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The SAT Vocabulary List

The intermediate-to-advanced words the digital SAT keeps reusing, grouped by meaning so they stick, each with a plain-English definition, an example, and the root that unlocks a dozen more. Free, from the tutors at High Performance Tutoring.

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The list

Words Worth Knowing

Learn vocabulary in meaning-families, the way the SAT tests words in context. Tap any word for its definition, an example, and the root behind it.

191 words in 17 meaning groups · try “candid,” “ephemeral,” or “lucid”

Praise & Admiration 11 words

Criticism & Contempt 12 words

Secrecy & Caution 11 words

Abundance & Excess 11 words

Scarcity & Restraint 11 words

Change & Constancy 11 words

Certainty & Doubt 11 words

Clarity & Confusion 11 words

Persuasion & Rhetoric 13 words

Boldness & Timidity 11 words

Hostility & Harmony 11 words

Wisdom & Foolishness 11 words

Emotion & Temperament 11 words

Deception & Honesty 11 words

Reasoning & Analysis 12 words

Difficulty & Effort 11 words

Unusual & Ordinary 11 words

No words match that search. Try a shorter piece of the word or a meaning.

The SAT's favorite trick

Words with a Second Meaning

The digital SAT loves an everyday word used in a less common way. You know one meaning; the test rewards the other. These turn up again and again in Words-in-Context questions.

appreciate
Everydayto be grateful for
On the SATto rise in value; to understand fully
“The house appreciated sharply over the following decade.”
arrest
Everydayto take into police custody
On the SATto stop or halt
“The new program arrested the steady decline in enrollment.”
bearing
Everydayposture or manner
On the SATrelevance or connection
“That detail has no bearing on the outcome of the case.”
capacity
Everydaythe amount something can hold
On the SATa role or position
“She advised the mayor in an unofficial capacity.”
champion
Everydaya winner or title-holder
On the SATto support or advocate for
“The senator championed the reform for over a decade.”
chance
Everydayluck or probability
On the SATto happen or do by accident (verb)
“They chanced upon the manuscript in a forgotten archive.”
check
Everydayto examine or mark off
On the SATto restrain or stop
“Strict regulations checked the company's rapid expansion.”
coin
Everydaya piece of money
On the SATto invent a word or phrase
“Scientists coined the term to describe the new particle.”
compromise
Everydayto reach a middle ground
On the SATto weaken or expose to danger
“The leak compromised the safety of the entire system.”
cultivate
Everydayto grow crops or plants
On the SATto develop or foster deliberately
“The diplomat cultivated ties with community leaders.”
discriminating
Everydayshowing prejudice
On the SAThaving refined taste; perceptive
“A discriminating reader catches the subtle shift in the narrator's tone.”
doctor
Everydaya medical physician
On the SATto alter or tamper with dishonestly
“Investigators found that the figures had been doctored.”
eclipse
Everydaywhen one body in space blocks another
On the SATto surpass or overshadow
“Her later research eclipsed the study that first made her famous.”
economy
Everydaya region's system of money and trade
On the SATsparing or efficient use
“The poem's economy of language makes every word carry weight.”
exploit
Everydayto take unfair advantage of
On the SATa notable or daring deed (noun)
“The explorer's exploits filled the front pages for weeks.”
flag
Everydaya cloth banner
On the SATto weaken or lose energy
“Enthusiasm for the project began to flag by midsummer.”
fluid
Everydaya liquid
On the SATsmooth, or easily changed
“The plan stayed fluid as new information arrived.”
foil
Everydaya thin sheet of metal
On the SATto prevent or thwart
“An alert guard foiled the attempted theft.”
harbor
Everydaya sheltered place for ships
On the SATto hold onto or shelter
“He harbored a quiet resentment for years.”
novel
Everydaya long work of fiction
On the SATnew and original
“The team proposed a novel approach to an old problem.”
pedestrian
Everydaya person traveling on foot
On the SATdull, ordinary, unremarkable
“Critics dismissed the sequel as pedestrian and predictable.”
qualify
Everydayto meet the requirements for something
On the SATto limit or soften a statement
“She qualified her praise by pointing out a few flaws.”
render
Everydayto depict in art
On the SATto cause to become; to give
“The injury rendered him unable to compete.”
reservation
Everydaya booking held in advance
On the SATa doubt or hesitation
“He accepted the offer, though not without reservations.”
sound
Everydaysomething you hear
On the SATsolid, valid, or reliable
“She built the case on sound reasoning and solid evidence.”
table
Everydaya piece of furniture
On the SATto set aside or postpone a proposal
“The committee tabled the motion until its next meeting.”
temper
Everydaya tendency toward anger
On the SATto moderate or soften
“She tempered her criticism with genuine encouragement.”
yield
Everydayto give way or surrender
On the SATto produce or provide
“The experiment yielded results no one had predicted.”
The shortcut

Greek and Latin Roots

Most hard SAT words are built from a small set of Greek and Latin roots. Learn the root and you can decode words you have never seen. Here are the highest-yield ones.

spec / spic / spect
to look, to see
conspicuouscircumspectspeciousperspectiveprospect
loqu / loc
to speak
eloquentloquaciouselocutioncolloquialsoliloquy
cred
to believe, to trust
credibleincredulouscredencecredentialcreed
dict / dic
to say, to speak
contradictverdictdictatepredictindict
ten / tin / tain
to hold, to keep
tenaciousabstainretaintenablesustain
ver
true
veracityverifyverdictaververisimilitude
bene / bon
good, well
benevolentbenefactorbenignbonusbenefit
mal / male
bad, ill
malevolentmalignmaladymalfunctionmalice
luc / lum / lus
light
lucidelucidateillustrioustranslucentluminous
path / pass
feeling, suffering
antipathyapathyempathysympathypathos
plic / plex / ply
to fold
implicitexplicitduplicitycomplexreplicate
fer
to bring, to carry
proliferateinferconferdefertransfer
cred / fid
faith, trust
diffidentconfidefidelityfiduciarybona fide
greg
flock, group
gregariouscongregatesegregateaggregateegregious
dign
worthy
disdainindignantdignitydeigndignitary
err
to wander, to stray
erraticaberrationerroneouserranterr
flu / flux
to flow
fluctuatesuperfluousaffluentinfluxconfluence
sta / stat
to stand, to remain
staticstagnantsteadfaststablestationary
ambi / amphi
both, around
ambiguousambivalentambidextrousamphibianambient
voc / vok
to call, voice
advocatevociferousevokeprovokerevoke
The front of the word

Common Prefixes

A prefix sits at the front of a word and shapes or flips its meaning. Spot the prefix and you often know a word's direction before you know the word itself.

a- / an-
without, not
atypicalamoralanonymousapathyanomaly
ab-
away from
abstainaberrationabscondabsolveabduct
ad-
toward, to
adhereadjacentadvocateadeptadamant
ante-
before (do not confuse with anti-)
antecedentanteriorantebellumantedateantechamber
anti-
against, opposite
antithesisantipathyantagonizeantidoteantagonist
circum-
around
circumspectcircumventcircumferencecircumscribecircumlocution
contra- / counter-
against, opposite
contradictcontrarycounteractcontravenecounterproductive
de-
down, away, reverse
deterdeferencedepletedemotedenounce
dis-
not, apart, away
disparagedissentdisparatedisdaindiscord
ex- / e-
out, from
extolexonerateextractevokeelucidate
in- / im- / il- / ir-
not (also: into)
incredulousimplausibleillicitirrefutableinnate
inter-
between, among
interveneintercedeinterjectintermittentinterminable
mis-
wrong, badly
misconstruemisnomermisgivingsmishapmisanthrope
pre-
before
precedepresumeprecludepremonitionprescient
pro-
forward, for
proponentproliferateprolificproclivityprovoke
re-
back, again
refutereconcilereiterateresilientrecur
sub-
under, below
subtlesubvertsubordinatesubmissivesubstantiate
super- / sur-
above, over, beyond
superfluoussurpasssupersedesurmountsuperficial
trans-
across, beyond
transienttranscendtransmutetransgresstransparent
syn- / sym-
together, with
synthesissymbiosissympathysynopsissynchronize
The end of the word

Common Suffixes

A suffix sits at the end and usually signals a word's job (noun, verb, adjective) and part of its meaning. -ity marks a quality, -ous fills something with, -ify turns it into an action.

-able / -ible
capable of, worthy of
plausiblecredibletenableculpableamenable
-acious / -acity
full of, tending to
tenaciousaudaciousloquaciouscapaciouspugnacious
-ate
to make, to cause
placatecorroborateelucidatealleviateexacerbate
-escent
becoming, in the process of
obsolescentincandescentadolescentquiescentluminescent
-fy / -ify
to make, to turn into
clarifyexemplifymollifyrectifymagnify
-ic / -ical
relating to, characterized by
pragmaticempiricalcrypticsardonicprosaic
-id
having the quality of
lucidplacidvapidcandidarid
-ism
belief, practice, or condition
skepticismaltruismempiricismdogmatismnihilism
-ity / -ty
state or quality of
paucitybrevityaudacitypropensityanimosity
-itude
state, quality
fortituderectitudemagnitudeaptitudesolitude
-ive
tending to, having the quality of
pervasiveelusivetentativedivisiveapprehensive
-logy / -ology
study of, discourse
etymologyideologyanthropologyepistemologyecology
-ory / -ary
relating to, having the nature of
conciliatoryillusoryperfunctoryarbitraryexemplary
-ous / -ose
full of, having
copiousverbosedubiousprecariousgrandiose
-phile / -phobe
lover of / fearer of
bibliophilexenophobeAnglophiletechnophobeFrancophile
On the science passages

Science Roots on the SAT

SAT Reading leans on science. These Greek and Latin building blocks decode the technical words you will meet in biology, earth science, and physics passages.

bio
life
biologysymbiosisantibioticbiodiversitybiopsy
geo
earth
geologygeographygeothermalgeopoliticalgeode
hydro / hydr
water
hydraulicdehydratehydrogenhydrologyhydrophobic
therm
heat
thermalthermodynamicsgeothermalhypothermiathermometer
photo
light
photosynthesisphotonphotographphotovoltaicphotophobia
chrono
time
chronologicalsynchronizeanachronismchronicchronicle
morph
form, shape
metamorphosisamorphousmorphologypolymorphousanthropomorphic
gen
birth, origin, kind
genesisgeneticsgeneratecongenitalcarcinogen
scope / scop
to look, examine
microscopetelescopespectroscopeendoscopekaleidoscope
tele
distant, far
telescopetelemetrytelepathytelecommunicationtelegraph
micro
small
microscopemicroorganismmicrobemicrocosmmicroscopic
macro
large, long
macroscopicmacrocosmmacroeconomicsmacromoleculemacronutrient
vor
to eat
carnivoreherbivoreomnivorevoraciousdevour
eco
house, environment
ecologyecosystemeconomyecologicalecocentric
astro / aster
star
astronomyasteroidastronautastrophysicsdisaster
neuro / neur
nerve
neuronneurologyneuralneurotransmitterneurosis
How to use this list: don't try to cram it all at once. Work through one meaning-group at a time, read each word's example, and cover the definition to quiz yourself. When a word is built from a root, prefix, or suffix you recognize (see the word-building sections above), you can often reason out the meaning on test day even if you have never seen the exact word. That, not memorizing, is the SAT-vocabulary skill.
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