SAT vocab

Ambivalent

Having mixed or opposing feelings

Altruistic

Selfless; concerned for others

Apathetic

Showing little interest or emotion

Astute

Clever or perceptive

Belligerent

Aggressive or hostile

Candid

Honest and straightforward

Concur

To agree

Cynical

Distrustful of others’ motives

Disparage

To belittle or criticize

Eloquent

Fluent and persuasive in speech

Empirical

Based on observation or experiment

Ephemeral

Lasting for a very short time

Equivocal

Ambiguous; open to more than one interpretation

Frivolous

Not serious or lacking in importance

Indifferent

Uninterested; unconcerned

Inevitable

Certain to happen

Meticulous

Extremely careful and precise

Pragmatic

Practical and realistic

Reticent

Reserved; not revealing one’s thoughts easily

Ubiquitous

Present everywhere

Abridge

To shorten or condense without losing meaning

Adversity

Hardship or misfortune

Aesthetic

Concerned with beauty or artistic taste

Amiable

Friendly and pleasant

Anecdote

A short, amusing, or interesting story about a real event

Arduous

Difficult and requiring great effort

Benevolent

Kind and generous

Brevity

Concise and exact use of words

Complacent

Self-satisfied and unaware of potential danger

Condescend

To talk down to or act superior toward others

Conspicuous

Easily seen or noticed

Credible

Believable or trustworthy

Deficit

A lack or shortage

Deride

To mock or ridicule

Didactic

Intended to teach or instruct

Eccentric

Unconventional or slightly strange

Elusive

Hard to grasp or define

Eradicate

To completely eliminate or destroy

Fortuitous

Happening by chance, often in a lucky way

Frugal

Careful with money or resources

Galvanize

To shock or inspire into action

Gravitas

Seriousness or dignity in manner

Hypothetical

Based on a possible idea or situation, not yet proven

Impartial

Fair and unbiased

Impeccable

Flawless or without error

Imply

To suggest without stating directly

Innate

Inborn; existing naturally

Innovative

Introducing new ideas or methods

Intrepid

Fearless and adventurous

Judicious

Showing good judgment

Lucid

Clear and easy to understand

Malleable

Easily shaped or influenced

Mundane

Ordinary or dull

Nostalgic

Longing for the past

Obsolete

Outdated or no longer in use

Ostentatious

Showy or pretentious

Perplex

To confuse or puzzle

Prudent

Wise and careful in action or judgment

Resilient

Able to recover quickly from difficulty

Scrutinize

To examine closely and carefully

Abate

To decrease in intensity

Acumen

Keen insight or sharp judgment

Admonish

To warn or reprimand gently

Advocate

To support publicly; a supporter

Anachronistic

Belonging to a different time period

Analogous

Comparable in certain respects

Anomaly

Something that deviates from the norm

Appease

To calm or pacify

Arbitrary

Based on random choice, not reason

Articulate

Expressing ideas clearly and effectively

Ascendancy

Dominant power or influence

Assiduous

Hardworking; diligent

Austere

Strict; severely simple

Avarice

Extreme greed

Capricious

Impulsive; unpredictable

Circumspect

Cautious; considering all risks

Coerce

To force by pressure or threats

Coherent

Logically connected and consistent

Conjecture

(To form) an inference without firm evidence

Corroborate

To confirm with supporting evidence

Cryptic

Mysterious; hard to interpret

Cursory

Hasty; not thorough

Dearth

Scarcity; lack

Debunk

To expose as false

Deleterious

Harmful; damaging

Delineate

To describe or outline precisely

Denounce

To publicly condemn

Deterrent

Something that discourages action

Dichotomy

A division into two contrasting parts

Diffident

Shy; lacking confidence

Diligent

Hardworking; industrious

Discrepancy

Inconsistency; difference

Disdain

Contempt; to regard with contempt

Disparity

Inequality; gap

Divergent

Moving in different directions; differing

Dogmatic

Stubbornly opinionated

Ebullient

Enthusiastic; full of energy

Eclectic

Drawn from many sources

Elucidate

To make clear; explain

Emulate

To imitate with the goal of matching