SAT Vocabulary: High-Frequency Words

Essential vocabulary flashcards covering key definitions from the SAT 1000 Most Common Words list.

aberration

Something that differs from the norm.

abhor

To hate, detest.

abnegation

Denial of comfort to oneself.

abstruse

Hard to comprehend.

acumen

Keen insight.

adamant

Impervious, immovable, unyielding.

adroit

Skillful, dexterous.

alacrity

Eagerness, speed.

amenable

Willing, compliant.

anachronistic

Being out of correct chronological order.

anathema

A cursed, detested person.

antipathy

A strong dislike, repugnance.

arcane

Obscure, secret, known only by a few.

assiduous

Hard-working, diligent.

astute

Very clever, crafty.

banal

Dull, commonplace.

beguile

To trick, deceive.

bombastic

Excessively confident, pompous.

cacophony

Tremendous noise, disharmonious sound.

calumny

An attempt to spoil someone else’s reputation by spreading lies.

capricious

Subject to whim, fickle.

censure

Harsh criticism; to rebuke formally.

circumspect

Cautious.

clandestine

Secret.

coalesce

To fuse into a whole.

cogent

Intellectually convincing.

conundrum

Puzzle, problem.

convivial

Characterized by feasting, drinking, merriment.

culpable

Deserving blame.

dearth

A lack, scarcity.

debacle

A disastrous failure, disruption.

deleterious

Harmful.

demagogue

A leader who appeals to a people’s prejudices.

diffident

Shy, quiet, modest.

dilatory

Tending to delay, causing delay.

dissemble

To conceal, fake.

dogmatic

Aggressively and arrogantly certain about unproved principles.

duplicity

Crafty dishonesty.

ebullient

Extremely lively, enthusiastic.

eclectic

Consisting of a diverse variety of elements.

effrontery

Impudence, nerve, insolence.

egregious

Extremely bad.

enervate

To weaken, exhaust.

enigmatic

Mystifying, cryptic.

ephemeral

Short-lived, fleeting.

equanimity

Composure.

equivocal

Ambiguous, uncertain, undecided.

erudite

Learned.

eschew

To shun, avoid.

esoteric

Understood by only a select few.

evanescent

Fleeting, momentary.

exculpate

To free from guilt or blame, exonerate.

fastidious

Meticulous, demanding, having high and often unattainable standards.

fractious

Troublesome or irritable.

garrulous

Talkative, wordy.

gregarious

Drawn to the company of others, sociable.

hackneyed

Unoriginal, trite.

harangue

A ranting speech; to give such a speech.

hegemony

Domination over others.

iconoclast

One who attacks common beliefs or institutions.

impervious

Impenetrable, incapable of being affected.

impetuous

Rash; hastily done.

implacable

Incapable of being appeased or mitigated.

inchoate

Unformed or formless, in a beginning stage.

incisive

Clear, sharp, direct.

indefatigable

Incapable of defeat, failure, decay.

indigent

Very poor, impoverished.

indolent

Lazy.

ineffable

Unspeakable, incapable of being expressed through words.

inexorable

Incapable of being persuaded or placated.

ingenuous

Not devious; innocent and candid.

inimical

Hostile, enemylike.

innocuous

Harmless, inoffensive.

insidious

Appealing but imperceptibly harmful, seductive.

intractable

Difficult to manipulate, unmanageable.

intransigent

Refusing to compromise, often on an extreme opinion.

intrepid

Brave in the face of danger.

invective

An angry verbal attack.

irascible

Easily angered.

laconic

Terse in speech or writing.

lucid

Clear, easily understandable.

magnanimous

Noble, generous.

malleable

Capable of being shaped or transformed.

maverick

An independent, nonconformist person.

mercurial

Characterized by rapid change or temperamentality.

mitigate

To make less violent, alleviate.

morose

Gloomy or sullen.

munificence

Generosity in giving.

nadir

The lowest point of something.

nefarious

Heinously villainous.

obdurate

Unyielding to persuasion or moral influences.

obfuscate

To render incomprehensible.

obsequious

Excessively compliant or submissive.

onerous

Burdensome.

ostentatious

Excessively showy, glitzy.

panacea

A remedy for all ills or difficulties.

pariah

An outcast.

parsimony

Frugality, stinginess.

perfunctory

Showing little interest or enthusiasm.

pernicious

Extremely destructive or harmful.