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Changes to the SAT in recent years have some students thinking they no longer need to study vocabulary in order to earn an impressive score. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. According to a Princeton Review article, the SAT contains around 10 to 15 words that are unfamiliar to the average student. Moreover, students with strong vocabularies tend to earn higher scores than those with average or middling skills in this area. Read on to discover why vocabulary remains an important factor in SAT prep, along with the 100 words you should know to raise your scores.
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Top 100 Vocabulary Words to Study for the SAT
Reading plenty of fiction and non-fiction is the best way to improve a lackluster vocabulary over time. However, if you’re looking to raise your SAT Reading score quickly, you might want to devote some time to studying vocab. Here is a list of the top 100 SAT vocabulary words of all time, courtesy of Kaplan and the Washington Post:
- abbreviate: (v) to shorten, abridge
- Abstinence: (n) the act of refraining from pleasurable activity, e.g., eating or drinking
- adulation: (n) high praise
- adversity: (n) misfortune, an unfavorable turn of events
- aesthetic: (adj) pertaining to beauty or the arts
- amicable: (adj) friendly, agreeable
- anachronistic: (adj) out-of-date, not attributed to the correct historical period
- anecdote: (n) short, usually funny account of an event
- anonymous: (adj) nameless, without a disclosed identity
- antagonist: (n) foe, opponent, adversary
- arid: (adj) extremely dry or deathly boring
- assiduous: (adj) persistent, hard-working
- asylum: (n) sanctuary, shelter, place of refuge
- benevolent: (adj) friendly and helpful
- camaraderie: (n) trust, sociability amongst friends
- censure: (v) to criticize harshly
- circuitous: (adj) indirect, taking the longest route
- clairvoyant: (adj) exceptionally insightful, able to foresee the future
- collaborate: (v) to cooperate, work together
- compassion: (n) sympathy, helpfulness or mercy
- compromise: (v) to settle a dispute by terms agreeable to both sides
- condescending: (adj) possessing an attitude of superiority, patronizing
- conditional: (adj) depending on a condition, e.g., in a contract
- conformist: (n) person who complies with accepted rules and customs
- congregation: (n) a crowd of people, an assembly
- convergence: (n) the state of separate elements joining or coming together
- deleterious: (adj) harmful, destructive, detrimental
- demagogue: (n) leader, rabble-rouser, usually appealing to emotion or prejudice
- digression: (n) the act of turning aside, straying from the main point, esp. in a speech or argument
- diligent: (adj) careful and hard-working
- discredit: (v) to harm the reputation of, dishonor or disgrace
- disdain: (v) to regard with scorn or contempt
- divergent: (adj) separating, moving in different directions from a particular point
- empathy: (n) identification with the feelings of others
- emulate: (v) to imitate, follow an example
- enervating: (adj) weakening, tiring
- enhance: (v) to improve, bring to a greater level of intensity
- ephemeral: (adj) momentary, transient, fleeting
- evanescent: (adj) quickly fading, short-lived, esp. an image
- exasperation: (n) irritation, frustration
- exemplary: (adj) outstanding, an example to others
- extenuating: (adj) excusing, lessening the seriousness of guilt or crime, e.g., of mitigating factors
- florid: (adj) red-colored, flushed; gaudy, ornate
- fortuitous: (adj) happening by luck, fortunate
- frugal: (adj) thrifty, cheap
- hackneyed:(adj) cliched, worn out by overuse
- haughty: (adj) arrogant and condescending
- hedonist: (n) person who pursues pleasure as a goal
- hypothesis: (n) assumption, theory requiring proof
- impetuous: (adj) rash, impulsive, acting without thinking
- impute: (v) to attribute an action to particular person or group
- incompatible: (adj) opposed in nature, not able to live or work together
- inconsequential: (adj) unimportant, trivial
- inevitable: (adj) certain, unavoidable
- integrity: (n) decency, honesty, wholeness
- intrepid: (adj) fearless, adventurous
- intuitive: (adj) instinctive, untaught
- jubilation: (n) joy, celebration, exultation
- lobbyist: (n) person who seeks to influence political events
- longevity: (n) long life
- mundane: (adj) ordinary, commonplace
- nonchalant: (adj) calm, casual, seeming unexcited
- novice: (n) apprentice, beginner
- opulent: (adj) wealthy
- orator: (n) lecturer, speaker
- ostentatious: (adj) showy, displaying wealth
- parched: (adj) dried up, shriveled
- perfidious: (adj) faithless, disloyal, untrustworthy
- precocious: (adj) unusually advanced or talented at an early age
- pretentious: (adj) pretending to be important, intelligent or cultured
- procrastinate: (v) to unnecessarily delay, postpone, put off
- prosaic: (adj) relating to prose; dull, commonplace
- prosperity: (n) wealth or success
- provocative: (adj) tending to provoke a response, e.g., anger or disagreement
- prudent: (adj) careful, cautious
- querulous: (adj) complaining, irritable
- rancorous: (adj) bitter, hateful
- reclusive: (adj) preferring to live in isolation
- reconciliation: (n) the act of agreement after a quarrel, the resolution of a dispute
- renovation: (n) repair, making something new again
- resilient: (adj) quick to recover, bounce back
- restrained: (adj) controlled, repressed, restricted
- reverence: (n) worship, profound respect
- sagacity: (n) wisdom
- scrutinize: (v) to observe carefully
- spontaneity: (n) impulsive action, unplanned events
- spurious: (adj) lacking authenticity, false
- submissive: (adj) tending to meekness, to submit to the will of others
- substantiate: (v) to verify, confirm, provide supporting evidence
- subtle: (adj) hard to detect or describe; perceptive
- superficial: (adj) shallow, lacking in depth
- superfluous: (adj) extra, more than enough, redundant
- suppress: (v) to end an activity, e.g., to prevent the dissemination of information
- surreptitious: (adj) secret, stealthy
- tactful: (adj) considerate, skillful in acting to avoid offense to others
- tenacious: (adj) determined, keeping a firm grip on
- transient: (adj) temporary, short-lived, fleeting
- venerable: (adj) respected because of age
- vindicate: (v) to clear from blame or suspicion
- wary: (adj) careful, cautious
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April Maguire
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A graduate of the Master of Professional Writing program at USC, April Maguire taught freshman composition while earning her degree. Over the years, she has worked as a writer, editor, tutor, and content manager. Currently, she operates a freelance writing business and lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their three rowdy cats.
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