262 SAT Vocab Words You Must Know

262 SAT Vocab Words You Must Know 8/7/2024, 12:13 PM
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Students
The 5
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You
A lot of students immediately think of vocabulary
Must Be
when they hear the word SAT. But are SAT vocab Using to
words really that important for doing well on the test? Improve
Kind of. If you’re aiming for a high score, you’ll 160+ SAT
definitely want to spend some time learning key Points
SAT words.
In this guide, we give you a comprehensive list of 262
https://blog.prepscholar.com/sat-vocabulary-words Page 1 of 49
of the most common SAT vocabulary words. We also How to

explain how vocab is tested on the SAT, what types of Get a
Perfect
questions you’ll see, and how to get the most out of
1600, by
your vocab prep. a
Perfect
Scorer
How Is Vocabulary Tested on the

Series: How to Get
SAT? 800 on Each SAT
Section:
The SAT has undergone a number of overhauls over
the years that have made vocabulary a far less
important part of the test. There are fewer vocabulary
questions on the current SAT than there were on older Score Score Score
versions of the exam, which include qustion types like 800 800 800
analogies that focused solely on testing vocab on on on
SAT SAT SAT
knowledge.
Math Reading Writing
That said, it'll still benefit you to study vocab,

especially if you're aiming for a high or perfect score. Series: How to Get
to 600 on Each SAT
All SAT words are about medium di!culty and Section:
are tested in the context of reading passages, so
you’ll get not just a sentence but an entire paragraph
or passage to work with.
Score Score Score
Context clues make memorizing SAT vocab words less 600 600 600
important on the current SAT than it was on the old on on on
SAT SAT SAT
SAT, back when you had to memorize dozens of
Math Reading Writing
obscure words and answer questions that dealt with
isolated sentences (these were called Sentence
Free
Completion problems). This made vocab questions
Complete
particularly hard since you were given minimal context O!cial
with which to solve them. SAT
Practice
Tests
What Do SAT Vocabulary
What
Questions Look Like? SAT
Target
The new digital SAT has one Reading and Writing Score
section broken into four domains: Craft and Structure, Should
You Be
Information and Ideas, Standard English Conventions,
Aiming
and Expression of Ideas. Only one domain, Craft and For?
Structure, includes vocabulary as a tested skill.
15
According to College Board's description of this Strategies
domain, "Students will use comprehension, to
Improve
vocabulary, analysis, synthesis, and reasoning skills
Your SAT
and knowledge to understand and use high-utility Essay
words and phrases in context, evaluate texts
rhetorically, and make connections between topically
related texts."
There are approximately 13-15 questions total in this John improved

domain, which makes up about 28 percent of the
by
Reading and Writing section of the SAT. But as you can
see from the description, vocabulary is not tested in
isolation, but in context. That means you won't see a
320
POINTS!
vocabulary word and then be asked to choose the
correct definition. Instead, you'll be tested on whether
you can use context clues to interpret certain
vocabulary words and understand the meaning of a
phrase or passage.
FIND OUT
HOW
It will help to know alternative meanings of relatively
common words, such as “directly” and “hold.” While
you might come across slightly more di"cult SAT
Stay Informed
words, you generally shouldn’t see any as hard as Get the latest
those on the old SAT. articles and test
prep tips!
Here's an example of a Reading vocabulary question
(with the relevant part of the passage shown):
Looking for
Graduate School
Test Prep?
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graduate blogs here:
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Free
Source: O"cial SAT Practice Test #1
In addition to Words in Context questions, you’ll

get questions that require you to pick a single SAT/ACT
word or phrase in order to paraphrase or clarify
part of a passage. With these questions, you must Tips
understand what all the SAT vocab words mean so
that you can choose the right answer. to Boost Your
Score
Here are some examples of these questions:
Get EXCLUSIVE
insider tips on
how to ACE THE
SAT and ACT for
FREE!
A sample SAT question with single vocab words Your E-mail*

as answer choices. (Source: O"cial SAT Practice Test #1)
SUBMIT
100% Privacy. No spam
ever.
"I
am
Holly R.
absolutely
overjoyed
and
cannot
thank
you
enough
A sample SAT question with phrases as answer
for
choices. (Source: O"cial SAT Practice Test #2) helping
me!”
In these examples, you'll need to know the

definitions of a variety of SAT vocabulary words,
such as “substantiated,” “freewheeling,” and
“scandalous,” so that you can select the right answer
choice.
262 SAT Vocab Words You’re

Bound to See on Test Day
Now that you know how vocabulary plays a role on

the SAT, let's go over the 262 words and definitions
we suggest knowing if you want to get a high score
on SAT Reading and Writing.
To compile this list, we dug through all o"cial SAT

practice tests, looking at both the Reading and Writing
sections (and not just the questions but the answer
choices and passages, too). We also looked at SAT
words from other online vocab lists.
Though you don’t need to memorize all the words

below, familiarizing yourself with most of them should
help you better identify the tones of passages and
make you more e"cient at interpreting and answering
questions correctly on SAT Reading and Writing.
Below, we give you each word, its part of speech, its

definition, and an example sentence (or more if the
word has multiple definitions/parts of speech). All
words are listed in alphabetical order.
Word Definition Example Sentence
v. to become less As I began my speech,

active, less my feelings of
Abate
intense, or less in nervousness quickly
amount abated.
adj. existing purely Julie had trouble

in the mind; not understanding the
Abstract
representing appeal of the abstract
actual reality painting.
I got an abysmal grade

Abysmal adj. extremely bad
on my research paper!
adv. in accordance All students must

Accordingly
with behave accordingly.
n. the act of Language acquisition is

gaining a skill or
Acquisition easier for kids than it is
possession of for adults.

something
The US has adapted

v. to make suit a
many foreign foods to
new purpose
better suit the tastes of
v. to
Americans.
Adapt accommodate
Dogs are known for
oneself to a new
their ability to quickly
condition, setting,
adapt to their
or situation
environments.
adj. having Beth loves playing the

knowledge or skill piano, but she’s
Adept
(usu. in a especially adept at the
particular area) violin.
adj. having
Though his resume was
su"cient
adequate, the company
Adequate qualifications to
doubted whether he’d
meet a specific
be a good fit.
task or purpose
n. the arrival or
The world has never
creation of
Advent been the same since the
something (usu.
advent of the light bulb.
historic)
An adversarial attitude
adj. relating to
Adversarial will make you many
hostile opposition
enemies in life.
n. someone who
promotes or
defends I am an advocate for
something free higher education.
v. to defend or Environmental
Advocate
promote protesters often
something (usu. a advocate for cleaner
belief, theory, energy practices.
opinion, etc.)
The aesthetic
decorations at the
adj. relating to
wedding reception
Aesthetic beauty or refined
made you feel as if you
taste
were a character in a
fairy tale.
He’s saving money so he

v. to be able to
can a#ord to buy a new
buy
A#ord car.
v. to be able to
I can’t a#ord to lose any
spare
more pencils!
v. to promote
They’re agitating for
Agitate something (usu. a
better health care.
cause)
v. to permit or US law allows citizens to

Allow
consent to speak freely.
She alluded to the

v. to make a
problem at hand but
Allude secretive mention
didn’t say anything more
of something
about it.
n. a noisy Greg got into an

Altercation argument or altercation with a
confrontation stranger at the bar.
Her ambiguous
adj. unclear or statement made me
Ambiguous
vague in meaning question whether she
could be trusted.
adj. having a
Penny is so ambitious,
powerful desire
Ambitious she wants to be
for success or
president someday.
achievement
n. the state of His ambivalence

being uncertain or prevented him from
Ambivalence
stuck between two immediately signing the

or more options contract.
Green onions are

adj. similar but not
Analogous considered analogous
identical
to spring onions.
v. to destroy or The dictator sent orders

Annihilate cause devastating to annihilate the group
destruction of rebels.
n. something This result is an

Anomaly di#erent from the anomaly and very
norm rarely happens.
The party was just as

v. assume to be
Anticipate fun as I had anticipated
likely to happen
it would be.
Her antipathy toward

the professor was
n. a strong feeling
Antipathy obvious: she rolled her
of dislike
eyes whenever he
entered the classroom.
n. the highest
The spring play was the
Apex point of
apex of our school year.
something
n. fearful Her apprehension to

Apprehension expectation of leave her house resulted
something in her missing the train.
She articulated her

v. to clearly
Articulate opinion on the price of
express in words
the house.
adj. something Many candies use

Artificial made; not artificial flavors to
occurring naturally make them taste fruity.
His assertion that

n. a strong sharks are mammals
Assertion
declaration made everyone laugh.
He lived in a small,
adj. extremely austere cabin in the
plain middle of the woods.
adj. stern and My boss had an austere
Austere
forbidding expression on her face.
adj. relating to An austere lifestyle, like
self-denial that of monks, isn’t for
everybody.
n. the quality of The police o"cer

being real and doubted the
Authenticity
true instead of authenticity of the
fake and contrived suspect’s story.
n. an intangible The company has

Avenue path or approach decided to pursue other
to something avenues.
adj. actively
interested in or Gerald is an avid soccer
Avid
enthusiastic about fan.
something
adj. relating to the You have to start with

foundation or basic Russian before
Basic
basis of you can move on to the
something advanced level.
She bears a strong

resemblance to your
mother.
v. to have as a
Judy will bear her first
characteristic
child later this year.
Bear v. to have (a child)
My garden is going to
v. to bring forth
bear pumpkins this
v. to put up with
year.
I can’t bear her
complaining any longer!
Benevolent adj. kind, Many cultures believe in

generous benevolent spirits.
n. a preconception It’s important to avoid

Bias that prevents bias when investigating
objectivity a crime.
The ending of the

adj. tinged with a
Bittersweet romance movie was
feeling of sadness
bittersweet.
If we work together, we
v. to support,
should be able to lift
Bolster strengthen, or
and then bolster the
fortify
couch.
The boost in profits was

n. an increase or
a welcome change.
growth
Boost In order to boost
v. to increase or
profits, you need to
make grow
cater to your customers.
A brawl broke out at

n. an intense, loud school today after one
fight student accused
Brawl
v. to fight loudly another of cheating.
and disruptively The two students
brawled for an hour.
n. the quality of The brevity of their time

Brevity being brief or together made it all the
terse more romantic.
Josh is candid about his

Candid adj. direct, blunt desire to become an
actor.
I admire her candor,

n. the trait of
especially when nobody
Candor being honest and
else bothers to speak
frank
up.
I’d like to capitalize on
v. to use to your your math skills by

Capitalize having your work the
advantage
cash register.
The spy was captured

v. to trap or take by the enemy.
possession of Your painting beautifully
v. to successfully captures the
represent or ephemerality of life.
Capture
imitate I was captured by her
v. to captivate, beauty.
mesmerize The cops captured the
v. to catch or seize criminal three days after
the incident.
adj. relating to the

Civic Voting is a civic duty.
city or citizens
adj. emotionally Her clinical approach to

unattached (usu. situations allows her to
Clinical
used in medical or handle them more
scientific setting) e#ectively.
Children of rich and

n. special
famous people often
Clout advantage or
believe they have a lot
power
of clout.
The horse’s mane was

adj. indicating a coarse, as if it had never
rough texture been washed.
Coarse adj. lacking The queen’s coarse way
refinement or of speaking surprised
sophistication the other members of
royalty.
It wasn’t until after I

booked my ticket that I
v. to happen at realized the concert
Coincide
the same time coincided with my
finals.
n. the use of
payment to This painting was
Commission request commissioned by a rich
something (e.g., a merchant in 1589.
service or product)
This novel is
adj. able to be
Comparable comparable to
compared
Huckleberry Finn.
We need to hire a
competent web
adj. su"ciently
Competent developer to create a
qualified
good website for our
company.
Though he had never

adj. satisfied, with won any awards or even
Complacent no desire to been published, he was
change or improve complacent with his life
as a poet.
This wine perfectly

v. to make perfect complements this
Complement
or complete platter of gourmet
cheese.
v. to be forced to With no chance of

agree or winning the battle, the
Concede surrender army at last conceded.
v. to admit to a Dan conceded to
transgression pranking his sister.
The plan to build the city

v. to imagine or was originally
Conceive
come up with conceived in the early
1900s.
She couldn't condone

v. to overlook, her daughter's
Condone
approve, or allow rebellious behavior.
The noisy students

adj. able to bring
hardly made the
Conducive about or be
campus library
suitable for
conducive to studying.
The group conducted

v. to control or
their research abroad
manage
Conduct last year.
v. to behave a
Be sure to conduct
certain way
yourself accordingly.
v. to share
She confided all of her
something
Confide biggest secrets in her
secretive with
best friend.
someone
We are going to confine

v. to put limits on;
Confine the use of this drinking
to restrict
fountain.
After weeks of debating,

n. overall
Consensus the panel finally came to
agreement
a consensus.
v. to form or The desire for equality

Constitute compose (part of) constituted the civil
something rights movement.
She contemplated
v. to think deeply
Contemplate telling her teacher about
about
the cheating student.
The president contends

v. to maintain or that the US government
Contend
assert (an opinion) will not negotiate with
terrorists.
v. to be in contrast The camera footage

Contradict
with contradicts his alibi.
adj. highly Millions of viewers

Controversial debatable and watched the
causing controversial debate
contention take place.
adj. abiding by She lives a

Conventional accepted conventional life in the
standards suburbs.
v. to pass on or I have trouble

Convey transfer conveying my thoughts
(information) in French.
Her religious
n. a firm belief in
Conviction convictions prevent her
something
from eating meat.
The note signed by her

v. to provide father corroborates her
Corroborate evidence for; to claim that she was
back up (a claim) absent from class that
day.
This ingredient seems to

v. to work in
Counteract counteract the other
opposition to
ones.
Make sure to include a

n. an argument counterargument in
used to criticize or your essay so that you
Counterargument
dismantle another can show you’ve
argument considered the topic
from all perspectives.
Bill’s idea to take a

adj. hindering the shortcut was ultimately
Counterproductive achievement of a counterproductive: it
goal took us twice as long to
get to the train station.
The culmination of the

n. the final act or
Culmination performance was
climax
unforgettable.
Teachers don’t just pass

on new information to
v. to foster the
Cultivate students—they
growth of
cultivate their academic
potential.
The president decreed

v. to declare
that Halloween would
Decree formally and with
henceforth be a national
authority
holiday.
Her deference to the

elderly makes her the
Deference n. respect; regard perfect candidate for an
internship at the
retirement center.
I feel as though the

adj. not enough in
Deficient sources for my paper
degree or amount
are deficient.
Could you demonstrate

the dance move for me?
v. to do as an
This book’s use of words
example
Demonstrate such as “grim” and
v. gives evidence
“bleak” demonstrates
for
the author’s mournful
tone.
She demurred at my
Demur v. to object to request to transfer to a
di#erent department.
v. to (over)use The lost campers quickly

Deplete over time (usu. depleted their supply of
resources) food.
The moon is one

adj. bare, barren,
Desolate giant, desolate
empty
landscape.
v. to come up with Lana devised a plan to

Devise (a plan) make herself famous.
n. a problem,
The main dilemma is
usually requiring a
Dilemma whether to pay for a
choice between
commercial or not.
two options
n.
conscientiousness; Diligence and
Diligence the quality of confidence will get you
being committed far in life.
to a task
The itchiness of
v. to become
mosquito bites usually
Diminish smaller in scope
starts to diminish after
or degree
a few days.
When the police didn’t

adj. hopeless and explain what was
Dire dangerous or happening right away,
fearful Jane knew that the
situation must be dire.
Disputes over money

caused
Discord n. disagreement
intense discord in the
family.
n. a lack of respect
He looked at me with
and strong dislike
such disdain that I
Disdain (toward
immediately knew the
something or
job wouldn’t work out.
someone)
To Nick’s dismay, he got

n. hopelessness,
an F on the test.
stress, or
Many were dismayed
Dismay consternation
by the town’s
v. to fill with woe
implementation of
or apprehension metered parking.
A good boss is stern but

v. to belittle or
Disparage never disparages his or
speak down to
her employees.
v. to send o# a The mother dispatched

Dispatch message or her daughter to their
messenger neighbor’s house.
Lately, there’s been

noticeable
n. the act of
Diversification diversification of
becoming diverse
students at higher
institutions.
n. a principle,
Devoutly religious
theory, or
people often live their
Doctrine position, usu.
lives according to their
advocated by a
doctrines.
religion or gov’t
The country claimed to

n. power and
have dominion over
authority (usu.
Dominion parts of Russia.
over a territory)
Puerto Rico is a
n. a legal territory
dominion of the US.
The gray clouds in the

adj. sad, gloomy,
Dreary sky made the day feel
dull
dreary.
The man’s claims to the

adj. doubtful, throne were dubious
Dubious
questionable since nobody knew
where he’d come from.
adj. peculiar or She’s a little eccentric

Eccentric odd; deviating but still fun to be
from the norm around.
After cheating on the
exam, Emily began to

Egregious adj. extremely bad
feel as though she’d
made an egregious
mistake.
adj. having refined

or expressive His speech was not only
Eloquent communication eloquent but also
skills (in speaking extremely compelling.
or writing)
Our town made news

adj. superior or
when the eminent
distinguished;
Eminent magician came to
high in position or
perform at our local
status
theater.
v. to discharge, Plants consume carbon

Emit give forth, or dioxide and emit
release oxygen.
adj. very Her emphatic smile told

Emphatic expressive; using me she was excited to
emphasis ride the roller coaster.
adj. derived from

You need empirical
experience,
Empirical evidence to support
observation, or an
your claim.
experiment
v. to equip or According to the myth,

Endow bestow (usu. a the gods endowed him
quality or ability) with the gift of healing.
v. to withstand, I can’t endure this wait

Endure sustain, or hold any longer. Will Stanford
out against accept or reject me?
A doctoral program
v. to involve or
Entail entails long nights and
include
a heavy workload.
Her face will forever be
Entrenched adj. firmly entrenched in my

established memory.
I can’t enumerate how

many times I’ve had to
v. to specify or
Enumerate remind my students
count
when their papers are
due.
n. excessive His envy of her is quite

jealousy obvious.
Envy
v. to admire and She envies her
be jealous of coworker's social skills.
adj. having no
fixed course; The car became erratic
Erratic
deviating from the after slipping on ice.
norm
They established a law

that made it illegal to
v. to enact
drive after drinking any
v. to found (a
Establish amount of alcohol.
business, group,
Our group established
school, etc.)
a new branch in
Chicago.
v. to draw forth or Horror movies are great

Evoke
call up at evoking fear.
The doctor told me not

v. to make worse
to run as it can
Exacerbate or increase the
exacerbate my knee
severity of
injury.
v. to do something She was a well-rounded

Excel extremely well or student but excelled
to be superior in especially in science.
v. to put into use Don’t exert all of your

Exert
(usu. as e#ort) energy at once.
adj. invigorating, The music playing at the

Exhilarating
stimulating, or club was catchy and
exciting exhilarating.
Be careful not to
v. to use up (as in expend all your energy
Expend
energy or money) in the first half of a
marathon.
The shoddy company

v. to use selfishly exploited its workers by
Exploit
or for profit paying them extremely
low wages.
In grad school, advisors

v. to aid the facilitate students’
Facilitate
progress of research and o#er
constructive criticism.
The feasibility of her

project was doubtful;
n. the practicality
she’d have to go all the
Feasibility or possibility of
way to Antarctica and
something
back before the school
year ended.
The lion is just one wild

n. viciousness,
Ferocity animal known for its
violence
ferocity.
Fiscal policy is how the

adj. related to
government uses money
Fiscal (government)
to influence the
money
economy.
After one year, the tiny

v. to prosper,
plants had flourished
Flourish grow, or make fast
into a breathtaking
progress
garden.
Stocks can fluctuate on

v. to be unstable; a daily basis, making it
Fluctuate to rise and fall di"cult to determine

when to buy or sell one.
The civilians accused

their leader
Foment v. to stir up
of fomenting political
unrest.
adj. capable of I can't imagine aliens

Foreseeable being predicted or visiting us in the
anticipated foreseeable future.
I frankly don’t see the

adv. directly,
Frankly point in learning to
clearly
drive.
His freewheeling
Freewheeling adj. carefree attitude often got him in
trouble at work.
adj. the most A thesis is arguably the

Fundamental essential or most most fundamental part
basic part of an essay.
adj. thrilling, The galvanizing

Galvanizing exciting, performance left
stimulating everyone spellbound.
I became interested in
geriatric medicine
adj. relating to old
Geriatric shortly after my
age
grandfather passed
away from cancer.
The voices around the

adj. harmful,
Hostile corner sounded angry,
dangerous
hostile even.
For my physics
adj. supposed;
homework, I must come
Hypothetical related to a
up with a hypothetical
hypothesis
situation.
adj. publicly The politician's

shameful or expensive campaign
Ignominious ultimately ended
humiliating
in ignominious defeat.
v. to transmit, Parents must impart

Impart bestow, or common sense to their
disclose children.
n. the equal and To ensure impartiality,

objective we require everyone to
Impartiality
treatment of follow these general
opposing views guidelines.
The old mansion was

adj. impressive
imposing in its huge
Imposing (esp. in size or
size and gothic
appearance)
architecture.
If it’s not too much of an

n. an unnecessary
Imposition imposition, could you
burden
proofread my paper?
Backpacking abroad can

adj. not cautious be fun, but don’t be
Imprudent
or prudent; rash imprudent about
money.
Her hateful words

v. to encourage or
Incite incited anger in the
stir up
crowd.
n. apathy, The girl’s indi#erence

Indi#erence emotional toward her brother
detachment upset their parents.
adv. randomly; Lottery winners are

Indiscriminately with little or no chosen
distinction indiscriminately.
My friend loves to
v. to give into; to
Indulge indulge in cheesy
satisfy or gratify
romance movies.
v. to guess, You can infer from this

conclude, or quotation that the writer
Infer
derive by didn’t care for “pretty”
reasoning language.
Her invention was

adj. novel or new
incredibly innovative
Innovative (esp. as an idea or
and won her multiple
invention)
awards.
A vampire’s thirst for

adj. can’t be
Insatiable blood is said to be
satisfied
insatiable.
The culture’s norms

Inversion n. a reversal were an inversion of
our own.
v. to call on; to
The shaman attempted
Invoke appeal to (e.g., a
to invoke a demon.
higher power)
The couple’s di#erences

adj. incapable of were ultimately
Irreconcilable being in harmony irreconcilable, giving
or agreed upon them no choice but to
break up.
Susan lamented her

v. to feel sorrow missed chance at going
Lament
for; to mourn to Europe with her high
school class.
Physics involves the

Locomotion n. movement
study of locomotion.
Writing books isn’t a

adj. capable of
particularly lucrative
Lucrative making a lot of
career, unless you’re J.K.
money; profitable
Rowling.
The malicious spirit

adj. harmful,
Malicious drove out the
spiteful
inhabitants from their
home.
adj. capable of Children’s minds are

Malleable being molded or malleable but only for
changed so long.
adj. superficial; Many people accuse

Materialistic focus on material Americans of being
possessions materialistic.
adj. extravagant or The melodramatic play

Melodramatic exaggerated (as of was well liked by the
a melodrama) audience.
They moved into a

modest house in the
adj. simple and
countryside.
humble
Modest I received a modest
adj. small in size
sum of money for my
or amount
help at the company
event.
Dr. Nguyen modified

v. to change, alter, the gene so that it
Modify
or tweak wouldn’t carry the
disease.
adj. historically Her win in the election

Momentous
significant was momentous.
We are looking for novel

adj. new,
Novel ways to approach the
innovative
project.
Body-language experts
n. a subtle
even understand the
Nuance di#erence in
nuances of facial
meaning
expressions.
Null adj. legally void The government

and ine#ective declared their marriage
null.
n. judgment based
on observations In scientific research,
Objectivity instead of objectivity is of utmost
emotions or importance.
opinions
Historians assumed
adj. no longer record players would be
Obsolete used; rare or obsolete by now, but in
uncommon fact they’re making a
huge comeback.
Gods are omnipotent

adj. almighty and
Omnipotent beings who can control
all powerful
human destiny.
At the onset of her

n. the beginning
Onset career as a lawyer,
or early stages
things were looking up.
v. to openly The new employee

Opine express an opined at the company
opinion meeting.
That ornate silverware

adj. highly detailed
Ornate must be worth
and decorated
thousands of dollars!
Sick and tired of putting

v. to remove or
up with his bad moods,
Oust force out of (usu. a
the pirates ousted their
position or o"ce)
captain.
adj. predominant, Our paramount

Paramount superior, most concern is the safety of
important our employees.
Upon entering the

abandoned house, Kate
Peculiar adj. strange, experienced a peculiar

bizarre feeling, as if someone
was watching her.
According to the news,

v. to die; to pass
Perish nobody perished in the
away
fire.
They will persecute

v. to cause anyone who doesn’t
Persecute
su#ering to agree with their views of
the world.
Petulant children are

adj. cranky, pouty,
Petulant especially di"cult to
irritable
care for.
Many believe that

composers such as
n. highest level or
Pinnacle Beethoven and Mozart
degree
represent the pinnacle
of classical music.
The frail-looking dog

was pitiable, so I gave it
Pitiable adj. deserving pity
some food and took it
inside to care for it.
Her story is plausible,

adj. reasonable
Plausible but that doesn’t mean
and possibly true
she’s telling the truth.
The literary critic

postulates that
Postulate v. to assert romanticism and
naturalism are actually
interconnected.
The bald eagle is a

adj. having great potent symbol of the
influence US.
Potent adj. having a The potion was

strong, chemical definitely potent—it
e#ect healed my wounds
immediately!
It’s not necessarily more

adj. practical, pragmatic to study
Pragmatic
useful engineering than it is to
study philosophy.
n. an example or This change in law is

Precedent subject from without historical
earlier in time precedent.
n. someone who
My predecessor gave
comes before you
Predecessor me many tips for
(usu. in position or
running the o"ce.
o"ce)
The directions for our

v. to command essay prescribe a length
orders of at least ten pages.
Prescribe v. to issue A doctor must prescribe
authorization for you this medication
medications before you can begin
taking it.
Remember the universal

n. basic truth,
principle: treat others
Principle assumption, or
as you want them to
rule
treat you.
v. to command Alcohol was prohibited

Prohibit
against, to outlaw in the US in the 1920s.
She is
adj. punctual, on always prompt when it
time comes to turning in her
n. a cue to begin homework.
Prompt something; I had to write an essay
instructions based on a prompt.
v. to incite, propel, The possibility of a

or cause to act scholarship prompted
him to apply to Harvard.
The ruler will at last

v. to put into law
promulgate an amnesty
Promulgate or formally
with the neighboring
declare
countries.
v. to bring criminal
action against The suspect was
Prosecute
someone (in a prosecuted yesterday.
trial)
adj. intending to Her nude paintings are

Provocative provoke, inspire, considered quite
or arouse provocative.
adj. involving
qualities of
I noticed a qualitative
Qualitative something
change in her paintings.
(features and
content)
adj. involving
quantities We must conduct a
Quantitative
(numbers and quantitative analysis.
amounts)
His biggest quirk is his

Quirk n. a strange habit
love of old marbles.
Cars ramified
v. to split into two
Ramify throughout the world in
or more branches
the twentieth century.
adj. without Her rash decision to

Rash attention to pass the car nearly
danger or risk resulted in a crash.
He’s got raw talent as a

adj. unrefined singer, but he needs to
Raw adj. not work on his

processed; performance skills.
uncooked (as in In some countries, such
food) as Japan, it is normal to
eat raw fish.
adv. right away Water was readily

Readily and without available at di#erent
di"culty points in the race.
The judges’
n. thinking again
reconsideration of her
Reconsideration about a previously
performance resulted in
made choice
her victory.
The reform made it so

n. a change for the that only those 18 and
better; older can legally drive.
Reform improvement The government
v. to improve via reformed its vague
change policies on marijuana
use.
v. to prove to be
The student refuted the
untrue,
Refute professor’s claim in
unfounded, or
class.
incorrect
We can use these pipes

v. to strengthen or
Reinforce to reinforce the
add support to
structure.
Max reluctantly agreed

adv. somewhat
Reluctantly to see the horror movie
unwillingly
with his friends.
Our CEO renounced her

v. to give up (usu. position yesterday.
power or a He renounced his
Renounce
position) friend after he caught
v. to cast o# her stealing money from
him.
The mother reproached

her daughter’s school
Reproach v. to criticize for making students
come in during a
blizzard.
The father repudiated

his son’s marriage.
v. to refuse to
She repudiated her son
Repudiate recognize as true
once she found out he’d
v. to cast o#
married someone
without telling her.
n. the act of Water retention can

Retention keeping make you weigh more
something on certain days.
adj. satisfied (usu. I felt satiated after

Satiated
in hunger) eating a snack.
adj. having My brother is not very

practical savvy when it comes to
Savvy
intelligence or using public
knowledge transportation.
adj. morally The scandalous

o#ensive, often politician decided it was
Scandalous
causing damage to best to resign from
one’s reputation o"ce.
It’s di"cult for me not to

v. to look down on
Scorn scorn those who use
with disdain
improper grammar.
I am a scrupulous
adj. paying great
Scrupulous proofreader and never
attention to detail
miss an error.
v. to examine
The teacher scrutinized
Scrutinize carefully and
her students’ essays.
critically
v. to produce or Trees secrete a sticky

Secrete
release (a substance called sap.
substance)
I am of the sentiment
that you should never
give out your passwords
n. opinion
to anyone.
Sentiment n. a tender or
Even though I’m not a
moving gesture
big fan of porcelain
dolls, I appreciated the
sentiment.
The curtains on the

adj. so thin that
window were so sheer
Sheer light can shine
you could clearly see
through
inside the house.
This math problem is so

simple even a first
adj. easy; not
grader can solve it.
Simple complex
The simple beauty of
adj. undecorated
the ocean is what makes
it memorable.
Medieval peasants
believed sinister
Sinister adj. ominous, evil
demons could harm
humans.
I stood in solidarity
n. the joining of
with other female
commonalities or
Solidarity students by refusing to
common purposes
wear the school’s sexist
among a group
uniform.
adv. insu"ciently,
Due to my condition, I
Sparingly meagerly, or in a
must eat salt sparingly.
restricted manner
Frogs typically spawn in

v. to release eggs ponds.
Spawn v. to call forth or The topic spawned an

generate ongoing debate among
his family members.
v. to stimulate or Her bravery spurred

Spur
incite others to act.
The squalid cabin

adj. run-down,
Squalid needed a new roof and
sordid, or sleazy
an exterminator.
adj. very plain; Looking out at the stark

Stark devoid of any landscape, I felt a keen
details or features sense of isolation.
The ball is static.

adj. motionless
Static Her life has been static
adj. changeless
for the past three years.
adj. lower in rank The subordinate

n. someone lower o"cers work every day.
in rank My subordinate will
Subordinate v. to make check you in.
dependent on or You aren’t my boss—you
put at a lower can’t subordinate me to
rank the role of receptionist!
adv. happening
I subsequently went
Subsequently later or after
home.
something
I was shocked to find a

adj. very large in substantial amount of
Substantial
amount or degree money beneath the park
bench.
It is important for
v. to strengthen scientists to
Substantiate with new evidence substantiate their
or facts theories whenever
possible.
I detected in her
Subtle adj. hard to detect expression a subtle hint

or analyze of irritation.
adj. enough; just

These boxes should be
Su"cient meeting a
su!cient for our move.
requirement
The bartender was a

adj. unfriendly;
Surly surly fellow who wasn’t
inclined to anger
afraid to start a fight.
They managed to
v. to get on top of surmount the language
Surmount
or overcome barrier by using a
translation app.
adj. to be Children are more

Susceptible vulnerable (to susceptible to certain
something) illnesses than adults are.
Her tactful attitude

adj. skilled at
toward our class made
Tactful dealing with
her one of my favorite
people
teachers.
The rubberband was

Taut adj. pulled tight taut and ready to be
fired.
Doorknobs are not as

adj. abundantly
clean as they look and
Teeming filled (usu. with
are often teeming with
living organisms)
germs.
She had a hostile

n. usual mood or temperament, making
Temperament
feelings her intimidating to most
people.
We haven’t made any

o"cial arrangements
adj. not yet
Tentative yet, but the tentative
finalized location for our wedding

is Hawaii.
Stained window glass

adj. see-through; isn’t as transparent as
so thin that light regular window glass is.
Transparent can shine through She was transparent
adj. truthful or about her plans to end
easy to perceive her marriage.
The journey was

adj. dangerous becoming treacherous,
Treacherous
and unstable but they continued on
regardless.
adj. very large, Tremendous news! You

Tremendous good, or bad in don’t have to repay your
degree or size loans!
adj. being
Cell phones are
Ubiquitous everywhere at
ubiquitous these days.
once
Though the dress was

adj. undecorated, cheap and unadorned,
Unadorned
plain it was by far her favorite
one on the rack.
v. to weaken or Parents should take care

subvert (usu. not to constantly
Undermine
gradually or undermine their
secretly) children.
v. to emphasize or This sentence seems to

Underscore give additional underscore the overall
weight to meaning of the passage.
Belly dancers are known

v. to move as
for their ability to
Undulate ripples or in a
skillfully undulate their
wavy pattern
stomachs.
The unilateral decision

Unilateral adj. one-sided was deemed unfair by
the other party involved.
The court’s decision is

adj. unfair; not
Unjust unjust—he should not
justified
go free.
adj. downright, My speech was an

Unmitigated
utter, total unmitigated disaster!
adj. completely
The number of
new and never
Unprecedented protestors was
having happened
unprecedented.
before; historic
We plan to unveil our

v. to make visible; plans for the new
Unveil
to reveal company project on
Sunday.
He had the urge to tell

n. desire or his parents about his
impulse acceptance to Columbia
Urge
v. to encourage or but decided against it.
persuade She urged her sister to
apply to Stanford.
Your selfish actions do

v. to prove or
Validate not validate your
declare valid
feelings for me.
n. ability to be
The viability of the
Viability done in a practical
solution is questionable.
or useful way
It is vital that you

adj. urgently
Vital respond by the
necessary
deadline.
My brother quickly
Vow v. to promise broke his vow to never
eat chocolate again.
Wanting to look cool in

v. to prove to be front of your friends
Warrant reasonable doesn’t warrant
breaking the law.
The farmer’s annual

pumpkin yield exceeded
n. production of
10,000.
an amount
Cars turning right on red
v. to give way to or
Yield must yield to oncoming
surrender to
tra"c.
v. to produce or
Our experiment yielded
supply
many unique-looking
vegetables.
How to Study SAT Words

E!ectively: 3 Essential Tips
Now that you've got a huge list of SAT vocabulary

words you can work with, what’s the best way to study
them? Here are three key tips to help you get the most
out of your SAT vocab studies.
#1: Make Flashcards and Use the Waterfall

Method
One of the absolute best ways to study SAT vocab

words is to make flashcards. This lets you control
which SAT words you study and even randomizes
them so that you don't accidentally memorize words
in a predetermined order.
We recommend using the waterfall method to study

your flashcards. With this method, you'll get to see all
the words in your deck, going over the most
challenging words more often than the ones you
already know or sort of know.
Here's how to use the waterfall method:
Once you’ve made your flashcards, split them up into

decks (you can put whatever words you want in these
decks) of about 30-50 cards each. Choose one deck to
be your Starting Stack.
Go through your Starting Stack, looking at each and

every card. For the words you know, put them in a
Know It pile. For the words you don’t know, put them
in a separate Struggled pile as so:
Now, pick up your Struggled pile and go through each

card in it (leave your Know It pile where it is). Put the
cards you know in a second Know It pile and the ones
you don’t know in a Struggled pile.
You should now have two Know It piles and one

Struggled pile:
Repeat this process of picking up your Struggled pile

and going through each card until you’re left with
about one to five cards in your Struggled pile:
By now you should know most, if not all, cards in your

deck. But it isn’t enough to just go through them once
—you also have to work back up your “waterfall”
of cards.
To do this, combine your Struggled pile with your last

Know It pile (the pile closest to the Struggled pile). This
will be your Working pile. Go through all the cards in
this pile. If there are any words you forgot, go through

the entire pile again and again until you've learned all
the definitions in it.
Continue this pattern by combining your current

Working pile with the next Know It pile. Go through all
these cards until you know each one.
At the end, you should have made your way all the
back to your original Starting Stack. You now know
all the SAT words and their meanings in your
deck! Repeat this waterfall method with the other
decks you make so that you can learn even more
critical SAT vocab words.
#2: Focus On Words You Don’t Know
If you don’t have time to study the entire list above or

only want to learn some SAT words, use our list to
make a new vocab list containing only the words
you don’t know. So if you know a word or are fairly
sure you’ll be able to recognize it on test day, skip it

and instead focus on the words you’ll have the most
trouble remembering. Once you have your list, use the
waterfall method to study it.
If you’re not a fan of paper flashcards, you can opt for

digital flashcards. Anki is a free software you can
download and use to make your own flashcards. The
program uses spaced-repetition software (SRS) to
show you di"cult cards more often than those you
know (basically, a digital version of the waterfall
method).
#3: Take O"cial SAT Practice Tests
Since the majority of the words in our list above come

from o"cial SAT practice tests, once you’ve studied
these SAT words, you can put your knowledge to the
test by taking a practice test. This lets you see whether
you truly know the meanings of the words
and whether you’ll be able to get the right answers
in the context of a full-length, timed test—just like
the real SAT.
If you miss any questions because you forgot the

meaning of a word, go back over our SAT vocab words
list using your flashcards and the waterfall method.
The Best SAT Vocab Flashcards
If you plan to make your own SAT vocab flashcards

from our list, you'll need at least 300 blank index cards
and a system to keep them organized. These basic
cards are an a#ordable option that are also available
in fun colors. You can keep them organized with
plastic baggies or rubber bands, or you can get an

organizer. Alternatively, try these easy-flip flashcards
that include binder clips.
Though we strongly recommend making your own

flashcards, you can also buy pre-made ones. There
aren't a lot of options for the new SAT. We'd
recommend going with Barron's 1100 Words You
Need to Know, a series of exercises to master key
words and idioms, or Manhattan's GRE flashcards if
you're looking for a challenge.
Conclusion: The Importance of

Studying SAT Vocabulary
Overall, vocabulary words don't play a huge part on

the SAT. That said, you’ll definitely have some
questions on both the Reading and Writing section
that test your knowledge of SAT words, so it’s
important to study those most likely to appear on
test day.
The best way to study SAT vocabulary is to make

flashcards and use the waterfall method. This ensures
you know all the words in your deck and aren’t
glossing over any di"cult ones.
If you don’t want to make flashcards or don’t have

time to study the whole list, however, it’s a good idea
to pick out the words you don’t know and study just
those. With these, you can either make a smaller deck
of paper flashcards or opt for digital flashcards.
No matter how you choose to study SAT vocab words,

be sure to test out what you’ve learned in the
context of full-length practice tests. Nearly all the
words in our list above come from o"cial SAT practice

tests, so you’re guaranteed to come across them in
some form!
What’s Next?
Want more tips on how to study SAT vocabulary

words? Check out our expert tips for memorizing SAT
words fast and learn why the waterfall method works
so well.
Aiming for a high SAT Evidence-Based Reading and

Writing score? Take a peek at our in-depth guides to
getting a perfect Reading score and learning how to
read SAT passages.
Taking the ACT instead? Then you'll need to know

vocab for that test, too. Learn what words to expect
on the ACT and how to study them.
Want to improve your SAT score by 160

points?
Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep

classes. We guarantee your money back if you
don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or
more.
Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught

by SAT experts. If you liked this article, you'll
love our classes. Along with expert-led classes,
you'll get personalized homework with thousands
of practice problems organized by individual skills
so you learn most eﬀectively. We'll also give you a
step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll
never be confused about what to study next.
Try it risk-free today:
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through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a
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Share this article!
author image
Hannah Muniz
About the Author
Hannah received her MA

in Japanese Studies from
the University of Michigan
and holds a bachelor's
degree from the University
of Southern California.
From 2013 to 2015, she
taught English in Japan via
the JET Program. She is
passionate about
education, writing, and
travel.
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SAT/ACT
Ask a Question Below
Have any questions about this article or other topics?

Ask below and we'll reply!
Dana M 16/07/2018, 22:27:08
Do u recommend that I memorize this list instead of

memorizing the 2000 word list (i have about a month
to finish my vocab)
Hannah Muniz 26/08/2018, 08:54:08
Hi Dana,
Thanks for your question, and sorry for the late

response.
I definitely recommend reading this list instead of

a 2,000-word list. The reason is that these days
the SAT does not test vocab as intensely as it used
to (prior to 2016). As a result, you really shouldn't
need to study thousands and thousands of words
in order to do well on it.
My biggest piece of advice: familiarize yourself

with most of the words here and make sure that
you know any alternate meanings of "simple"
words, too, since the SAT loves to test these.
Hope this helps!

Hannah
John Wright Stanly 25/07/2018, 08:18:48
If anyone wants a Quizlet for these terms, I made one

https://quizlet.com/_51zw9x
Barbara Justus 18/09/2018, 03:29:12
Thanks so much
Katie S. 06/10/2018, 18:17:49
I have my PSAT on wednesday next week but how is

the best way to prep for it?
Hannah Muniz 03/12/2018, 11:30:01
Hi Katie,
I apologize for the late response. Thank you for

your question.
We actually have a separate guide on how to

prepare for the PSAT.
https://blog.prepscholar.com/psat-prep-tips
Hope this helps!

Hannah
Lisa Tsai 20/10/2018, 02:28:23
Thanks for sharing
Seon 14/11/2018, 02:41:16
I downloaded 200 most important words in

prepscholar web. Some words are overlapped and
some are not. Which one is more recent or more
important?? What are the di#erences in a important
point of view??
Hannah Muniz 03/12/2018, 11:37:22
Hi Seon,
Thanks for your question! Our ebook of the 200
most important SAT vocab words was originally

made for the old (pre-2016) SAT, whereas this
article's 262 vocab words are all based on the
current format of the test.
While you can certainly use both lists for your

studies, the list on this page should be a little
more relevant, so I'd stick with this one if you
want to use just one in your test prep.
Hope this helps!

Hannah
Kate Ng 26/01/2019, 09:50:35
Wow! Thanks a lot! You are good! Well done! It sure

helped me in my studies!
Summer Thompson 10/02/2019, 14:50:37
Kate Ng,
I agree. I am studying for The Australian Selective Trial
Test and this list is boosting my marks right out of the
roof!
George Khanano 12/03/2019, 07:24:55
You know, I've been using this list for my book entries,
and I'm only in sixth grade. I find these words really
help to bring
my grades up with my reader response journal.
i dont wanna no u 03/11/2019, 01:15:51
nice very helpful
hassan ali 26/12/2019, 01:05:02
The list is useful. I found the very same list what i

wanted!!
lol princesa 20/02/2020, 02:08:29
good information
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262 SAT Vocab Words Get Subscribe to

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SAT ACT For

In this guide, we give you a comprehensive list of 262

of the most common SAT vocabulary words. We also How to

How Is Vocabulary Tested on the

That said, it'll still benefit you to study vocab,

What Do SAT Vocabulary

There are approximately 13-15 questions total in this John improved

GRE Online Prep Blog

GMAT Online Prep Blog

TOEFL Online Prep Blog

In addition to Words in Context questions, you’ll

A sample SAT question with single vocab words Your E-mail*

In these examples, you'll need to know the

262 SAT Vocab Words You’re

Now that you know how vocabulary plays a role on

on SAT Reading and Writing.

To compile this list, we dug through all o"cial SAT

Though you don’t need to memorize all the words

Below, we give you each word, its part of speech, its

Word Definition Example Sentence

v. to become less As I began my speech,

adj. existing purely Julie had trouble

I got an abysmal grade

adv. in accordance All students must

n. the act of Language acquisition is

possession of for adults.

The US has adapted

adj. having Beth loves playing the

He’s saving money so he

v. to permit or US law allows citizens to

She alluded to the

n. a noisy Greg got into an

n. the state of His ambivalence

stuck between two immediately signing the

Green onions are

v. to destroy or The dictator sent orders

n. something This result is an

The party was just as

Her antipathy toward

n. fearful Her apprehension to

She articulated her

adj. something Many candies use

His assertion that

declaration made everyone laugh.

n. the quality of The police o"cer

n. an intangible The company has

adj. relating to the You have to start with

She bears a strong

Benevolent adj. kind, Many cultures believe in

n. a preconception It’s important to avoid

The ending of the

The boost in profits was

A brawl broke out at

n. the quality of The brevity of their time