SAT Reading and Writing Vocab Words

antecedent

definition: something that existed or happened before and led to something else.

sentence: the drought was an antecedent to the food shortage.

In grammar, an antecedent is a word, phrase, or clause that is referred to by another word, typically a pronoun.

innocuous

definition: not harmful or offensive

sentence: his comment seemed innocuous, but it upset some people.

perpetual

definition: continuing forever or for a very long time without stopping

sentence: the city lives in a state of perpetual motion

ameliorate

definition: to make something bad better or less severe (improve)

sentence: the new policy was meant to ameliorate poverty

sanction

definition: an official punishment or approval given by an authority

sentence: the country faced sanctions for breaking international laws

postulate

definition: to suggest or assume something is true as a basis for reasoning

sentence: scientists postulate that the disease spreads through the air.

irreducibly

definition: in a way that cannot be simplified or reduced further

sentence: her argument was irreducibly complex

contextual

definition: related to the situation or setting in which something happens

sentence: the meaning of the word itself is contextual

substantiates

definition: proves that something is true

sentence: the evidence really does substantiate her claim

assertion

definition: a confident statement that something is true

sentence: his assertion was challenged by the data

impassively

definition: without showing emotion

sentence: she listened impassively

majoritarian

definition: based on what most people want or decide

sentence: the majoritarian vote passed the law

wherein

definition: in which something happens

sentence: she wrote a story wherein the hero falls

dueling

definition: in conflict or competition with each other

sentence: the dueling opinions caused tension

polarize

definition: to divide into two very different or opposite sides

sentence: the issues polarized the community

tenuous

definition: weak, uncertain, or easily broken

sentence: they had a tenuous connection to the truth

conspicuous

definition: easily noticed

sentence: her bright dress was conspicuous

contentious

definition: causing arguments or disagreement

sentence: the topic was highly contentious

negligible

definition: so small it is not important

sentence: the cost increase was negligible

fiscal austerity

definition: government actions to reduce spending and debt

sentence: fiscal austerity led to fewer public services

incongruity

definition: something that does not fit or math

sentence: there was an incongruity in the results

discrepancy

definition: a difference between two things that should match

sentence: there was a discrepancy in the results

assert

definition: to state something confidently

sentence: she asserted her opinion clearly

attributable

definition: able to be explained or caused by something

sentence: the success was attributable to teamwork

Divergence

definition: a separation of difference from what is normal or expected

sentence: there was a divergence in their views

systematic

definition: done in an organized and methodical way

sentence: she took a systematic approach to studying

radial

definition: moving outward from a center

sentence: the spiderweb had a radial pattern

ambivalence

definition: having mixed or conflicting feelings

sentence: she felt ambivalent about moving away

raindance (by Dave & Tems)

definition: a poetic reference to longing, healing and emotional release

sentence: “Raindance” captures emotional vulnerability

prominence

definition: the state of being important or well-known

sentence: the scientist gained prominence

derivative

definition: copied from something else and not original

sentence: the movie felt derivative

retrospect

definition: thinking back on the past

sentence: in retrospect, she made the right choice

validity

definition: how true or reliable something is

sentence: the test’s validity was questioned

accordingly

definition: in a way that makes sense because of something else

sentence: it was raining, so accordingly they stayed inside