SAT Critical-Reading - Commonly used words
Here is a list of the 125 most commonly used SAT words, along with some simple definitions: - abase: to humiliate
- abate: reduce or lesson
- abbreviate: shorten, abridge
- abdicate: give up a position (of leadership)
- aberration: something unusual, different from the norm
- abet : to help
- abhor: to really hate
- abstain: to refrain from doing something
- abstinence: refraining from
- adulation: high praise
- adversity: hardship, misfortune
- aesthetic: pertaining to beauty
- amicable: agreeable
- anachronistic: out of the context of time, out of date
- anecdote: short account of event, story
- anonymous: without a name
- antagonist: opponent
- arid: very dry
- assiduous: hard-working
- asylum: sanctuary, place of safety
- ballad: song
- benevolent: friendly, helpful
- bias: a prejudice towards something or against something
- bilk: to cheat
- boisterous : enthusiastic, loud
- boon: blessing
- brazen: bold
- brusque: short, rude
- cacophony: loud, unpleasant noise
- camaraderie: togetherness, trust, group dynamic of trust
- canny: careful
- capacious: very large, spacious
- capitulate: surrender
- censure: harsh criticism
- circuitous: roundabout
- clairvoyant: can predict the future
- collaborate: work together
- compassion: sympathy
- compromise: meeting in the middle, settling differences
- condescending: patronizing
- conditional: contingent upon something else, contingent upon
- conformist: someone who follows the majority
- congregation: group of people
- convergence: coming together
- deleterious: harmful
- demagogue: rabble-rousing leader
- 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
- enhance: improve, make better
- ephemeral: fleeting, temporary
- evanescent: not lasting long
- exasperation: frustration
- exemplary: outstanding
- extenuating: something that makes the situation not as bad
- florid: ornate
- forbearance: patience, restraint
- fortitude: strength
- fortuitous: lucky
- forum: place to speak
- foster: promote, aid
- fraught: filled with
- frugal: thrifty
- hackneyed:cliched
- 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
- incompatible: not able to work together
- inconsequential: without consequence, trivial, doesn't matter
- inevitable: unavoidable, definitely going to happen
- integrity: honesty
- intrepid: fearless
- intuitive: knowing something by instinct
- jubilation: extreme happiness, joy
- lobbyist: person who takes one side or the other, and persuades government officials
- longevity: long (particularly long life)
- mundane: boring, ordinary
- nonchalant: casual, calm, at ease
- novice: beginner
- opulent: wealthy
- orator: speaker
- ostentatious: flaunting wealth
- parched: freed from water, dried up
- perfidious: disloyal
- pragmatic: practical
- preclude: to stop something from happening
- precocious: gifted/talented beyond one's years
- pretentious: being self important, thinking you are better than others
- procrastinate: to delay, often unnecessarily
- prosaic: ordinary
- prosperity: wealth
- 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
- resilient: able to bounce back quickly
- 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
- substantiate: to confirm, prove
- subtle: shy, small, not showy
- superficial: shallow
- superfluous: unnecessary, too much
- suppress: to stop, to squelch
- surreptitious: secret
- tactful: polite
- tenacious: persistent,stubborn
- transient: temporary, impermanent
- venerable: respectable because of its age
- vindicate: to free from blame
- wary: careful, watchful
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