Common SAT Vocabulary Practice

A collection of vocabulary terms and definitions identifying the 1000 most common SAT words.

abase

to humiliate, degrade

abate

to reduce, lessen

abdicate

to give up a position, usually one of leadership

abduct

to kidnap, take by force

aberration

something that differs from the norm

abet

to aid, help, encourage

abhor

to hate, detest

abjure

to reject, renounce

abnegation

denial of comfort to oneself

abrogate

to abolish, usually by authority

abscond

to sneak away and hide

abstruse

hard to comprehend

accede

to agree

acumen

keen insight

adamant

impervious, immovable, unyielding

admonish

to caution, criticize, reprove

adroit

skillful, dexterous

adulation

extreme praise

adumbrate

to sketch out in a vague way

affable

friendly, amiable

alacrity

eagerness, speed

alleviate

to relieve, make more bearable

amalgamate

to bring together, unite

ambiguous

uncertain, variably interpretable

ambivalent

having opposing feelings

ameliorate

to improve

amenable

willing, compliant

anachronistic

being out of correct chronological order

anathema

a cursed, detested person

antagonism

hostility

antediluvian

ancient

antipathy

a strong dislike, repugnance

antithesis

the absolute opposite

apathetic

lacking concern, emotion

apocryphal

fictitious, false, wrong

approbation

praise

arbiter

one who can resolve a dispute, make a decision

arbitrary

based on factors that appear random

arcane

obscure, secret, known only by a few

archaic

of or relating to an earlier period in time, outdated

ardor

extreme vigor, energy, enthusiasm

assiduous

hard-working, diligent

astute

very clever, crafty

atrophy

withers away, decay

avarice

excessive greed

banal

dull, commonplace

bane

a burden

beguile

to trick, deceive

benevolent

marked by goodness or doing good

benign

favorable, not threatening, mild

berate

to scold vehemently

bereft

devoid of, without

boisterous

loud and full of energy

bombastic

excessively confident, pompous

boon

a gift or blessing

brazen

excessively bold, brash

brusque

short, abrupt, dismissive

buttress

to support, hold up

cacophony

tremendous noise, disharmonious sound

cajole

to urge, coax

calumny

an attempt to spoil someone else’s reputation by spreading lies

capricious

subject to whim, fickle

caustic

bitter, biting, acidic

censure

harsh criticism

clandestine

secret

coalesce

to fuse into a whole

cogent

intellectually convincing

compunction

distress caused by feeling guilty

conundrum

puzzle, problem

copious

profuse, abundant

cupidity

greed, strong desire

dearth

a lack, scarcity

debacle

a disastrous failure, disruption

deleterious

harmful

demagogue

a leader who appeals to a people’s prejudices

depravity

wickedness

deride

to laugh at mockingly, scorn

desiccated

dried up, dehydrated

didactic

intended to instruct

diffident

shy, quiet, modest

disparage

to criticize or speak ill of

ebullient

extremely lively, enthusiastic

eclectic

consisting of a diverse variety of elements

egregious

extremely bad

eloquent

expressive, articulate, moving

empathy

sensitivity to another’s feelings as if they were one’s own

enervate

to weaken, exhaust

enigmatic

mystifying, cryptic

ephemeral

short-lived, fleeting

esoteric

understood by only a select few

exacerbate

to make more violent, intense

exculpate

to free from guilt or blame, exonerate

fastidious

meticulous, demanding, having high and often unattainable standards

feral

wild, savage

fortitude

strength, guts

garrulous

talkative, wordy

gregarious

drawn to the company of others, sociable

hackneyed

unoriginal, trite

hapless

unlucky

iconoclast

one who attacks common beliefs or institutions