Vocabulary is a building block of the English language. Extensive knowledge about vocabulary can go a long way for you while appearing for the SAT exams since half of the paper is based on the English language. Through this blog, we will provide you with the most common SAT Words List and SAT Vocabulary book that will help you polish your vocabulary for SAT.
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Vocabulary in SAT Exam
SAT vocabulary makes up about 13% of the reading section and 7% of the writing section in an SAT verbal score section, i.e., ERBW. Vocabulary questions are not asked outright in an SAT exam but through reading passages and precise grammar questions.
Must-Know 262 SAT Words List
There are more than 100 SAT words you can learn about. To provide a more comprehensive SAT vocabulary book, here is a list of 262 SAT words with their meanings that you can learn and memorize:
- Abate – to become less active, less intense, or less in amount
- Abstract – existing purely in mind; not representing actual reality
- Abysmal – extremely bad
- Accordingly – in accordance with
- Acquisition – the act of gaining a skill or possession of something
- Adapt – to make the suit a new purpose, to accommodate oneself to a new condition, setting, or situation
- Adept – having knowledge or skill (usu. in a particular area)
- Adequate – having sufficient qualifications to meet a specific task or purpose
- Advent – the arrival or creation of something (usu. historic)
- Adversarial – relating to hostile opposition
- Advocate – someone who promotes or defends something, to defend or promote something (usu. a belief, theory, opinion, etc.)
- Aesthetic – relating to beauty or refined taste
- Afford – to be able to buy, to be able to spare
- Agitate – to promote something (usu. a cause)
- Allow – to permit or consent to
- Allude – to make a secretive mention of something
- Altercation – a noisy argument or confrontation
- Ambiguous – unclear or vague in meaning
- Ambitious – having a powerful desire for success or achievement
- Ambivalence – the state of being uncertain or stuck between two or more options
- Analogous – similar but not identical
- Annihilate – to destroy or cause devastating destruction
- Anomaly – something different from the norm
- Anticipate – assume to be likely to happen
- Antipathy – a strong feeling of dislike
- Apex – the highest point of something
- Apprehension – fearful expectation of something
- Articulate – to clearly express in words
- Artificial – something made; not occurring naturally
- Assertion – a strong declaration
- Austere – extremely plain, stern and forbidding, relating to self-denial
- Authenticity – the quality of being real and true instead of fake and contrived
- Avenue – an intangible path or approach to something
- Avid – actively interested in or enthusiastic about something
- Basic – relating to the foundation or basis of something
- Bear – to have as a characteristic, to have (a child), to bring forth, to put up with
- Benevolent – kind, generous
- Bias – a preconception that prevents objectivity
- Bittersweet – tinged with a feeling of sadness
- Bolster – to support, strengthen, or fortify
- Boost – an increase or growth, to increase or make grow
- Brawl – an intense, loud fight, to fight loudly and disruptively
- Brevity – the quality of being brief or terse
- Candid – direct, blunt
- Candour – the trait of being honest and frank
- Capitalize – to use to your advantage
- Capture – to trap or take possession of, to successfully represent or imitate, to captivate, mesmerize, to catch or seize
- Civic – relating to the city or citizens
- Clinical – emotionally unattached (usu. used in the medical or scientific setting)
- Clout – special advantage or power
- Coarse – indicating a rough texture, lacking refinement or sophistication
- Coincide – to happen at the same time
- Commission – the use of payment to request something (e.g., a service or product)
- Comparable – able to be compared
- Competent – sufficiently qualified
- Complacent – satisfied, with no desire to change or improve
- Complement – to make perfect or complete
- Concede – to be forced to agree or surrender, to admit to a transgression
- Conceive – to imagine or come up with
- Condone – to overlook, approve, or allow
- Conducive – able to bring about or be suitable for
- Conduct – to control or manage, to behave a certain way
- Confide – to share something secretive with someone
- Confine – to put limits on; to restrict
- Consensus – overall agreement
- Constitute – to form or compose (part of) something
- Contemplate – to think deeply about
- Contend – to maintain or assert (an opinion)
- Contradict – to be in contrast with
- Controversial – highly debatable and causing contention
- Conventional – abiding by accepted standards
- Convey – to pass on or transfer (information)
- Conviction – a firm belief in something
- Corroborate – to provide evidence; to back up (a claim)
- Counteract – to work in opposition to
- Counterargument – an argument used to criticize or dismantle another argument
- Counterproductive – hindering the achievement of a goal
- Culmination – the final act or climax
- Cultivate – to foster the growth of
- Decree – to declare formally and with authority
- Deference – respect; regard
- Deficient – not enough in degree or amount
- Demonstrate – to do as an example, gives evidence for
- Demur – to object to
- Deplete – to (over)use over time (usu. resources)
- Desolate – bare, barren, empty
- Devise – to come up with (a plan)
- Dilemma – a problem, usually requiring a choice between two options
- Diligence – conscientiousness; the quality of being committed to a task
- Diminish – to become smaller in scope or degree
- Dire – hopeless and dangerous or fearful
- Discord – disagreement
- Disdain – a lack of respect and strong dislike (toward something or someone)
- Dismay – hopelessness, stress, or consternation, to fill with woe or apprehension
- Disparage – to belittle or speak down to
- Dispatch – to send off a message or messenger
- Diversification – the act of becoming diverse
- Doctrine – a principle, theory, or position, usu. advocated by religion or gov’t
- Dominion – Power and authority (usu. over a territory), a legal territory
- Dreary – sad, gloomy, dull
- Dubious – doubtful, questionable
- Eccentric – peculiar or odd; deviating from the norm
- Egregious – extremely bad
- Eloquent – having refined or expressive communication skills (in speaking or writing)
- Eminent – superior or distinguished; high in position or status
- Emit – to discharge, give forth, or release
- Emphatic – very expressive; using an emphasis
- Empirical – derived from experience, observation, or an experiment
- Endow – to equip or bestow (usu. a quality or ability)
- Endure – to withstand, sustain, or hold out against
- Entail – to involve or include
- Entrenched – firmly established
- Enumerate – to specify or count
- Envy – excessive jealousy, to admire and be jealous of
- Erratic – having no fixed course; deviating from the norm
- Establish – to enact, to found (a business, group, school, etc.)
- Evoke – to draw forth or call up
- Exacerbate – to make worse or increase the severity of
- Excel – to do something extremely well or to be superior in
- Exert – to put into use (usu. as effort)
- Exhilarating – invigorating, stimulating, or exciting
- Expend – to use up (as in energy or money)
- Exploit – to use selfishly or for-profit
- Facilitate – to aid the progress of
- Feasibility – the practicality or possibility of something
- Ferocity – viciousness, violence
- Fiscal – related to (government) money
- Flourish – to prosper, grow, or make fast progress
- Fluctuate – to be unstable; to rise and fall
- Foment – to stir up
- Foreseeable – capable of being predicted or anticipated
- Frankly – directly, clearly
- Freewheeling – carefree
- Fundamental – the most essential or most basic part
- Galvanizing – thrilling, exciting, stimulating
- Geriatric – relating to old age
- Hostile – harmful, dangerous
- Hypothetical – supposed; related to a hypothesis
- Ignominious – publicly shameful or humiliating
- Impart – to transmit, bestow, or disclose
- Impartiality – the equal and objective treatment of opposing views
- Imposing – impressive (esp. in size or appearance)
- Imposition – an unnecessary burden
- Imprudent – not cautious or prudent; rash
- Incite – to encourage or stir up
- Indifference – apathy, emotional detachment
- Indiscriminately – randomly; with little or no distinction
- Indulge – to give into; to satisfy or gratify
- Infer – to guess, conclude, or derive by reasoning
- Innovative – novel or new (esp. as an idea or invention)
- Insatiable – can’t be satisfied
- Inversion – a reversal
- Invoke – to call on; to appeal to (e.g., a higher power)
- Irreconcilable – incapable of being in harmony or agreed upon
- Lament – to feel sorrow for; to mourn
- Locomotion – movement
- Lucrative – capable of making a lot of money; profitable
- Malicious – harmful, spiteful
- Malleable – capable of being moulded or changed
- Materialistic – superficial; focus on material possessions
- Melodramatic – extravagant or exaggerated (as of a melodrama)
- Modest – simple and humble, small in size or amount
- Modify – to change, alter, or tweak
- Momentous – historically significant
- Novel – new, innovative
- Nuance – a subtle difference in meaning
- Null – legally void and ineffective
- Objectivity – judgment based on observations instead of emotions or opinions
- Obsolete – no longer used; rare or uncommon
- Omnipotent – almighty and all-powerful
- Onset – the beginning or early stages
- Opine – to openly express an opinion
- Ornate – highly detailed and decorated
- Oust – to remove or force out of (usu. a position or office)
- Paramount – predominant, superior, most important
- Peculiar – strange, bizarre
- Perish – to die; to pass away
- Persecute – to cause suffering to
- Petulant – cranky, pouty, irritable
- Pinnacle – highest level or degree
- Pitiable – deserving pity
- Plausible – reasonable and possibly true
- Postulate – to assert
- Potent – having great influence, having a strong, chemical effect
- Pragmatic – practical, useful
- Precedent – an example or subject from earlier in the time
- Predecessor – someone who comes before you (usu. in position or office)
- Prescribe – to command orders, to issue authorization for medications
- Principle – basic truth, assumption, or rule
- Prohibit – to command against, to outlaw
- Prompt – punctual, on time, a cue to begin something; instructions, to incite, propel, or cause to act
- Promulgate – to put into law or formally declare
- Prosecute – to bring a criminal action against someone (in a trial)
- Provocative – intending to provoke, inspire, or arouse
- Qualitative – involving qualities of something (features and content)
- Quantitative – involving quantities (numbers and amounts)
- Quirk – a strange habit
- Ramify – to split into two or more branches
- Rash – without attention to danger or risk
- Raw – unrefined, not processed; uncooked (as in food)
- Readily – right away and without difficulty
- Reconsideration – thinking again about a previously made choice
- Reform – a change for the better; improvement, to improve via change
- Refute – to prove to be untrue, unfounded, or incorrect
- Reinforce – to strengthen or add support to
- Reluctantly – somewhat unwillingly
- Renounce – to give up (usu. power or a position), to cast off
- Reproach – to criticize
- Repudiate – to refuse to recognize as true, to cast off
- Retention – the act of keeping something
- Satiated – satisfied (usu. in hunger)
- Savvy – having practical intelligence or knowledge
- Scandalous – morally offensive, often causing damage to one’s reputation
- Scorn – to look down on with disdain
- Scrupulous – paying great attention to detail
- Scrutinize – to examine carefully and critically
- Secrete – to produce or release (a substance)
- Sentiment – opinion, a tender or moving gesture
- Sheer – so thin that light can shine through
- Simple – easy; not complex, undecorated
- Sinister – ominous, evil
- Solidarity – the joining of commonalities or common purposes among a group
- Sparingly – insufficiently, meagerly, or in a restricted manner
- Spawn – to release eggs, to call forth or generate
- Spur – to stimulate or incite
- Squalid – run-down, sordid, or sleazy
- Stark – very plain; devoid of any details or features
- Static – motionless, changeless
- Subordinate – lower in rank, someone lower in rank, to make dependent on or put at a lower rank
- Subsequently – happening later or after something
- Substantial – very large in amount or degree
- Substantiate – to strengthen with new evidence or facts
- Subtle – hard to detect or analyze
- Sufficient – enough; just meeting a requirement
- Surly – unfriendly; inclined to anger
- Surmount – to get on top of or overcome
- Susceptible – to be vulnerable (to something)
- Tactful – skilled at dealing with people
- Taut – pulled tight
- Teeming – abundantly filled (usu. with living organisms)
- Temperament – usual mood or feelings
- Tentative – not yet finalized
- Transparent – see-through; so thin that light can shine through, truthful or easy to perceive
- Treacherous – dangerous and unstable
- Tremendous – very large, good, or bad in degree or size
- Ubiquitous – being everywhere at once
- Unadorned – undecorated, plain
- Undermine – to weaken or subvert (usu. gradually or secretly)
- Underscore – to emphasize or give additional weight to
- Undulate – to move as ripples or in a wavy pattern
- Unilateral – one-sided
- Unjust – unfair; not justified
- Unmitigated – downright, utter, total
- Unprecedented – completely new and never having happened before; historic
- Unveil – to make visible; to reveal
- Urge – desire or impulse, to encourage or persuade
- Validate – to prove or declare valid
- Viability – ability to be done in a practical or useful way
- Vital – urgently necessary
- Vow – to promise
- Warrant – to prove to be reasonable
- Yield – production of an amount, to give way to or surrender to, to produce or supply
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Conclusion
Working on your SAT vocabulary can be difficult, but with the help of this word list, you can learn and memorize the SAT prep words. This will help you score better in the vocabulary part, improve your grammar, and increase your understanding of the other English language-related sections in the SAT exam.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I study SAT vocabulary words effectively?
You can employ the following methods to learn the SAT words and memorize them:
Use flashcards
Use the Waterfall method
Take the Preliminary SAT (PSAT) for practice
Focus on words you do not know and learn new words
Is it necessary to memorize SAT Vocabulary?
Memorizing SAT Vocabulary can help you in more than just vocabulary-related questions. This will also help you score better in SAT Writing and SAT Reading.
