attention to

validate (verb)

to check to prove the validity or accuracy of something

verisimilitude (noun)

the appearance of being true or real

vexation (noun)

the state of being annoyed, frustrated, or worried

viable (adjective)

capable of working successful; feasible