Top 150 SAT/ACT Vocab Words (from PrepScholar)

adhere

1. to stick completely to a surface or substance (v.)

2. to believe in and follow the practices of (v.)

aloof

not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant (adj.)

ambiguous

open to more than one interpretation; having a double meaning (adj.)

analyze

examine in detail, typically for purposes of explanation and interpretation (v.)

anecdote

a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person (n.)

antagonize

to provoke; to cause someone to become hostile (v.)

anticipate

to regard as probable; to expect or predict (v.)

apprehensive

anxious or fearful that something bad will happen (adj.)

arcane

mysterious or secret (adj.)

assert

state a fact or belief confidently and forcefully (v.)

assess

to evaluate or estimate the nature, ability, or quality of (v.)

attribute

1. essential quality (n.)

2. to regard something as being caused by someone or something; to give credit (v.)

bear

endure an ordeal or difficulty (v.)

befall

to happen to someone -- always bad (v.)

burgeon

begin to grow or increase rapidly; flourish (v.)

coherent

logical and consistent (adj.)

compassion

concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others (n.)

compensate (for)

to make up for something unwelcome or unpleasant by exerting an opposite force or effect (v.)

complement

1. a thing that completes or brings to perfection a larger whole (n.)

2. to enhance; to make complete, to accompany

compose

1. to write or create (v.)

2. to constitute; to make up {composition, composed of} (v.)

condescending

having or showing a feeling of superiority (adj.)

consecutive

following continuously; in unbroken or logical sequence (adj.)

contour

an outline, especially one representing or bounding the shape or form of something (n.)

contract

1. a legally-binding agreement between to parties (n.)

2. to decrease in size, number, or range (v.)

contradict

to be in conflict with (v.)

correlate

to have a mutual relationship or connection (v.)

corollary

a direct or natural consequence or result (n.)

critical

1. expressing adverse or disapproving comments or judgments (adj.)

2. expressing or involving an analysis of the merits and faults of a work of literature, music, or art (adj.)

3. involving the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment (adj.)

4. (of a situation or problem) having the potential to become disastrous; at a point of crisis (adj.)

cumbersome

1. large or heavy and therefore difficult to carry or use (adj.)

2. slow or complicated and therefore inefficient (adj.)

deficit

the amount by which something is too small (n.)

demean

to cause a severe loss in the dignity of and respect for someone or something (v.)

depict

to show or represent (v.)

determine

1. to cause (something) to occur in a particular way; to be the decisive factor in (v.)

2. to ascertain or establish exactly, typically as a result of research or calculation (v.)

devoid

entirely lacking or free from (adj.)

differentiate

1. recognize or ascertain what makes (someone or something) different (v.)

2. (differentiate between) identify differences between (two or more things or people)

3. make (someone or something) appear different or distinct

4. make or become different in the process of growth or development

diffuse

spread out over a large area; not concentrated (adj.)

digress

leave the main subject temporarily in speech or writing (v.)

diminish

to make or become less (v.)

discrepancy

a lack of compatibility or similarity between two or more facts (n.)

(dis)inclined

willing or positive about an action, belief, or attitude (adj.)

(disinclined: unwilling or negative about something)

dismay

1. consternation and distress, typically caused by something unexpected (n.)

2. to cause consternation and distress (v.)

disposition

1. a person's inherent qualities of mind and character (n.)

2. an inclination or tendency (n.)

dynamic

characterized by constant change, activity, or progress (adj.)

eclipse

1. a loss of significance, power, or prominence in relation to another person or thing (n.)

2. to surpass; to extinguish; to darken (v.)

emerge

to become apparent, important, or prominent (v.)

eminent

famous and respected within a particular sphere or profession (adj.)

engage

1. to occupy, attract, or involve {someone's interest or attention} (v.)

2. {engage someone in} to cause someone to become involved in {a conversation or discussion} (v.)

3. {engage in} to participate or become involved in (v.)

engross

to absorb all the attention or interest of (v.)

ethereal

extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world (adj.)

evolve

to develop gradually, especially from a simple to a more complex form (v.)

exploit

1. to make full use of and derive benefit from (v.)

2. a particularly brave deed or action (n.)

facilitate

make an action or process easy or easier (v.)

feign

pretend to be affected by a feeling, state, or injury (v.)

fleeting

lasting for a very short time (adj.)

glaring

1. extremely obvious or conspicuous (adj.)

2. harshly bright (adj.)

hardship

severe suffering or deprivation (n.)

hurtle

to move or cause to move at a great speed, typically in an uncontrolled manner (v.)

immerse

1. to involve oneself deeply in a particular activity or interest (v.)

2. to dip or submerge in a liquid (v.)

imminent

about to happen (adj.)

(im)mobile

able to move or be moved freely or easily (adj.)

(immobile: not able to be moved)

impervious

unable to be affected by (adj.)

incendiary

1. tending to stir up conflict (adj.)

2. designed to cause fires (adj.)

incompetent

not having or showing the necessary skills to do something successfully (adj.)

(in) conceivable

capable of being imagined or grasped mentally (adj.)

(inconceivable: not capable of being imagined)

(In) dissoluble

able to be dissolved, loosened, or disconnected

(adj.)

(indissoluble: solid, not able to be broken apart)

inevitable

certain to happen; unavoidable (adj.)

infer

to deduce or conclude [information] from evidence and reasoning rather than from clear statements (v.)

integrate

combine one thing with another so that they become a whole (v.)

intuition

the ability to understand something immediately, a "gut feeling" (n.)

justify

1. to show or prove to be right or reasonable (v.)

2. to be a good reason for (v.)

lack

to be without or deficient in (v.)

latent

existing but not yet developed or obvious; hidden; concealed (adj.)

lethargic

sluggish and apathetic (adj.)

mere

used to emphasize how small or insignificant someone or something is (adj.)

minute {MY-noot}

extremely small (adj.)

mishap

an unlucky accident (n.)

nostalgia

a sentimental longing or affection for the past (n.)

notion

a conception of or belief about something (n.)

obsolete

no longer produced or used; out of date (adj.)

obstruct

to be or get in the way of; prevent; hinder (v.)

omit

to leave out or exclude [someone or something], either intentionally or forgetfully (v.)

orient

to align or position something relative to a known point or landmark (v.)

paradox

something apparently contradictory in nature; statement that looks false but is actually correct (n.)

pensive

engaged in, involving, or reflecting deep or serious thought (adj.)

peril

serious and immediate danger (n.)

perpetual

occurring repeatedly; so frequent as to seem endless and uninterrupted (adj.)

ponder

to think about something carefully (v.)

potent

having great power, influence, or effect (adj.)

precede

to come before [something] in time, order, or position (v.)

predate

to exist or occur at a date earlier than something (v.)

principle

a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior (n.)

proficient

competent or skilled in doing or using something (adj.)

profound

1. very great or intense (adj.)

2. having or showing great knowledge or insight (adj.)

pungent

having an intensely strong taste or smell (adj.)

redundant

repetitive; no longer needed or useful (adj.)

reflect

1. (of a surface or body) throw back (heat, light, or sound) without absorbing it

2. (of a mirror or shiny surface) show an image of 3. embody or represent (something) in a faithful or appropriate way

4. (reflect well/badly on) bring about a good or bad impression of: the incident reflects badly on the operating practices of the airlines.

5. (reflect on/upon) think deeply or carefully about

(ir)relevant

closely connected or appropriate to the matter at hand (adj.)

(irrelevant = off topic, not connected)

resent

to feel bitterness or slight anger at a circumstance, action, or person (v.)

revive

1. to regain life, consciousness, or strength (v.)

2. to restore interest in or the popularity of (v.)

rudimentary

involving or limited to basic principles (adj.)