SAT Reading & Writing Vocab

Abate

to reduce in amount, degree, or severity (verb)

Accretion

a gradual buildup or growth by addition (noun)

Acerbic

sharp, biting, or caustic in tone (adj)

Acumen

keen insight or judgment (noun)

Admonish

to caution or advise against (verb)

Affable

friendly, good (adj)

Amiable

friendly, good (adj)

Analogous

similar or comparable in certain respects (adj)

Banal

lacking originality, freshness, or novelty (adj)

Belligerent

hostile and aggressive (adj)

Benevolent

well-meaning and kindly (adj)

Boon

a blessing, timely benefit, or assistance (noun)

Brevity

concise expression without wasted words (noun)

Brusque

abrupt or offhand in speech or manner; rudely concise (adj)

Byzantine

very complicated or intricate (adj)

Candor

honesty, frankness, or sincere expression (noun)

Capricious

characterised by or subject to whim; impulsive; unpredictable (adj)

Castigate

to punish or criticise severely (verb)

Censure

blame or condemn (verb)

Circumspect

cautious or prudent, especially in speech or action (adj)

Dearth

scarcity or lack (noun)

Deride

to ridicule, mock, or scornfully laugh at (verb)

Dismal

causing gloom or depression (adj)

Dubious

doubtful or suspect; of uncertain quality or outcome (adj)

Eclectic

deriving ideas or style from a diverse range of sources (adj)

Edify

to instruct, improve, or enlighten (verb)

Egalitarian

relating to or believing in equality for all people (adj)

Eminent

prominent, distinguished, or noteworthy (adj)

Enigma

something or someone puzzling, mysterious, or difficult to understand (noun)

Equivocal

open to more than one interpretation; purposefully vague or ambiguous (adj)

Expedient

suitable for achieving a particular end; pragmatically useful (adj)

Extol

to praise highly or glorify (verb)

Extricate

to free or release from a difficult situation or entanglement (verb)

Fatuous

silly, foolish, smugly ignorant (adj)

Feckless

weak, ineffective, incompetent; irresponsible (adj)

Fervor

great warmth and intensity of feeling (noun)

Fickle

frequently changing, erratic (adj)

Flagrant

glaringly bad or offensive (adj)

Flout

to openly disregard rules or conventions (verb)

Garrulous

excessively talkative, especially about trivial matters (adj)

Germane

relevant and appropriate for the subject at hand (adj)

Gregarious

sociable, seeking and enjoying the company of others (adj)

Guile

cunning, deceitful shrewdness or treachery (noun)

Haughty

arrogantly superior, disdainful, looking down on others (adj)

Iconoclast

one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions (noun)

Immutable

unchanging; unable to be changed or transformed (adj)

Implicit

implied but not expressly stated (adj)

Inadvertent

unintentional; not resulting from or due to a particular cause (adj)

Incisive

showing keen discernment, sharpness of mind (adj)

Incongruous

inconsistent; not harmonious (adj)

Incorrigible

incapable of being corrected or reformed; naughty; mischievous (adj)

Indelible

making marks that cannot be erased, washed away, or removed (adj)

Indignant

angrily offended due to perceived unfair treatment (adj)

Innocuous

harmless, causing no damage or offense (adj)

Insidious

stealthily and harmfully treacherous or deceitful (adj)

Inundate

to overwhelm as if with a flood (verb)

Irreverent

showing lack of due respect or veneration (adj)

Judicious

showing sound judgment; wise and prudent (adj)

Laconic

using few words; terse, succinct (adj)

Lament

to mourn or express grief over, usually due to loss (verb)

Languid

lacking energy, vitality or strength; lazy and relaxed (adj)

Lucid

clear, easy to perceive or understand; expressing oneself intelligibly and rationally (adj)

Magnanimous

kind, forgiving, noble in spirit; extraordinarily generous (adj)

Nebulous

vague, cloudy, lacking clearly defined form (adj)

Novel

refreshingly new or different (adj)

Obsolete

no longer used, out of date (adj)

Obstinate

stubbornly adhering to an attitude, opinion, or course of action (adj)

Onerous

involving heavy effort, burden, or hardship (adj)

Opulent

characterized by extravagant luxury and sumptuousness (adj)

Palliate

to lessen the severity of; moderate (verb)

Paltry

insignificant or inadequate (adj)

Pensive

deeply, seriously thoughtful; lost in thought (adj)

Perfunctory

routine, mechanical, done without care (adj)

Perilous

extremely hazardous or dangerous (adj)

Perspicacious

acutely perceptive or discerning; penetrating (adj)

Pertinent

directly and significantly related to the matter at hand (adj)

Peruse

to read or examine, typically with thoroughness or care (verb)

Petulant

rudely impatient, irritable; childishly sulky or bad (adj)

Placate

to make less hostile or angry, typically by showing willingness to negotiate or compromise (verb)

Placid

free from disturbance or tumult; calm, peaceful, undisturbed (adj)

Plight

a bad or unfortunate situation (noun)

Pragmatic

practical, down (adj)

Precarious

dangerously lacking stability or certainty; dependent on chance (adj)

Precedent

an act that establishes a model or guide for subsequent situations (noun)

Preclude

to prevent from happening; exclude (verb)

Predilection

a preference, partiality, prepossession (noun)

Preeminent

superior in achievement or standing; foremost (adj)

Presumptuous

overstepping due bounds; taking liberties (adj)

Prodigious

abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary (adj)

Prolific

abundantly productive; immensely creative (adj)

Promulgate

to proclaim or put a law or policy into action or force (verb)

Prudent

wisely careful and sensible, marked by sound judgment (adj)

Quandary

a state of perplexity, uncertainty what to do (noun)

Quibble

to argue or complain about trivial matters (verb)

Quiescent

at rest, dormant, temporarily inactive (adj)

Quixotic

idealistic without regard to practicality; impractical or unrealistic (adj)

Quotidian

everyday, mundane, commonplace (adj)

Rarefied

refined; relating to a select group (adj)

Rebuff

to reject bluntly; snub (verb)

Recalcitrant

obstinately defiant; stubbornly resistant to authority (adj)