Reading Time: 10 Minutes
Importance of Learning Difficult SAT Words
Learning challenging SAT words is crucial because it significantly enhances vocabulary and comprehension, allowing students to score higher on the SAT’s verbal sections. A strong vocabulary directly impacts reading comprehension, helping students quickly understand passages and answer questions accurately. Mastering difficult words also strengthens writing skills by enabling students to express ideas precisely and persuasively, which is essential for essay sections on the SAT.
These words also expand general language skills that are useful beyond standardized tests. In college and in many professional fields, the ability to understand complex words and use them effectively is highly valued. As students expand their vocabulary, they also gain confidence in their communication skills, which is beneficial in discussions, presentations, and written communications.
250 Difficult SAT Words with Meanings
To assist you in your SAT preparation, we’ve compiled a list of 250 challenging SAT words along with their meanings. This curated selection encompasses a diverse range of vocabulary themes commonly found on the exam:
A
- Aberration – a departure from what is normal or expected.
- Abnegation – renouncing or rejecting something.
- Abscond – to leave secretly, often to avoid arrest.
- Abstruse – difficult to understand; obscure.
- Acerbic – sharp and forthright in tone.
- Acquiesce – to accept reluctantly without protest.
- Adumbrate – to outline or foreshadow.
- Aegis – protection or support.
- Affable – friendly and easy to talk to.
- Alacrity – eager readiness or enthusiasm.
- Altruistic – showing selfless concern for others.
- Ameliorate – to make something better.
- Amorphous – shapeless; without a defined form.
- Anachronistic – belonging to another time.
- Anathema – something or someone intensely disliked.
- Anecdote – a short, amusing story.
- Antipathy – strong dislike.
- Aplomb – self-confidence in difficult situations.
- Apocryphal – of doubtful authenticity.
- Arbitrary – based on random choice, rather than reason.
- Archaic – old and rarely used today.
- Ardent – enthusiastic or passionate.
- Artifice – clever or cunning tricks to deceive.
- Aspersion – an attack on someone’s character.
- Assiduous – showing great care and perseverance.
B
- Banal – lacking originality; overused.
- Beguile – to charm or trick.
- Belie – to give a false impression.
- Belligerent – hostile and aggressive.
- Benign – gentle; not harmful.
- Bequeath – to leave in a will.
- Berate – to scold harshly.
- Bereft – deprived of something.
- Beseech – to beg earnestly.
- Blandishment – flattery intended to persuade.
- Blatant – very obvious and offensive.
- Blithe – cheerful, casual, and carefree.
- Bolster – to support or strengthen.
- Boorish – rude or insensitive.
- Brevity – shortness or conciseness.
C
- Cacophony – harsh mixture of sounds.
- Cadence – rhythm or flow of sounds.
- Cajole – to persuade with flattery.
- Callous – insensitive to others’ feelings.
- Capitulate – to surrender.
- Cavort – to jump around excitedly.
- Censure – express severe disapproval.
- Chagrin – embarrassment from failure.
- Circumspect – cautious and prudent.
- Clandestine – kept secret for deception.
- Clemency – mercy shown in judgment.
- Coalesce – to unite or come together.
- Cogent – clear and convincing.
- Commend – to praise formally.
- Compunction – feeling of guilt.
- Conflagration – large and destructive fire.
- Confluence – flowing together.
- Conundrum – difficult problem or puzzle.
- Copious – abundant; plentiful.
- Corpulent – large and overweight.
D
- Dauntless – fearless.
- Debacle – sudden disaster or failure.
- Debilitate – to weaken.
- Debunk – expose falseness.
- Decimate – destroy a large part.
- Defunct – no longer existing.
- Deliberate – to consider carefully.
- Demagogue – leader exploiting prejudices.
- Demure – shy and modest.
- Denigrate – criticize unfairly.
- Denounce – publicly criticize.
- Deplore – express disapproval.
- Deprecate – disapprove of.
- Deride – ridicule or mock.
- Despot – a tyrant.
- 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
E
- Ebullient – overflowing with enthusiasm or excitement.
- Efficacy – the ability to produce a desired result.
- Effrontery – shameless boldness; impudence.
- Egregious – outstandingly bad; shocking.
- Elucidate – to clarify or explain.
- Emaciated – abnormally thin or weak.
- Embellish – to decorate or add details to.
- Emollient – soothing or softening.
- Empirical – based on observation or experience.
- Enervate – to weaken or drain energy.
- Ennui – feeling of boredom or dissatisfaction.
- Ephemeral – lasting for a very short time.
- Equanimity – mental calmness, especially under stress.
- Equivocate – to speak ambiguously to avoid truth.
- Erudite – scholarly, well-educated.
- Esoteric – understood by a select few.
- Ethereal – light, delicate, or heavenly.
- Euphemism – mild or indirect word substitution.
- Evanescent – quickly fading or disappearing.
- Exacerbate – to make a situation worse.
F
- Facetious – treating serious issues with humor.
- Fallacious – based on mistaken beliefs.
- Fastidious – very attentive to detail.
- Fatuous – silly and pointless.
- Fecund – highly fertile or productive.
- Feckless – lacking initiative or responsibility.
- Felicity – intense happiness or a talent.
- Fetter – to restrain or hold back.
- Flippant – not showing serious respect.
- Florid – excessively intricate or ornate.
- Forbearance – patient self-control.
- Furtive – secretive or sneaky.
G
- Garrulous – excessively talkative.
- Gauche – lacking social grace; awkward.
- Glib – fluent but insincere.
- Gregarious – sociable; enjoying company.
- Guile – sly or cunning intelligence.
H
- Hackneyed – overused and unoriginal.
- Harangue – a lengthy, aggressive speech.
- Heinous – shockingly wicked or evil.
- Histrionic – overly theatrical or melodramatic.
- Hubris – excessive pride or self-confidence.
- Hypocrisy – pretending to have beliefs one doesn’t have.
I
- Iconoclast – someone who attacks cherished beliefs.
- Idiosyncrasy – a distinctive feature or trait.
- Ignominious – deserving of public shame.
- Impecunious – having little or no money.
- Impertinent – rude or disrespectful.
- Impugn – to challenge the validity of something.
- Inchoate – just begun and not fully formed.
- Incisive – clear, sharp, and direct.
- Indefatigable – tireless, unwearied.
- Ineffable – too great or extreme to describe.
- Inexorable – impossible to stop or prevent.
- Ingenuous – innocent and naive.
- Inimical – harmful or hostile.
- Inscrutable – impossible to understand or interpret.
J
- Jocular – humorous or playful.
- Judicious – having or showing good judgment.
- Juxtapose – to place side by side for comparison.
K
- Keen – highly developed; sharp.
- Kinetic – relating to motion.
L
- Lament – to express grief or sorrow.
- Languid – lacking energy; sluggish.
- Laud – to praise highly.
- Lethargic – sluggish and apathetic.
- Lucid – clear and easy to understand.
- Lugubrious – mournful or gloomy.
M
- Maelstrom – a powerful whirlpool.
- Magnanimous – very generous or forgiving.
- Malediction – a curse.
- Malevolent – showing ill will or hatred.
- Malfeasance – wrongdoing by a public official.
- Malleable – easily influenced or shaped.
- Martinet – a strict disciplinarian.
- Maudlin – excessively sentimental.
- Maverick – an independent-minded person.
- Melancholy – deep, pensive sadness.
- Mendacious – lying or deceitful.
- Mercurial – unpredictable mood swings.
N
- Nadir – the lowest point.
- Nascent – beginning to exist or develop.
- Neophyte – a beginner or novice.
- Nefarious – wicked or villainous.
- Nonchalant – feeling calm or casual.
O
- Obdurate – stubbornly refusing to change.
- Obfuscate – to confuse or make unclear.
- Obsequious – excessively obedient.
- Obstinate – stubbornly refusing to change.
- Onerous – burdensome; requiring heavy effort.
- Opaque – not clear or transparent.
- Opulent – rich and luxurious.
P
- Palpable – able to be touched or felt.
- Panacea – a solution for all difficulties.
- Paragon – a perfect example of something.
- Pariah – an outcast.
- Paucity – scarcity or lack of something.
- Pecuniary – relating to money.
- Pedantic – overly concerned with details.
- Penchant – a strong liking for something.
- Penury – extreme poverty.
- Pernicious – harmful in a subtle way.
- Pithy – concise and forcefully expressive.
Q
- Querulous – complaining in a petulant manner.
- Quixotic – exceedingly idealistic.
R
- Rancor – deep resentment.
- Recalcitrant – resisting authority.
- Recondite – little known; abstruse.
- Redundant – not necessary.
- Refute – to prove wrong.
- Relegate – to dismiss to a lower position.
S
- Sagacious – wise; having good judgment.
- Salubrious – health-giving.
- Sanguine – optimistic in a difficult situation.
- Scintillating – sparkling; brilliant.
- Solipsistic – self-centered.
- Soporific – causing drowsiness.
- Spurious – not genuine.
- Stolid – unemotional.
T
- Taciturn – reserved in speech.
- Tantamount – equivalent in effect.
- Temerity – reckless boldness.
- Tenacity – persistence.
- Tepid – lukewarm; unenthusiastic.
- Torpor – sluggishness.
- Truculent – eager to argue or fight.
- Turgid – swollen or bloated.
U
- Ubiquitous – present everywhere.
- Unctuous – excessively flattering.
- Undulate – to move in a wave-like motion.
V
- Vacillate – to waver between choices.
- Vapid – dull; lacking interest.
- Vehement – showing strong feeling.
- Veracity – truthfulness.
- Verbose – using more words than needed.
- Vestige – a trace of something that no longer exists.
- Vicissitude – change in circumstances.
W-Z
- Wane – decrease in size or strength.
- Wary – cautious.
- Winsome – attractive or appealing.
- Zealous – fervently devoted.
X-Z
- Xenophobia – dislike of or prejudice against foreigners.
- Yoke – to join or bring together.
- Zephyr – a gentle, mild breeze.
- Zealot – a fervent and passionate supporter.
- Zeitgeist – the spirit of a specific time or era.
Additional Advanced Words
- Abhor – to regard with disgust or hatred.
- Acerbic – sharply critical or sarcastic.
- Adroit – skillful and clever in handling situations.
- Adulation – excessive admiration or praise.
- Aghast – filled with horror or shock.
- Amicable – friendly and without disagreements.
- Antithesis – the opposite or contrast of something.
- Apotheosis – the highest point in development.
- Arcane – understood by few; mysterious.
- Assuage – to relieve or ease an unpleasant feeling.
- Auspicious – favorable; indicating a good outcome.
- Benevolent – well-meaning and kindly.
- Blithe – showing a casual and cheerful indifference.
- Cacophonous – having a harsh or discordant sound.
- Cajole – to persuade someone with flattery.
- Camaraderie – mutual trust and friendship among people.
- Capricious – given to sudden changes in mood.
- Chicanery – trickery or deceit to achieve a purpose.
- Circumvent – to find a way around an obstacle.
- Cogitate – to think deeply about something.
- Conundrum – a confusing and difficult problem.
- Copious – abundant in supply or quantity.
- Cursory – done quickly with little attention to detail.
- Defenestrate – to throw out of a window.
- Diffident – modest or shy due to a lack of self-confidence.
- Disparage – to belittle or speak down to someone.
- Eclectic – deriving ideas or style from diverse sources.
- Egregious – outstandingly bad; shocking.
- Ennoble – to elevate or raise in dignity.
- Esoteric – intended for or understood by a small group.
- Finesse – skillful handling of a situation.
- Garrulous – excessively talkative.
- Germane – relevant to the subject at hand.
- Grandiose – impressive and grand in appearance.
- Hapless – unfortunate or unlucky.
- Hedonistic – devoted to pleasure.
- Imperturbable – unable to be upset or agitated.
- Infallible – incapable of making mistakes.
- Inimical – harmful; unfriendly.
- Insipid – lacking flavor or interest.
- Laconic – using very few words.
- Largesse – generosity in bestowing gifts.
- Licentious – lacking moral restraint.
- Machiavellian – cunning and deceitful.
- Nefarious – wicked or criminal.
- Obfuscate – to confuse or obscure.
- Oblique – indirect or not straightforward.
- Ostentatious – displaying wealth in a showy way.
- Palliate – to alleviate or lessen without curing.
- Pejorative – expressing contempt or disapproval.
- Quagmire – a difficult, complex, or messy situation.
- Querulous – habitually complaining.
- Quintessential – representing the most perfect example.
- Recalcitrant – stubbornly disobedient.
- Redolent – strongly reminiscent of something.
- Resplendent – shining brilliantly; attractive and impressive.
- Sagacious – having keen perception and sound judgment.
- Sanguine – optimistic, especially in a bad situation.
- Scurrilous – vulgar or abusive in language.
- Surreptitious – done secretly.
- Sybaritic – devoted to luxury and pleasure.
- Sycophant – a person who acts obsequiously toward someone important.
- Temerity – excessive confidence or boldness.
- Trenchant – vigorous or incisive in expression.
- Unctuous – excessively or ingratiatingly flattering.
- Usurp – to take power by force or without legal right.
- Vacuous – lacking ideas or intelligence.
- Venerate – to regard with great respect.
- Vitriolic – filled with bitter criticism or malice.
- Voracious – wanting or devouring great quantities.
- Winsome – attractive or appealing in appearance.
- Wistful – having a feeling of vague longing.
- Wry – using or expressing dry, mocking humor.
- Zenith – the highest point or peak.
Making Memorization Fun with Examily’s Tools
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With Examily, students approach the SAT with confidence, prepared to master vocabulary and achieve their best scores.
These 300 advanced words represent a powerful vocabulary toolkit for SAT success, enhancing students’ language proficiency and comprehension skills. With Examily’s personalized study plans, engaging flashcards, and smart spaced repetition, students can commit these complex words to memory efficiently, making vocabulary building both effective and enjoyable.
