SAT Vocab Complete List

Abate vs. Attenuate

Reduce intensity/force

Abhorrence

Deep hatred/disgust

Abominable

Horrible; unpleasant

Aberration

Departure from what's normal/expected

Abridge

Shorten/condense

Altruistic

Selfless; caring for others

Ameliorate

Make better/improve

Ambivalent

Having mixed feelings

Amorphous vs. Nebulous

Lacking clear shape vs. vague/unclear

Analogous

Similar/comparable

Anomalous

Unusual; deviating from the norm

Apathy

Lack of interest/enthusiasm

Arduous

Very difficult/tiring

Ascribe

Attribute/credit to a cause/source

Assuage

Ease/calm

Benevolent

Kind; well—meaning

Belie

Contradict/give a false impression

Bucolic

Peaceful/rural; countryside—like

Buttress

Support/strengthen

Cacophony

Harsh/discordant mixture of sounds

Calamitous

Disastrous/catastrophic

Candor

Honesty; straightforwardness

Capacious

Spacious; roomy

Capitulate

Surrender/give in Capricious — Unpredictable; impulsive

Circumspect

Cautious; careful to avoid risk

Clandestine

Secret; hidden

Concomitant

Naturally accompanying

Condescending

Acting superior to others

Conjecture

Guess based on incomplete evidence

Contentious

Controversial; argumentative

Contrive

Devise/plan cleverly

Cynical

Distrustful of people's motives

Dearth

Scarcity/lack

Decry

Publicly criticize/condemn

Deleterious

Harmful; damaging

Demarcation

Clear boundary/separation

Desultory

Lacking a plan/purpose Didactic — Intended to teach/instruct

Disparate

Very different/distinct Disabuse — Correct a false belief

Dire

Extremely serious/urgent

Duress

Intimidation or coercion to force an act Elicit — Draw out a response/information

Eclectic

Drawing from varied sources/styles

Efface

Erase/wipe out

Empirical

Based on observation/evidence

Engender

Cause/give rise to

Engendering

Causing/giving rise to

Enumerate

List/count one by one

Ephemeral

Short—lived/brief

Epitomize

Be a perfect example of

Eschew

Deliberately avoid

Esoteric

Understood by only a few

Evince

Show/reveal clearly

Evanescent

Fading/disappearing quickly

Explicit vs. Implicit

Directly stated vs. implied

Expound

Explain in detail

Expository

Meant to explain/describe

Eradicated

Completely destroyed/removed

Extol vs. Repudiate

Praise highly vs. reject

Equivocate

Avoid a clear answer; speak ambiguously

Facile

Too simple; lacking thought

Facetious

Joking/sarcastic inappropriately Fastidious — Extremely careful; hard to please

Feckless

Lacking initiative/responsibility

Fecundity

Fertility; ability to produce abundantly

Galvanize

Spur/stimulate into action

Haphazard

Random; lacking organization

Iconoclast

Person who challenges traditions

Idiosyncratic

Peculiar/distinctive to an individual

Impertinent

Rude/disrespectful

Immutable

Unable to be changed

Imputation

Blame/attribution of wrongdoing

Implacable

Unable to be calmed/stopped

Inane

Silly; meaningless

Inchoate

Not fully formed/developed

Inconspicuous

Not easily noticed

Inculcate

Instill an idea/habit through repetition

Incongruous

Out of place/inconsistent

Indifference

Lack of interest/concern

Indisposition

Minor illness/unwillingness

Ineffable

Too extreme to express in words

Inept

Unskilled/clumsy

Inimical

Harmful/hostile Inscrutable — Difficult to understand/interpret

Intransigent

Unwilling to compromise/change

Insidious

Gradually harmful; subtly dangerous

Invidious

Unfair; likely to cause resentment

Juxtapose

Place side by side for comparison

Lethargic

Sluggish/lacking energy

Maladroit

Clumsy/awkward

Mendacious

Lying/deceitful

Mendicancy

Begging for money/food

Misconstrue

Misinterpret/misunderstand

Myriad

Countless; great number

Nebulous vs. Amorphous

Vague/unclear vs. lacking clear shape

Nominal

In name only; insignificant

Notional

Theoretical; imagined

Novel

New/original

Nuanced

Having subtle differences/details

Laconic

Using very few words; concise

Obfuscate

Make unclear/confusing

Obviate

Remove the need for; prevent

Obscure vs. Obsolete

Unclear/hidden vs. outdated

Onerous

Burdensome; requiring much effort