SAT vocab

Week 1 Vocabulary List (October 13-19)

Word	Part of Speech	Definition	Example Sentence
Ambivalent	adj.	Having mixed or opposing feelings	She was ambivalent about leaving home for college.
Altruistic	adj.	Selfless; concerned for others	His altruistic acts earned him a community service award.
Apathetic	adj.	Showing little interest or emotion	Many voters were apathetic about the election.
Astute	adj.	Clever or perceptive	The astute student noticed the pattern in the math problem.
Belligerent	adj.	Aggressive or hostile	His belligerent tone ended the discussion quickly.
Candid	adj.	Honest and straightforward	Her candid feedback helped improve the project.
Concur	v.	To agree	I concur with your assessment of the situation.
Cynical	adj.	Distrustful of others’ motives	His cynical remark ruined the optimistic mood.
Disparage	v.	To belittle or criticize	The critic disparaged the artist’s latest work.
Eloquent	adj.	Fluent and persuasive in speech	The valedictorian gave an eloquent speech.
Empirical	adj.	Based on observation or experiment	Empirical evidence supports the theory.
Ephemeral	adj.	Lasting for a very short time	The rainbow’s beauty was ephemeral.
Equivocal	adj.	Ambiguous; open to more than one interpretation	Her response was equivocal, leaving us uncertain.
Frivolous	adj.	Not serious or lacking in importance	He spent money on frivolous items instead of necessities.
Indifferent	adj.	Uninterested; unconcerned	She was indifferent to the outcome of the game.
Inevitable	adj.	Certain to happen	Change is inevitable in any growing organization.
Meticulous	adj.	Extremely careful and precise	He was meticulous when editing his essay.
Pragmatic	adj.	Practical and realistic	The principal offered a pragmatic solution.
Reticent	adj.	Reserved; not revealing one’s thoughts easily	He was reticent about sharing personal details.
Ubiquitous	adj.	Present everywhere	Smartphones have become ubiquitous in modern society.

Week 2 Vocabulary List (October 20 – 26)

Word	Part of Speech	Definition	Example Sentence
Abridge	v.	To shorten or condense without losing meaning	The editor decided to abridge the 600-page novel for classroom use.
Adversity	n.	Hardship or misfortune	She showed remarkable strength in the face of adversity.
Aesthetic	adj.	Concerned with beauty or artistic taste	The minimalist aesthetic of the design appealed to many.
Amiable	adj.	Friendly and pleasant	His amiable nature made him well-liked by classmates.
Anecdote	n.	A short, amusing, or interesting story about a real event	The teacher opened the lesson with an anecdote about her college days.
Arduous	adj.	Difficult and requiring great effort	Training for the marathon was an arduous process.
Benevolent	adj.	Kind and generous	The organization’s benevolent donors helped fund scholarships.
Brevity	n.	Concise and exact use of words	The essay’s strength lay in its clarity and brevity.
Complacent	adj.	Self-satisfied and unaware of potential danger	After earning good grades, he became complacent about studying.
Condescend	v.	To talk down to or act superior toward others	She refused to condescend to those with less experience.
Conspicuous	adj.	Easily seen or noticed	His bright red jacket made him conspicuous in the crowd.
Credible	adj.	Believable or trustworthy	The detective needed credible evidence before making an arrest.
Deficit	n.	A lack or shortage	The school faced a budget deficit after enrollment dropped.
Deride	v.	To mock or ridicule	Critics derided the movie for its predictable plot.
Didactic	adj.	Intended to teach or instruct	The professor’s didactic tone made the lecture feel like a sermon.
Eccentric	adj.	Unconventional or slightly strange	His eccentric fashion choices made him stand out on campus.
Elusive	adj.	Hard to grasp or define	The meaning of the poem remained elusive even after several readings.
Eradicate	v.	To completely eliminate or destroy	The foundation aims to eradicate hunger worldwide.
Fortuitous	adj.	Happening by chance, often in a lucky way	Their meeting on the train was completely fortuitous.
Frugal	adj.	Careful with money or resources	She is frugal, preferring to save rather than spend impulsively.

Week 3 Vocabulary List (October 27 – November 2)

Word	Part of Speech	Definition	Example Sentence
Galvanize	v.	To shock or inspire into action	The coach’s speech galvanized the team before the final game.
Gravitas	n.	Seriousness or dignity in manner	The judge spoke with the gravitas expected of her position.
Hypothetical	adj.	Based on a possible idea or situation, not yet proven	They discussed a hypothetical scenario to test their reasoning.
Impartial	adj.	Fair and unbiased	A good journalist must remain impartial when reporting.
Impeccable	adj.	Flawless or without error	His impeccable grammar impressed the admissions officers.
Imply	v.	To suggest without stating directly	Her tone implied that she was unhappy with the decision.
Innate	adj.	Inborn; existing naturally	She had an innate sense of rhythm from an early age.
Innovative	adj.	Introducing new ideas or methods	The company is known for its innovative approach to technology.
Intrepid	adj.	Fearless and adventurous	The intrepid explorers ventured into uncharted territory.
Judicious	adj.	Showing good judgment	It’s important to make judicious use of your study time.
Lucid	adj.	Clear and easy to understand	The professor provided a lucid explanation of the theory.
Malleable	adj.	Easily shaped or influenced	Young minds are malleable and can quickly absorb new ideas.
Mundane	adj.	Ordinary or dull	She wanted to escape the mundane routine of everyday life.
Nostalgic	adj.	Longing for the past	Hearing that song made him nostalgic for his childhood.
Obsolete	adj.	Outdated or no longer in use	Many think DVDs are now obsolete due to streaming services.
Ostentatious	adj.	Showy or pretentious	His ostentatious display of wealth turned people off.
Perplex	v.	To confuse or puzzle	The complex instructions perplexed the new student.
Prudent	adj.	Wise and careful in action or judgment	It’s prudent to review your answers before submitting the test.
Resilient	adj.	Able to recover quickly from difficulty	Her resilient attitude helped her bounce back after setbacks.
Scrutinize	v.	To examine closely and carefully	Admissions officers scrutinize every detail of each application.

Week 4 Vocabulary List (October 28 – November 3)

Word	Part of Speech	Definition	Example Sentence
Abate	v.	To decrease in intensity	After the storm began to abate, students returned to campus.
Acumen	n.	Keen insight or sharp judgment	Her analytical acumen made the research stronger.
Admonish	v.	To warn or reprimand gently	The teacher admonished the class to cite their sources.
Advocate	v./n.	To support publicly; a supporter	She advocates for test-optional policies; he is a strong advocate of them.
Anachronistic	adj.	Belonging to a different time period	A payphone in the lab felt anachronistic.
Analogous	adj.	Comparable in certain respects	The author’s tone is analogous to that of a journalist.
Anomaly	n.	Something that deviates from the norm	One anomalous data point skewed the results.
Appease	v.	To calm or pacify	The school tried to appease concerns with a town hall.
Arbitrary	adj.	Based on random choice, not reason	The grading seemed arbitrary rather than criteria-based.
Articulate	adj.	Expressing ideas clearly and effectively	Her articulate response clarified the debate.
Ascendancy	n.	Dominant power or influence	The club’s ascendancy grew after the successful fundraiser.
Assiduous	adj.	Hardworking; diligent	His assiduous note-taking paid off on the final.
Austere	adj.	Strict; severely simple	The lab’s austere design kept distractions low.
Avarice	n.	Extreme greed	The essay critiques corporate avarice during recessions.
Capricious	adj.	Impulsive; unpredictable	Capricious rule changes confused applicants.
Circumspect	adj.	Cautious; considering all risks	Be circumspect when drawing conclusions from small samples.
Coerce	v.	To force by pressure or threats	The policy should inform, not coerce, students.
Coherent	adj.	Logically connected and consistent	Her coherent thesis guided the entire paper.
Conjecture	n./v.	(To form) an inference without firm evidence	The cause of the outage remains conjecture.
Corroborate	v.	To confirm with supporting evidence	Two independent studies corroborate the claim.

Week 5 Vocabulary List (November 4 – 10)

Word	Part of Speech	Definition	Example Sentence
Cryptic	adj.	Mysterious; hard to interpret	The poet’s cryptic imagery invites multiple readings.
Cursory	adj.	Hasty; not thorough	A cursory glance missed key details in the chart.
Dearth	n.	Scarcity; lack	There’s a dearth of research on that subgroup.
Debunk	v.	To expose as false	The article debunks common myths about the SAT.
Deleterious	adj.	Harmful; damaging	Sleep deprivation has deleterious effects on memory.
Delineate	v.	To describe or outline precisely	The rubric delineates what earns full credit.
Denounce	v.	To publicly condemn	Students denounced the policy as unfair.
Deterrent	n.	Something that discourages action	Strict deadlines are a deterrent to procrastination.
Dichotomy	n.	A division into two contrasting parts	The essay explores the dichotomy between freedom and order.
Diffident	adj.	Shy; lacking confidence	Initially diffident, he spoke with conviction by the end.
Diligent	adj.	Hardworking; industrious	Her diligent revisions improved clarity and tone.
Discrepancy	n.	Inconsistency; difference	The score discrepancy prompted a regrade.
Disdain	n./v.	Contempt; to regard with contempt	He expressed disdain for plagiarism.
Disparity	n.	Inequality; gap	The data reveal a disparity in resources across schools.
Divergent	adj.	Moving in different directions; differing	Two divergent interpretations emerged from the text.
Dogmatic	adj.	Stubbornly opinionated	A dogmatic stance can limit productive dialogue.
Ebullient	adj.	Enthusiastic; full of energy	Her ebullient intro hooked the audience.
Eclectic	adj.	Drawn from many sources	The bibliography is eclectic, spanning science and art.
Elucidate	v.	To make clear; explain	A diagram can elucidate the experiment’s design.
Emulate	v.	To imitate with the goal of matching	He emulated the model essay’s structure.

Week 6 Vocabulary List (November 11 – 17)

Word	Part of Speech	Definition	Example Sentence
Enigma	n.	A puzzling or mysterious thing	The sudden score drop was an enigma.
Epitome	n.	A perfect example of a quality	She is the epitome of perseverance.
Equanimity	n.	Calmness under stress	He handled the surprise prompt with equanimity.
Erudite	adj.	Scholarly; highly learned	The erudite lecture referenced multiple disciplines.
Esoteric	adj.	Understood by a specialized group	The paper uses esoteric legal terminology.
Exacerbate	v.	To make worse	Skipping drafts can exacerbate weak arguments.
Exemplify	v.	To serve as an example of	The study exemplifies strong experimental design.
Exhort	v.	To urge strongly	Coaches exhort players to trust the process.
Fastidious	adj.	Very attentive to detail	Her fastidious proofreading caught subtle errors.
Feasible	adj.	Possible; workable	The plan is feasible within the timeline.
Fervent	adj.	Passionate; intensely devoted	His fervent advocacy energized the meeting.
Flagrant	adj.	Glaringly obvious; notorious	The flagrant foul changed the game’s momentum.
Flippant	adj.	Lacking proper seriousness	A flippant tone can weaken an argument.
Fractious	adj.	Irritable; hard to control	The fractious debate drifted off-topic.
Hackneyed	adj.	Overused; cliché	Avoid hackneyed openings in your essays.
Idiosyncrasy	n.	A distinctive habit or feature	Her idiosyncrasy is color-coding every note.
Impetuous	adj.	Acting hastily without thought	An impetuous response can derail discussion.
Implacable	adj.	Relentless; not easily satisfied	The editor was implacable about accuracy.
Incredulous	adj.	Skeptical; disbelieving	The committee was incredulous at the claim.
Inept	adj.	Clumsy; lacking skill	The inept rollout confused applicants.

Week 7 Vocabulary List (November 18 – 24)

Word	Part of Speech	Definition	Example Sentence
Judicious	adj.	Showing good judgment; wise	The committee made a judicious decision after reviewing the data.
Keen	adj.	Sharp or intellectually quick	Her keen observation skills helped her solve the problem quickly.
Lament	v.	To express sorrow or regret	Many citizens lament the loss of local libraries.
Latent	adj.	Hidden but capable of emerging	His latent musical talent became clear after lessons.
Laud	v.	To praise highly	Teachers lauded her innovative science project.
Lethargic	adj.	Lacking energy or enthusiasm	After the exam, the students felt lethargic and drained.
Levity	n.	Humor or lightness, especially in a serious situation	His levity broke the tension in the room.
Lucid	adj.	Clear and easily understood	Her lucid explanation clarified the confusing topic.
Magnanimous	adj.	Generous or forgiving toward a rival	The athlete was magnanimous in victory, praising her opponent.
Malevolent	adj.	Wishing harm on others; malicious	The novel’s villain had a malevolent grin.
Maverick	n.	An independent-minded person	The maverick scientist challenged conventional theories.
Melancholy	n./adj.	Deep sadness; sorrowful	The poem captures the melancholy of lost time.
Mitigate	v.	To make less severe	Studying steadily can mitigate test anxiety.
Myriad	adj./n.	Countless; a great number	Students face a myriad of distractions during study time.
Nebulous	adj.	Vague; unclear	The politician’s nebulous promises lacked substance.
Nonchalant	adj.	Calm and unconcerned	He acted nonchalant, but he was nervous inside.
Novice	n.	Beginner; inexperienced person	She was a novice at coding when she joined the club.
Obstinate	adj.	Stubborn; unwilling to change	His obstinate refusal to listen frustrated his teammates.
Omnipotent	adj.	All-powerful	The story depicts an omnipotent ruler controlling fate.
Onerous	adj.	Burdensome; heavy in responsibility	The onerous task required teamwork and patience.

Week 8 Vocabulary List (November 25 – December 1)

Word	Part of Speech	Definition	Example Sentence
Opulent	adj.	Rich and luxurious	The opulent ballroom shimmered with crystal chandeliers.
Paradox	n.	A statement that seems self-contradictory but true	The idea of “less is more” is a paradox in design.
Partisan	adj./n.	Strongly biased in support of one side	News outlets should avoid partisan reporting.
Paucity	n.	Scarcity; small amount	The paucity of evidence weakened the argument.
Pejorative	adj.	Expressing disapproval; insulting	The reviewer’s pejorative tone angered the director.
Perfunctory	adj.	Done with little effort or reflection	His perfunctory apology felt insincere.
Pernicious	adj.	Harmful, especially in a gradual way	Misinformation can have pernicious effects on society.
Placate	v.	To soothe or appease	The teacher placated the upset student with reassurance.
Plausible	adj.	Believable; reasonable	Her explanation sounded plausible given the circumstances.
Precarious	adj.	Unstable; risky	Relying on one income source is often precarious.
Precursor	n.	Something that comes before another	The telegraph was a precursor to modern communication.
Pretentious	adj.	Attempting to impress with false importance	The essay’s pretentious tone weakened its authenticity.
Prolific	adj.	Producing abundantly	The prolific author released three novels this year.
Quell	v.	To suppress or calm	The principal spoke to quell the growing unrest.
Quintessential	adj.	Representing the perfect example	She’s the quintessential student—curious and disciplined.
Rancor	n.	Deep resentment or ill will	Years of rivalry bred rancor between the teams.
Recluse	n.	Someone who avoids others; a loner	The author lived as a recluse after fame overwhelmed him.
Remorse	n.	Deep regret for wrongdoing	He felt genuine remorse for copying his classmate’s work.
Reverent	adj.	Deeply respectful	The audience fell silent in a reverent moment.
Sagacious	adj.	Wise; showing sound judgment	The sagacious mentor offered advice that shaped her career.

Week 9 Vocabulary List (December 2 – 8)

Word	Part of Speech	Definition	Example Sentence
Scrupulous	adj.	Honest; showing great attention to detail	She was scrupulous about citing every source.
Serendipity	n.	The occurrence of fortunate discoveries by chance	They met through pure serendipity at a college fair.
Servile	adj.	Overly submissive or eager to please	His servile behavior annoyed his coworkers.
Skeptical	adj.	Doubtful; not easily convinced	The panel remained skeptical of the claim.
Spurious	adj.	False or fake	The article contained spurious statistics.
Stagnant	adj.	Inactive; not developing	Without innovation, progress becomes stagnant.
Stoic	adj.	Enduring pain or hardship without showing emotion	She remained stoic despite the tough criticism.
Stringent	adj.	Strict; precise	The scholarship has stringent GPA requirements.
Substantiate	v.	To support with evidence	The scientist substantiated her theory with experiments.
Superfluous	adj.	Unnecessary; excessive	Delete superfluous words to strengthen your essay.
Tactful	adj.	Diplomatic; considerate	Her tactful response prevented an argument.
Tenacious	adj.	Persistent; determined	His tenacious spirit helped him reach a 1500 SAT.
Transient	adj.	Temporary; short-lived	The transient nature of fame can be humbling.
Trepidation	n.	Fear or anxiety about something	He approached the exam with trepidation.
Trivial	adj.	Unimportant	Don’t waste time on trivial details during the test.
Ubiquity	n.	The state of being everywhere	The ubiquity of AI tools has transformed study habits.
Vacillate	v.	To waver between options	She vacillated between majoring in biology or economics.
Vehement	adj.	Intense; passionate	His vehement argument impressed the judges.
Venerate	v.	To deeply respect	Students venerate teachers who challenge them.
Wary	adj.	Cautious; alert to danger	Be wary of too-good-to-be-true scholarship offers.
Zealous	adj.	Passionate; fervently devoted	The zealous volunteer worked tirelessly to promote literacy.