SAT

Frequently Used SAT Words and Examples

1. Aberration
   The scientist considered the unexpected results an aberration.
2. Alleviate
   The medicine helped alleviate his headache.
3. Apathy
   The students showed apathy toward the boring lecture.
4. Arduous
   Climbing the mountain was an arduous task.
5. Astute
   She gave an astute analysis of the problem.
6. Benevolent
   The benevolent donor gave millions to charity.
7. Candor
   He spoke with candor about his past mistakes.
8. Censure
   The committee issued a censure of the official’s actions.
9. Coerce
   They tried to coerce her into signing the document.
10. Complacent
    He grew complacent after winning several awards.
11. Concise
    Please write a concise summary of the article.
12. Concur
    I concur with your opinion on the matter.
13. Cryptic
    His message was so cryptic that nobody understood it.
14. Debilitate
    The disease will debilitate the patient over time.
15. Deference
    Out of deference to her wishes, they left early.
16. Didactic
    The novel has a didactic tone meant to teach a moral lesson.
17. Disparage
    He would often disparage his colleagues to feel superior.
18. Eclectic
    Her taste in music is eclectic, ranging from jazz to rock.
19. Elusive
    The answer to the puzzle remained elusive.
20. Empirical
    We need empirical evidence to support this theory.
21. Ephemeral
    Fame can be ephemeral and fade quickly.
22. Esoteric
    The lecture was so esoteric that only a few understood it.
23. Euphemism
    “Passed away” is a euphemism for “died.”
24. Exacerbate
    His rude comments will only exacerbate the situation.
25. Fastidious
    She is fastidious about keeping her house clean.
26. Fortuitous
    It was fortuitous that they met on vacation.
27. Frugal
    He is frugal and saves most of his income.
28. Galvanize
    The speech galvanized the crowd into action.
29. Heresy
    His ideas were considered heresy by the establishment.
30. Iconoclast
    The artist was an iconoclast who challenged tradition.
31. Indolent
    The indolent teenager spent all day watching TV.
32. Inundate
    The customer service center was inundated with calls.
33. Juxtapose
    The painting juxtaposes modern life with ancient traditions.
34. Lucid
    She gave a lucid explanation of the theory.
35. Mitigate
    Planting trees can mitigate the effects of pollution.
36. Obscure
    The meaning of the poem remains obscure.
37. Ostentatious
    They live in an ostentatious mansion filled with luxury items.
38. Paradox
    It is a paradox that technology can connect and isolate people.
39. Quell
    The police tried to quell the protest.
40. Rancor
    She spoke without rancor despite their disagreement.
41. Skepticism
    His claims were met with skepticism by experts.
42. Superfluous
    The essay contained superfluous details that could be removed.
43. Tenuous
    Their argument was based on tenuous evidence.
44. Ubiquitous
    Smartphones have become ubiquitous in modern society.
45. Vindicate
    The new evidence will vindicate her innocence.

A Vocabulary Exercise for You!