500+ Most Asked SAT Vocabulary Words You Must Know

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Mastery of SAT vocabulary is important because it impacts the two sections significantly: reading and writing. A vocabulary of SAT words, which are commonly used in academic and professional journals, helps you better understand passages and questions asked. A strong vocabulary can mean not only a good grip of those particular sections but also chances of clear and effective expression through writing. Those words contained in the SAT are not limited to obscure or technical terms. Rather, words tested represent those frequently used within academic and professional life that appear on the SAT vocabulary list. The vocabulary is spread across the test sections, for both sentence completion questions and passage-based reading questions.

According to the College Board SAT Suite Assessment, in its report about class 2024, nearly 149,505 students scored about 8%, achieving a perfect score in between 700-800 points of the ERW section.
This implies that Class of 2024 attained a mean score in the ERW section, especially on mastery of SAT vocabulary as 519.

What is SAT Vocabulary?

The vocabulary list in the SAT exam comprises words that are found fairly frequently on the test and are considered as being common and indispensable for scholarly accomplishment. SAT words are also largely high-frequency, rich English vocabulary that is quite useful to garner meaning in complex texts and arguments. The exam will test your SAT vocab words in vocabulary to judge how well you can understand and analyze written materials, helping you achieve a Good SAT score.

260+ Most-Used SAT Words

The SAT Vocabulary words are very important for every student who wants to get a good SAT Score. Understanding and mastering the 260 most commonly occurring words on the SAT exam really does make a difference in performance. Most of these SAT words appear in reading and writing sections, where effective vocabulary skills are required for the ability to get a fuller grasp of comprehension of the text and answer questions appropriately. Familiarization with this SAT vocabulary list will make students' reading skills more effective and a critical thinking approach toward the test as well.

Word	Definition	Example Sentence
aberration	a deviation from what is normal, expected, or usual	His outburst was an aberration from his usual calm demeanor.
abhor	to regard with disgust and hatred	She abhors the idea of wasting food when so many are hungry.
abrogate	to repeal or do away with a law, right, or formal agreement	The new government decided to abrogate the old, outdated policies.
acumen	the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions	Her business acumen helped her turn the company into a successful enterprise.
adroit	skillful and clever in handling situations or tasks	He was adroit at solving complex mathematical problems quickly.
alacrity	cheerful readiness, promptness, or willingness	She accepted the invitation with alacrity, eager to attend the event.
ameliorate	to make something better or more tolerable	The new law was introduced to ameliorate the living conditions of the poor.
anachronistic	belonging to a period other than that being portrayed	The movie's anachronistic costumes made it difficult to believe it was set in the 18th century.
apathy	lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern	The student's apathy toward his grades was evident in his lack of effort.
ardent	enthusiastic or passionate	She is an ardent supporter of animal rights and regularly volunteers at shelters.
assiduous	showing great care and perseverance	The assiduous student worked late into the night to finish her project.
avarice	extreme greed for wealth or material gain	His avarice led him to exploit others for personal profit.
belligerent	hostile and aggressive	The belligerent tone in his voice made it clear that he was upset.
benevolent	showing kindness and goodwill	The benevolent woman donated a large sum of money to the charity.
boisterous	noisy, energetic, and cheerful	The boisterous crowd cheered as the team scored the winning goal.
cacophony	a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds	The cacophony of car horns and shouting vendors filled the street.
capricious	given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior	His capricious nature made him hard to predict in business meetings.
castigate	to reprimand someone severely	The teacher castigate the students for their poor behavior during the trip.
clandestine	kept secret or done secretively	Their clandestine meetings were held in hidden locations to avoid detection.
cogent	clear, logical, and convincing	Her cogent argument swayed the jury and won the case.
complacent	showing smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements	The team became complacent after their early success and stopped improving.
condescending	having or showing a feeling of patronizing superiority	He gave a condescending smile when the junior employee made a mistake.
convoluted	extremely complex and difficult to follow	The professor's convoluted explanation left the students confused.
copious	abundant in supply or quantity	The copious notes she took during the lecture were helpful for studying.
cryptic	having a meaning that is mysterious or obscure	His cryptic message left us wondering about his true intentions.
cursory	hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed	She gave a cursory glance at the report before deciding it was fine.
deference	humble submission and respect for the opinions or wishes of others	He showed deference to his elders by listening attentively to their advice.
demure	reserved, modest, or shy	The demure girl blushed when asked to speak in front of the class.
denigrate	to criticize unfairly or belittle	It’s wrong to denigrate others in order to make yourself feel superior.
diatribe	a forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something	The politician’s diatribe against his opponent was harsh and unrelenting.
dichotomy	a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different	The dichotomy between rich and poor is widening in many societies.
dissonance	lack of harmony among musical notes or disagreement in ideas	There was a dissonance in their opinions that made it difficult to reach a consensus.
divulge	to make known (something secret)	He refused to divulge any information about the upcoming project.
dogmatic	inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true	His dogmatic views on politics made it hard for him to have open discussions.
ebullient	cheerful and full of energy	The ebullient child jumped up and down with excitement after hearing the good news.
eclectic	deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources	Her eclectic taste in music included everything from classical to hip-hop.
egregious	outstandingly bad or shocking	The egregious error in the report caused the company to lose clients.
enervate	to weaken or drain of energy	The hot sun enervated the hikers, making them feel sluggish and tired.
ephemeral	lasting for a very short time	The beauty of the sunset was ephemeral, disappearing as quickly as it appeared.
esoteric	intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with specialized knowledge	The esoteric nature of quantum physics makes it difficult for most people to grasp.
exacerbate	to make a situation worse	The lack of communication only served to exacerbate the tension in the room.
exculpate	to show or declare that someone is not guilty of wrongdoing	The evidence presented in court exculpated the defendant, proving his innocence.
exigent	requiring immediate action or attention	The exigent circumstances of the medical emergency required swift intervention.
facetious	treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor	His facetious comments during the meeting were met with disapproval.
flabbergasted	extremely surprised or shocked	She was flabbergasted when she won the grand prize at the lottery.
furtive	attempting to avoid notice or attention, typically because of guilt or a belief that discovery would lead to trouble	He gave a furtive glance at the clock, hoping no one would notice he was late.
garrulous	excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters	The garrulous man never stopped talking about his childhood adventures.
grandiose	extravagant and imposing, especially in an exaggerated way	His grandiose plans for the new office building seemed unrealistic.
gratuitous	given or done without charge or reason, often unnecessary	The movie included gratuitous violence that seemed unnecessary to the plot.
hackneyed	overused and unoriginal	His hackneyed speech included all the usual clichés about hard work and success.
hapless	unfortunate or unlucky	The hapless traveler lost his luggage and missed his flight.
hegemony	leadership or dominance, especially by one country or social group	The country’s hegemony in the region made it a dominant power.
heretical	contrary to accepted beliefs or doctrines, especially in religion	His heretical ideas were condemned by the church, leading to his excommunication.
iconoclast	a person who attacks or criticizes cherished beliefs or institutions	The artist was known as an iconoclast, challenging traditional views of art and beauty.
idiosyncratic	peculiar or individualistic in nature	His idiosyncratic taste in fashion often attracted attention for its originality.
ignominious	deserving or causing public disgrace or shame	The ignominious defeat left the team humiliated and embarrassed.
impassive	not showing or feeling any emotion	The diplomat remained impassive despite the heated debate in the room.
impeccable	in accordance with the highest standards; flawless	Her impeccable performance at the recital earned her a standing ovation.
implacable	unable to be appeased or pacified	The implacable judge refused to reduce the sentence, regardless of the defendant's plea.
impugn	to dispute the truth, validity, or honesty of something	The lawyer impugned the witness’s testimony, suggesting it was unreliable.
inane	silly or lacking sense	His inane comments during the meeting were completely irrelevant.
incisive	intelligently analytical and clear-thinking	Her incisive analysis of the issue revealed the root causes of the problem.
incongruous	not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings or other aspects of something	The modern sculpture seemed incongruous in the old, classical museum.
indefatigable	persisting tirelessly	The indefatigable volunteer worked for hours to help organize the event.
indolent	habitually lazy or avoiding work	His indolent attitude towards studying led to poor grades.
inept	having or showing no skill; clumsy	The inept manager caused chaos by making poor decisions.
ingenuous	innocent and unsuspecting	The ingenuous child was easily tricked by the magician's sleight of hand.
inimical	harmful or hostile	His inimical attitude toward the new policy caused tension among colleagues.
insidious	proceeding in a subtle way but with harmful effects	The insidious spread of misinformation affected public opinion.
intrepid	fearless, adventurous	The intrepid explorers trekked across the jungle despite the dangers.
invective	insulting, abusive, or highly critical language	The debate turned ugly as both sides began using invective against each other.
irascible	easily angered or irritable	His irascible temper made it difficult to work with him.
laconic	using few words; concise	His laconic response made it clear that he was not interested in the conversation.
latent	existing but not yet developed or manifest	The artist's latent talent was discovered after years of practicing.
lethargic	sluggish and lacking in energy	After the long flight, she felt lethargic and needed a few hours to rest.
loquacious	very talkative	The loquacious guest monopolized the conversation throughout dinner.
lugubrious	looking or sounding sad and dismal	The lugubrious atmosphere at the funeral made everyone somber.
machinations	plots or schemes, especially those that are devious	The political machinations behind the scandal were uncovered by the press.
magnanimous	generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or less powerful person	His magnanimous nature made him popular with everyone around him.
malcontent	a person who is dissatisfied or rebellious	The malcontent employee often complained about the company’s policies.
mendacious	not telling the truth; lying	The politician’s mendacious statements were exposed in the media.
meticulous	showing great attention to detail; very careful and precise	The meticulous artist spent hours perfecting every small detail of the painting.
nefarious	wicked or criminal	The nefarious activities of the gang were finally exposed by the police.
obfuscate	to deliberately make something unclear or confusing	The lawyer tried to obfuscate the truth by using complex legal jargon.
obsequious	excessively eager to please or obey	His obsequious behavior made him appear insincere to his colleagues.
officious	assertive of authority in an annoyingly domineering way	The officious manager constantly interrupted meetings, trying to take control.
onerous	involving a great deal of effort or difficulty	The onerous task of sorting through thousands of documents took weeks.
ostentatious	characterized by vulgar or pretentious display; designed to impress	The ostentatious mansion was filled with expensive and unnecessary decorations.
palliate	to make less severe or intense; to alleviate	The doctor prescribed medication to palliate the patient's pain.
panacea	a universal remedy or solution to all problems	While the new policy seems beneficial, it is not a panacea for all economic issues.
paradigm	a model or pattern of something	The company’s success served as a paradigm for new startups in the industry.
parsimonious	very unwilling to spend money or resources	The parsimonious businessman refused to invest in any new projects.
pedantic	excessively concerned with minor details and rules	His pedantic explanations about grammar made the lesson tedious.
perfidious	deceitful and untrustworthy	The perfidious actions of the traitor caused great harm to the kingdom.
peruse	to read or examine carefully	She perused the contract before signing it to make sure there were no hidden clauses.
pervasive	spreading widely throughout an area or a group of people	The pervasive influence of social media has changed the way we communicate.
phlegmatic	having an unemotional and stolidly calm disposition	The phlegmatic man remained calm even during the most stressful situations.
placid	calm and peaceful	The placid lake reflected the clear blue sky without a ripple.
plaintive	expressing sorrow or melancholy	The plaintive sound of the violin resonated through the concert hall.
plethora	a large or excessive amount of something	The store offered a plethora of choices for every customer.
precocious	showing unusually early development or maturity	The precocious child could read before she was three years old.
predilection	a preference or liking for something	His predilection for classical music was evident in his vast collection of records.
prosaic	lacking poetic beauty; dull and unimaginative	The report was filled with prosaic details and lacked any exciting analysis.
protean	able to change or adapt easily to different situations	The protean actor took on many diverse roles throughout his career.
prudent	acting with or showing care and thought for the future	It’s prudent to save money for unexpected emergencies.
pusillanimous	showing a lack of courage or determination	His pusillanimous behavior made him reluctant to confront the issue head-on.
quixotic	exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical	His quixotic plans to solve global poverty were full of optimism but lacked practicality.
rancor	bitterness or resentfulness, especially when long-standing	The long-running feud between the two families was filled with rancor.
recalcitrant	stubbornly disobedient or resistant to authority	The recalcitrant student refused to follow the teacher's instructions.
recondite	little known or understood; obscure	The recondite theories presented in the book were difficult to grasp without further study.
redolent	strongly reminiscent or suggestive of something	The redolent aroma of fresh bread filled the kitchen.
refute	to disprove or show to be false	The defense lawyer was able to refute the witness's testimony with solid evidence.
relegate	to assign to a lower or less important position	The new employee was relegated to menial tasks until he gained more experience.
remonstrate	to protest or object to something	The workers remonstrated against the new policy, demanding better conditions.
reprehensible	deserving condemnation or criticism	His reprehensible behavior at the meeting left everyone uncomfortable.
rescind	to revoke, cancel, or repeal	The company decided to rescind the offer after the applicant failed the background check.
reticent	not revealing one's thoughts or feelings readily	She was reticent about her personal life, preferring to keep it private.
revere	to regard with deep respect or admiration	The community reveres its elders and seeks their advice in times of need.
salacious	having or conveying undue interest in sexual matters	The salacious gossip spread quickly through the office, causing discomfort.
sanguine	optimistic or positive, especially in a difficult situation	Despite the challenges, he remained sanguine about the future of the project.
sardonic	grimly mocking or cynical	His sardonic comments about the boss's leadership style made everyone uncomfortable.
scintillating	sparkling or shining brightly; brilliantly lively or exciting	The scintillating performance by the pianist captivated the audience.
serendipity	the occurrence of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way	They met by pure serendipity while traveling in Europe.
somnolent	sleepy or drowsy	The somnolent atmosphere in the room made it hard to stay awake during the lecture.
specious	superficially plausible but actually wrong or deceptive	His specious argument appeared convincing at first but fell apart under scrutiny.
spurious	not being what it purports to be; false or counterfeit	His spurious claims about the company's profits were quickly debunked.
staid	sedate, respectable, and unadventurous	The staid old man preferred to spend his evenings reading quietly by the fireplace.
stalwart	loyal, reliable, and hardworking	As a stalwart supporter of the team, she never missed a match, rain or shine.
stymie	prevent or hinder the progress of	The roadblocks stymied the project, causing it to be delayed for months.
succinct	briefly and clearly expressed	Her succinct response to the question saved everyone a lot of time.
Superfluous	Unnecessary, especially through being more than enough.	The report contained a superfluous amount of data that was not needed for the analysis.
Surreptitious	Kept secret, especially because it would not be approved of.	They exchanged surreptitious glances during the meeting, as if they were hiding something important.
Terse	Sparing in the use of words; abrupt.	His terse response left no room for further discussion, making it clear he was done with the conversation.
Ubiquitous	Present, appearing, or found everywhere.	Smartphones have become ubiquitous in modern society, with nearly everyone owning one.
Unctuous	Excessively or ingratiatingly flattering; oily.	The unctuous salesman kept complimenting the customer in an effort to make the sale.
Vacillate	Waver between different opinions or actions.	She vacillated between accepting the job offer and staying in her current position.
Vainglorious	Excessively proud of oneself or one's achievements.	His vainglorious attitude made it hard for others to take him seriously.
Venerate	Regard with great respect or reverence.	The community venerates its elders for their wisdom and contributions.
Veracity	Conformity to facts; accuracy.	The journalist was praised for the veracity of her report, as every detail was thoroughly checked.
Verbose	Using more words than are needed.	His verbose explanation only confused the audience more, rather than clarifying the issue.
Vestige	A trace or remnant of something that is disappearing or no longer exists.	The ruins of the ancient castle are a vestige of a bygone era.
Viable	Capable of working successfully.	The scientist developed a viable solution to the environmental problem that could be implemented worldwide.
Vigilant	Keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties.	The security guard remained vigilant throughout the night, ensuring the building was safe.
Vindicate	Clear (someone) of blame or suspicion.	The new evidence served to vindicate the accused, proving their innocence.
Virtuoso	A person highly skilled in music or another artistic pursuit.	The young pianist was a virtuoso, impressing the audience with her flawless performance.
Vociferous	Expressing or characterized by strong opinions or feelings.	The vociferous protestors made their demands loud and clear.
Voracious	Wanting or devouring great quantities of food.	He had a voracious appetite and could eat an entire pizza on his own.
Winsome	Attractive or appealing in appearance or character.	Her winsome smile made everyone feel welcome in her presence.
Zealous	Having or showing great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or objective.	The zealous volunteers worked tirelessly to help build the community center.

Tips To Prepare SAT Vocabulary

Preparing for the SAT Vocabulary section can be a game-changer in boosting your overall score. Mastering SAT vocab words not only enhances your ability to understand and analyze reading passages but also improves your performance on both the Reading and Writing sections of the exam as per the syllabus. Since vocabulary plays a key role in these sections, it's essential to adopt effective strategies for memorization and practice. In this guide, we'll share practical tips to help you efficiently learn and retain SAT vocabulary words, ensuring you feel confident and prepared when test day arrives.

Learn Word Roots and Prefixes

Knowing your word roots and prefixes can break down unfamiliar words for you. The better you know the meanings of common roots, the better you will guess what difficult SAT words are trying to tell you.

Use the Waterfall Method to Learn Effectively

Read 30-50 SAT vocab words in one sitting. When you know a SAT vocab, put it into the "Know It" pile. The ones you find yourself struggling with go into the "Struggled" pile. Doing this makes it easier for you to keep working on your most challenging words.

Space Out Your Reviews

The Waterfall Method is based on Spaced Repetition, a technique that ensures you review difficult words more frequently than the easy ones. This maximizes your retention and allows you to remember SAT words long-term.

Learn in Context

Do not just memorize the definitions. Be aware of how SAT words are used in context, particularly in reading passages. This will get you ready to handle SAT vocabulary questions better when taking the SAT.

Work on Your Weakest Words First

Review the words in your first set. Mix the "Struggled" pile with the "Know It" pile and review again. That ensures you spend more time working on words you haven't yet mastered, thus helping you build a stronger vocabulary base. This will also help you in the essay section.

Make Flashcards

Flashcards are one of the most classic ways of learning vocabulary. You can use physical cards or digital ones and quiz yourself regularly. You can also download pre-made SAT vocabulary flashcards and use them with the Waterfall Method.

Use Official SAT Practice Tests

To familiarize yourself with the format of the SAT and learn unfamiliar vocabulary, practice with actual official SAT tests. The words you do not know should be directly placed into your study stack for concentrated review.

Test Yourself Regularly

Quizzing yourself is one of the best ways to reinforce new vocabulary. Regular self-testing ensures that you’re actively recalling the information, which improves memory retention and prepares you for SAT questions.

Why Is SAT Vocabulary Important?

SAT vocabulary is important because it directly impacts your ability to understand reading passages and to do well on writing. The more SAT words you know, the better at reading comprehension you'll be, the more polished your essays will be, and the higher your overall test score is likely to be, so strong vocabulary is a big part of how to get a high SAT score.

Better Comprehension Skill

With the improvement in SAT vocabulary, better comprehension of complex texts would be obtained. The reading passages in the SAT are typically composed of challenging vocabulary, which, if not fully understood, can affect your ability to pick up on ideas or details. Familiarity with such words actually enhances the interpretation of the meaning and nuances of the passage in question.

Better Vocabulary and Profuse Writing Ability

A well-rehearsed vocabulary will let you express yourself so much better and impressively in the essay section of the SAT. The simple ability to use rich and complex vocabularies will elevate the quality of the write-up so you make a better impression on essay graders.

Better Test Performance

Vocabulary is one of the most critical parts of both the Reading and Writing sections of the SAT. Recognizing vocabulary words will help you perform better in sentence completion questions and context-based ones also, which would ultimately make you achieve a better overall score.

Increased Confidence

With familiarity with SAT vocabulary, you will be more confident regarding your test-taking skills. The more familiar you are with words likely to appear on your test, the more composed you'll be when you face questions, and less likely you'll be able to get caught off guard by unfamiliar words.

Important Take-Away Tips for SAT Vocabulary

You have to focus on consistent practice and active engagement with words to master SAT vocabulary. Periodically examining what you have learned, you can use new word definitions to expand your vocabulary and incorporate them into context. This will help you use the terminology more effectively and will help you do well on assessments. See the following advice to get proficient with SAT vocabulary:

Practice with SAT-Specific Resources Many students use preparation books designed for the SAT and SAT Prep Courses. A good portion of these materials provides practice questions and exercises specifically designed to get you familiar with the types of vocabulary questions you will be seeing on the test.
Create a Vocabulary Journal: Make a SAT vocabulary notebook. Record new words you encounter with their definitions and synonyms and antonyms usage examples. Review and update your journal regularly to keep track of progress.
Apply Words in Writing: Practice with the new vocabulary in a composition. See if you can use them in an essay, in journal writing or even in other creative writing exercises. Use in context - basically, the more, the better.

Conclusion

One of the preps for getting the best possible score on the SAT is knowing the vocabulary. A person's reading and writing skills, not to mention a general test-taker, get strengthened and more expanded with vocabulary. Strategies for effective studying include using flashcards, reading widely, and practicing with specific tools on the SAT that help build a strong vocabulary foundation while taking the SAT in stride. Once you possess a strong vocabulary, you will be helping it pay dividends in academic and professional writing situations long after the test is over.

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