Top 100 Hardest SAT Vocabulary

SAT-Level Vocabulary Study Guide

Vocabulary Definitions

Words 1-10

epistolary (adjective): Relating to or in the form of letters or written correspondence.
interlocutors (noun): People who take part in a dialogue or conversation.
counterfactual (adjective): Relating to a hypothetical scenario contrary to what actually happened.
contemporaneously (adverb): Occurring or existing at the same period of time.
ossified (adjective): Hardened into bone; or rigidly conventional and resistant to change.
admonishes (verb): Warns or reprimands someone firmly but not harshly.
admonish (verb): To warn or firmly advise someone against a course of action.
habituated (adjective): Accustomed to something through repeated exposure; desensitized.
salience (noun): The quality of being particularly noticeable or important; prominence.
perfunctory (adjective): Carried out with minimal effort or care; done as a routine duty only.

Words 11-20

eschewed (verb): Deliberately avoided or abstained from something.
conflated (verb): Incorrectly combined two distinct things into one.
reticent (adjective): Reluctant to express thoughts or feelings; reserved and uncommunicative.
drudgery (noun): Hard, menial, or monotonous work that is tedious and unpleasant.
corroborate (verb): To confirm or support a statement or theory with additional evidence.
ambivalent (adjective): Having mixed or contradictory feelings about something simultaneously.
innocuous (adjective): Not harmful or offensive; having no adverse effect.
penchant (noun): A strong or habitual liking or tendency toward something.
salient (adjective): Most noticeable or important; prominent and relevant.
cryptic (adjective): Having a hidden or obscure meaning; mysterious and hard to understand.

Words 21-30

vernacular (noun): The everyday language spoken by ordinary people of a particular region.
indelible (adjective): Making marks that cannot be removed; leaving a permanent impression.
haughty (adjective): Arrogantly superior and disdainful toward others.
engendering (verb): Causing or giving rise to a feeling, situation, or condition.
predicaments (noun): Difficult, unpleasant, or embarrassing situations.
predicament (noun): A difficult, unpleasant, or embarrassing situation.
parenthetical (adjective): Relating to a remark added as an aside or explanation, often in parentheses.
analogical (adjective): Based on or expressing analogy or a comparison between two things.
overestimation (noun): An assessment of something as being greater than it actually is.
remedying (verb): Correcting or improving a situation, problem, or fault.

Words 31-40

misrepresents (verb): Gives a false or misleading account of something.
misrepresented (verb): Described or depicted inaccurately or falsely.
cautioning (verb): Warning someone about possible dangers or problems in advance.
underscores (verb): Emphasizes or draws attention to the importance of something.
bolstered (verb): Supported or strengthened; reinforced with additional evidence or help.
concedes (verb): Acknowledges that something is true or grants a point reluctantly.
overstated (verb): Expressed something in excessively strong terms beyond what is accurate.
overstating (verb): Describing something as larger or more significant than it really is.
authenticated (verb): Proved or confirmed that something is genuine or valid.
conclusively (adverb): In a way that settles a question beyond doubt; definitively.

Words 41-50

nonsensical (adjective): Having no meaning or making no sense; absurd or illogical.
insurmountable (adjective): Too great to be overcome or dealt with successfully.
illustrative (adjective): Serving as an example or explanation to clarify a point.
hypothesized (verb): Put forward a hypothesis or supposition as a starting point for reasoning.
enforceable (adjective): Capable of being imposed or carried out with authority.
foundational (adjective): Forming the base or essential underpinning of something.
mythological (adjective): Relating to myths or mythology; existing only in myths.
observational (adjective): Based on watching and recording rather than experimentation.
morphological (adjective): Relating to the form, structure, or shape of organisms or words.
mammalian (adjective): Relating to or characteristic of mammals.

Words 51-60

migratory (adjective): Relating to or characterized by migration from one region to another.
subterranean (adjective): Existing, occurring, or done under the surface of the earth.
retrograde (adjective): Moving backward; reverting to an earlier and inferior condition.
transatlantic (adjective): Crossing or relating to crossing the Atlantic Ocean.
diversification (noun): The process of expanding into varied forms, products, or fields.
ratification (noun): The formal confirmation or approval of an agreement or treaty.

Words 61-70

elaborated (verb): Developed or expanded in detail; explained more fully.
domestication (noun): The process of taming animals or cultivating plants for human use.
domesticated (adjective): Tamed and kept as a pet or for farm use; adapted to home life.
dispersal (noun): The spreading or distribution of things over a wide area.
calcification (noun): The hardening of tissue by the deposition of calcium salts.
acidification (noun): The process of becoming acid or increasing acidity in a substance.
luminescent (adjective): Emitting light not caused by heat; glowing without incandescence.
luminescence (noun): The emission of light by a substance not caused by high temperature.
permeability (noun): The quality of allowing liquids or gases to pass through it.
permeable (adjective): Allowing fluids or gases to pass through pores or gaps.

Words 71-80

plasticity (noun): The ability to be shaped or molded; adaptability to change.
attenuated (adjective): Reduced in force, effect, or density; weakened or thinned.
indentured (adjective): Bound by a contract to work for another for a fixed period.
conformation (noun): The shape or structure of something, especially a molecule or organism.
empirically (adverb): Based on observation or experiment rather than theory or pure logic.
modulated (verb): Adjusted or regulated the tone, pitch, or intensity of something.
bottleneck (noun): A point of congestion that slows progress or reduces efficiency.
landmass (noun): A large continuous area of land, such as a continent.
cartographer (noun): A person who draws or produces maps.
cartography (noun): The science and practice of drawing maps.

Words 81-90

unidirectional (adjective): Moving or operating in only one direction.
columnar (adjective): Having the form of columns; arranged in columns.
proportionality (noun): The quality of corresponding in size or degree to something else.
underappreciated (adjective): Not recognized or valued as highly as deserved.
thoroughness (noun): The quality of being complete and careful with attention to every detail.
grammatically (adverb): In a manner conforming to the rules of grammar.
performative (adjective): Relating to an action that constitutes the thing it describes when spoken.
comprehending (verb): Grasping the full meaning or nature of something; understanding completely.
implicate (verb): To show someone to be involved in or responsible for something.
obscurity (noun): The state of being unknown, unclear, or hard to understand.

Words 91-100

expanse (noun): A wide continuous area of something such as land, sky, or water.
anecdote (noun): A short, entertaining account of a real incident or person.
resurgence (noun): An increase or revival after a period of inactivity or decline.
venerable (adjective): Accorded great respect due to age, wisdom, or impressive history.
ramifications (noun): Complex consequences or results of an action or event.
distinctions (noun): Noticeable differences or contrasts between things.
inference (noun): A conclusion reached by reasoning from evidence or premises.
thresholds (noun): Levels or points at which something begins to happen or change.
excavated (verb): Dug out and removed material from a site to explore or uncover artifacts.
temperate (adjective): Moderate in climate or behavior; not extreme or excessive.

Additional Vocabulary

trope (noun): A figurative or metaphorical use of a word; a recurring theme or device.
championed (verb): Actively supported or defended a cause, person, or principle.
inaccessible (adjective): Unable to be reached, entered, or obtained; not available.
overshadowed (verb): Made to seem less important by comparison with something else.