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Sparknotes's 250 Common SAT Vocabulary Words

Terms

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abjure
(v) to reject, renounce
abrogate
(v) to abolish, usually by authority
acerbic
(adj) biting, bitter in tone or taste
acrimony
(n) bitterness, discord
acumen
(n) keen insight
adumbrate
(v) to sketch out in a vague way
anathema
(n) a cursed, detested person
alacrity
(n) eagerness speed
antipathy
(n) a strong dislike, repungnance
approbation
(n) praise
arrogate
(v) to take without justification
ascetic
(adj) practicing restraing as a means of self-discipline, usually religious
aspersion
(n) a curse, expression of ill-will
assiduous
(adj) hard-working, diligent
blandish
(v) to coax by using flattery
boon
(n) a gift or blessing
brusque
(adj) short, abrupt, dismissive
buffet
(v) to strike with force
(n) an arrangment of food set out on a table
burnish
(v) to polish, shine
buttress
(v) to support, hold up
(n) something that offers support
cacophony
(n) tremendous noise, disharmonious sound
cajole
(v) to urge, coax
capricious
(adj) subject to whim, fickle
clemency
(n) mercy
congent
(adj) intellectualy convincing
concomitant
(adj) accompanying in a subordinate fasion
conflagration
(n) great fire
contrite
(adj) penitent, eager to be forgiven
conundrum
(n) puzzle, problem
credulity
(n) readiness to believe
calumny
(n) an attempt to spoil someone else's reputation by spreading lies
cupidity
(n) greed, strong desire
cursory
(adj) brief to the point of being superficial
decry
(v) to criticize openly
defile
(v) to make unclean, impure
deleterious
(adj) harmful
demure
)edj) quiet, modest, reserved
deprecate
(v) to belittle, depreciate
deride
)v_ to laugh at mockingly, scorn
dececrate
(v) to violate the sacredness of a thing or place
desiccated
(adj) dried up, dehydrated
diaphanous
(adj) light, airy, transparant
diffident
(adj) shy, quiet, modest
discursive
(adj) rambling, lacking order
dissemble
(v) to conceal, fake
dither
(v) to be indecisive
ebullient
(adj) extremely lively, enthusiastic
effrontery
(n) impudence, nerve, insolence
effulgent
(adj) radiant, splendorous
ennervate
(v) to weaken exhaust
ephemeral
(adj) short-lived, fleeting
eschew
(v) to shun , avoid
evanescent
(adj) fleeting, momentary
evince
(v) to show, reveal
exculpate
(v) to free from guilt or blame, exonerate
execrable
(adj) loathsome, detestable
exigent
(adj) urgent, critical
expiate
(v) to make amends for, atone
expunge
(v) to obliterate, eradicate
extant
(adj) existing, not destroyed or lost
extol
to praise, revere
fallacious
(adj) incorrect, misleading
fastitious
(adj) meticulous, demanding, having high and often unattainable standards
fatuous
(adj) silly, foolish
fecund
(adj) fruitful, fertile
feral
(adj) wild, savage
fetid
(adj) having a foul odor
florid
(adj) flowery, ornate
fractious
(adj) troublesome or irritable
garrulous
(adj) talkative, wordy
grandiloquence
lofty, pompous language
gregarious
(adj) drawn to the company of others, sociable
hackneyed
(adj) unoriginal, trite
hapless
(adj) unlucky
harangeue
(n) a ranting speech
(v) to give such a speech
hegemony
(n) domination over others
iconoclast
(n) one who attacks common beliefs or institutions
ignominious
(adj) humiliating, disgracing
impassive
(adj) stoic, not susceptible to suffering
imperious
(adj) commanding, domineering
impertinent
(adj) rude, insolent
impervious
(adj) impenetrable, incapable of being affected
impetuous
(adj) rash; hastily done
impinge
(v) to impact, affect, make an impression

(v) to encroach, infringe
implacable
(adj) incapable of being appeased or mitigated
impudent
(adj) Casually rude, insolent, impertinent
inchoate
(adj) unformed or formless, in a beginning stage
incontrovertible
(adj) indisputable
indefatigable
(adj) incapable of defeat, failure, decay
ineffable
(adj) unspeakable, incapable of being expressed through words
inexorable
(adj) incapable of being persuaded or placated
ingenuous
(adj) not devious; innocent and candid
inimical
(adj) hostile
iniquity
(n) wickedness or sin
insiduous
(adj) appealing bt imperceptibly harmful, seductive
intransigent
(adj) refusing to compromise, often on an extreme opinion
inure
(v) to cause someone or something to become accustomed to a situation
invective
(n) an angry verbal attack
inveterate
(adj) subbornly established by habit
jubilant
(adj) extremely joyful, happy
juxtaposition
(n) the act of placing two things next to each other for implicit comparision
laconic
(adj) terse in speech or writing
languid
(adj) sluggish from fatique or weakness
largess
(n) the gnerous giving of lavish gifts
latent
(adj) hidden, but capable of being exposed
legerdemain
(n) deception, slight-of-hant
licentious
(adj) displaying a lack of moral or legal restraints
limpid
(n) clear, transparent
maelstrom
(n) a destructive whirlpool which rapidly sucks in objects
magnanimous
(adj) nobel, generous
malediction
(n) a curse
malevolent
(adj) wanting harm to befall others
manifold
(adj) diverse, varied
maudlin
(adj) weakly sentimental
mawkish
characterized by sick sentimentality
mendacious
(adj) having a lying, false character
mercurial
(adj) characterized by rapid change or temperamentality
modicum
(n) a small amount of something
morass
(n) a wet, swampy bog; figuratively, something that traps and confuses
multifarious
(adj) having great diversity or variety
munificence
(n) generosity in giving
myriad
(adj) consisting of a very great number
nadir
(n) the lowest point of something
nascent
(adj) in the process of being born or coming into existence
nefarious
(adj) heinously villainous
neophyte
(n) someone who is young or inexperienced
obdurate
(n) unyeilding to persuasion or moral influences
obfuscate
(v) to render incomprehensible
oblique
(adj) diverging from a straight line or course
obsequious
(adj) excessively compliant or submissive
obstreperous
(adj) noisy, unruly
obtuse
(adj) lacking quickness of sensibility or intellect
odious
(adj) instilling hatred or intense displeasure
officious
(adj) offering one's services when they are neither wanted nor needed
opulent
(adj) characterized by rich abundance verging on ostentation
ostensible
(adj) appearing as supalliatech, seemingly
palliate
(v) to reduce the severity of
pallid
(adj) lacking color
panacea
(n) a remedy for all ills or difficulties
paragon
(n) a model of excellence or perfection
pariah
(n) an outcast
parsimony
(n) frugality, stinginess
pathos
(n) an emotion of sympathy
paucity
(adj) small in quantity
pejorative
(adj) derogatory, uncomplimentary
pellucid
(adj) easily intelligible, clear
penurious
(adj) miserly, stingy
perfidious
disloyal, unfaithful
perfunctory
showing little interest or enthusiasm
pernicious
(adj) extremely destructive or harmful
perspicacity
(adj) shrewdness, perceptiveness
pertinacious
(adj)stubbornly persistent
petulance
(n) rudeness, irritability
pithy
(adj) concisely meaningful
platitude
an uninspired remark, cliche
plethora
(n) an abundance, excess
polemic
(n) an aggressive argument against a specific opinion
portent
(n) an omen
precocious
(adj) advanced, developing ahead of time
prescient
(adj) to have foreknowledge of events
primeval
original, ancient
probity
(n) virtue, integrity
proclivity
(n) a strong inclination toward something
promulgate
to proclaim, make known
propensity
(n) an inclination, preference
propitious
(adj) favorable
prosaic
(adj) plain, lacking liveliness
proscribe
(v) to condemn, outlaw
protean
(adj) able to change shape; displaying great variety
prurient
(adj) eliciting or possessing an extraordinary interest in sex
puerile
(adj) juvenile, immature
pugnacious
(adj) quarrelsome, combative
pulchritude
(adj) physical beauty
punctilious
(adj) eager to follow rules or conventions
quagmire
(n) a difficult situation
querulous
(adj) whiny, complaining
quixotic
(adj) idealistic, impractical
rancor
(n) deep, bitter resentment
rebuke
(v) to scold, criticize
recalcitrant
(adj) defiant, unapologetic
rectitude
(n) uprightness, extreme morality
replete
(adj) full, abundant
reprobate
(adj) evil, unprincipled
reprove
(v) to scold, rebuke
repudiate
(v) to reject, refuse to accept
rescind
(v) to take back, repeal
restive
(adj) resistant, stubborn, impatient
ribald
(adj) coarsely, crudely humorous
rife
(adj) abundant
ruse
(n) a trick
sacrosanct
(adj) holy, something that should not be criticized
sagacity
(n) shrewdness, souncess of perspective
salient
(adj) significant, conspicuous
sanctimonious
(adj) giving a hypocritical appearance of piety
sanguine
(adj) optimistic, cheery
scurrilous
(adj) vulgar, coarse
serendipity
(n) luck, finding good things without looking for them
servile
(adj) subservient
solicitous
(adj) concerned, attentive
solipsistic
(adj) believing that oneself is all that exists
somnolent
(adj) sleepy, drowsy
spurious
(adj) false but designed to seem plausible
staid
(adj) sedate, serious, self-restrained
stolid
(adj) expressing little sensibility, unemotional
stupefy
(v) to astonish, make insensible
surfeit
(n) an overabundant supply or indulgence
surmise
(v) to infer with little evidence
surreptitious
(adj) stealthy
sycophant
(n) one who flatters for self-gain
tacit
(adj) expressed without words
taciturn
(adj) not inclined to talk
tantamount
(adj) equivalent in value or significance
temerity
(n) audacity, recklessness
tenuous
(adj) having little substance or strength
timorous
(adj) timid, fearful
torpid
(adj) lethargic, dormant, lacking motion
tractable
(adj) easily controlled
tansient
(adj) passing through briefly; passing into and out of existence
transmute
(v) to change or alter in form
trenchant
(adj) effective, articulate, clear-cut
truculent
(adj) ready to firhgt, cruel
turgid
(adj) swollen, excessively embellished in a style or language
turpitude
(n) depravity, moral corruption
ubiquitous
(adj) existing everywhere, widespread
umbrage
(n) resentment, offsense
unctuous
(adj) smooth or greasy in texture, appearance, manner
undulate
(v) to move in waves
upbraid
(v) to criticize or scold severly
usurp
(v) to seize by force, take possession of without right
vacillate
(v) to fluctuate, hesitate
vacuous
(adj) lack of content or ideas, stupid
vapid
(adj) lacking liveliness, dull
variegated
(adj) diversified, distinctly marked
venerate
(v) to regard with respect or to honor
veracity
(n) truthfulness, accuracy
verdant
(adj) green in tint or color
vex
(v) to confuse or annoy
vicarious
(adj) experiencing through another
vicissitude
(n) event that occurs by chance
vilify
(v) to lowever in importance, defame
viscous
(adj) not free flowing, syrupy
vitriolic
(adj) having caustic quality
vituperate
(v) to berate
wanton
(adj) undisciplined, lewd, lustful
winsome
(adj) charming, pleasing
wistful
(adj) full of yearning; musginly sad
wizened
(adj) dry, shruken, wrinkled
zenith
(n) the highest peak, culminating point
zephyr
(n) a gentle breeze

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