200+Difficult SAT Words With Their Meaning
The Scholastic Assessment Test, commonly known as the SAT, is a critical step for students aspiring to study in the United States. Administered by the College Board, this standardized test evaluates a student’s readiness for college. A significant portion of the SAT assesses reading and writing skills, making a robust vocabulary essential for success.
In this article, we delve into the challenges of SAT vocabulary and provide valuable resources and tips to help you excel in this aspect of the exam.
Table of Content
- Why is Studying SAT Vocabulary So Challenging?
- 100 Difficult SAT Words with Meanings
- 150 Difficult SAT Words that will Elevate your SAT Preparation
- 50 Difficult SAT Words for Your SAT Preparation
- Tips to Improve your SAT Vocabulary
Why is Studying SAT Vocabulary So Challenging?
The SAT presents a unique set of challenges for students, particularly in the realm of vocabulary. Unlike conventional tests, the SAT requires not only a strong grasp of English comprehension but also a nuanced understanding of specialized vocabulary. Test-takers must navigate through passages covering a wide range of topics, from economics to literature, law, culture, and science.
Many students find the vocabulary section daunting due to the inclusion of complex words that may be unfamiliar to them. The SAT often incorporates terms that are rare or archaic, further complicating the preparation process. For international students, especially those whose native language differs significantly from English, mastering SAT vocabulary can be particularly challenging.
100 Difficult SAT Words with Meanings
To assist you in your SAT preparation, we’ve compiled a list of 100 challenging SAT words along with their meanings. This curated selection encompasses a diverse range of vocabulary themes commonly found on the exam:
- Abject: of the most contemptible kind
- Aberration: a state or condition markedly different from the norm
- Abjure: formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief
- Abnegation: the denial and rejection of a doctrine or belief
- Abrogate: revoke formally
- Abscond: run away, often taking something or somebody along
- Abstruse: difficult to understand
- Accede: yield to another’s wish or opinion
- Accost: approach and speak to someone aggressively or insistently
- Accretion: an increase by natural growth or addition
- Acumen: shrewdness shown by keen insight
- Adamant: insistent; unwilling to change one’s mind or opinion
- Admonish: scold or reprimand; take to task
- Adumbrate: describe roughly or give the main points or summary of
- Adverse: in an opposing direction
- Advocate: a person who pleads for a person, cause, or idea
- Affluent: having an abundant supply of money or possessions of value
- Aggrandize: embellish; increase the scope, power, or importance of
- Alacrity: liveliness and eagerness
- Alias: a name that has been assumed temporarily
- Ambivalent: uncertain or unable to decide about what course to follow
- Amenable: disposed or willing to comply
- Amorphous: having no definite form or distinct shape
- Anachronistic: chronologically misplaced
- Anathema: a formal ecclesiastical curse accompanied by ex-communication
- Annex: attach to
- Antediluvian: of or relating to the period before the biblical flood
- Antiseptic: thoroughly clean and free of disease-causing organisms
- Apathetic: showing little or no emotion or animation
- Antithesis: the exact opposite
- Apocryphal: being of questionable authenticity
- Approbation: official acceptance or agreement
- Arbitrary: based on or subject to individual discretion or preference
- Arboreal: of or relating to or formed by trees
- Arcane: requiring secret or mysterious knowledge
- Archetypal: of an original pattern on which other things are modelled
- Arrogate: seize and take control without authority
- Ascetic: someone who practises self-denial as a spiritual discipline
- Aspersion: a disparaging remark
- Assiduous: marked by care and persistent effort
- Atrophy: a decrease in size of an organ caused by disease or disuse
- Bane: something causing misery or death
- Bashful: self-consciously timid
- Beguile: influence by slyness
- Bereft: lacking or deprived of something
- Blandishment: flattery intended to persuade
- Bilk: cheat somebody out of what is due, especially money
- Bombastic: ostentatiously lofty in style
- Cajole: influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
- Callous: emotionally hardened
- Calumny: a false accusation of an offence
- Camaraderie: the quality of affording easy familiarity and sociability
- Candour: the quality of being honest and straightforward
- Capitulate: surrender under agreed conditions
- Carouse: engage in boisterous, drunken merrymaking
- Carp: any of various freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae
- Caucus: meet to select a candidate or promote a policy
- Cavort: play boisterously
- Circumlocution: an indirect way of expressing something
- Circumscribe: draw a geometric figure around another figure
- Circumvent: surround so as to force to give up
- Clamour: utter or proclaim insistently and noisily
- Cleave: separate or cut with a tool, such as a sharp instrument
- Cobbler: a person who makes or repairs shoes
- Cogent: powerfully persuasive
- Cognizant: having or showing knowledge or understanding or realisation
- commensurate: corresponding in size or degree or extent
- Complement: something added to embellish or make perfect
- Compunction: a feeling of deep regret, usually for some misdeed
- Concomitant: following or accompanying as a consequence
- Conduit: a passage through which water or electric wires can pass
- Conflagration: a very intense and uncontrolled fire
- Congruity: the quality of agreeing; being suitable and appropriate
- Connive: form intrigues (for) in an underhand manner
- Consign: give over to another for care or safekeeping
- Constituent: one of the individual parts making up a composite entity
- Construe: make sense of; assign a meaning to
- Contusion: an injury in which the skin is not broken
- Contrite: feeling or expressing pain or sorrow for sins or offences
- Contentious: showing an inclination to disagree
- Contravene: go against, as of rules and laws
- Convivial: occupied with or fond of the pleasures of good company
- Corpulence: the property of excessive fatness
- Covet: wish, long, or crave for
- Cupidity: extreme greed for material wealth
- Dearth: an insufficient quantity or number
- Debacle: a sudden and complete disaster
- Debauch: a wild gathering involving excessive drinking
- Debunk: expose while ridiculing
- Defunct: no longer in force or use; inactive
- Demagogue: a leader who seeks support by appealing to popular passions
- Denigrate: attack the good name and reputation of someone
- Derivative: a compound obtained from another compound
- Despot: a cruel and oppressive dictator
- Diaphanous: so thin as to transmit light
- Didactic: instructive, especially excessively
- Dirge: a song or hymn of mourning as a memorial to a dead person
- Disaffected: discontented as toward authority
- Discomfit: cause to lose one’s composure
- Disparate: fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind
150 Difficult SAT Words that will Elevate your SAT Preparation
Expanding upon the previous list, here are 150 additional SAT words designed to enhance your vocabulary prowess:
- Dispel: cause to separate and go in different directions
- Disrepute: the state of being held in low esteem
- Divisive: causing or characterised by disagreement or disunity
- Dogmatic: pertaining to a code of beliefs accepted as authoritative
- Dour: showing a brooding ill humour
- Duplicity: the act of deceiving or acting in bad faith
- Duress: compulsory force or threat
- Eclectic: selecting what seems best of various styles or ideas
- Edict: a formal or authoritative proclamation
- Ebullient: joyously unrestrained
- Egregious: conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible
- Elegy: a mournful poem; a lament for the dead
- Elicit: call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
- Embezzlement: the fraudulent appropriation of funds or property
- Emend: make corrections to
- Emollient: a substance with a soothing effect when applied to the skin
- Empirical: derived from experiment and observation rather than theory
- Emulate: strive to equal or match, especially by imitating
- Enervate: weaken physically, mentally, or morally
- Enfranchise: grant freedom to, as from slavery or servitude
- Engender: call forth
- Ephemeral: anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day
- Epistolary: written in the form of letters or correspondence
- Equanimity: steadiness of mind under stress
- Equivocal: open to two or more interpretations
- Espouse: choose and follow a theory, idea, policy, etc.
- Evanescent: short-lived; tending to vanish or disappear
- Evince: give expression to
- Exacerbate: make worse
- Exhort: spur on or encourage especially by cheers and shouts
- Execrable: unequivocally detestable
- Exigent: demanding immediate attention
- Expedient: appropriate to a purpose
- Expunge: remove by erasing or crossing out or as if by drawing a line
- Extraneous: not belonging to that in which it is contained
- Extol: praise, glorify, or honour
- Extant: still in existence; not extinct or destroyed or lost
- Expurgate: edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate
- Fallacious: containing or based on incorrect reasoning
- Fatuous: devoid of intelligence
- Fetter: a shackle for the ankles or feet
- Flagrant: conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible
- Foil: hinder or prevent, as an effort, plan, or desire
- Foment: instigate or stir up
- Forbearance: good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence
- Fortuitous: lucky; occurring by happy chance
- Fractious: easily irritated or annoyed
- Garrulous: full of trivial conversation
- Gourmand: a person who is devoted to eating and drinking to excess
- Grandiloquent: lofty in style
- Gratuitous: unnecessary and unwarranted
- Hapless: unfortunate and deserving pity
- Hegemony: the dominance or leadership of one social group over others
- Heterogenous: consisting of elements that are not of the same kind
- Iconoclast: someone who attacks cherished ideas or institutions
- Idiosyncratic: peculiar to the individual
- Impecunious: not having enough money to pay for necessities
- Impetuous: characterized by undue haste and lack of thought
- Impinge: infringe upon
- Impute: attribute or credit to
- Inane: devoid of intelligence
- Inchoate: only partly in existence; imperfectly formed
- Incontrovertible: impossible to deny or disprove
- Incumbent: necessary as a duty or responsibility; morally binding
- Inexorable: impossible to prevent, resist, or stop
- Inimical: tending to obstruct or cause harm
- Injunction: a judicial remedy to prohibit a party from doing something
- Inoculate: inject or treat with the germ of a disease to render immune
- Insidious: working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way
- Instigate: provoke or stir up
- Insurgent: in opposition to a civil authority or government
- Interlocutor: a person who takes part in a conversation
- Intimation: a slight suggestion or vague understanding
- Inure: cause to accept or become hardened to
- Invective: abusive language used to express blame or censure
- Intransigent: impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, or reason
- Inveterate: habitual
- Irreverence: a mental attitude showing lack of due respect
- Knell: the sound of a bell rung slowly to announce a death
- Laconic: brief and to the point
- Largesse: liberality in bestowing gifts
- Legerdemain: an illusory feat
- Libertarian: an advocate of freedom of thought and speech
- Licentious: lacking moral discipline
- Linchpin: a central cohesive source of support and stability
- Litigant: a party to a lawsuit
- Maelstrom: a powerful circular current of water
- Maudlin: effusively or insincerely emotional
- Maverick: someone who exhibits independence in thought and action
- Mawkish: effusively or insincerely emotional
- Maxim: a saying that is widely accepted on its own merits
- Mendacious: given to lying
- Modicum: a small or moderate or token amount
- Morass: a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot
- Mores: the conventions embodying the fundamental values of a group
- Munificent: very generous
- Multifarious: having many aspects
- Nadir: the lowest point of anything
- Negligent: characterised by undue lack of attention or concern
- Neophyte: any new participant in some activity
- Noisome: offensively malodorous
- Noxious: injurious to physical or mental health
- Obdurate: stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
- Obfuscate: make obscure or unclear
- Obstreperous: noisily and stubbornly defiant
- Officious: intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner
- Onerous: burdensome or difficult to endure
- Ostensible: appearing as such but not necessarily so
- Ostracism: the act of excluding someone from society by general consent
- Palliate: lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
- Panacea: hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases
- Paradigm: a standard or typical example
- Pariah: a person who is rejected from society or home
- Partisan: a fervent and even militant proponent of something
- Paucity: an insufficient quantity or number
- Pejorative: expressing disapproval
- Pellucid: transparently clear; easily understandable
- Penchant: a strong liking or preference
- Penurious: excessively unwilling to spend
- Pert: characterised by a lightly saucy or impudent quality
- Pernicious: exceedingly harmful
- Pertinacious: stubbornly unyielding
- Phlegmatic: showing little emotion
- Philanthropic: of or relating to charitable giving
- Pithy: concise and full of meaning
- Platitude: a trite or obvious remark
- Plaudit: enthusiastic approval
- Plenitude: a full supply
- Plethora: extreme excess
- Portent: a sign of something about to happen
- Potentate: a powerful ruler, especially one who is unconstrained by law
- Preclude: make impossible, especially beforehand
- Predilection: a predisposition in favour of something
- Preponderance: exceeding in heaviness; having greater weight
- Presage: a foreboding about what is about to happen
- Probity: complete and confirmed integrity
- Proclivity: a natural inclination
- Profligate: unrestrained by convention or morality
- Promulgate: state or announce
- Proscribe: command against
- Protean: taking on different forms
- Prurient: characterised by lust
- Puerile: displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity
- Pugnacious: ready and able to resort to force or violence
- Pulchritude: physical beauty, especially of a woman
- Punctilious: marked by precise accordance with details
- Quaint: attractively old-fashioned
- Quixotic: not sensible about practical matters
- Quandary: state of uncertainty in a choice between unfavourable options
- Recalcitrant: stubbornly resistant to authority or control
50 Difficult SAT Words for Your SAT Preparation
Another list of 50 difficult words for your SAT preparation:
- Redoubtable: inspiring fear
- Relegate: assign to a lower position
- Remiss: failing in what duty requires
- Reprieve: postpone the punishment of a convicted criminal
- Reprobate: a person without moral scruples
- Rescind: cancel officially
- Requisition: an authoritative demand
- Rife: excessively abundant
- Sanctimonious: excessively or hypocritically pious
- Sanguine: confidently optimistic and cheerful
- Scurrilous: expressing offensive, insulting, or scandalous criticism
- Semaphore: an apparatus for visual signalling
- Serendipity: good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries
- Sobriety: the state of being unaffected or not intoxicated by alcohol
- Solicitous: full of anxiety and concern
- Solipsism: the philosophical theory that the self is all that exists
- Spurious: plausible but false
- Staid: characterised by dignity and propriety
- Stolid: having or revealing little emotion or sensibility
- Subjugate: make subservient; force to submit or subdue
- Surfeit: indulge (one’s appetite) to satiety
- Surreptitious: marked by quiet and caution and secrecy
- Swarthy: naturally having the skin of a dark colour
- Tangential: of superficial relevance, if any
- Tirade: a speech of violent denunciation
- Tome: a large and scholarly book
- Toady: a person who tries to please someone to gain an advantage
- Torpid: in a condition of biological rest or suspended animation
- Travesty: a composition that imitates or misrepresents a style
- Trenchant: having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought
- Trite: repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
- Truculent: defiantly aggressive
- Turpitude: a corrupt or depraved or degenerate act or practice
- Ubiquitous: being present everywhere at once
- Umbrage: a feeling of anger caused by being offended
- Upbraid: express criticism towards
- Utilitarian: having a useful function
- Veracity: unwillingness to tell lies
- Vestige: an indication that something has been present
- Vicissitude: a variation in circumstances or fortune
- Vilify: spread negative information about
- Virtuoso: someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field
- Vitriolic: harsh, bitter, or malicious in tone
- Vituperate: spread negative information about
- Vociferous: conspicuously and offensively loud
- Wanton: a lewd or immoral person
- Wily: marked by skill in deception
- Winsome: charming in a childlike or naive way
- Yoke: join with stable gear, as two draft animals
- Zephyr: a slight wind
Tips to Improve your SAT Vocabulary
Building a robust vocabulary is a gradual process that requires dedication and practice. Here are some effective strategies to enhance your SAT vocabulary:
- Read Widely: Engage with a variety of texts, including novels, newspapers, and academic articles. Reading exposes you to new words in context, making it easier to understand and remember them.
- Utilize a Dictionary: Whenever you encounter unfamiliar words, make it a habit to look them up in a dictionary. Understanding the definitions and usage of words will deepen your comprehension and retention.
- Practice Writing: Incorporate SAT words into your writing exercises. Formulating sentences and paragraphs using new vocabulary reinforces your understanding and application of words.
- Flashcards: Create flashcards with SAT words on one side and their definitions on the other. Reviewing flashcards regularly helps reinforce memorization.
- Consistency is Key: Dedicate consistent time to vocabulary study each day. Set aside specific study sessions focused solely on expanding your vocabulary.
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Conclusion
Mastering SAT vocabulary is a crucial aspect of achieving success on the exam. By familiarizing yourself with a wide range of words, practicing consistently, and utilizing effective study techniques, you can enhance your vocabulary skills and boost your overall SAT performance.
Remember, patience and perseverance are key as you work towards your academic goals. With diligence and strategic preparation, you can conquer the SAT and take the first step towards realizing your educational aspirations.
Difficult SAT Words- FAQs
Why is SAT vocabulary so important?
SAT vocabulary is crucial because it directly impacts your performance on the exam’s reading and writing sections. A strong vocabulary enhances your ability to comprehend complex passages and effectively convey ideas in your essays, thereby improving your overall SAT score.
How can I effectively memorize SAT words?
To memorize SAT words effectively, try using mnemonic devices, creating flashcards, and incorporating new words into your daily vocabulary. Additionally, practice active recall by regularly reviewing words in different contexts to reinforce retention.
Are there specific strategies for tackling SAT vocabulary questions?
Yes, several strategies can help you tackle SAT vocabulary questions, such as using context clues, eliminating answer choices based on word parts (prefixes, suffixes), and identifying the tone or attitude conveyed by the word in the given passage.
What resources are available to help me improve my SAT vocabulary?
There are numerous resources available, including SAT vocabulary books, online flashcards, mobile apps, and practice tests. Additionally, reading extensively and engaging with a variety of texts can significantly enhance your vocabulary skills.
How much time should I dedicate to studying SAT vocabulary?
The amount of time you dedicate to studying SAT vocabulary depends on your current skill level and learning pace. However, consistency is key. Aim to allocate regular study sessions throughout your SAT preparation period, focusing on gradually expanding your vocabulary repertoire.
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