SAT Vocabulary
Open the SAT Prep site for words of the week and study skills.
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Clarity-clearness
in thought or expression |
Abdicate-to formally give up power Annihilate-to destroy completely Benevolent-kind; generous Despotic-characterized by exercising absolute power tyranically Dictatorial-domineering; oppressively overbearing Haughty-condescendingly proud Imperious-arrogantly domineering or overbearing Omnipotent-all-powerful Patronizing-treating in a condescending manner Usurp-to take power by force Adamant-extremely stubborn Assiduous-hard-working Conscientious-careful and principled Diligent-marked by painstaking effort; hard-working Dogged-stubbornly persevering Exemplary-commendable Fastidious-possessing careful attention to detail Intrepid-courageous; fearless Meticulous-extremely careful and precise Obstinate-stubbornly adhering to an opinion or a course of action Tenacity-persistent adherence to a belief or a point of view Milk-to draw or extract profit or advantage from Zealous-passionate; extremely interested in pursuing something Punctilious-strictly attentive to minute details; picky Alleviate-to ease a pain or burden Asylum-a place of retreat or security Auspicious-attended by favorable circumstances Benign-kind and gently Emollient-softening and soothing Mitigate-to make less severe or painful Mollify-to calm or soothe Sanction-to give official authorization or approval to Substantiated-supported with proof or evidence; verified Exculpate-to free from guilt or blame Debunk-to expose the falseness of Deleterious-having a harmful effect; injurious Disingenuous-not straightforward; crafty Disparate-fundamentally distinct or different Fabricated-made; concocted in order to deceive Recalcitrant-defiant of authority; stubborn; not easily managed Spurious-not genuine; false Capricious-impulsive and un0predictable Disdain-to regard or treat with contempt; to look down on Glower-to look or stare angrily or sullenly Pejorative-describing words or phrases that belittle or speak negatively of someone Plagiarism-the act of passing off as one's own the idea or writings of another Trite-unoriginal; overused; stale Vacuous-devoid of matter; empty Vilify-to make vicious statements about Disparage-to speak of in a slighting way or negatively; to belittle |
Aberration-a deviation from the
way things normally happen or are done Dubious-doubtful; of unlikely authenticity Ostentatious-describing a showy or pretentious display Quandary-a state of uncertainty or perplexity Stymied-thwarted; stumped; blocked Wily-cunning Aesthetic-having to do with the appreciation of beauty Decorous-proper; marked by good taste Embellish-to make beautiful by ornamenting; to decorate Idyllic-simple and carefree Medley-an assortment or a mixture, especially of musical Mural-a big painting applied directly to a wall Opulent-exhibiting a display of great wealth Ornate-elaborately ornamented Pristine-not spoiled; pure Serene-calm Lucid-easily understood Affable-easy-going; friendly Amenable-responsive; agreeable Amiable-good-natured and likable Camaraderie-good will between friends Cordial-warm and sincere; friendly Gregarious-enjoying the company of other; sociable Salutary-promoting good health Sanguine-cheerfully confident; optimistic Innocuous-having no bad effect; harmless Brusque-describing a rudely abrupt manner Cantankerous-grumpy; disagreeable Caustic-bitingly sarcastic, burning; a substance that burns or corrodes Contemptuous-feeling hatred; scornful Feral-savage, fierce, or untamed Fractious-quarrelsome; unruly Incorrigible-unable to be reformed Ingrate-an ungrateful person Insolent-insulting in manner or speech Malevolent-having or exhibiting ill will; wishing harm to others; hateful Notorious-known widely and usually unfavorable; infamous Obdurate-stubborn; inflexible Repugnant-causing disgust or hatred Unpalatable-not pleasing to the taste, mind or sensibilities Parsimonious-excessively cheap Itinerant-traveling from place to place Remote-located far away Transitory-short-lived or temporary Unfettered-set free from restrictions or bonds Harbinger-one that indicates what is to come; a forerunner Ominous-menacing; threatening Portend-to serve as an omen or a warning of Prophetic-foretelling or predicting future events Impromptu-not planned in advance; spur of the moment |
Ambiguous-open to more than one
interpretation Ambivalent-simultaneously feeling opposing feelings, such as love and hate Arbiter-a judge who decides a disputed issue Inconsequential-unimportant Ample-describing a large amount of something Burgeoning-expanding or growing rapidly Capacious-roomy; spacious Copious-plentiful; having a large quantity Permeated-spread or flowing throughout Prodigious-enormous Replete-abundantly supplied; filled Candor-sincerity; openness Frank-open and sincere in expression; straightforward Pragmatic-practical Purist-one who is particularly concerned with maintaining traditional practices Terse-brief and to the point; concise Insightful-perceptive Curtailed-cut short; abbreviated Arid-describing a dry, rainless climate Conflagration-a widespread fire Nocturnal-of or occurring in the night Temperate-moderate; mild Clandestine-secretive, especially in regards to concealing an illicit purpose Coup-a brilliantly executed plan; a sudden overthrow of a government Enmity-mutual hatred or ill-will Heresy-an opinion that disagrees with established, dearly-held beliefs Implacable-impossible to appease Maverick-one who is independent and resists adherence to a group Mercurial-quick and changeable in mood Pugnacious-combative; belligerent Rancorous-hateful; marked b deep seated ill-will Stratagem-a clever trick used to deceive or outwit Wary-on guard; watchful Thwart-to prevent the occurrence of Reclamation-a restoration or rehabilitation to productivity or usefulness Furtive-characterized by stealth; sneaky Impetuous-characterized by sudden energy or emotion Catalog-to make an itemized list of Equanimity-the quality f being calm and even-tempered; composure Feasible-capable of being accomplished; possible Apt-suitable; appropriate Solvent-able to pay one's debts Facile-done or achieved with little effort; easy Liquid-flowing readily Plausible-seemingly valid or acceptable; credible Biased-prejudiced Incontrovertible-indisputable; not open to question Jurisprudence-the philosophy or science of law Vindicated-freed from blame; proven to be true Penitent-expressing remorse for one's misdeeds |
Incumbent-imposed as a duty;
obligatory Indigenous-originating and living inn a particular area Innate-possessed at birth; inborn Inveterate-long established; deep-rooted; habitual Parochial-narrow in scope Pervasive-having the quality or tendency to be everywhere at the same time Impinge-to encroach in a way that violates the rights of another Laconic-using few words Lament-to express grief for; mourn Obsolete-no longer in use; old-fashioned Reticent-reluctant to speak Sanction-official permission or approval; a measure (economic, military or moral) put in place to punish a nation or person Suppressed-subdued; kept fro being circulated Surreptitious-done by secretive means Truncated-shortened; cut off Wane-to decrease gradually in intensity; decline Ephemeral-lasting for a markedly brief time Obscure-relatively unknown; or to conceal or make indistinct Tacit-implied but not actually expressed Tenuous-having little substance or strength; shaky; flimsy Timorous-shy; timid Trepidation-uncertainty; apprehension Immutable-not able to be changed Mundane-commonplace; ordinary Prosaic-unimaginative; dull Prudent-exercising good judgment or common sense Tenet-a principle held as being true by a person r an organization Stoic-indifferent to pleasure or pain; impassive Austere-somber, stern Genre-describing a category of artistic endeavor Staid-characterized by a strait-laced sense of propriety; serious Archaic-characteristic of an earlier, more primitive period; old-fashioned Emulate-to try to equal or excel, especially through imitation Naive-lacking sophistication Nascent-coming into existence; emerging Novice-a beginner Toxic-poisonous Brittle-easily broken when subjected to pressure Malice-extreme ill will or spite Malfeasance-misconduct or wrongdoing, especially y a public official Dilettante-a dabbler in or one who superficially understands an art or a field of knowledge Eclectic-made up of a variety of sources or styles Intuitive-knowing or perceiving quickly and readily Laudatory-expressing great praise Novel-strikingly new, unusual, or different Paramount-of chief concern or importance Urbane-notably polite and elegant in manner; suave Epiphany-a sudden burst of understanding or discovery Trenchant-keen; incisive Whimsical-subject to erratic behavior; unpredictable |
Word Definition
access ability to enter; approach; make use of
aloof distant or removed in interest or feeling; disinterested
ambiguity something vague, unclear, or which can understood more than one way
analysis examination of something by studying its smaller parts
anarchy absence of government; lawlessness; disorder
apathy lack of feeling, emotion, interests or concern
censure an official reprimand or criticism
disdain to look upon with scorn; despise
disverse differing from one another; having various forms or qualities
expedite to speed up the process; to complete quickly
hypothesis a tentative assumption made in order to draw out and test its consequences
indifferent not mattering one way or the other; without interest or concern
infer to derive as a conclusion from facts or premises; imply; hint
rational having reason or understanding
refute to prove to be false or erroneous
relevant pertinent; having to do with the matter at hand
skeptic one who has or shows doubts; one who questions validity
subtle hardly noticeable; clever or sly
tolerant showing the ability to endure; forbearing
valid founding in truth or fact; legally sound or binding
Prefix Meaning Examples
dis not; apart discharge; disarm
sub under subhuman; subterranean; subordinate
in into; within; not incapable; indifferent; indigestion
ex out of; away from extract; exempt; expire
hypo under; less than hypothesis; hypodermic
Words Definition
competent- fit; suitable; able
denounce- condemn; inform against
deter- discourage; restrain
deviate- to turn aside from established ways
discern- to see or understand clearly; distinguish
discriminate- make a distinction; to distinguish accurately
dispute- to engage in an argument; to call into question
distort- to twist out of the true meaning or proportion or shape
eccentric- peculiar; odd; unusual
endorse- approve, support or sustain; write or sign the back of a document
enhance- to raise the value of; to make more desirable
enigma- mystery; something puzzling
fallacy- false or misleading notion or character
fanatic- one who is excessively; to portray too favorably
hypocrite- one who fakes virtue; one who pretends to possess qualities he really does not have
inevitable- incapable of being avoided or evaded
innocuous- not causing harm; inoffensive
innovate- to introduce something as new; make changes
superficial- near or on the surface; outward, not thorough
Suffix Definition Examples
com with; together combine; compact
de down; from; away; off depilate; detrain
en (prefix) in endemic; engulf; endanger
super over; above superstructure; superintendent
ic dealing with; caused by; showing; photographic; symphonic
person or thing (noun & adjective suffix)
Words Definition
analogy similarity in some respects
between things otherwise unlike
arbitrary based on one's preference; whimsical
arrogant overly proud
articulate to speak distinctly expressing oneself clearly
augment to add to; to make greater in size, quality or strength
authentic genuine; not fake, false or an imitation
disparage to lower in esteem; discredit; to show disrespect for
miser one who lives miserably to save or hoard money
novel new; unusual; strange
obscure remote; not distinct; vague
optimism looking at things in a positive way
partial biased; favoring one over the other
persist to proceed despite opposition
revere to honor or worship
revive to come back to life; to return to health and vigor
tact poise; diplomacy; to say or do the right thing without offending others
tyranny the government of an absolute ruler;
vague not clear; not well defined, outlined or expressed
vital necessary or essential to sustaining life
vulnerable that which can be easily wounded or criticized
Suffix Definition Examples
nov new novel; novice
re back; backward; again revive; repay; renovate (uses both re and nov)
vita life (root) vital; vitamin; revitalize (uses both re and vit)
ment result; action; means (suffix) improvement; payment
er doer; maker (suffix) complainer; hatter