SAT: Words to Capture Tone: Words to Capture Tone, List 7

On the SAT, all of the Reading Test questions are multiple choice and are based on reading passages that may be taken from literature, science, the social sciences, or a U.S. founding document (or a text inspired by such a document). Many of the reading comprehension questions meant to assess a student’s understanding of those passages will require students to choose words that best describe the writer’s tone or point of view, words like the ones you see on this list. Learn them here so when you see them in an SAT answer choice, you’ll know what they mean!
11 words 171 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. intense
    possessing a distinctive feature to a heightened degree
    “If you don’t want a session that is too competitive you can choose one that is less intense. The Guardian (Sep 7, 2015)
  2. engaging
    attracting or delighting
    It is seductive, engaging, and lit, despite the odds, by a vitality that is in itself a form of hope. Slate (Sep 9, 2015)
  3. exuberant
    joyously unrestrained
    He had been his father’s exuberant companion, who had, Emerson wrote, “touched with his lively curiosity every trivial fact & circumstance in the household.” The New Yorker (Sep 7, 2015)
  4. fleeting
    lasting for a markedly brief time
    Much work goes into the ceremonies, market officials said, though they only last a fleeting few minutes. Wall Street Journal (Sep 3, 2015)
  5. jealous
    suspicious or fearful of being displaced by a rival
    When they travel, rich 20-somethings are drawn toward gregarious pleasures that can be shared on social media to make their friends jealous. Economist (Aug 27, 2015)
  6. petulant
    easily irritated or annoyed
    Nick Saban, the Alabama coach, stamped out of one news conference last week like a petulant child, all because reporters dared to do their jobs. New York Times (Sep 15, 2013)
  7. ambitious
    having a strong desire for success or achievement
    This could be a legacy project for an ambitious local politician with his eyes on bigger things. Los Angeles Times (Sep 2, 2015)
  8. reckless
    marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences
    It came after a night of drinking and reckless stunt driving at a construction site in which he and a passenger could have been killed. New York Times (Sep 2, 2015)
  9. deferential
    showing courteous regard for people's feelings
    Then came voices—the conductor’s, deferential, apologetic, and a woman’s—insistent and voluble. Murder on the Orient Express
  10. disparaging
    expressive of low opinion
    Critics called these women “suffragettes,” a word intended to be disparaging, but the women embraced the term as one of power and rebellion. Votes for Women!
  11. obstinate
    refusing to change one's mind or ways; difficult to convince
    An obstinate captive raven nearly brought photographer Vince Musi to tears last week when the bird refused to stand still for a picture. National Geographic (Aug 8, 2015)
Created on Mon Jun 09 14:15:58 EDT 2025 (updated Wed Jun 11 16:53:27 EDT 2025)

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