Top 400 SAT Vocabulary Words (College Panda)

Essential SAT vocabulary terms identified by College Panda, listed by frequency of appearance on the exam, used to define academic and literary concepts.

aesthetic (adj.)

concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty

undermine (v.)

to damage or weaken the foundation; sabotage

profound (adj.)

having great depth or insight

refute (v.)

to prove false; overthrow by argument

ambivalent (adj.)

having mixed feelings

nostalgia (n.)

a longing for the past

cynical (adj.)

wary of people's motives; believing people are selfish

pragmatic (adj.)

practical; concerned with usefulness in the real world

disparage (v.)

to speak of someone in a disrespectful way; belittle

substantiate (v.)

to support with proof; verify

indifferent (adj.)

having no concern; uncaring; apathetic

reconcile (v.)

to settle or resolve; to unite

rhetoric (n.)

the art of using language effectively and persuasively

vindicate (v.)

to clear from accusation, blame or suspicion

mundane (adj.)

everyday and dull; boring

alleviate (v.)

to relieve from pain

capricious (adj.)

impulsive and unpredictable

satire (n.)

the use of humor, exaggeration, or irony to mock something or someone

coherent (adj.)

clear and logical; makes sense

scrutinize (v.)

to examine or inspect closely and thoroughly

eradicate (v.)

to destroy completely; put an end to

exacerbate (v.)

to make a problem or bad situation worse

meticulous (adj.)

showing great attention to detail; very careful

autonomy (n.)

independence; self-government

epitome (n.)

a perfect example of something

equivocal (adj.)

open to more than one interpreation; ambiguous

scrupulous (adj.)

diligent, thorough, extremely attentive to details

superfluous (adj.)

unnecessary; more than enough

didactic (adj.)

intended to teach; having an underlying moral lesson

empirical (adj.)

based on observation and experience rather than theory

innocuous (adj.)

not harmful or offensive; innocent

juxtapose (v.)

to place side by side for contrast

sanguine (adj.)

cheerfully optimistic

tenacious (adj.)

keeping a firm hold on something; not giving up

corroborate (v.)

to confirm or give support to

enigma (n.)

something/someone that is mysterious or puzzling

esoteric (adj.)

understood only by a few with specialized knowledge

facetious (adj.)

treating serious issues with silly or inappropriate humor

gregarious (adj.)

sociable; fond of company

sycophant (n.)

a person who pleases people to gain an advantage; suck-up

anachronistic (adj.)

out of place in a particular time period

deleterious (adj.)

causing harm and damage

hackneyed (adj.)

overused; unoriginal; cliche

ineffable (adj.)

too great or extreme to be described in words

maverick (n.)

an independent-minded person; rebel

perspicacious (adj.)

having insight; having wisdom

prolific (adj.)

productive; producing many works

surreptitious (adj.)

kept secret; sneaky

thwart (v.)

to prevent someone from accomplishing something