2026 SAT Vocab

Abate

lessen

Abject

entirely without pride or dignity

Aberration

deviation from the norm

Beguile

charm or enchant

Berate

scold or criticize

Bereft

deprived or lacking

Blandishment

a flattering statement used to persuade someone

Bombastic

describe something with big words but no real meaning

Bovine

cow-like

Braggart

a person who boasts about achievements

Cacophony

a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds

Cavort

dance around excitedly

Censorious

critical of others

Circumlocution

using many words, particularly in an evasive way

Circumscribe

restrict within limits

Clamor

a loud and confused noise

Clout

influence or power

Demur

raise objections

Denigrate

disparage

Despot

a tyrant

Diaphanous

light and translucent

Dirge

song of lament for the dead

Discomfit

make someone uncomfortable

Disparate

different from one another

Disrepute

state of disgrace

Eclectic

wide-ranging

Edict

an official order

Ebullient

cheerful and lively

Epicureanism

pleasure is the most important aspect of life

Effluvia

unpleasant odor

Fortuitous

happening by chance

Fractious

irritable and difficult to control

Garrulous

talkative

Grandiloquent

pompous or extravagant in language, style, or manner

Gratuitous

uncalled for; unnecessary

Grotto

a small cave or cave-like structure

Hapless

unfortunate

Injunction

a court-ordered command

Inoculate

to vaccinate against a disease

Insidious

slowly harmful or sneaky

Instigate

to provoke action

Insurgent

a rebel against authority

Interlocutor

a conversation participant

Litigant

a person involved in a lawsuit

Maelstrom

a powerful storm or chaotic situation

Mawkish

overly sentimental in a sickly way

Maxim

a concise statement of truth or principle

Mendacious

inclined to lie

Meretricious

attractive but lacking value

Pariah

an outcast

Paucity

scarcity; a lack of

Pejorative

expressing strong disapproval

Penchant

a strong liking or tendency

Penurious

extremely poor

Pert

attractive and confident

Pernicious

harmful or destructive

Precision

attention to detail

Prestidigitation

magic tricks performed for entertainment

Recalcitrant

stubbornly uncooperative

Relegate

demote to a lower position

Remiss

negligent or careless

Reprieve

cancellation of punishment

Reprobate

a morally unprincipled person

Rescind

revoke or cancel

Ribald

improper or lewd

Rife

widespread or prevalent

Sedition

conduct or speech inciting people to rebel

Sinecure

a position requiring little or no work

Toady

a sycophant or flatterer

Torpid

lethargic

Travesty

a mockery or parody

Trenchant

sharp and forceful in expression

Trounce

defeat decisively

Truculent

aggressively argumentative

Turpitude

moral wickedness or depravity

Umbrage

offense or annoyance

Usury

lending money at unlawful rates

Vituperate

strongly blame or insult someone

Vociferous

outspoken and vehement in speech

Wanton

deliberate and unprovoked; sexually unrestrained

Winsome

attractive or charming

Yoke

tie two things together

analogical

based on reasoning from similarity between things

circumscribe

to limit

composure

calmness

courteous

polite

cryptic

mysterious

exuberant

lively

haughty

arrogant

inconsolable

unable to be comforted

misgiving

doubt

perfunctory

done without real care

pertinent

relevant

proprietary

owned by legal rights

amenable

willing to accept

commensurate

corresponding

excising

removing something by cutting

iconoclasm

rejection of traditional beliefs

illuminating

providing understanding

inure

to make someone used to something difficult