SAT Word List
Abate – to lessen in intensity or degree
Aberration – something that deviates from the norm
Abstain – to refrain from something
Adept – highly skilled or proficient
Admonish – to warn or reprimand gently
Advocate – to support a cause or policy
Affluent – wealthy
Alleviate – to make less severe
Ambiguous – having more than one meaning
Ambivalent – having mixed feelings
Amiable – friendly, good-natured
Anomaly – something unusual or unexpected
Antipathy – deep dislike
Apathy – lack of interest or emotion
Apprehensive – anxious or fearful
Arduous – difficult, requiring effort
Articulate – able to express ideas clearly
Assiduous – showing great care and perseverance
Astute – clever, perceptive
Austere – plain, strict in manner
Avid – very eager or enthusiastic
Banal – boring, unoriginal
Benevolent – kind, charitable
Bias – prejudice in favor of or against something
Bolster – to support or strengthen
Brevity – briefness
Cacophony – harsh, unpleasant mix of sounds
Candid – honest, straightforward
Capricious – unpredictable, impulsive
Cathartic – emotionally cleansing
Caustic – harsh, biting in tone
Censure – to criticize severely
Chastise – to scold or punish
Clandestine – secretive
Coerce – to force someone to do something
Complacent – self-satisfied, unaware of danger
Concise – brief and to the point
Concur – to agree
Condone – to overlook or accept behavior
Conspicuous – easily noticeable
Contend – to argue or assert
Contrive – to plan cleverly
Convoluted – complicated, difficult to follow
Copious – abundant
Credible – believable
Cursory – quick, not thorough
47. Debilitate – to weaken
48. Debunk – to expose as false
49. Deference – respectful submission to another’s opinion
50. Deft – skillful
51. Deliberate – done consciously and intentionally
52. Demeanor – outward behavior or appearance
53. Denounce – to condemn publicly
54. Deride – to mock
55. Desolate – empty, deserted
56. Detrimental – harmful
57. Devoid – completely lacking
58. Didactic – intended to teach
59. Diligent – hardworking and careful
60. Discrepancy – a difference between things that should be the same
61. Disdain – contempt, scorn
62. Disparage – to belittle
63. Disparate – different, unrelated
64. Disseminate – to spread widely (especially information)
65. Dissent – to disagree
66. Dogmatic – stubbornly opinionated
67. Dubious – doubtful
68. Eccentric – unconventional, quirky
69. Eloquent – fluent and persuasive in speech or writing
70. Elucidate – to make clear
71. Emulate – to imitate
72. Empirical – based on observation or experience
73. Endorse – to support
74. Enigma – a mystery
75. Enmity – hostility, hatred
76. Ephemeral – short-lived
77. Equitable – fair and impartial
78. Erratic – unpredictable
79. Erudite – scholarly, knowledgeable
80. Esoteric – intended for or understood by only a few
81. Euphemism – a mild term used to replace a harsh one
82. Exacerbate – to make worse
83. Exemplify – to illustrate by example
84. Exhort – to urge strongly
85. Exonerate – to free from blame
86. Facetious – joking inappropriately
87. Fallacious – based on a mistaken belief
88. Frivolous – not serious, silly
89. Frugal – careful with money, thrifty
90. Furtive – secretive
91. Garrulous – excessively talkative
92. Grandiose – overly grand or ambitious
93. Gregorious – sociable
94. Guile – sly or cunning intelligence
95. Hackneyed – overused, cliché
96. Hapless – unlucky
97. Harbinger – a sign of something to come
98. Hasten – to hurry
99. Hinder – to create obstacles
100. Hypothetical – based on a theory or assumption
101. Iconoclast – one who attacks traditional beliefs
102. Idiosyncrasy – a personal quirk
103. Illicit – illegal
104. Imminent – about to happen
105. Impartial – fair, unbiased
106. Impeccable – flawless
107. Impede – to block or slow down
108. Impervious – unable to be affected by
109. Impugn – to challenge as false
110. Incessant – never stopping
111. Incisive – sharp, clear thinking
112. Indifferent – having no preference
113. Indigenous – native to a place
114. Indignant – angry at unfairness
115. Inevitable – certain to happen
116. Infer – to conclude from evidence
117. Ingenuous – innocent, naïve
118. Inhibit – to hold back
119. Innate – natural, inborn
120. Innovate – to introduce new ideas
121. Insatiable – impossible to satisfy
122. Insidious – subtly harmful
123. Intrepid – fearless
124. Inundate – to flood or overwhelm
125. Invigorate – to give energy to
126. Irascible – easily angered
127. Juxtapose – to place side by side for comparison
128. Lament – to mourn
129. Laud – to praise highly
130. Lethargic – sluggish, lacking energy
131. Lucid – clear, easy to understand
132. Lucrative – profitable
133. Magnanimous – generous, forgiving
134. Malevolent – having ill will
135. Malicious – intending harm
136. Mandate – an official order
137. Mediocre – average, unremarkable
138. Meticulous – extremely careful
139. Mitigate – to lessen severity
140. Morose – gloomy
141. Negligent – careless
142. Nonchalant – calm, unconcerned
143. Nostalgia – longing for the past
144. Notorious – famous for something bad
145. Novel – new, original
146. Oblivious – unaware
147. Obscure – unclear, hidden
148. Obstinate – stubborn
149. Omnipotent – all-powerful
150. Ostentatious – showy, pretentious
151. Overt – open and observable
152. Pacify – to calm
153. Paradox – a statement that seems contradictory but is true
154. Partisan – strongly supporting one side
155. Paucity – scarcity
156. Pedantic – overly concerned with rules/details
157. Pensive – deeply thoughtful
158. Permeate – to spread throughout
159. Pervasive – widespread
160. Plausible – believable
161. Poignant – emotionally touching
162. Pragmatic – practical
163. Precarious – unstable, risky
164. Precocious – talented beyond one’s age
165. Presume – to suppose without proof
166. Prevalent – widespread
167. Prolific – highly productive
168. Prudent – wise, careful
169. Quell – to suppress
170. Quixotic – unrealistic, idealistic
171. Rancor – deep resentment
172. Reclusive – avoiding others
173. Refute – to prove wrong
174. Reiterate – to repeat
175. Remorse – deep regret
176. Renounce – to give up formally
177. Repudiate – to reject
178. Resilient – able to recover quickly
179. Respite – a short rest
180. Reticent – reserved, not speaking freely
181. Revere – to deeply respect
182. Scrupulous – careful, honest
183. Serene – calm, peaceful
184. Skeptical – doubting
185. Sluggish – slow, inactive
186. Somber – dark, gloomy
187. Sporadic – occurring irregularly
188. Spurious – false, fake
189. Stagnant – not moving
190. Static – unchanging
191. Stringent – strict
192. Substantiate – to prove with evidence
193. Succinct – brief, concise
194. Superfluous – unnecessary
195. Surreptitious – secretive
196. Tenacious – persistent
197. Terse – brief and direct
198. Trepidation – fear, anxiety
199. Ubiquitous – present everywhere
200. Vacillate – to waver between choices
201. Venerate – to respect deeply
202. Verbose – wordy
203. Viable – capable of working
204. Vilify – to speak badly about
205. Vindicate – to clear from blame
206. Virtuous – morally good
207. Vivacious – lively, full of energy
208. Volatile – unstable, likely to change suddenly
209. Wary – cautious
210. Zealous – passionate, enthusiastic