SAT Most Important Word List 500 Words WORD DEFINITION GROUPING size, 1 abate lessen amount, location 2 aberration deviation, not normal 3 abhor, abhorrence hatred politics and tradition friends and enemies argument 4 abstruse difficult to understand and language 5 accost confront 6 acrimony bitter animosity 7 acumen insightfulness 8 adamant not yielding 9 adept skillful 10 adroit skillful 11 affected haughty politics and tradition friends and enemies knowledge and skill politics and tradition knowledge and skill knowledge and skill pride 12 alacrity eagerness energy size, 13 allocate assign, portion amount, location 14 altruistic, altruism generous money 15 amenable yielding give up? 16 amiable friendly 17 amicable friendly 18 antediluvian very old 19 anthropology study of human beings 20 antipathy dislike 21 apathetic, apathy lacking interest friends and enemies friends and enemies time knowledge and skill friends and enemies politics and tradition argument 22 apt appropriate, inclined and language 23 arcane 24 ascendancy mysterious, known only by a few influence, domination one who practices self- 25 ascetic, asceticism denial as a spiritual discipline 26 aspire strive for truth politics and tradition politics and tradition give up? praise and 27 assail belittle 28 assiduous diligent give up? 29 assuage relieve, appease give up? criticism size, 30 atrophy waste away amount, location size, 31 attenuate weaken, reduce amount, location 32 august dignified 33 aura air, feeling 34 auspicious favorable 35 autocrat, autocratic dictator, dictatorial 36 automaton 37 politics and tradition emotions war and peace politics and tradition a person who acts like a politics and robot tradition avarice greed money 38 banal common 39 barrage bombardment, torrent 40 belie give a false impression 41 belligerent aggressive, warlike politics and tradition war and peace truth war and peace 42 benevolent generous money 43 bequeath hand down (through a will) money 44 berate scold harshly 45 bipartisanship 46 blighted destroyed 47 bog marsh, swamp 48 bolster support 49 bombastic pompous 50 boorish, boorishness crude 51 buoyant praise and criticism supported by two opposing politics and groups (political parties) cheerful, floating tradition war and peace science war and peace emotions knowledge and skill emotions size, 52 burgeon grow, flourish amount, location war and 53 buttress support 54 byzantine convoluted, complex the senses discordant sound the senses 55 cacophonous, cacophony peace argument 56 cajole coax and language 57 callous insensitive emotions 58 cantankerous(ness) irritable emotions 59 capricious fickle emotions 60 castigate belittle 61 caustic bitter 62 censorious harshly critical 63 censure scold 64 cerebral intellectual 65 chagrin mortification pride 66 charlatan swindler truth 67 chastise belittle 68 chide belittle 69 churlish vulgar, boorish 70 circuitous indirect praise and criticism emotions praise and criticism praise and criticism knowledge and skill praise and criticism praise and criticism knowledge and skill truth size, 71 circumscribe restrict amount, location war and 72 circumvent escape, avoid 73 clandestine secretive truth 74 coalesce blend, fuse science peace argument 75 compendious succinct and language 76 77 78 complacency, complacent compliant, compliance conciliate, conciliatory self-satisfaction, smugness pride yielding give up? compromising, apologizing pride argument 79 concur agree and language 80 conflagration large destructive fire 81 confluence 82 congenial pleasant 83 conscientious careful 84 consternation dismay 85 contempt(uous) disdainful 86 contemptible despicable 87 contentious belligerent, quarrelsome a place where things merge or flow together war and peace science friends and enemies knowledge and skill praise and criticism praise and criticism praise and criticism war and peace 88 convivial sociable, lively emotions size, 89 copious abundant amount, location strengthen or support with law and additional evidence order 90 corroborate 91 cosmopolitan 92 credulity, credulous 93 culpable blameworthy 94 cursory hasty, superficial the senses 95 dauntless courageous give up? sophisticated, urbane knowledge and skill the trait of trusting others knowledge too much and skill praise and criticism size, 96 dearth scarcity amount, location 97 debacle failure give up? 98 debilitate(d) weaken(ed) give up? 99 debunk prove wrong give up? 100 decimate destroy 101 decorum, decorous order, politeness 102 deference, respectful submission, deferential yielding 103 degradation humiliation war and peace law and order give up? pride 104 deleterious harmful war and peace argument 105 delineate list, explain and language 106 demonstrative openly emotional emotions 107 demure, demurral overly modest pride 108 demystify 109 denigrate 110 depose make clear and comprehensible belittle power tradition 112 deprecate disapprove, belittle depreciatory criticism politics and moral corruption depreciation, praise and dethrone, remove from 111 depravity 113 truth decrease in value 114 deride make fun of 115 derivative not original 116 derogatory, derogate disparaging, belittling 117 desecration violate the sacredness of 118 despondent sad, depressed war and peace praise and criticism money praise and criticism politics and tradition praise and criticism politics and tradition emotions politics and 119 despot dictator 120 destitute poor money 121 deterrent hindrance, impediment give up? tradition size, 122 devoid lacking amount, location 123 didactic 124 diffident, diffidence (often excessively) morally knowledge instructive and skill shy emotions size, 125 diffuse spread out amount, location 126 digress(ion) 127 dilatory 128 diminutive, diminution stray from the subject at hand tending to waste time argument and language time size, extremely small amount, location 129 dire urgent, dreadful 130 discern, discerning perceive, perceptive 131 discomfited disappointed, defeated 132 discount (verb) disregard 133 disheartening discouraging war and peace knowledge and skill emotions praise and criticism give up? 134 disillusionment disenchantment, disappointment emotions 135 disingenuous insincere 136 disparage belittle 137 dispassionate unemotional emotions 138 dispel to drive away or disprove give up? 139 disputatious quarrelsome 140 disquiet(ing) (causing) anxiety give up? 141 disseminate scatter widely science 142 distaste dislike, aversion 143 divergent different, conflicting 144 divisive creating conflict 145 divulge make known religious, political, or 146 doctrine philosophical principles or teachings truth praise and criticism friends and enemies friends and enemies war and peace war and peace truth politics and tradition tending to force one's own politics and opinions on other people tradition 148 dormant inactive energy 149 dupe deceive truth 147 dogmatic 150 duplicitous, duplicity deliberately deceptive truth 151 ebullient enthusiastic 152 eclectic from diverse sources energy politics and tradition size, 153 efface(ment) erase amount, location 154 effervesce bubble, fizz science 155 egalitarian belief in equality 156 elated, elation joyful emotions 157 elicit bring about science politics and tradition argument 158 elucidate clarify and language 159 elude evade 160 elusive difficulty to catch or define 161 embitter(ed) make worse 162 embroil(ed) involve in an argument or conflict 163 empathetic, empathy compassionate 164 empiric(al) based on observation and experiment (not theory) war and peace war and peace war and peace argument and language friends and enemies argument and language size, 165 encompass include, surround amount, location size, 166 encroaching intrusive amount, location 167 encumbrance burden 168 enigma(tic) mystery, mysterious war and peace truth argument 169 enumerate list and language 170 ephemeral short-lived 171 epiphany sudden realization time knowledge and skill argument 172 epitome, epitomize representative example and language 173 equanimity calmness 174 equitable even-handed energy law and order argument 175 equivocal ambiguous and language 176 erudite, erudition scholarly 177 esoteric understood only by a few knowledge and skill knowledge and skill 178 estrange, estrangement alienate, alienation friends and enemies praise and 179 eulogy, eulogize praising speech 180 evoke bring about, stir up emotions demanding, severe friends and requirements enemies 181 exacting criticism size, 182 excavate unearth, dig up amount, location argument 183 exemplar representative example and language 184 exhibitionist, exhibitionistic deliberately behaving a certain way to attract attention politics and tradition argument 185 exhort encourage and language 186 exorbitant too expensive money argument 187 expedient useful and language 188 exposé 189 extol a report designed to reveal the truth to the public praise truth praise and criticism size, 190 extricate disentangle amount, location 191 facile superficial, effortless give up? 192 faction group within a larger group 193 fallacious deceitful, incorrect truth 194 fallacy false belief truth 195 fanaticism excessive enthusiasm 196 fastidious careful politics and tradition politics and tradition knowledge and skill argument 197 fathom (verb) understand and language 198 felicitous well-suited, happy 199 finesse tact, elegant skill emotions knowledge and skill argument 200 flagrant evident, obvious and language 201 flippant, flippancy disrespectful pride argument 202 florid(ity) flushed, flowery and language 203 flummox confuse knowledge and skill knowledge 204 folly foolishness 205 foolhardy recklessly daring 206 forlorn sad emotions 207 fortitude courage emotions 208 fortuitous fortunate, lucky 209 fraudulent deceitful truth 210 frugal(ity) cheap(ness) money 211 furor commotion, anger emotions 212 furtive sneaky truth 213 futile, futility hopeless give up? 214 gait manner of walking the senses 215 gallant(ry) courageous give up? and skill knowledge and skill war and peace size, 216 gargantuan gigantic amount, location 217 garish tastelessly showy 218 genial friendly the senses friends and enemies size, 219 germinate (cause to) grow amount, location 220 glutton(ous) someone who eats and drinks too much the senses 221 grandiose pompous, pretentious 222 hackneyed common knowledge and skill politics and tradition size, 223 hamper (verb) hinder, restrict amount, location 224 hardy robust, sturdy energy 225 hasten speed up the progress of time belief contrary to the politics and established opinion tradition 226 heresy, heretic 227 histrionic 228 hubris 229 emotional emotions arrogance pride idiosyncracy, unique personal trait, politics and idiosyncratic quirky tradition simply tranquil emotions dishonor, humiliation pride 230 idyllic 231 excessively dramatic or ignominy, ignominious law and 232 illicit illegal 233 impasse obstacle give up? 234 imperious arrogant pride 235 impetuous rash, passionate emotions disrespectful, insolent pride 236 impudence, impudent order 237 inane 238 239 senseless, stupid incongruity, inappropriateness, incongruous discrepancy incredulous, incredulity 240 incriminate skeptical accuse someone of a crime knowledge and skill argument and language truth law and order size, 241 incubate develop, grow amount, location 242 indeterminate left doubtful, inconclusive 243 indict(ment) formally accuse of a crime 244 indigenous native to a region 245 indignant angered (by injustice) truth law and order science law and order size, 246 indiscriminate unselective, random amount, location 247 indolent lazy energy 248 indomitable too strong to be defeated give up? 249 induce cause science 250 indulgent lenient law and order 251 ineffable impossible to express in words argument and language knowledge 252 ineptitude incompetence 253 inert, inertia not moving or active science unsophisticated and knowledge trusting, naïve and skill intrinsic, natural science 254 ingenuous 255 inherent and skill size, 256 inhibit(ing) restrain(ing) amount, location size, 257 innate intrinsic, natural amount, location size, 258 innocuous harmless amount, location argument 259 innuendo implicit suggestion and language 260 inscrutable mysterious truth 261 insipid dull, boring energy 262 insolence, insolent disrespectful pride 263 instigate provoke, start energy 264 insular(ity) related to or similar to an island size, amount, location 265 intrepid courageous give up? size, 266 inundate flood amount, location 267 invoke call forth, appeal to energy 268 irate angry emotions incongruity between what 269 irony, ironic is expected and what truth actually results 270 irreverent, disrespectful pride 271 jaded tired, bored emotions 272 jocular cheerful emotions 273 jovial cheerful emotions 274 judicious fair 275 lackadaisical lacking energy, lethargic irreverence law and order energy argument 276 laconic concise and language 277 laggard lazy person energy 278 languid inactive, dreamy energy 279 latent, latency 280 laud, laudatory the state of being not yet evident or active praise size, amount, location praise and criticism 281 listless languid, sluggish 282 lithe graceful, supple energy knowledge and skill argument 283 lucid clear, easily understood and language 284 lucrative profitable money 285 lull short period of calm energy 286 lurid sensational, shocking the senses 287 luxuriant lush, elaborate money generosity, generous money 288 magnanimity, magnanimous 289 malleable capable of being shaped, pliable the senses war and 290 marred scarred 291 maudlin overly sentimental emotions 292 melancholy bleak emotions 293 mercenary motivated by money money 294 mercurial fickle emotions 295 miserly cheap, stingy money peace size, 296 mitigate, mitigator moderate, alleviate amount, location size, 297 modicum small amount amount, location 298 morose depressed emotions size, 299 motley diverse, heterogeneous amount, location 300 multifarious many types science argument 301 nebulous vague and language 302 nefarious evil 303 neophyte beginner 304 notoriety, notorious infamous, ill fame 305 noxious poisonous war and peace knowledge and skill pride praise and criticism argument 306 nuance subtle difference and language 307 obdurate stubborn 308 obstinate (obstinacy) stubborn(ness) 309 officious meddlesome, interfering 310 onerous difficult, trying 311 opportunist, opportunistic 312 oracle pride pride friends and enemies give up? a person who takes advantage of opportunities, pride often unethically prophet time 313 orthodox conservative, traditional 314 ostensible apparent, seeming 315 oversight mistake politics and tradition truth knowledge and skill one who completely politics and opposes violence tradition 317 pacify soothe, calm energy 318 painstaking careful 319 palliate, palliative relieve pain without curing 316 pacifist knowledge and skill war and peace argument 320 paradigm clear example and language size, 321 parch make dry amount, location 322 parody 323 partisan 324 patronize intentional mockery friends and enemies someone with biased politics and beliefs tradition financially support, be condescending towards money size, 325 paucity scarcity amount, location 326 pedant, pedantic, pedantry a person who makes a great show of his knowledge knowledge and skill 327 peevish unpleasant emotions 328 penchant preference emotions 329 penurious cheap, stingy money 330 peremptory bossy, decisive pride 331 perfunctory done routinely with little interest or care emotions size, 332 peripheral outermost, secondary amount, location 333 perquisite additional payment, bonus money 334 petulant irritable emotions 335 philanthropist, someone who supports philanthropic charity money politics and 336 piety, pious religious devotion 337 placate calm someone down energy 338 placid calm energy 339 plasticity 340 plausible, plausibility malleability, the ability to be shaped or molded likely true tradition size, amount, location truth size, 341 plethora, plethoric surplus amount, location size, 342 pliable, pliant easily shaped or influenced amount, location 343 polemical controversial politics and tradition argument 344 prattle babble and language 345 precarious dangerous, unstable 346 precipitate outcome war and peace science size, 347 preclude prevent amount, location 348 precocious 349 presumptuous 350 pretext early development in knowledge maturity and intelligence and skill too bold, arrogant pride misleading claim or appearance truth 351 prevaricator liar truth 352 procure get or provide money size, 353 prodigious huge amount, location 354 profound, profundity intense, significant emotions size, 355 profuse, profusion plentiful amount, location 356 357 prohibitive, prohibition proliferate, proliferation size, restrictive amount, location size, grow, increase amount, location size, 358 prolific fertile, fruitful amount, location argument 359 pronouncement formal declaration and language 360 propensity inclination, tendency emotions argument 361 proponent supporter and language argument 362 prosaic lacking imagination, dull and language 363 prospective 364 provident 365 provincial 366 punctilious likely or expected to become time prudent, frugal money narrow-minded, knowledge unsophisticated and skill meticulous, attentive to knowledge detail and skill 367 pundit a knowledgeable knowledge commentator and skill size, 368 quell suppress, quench amount, location 369 quixotic foolish knowledge and skill size, 370 rampant unrestrained, growing amount, location 371 ramshackle poorly constructed 372 rancor(ous) bitter resentment 373 rapport relationship 374 ratify approve, confirm 375 raucous harsh, rowdy 376 ravenous 377 raze insatiable, having a huge appetite destroy, demolish the senses friends and enemies friends and enemies law and order energy size, amount, location war and peace size, 378 reap harvest, gather amount, location argument 379 rebuttal defense, counterargument and language 380 recalcitrant stubborn pride argument 381 recant reject and language size, 382 recessive tending to go backward amount, location friends and 383 recluse, reclusive hermit 384 rectify, rectitude put right, correct truth 385 redolent reminiscent, having smell the senses 386 refutation, refute arguing that a claim is false truth 387 regressive tending to return or revert enemies time size, 388 relegate demote amount, location size, 389 relinquish give back amount, location 390 renounce reject politics and tradition size, 391 repertory collection amount, location 392 reprehensible blameworthy 393 reprimand belittle praise and criticism praise and criticism 394 reproach scold praise and criticism argument 395 repudiate reject and language 396 repugnant offensive, disgusting emotions argument 397 rescind annull, retract and language 398 reticent, reticence emotionally reserved 399 reverent respectful, pious emotions politics and tradition (related to) elegant argument speech/writing, elegant and speaker/writer language 401 rouse, rousing provoke, excite energy 402 sage wise 400 rhetoric(al), rhetorician 403 sanctimonious pretending to be religious, hypocritical 404 sanction (verb) formally approve 405 sanctity holiness 406 sanguine cheerfully confident, optimistic knowledge and skill truth law and order politics and tradition emotions size, 407 satiate satisfy fully amount, location 408 satire, satirical, satirize sarcastic imitation friends and enemies size, 409 saturate flood, soak amount, location size, 410 scanty barely sufficient amount, location 411 scathing harshly critical 412 scintillating lively, effervescent praise and criticism energy size, 413 scope opportunity, range amount, location 414 scrupulous very careful and precise knowledge and skill argument 415 scrutinize, scrutiny examine carefully and language 416 self-righteous smug, holier-than-thou pride 417 self-serving selfish pride 418 serendipity luck 419 servile submissive, subservient war and peace give up? 420 shrewd astute, smart 421 shroud hide, obscure knowledge and skill the senses argument 422 simile comparison and language 423 slight (verb) insult, snub 424 slipshod careless, sloppy 425 solace comfort, consolation 426 solicitous(ness) praise and criticism knowledge and skill emotions expressing care or concern, friends and often too much enemies 427 somber bleak emotions 428 sophistry deceptive reasoning truth 429 spartan simple, self-disciplined 430 sporadic occurring at irregular intervals 431 spurious false, inauthentic 432 spurn reject with contempt 433 squander waste war and peace time truth praise and criticism money 434 stagnant, stagnation not moving energy 435 stark(ness) harsh, plain the senses 436 static (adjective) not moving energy 437 staunch strong and loyal 438 steadfast not yielding 439 stock (adjective) standard, hackneyed 440 strident loud and harsh 441 stupefy, stupefaction bewilder 442 subservient 443 substantiate yielding confirm, establish as genuine politics and tradition give up? politics and tradition politics and tradition knowledge and skill give up? truth one who intends to politics and overthrow the government tradition 445 succulent delicious the senses 446 supercilious arrogant pride 444 subversive size, 447 superfluous more than necessary amount, location 448 supplant to take the place of politics and tradition size, 449 surfeit surplus amount, location 450 susceptible 451 sycophant easily influenced or knowledge affected and skill suck up, flatterer politics and tradition argument 452 tangential digressive, irrelevant and language size, 453 teem, teeming abundant amount, location 454 temperamental moody emotions 455 temporize delay, evade time 456 tenacious, tenacity stubborn, determined give up? 457 tenuous insignificant, flimsy give up? 458 tirade critical speech 459 toady suck-up 460 torpor drowsiness, apathy energy undemocratic, rigid politics and political control tradition 461 totalitarian 462 tout 463 tractable 464 transient 465 treatise praise praise and criticism politics and tradition praise and criticism easily managed or knowledge controlled and skill lasting for only a short time time extensive written argument about some topic argument and language 466 trepidation apprehension emotions 467 tribulation suffering give up? size, 468 trifling frivolous, unimportant amount, location 469 trite common 470 truculent, truculence aggressive, bad-tempered politics and tradition emotions size, 471 ubiquitous ever-present, pervasive amount, location 472 unabashed not embarrassed 473 uncanny extraordinary, weird 474 uncouth crude 475 unfathomable knowledge and skill knowledge and skill incomprehensible, knowledge unbelievable and skill 476 ungainly clumsy 477 unruly boisterous, unrestrained 478 unwitting unintentional 479 urbane elegant, sophisticated 480 usurp pride knowledge and skill energy friends and enemies knowledge and skill seize power without politics and authority tradition size, 481 vacuous, vacuity empty amount, location war and 482 vanquish conquer, defeat 483 vapid dull, uninteresting energy 484 venal(ity) willing to accept bribes money commanding respect knowledge because of age, dignity and skill 485 venerable peace argument 486 verbose wordy, long-winded and language 487 vicarious 488 vigilant 489 vindicate, vindication 490 vindictive 491 virtuoso, virtuosity 492 virulent felt indirectly by imagining someone else's experiences watchful, alert clear of blame or suspicion seeking revenge emotions war and peace law and order war and peace one with exceptional knowledge musical skill and skill poisonous war and peace size, 493 viscous thick, sticky amount, location 494 vocation career money 495 vying striving give up? size, 496 waning lessening amount, location 497 wayward selfish, stubborn pride 498 wrath anger emotions clever or grim sense of knowledge humor and skill 499 wry 500 zealot fanatic politics and tradition
