200 Common SAT Vocab Words (Prep Scholar)

abstemious

moderate in eating and drinking

acquiesce

(v.) to accept without protest; to agree or submit

acrimonious

great bitterness

admonish

to earnestly caution

adroit/deft/dexterous

skillful

affable/amiable/genial/gregarious

agreeable, friendly

aloof

detached, reserved

amalgam

a mixture, combination of different elements

anachronism

not in the proper time period

anguish

agonizing physical or mental pain

antecedent/forerunner

a preceding event

antipathy/animosity

strong dislike

antithesis/antipodal

something that is the direct opposite of another thing

archaic

out of date

ascetic

a person who leads a life of self-denial

audacious

very bold, daring

auspicious

very favorable

automation

a person who acts in a mechanical fashion, a mindless follower

autonomous

independent

bane

a source of harm

belie

to misrepresent

benefactor

a person who gives gifts

beneficiary

a person who receives benefits

bucolic/rustic/pastoral

charmingly rural

bungler

a clumsy or inept person

callous

insensitive

capricious/mercurial

fickle, constant sifting moods

charlatan

a fake, a fraud, a cheat

chimerical

a fantastic scheme, unchecked imagination

circuitous

circular and therefore indirect

circumscribe

to narrowly restrict, to limit action, to draw a line around

circumspect/prudent

cautious, careful

circumvent

to avoid by artful maneuvering

clairvoyant

a person who uses intuition to see into the future

clandestine/surreptitious

secretive, not aboveboard, covert

confounded/perplexed/mystified

puzzled, confused

conjecture/supposition

an interference

convoluted

twisted, intricate

copious

abundant, a great amount

covet

to strongly desire, to crave

cryptic

mysterious, having a hidden meaning

curtail

to cut short or reduce

dearth/paucity

scarcity or shortage

debunk

to put down by exposing false claims

decry

to express strong disapproval

deleterious

harmful, injurious

demise

the final ending of something, the downfall

denounce

to speak against

deride

to put down with contemptuous jeering

despondent/forlorn

feeling downcast, dejected

devoid

completely lacking in something

diatribe/tirade

a bitter denunciation

diffident

lacking self-confidence

digress

to depart from a subject

dilettante

an amateur or dabbler

diminutive

very small

dirge

a funeral hymn, mournful music

dissembler/prevaricator

a liar, deceiver

draconian

very strict laws and rules

enigmatic/inscrutable

mysterious, baffling

equanimity

calmness, composure

evocation

an imaginative recreation

exhort

to strongly encourage

expunge/excise/expurgate

delete, remove

extricate

to get out of a difficult situation

fiasco/debacle

a complete failure

fleeting/ephemeral

very brief, short lived

fortitude

strength of mind

fortuitous

an accidental but fortunate occurrence

futile

doomed to failure

galvanize

to electrify, stir into action

gerrymander

to divide a district so as to give one side an advantage

halcyon

idyllically calm and tranquil

haughty

proud or arrogant

hedonist

seeker of pleasure

hypothetical

based on assumption, supposed

iconoclast

someone who attacks cherished ideas and institutions

impasse

failure to reach an agreement

impeccable

faultless, perfect

impecunious

poor, penniless, not affluent

impetus

a stimulus or encouragement

implacable

not capable of being appeased

incoherent

lack of organization or lock

incontrovertible

indisputable, beyond doubt

indifferent/apathetic

lack of interest or concern

indulgent

overly tolerant

inexorable

relentless, unstoppable

innuendo

an indirect reference to something else

intemperate

lacking restraint, excessive

intrepid/undaunted

fearless, courageous

irreverent

lacking proper respect, disrespectful

itinerant

mobile, not sedentary

jovial/jocular

good-humored, cheerful

juggernaut

an irresistible force

laconic

succinct, terse, very concise, brief

laud/extol/tout/acclaim

praise, applaud

martinet

a strict disciplinarian

maudlin

excessively sentimental

maverick

an independent person

mellifluous

smooth and sweet flowing