common SAT

  • abstruse = difficult to understand

  • axiom = universally accepted principle

  • didactic = instructive, teaching

  • empirical = based on observation/experience

  • egregious = outstandingly bad; shocking

  • paradigm = model, framework

  • pedestrian = ordinary, unimaginative

  • prosaic = dull, straightforward

  • tenuous = weak, flimsy

  • transcendent = beyond ordinary limits

  • altruistic = selfless, generous

  • beneficent = doing good

  • conscientious = diligent, responsible

  • magnanimous = generous, noble

  • munificent = very generous

  • prudent = wise, careful

  • sagacious = wise, insightful

  • scrupulous = principled, careful

  • aloof = distant, detached

  • antagonistic = hostile

  • apathetic = indifferent, uninterested

  • assiduous = diligent, hardworking

  • bellicose = warlike

  • belligerent = aggressive

  • caustic = sarcastic, biting

  • dogmatic = inflexible, dictatorial

  • dubious = doubtful, questionable

  • fastidious = overly fussy, hard to please

  • hubris = excessive pride

  • imperious = domineering

  • intransigent = refusing to compromise

  • pedantic = overly concerned with details/rules

  • petulant = irritable, childish

  • supercilious = arrogant, looking down on others

  • vitriolic = bitter, scathing

  • capricious = unpredictable

  • cursory = hasty, superficial

  • desultory = random, disconnected

  • ephemeral = short-lived

  • evanescent = fleeting

  • fleeting = passing quickly

  • mutable = changeable

  • perennial = enduring, long-lasting

  • assuage = to soothe, lessen intensity

  • placate = to calm down

  • acrimonious = bitter, harsh (esp. speech)

  • adversarial = opposed, hostile

  • animosity = hostility

  • avarice = greed

  • banal = trite, cliché

  • detached = unemotional, objective

  • indignant = angry at injustice

  • obfuscate = to confuse, make unclear

  • reclusive = avoiding others

  • sanguine = optimistic

  • stoic = enduring without complaint

  • cognizant = aware

  • connoisseur = expert

  • didactic = instructive

  • erudite = scholarly, learned

  • esoteric = known by few

  • fatuous = foolish

  • perspicacious = insightful

  • quixotic = unrealistic, idealistic

  • sophomoric = immature, superficial

  • candor = honesty, frankness

  • credulous = gullible

  • fallacious = based on false logic

  • mendacious = lying, dishonest

  • specious = misleadingly plausible

  • spurious = false, fake

  • veracious = truthful

  • veritable = genuine, real