144 Build Your Vocabulary

The SAT High-Frequency Word List*

abridge compile disseminate guile materialism
abstemious complacency dissent gullible methodical
abstract compliance divergent hamper (V) meticulous
abstruse composure doctrine hardy miserly
accessible comprehensive document (V) haughtiness mitigate
acclaim concede dogmatic hedonist morose
acknowledge conciliatory dubious heresy mundane
adulation concise duplicity hierarchy negate
adversary concur eclectic homogeneous nonchalance
adversity condone egotism hypocritical notoriety
advocate conflagration elated hypothetical novelty
aesthetic confound eloquence idiosyncrasy nurture
affable consensus elusive illusory obliterate
affirmation constraint embellish immutable oblivion
alleviate contend emulate impair obscure (V)
aloof contentious endorse impeccable obstinate
altruistic contract (V) enhance impede ominous
ambiguous conviction enigma implausible opaque
ambivalence cordial enmity implement (V) opportunist
analogous corroborate ephemeral impudence optimist
anarchist credulity equivocal inadvertent opulence
anecdote criterion erroneous inane orator
animosity cryptic erudite incisive ostentatious
antagonism cursory esoteric incite pacifist
antidote curtail eulogy inclusive partisan
antiquated decorum euphemism incongruous peripheral
apathy deference exacerbate inconsequential perpetuate
appease degradation exalt incorrigible pervasive
apprehension delineate execute indict pessimism
arbitrary denounce exemplary indifferent phenomena
archaic deplore exemplify indiscriminate philanthropist
arrogance depravity exhaustive induce piety
articulate deprecate exhilarating inert placate
artifact deride exonerate ingenious ponderous
artisan derivative expedient inherent pragmatic
ascendancy despondent expedite innate preclude
ascetic detached explicit innocuous precocious
aspire deterrent exploit (V) innovation predator
astute detrimental extol insipid predecessor
attribute (V) devious extraneous instigate presumptuous
augment devise extricate insularity pretentious
austere diffuse exuberance integrity prevalent
authoritarian digression facilitate intervene prodigal
autonomous diligence fallacious intimidate profane
aversion diminution fanaticism intrepid profound
belie discerning fastidious inundate profusion
benevolent disclose feasible invert proliferation
bolster discordant fervor ironic prolific
braggart discount (V) flagrant lament provincial
brevity discrepancy frivolous laud proximity
cajole discriminating frugality lavish (ADJ) prudent
calculated disdain furtive lethargic qualified
candor disinclination garrulous levity quandary
capricious dismiss glutton linger ramble
censorious disparage gratify listless rancor
censure disparity gratuitous lofty ratify
coercion disperse gravity malicious rebuttal
commemorate disputatious gregarious marred recluse
The SAT Hot Prospects Word List 145

recount resolve (N) seclusion superfluous turmoil

rectify restraint servile surpass undermine
redundant reticence skeptic surreptitious uniformity
refute retract sluggish susceptible unwarranted
relegate reverent somber sustain usurp
remorse rhetorical sporadic sycophant vacillate
renounce rigor squander taciturn venerate
repel robust stagnant temper (V) verbose
reprehensible sage static (ADJ) tentative vigor
reprimand sanction (V) submissive terse vilify
reprove satirical subordinate (ADJ) thrive vindicate
repudiate saturate subside tranquillity virtuoso
reserve (N) scanty substantiate transient volatile
resigned scrupulous succinct trite whimsical
resolution scrutinize superficial turbulence zealot

*This word list has been updated to include all released SAT exams through January 2002.

The SAT Hot Prospects Word List

abate colloquial fallow mercenary (ADJ) recant
accolade combustible falter mercurial remission
acquiesce complementary fathom (V) mirth replete
acrid confluence fell (V) misanthrope repugnant
acrimony conjecture fitful misnomer rescind
aggregate (V) converge florid mollify respite
amorphous corrode foolhardy mosaic resplendent
anachronistic corrugated glacial munificent savory
anomaly culpable hackneyed nefarious sedentary
antediluvian debilitate hyperbole nuance soporific
antipathy debunk iconoclastic obdurate spurious
apocryphal dehydrate ignominy odious spurn
arable deleterious illicit ornate steadfast
ardent depose impecunious pariah stolid
assiduous desiccate impregnable parody strident
assuage diffidence incidental parsimony stupefy
atrophy dilatory incontrovertible paucity supplant
audacious discourse indefatigable penury surfeit
avarice discrepancy indolent perfunctory swagger
avert disquiet ineffable pernicious tantamount
aviary distend inexorable pitfall tenacity
beguile dupe insolvent pithy terrestrial
bequeath ebullient insuperable polemical threadbare
bleak edify intractable prattle tirade
blighted efface irreproachable precarious torpor
bombastic effervesce jocular profligate (ADJ) trepidation
buttress elegy labyrinth quagmire trifling
cacophonous elicit laconic quell truncate
cardiologist elucidate laggard querulous unkempt
carping emaciated lampoon quiescent unprecedented
certitude emend lassitude rant vaporize
charlatan equanimity lithe rarefy viable
circumlocution equitable lurid raucous virulent
cliché evanescent luxuriant ravenous voluble
coalesce excerpt meander raze witticism
Barrons GRE High-Frequency 333 Words
Vocabulary List

WORD MEANING
Abate subside , or moderate
Aberrant abnormal, or deviant
Abeyance suspended action
Abscond depart secretly and hide
Abstemious sparing in eating and drinking; temperate
Admonish warn; reprove
Adulterate make impure by adding inferior or tainted substances
Aesthetic artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciating the beautiful
Aggregate gather; accumulate
Alacrity cheerful promptness; eagerness
Alleviate relieve
Amalgamate combine; unite in one body
Ambiguous unclear or doubtful in meaning
Ambivalence the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional
attitudes
Ameliorate improve
Anachronism something or someone misplaced in time
Analogous comparable
Anarchy absence of governing body; state of disorder
Anomalous abnormal; irregular
Antipathy aversion; dislike
Apathy lack of caring; indifference
Appease pacify or soothe; relieve
Apprise inform
Approbation approval
Appropriate v. acquire; take possession of for one’s own use
Arduous hard; strenuous
Artless without guile; open and honest
Ascetic practicing self-denial; austere
Assiduous diligent
Assuage v. ease or lessen (pain); satisfy (hunger); soothe (anger)
Attenuate make thinner
Audacious daring; bold
Austere forbiddingly stern; severely simple and unornamented
Autonomous self-governing; independent
Aver assert confidently or declare; as used in law, state formally as
a fact

Banal hackneyed; commonplace; trite; lacking originality

Belie contradict; give a false impression
1
Beneficent kindly; doing good
Bolster support; reinforce
Bombastic pompous; using inflated language
Boorish rude; insensitive
Burgeon grow forth; send out buds
Burnish make shiny by rubbing; polish
Buttress v. support; prop up

Capricious unpredictable; fickle

Castigation punishment; severe criticism
Catalyst agent that increases the pace of a chemical action
Caustic burning; sarcastically biting
Chicanery trickery; deception
Coagulate thicken; congeal; clot
Coda concluding section of a musical or literary composition;
summarizes or concludes
Cogent convincing
Commensurate adj. corresponding in extent, degree, etc.; proportionate
Compendium brief, comprehensive summary
Complaisant trying to please; overly polite; obliging
Compliant yielding; conforming to requirements
Conciliatory reconciling; soothing
Condone overlook; forgive; give tacit approval; excuse
Confound confuse; puzzle
Connoisseur person competent to act as a judge of art; a lover of art
Contention claim; thesis
Contentious quarrelsome
Contrite penitent
Conundrum riddle; difficult problem
Converge approach; tend to meet; come together
Convoluted coiled around; involved; intricate
Craven cowardly

Daunt intimidate; frighten

Decorum propriety; orderliness and good taste in manners
Default failure to act
Deference courteous regard for another’s wishes
Delineate portray; depict; sketch
Denigrate blacken
Deride ridicule; make fun of
Derivative unoriginal; obtained from another source
Desiccate dry up
Desultory aimless; haphazard; digressing at random
Deterrent Something that discourages; hindrance
Diatribe n. bitter scolding; invective
Dichotomy split; branching into two parts (especially contradictory ones)
Diffidence Shyness
Diffuse adj. wordy, rambling, spread out (like a gas)
2
Digression Wandering away from the subject
Dirge Lament with music
Disabuse correct a false impression; undeceive
Discerning mentally quick and observant; having insight
Discordant not harmonious; conflicting
Discredit defame; destroy confidence in; disbelieve
Discrepancy lack of consistency; difference
Discrete adj. separate; unconnected; consisting of distinct parts
Disingenuous lacking genuine candor; insincere
Disinterested unprejudiced
Disjointed lacking coherence; separated at the joints
Dismiss eliminate from consideration; reject
Disparage belittle
Disparate adj. basically different; unrelated
Dissemble v. disguise; pretend
Disseminate distribute; spread; scatter (like seeds)
Dissolution disintegration; looseness in morals
Dissonance discord; opposite of harmony
Distend expand; swell out
Distill purify; refine; concentrate
Diverge vary; go in different directions from the same point
Divest strip; deprive
Document provide written evidence
Dogmatic opinionated; arbitrary; doctrinal
Dormant sleeping; lethargic; latent
Dupe someone easily fooled

Ebullient showing excitement; overflowing with enthusiasm

Eclectic selective; composed of elements drawn from disparate
sources
Efficacy power to produce desired effect
Effrontery impudence; shameless boldness; sheer nerve;
presumptuousness
Elegy poem or song expressing lamentation
Elicit draw out by discussion
Embellish adorn; ornament; enhance, as a story
Empirical based on experience
Emulate imitate; rival
Endemic prevailing among a specific group of people or in a specific
area or country
Enervate weaken
Engender cause; produce
Enhance increase; improve
Ephemeral short-lived; fleeting
Equanimity calmness of temperament; composure
Equivocate lie; mislead; attempt to conceal the truth
Erudite learned; scholarly
Esoteric hard to understand; known only to the chosen few
3
Eulogy expression of praise, often on the occasion of someone’s
death
Euphemism mild expression in place of an unpleasant one
Exacerbate worsen; embitter
Exculpate clear from blame
Exigency urgent situation; pressing needs or demands; state of
requiring immediate attention
Extrapolation projection; conjecture

Facetious joking (often inappropriately); humorous

Facilitate help bring about; make less difficult
Fallacious false; misleading
Fatuous brainless; inane; foolish, yet smug
Fawning trying to please by behaving obsequiously, flattering, or
cringing
Felicitous apt; suitably expressed; well chosen
Fervor glowing ardor; intensity of feeling
Flag droop; grow feeble
Fledgling inexperienced
Flout reject; mock; show contempt for
Foment stir up; instigate
Forestall prevent by taking action in advance
Frugality thrift; economy
Futile useless; hopeless; ineffectual

Gainsay deny
Garrulous loquacious; talkative; wordy
Goad urge on
Gouge overcharge
Grandiloquent pompous; bombastic; using high-sounding language
Gregarious sociable
Guileless without deceit
Gullible easily deceived

Harangue long, passionate, and vehement speech

Homogeneous of the same kind
Hyperbole exaggeration; overstatement

Iconoclastic attacking cherished traditions

Idolatry worship of idols; excessive admiration
Immutable unchangeable
Impair injure; hurt
Impassive without feeling; imperturbable; stoical
Impede hinder; block
Impermeable impervious; not permitting passage through its substance
Imperturbable calm; placid
Impervious impenetrable; incapable of being damaged or distressed
Implacable incapable of being pacified
4
Implicit understood but not stated
Implode burst inward
Inadvertently unintentionally; by oversight; carelessly
Inchoate adj. recently begun; rudimentary; elementary
Incongruity lack of harmony; absurdity
Inconsequential insignificant; unimportant
Incorporate introduce something into a larger whole; combine; unite
Indeterminate uncertain; not clearly fixed; indefinite
Indigence poverty
Indolent Lazy
Inert inactive; lacking power to move
Ingenuous naive and trusting; young; unsophisticated
Inherent firmly established by nature or habit
Innocuous Harmless
Insensible unconscious; unresponsive
Insinuate hint; imply; creep in
Insipid lacking in flavor; dull
Insularity narrow-mindedness; isolation
Intractable unruly; stubborn; unyielding
Intransigence n. refusal of any compromise; stubbornness
Inundate overwhelm; flood; submerge
Inured adj. accustomed; hardened
Invective n. abuse
Irascible irritable; easily angered
Irresolute uncertain how to act; weak
Itinerary plan of a trip

Laconic brief and to the point

Lassitude languor; weariness
Latent potential but undeveloped; dormant; hidden
Laud v. praise
Lethargic drowsy; dull
Levee stone embankment to prevent flooding
Levity lack of seriousness or steadiness; frivolity
Log record of a voyage or flight; record of day-to-day activities
Loquacious talkative
Lucid easily understood; clear; intelligible
Luminous shining; issuing light

Magnanimity Generosity
Malingerer one who feigns illness to escape duty
Malleable capable of being shaped by pounding; impressionable
Maverick rebel; nonconformist
Mendacious lying; habitually dishonest
Metamorphosis change of form
Meticulous excessively careful; painstaking; scrupulous
Misanthrope one who hates mankind
Mitigate appease; moderate
5
Mollify soothe
Morose ill-humored; sullen; melancholy
Mundane worldly as opposed to spiritual; everyday

Negate cancel out; nullify; deny

Neophyte recent convert; beginner

Obdurate adj. stubborn

Obsequious lavishly attentive; servile; sycophantic
Obviate make unnecessary; get rid of
Occlude shut; close
Officious meddlesome; excessively pushy in offering one’s services
Onerous burdensome
Opprobrium infamy; vilification
Oscillate vibrate; waver
Ostentatious showy; pretentious; trying to attract attention

Paragon model of perfection

Partisan one-sided; prejudiced; committed to a party
Pathological pertaining to disease
Paucity Scarcity
Pedantic showing off learning; bookish
Penchant strong inclination; liking
Penury severe poverty; stinginess
Perennial something long-lasting
Perfidious treacherous; disloyal
Perfunctory superficial; not thorough; lacking interest, care, or
enthusiasm
Permeable penetrable; porous; allowing liquids or gas to pass through
Pervasive spread throughout
Phlegmatic calm; not easily disturbed
Piety devoutness; reverence for God
Placate pacify; conciliate
Plasticity ability to be molded
Platitude n. trite remark; commonplace statement
Plethora excess; overabundance
Plummet fall sharply
Porous full of pores; like a sieve
Pragmatic practical (as opposed to idealistic); concerned with the
practical worth or impact of something
Preamble introductory statement
Precarious uncertain; risky
Precipitate adj. rash, premature, hasty, sudden
Precursor forerunner
Presumptuous arrogant; taking liberties
Prevaricate lie
Pristine characteristic of earlier times; primitive; unspoiled
Probity uprightness; incorruptibility
6
Problematic doubtful; unsettled; questionable; perplexing
Prodigal wasteful; reckless with money
Profound deep; not superficial; complete
Prohibitive tending to prevent the purchase or use of something; inclined
to prevent or forbid
Proliferate grow rapidly; spread; multiply
Propensity natural inclination
Propitiate appease
Propriety fitness; correct conduct
Proscribe ostracize; banish; outlaw
Pungent stinging; sharp in taste or smell; caustic

Qualified limited; restricted

Quibble minor objection or complaint
Quiescent at rest; dormant; temporarily inactive

Rarefied made less dense (of a gas)

Recalcitrant obstinately stubborn; determined to resist authority; unruly
Recant disclaim or disavow; retract a previous statement; openly
confess error
Recluse hermit; loner
Recondite abstruse; profound; secret
Refractory stubborn; unmanageable
Refute disprove
Relegate banish to an inferior position; delegate; assign
Reproach express disapproval or disappointment
Reprobate person hardened in sin; devoid of a sense of decency
Repudiate disown; disavow
Rescind cancel
Resolution Determination
Resolve determination; firmness of purpose
Reticent reserved; uncommunicative; inclined to silence
Reverent respectful; worshipful

Sage person celebrated for wisdom

Salubrious healthful
Sanction approve; ratify
Satiate satisfy fully
Saturate soak thoroughly
Savor enjoy; have a distinctive flavor, smell, or quality
Secrete hide away or cache; produce and release a substance into an
organism
Shard fragment, generally of pottery
Skeptic doubter; person who suspends judgment until having
examined evidence supporting a point of view
Solicitous worried; concerned
Soporific sleep-causing; marked by sleepiness
Specious seemingly reasonable but incorrect; misleading (often
7
intentionally)
Spectrum colored band produced when a beam of light passes through
a prism
Sporadic occurring irregularly
Stigma token of disgrace; brand
Stint v. be thrifty; set limits
Stipulate make express conditions; specify
Stolid dull; impassive
Striated marked with parallel bands; grooved
Strut pompous walk
Strut supporting bar
Subpoena writ summoning a witness to appear
Subside settle down; descend; grow quiet
Substantiate establish by evidence; verify; support
Supersede cause to be set aside; replace; make obsolete
Supposition hypothesis; surmise

Tacit understood; not put into words

Tangential peripheral; only slightly connected; digressing
Tenuous thin; rare; slim
Tirade extended scolding; denunciation; harangue
Torpor lethargy; sluggishness; dormancy
Tortuous winding; full of curves
Tractable docile; easily managed
Transgression violation of a law; sin
Truculence aggressiveness; ferocity

Vacillate waver; fluctuate

Venerate revere
Veracious truthful
Verbose wordy
Viable practical or workable
Viscous sticky, gluey
Vituperative adj abusive; scolding
Volatile changeable; explosive; evaporation rapidly

Warranted justified; authorized

Wary very cautious
Welter turmoil; bewildering jumble
Whimsical capricious; fanciful

Zealot fanatic; person who shows excessive zeal