Krieger's SAT: The 300 Essential Words

Thomas P. (United States of America)
The Insider's Complete Guide to SAT Vocabulary: The 300 Essential Words
344 words 107 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. abstemious
    marked by temperance in indulgence
  2. acerbic
    sour or bitter in taste
  3. acolyte
    a devoted follower or assistant
  4. acrimonious
    marked by strong resentment or cynicism
  5. adamant
    very hard native crystalline carbon valued as a gem
  6. adept
    having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude
  7. adhere
    stick to firmly
  8. admonish
    scold or reprimand; take to task
  9. adroit
    quick or skillful or adept in action or thought
  10. adulation
    exaggerated flattery or praise
  11. aesthetic
    characterized by an appreciation of beauty or good taste
  12. affable
    diffusing warmth and friendliness
  13. allusion
    passing reference or indirect mention
  14. amalgam
    a combination or blend of diverse things
  15. ambivalent
    uncertain or unable to decide about what course to follow
  16. ameliorate
    make better
  17. anachronism
    locating something at a time when it couldn't have existed
  18. analogous
    similar or equivalent in some respects
  19. analogy
    drawing a comparison in order to show a similarity
  20. anecdote
    short account of an incident
  21. anguish
    extreme distress of body or mind
  22. animus
    a feeling of ill will arousing active hostility
  23. anomaly
    deviation from the normal or common order, form, or rule
  24. antecedent
    a preceding occurrence or cause or event
  25. antediluvian
    of or relating to the period before the biblical flood
  26. antithetical
    sharply contrasted in character or purpose
  27. aplomb
    great coolness and composure under strain
  28. apoplectic
    marked by extreme anger
  29. arrest
    take into custody
  30. augment
    enlarge or increase
  31. auspicious
    indicating favorable circumstances and good luck
  32. austerity
    excessive sternness
  33. baleful
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
  34. bane
    something causing misery or death
  35. bastion
    projecting part of a rampart or other fortification
  36. bellicose
    having or showing a ready disposition to fight
  37. bemoan
    regret strongly
  38. benefactor
    a person who helps people or institutions
  39. bewildered
    extremely confused and uncertain what to do
  40. bias
    a partiality preventing objective consideration of an issue
  41. bombastic
    ostentatiously lofty in style
  42. boorish
    ill-mannered and coarse in behavior or appearance
  43. brevity
    the attribute of being short or fleeting
  44. broad
    having great extent from one side to the other
  45. brusque
    rudely abrupt or blunt in speech or manner
  46. burgeon
    grow and flourish
  47. capricious
    determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity
  48. capture
    seize as if by hunting, snaring, or trapping
  49. castigate
    inflict severe punishment on
  50. catharsis
    purging the body to stimulate evacuation of the bowels
  51. caustic
    capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action
  52. chagrin
    strong feelings of embarrassment
  53. channel
    a deep and relatively narrow body of water
  54. chaotic
    completely unordered and unpredictable and confusing
  55. charismatic
    possessing an extraordinary ability to attract
  56. chicanery
    the use of tricks to deceive someone
  57. churlish
    having a bad disposition; surly
  58. civility
    the act of showing regard for others
  59. clandestine
    conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods
  60. coherent
    marked by an orderly and consistent relation of parts
  61. compassionate
    showing or having sympathy for another's suffering
  62. compunction
    a feeling of deep regret, usually for some misdeed
  63. concede
    give over
  64. confound
    be confusing or perplexing to
  65. conjecture
    believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds
  66. conspicuous
    obvious to the eye or mind
  67. conundrum
    a difficult problem
  68. conventional
    following accepted customs and proprieties
  69. convivial
    occupied with or fond of the pleasures of good company
  70. copious
    large in number or quantity
  71. credible
    capable of being believed
  72. credulous
    showing a lack of judgment or experience
  73. criterion
    the ideal in terms of which something can be judged
  74. cupidity
    extreme greed for material wealth
  75. curt
    brief and to the point
  76. debacle
    a sudden and complete disaster
  77. decry
    express strong disapproval of
  78. deleterious
    harmful to living things
  79. demarcate
    set, mark, or draw the boundaries of something
  80. demise
    the time when something ends
  81. despondent
    without or almost without hope
  82. devour
    eat immoderately
  83. dexterous
    skillful in physical movements; especially of the hands
  84. dichotomy
    a classification into two opposed parts or subclasses
  85. didactic
    instructive, especially excessively
  86. diffident
    showing modest reserve
  87. digress
    wander from a direct or straight course
  88. disingenuous
    not straightforward or candid
  89. disparity
    inequality or difference in some respect
  90. dispel
    cause to separate and go in different directions
  91. dissolute
    unrestrained by convention or morality
  92. divisive
    causing or characterized by disagreement or disunity
  93. drab
    a dull greyish to yellowish or light olive brown
  94. droll
    comical in an odd or whimsical manner
  95. dubious
    fraught with uncertainty or doubt
  96. eclectic
    selecting what seems best of various styles or ideas
  97. edify
    make understand
  98. egalitarian
    favoring social equality
  99. elitist
    one who is biased in favor of those with high status
  100. elucidate
    make clear and comprehensible
  101. elusive
    skillful at evading capture
  102. embellish
    make more attractive, as by adding ornament or color
  103. empathy
    understanding and entering into another's feelings
  104. emphatic
    spoken with particular stress
  105. empirical
    derived from experiment and observation rather than theory
  106. enigma
    something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
  107. enmity
    a state of deep-seated ill-will
  108. ephemeral
    anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day
  109. epiphany
    a usually sudden insight, perception, or understanding of something
  110. epitomize
    embody the essential characteristics of
  111. equanimity
    steadiness of mind under stress
  112. erroneous
    containing or characterized by mistakes
  113. eschew
    avoid and stay away from deliberately
  114. estrange
    remove from customary environment or associations
  115. ethereal
    characterized by lightness and insubstantiality
  116. eulogize
    praise formally and eloquently
  117. evocative
    serving to bring to mind
  118. exacerbate
    make worse
  119. exasperate
    make furious
  120. excoriate
    express strong disapproval of
  121. exhort
    spur on or encourage especially by cheers and shouts
  122. exonerate
    pronounce not guilty of criminal charges
  123. exorbitant
    greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation
  124. feasible
    capable of being done with means at hand
  125. feign
    make believe with the intent to deceive
  126. fiasco
    a complete failure or collapse
  127. flamboyant
    tending to attract attention; marked by ostentatious display
  128. flippant
    showing an inappropriate lack of seriousness
  129. flippant
    showing an inappropriate lack of seriousness
  130. florid
    elaborately or excessively ornamented
  131. flourish
    grow vigorously
  132. fortitude
    strength of mind that enables one to endure adversity
  133. fortuitous
    lucky; occurring by happy chance
  134. foster
    providing nurture though not related by blood or legal ties
  135. fundamental
    serving as an essential component
  136. futile
    producing no result or effect
  137. galvanize
    stimulate (muscles) by administering a shock
  138. garrulous
    full of trivial conversation
  139. gregarious
    temperamentally seeking and enjoying the company of others
  140. hackneyed
    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
  141. hamper
    prevent the progress or free movement of
  142. haughty
    having or showing arrogant superiority
  143. hedonist
    someone motivated by desires for sensual pleasures
  144. herald
    a person who announces important news
  145. heyday
    the period of greatest prosperity or productivity
  146. hierarchy
    a series of ordered groupings within a system
  147. hinder
    be an obstacle to
  148. histrionic
    overly dramatic or emotional
  149. hubris
    overbearing pride or presumption
  150. iconoclast
    someone who attacks cherished ideas or institutions
  151. idealistic
    motivated by noble or moral beliefs rather than practicality
  152. idiosyncrasy
    a behavioral attribute peculiar to an individual
  153. ignominious
    deserving or bringing disgrace or shame
  154. impasse
    a situation in which no progress can be made
  155. impassioned
    characterized by intense emotion
  156. impede
    be a hindrance or obstacle to
  157. imperious
    having or showing arrogant superiority
  158. imperturbable
    marked by extreme calm and composure
  159. impetus
    a force that makes something happen
  160. impoverished
    poor enough to need help from others
  161. inauspicious
    boding ill
  162. incongruous
    lacking in harmony or compatibility or appropriateness
  163. indelible
    not able to be forgotten, removed, or erased
  164. indifferent
    marked by a lack of interest
  165. indigenous
    originating where it is found
  166. indignant
    angered at something unjust or wrong
  167. indomitable
    impossible to subdue
  168. ineffable
    defying expression or description
  169. infinitesimal
    immeasurably small
  170. inflame
    arouse or excite feelings and passions
  171. ingenious
    showing inventiveness and skill
  172. inimical
    tending to obstruct or cause harm
  173. innocuous
    not injurious to physical or mental health
  174. innovator
    someone who helps to open up a new line of technology or art
  175. innuendo
    an indirect and usually malicious implication
  176. inscrutable
    difficult or impossible to understand
  177. insidious
    working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way
  178. instill
    impart gradually
  179. interloper
    someone who intrudes on the privacy or property of another
  180. intractable
    difficult to manage or mold
  181. intransigent
    impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, or reason
  182. intrepid
    invulnerable to fear or intimidation
  183. irony
    incongruity between what might be expected and what occurs
  184. irrefutable
    impossible to deny or disprove
  185. irreverent
    showing lack of due respect or veneration
  186. laconic
    brief and to the point
  187. lament
    a cry of sorrow and grief
  188. lampoon
    ridicule with satire
  189. largesse
    liberality in bestowing gifts
  190. lexicon
    a reference book containing an alphabetical list of words
  191. liberal
    showing or characterized by broad-mindedness
  192. licentious
    lacking moral discipline
  193. litany
    a prayer consisting of a series of invocations by the priest with responses from the congregation
  194. litany
    a prayer consisting of a series of invocations by the priest with responses from the congregation
  195. loquacious
    full of trivial conversation
  196. lucrative
    producing a sizeable profit
  197. lugubrious
    excessively mournful
  198. magnanimous
    noble and generous in spirit
  199. malaise
    a feeling of mild sickness or depression
  200. malicious
    having the nature of threatening evil
  201. measured
    having notes of fixed rhythmic value
  202. mellifluous
    pleasing to the ear
  203. mendacity
    the tendency to be untruthful
  204. mentor
    a wise and trusted guide and advisor
  205. mercurial
    liable to sudden unpredictable change
  206. metaphor
    a figure of speech that suggests a non-literal similarity
  207. meticulous
    marked by precise accordance with details
  208. misnomer
    an incorrect or unsuitable name
  209. mitigate
    lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
  210. momentous
    of very great significance
  211. moribund
    being on the point of death
  212. multifarious
    having many aspects
  213. mundane
    found in the ordinary course of events
  214. myopic
    unable to see distant objects clearly
  215. myriad
    a large indefinite number
  216. naive
    marked by or showing unaffected simplicity
  217. narcissistic
    having an inflated idea of one's own importance
  218. negligent
    characterized by undue lack of attention or concern
  219. nonchalant
    marked by casual unconcern or indifference
  220. nostalgia
    a longing for something past
  221. nuance
    a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude
  222. obdurate
    stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
  223. obsolete
    no longer in use
  224. obstreperous
    noisily and stubbornly defiant
  225. odd
    not divisible by two
  226. ornate
    marked by complexity and richness of detail
  227. ostentatious
    intended to attract notice and impress others
  228. overwrought
    deeply agitated especially from emotion
  229. painstaking
    characterized by extreme care and great effort
  230. pantheon
    a temple to all the gods of antiquity
  231. paradox
    a statement that contradicts itself
  232. parallel
    being everywhere equidistant and not intersecting
  233. parenthetical
    qualifying or explaining
  234. partisan
    a fervent and even militant proponent of something
  235. pastoral
    devoted to raising sheep or cattle
  236. pedestrian
    a person who travels by foot
  237. penchant
    a strong liking or preference
  238. perfunctory
    hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
  239. personification
    attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas
  240. pervasive
    spreading or spread throughout
  241. placate
    cause to be more favorably inclined
  242. platitudinous
    dull and tiresome but with pretensions of significance or originality
  243. plausible
    apparently reasonable, valid, or truthful
  244. posthumous
    occurring or coming into existence after a person's death
  245. pragmatic
    concerned with practical matters
  246. preclude
    make impossible, especially beforehand
  247. precocious
    characterized by exceptionally early development
  248. predilection
    a predisposition in favor of something
  249. prescient
    perceiving the significance of events before they occur
  250. pristine
    immaculately clean and unused
  251. prodigious
    great in size, force, extent, or degree
  252. profound
    situated at or extending to great depth
  253. proliferate
    grow rapidly
  254. prolific
    intellectually productive
  255. prolonged
    relatively long in duration; tediously protracted
  256. proponent
    a person who argues for a cause or puts forward an idea
  257. protean
    taking on different forms
  258. provisional
    under terms not final or fully worked out or agreed upon
  259. provisional
    under terms not final or fully worked out or agreed upon
  260. qualify
    prove capable or fit; meet requirements
  261. quandary
    state of uncertainty in a choice between unfavorable options
  262. quiescent
    being quiet or still or inactive
  263. quixotic
    not sensible about practical matters
  264. rampant
    occurring or increasing in an unrestrained way
  265. rancid
    having an offensive smell or taste
  266. ravenous
    extremely hungry
  267. rebut
    overthrow by argument, evidence, or proof
  268. reciprocate
    act, feel, or give mutually or in return
  269. reconcile
    come to terms
  270. rectitude
    righteousness as a consequence of being honorable and honest
  271. refute
    overthrow by argument, evidence, or proof
  272. remorse
    a feeling of deep regret, usually for some misdeed
  273. reprobate
    a person without moral scruples
  274. resilient
    recovering readily from adversity, depression, or the like
  275. resolute
    firm in purpose or belief
  276. resplendent
    having great beauty
  277. resurgence
    bringing again into activity and prominence
  278. revere
    regard with feelings of respect
  279. reverent
    feeling or showing profound respect or veneration
  280. revile
    spread negative information about
  281. rhetoric
    study of the technique for using language effectively
  282. ruthless
    without mercy or pity
  283. sacrosanct
    treated as if holy and kept free from violation or criticism
  284. sage
    a mentor in spiritual and philosophical topics
  285. sardonic
    disdainfully or ironically humorous
  286. satire
    witty language used to convey insults or scorn
  287. savvy
    marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
  288. scenario
    a postulated sequence of possible events
  289. shirk
    avoid one's assigned duties
  290. simile
    a figure of speech expressing a resemblance between things
  291. skeptical
    marked by or given to doubt
  292. slovenly
    negligent of neatness especially in dress and person
  293. smart
    characterized by quickness and ease in learning
  294. solicitous
    full of anxiety and concern
  295. somber
    serious and gloomy in character
  296. sophistry
    a deliberately invalid argument in the hope of deceiving
  297. soporific
    inducing sleep
  298. spate
    a sudden forceful flow
  299. stark
    severely simple
  300. stigmatize
    condemn or openly brand as disgraceful
  301. stodgy
    excessively conventional and unimaginative and hence dull
  302. subtle
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
  303. succumb
    give in, as to overwhelming force, influence, or pressure
  304. superficial
    of, affecting, or being on or near the surface
  305. surreptitious
    marked by quiet and caution and secrecy
  306. tangent
    a line that touches a curve at only one point
  307. tenacious
    stubbornly unyielding
  308. tendentious
    having a strong bias, especially a controversial one
  309. theoretical
    concerned with hypotheses and not practical considerations
  310. trepidation
    a feeling of alarm or dread
  311. trivial
    (informal) small and of little importance
  312. tutelage
    attention and management implying responsibility for safety
  313. ubiquitous
    being present everywhere at once
  314. unaffected
    undergoing no change when acted upon
  315. unambiguous
    having or exhibiting a single clearly defined meaning
  316. unconventional
    not conforming to standards
  317. uncorroborated
    unsupported by other evidence
  318. uncouth
    lacking refinement or cultivation or taste
  319. undaunted
    resolutely courageous
  320. undermine
    weaken or impair, especially gradually
  321. underscore
    give extra weight to
  322. underscore
    give extra weight to
  323. understatement
    something said in a restrained way for ironic contrast
  324. unfailing
    unceasing
  325. unfettered
    not bound or restrained, as by shackles and chains
  326. unflappable
    not easily perturbed, excited, or upset
  327. unnerved
    deprived of courage and strength
  328. unorthodox
    breaking with tradition or typical norms
  329. unpretentious
    not behaving in an artificial way to impress others; natural
  330. unsavory
    morally offensive
  331. unscrupulous
    without principles
  332. usurp
    seize and take control without authority
  333. utilitarian
    having a useful function
  334. venal
    capable of being corrupted
  335. vignette
    a brief literary description
  336. vindicate
    show to be right by providing justification or proof
  337. vindictive
    disposed to seek revenge or intended for revenge
  338. vitriolic
    harsh, bitter, or malicious in tone
  339. vituperative
    marked by harshly abusive criticism
  340. vivacious
    vigorous and animated
  341. voluptuous
    displaying luxury and furnishing gratification to the senses
  342. watershed
    a ridge of land that separates two adjacent river systems
  343. wistful
    showing pensive sadness
  344. wry
    humorously sarcastic or mocking
Created on Sat Nov 09 09:45:16 EST 2013 (updated Wed Nov 20 21:24:52 EST 2013)

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.