SAT Common Vocabulary

Tim N. (United States of America)
Most common vocabulary on the SAT test.
153 words 39 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. abbreviate
    shorten
  2. abstinence
    the trait of refraining from something, especially alcohol
  3. adulation
    exaggerated flattery or praise
    extreme praisernflattery
  4. adversity
    a state of misfortune or affliction
  5. aesthetic
    characterized by an appreciation of beauty or good taste
  6. amicable
    characterized by friendship and good will
  7. anachronistic
    chronologically misplaced
  8. anecdote
    short account of an incident
  9. anonymous
    having no known name or identity or known source
  10. asylum
    a shelter from danger or hardship
  11. benevolent
    showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding
  12. camaraderie
    the quality of affording easy familiarity and sociability
  13. censure
    harsh criticism or disapproval
  14. circuitous
    deviating from a straight course
  15. clairvoyant
    someone who can perceive things not present to the senses
  16. collaborate
    work together on a common enterprise or project
  17. compassion
    a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering
  18. compromise
    an accommodation in which both sides make concessions
  19. condescending
    characteristic of those who treat others with arrogance
  20. conditional
    imposing or depending on or containing an assumption
  21. conformist
    someone who follows established standards of conduct
  22. congregation
    the act of assembling
  23. convergence
    the act of coming closer
  24. deleterious
    harmful to living things
  25. demagogue
    a leader who seeks support by appealing to popular passions
  26. digression
    a message that departs from the main subject
  27. diligent
    quietly and steadily persevering in detail or exactness
  28. discredit
    the state of being held in low esteem
  29. disdain
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
  30. divergent
    tending to move apart in different directions
  31. empathy
    understanding and entering into another's feelings
  32. emulate
    strive to equal or match, especially by imitating
  33. enervating
    causing weakness or debilitation
  34. enhance
    increase
  35. ephemeral
    anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day
  36. evanescent
    short-lived; tending to vanish or disappear
  37. exasperation
    actions that cause great irritation
  38. exemplary
    worthy of imitation
  39. extenuating
    partially excusing or justifying
  40. florid
    elaborately or excessively ornamented
  41. fortuitous
    lucky; occurring by happy chance
  42. frugal
    avoiding waste
  43. hackneyed
    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
  44. haughty
    having or showing arrogant superiority
  45. hedonist
    someone motivated by desires for sensual pleasures
  46. hypothesis
    a tentative insight that is not yet verified or tested
  47. abridge
    lessen, diminish, or curtail
  48. reference frame
    a system that uses coordinates to establish position
  49. high priest
    a senior clergyman and dignitary
  50. misfortune
    a state resulting from unfavorable outcomes
  51. pertain
    be relevant to
  52. agreeable
    pleasing to one's own tastes, feelings, or nature
  53. out-of-date
    old; no longer valid or fashionable
  54. short account
    a brokerage account of someone who sells short
  55. nameless
    being or having an unknown or unnamed source
  56. opponent
    someone who offers resistance
  57. exterminator
    someone who exterminates
  58. hardworking
    characterized by hard work and perseverance
  59. sanctuary
    a consecrated place where sacred objects are kept
  60. friendly
    characteristic of or befitting an ally
  61. sympathy
    sharing the feelings of others, especially sorrow or anguish
  62. patronizing
    characteristic of those who treat others with arrogance
  63. provisional
    under terms not final or fully worked out or agreed upon
  64. contingent
    determined by conditions or circumstances that follow
  65. harmful
    causing or capable of causing damage
  66. rabble-rouser
    political leader who seeks support by appealing to passions
  67. digress
    wander from a direct or straight course
  68. scorn
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
  69. dishonor
    a state of shame or disgrace
  70. variant
    something a little different from others of the same type
  71. augment
    enlarge or increase
  72. momentary
    lasting for a markedly brief time
  73. fleeting
    lasting for a markedly brief time
  74. irritation
    something that causes annoyance or trouble
  75. frustration
    an act of hindering someone's plans or efforts
  76. outstanding
    of major significance or importance
  77. flushed
    having the pinkish glow of health
  78. ornate
    marked by complexity and richness of detail
  79. thrifty
    mindful of the future in spending money
  80. cliched
    repeated regularly without thought or originality
  81. arrogant
    having or showing feelings of unwarranted importance
  82. inconsequential
    lacking worth or importance
  83. inevitable
    incapable of being avoided or prevented
  84. integrity
    an undivided or unbroken completeness with nothing wanting
  85. intrepid
    invulnerable to fear or intimidation
  86. intuitive
    spontaneously derived from or prompted by a natural tendency
  87. jubilation
    a feeling of extreme joy
  88. lobbyist
    someone who is employed to persuade how legislators vote
  89. longevity
    the property of having lived for a considerable time
  90. mundane
    found in the ordinary course of events
  91. nonchalant
    marked by casual unconcern or indifference
  92. novice
    someone new to a field or activity
  93. opulent
    rich and superior in quality
  94. orator
    a person who delivers a speech
  95. ostentatious
    intended to attract notice and impress others
  96. parched
    extremely thirsty
  97. perfidious
    tending to betray
  98. precocious
    characterized by exceptionally early development
  99. pretentious
    creating an appearance of importance or distinction
  100. procrastinate
    waste time or postpone doing what one should be doing
  101. prosaic
    lacking wit or imagination
  102. prosperity
    the condition of having good fortune
  103. provocative
    serving or tending to excite or stimulate
  104. prudent
    marked by sound judgment
  105. querulous
    habitually complaining
  106. rancorous
    showing deep-seated resentment
  107. reclusive
    withdrawn from society; seeking solitude
  108. reconciliation
    the reestablishment of cordial relations
  109. renovation
    the act of improving by renewing and restoring
  110. resilient
    recovering readily from adversity, depression, or the like
  111. restrained
    under control
  112. reverence
    a feeling of profound respect for someone or something
  113. sagacity
    the trait of having wisdom and good judgment
  114. scrutinize
    examine carefully for accuracy
  115. spontaneity
    the quality of coming from feelings without constraint
  116. spurious
    plausible but false
  117. submissive
    inclined or willing to give in to orders or wishes of others
  118. substantive
    having a firm basis in reality and therefore important
  119. subtle
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
  120. superficial
    of, affecting, or being on or near the surface
  121. superfluous
    more than is needed, desired, or required
  122. suppress
    put down by force or authority
  123. surreptitious
    marked by quiet and caution and secrecy
  124. tactful
    having a sense of what is considerate in dealing with others
  125. tenacious
    stubbornly unyielding
  126. transient
    lasting a very short time
  127. venerable
    profoundly honored
  128. vindicate
    show to be right by providing justification or proof
  129. wary
    marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
  130. trivial
    (informal) small and of little importance
  131. unavoidable
    impossible to evade
  132. honesty
    the quality of being truthful and having integrity
  133. decency
    the quality of conforming to rules of propriety and morality
  134. fearless
    calm or oblivious in the face of danger
  135. instinctive
    unthinking
  136. exultation
    the utterance of sounds expressing great joy
  137. pompous
    puffed up with vanity
  138. run-of-the-mill
    not special in any way
  139. inflammatory
    inciting action or rebellion
  140. irritable
    easily annoyed
  141. withdrawn
    tending to be reserved, quiet, or introspective
  142. profound
    situated at or extending to great depth
  143. impulsive
    without forethought
  144. phony
    fraudulent; having a misleading appearance
  145. meek
    humble in spirit or manner
  146. elusive
    skillful at evading capture
  147. sly
    marked by skill in deception
  148. ambiguous
    having more than one possible meaning
  149. stealthy
    marked by quiet and caution and secrecy
  150. diplomatic
    relating to negotiation between nations
  151. persistent
    stubbornly unyielding
  152. resolute
    firm in purpose or belief
  153. antagonistic
    characterized by feelings of intense dislike or hostility
Created on Wed Sep 17 19:15:37 EDT 2008

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