The Admissions Strategist

SAT Vocabulary Words: The Complete Guide

by Shayla Cherry | July 19, 2022

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Are you wondering how important vocabulary is to SAT prep?

This guide will cover everything you need to know. Read on!

Why do I need to study vocabulary?

Expanding your vocabulary and becoming comfortable with understanding new words is a vital skill for anyone who wants to score well on the SAT test*. While it’s true that modern SAT tests place less emphasis on vocabulary than they did in the past, students still need a strong vocabulary to complete the test with confidence and do well.

The reading section of the SAT test presents students with five passages, and many of the questions that follow will test each student’s understanding of words used. In the writing and language section, students must read four more passages and improve upon the expression of the ideas therein with effective use of language.

So… How can students improve their vocabulary to score well on their SATs?

Read Widely

The best way to learn new vocabulary is to read. Fiction, nonfiction, online and in print, read as much and as widely as you can.

Old novels and modern literary fiction are both treasure troves full of words that you haven’t encountered before. Read books that you enjoy and take the time to look up and make note of any new words that you come across.

In this article on studying for the SAT test, high school English teacher Ashley Cullins recommends that students read challenging texts each and every week to help prepare them for the passages they’ll encounter on the SAT test. Cullins suggests academic research papers and magazines like Scientific American.

Make a List

You would do well to keep a running list of new vocabulary that you learn throughout all of your reading and any new words that you encounter in daily life. If you’re getting a late start and want to put together a list more quickly, there are countless resources online that list helpful vocabulary for SAT prep. We’ve even included one in this post!

Quiz yourself as you go through a prefab list, and write down or highlight each of the words that stumped you. Now you have your own personalized list of words to study.

Use Flashcards

Your list won’t do you much good if you don’t take the time to study it. Flashcards are a classic for a reason. You can write them out by hand, which is a great way to cement new words in your memory, or use one of many aps to create a virtual deck of flashcards to study whenever you find a free moment.

Write Novel Sentences

Memorizing definitions is all well and good, but you’ll never become truly comfortable with new vocabulary words until you begin to use them in context. As you go through your lists and flashcards, try using each word in a sentence. For a fun challenge, break out your flashcards and write a short story, incorporating each card in the stack into the next sentence.

Shake Things Up

Many people find that they study best when they’re on the move. Try going through your vocabulary while walking somewhere safe or jogging on a treadmill. You could also record the words and definitions on your phone and then play it back while you exercise; simply speaking and listening to the definitions can go a long way for auditory learners.

It’s all about what works best for you.

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200 SAT Vocabulary Words

We’ve put together a list of common SAT words that many high school students have not yet encountered or aren’t fully comfortable with. Use this list as a starting point for your studies, but remember: understanding new words in context is even more important than memorizing new vocabulary, and that’s a skill that you can only hone through extensive reading.

abase (v.) to humiliate, degrade
abate (v.) to reduce, lessen
aberration (n.) something that differs from the norm
abject (adj.) wretched, pitiful
abjure (v.) to reject, renounce
abnegation (n.) denial of comfort to oneself
abrogate (v.) to abolish, usually by authority
abscond (v.) to sneak away and hide
abstruse (adj.) hard to comprehend
accede (v.) to agree
adroit (adj.) skillful, dexterous
adumbrate (v.) to sketch out in a vague way
alacrity (n.) eagerness, speed
analogous (adj.)similar to, so that an analogy can be drawn
anathema (n.) a cursed, detested person
apocryphal (adj.) fictitious, false, wrong
arbiter (n.) one who can resolve a dispute, make a decision
archetypal (adj.) the most representative or typical example of something
arrogate (v.) to take without justification
ascetic (adj.) practicing restraint as a means of self-discipline, usually religious
banal (adj.) dull, commonplace
behemoth (n.) something of tremendous power or size
bilk (v.) cheat, defraud
bombastic (adj.) excessively confident, pompous
bourgeois (n.) a middle-class person, capitalist
calumny (n.) an attempt to spoil someone else’s reputation by spreading lies
caucus (n.) a meeting usually held by people working toward the same goal
circumlocution (n.) indirect and wordy language
circumspect (adj.) cautious
cogent (adj.) intellectually convincing
collusion (n.) secret agreement, conspiracy
commendation (n.) a notice of approval or recognition
commensurate (adj.) corresponding in size or amount
complacency (n.) self-satisfied ignorance of danger
concomitant (adj.) accompanying in a subordinate fashion
confluence (n.) a gathering together
congruity (n.) the quality of being in agreement
contemporaneous (adj.) existing during the same time
contravene (v.) to contradict, oppose, violate
credulity (n.) readiness to believe
cupidity (n.) greed, strong desire
dearth (n.) a lack, scarcity
decorous (adj.)socially proper, appropriate
deleterious (adj.) harmful
demagogue (n.) a leader who appeals to a people’s prejudices
denigrate (v.) to belittle, diminish the opinion of
desolate (adj.) deserted, dreary, lifeless
despondent (adj.) feeling depressed, discouraged, hopeless
despot (n.) one who has total power and rules brutally
didactic (adj.) intended to instruct or overly moralistic
diffident (adj.) shy, quiet, modest
dilatory (adj.) tending to delay, causing delay
disaffected (adj.) rebellious, resentful of authority
disavow (v.) to deny knowledge of or responsibility for
discretion (n.) the quality of being reserved in speech or action; good judgment
discursive (adj.) rambling, lacking order
dissemble (v.) to conceal, fake
dogmatic (adj.) aggressively and arrogantly certain about unproved principles
efface (v.) to wipe out, obliterate, rub away
elicit (v.) to bring forth, draw out, evoke
emollient (adj.) soothing
enervate (v.) to weaken, exhaust
enfranchise (v.) to grant the vote to
engender (v.) to bring about, create, generate
ennui (n.) boredom, weariness
ephemeral (adj.) short-lived, fleeting
equivocal (adj.) ambiguous, uncertain, undecided
espouse (v.) to take up as a cause, support
evince (v.) to show, reveal
expiate (v.) to make amends for, atone
forbearance (n.) patience, restraint, toleration
fractious (adj.) troublesome or irritable
garrulous (adj.) talkative, wordy
gregarious (adj.) drawn to the company of others, sociable
grievous (adj.) injurious, hurtful; serious or grave in nature
hallowed (adj.) revered, consecrated
hedonist (n.) one who believes pleasure should be the primary pursuit of humans
hegemony (n.) domination over others
heinous (adj.) shockingly wicked, repugnant
hypocrisy (n.) pretending to believe what one does not
iconoclast (n.) one who attacks common beliefs or institutions
ignominious (adj.) humiliating, disgracing
immutable (adj.) not changeable
impassive (adj.) stoic, not susceptible to suffering
impecunious (adj.) poor
imperative (adj.) necessary, pressing or (n.) a rule, command, or order
impervious (adj.) impenetrable, incapable of being affected
impinge (v.) to impact, affect, make an impression or (v.) to encroach, infringe
implacable (adj.) incapable of being appeased or mitigated
impute (v.) to ascribe, blame
inchoate (adj.) unformed or formless, in a beginning stage
incorrigible (adj.) incapable of correction, delinquent
increment (n.) an enlargement; the process of increasing
indefatigable (adj.) incapable of defeat, failure, decay
indigent (adj.) very poor, impoverished
indolent (adj.) lazy
indomitable (adj.) not capable of being conquered
ineffable (adj.) unspeakable, incapable of being expressed through words
inexorable (adj.) incapable of being persuaded or placated
inimical (adj.) hostile
injunction (n.) an order of official warning
intimation (n.) an indirect suggestion
intrepid (adj.) brave in the face of danger
inure (v.) to cause someone or something to become accustomed to a situation
inveterate (adj.) stubbornly established by habit
irascible (adj.) easily angered
judicious (adj.) having or exercising sound judgment
knell (n.) the solemn sound of a bell
laconic (adj.) terse in speech or writing
languid (adj.)sluggish from fatigue or weakness
latent (adj.) hidden, but capable of being exposed
libertarian (adj.) advocating principles of liberty and free will
licentious (adj.) displaying a lack of moral or legal restraints
lithe (adj.) graceful, flexible
lurid (adj.) ghastly, sensational
magnanimous (adj.) noble, generous
manifold (adj.) diverse, varied
maudlin (adj.) weakly sentimental
mendacious (adj.) having a lying, false character
mitigate (v.) to make less violent, alleviate
modicum (n.) a small amount of something
mollify (v.) to cause to soften in temper
multifarious (adj.) having great diversity or variety
munificence (n.) generosity in giving
nadir (n.) the lowest point of something
nascent (adj.) in the process of being born or coming into existence
nebulous (adj.) vaguely defined, cloudy
neophyte (n.) someone who is young or inexperienced
obdurate (adj.) unyielding to persuasion or moral influences
obfuscate (v.) to render incomprehensible
obsequious (adj.) excessively compliant or submissive
obstreperous (adj.) noisy, unruly
odious (adj.) instilling hatred
onerous (adj.) burdensome
oscillate (v.) to sway from one side to the other
ostensible (adj.) appearing as such, seemingly
palliate (v.) to reduce the severity of
panacea (n.) a remedy for all ills
paradox (n.) an apparently contradictory statement that is perhaps true
paramount (adj.) greatest in importance, rank, character
pariah (n.) an outcast
parsimony (n.) frugality, stinginess
paucity (adj.) small in quantity
pejorative (adj.) derogatory, uncomplimentary
pellucid (adj.) easily intelligible, clear
penitent (adj.) remorseful, regretful
penultimate (adj.) next to last
penurious (adj.) miserly, stingy
perfidious (adj.) disloyal, unfaithful
perfunctory (adj.) showing little interest or enthusiasm
pernicious (adj.) extremely destructive or harmful
perspicacity (adj.) shrewdness, perceptiveness
pert (adj.) flippant, bold
pertinacious (adj.) stubbornly persistent
petulance (n.) rudeness, irritability
phlegmatic (adj.) uninterested, unresponsive
pithy (adj.) concisely meaningful
placate (v.) to ease the anger of, soothe
plaudits (n.) enthusiastic approval, applause
plethora (n.) an abundance, excess
pliable (adj.) flexible
poignant (adj.) deeply affecting, moving
portent (n.) an omen
potentate (n.) one who has great power, a ruler
preclude (v.) to prevent
preponderance (adj.) superiority in importance or quantity
presage (n.) an omen
presumptuous (adj.) disrespectfully bold
pretense (n.)an appearance or action intended to deceive
privation (n.) lacking basic necessities
probity (n.) virtue, integrity
profligate (adj.) dissolute, extravagant
promulgate (v.) to proclaim, make known
propensity (n.) an inclination, preference
propitious (adj.) favorable
prosaic (adj.) plain, lacking liveliness
puerile (adj.) juvenile, immature
pugnacious (adj.) quarrelsome, combative
pulchritude (n.) physical beauty
quagmire (n.) a difficult situation
quandary (n.) a perplexed, unresolvable state
quixotic (adj.) idealistic, impractical
rancor (n.) deep, bitter resentment
rapport (n.) mutual understanding and harmony
raucous (adj.) loud, boisterous
raze (v.) to demolish, level
recalcitrant (adj.) defiant, unapologetic
replete (adj.) full, abundant
rife (adj.) abundant
sagacity (n.) shrewdness, soundness of perspective
salient (adj.) significant, conspicuous
surfeit (n.) an overabundant supply or indulgence
tacit (adj.) expressed without words
tantamount (adj.) equivalent in value or significance
temerity (n.) audacity, recklessness
truculent (adj.) ready to fight, crue
ubiquitous (adj.) existing everywhere, widespread
vestige (n.) a mark or trace of something lost or vanished
wily (adj.) crafty, sly
zenith (n.) the highest point, culminating point

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