SAT Vocabulary – Selected High-Frequency Words

A comprehensive set of high-frequency SAT vocabulary terms with concise definitions to aid rapid review and mastery.

abase

to humiliate or degrade

abate

to reduce or lessen

abdicate

to give up a position of power

aberration

something that differs from the norm

abjure

to reject or renounce

abstain

to freely choose not to do something

abstruse

hard to comprehend

accolade

high praise or special distinction

acrimony

bitterness or discord

adamant

unyielding; immovable

balk

to stop or block abruptly

banal

dull; commonplace

bane

a burden; source of harm

behemoth

something of tremendous size or power

benevolent

marked by goodness; kindly

benign

favorable; not threatening

berate

to scold vehemently

bias

a prejudice or inclination

bombastic

pompous; overly confident in speech

boon

a gift or blessing

cacophony

harsh, discordant sound

cajole

to urge or coax

callous

harsh; unfeeling

candor

honesty; frankness

capacious

very spacious

capitulate

to surrender

capricious

subject to whim; fickle

caustic

bitter; acidic

censure

harsh criticism or to formally rebuke

circumspect

cautious; careful

debacle

a disastrous failure

debase

to lower in quality or esteem

debunk

to expose as false

decorous

proper; socially appropriate

decry

to criticize openly

deleterious

harmful

demagogue

leader who appeals to prejudices

deride

to mock or scorn

despot

a brutal, absolute ruler

diaphanous

light, airy, transparent

ebullient

extremely lively; enthusiastic

eclectic

made from various sources

efface

to wipe out; erase

egregious

extremely bad

elated

overjoyed; thrilled

eloquent

expressive and persuasive

enervate

to weaken; exhaust

ephemeral

short-lived

esoteric

understood by only a few

exacerbate

to make more severe

facile

easily done; superficial

fallacious

misleading; incorrect

fastidious

meticulous; demanding

fervent

ardent; passionate

fetid

having a foul odor

flagrant

offensively blatant

florid

flowery; ornate

fortuitous

happening by lucky chance

fractious

irritable; troublesome

frugal

thrifty; economical

garish

gaudy; tastelessly showy

garrulous

excessively talkative

genial

friendly; affable

gluttony

over-indulgence in food or drink

grandiose

magnificently overdone

gratuitous

unwarranted; uncalled for

gregarious

sociable; drawn to others

grievous

serious; injurious

guile

sly or cunning behavior

hackneyed

overused; trite

hallowed

holy; revered

harangue

a ranting speech or to give one

hardy

robust; able to survive hardship

harrowing

extremely distressing

haughty

disdainfully proud

hedonist

one devoted to pleasure

heinous

shockingly wicked

heterogeneous

diverse in character

hierarchy

a ranked system

hypocrisy

pretense of virtue

iconoclast

one who attacks traditions

idiosyncratic

peculiar to an individual

ignominious

humiliating; disgraceful

illicit

forbidden; unlawful

immerse

to absorb deeply

immutable

unchangeable

impeccable

flawless

imperious

domineering; commanding

impetuous

hasty; rash

implacable

unable to be calmed

implicit

understood without being stated

impregnable

unable to be captured

incessant

never-ending

incisive

clear, sharp, direct

incontrovertible

indisputable

incorrigible

incapable of correction

indefatigable

tireless; incapable of fatigue

indigenous

native to a region

indolent

lazy

ineffable

too great for words