500 Key Words for the SAT

Do Ngoc Duc
152 words 15 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. abstract
    existing only in the mind
  2. abstruse
    difficult to understand
  3. acclaim
    enthusiastic approval
  4. accolade
    a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
  5. acquiescent
    willing to carry out the orders or wishes of another
  6. acrimony
    a rough and bitter manner
  7. adamant
    impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, or reason
  8. adroit
    quick or skillful or adept in action or thought
  9. advocate
    speak, plead, or argue in favor of
  10. affable
    diffusing warmth and friendliness
  11. affirmation
    the act of asserting or stating something
  12. alienate
    arouse hostility or indifference in
  13. aloof
    distant, cold, or detached in manner
  14. altruistic
    showing unselfish concern for the welfare of others
  15. ambidextrous
    equally skillful with each hand
  16. ambiguous
    having more than one possible meaning
  17. ambivalence
    mixed feelings or emotions
  18. ameliorate
    make better
  19. amity
    a state of friendship and cordiality
  20. amorphous
    having no definite form or distinct shape
  21. analogous
    similar or equivalent in some respects
  22. anarchy
    a state of lawlessness and disorder
  23. anathema
    a formal ecclesiastical curse accompanied by excommunication
  24. antagonistic
    characterized by feelings of intense dislike or hostility
  25. antiquated
    so extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period
  26. antithesis
    exact opposite
  27. apathy
    an absence of emotion or enthusiasm
  28. apex
    the highest point of something
  29. appease
    make peace with
  30. arbitrary
    based on or subject to individual discretion or preference
  31. arcane
    requiring secret or mysterious knowledge
  32. archaic
    so extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period
  33. arrogant
    having or showing feelings of unwarranted importance
  34. articulate
    express or state clearly
  35. ascendancy
    the state when one person or group has power over another
  36. ascetic
    someone who practices self denial as a spiritual discipline
  37. asperity
    harshness of manner
  38. assail
    attack someone physically or emotionally
  39. assiduous
    marked by care and persistent effort
  40. assuage
    provide physical relief, as from pain
  41. astute
    marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
  42. atrophy
    a decrease in size of an organ caused by disease or disuse
  43. audacious
    disposed to venture or take risks
  44. augment
    enlarge or increase
  45. auspicious
    indicating favorable circumstances and good luck
  46. austere
    of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor
  47. avarice
    reprehensible acquisitiveness; insatiable desire for wealth
  48. averse
    strongly opposed
  49. baleful
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
  50. banal
    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
  51. beguile
    attract; cause to be enamored
  52. belie
    represent falsely
  53. belligerent
    characteristic of an enemy or one eager to fight
  54. benediction
    a blessing or ceremonial prayer invoking divine protection
  55. benevolent
    showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding
  56. benign
    kind in disposition or manner
  57. bequeath
    leave or give, especially by will after one's death
  58. blight
    any plant disease resulting in withering without rotting
  59. bolster
    support and strengthen
  60. bombast
    pompous or pretentious talk or writing
  61. brevity
    the attribute of being short or fleeting
  62. bumptious
    offensively self-assertive
  63. cacophony
    loud confusing disagreeable sounds
  64. cajole
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
  65. candor
    the quality of being honest and straightforward
  66. capacious
    large in the amount that can be contained
  67. capitulate
    surrender under agreed conditions
  68. capricious
    determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity
  69. castigate
    inflict severe punishment on
  70. caustic
    capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action
  71. celerity
    a rate that is rapid
  72. censure
    harsh criticism or disapproval
  73. chasten
    censure severely
  74. chastise
    scold or criticize severely
  75. choleric
    characterized by anger
  76. circumscribe
    restrict or confine
  77. circumspect
    careful to consider potential consequences and avoid risk
  78. clemency
    leniency and compassion shown toward offenders
  79. cloister
    seclude from the world
  80. coalesce
    fuse or cause to come together
  81. coerce
    cause to do through pressure or necessity
  82. complacent
    contented to a fault with oneself or one's actions
  83. compliant
    disposed to act in accordance with someone's wishes
  84. composure
    steadiness of mind under stress
  85. concede
    give over
  86. concise
    expressing much in few words
  87. concur
    happen simultaneously
  88. condone
    excuse, overlook, or make allowances for
  89. confound
    be confusing or perplexing to
  90. consonance
    a harmonious state of things and of their properties
  91. consummate
    having or revealing supreme mastery or skill
  92. contend
    compete for something
  93. contingent
    determined by conditions or circumstances that follow
  94. contract
    a binding agreement that is enforceable by law
  95. contrite
    feeling or expressing pain or sorrow
  96. conundrum
    a difficult problem
  97. converge
    be adjacent or come together
  98. conviction
    an unshakable belief in something without need for proof
  99. convivial
    occupied with or fond of the pleasures of good company
  100. copious
    large in number or quantity
  101. cordial
    politely warm and friendly
  102. corporeal
    having material or physical form or substance
  103. corroborate
    give evidence for
  104. criterion
    the ideal in terms of which something can be judged
  105. cryptic
    having a secret or hidden meaning
  106. culpable
    deserving blame or censure as being wrong or injurious
  107. cupidity
    extreme greed for material wealth
  108. cursory
    hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
  109. daunting
    discouraging through fear
  110. decadence
    the state of being degenerate in mental or moral qualities
  111. defame
    charge falsely or with malicious intent
  112. deference
    courteous regard for people's feelings
  113. denounce
    speak out against
  114. depleted
    no longer sufficient
  115. deplore
    express strong disapproval of
  116. deprecate
    express strong disapproval of; deplore
  117. deride
    treat or speak of with contempt
  118. despondent
    without or almost without hope
  119. despot
    a cruel and oppressive dictator
  120. destitute
    poor enough to need help from others
  121. desultory
    marked by lack of definite plan, purpose, or enthusiasm
  122. dexterity
    adroitness in using the hands
  123. diatribe
    thunderous verbal attack
  124. digress
    wander from a direct or straight course
  125. dilatory
    wasting time
  126. discerning
    having or revealing keen insight and good judgment
  127. disclose
    expose to view as by removing a cover
  128. discord
    lack of agreement or harmony
  129. discourse
    an extended communication dealing with some particular topic
  130. disdain
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
  131. disparage
    express a negative opinion of
  132. disparate
    fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind
  133. disperse
    move away from each other
  134. dissent
    a difference of opinion
  135. dissolution
    separation into component parts
  136. distend
    cause to expand as if by internal pressure
  137. divergence
    moving away in different direction from a common point
  138. diverse
    distinctly dissimilar or unlike
  139. dogmatic
    pertaining to a code of beliefs accepted as authoritative
  140. doleful
    filled with or evoking sadness
  141. eccentric
    conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual
  142. eclectic
    selecting what seems best of various styles or ideas
  143. efface
    remove by or as if by rubbing or erasing
  144. effervescence
    the process of bubbling as gas escapes
  145. efficacy
    capacity or power to produce a desired result
  146. elated
    exultantly proud and joyful; in high spirits
  147. eloquence
    powerful and effective language
  148. embellish
    make more attractive, as by adding ornament or color
  149. emulate
    strive to equal or match, especially by imitating
  150. endemic
    native to or confined to a certain region
  151. endorse
    approve of
  152. enervate
    weaken physically, mentally, or morally
Created on Sun Nov 11 06:55:49 EST 2012 (updated Wed Dec 19 03:57:53 EST 2012)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.