English/Reis
Name:_______________________________
100 Most Common SAT Words
Directions: STUDY the following list of words. I will quiz you on 15 words per week. Check out the
tips below to help you study!
Tips for Learning SAT Vocabulary Words
Learning SAT vocabulary words can be challenging. Here are some tips to help learn these 100
words and any other SAT vocabulary words you may come across in the future.
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Make flashcards with unfamiliar words
Identify the part of speech for each word (noun, verb, adjective, adverb, etc.)
Use new vocabulary words in a sentence
Draw a picture of the word/idea
List the words in groups of positive, negative and related words.
1. abate: reduce or lessen
2. abdicate: give up a position; step down
3. aberration: something unusual, different from the norm
4. abhor: to really hate or despise
5. abstain: to refrain from doing something
6. adversity: hardship, misfortune
7. aesthetic: pertaining to beauty
8. amicable: agreeable ; friendly
9. anachronistic: out of the context of time, out of date
10. arid: very dry
11. asylum: sanctuary, place of safety
12. benevolent: friendly, helpful
13. bias: a prejudice towards something or against something
14. boisterous: enthusiastic, loud
15. brazen: bold or harsh
16. brusque: short, rude , curt
17.camaraderie: togetherness, trust, group dynamic of trust
18. canny: careful ; cautious; prudent
19. capacious: very large, spacious
20. capitulate: surrender ; to give in
21. clairvoyant: able to predict the future
22. collaborate: work together
23. compassion: to have sympathy and feel deeply for the plight of others
24. compromise: meeting in the middle, settling differences
English/Reis
Name:_______________________________
25. condescending: patronizing ; insulting to someone’s intelligence
26. conditional: contingent upon something else, dependent upon the terms
of something else
27. conformist: someone who follows the majority
28. convergence: coming together
29. deleterious: harmful or damaging
30. demagogue: rabble-rousing political leader who arouses the emotions
and prejudices of others
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digression: straying from main point
diligent: hard-working, dedicated
discredit: dishonor someone, prove something untrue
disdain: to regard with scorn
divergent: moving apart, going in different directions
empathy: feeling someone else’s feeling
emulate: following someone else's example
enervating: tiring
ephemeral: fleeting, temporary
evanescent: not lasting long
exemplary: outstanding
extenuating: something that makes the situation not as bad
florid: ornate
forbearance: patience, restraint
fortitude: strength
fortuitous: lucky
foster: promote, aid
fraught: filled with
frugal: thrifty
hackneyed: clichéd, overused
haughty: being arrogant, talking down to people
hedonist: person who acts in pursuit of pleasure
hypothesis: unproven theory, educated guess
impetuous: rash, impulsive
impute: to assign or attribute to someone
inconsequential: without consequence, trivial, doesn't matter
inevitable: unavoidable, definitely going to happen
intrepid: fearless
intuitive: knowing something by instinct
English/Reis
Name:_______________________________
60. jubilation: extreme happiness, joy
61. lobbyist: person who takes one side or the other, and persuades
government officials
62. longevity: long (particularly long life)
63. mundane: boring, ordinary
64. nonchalant: casual, calm, at ease
65. opulent: wealthy
66. orator: speaker
67. ostentatious: flaunting wealth
68. parched: freed from water, dried up
69. perfidious: disloyal
70. pragmatic: practical
71. precocious: gifted/talented beyond one's years
72. pretentious: being self important, thinking you are better than others
73. procrastinate: to delay, often unnecessarily
74. prosaic: ordinary
75. prosperity: wealth
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provocative: causes a fuss, inflammatory, likely to get people riled up
prudent: careful, wise
querulous: irritable, prone to argument
rancorous: hateful, unpleasant
reclusive: hermit, withdrawn
reconciliation: coming back together after a disagreement
renovation: being new, being redone
restrained: controlled, not free
reverence: deep respect
sagacity: wisdom
scrutinize: to look at carefully
spontaneous: being impulsive, acting without thinking
spurious: false, untrue
submissive: mild, meek
English/Reis
Name:_______________________________
90. substantiate: to confirm, prove
91. subtle: shy, small, not showy
92. superficial: shallow
93. superfluous: unnecessary, too much
94. surreptitious: secret
95. tactful: polite
96. tenacious: persistent stubborn
97. transient: temporary, impermanent
98. venerable: respectable because of its age
99. vindicate: to free from blame
100. wary: careful, watchful