Elite SAT confusing vocab words (0-200)

Not all vocab words, just the most confusing

Volition (noun)

Ex: The CEO donated 300 million dollars to charity of his own volition

A conscious choice or decision

Nascent (adj)

Ex: The plan had been carefully thought out by now, but when it was a nascent idea, it still had many problems

Coming into being, being born

Lurid (adj)

Ex: the reporter wrote a rather lurid piece about the recent scandal

Causing shock or horror, tastelessly vivid, glowing like fire through a haze

Tepid (adj)

Ex: The director demonstrated a tepid effort directing his latest film

Moderately warm, lacking force or enthusiasm

Pious (adj)

Ex: His insistence that he do no work on the Sabbath springs from a lazy impulse, not a pious one

Exhibiting reverence and religious observation

Abet (verb)

Ex: The moment you chose to abet the thieves by providing them with the key to the museum, you became just as guilty as they were

To encourage, assist, or support, usually in wrong doing

Surmise (verb)

Ex: with nothing but the guilty grin on his face to guide her, Mrs. Evans was able to surmise Jason still hadn't done his homework

To infer something by intuition or with slender evidence

Noun: such an inference

Blight (noun)

Ex: The blight on the city was terrible

A plant disease, something that impairs growth, progress, or prosperity

Voluble (adj)

Ex: Even the shyest employee becomes voluble at the mention of a pay raise

Talkative

Premonition (noun)

Ex: He had a premonition that something bad would happen on the plane

A sense of a future event, a warning in advance

Proverbial (adj)

Ex: My sister is stubborn like the proverbial mule

Well known because widely repeated

Indefatigable (adj)

Ex: Only through the indefatigable efforts of their leaders were the prisoners able to dig a long tunnel beyond the bounds of the fence

Tireless, unceasing

Codify (verb)

Ex: By the 14th century, the colorful designs on the shields of medieval warriors had been codified into the formal system of heraldry

To organize something (such as laws or rules) into a system

Cumbersome (adj)

Ex: the box wasn't very heavy, but it was too cumbersome for one person to carry

Clumsy or difficult to manage

Affected (adj)

Ex: Already certain her answer would be no, my mother hesitated first, with an air of affected indecision, before answering

Behaving in an artificial way to impress people

Colloquial (adj)

Ex: In her dialogue, Toni Morrison successfully captures the colloquial lit of her characters' speech

(of language) used in ordinary or familiar conversation; not formal or literary

Multifarious (adj)

Ex: The multifarious animals in the rain forest represent a startling diversity of life

Having many different parts or forms, numerous and varied

Efficacy (noun)

Ex: The efficacy of the medicine is decreased after a big meal; these pills are more effective when taken on an empty stomach

The power to produce the desired effect

Pilfer (verb)

Ex: Even if you pilfer something worth less than 20 dollars you are still committing a crime

To steal a small amount

Vacillate (verb)

Ex: My uncle will probably vacillate for a few days before truly making up his mind

To swing back and forth

Morose (adj)

Ex: While the rest of us went swimming in the afternoon, Diane had a morose habit of skulking around the hotel room

Sour tempered and inclined to be silent

Dichotomy (noun)

Ex: Those who cling to a strict dichotomy based on gender are finding their views challenged by the issue of transgender people

A division into two contrasting or non-overlapping parts

Propitious (adj)

Ex: Sitting in his car, Jerry waited for the rain to stop or at least let up and offer a propitious moment for him to run to the front door

Presenting favorable circumstances

Eclectic (adj)

Ex: Her living room was an eclectic collection of furniture from various garage sales

Composed of materials from various sources

Dapper (adj)

Ex: Because Oliver normally wore baggy, lazy clothing, we were stunned by his dapper appearance when he wore a tuxedo to the ball

Neatly dressed, trim, stylish

Quiescent (adj)

Ex: For a minute or so, my dog lay quiescent in the yard until he spotted a butterfly and set after it in a burst of energy

Inactive, often suggesting a temporary state

Extol (verb)

Ex: The cell phone manufacturer extolled the numerous features of its new phone, but this praise seems excessive.

To praise highly and lavishly

Manifest (adj)

Ex: I know you’re not finished yet, but the hard work you’ve done so far is certainly manifest to anyone who takes a look

Very clear, obvious, evident

Chauvinism (noun)

Ex: You will not have a good time as a tourist until you set aside your chauvinism and accept other cultures as they are

Unreasoning and boastful devotion to one’s country or sex

Furtive (adj)

Ex: Unaware I was watching her like a hawk, my dog took a few furtive steps toward the tray of pasta

Characterized by secretive behavior

Euphemism (noun)

Ex: Saying someone has become an angel is just a euphemism for saying he has died

A substitution of an agreeable word or phrase to replace one that might offend

Antiseptic (adj)

Ex: Fueling the public’s paranoia about germs, the home cleaning industry has begun to market antiseptics far more powerful than the real risk of infection warrants

Free from germs, thoroughly clean, a substance that inhibits the growth of germs

Facile (adj)

Ex: At first I thought your arguments against my idea were valid, but in hindsight they seem more like facile excuses for avoiding work

With effortless ease, without proper care, superficial

Passive (adj)

Ex: Since the hero was so passive for the first hour of the movie, no one believed it when he suddenly took control in the end

Unresisting, submissive

Mendacious (adj)

Ex: Vale protest that, while she may have made an honest mistake in her testimony, she was never intentionally mendacious

Lying, false (especially habitually)

Redoubtable (adj)

Ex: His bravery dissolved when he found himself face to face with the most redoubtable opponent he had seen in all his years of fighting

Fearsome, formidable

Palatable (adj)

Ex: My mom’s recipe for tomato and eggs is more than palatable to taste

Pleasant or acceptable to the taste

Stigma (noun)

Ex: In most developed countries, education is valued and there is a stigma attached to dropping out of school early

Sign of disgrace, a mark that lowers a reputation

Inception (noun)

Ex: In its inception, the circus was not all that popular

Commencement, beginning, orgin

Propound (verb)

Ex: The speaker lost the interest of his audience when he began to propound his theory that aliens had built the pyramids

To suggest for consideration, to propose

Insinuate (verb)

Ex: When I said that humor is a personal thing, I didn’t mean to insinuate that all your jokes fell flat

To hint

Agrarian (adj)

Ex: With less than two percent of the population engaged in farming, the US clearly is not the agrarian nation Thomas Jefferson imagined

Related to farming

Abase (verb)

Ex: The convicted felon was too proud to abase himself before the judge, so he was given the death penalty

To lower in prestige or rank

Lethargic (adj)

Ex: Every Monday morning the class is unusally lethargic, as most students have spent their weekends doom scrolling and have not slept enough

Dull, sluggish, moving slowly

Pulpit (noun)

Ex: Pastor Teddy preferred not to speak from the pulpit, instead choosing to leave the podium to walk up to or among her congregation

A podium used for preaching

Languish (verb)

Ex: To prevent students from languishing in the back of the classroom, the teacher has a new seating plan each day and calls on everyone atleast twice in a week

To lose strength or health, to remain neglected

Turbid (adj)

Ex: The river, normally so clear you can see fish in it, became turbid during the storm, and the water became nearly opaque with sediment.

Cloudy, muddy, in a state of turmoil

Avocation (noun)

Ex: Although many people have tried to tell me otherwise, I think my talent for painting is better kept as an avocation, rather than a profession.

A hobby

Raiment (noun)

Ex: Once she sheds her princess’s raiment, Luna completely loses her air of royalty

Clothing

Pervade (verb)

Ex: Before the important verdict was handed down, anxiety and tension pervaded the city

To spread through or be present throughout

Penitent (adj)

Ex: My dog ate an entire bag of chicken off the counter today, and looked extremely penitent when my mom scolded him

Feeling regret

Exude (verb)

Ex: Although physically small, Sara exuded a sense of confidence so overwhelming that no one dared mess with her at school.

To give off, to emit, to radiate

Conducive (adj)

Ex: Although violent protest may attract media attention, it is rarely conducive to a settlement, as the targets of the protest only tend to become more stubborn

Tending to bring about

Conspicuous (adj)

Ex: With her bright red hair, Lea looked very conspicuous trying to camoflauge herself in the dark.

Easy to notice, obvious, apparent

Deference (noun)

Ex: Though Nate thought his comments offensive, he changed them in deference to suggestions from his staff that they might be percieved as insensitive

Yielding an opinion, desire, or position to another out of respect

Salient (adj)

Ex: The salient feature of Professor Edwards’s writings is the combination of his informal language and his key insights, for it is these two factors that one notices first

Important, prominent, most noticeable

Mercenary (adj)

Ex: The woman openly admitted her mercenary intentions, declaring that she would not marry anyone who had less than a million dollars

Greedy, motivated by desire for money

Fetid (adj)

Ex: I was disgusted when my sister left her dirty socks outside of my room, as the fetid aroma of stinky feet wafted through my door

Having a bad odor

Prodigal (adj)

Ex: Do not blame me if you die broke; I am the one who warned you not to be so prodigal with your inheritance

Recklessly wasteful

Patronize (verb)

Ex: Maggie prefers to patronize smaller businesses, even if she has to pay a bit more for giving them her business

To sponsor or support; to be kind or helpful in a snobbish way, as if dealing with an inferior

Pertinent (adj)

Ex: You can claim you made a pertinent point, but the rest of us just saw it as a digression

Relevant

Indubitable (adj)

Ex: It is indubitable that we all will one day die

Certain, indisputable (literally means “not doubtable”)

Covert (adj)

Ex: There could be covert operations in the US conducted by foreign countries that we are completely oblivious about

Concealed or disguised, not openly practiced

Insidious (adj)

Ex: Even the most transparent propaganda can have an insidious effect, as the constant repetition of falsehoods makes them seem less ridiculous

Subtly harmful, stealthy, sneaky

Atrophy (noun)

Ex: Nurses who care for long term patients have to prevent the atrophy of those muscles that are not regularly exercised

A wasting away (especially of body tissue)

Altercation (noun)

Ex: The debate between the two candidates was interrupted when an altercation broke out in the audience from members of both parties.

A heated/noisy argument

Foment (verb)

Ex: Despite attempts of activists to foment discontent among the workforce, most employees at the company were quite happy with their current situation

To stir up negative feelings (especially those that lead to violent action)

Purloin (verb)

Ex: During the exhibit, someone purloined a diamond ring from the heavily protected display case, an act so difficult that left everyone baffled

To steal, often in violation of a trust

Caesura (noun)

Ex: Professor Williams can make it through most of his monologues without stopping to take a breath, talking through even the natural caesura speakers usually have at the end of a sentence.

A break or pause

Aquiesce (verb)

Ex: Shy and obedient, Henry acquiesces to all of the demands that other people make of him

To agree without protest

Conscientious (adj)

Ex: The store’s owners have been delighted with the new employee, praising his punctuality and his conscientious attention to each customer

Showing care and precision, painstaking

Spendthrift (noun)

Ex: His parents gave William every material comfort but never taught him responsibility, so he became a spendthrift and wasted their entire fortune within a few years

One who spends money wastefully

Tabulate (verb)

Ex: The school election was marred by accusations that there were irregularities in how the results had been tabulated

To count

Adroit (adj)

Ex: Mrs. Pendleton is an adroit matchmaker, able to join the hands of two rivals into a loving marriage.

Naturally skillful, especially dealing with difficult circumstances

Redolent (adj)

Ex: Teddy loved baking mostly because of the aroma, so the kitchen was frequently redolent of baking cookies

aromatic, frgrant, suggestive

Denouement (noun)

Ex: Some have criticized the denouement of the book, claiming that its conclusion does not do the characters nor the plot justice

Conclusion, resolution, the falling action of a story after its climax

Subsidy (noun)

Ex: The government refused to give the project any additional subsidy until the money already spent had been accounted for.

Monetary assistance

Incumbent (adj)

Ex: Since the police haven’t shown up to defend us, it’s incumbent on us to do what we can for ourselves

Necessary, obligatory

Supplant (verb)

Ex: The word processor has largely supplanted the electric typewriter

To take the place of

Effrontery (noun)

Ex: The boy had the effrontery to boast his score of 98% on the recent physics test in front of a girl who cried because she got a 23%

Bold and insulting behavior

Vagary (noun)

Ex: I’m used to some of your bizarre quirks, but this latest vagary has taken me completely off guard

An erratic notion or action

Glut (noun)

Ex: Farmers always suffer when a glut of products on the market forces their prices lower

An oversupply

Cursory (adj)

Ex: I have not checked your work thoroughly yet, but a cursory glance tells me you have the right idea

Superficially done, performed rapidly

Spurn (verb)

Ex: The truly depressed person will usually spurn those trying hardest to help

To push or drive away contemptuously with or as with the foot

Peccadillo (noun)

Ex: Some view a lie as a mere peccadillo, but others view lying as far from a minor sin and, indeed, a sign of a deep character flaw

A minor sin

Incendiary (adj)

Ex: The unrest and fighting at our high school is not likely to die down soon, given the incendiary nature of your lost opinion column

Causing or capable of causing fire

Impunity (noun)

Ex: Because of his wealth and power, the business executive believed that he could act with impunity, misappropriating the company’s funds without fear of punishment

Protection from punishment or harm

Benefactor (noun)

Ex: The charity mostly relied on a single benefactor, a millionaire who donated thousands of dollars to the charity

One who helps and supports others

Flout (verb)

Ex: Recent highly publicized blunders have made a few countries think it is okay to flout the demands of the UN security council

To intentionally and obviously disobey

Spate (noun)

Ex: A spate of broken windows along the usually quiet street prompted the police to increase their patrols in an attempt to catch the criminal

A large number or amount of something (especially in a brief time)

Imbue (verb)

Ex: Sports drinks are specially formulated to imbue the athlete with a renewed sense of vigor

To inspire, to permeate, to fill with a mood or tone

Credulous (adj)

Ex: My uncle is too credulous to be entrusted with management of the company; he’d fall for every con artist to come along

A showy display

Untenable (adj)

Ex: Only after the invention and refinement of the microscope was the idea of spontaneous generation rejected as untenable

Indefensible, or impossible to maintain

Veneer (noun)

Ex: The diplomats exhibited a veneer of civility, but beneath this outward show, neither trusted the other

An attractive, ultimately misleading outward show, thin layer

Prevaricate (verb)

Ex: Masters at prevarication, the three witches from Shakespeare’s Macbeth often spoke in doublespeak, which ultimately led to Macbeth’s demise

To speak or write evasively in order to avoid telling the truth

Veracious (adj)

Ex: Charlie lies so much, I’m fairly certain that he has never been veracious once in his life.

Honest, truthful

Venerate (verb)

Ex: Father’s Day and Mother’s Day is set aside as a time to venerate parents who work hard to support their families

To look upon with respect and honor

Raconteur (noun)

Ex: My first grade teacher was a brilliant raconteur who could always entertain a class of seven year olds for hours

One who tells stories with skill