Learning new vocabulary is an important step in maximizing your Critical Reading score. It is also a habit that will benefit you no matter what career you choose to pursue later in life. In this chapter you will find a number of ways to improve your vocabulary and maximize your SAT score.
A great way to improve your reading and essay-writing skills is to improve your vocabulary. The more words you know on the test, the easier it will be. It’s as simple as that. For this reason, it’s important that you get to work on your vocabulary immediately.
The SAT is very, very repetitive. Over and over again, the SAT tests words such as pragmatic, ambivalent, reticent, and benign. So instead of memorizing every single word in the English language, you can just focus your time memorizing those words that show up repeatedly on the SAT.
That’s where the Hit Parade comes in. The Hit Parade are the words that we at the Princeton Review have noticed show up frequently on the SAT. Why does ETS think you really need to know the definition of bombastic or capricious? Who knows? But since they’ve asked about these words so often, go ahead and learn the Hit Parade, so you can be prepared next time you see the word magnanimous. In fact, start right now: pragmatic, ambivalent, reticent, benign, bombastic, capricious, and magnanimous are some of the most common words tested on the SAT, so try to memorize these seven words today.
Each word on the Hit Parade is accompanied by its definition, a pronunciation guide, and a sentence that uses the word.
The Hit Parade has been arranged by groups of related words. Learning groups of related words can better help you remember each word’s meaning. Even when you don’t remember the exact meaning of a word, you may remember what group it is from. This will give you an idea of the word’s meaning, which can help you use POE to get to an answer.
Make each group of words a part of your life. Rip out one of the group lists, carry it around with you, and use the words throughout your day. For example, on Monday you may feel like using derogatory words (see the “If You Can’t Say Anything Nice” list), but on Friday you may wish to be more laudatory (see the “One Person Can Change the World” list).
Only a tiny percentage of all the words in the English language are ever used on the SAT. Generally speaking, the SAT tests the kinds of words that an educated adult—your English teacher, for example—would know without having to look them up. It tests the sorts of words that you encounter in your daily reading, from a novel in English class to the newspaper.
Here are three effective methods for learning new words.
Well-written general publications—like the New York Times and Sports Illustrated—are good sources of SAT words. You should regularly read them or similar publications that are dedicated to topics that interest you. When you come across a new word, write it down, look it up, and remember it. You can make flash cards for these words as well.
Before you can memorize the definition of a word you come across in your reading, you have to find out what it means. You’ll need a real dictionary for that. ETS uses two dictionaries in writing the SAT: the American Heritage Dictionary and Merriam-Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary. You should own a copy of one or the other. (You’ll use it in college too—it’s a good investment.)
Keep in mind that most words have more than one definition. The dictionary will list these in order of frequency, from the most common to the most obscure. ETS will trip you up by testing the second, third, or even the fourth definition of a familiar-sounding word. For example, the word pedestrian shows up repeatedly on the SAT. When ETS uses it, though, it never means a person on foot—the definition of pedestrian with which you’re probably most familiar. ETS uses it to mean common, ordinary, banal—a secondary definition.
Very often, when you see easy words on hard SAT questions, ETS is testing a second, third, or fourth definition with which you may not be familiar. The Hit Parade will help prepare you for these tricks. So grab those index cards and get ready to improve your vocabulary!
| candid | KAN did |
completely honest, straightforward
Candace’s candidness overwhelmed her business colleagues, who were not used to such honesty.
| conjecture | kun JEK chur |
inference; guesswork
At this point, Kimaya’s hypothesis about single-cell biorhythms is still conjecture: She doesn’t have conclusive evidence.
| didactic | die DAK tik |
instructive
The tapes were entertaining and didactic; they both amused and instructed children.
| effusive | ef YOO siv |
showing excessive emotion; overflowing
Accepting his Oscar for Best Supporting Sound Editor, Ben delivered the most effusive speech in Academy Awards history: he cried, he hugged people, he blew kisses to the audience, and then he cried some more.
| euphemism | YOO fuh miz um |
a mild, indirect, or vague term substituting for a harsh, blunt, or offensive term
“To pass away” is a common euphemism for dying.
| extrapolate | ek STRAP uh layt |
to infer or estimate by extending or projecting known information
Seeing the wrecked bike and his daughter’s skinned knees, Heath extrapolated that she had had a biking accident.
| incoherent | in ko HEAR unt |
lacking cohesion or connection
Maury’s sentences were so incoherent that nobody understood a word.
| insinuate | in SIN yoo ayt |
to imply or communicate stealthily
Sean insinuated that Grace stole the arsenic, but he never came out and said it.
| loquacius | low KWAY shus |
very talkative
I’m not eloquent, so I’ll just come out and say it: Bobby is loquacious and will talk, and talk, and talk.
| lucid | LOO sid |
easily understood; clear
Our teacher provides lucid explanations of even the most difficult concepts so that we can all understand them.
| rhetoric | RET uh rik |
the art of using language effectively and persuasively
Since they are expected to make speeches, most politicians and lawyers are well-versed in the art of rhetoric.
| acumen | AK yoo men |
quickness, accuracy, and keenness of judgment or insight
Judge Ackerman’s legal acumen was so well regarded that he was nicknamed the “Solomon of the South.”
| adroit | uh DROYT |
dexterous; deft
An adroit balloon-animal maker, Adrianna became popular at children’s parties.
| ascertain | as er TAYN |
to find out, as through investigation or experimentation
The private investigator had long suspected my dog; before long, he ascertained that Toto was indeed the murderer.
| astute | uh STOOT |
shrewd; clever
Stewart is financially astute; he invests wisely and never falls for scams.
| circumspect | SER kum spekt |
careful; prudent; discreet
Ned’s circumspect manner makes him a wise appointment to the diplomatic corps.
| disseminate | dis SEM uh nayt |
to scatter widely, as in sowing seed
The news about Dave’s embarrassing moment at the party disseminated quickly through the school; by the end of the day, everyone knew what had happened.
| erudition | er yuh DISH un |
deep, extensive learning
Professor Rudy’s erudition was such that she could answer any question her students put to her.
| pedantic | puh DAN tik |
excessively concerned with book learning and formal rules
Pedro’s pedantic tendencies prompted him to remind us constantly of all the grammatical rules we were breaking.
| perspicacious | per spih KAY shus |
shrewd; clear-sighted
Persephone’s perspicacious mind had solved so many cases that the popular private investagator was able to retire.
| pragmatic | prag MAT ik |
practical
Never one for wild and unrealistic schemes, Matt took a pragmatic approach to research.
| precocious | pre KO shus |
exhibiting unusually early intellectual aptitude or maturity
Bobby Fisher’s precocious intellect made him one of the world’s best chess players before he could even drive.
| prolific | pro liff ick |
very productive; producing great qualities
Charles Harold St. John Hamilton was the world’s most prolific author; it is estimated he wrote the equivalent of one thousand novels.
| prospectus | pro SPEK tus |
formal proposal
Before writing my thesis, I had to submit a detailed prospectus to the department for approval.
| rudimentary | roo duh MEN tuh ree |
basic; elementary; in the earliest stages of development
Josh’s rudimentary golf skills were easily overpowered by Tiger Woods’s amazing performance on the green.
| abstruse | ab STROOS |
difficult to understand
Abby found her professor’s lecture on non-Euclidian geometry abstruse; she doubted anyone else in class understood it either.
| callous | KAL us |
emotionally hardened; unfeeling
Callie’s callous remark about her friend’s cluttered room really hurt his feelings.
| convoluted | kon vo LOO tid |
intricate; complex
The directions were so convoluted that we became hopelessly lost.
| disaffected | DIS a fek ted |
having lost faith or loyalty; discontent
The disaffected cat trainer had finally quit his job when he realized you just can’t train cats, no matter how much you yell at them.
| enigma | en IG ma |
a puzzle, mystery, or riddle
The emu was an enigma; you could never tell what she was thinking.
| inscrutable | in SKROOT uh bul |
difficult to fathom or understand; impenetrable
The ancient poet’s handwriting was so inscrutable, that even the most prominent Latin scholars could not read the manuscript.
| reticent | RET uh sint |
inclined to keep silent; reserved
Rosanna’s reticent behavior caused the interviewer to think her incapable of conversing with other students.
| staid | STAYD |
unemotional; serious
Mr. Estado was well known for his staid demeanor; he stayed calm even when everyone else celebrated the team’s amazing victory.
| arcane | ar KAYN |
known or understood by only a few
The dusty archive includes an arcane treasure trove of nautical charts from the Age of Discovery.
| assimilate | uh SIM uh layt |
to absorb or become absorbed; to make or become similar
Keisha assimilated so quickly at her new school that she was named head of the social committee a month after enrolling.
| autonomy | aw TAHN uh mee |
independence; self-determination
Candice gained autonomy upon moving out of her parents’ house into her own apartment.
| cosmopolitan | koz mo PAHL i tun |
worldly; widely sophisticated
Inga was surprisingly cosmopolitan considering that she had never left her tiny hometown in Norway.
| derivative (n) duh RIV uh tiv |
something that comes from another source
Special Victims Unit and Criminal Intent are derivatives of the original Law and Order drama series.
| esoteric | es oh TAIR ik |
intended for or understood by only a small group
Esme’s play is extremely esoteric; someone not raised in Estonia would find it difficult to follow.
| gaffe | GAF |
a clumsy social error; a faux pas
Geoff committed the gaffe of telling his date that he’d gone out with her sister the night before.
| idiosyncrasy | ID ee oh SINK ruh see |
characteristic peculiar to an individual or group
She had many idiosyncrasies, one of which was washing her socks in the dishwasher.
| insular | IN suh ler |
isolated; narrow or provincial
The family was so insular that no one else could get near them.
| orthodox | OR thuh doks |
adhering to the traditional and established, especially in religion
My father held an orthodox view of baseball; he believed that the field should be outside and made of real grass.
| potentate | PO tun tayt |
one who has the power and position to rule over others; monarch
An omnipotent potentate is a person to be reckoned with; great power in the hands of a great leader is a powerful combination.
| castigate | KAS tih gayt |
to scold, rebuke, or harshly criticize
Mr. Castile preferred not to castigate student misbehavior publicly; instead, he would quietly send the troublemaker to the principal’s office.
| censure | SEN shur |
to issue official blame
In recent years the FCC has censured networks for the provocative antics of Super Bowl halftime acts; what goes on during the game, however, usually escapes the organization’s notice.
| denounce | duh NOWNTS |
to condemn openly
In many powerful speeches throughout his lifetime, Martin Luther King, Jr. denounced racism as immoral.
| reclusive | ree KLOO siv |
seeking or preferring seclusion or isolation
Our neighbors were quite reclusive, hardly ever emerging from behind the closed doors of their home.
| relinquish | ree LING kwish |
to retire from; give up or abandon
Ricky relinquished his career in order to search for the source of the world’s best relish.
| renounce | ree NOWNTS |
to give up (a title, for example), especially by formal announcement
Nancy renounced her given name and began selling records under the moniker “Boedicia.”
| vituperative | vie TOOP ur uh tiv |
marked by harshly abusive condemnation
The vituperative speech was so cruel that the members left feeling completely abused.
| circumscribe | SER kum skryb |
to draw a circle around; to restrict
The archeologist circumscribed the excavation area on the map.
| contiguous | kun TIG yoo us |
sharing an edge or boundary; touching
The continental United States consists of 48 contiguous states.
| conciliatory | kon SIL ee uh tor ee |
appeasing; soothing; showing willingness to reconcile
After arguing endlessly with them for weeks, Connie switched to a more conciliatory tone with her parents once prom season arrived.
| credible | KRED uh bul |
capable of being believed; plausible
The shocking but credible report of mice in the kitchen kept Eddie up all night.
| exonerate | eg ZON er ayt |
to free from blame
Xena was exonerated of all charges.
| incontrovertible | in kahn truh VERT uh bul |
indisputable; not open to question
The videotape of the robbery provided incontrovertible evidence against the suspect—he was obviously guilty.
| indict | in DITE |
to officially charge with wrongdoing or a crime
President Nixon’s aides were indicted during the Watergate scandal.
| litigious | luh TIJ us |
prone to engage in lawsuits
Letitia was a litigious little girl; at one point, she tried to sue her dog.
| partisan (adj.) | PAR tiz un |
devoted to or biased in support of a party, group, or cause
Today’s partisan politics are so antagonistic that it’s difficult to reach a successful compromise on any issue.
| parity | PA ruh tee |
equality, as in amount, status, or value (antonym: disparity)
The judges at the Olympics must score each athlete’s performance with parity; such impartial treatment is hard since one always wants to root for one’s own country.
| rectitude | REK ti tood |
moral uprightness; righteousness
Thanks to his unerring sense of fairness and justice, Viktor was a model of moral rectitude; his hometown even erected a statue in his honor.
| remiss | ree MISS |
lax in attending to duty; negligent
Cassie was remiss in fulfilling her Miss America duties; she didn’t even come close to ending world hunger.
| repudiate | ree PYOO dee ayt |
to reject the validity or authority of
I repudiated the teacher’s arguments about Empress Wu Zetian’s reputation by showing him that the reports of her cruelty were from unreliable sources.
| sanctimonious | sank ti MO nee us |
feigning piety or righteousness
The sanctimonious scholar had actually been plagiarizing other people’s work for years.
| scrupulous | SKROO pyoo lus |
principled, having a strong sense of right and wrong; conscientious and exacting
Evan’s scrupulous behavior began to annoy his friends when he called the cops on them for toilet papering their teacher’s house.
| solicitous | so LIS it us |
concerned
The parents asked solicitous questions about the college admissions officer’s family.
| substantiate | sub STAN shee ayt |
to support with proof or evidence; verify
The argument was substantiated by clear facts and hard evidence.
| veracity | vuh RA si tee |
adherence to the truth; truthfulness
Since Vera was known for her veracity, it came as a complete shock when her family found out she’d lied on her application.
| vindicate | VIN dih kayt |
to free from blame
Mrs. Layton was finally vindicated after her husband admitted to the crime.
| cajole | kuh JOL |
to urge with repeated appeals, teasing, or flattery
The sweet-talking senior cajoled an impressionable junior into seeing The Lord of the Rings for the tenth time.
| chicanery | chik AY ner ee |
trickery
The candidate accused his debate opponent of resorting to cheap chicanery to sway the electorate.
| obsequious | ob SEEK wee us |
fawning and servile
Kevin was so obsequious that even his teachers were embarrassed; as a result, his sucking up rarely led to better grades.
| sycophant | SIK uh fent |
insincere, obsequious flatterer
Siggie is such a sycophant; he slyly sucks up to his teachers, and reaps the rewards of his behavior.
| altruism | AL troo iz im |
unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness
Alta, a model of altruism, gave her movie ticket to someone who needed it more.
| eminent | EM uh nent |
distinguished; prominent
Emeril Lagasse is one of the most eminent chefs working today; every TV watcher knows how well-known and highly regarded he is.
| empathy | em puh THEE |
identification with and understanding of another’s situation, feelings, and motives
Emily is one of my most empathetic friends; she can always relate to my emotions.
| extol | ek STOL |
to praise highly
Tollivan extolled the virtues of the troll while his teacher looked on amazed.
| laudatory | LAW duh tor ee |
full of praise
The principal’s speech was laudatory, congratulating the students on their SAT scores.
| magnanimous | mag NAN im us |
courageously or generously noble in mind and heart
The magnanimous prince cared deeply for his country and its people.
| philanthropic | fil un THROP ik |
humanitarian; benevolent; relating to monetary generosity
Phil was a philanthropic soul, always catering to the needy and the underprivileged.
| reciprocate | ree SIP ro kayt |
to mutually take or give; to respond in kind
The chef reciprocated his rival’s respect; they admired each other so much that they even traded recipes.
| defunct | duh FUNKT |
no longer existing or functioning
The theory that the world was flat became defunct when Magellan sailed to the West and didn’t fall off the earth.
| eradicate | er RAD i kayt |
to get rid of as if by tearing it up by the roots; abolish
Radcliffe did her best to eradicate the radishes from her farm.
| quell | KWEL |
to put down forcibly; suppress
Nell quelled the fight over the quiche by throwing it out the window—she had long given up on reasoning with her sisters.
| raze | RAYZ |
to level to the ground; demolish
It is difficult to raze a city building without demolishing other structures around it.
| squelch | SKWELCH |
to crush as if by trampling; squash
Sam wanted to keep squash as pets, but Quentin squelched the idea.
| supplant | suh PLANT |
to usurp the place of, especially through intrigue or underhanded tactics
The ants prepared to supplant the roaches as the dominant insect in the kitchen; their plan was to take the roaches by surprise and drive them out.
| stymie | STY mee |
to thwart or stump
Stan was stymied by the Sudoku puzzle; he just couldn’t solve it.
| abase | uh BAYS |
to lower in rank, prestige, or esteem
Bayard’s withering restaurant review was an attempt to abase his former friend, the owner.
| deride | duh RIDE |
to mock contemptuously
Derrick was derided for wearing two different colored socks, but he couldn’t help it—it was laundry day.
| derogatory | duh RAH guh tor ee |
insulting or intended to insult
The unethical politician didn’t just attack his opponent’s views; he also made derogatory remarks about the other candidate’s family and personal hygiene.
| disparage | dis PAR uj |
to speak of negatively; to belittle
Wanda disparaged Glen by calling him a cheat and a liar.
| effrontery | eh FRON ter ee |
brazen boldness; presumptuousness
The attorney’s effrontery in asking such personal questions so shocked Esther that she immediately ran from the office.
| ignominy | IG nuh mi nee |
great personal dishonor or humiliation; disgraceful conduct
Ignacio felt great ignominy after the scandal broke.
| impugn | im PYOON |
to attack as false or questionable
Instead of taking the high road, the candidate impugned his opponent’s character.
| mar | MAR |
to damage, especially in a disfiguring way
The perfect day was marred by the arrival of storm clouds.
| pejorative (adj) puh JOR uh tiv |
disparaging, belittling, insulting
Teachers should refrain from using pejorative terms as numbskull and idiot to refer to other teachers.
| vex | VEKS |
to annoy or bother; to perplex
Bex’s mom was vexed when Bex was very vague about her whereabouts for the evening.
| vindictive | vin DIK tiv |
disposed to seek revenge; revengeful; spiteful
Vincenzo was very vindictive; when someone hurt him, he responded by vigorously plotting revenge.
| bombastic | bom BAS tik |
given to pompous speech or writing
The principal’s bombastic speech bombed in the eyes of the students; it only furthered their impression of him as a pompous jerk.
| ebullience | eh BOO li ents |
intense enthusiasm
A sense of ebullience swept over the lacrosse fans crowd when their team won the game.
| exorbitant | eg ZOR bit int |
exceeding all bounds, as of custom or fairness
I wanted to buy a Porsche, but the price was exorbitant, so instead I purchased a used mail truck.
| exuberant | eg ZOO bur ent |
full of unrestrained enthusiasm or joy
William was exuberant when he found out that he’d gotten into the college of his choice.
| embellish | em BELL ish |
to ornament or decorate; to exaggerate
One can never trust that Anwar’s stories are realistic; his details are almost always embellished so that his experiences sound more interesting than they really are.
| flagrant | FLAY grent |
extremely or deliberately shocking or noticeable
Too many flagrant fouls can get you kicked out of a basketball game.
| gratuitous | gruh TOO uh tus |
given freely; unearned; unnecessary
The film was full of gratuitous sex and violence inessential to the story.
| lavish (adj) LAV ish |
extravagant
Lavanya’s wedding was a lavish affair.
| lugubrious | luh GOO bree yus |
mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous degree
Lucas’s lugubrious eulogy for his pet lobster quickly became ridiculous.
| opulent | OP yoo lent |
displaying great wealth
The ophthalmologist’s opulent home was the envy of his friends; the crystal chandeliers, marble floors, and teak furniture must have cost a fortune.
| ornate | or NAYT |
elaborately decorated
The wood carvings were so ornate that you could examine them many times and still notice things you had not seen before.
| penchant | PEN chent |
a strong inclination or liking
Penny’s penchant for chocolate-covered ants led her to munch on them all day.
| redundant | ree DUN dint |
needlessly repetitive
The author’s speech was terribly redundant, repeating the same phrases, saying the same thing over and over, and constantly reiterating the same point.
| ubiquitous | yoo BIK wit us |
being or seeming to be everywhere at the same time; omnipresent
Kenny had a ubiquitous little sister; wherever he turned, there she was.
| vicarious | vie KA ree us |
felt or undergone as if one were taking part in the experience or feelings of another
Stan, who was never athletic but loved sports, lived vicariously through his brother, a professional basketball player.
| vignette | vin YET |
a short scene or story
The poodle vignette in my new film expresses the true meaning of Valentine’s Day.
| amalgam | uh MAL gum |
a combination of diverse elements; a mixture
The song was an amalgam of many different styles, from blues to hip hop to folk.
| inundate | IN un dayt |
to overwhelm as if with a flood; to swamp
The day after the ad ran, Martha was inundated with phone calls.
| multifarious | mul ti FAYR ee us |
diverse; various
The multifarious achievements of Leonardo da Vinci, ranging from architecture and painting to philosophy and science, are unparalleled in our century.
| multiplicity | mul tuh PLI sit ee |
state of being various or manifold; a great number
A multiplicity of views is essential to a healthy multicultural democracy.
| alleviate | uh LEE vee ayt |
to ease a pain or burden
Alvin meditated to alleviate the pain from the headache he got after taking the SAT.
| beneficial | ben uh FISH ul |
producing or promoting a favorable result; helpful
According to my doctor, tea’s beneficial effects may include reducing anxiety.
| cathartic | kuh THAR tik |
relaxing after an emotional outburst
Cathy found that yelling at her idiotic coworkers for a while had a cathartic effect, and she was able to calmly go back to work.
| curative | KYUR uh tiv |
able to heal or cure
The aloe had a curative effect on my sunburn; within hours, the flaking had stopped.
| palliative | PAL lee uh tiv |
relieving or soothing the symptoms of a disease or disorder without effecting a cure
Watching professional polo on TV became a palliative for the screaming child; it was the only thing that would quiet him.
| therapeutic | thair uh PYOO tik |
having or exhibiting healing powers
The therapeutic air of the Mediterranean cured Thomas of his asthma.
| complement (n) | KOM plem ent |
something that completes, goes with, or brings to perfection
The lovely computer is the perfect complement to the modern furnishings in Abby’s apartment.
| epitome | ep IT o mee |
a representative or example of a type
She is the epitome of selflessness; no matter how much or little she has, she always gives to others.
| felicitous | fuh LIH sih tus |
admirably suited; apt
Jamie Foxx made a felicitous speech when he won his Oscar.
| belie | bee LIE |
to misrepresent or disguise
He smiled in order to belie his hostility.
| debunk | duh BUNK |
to expose untruths, shams, or exaggerated claims
The university administration debunked the myth that bunk beds are only for children by installing them in every dorm on campus.
| dubious | DOO bee us |
doubtful; of unlikely authenticity
Jerry’s dubious claim that he could fly like Superman didn’t win him any summer job offers.
| duplicitous | doo PLIS uh tus |
deliberately deceptive
The duplicitous man duplicated dollars and gave the counterfeits to unsuspecting vendors.
| fabricate | FAB ruh kayt |
to make up in order to deceive
Fabio fabricated the story that he used to play drums for Metallica; he has never actually held a drumstick in his life.
| mendacious | men DAY shus |
lying; untruthful
John’s mendacious statements on the stand sealed his fate; he was found guilty of lying to the court about his role in the crime.
| specious | SPEE shus |
having the ring of truth or plausibility but actually false
Susie’s specious argument seemed to make sense, but when I looked more closely, it was clearly illogical.
| ambiguous | am BIG yoo us |
open to more than one interpretation
Big’s eyes were an ambiguous color: in some lights, brown, and in others, green.
| ambivalent | am BIV uh lint |
simultaneously feeling opposing feelings; uncertain
Amy felt ambivalent about her dance class: on one hand, she enjoyed the exercise, but on the other, the choice of dances bored her.
| apathetic | ap uh THET ik |
feeling or showing little emotion
The apathetic students didn’t even bother to vote for class president.
| capricious | kuh PREE shus |
impulsive and unpredictable
The referee’s capricious behavior angered the players; he would call a foul for minor contact, but ignore elbowing and kicking.
| equivocal | e KWIV uh kul |
open to two or more interpretations and often intended to mislead; ambiguous (antonym: unequivocal)
The politician made so many equivocal statements during the scandal that no one could be sure what, if anything, he had admitted to.
| erratic | e RAT ik |
markedly inconsistent
Erroll’s erratic behavior made it difficult for his friends to predict what he would do in a given moment.
| impetuous | im PET choo us |
suddenly and forcefully energetic or emotional; impulsive and passionate
Mr. Limpet was so impetuous that we never knew what he would do next.
| impetus | IM pit us |
an impelling force or stimulus
A looming deadline provided Imelda with the impetus she needed to finish her research paper.
| sporadic | spo RAD ik |
occurring at irregular intervals; having no pattern or order in time
Storms in Florida are sporadic; it’s hard to predict when they’re going to occur.
| vacillate | VA sil ayt |
to sway from one side to the other; oscillate
The cook vacillated between favoring chicken and preferring fish; he just couldn’t decide which to prepare.
| whimsical | WIM zi kul |
characterized by whim; unpredictable
Egbert rarely behaved as expected; indeed, he was a whimsical soul whose every decision was anybody’s guess.
| flag (v.) | FLAG |
to decline in vigor or strength; to tire; to droop
After several few days climbing mountains in pouring rain, our enthusiasm for the hiking trip began to flag.
| jaded | JAY did |
worn out; wearied
Jade’s experiences had jaded her; she no longer believed that the junk stacked in her garage was going to make her rich.
| clandestine | klan DEST in |
done secretively, especially to deceive; surreptitious
I met the secret agent in an alleyway, where she handed me the plans for the clandestine operation.
| subterfuge | SUB ter fyoozh |
a deceptive stratagem or device
The submarine pilots were trained in the art of subterfuge; they were excellent at faking out their enemies.
| surreptitious | sir up TISH us |
secretive; sneaky
Sara drank the cough syrup surreptitiously because she didn’t want anyone to know that she was sick.
| dearth | DERTH |
scarce supply; lack
There was a dearth of money in my piggybank; it collected dust, not bills.
| modicum | MAHD ik um |
a small, moderate, or token amount
A modicum of effort may result in a small score improvement; to improve significantly, however, you must study as often as possible.
| paucity | PAW sit ee |
smallness in number; scarcity
The struggling city had a paucity of jobs and therefore a high level of poverty.
| squander | SKWAN der |
to spend wastefully
Carrie squandered her savings on shoes and wasn’t able to buy her apartment.
| temperate | TEM per ut |
moderate; restrained (antonym: intemperate)
Temperate climates rarely experience extremes in temperature.
| tenuous | TEN yoo us |
having little substance or strength; shaky
Her grasp on reality is tenuous at best; she’s not even sure what year it is.
| diligent | DIL uh jint |
marked by painstaking effort; hardworking
With diligent effort, they were able to finish the model airplane in record time.
| maverick | MAV rik |
one who is independent and resists adherence to a group
In the movie Top Gun, Tom Cruise played a maverick who often broke rules and did things his own way.
| mercenary | MUR sin air ee |
motivated solely by a desire for money or material gain
Mercer is a mercenary lawyer; he’ll argue for whichever side pays him the most for his services.
| obstinate | OB stin it |
stubbornly attached to an opinion or a course of action
Despite Jeremy’s broken leg, his parents were obstinate; they steadfastly refused to buy him an XBox.
| proliferate | pro LIF er ayt |
to grow or increase rapidly
Because fax machines, pagers, and cell phones have proliferated in recent years, many new area codes have been created to handle the demand for phone numbers.
| tenacity | te NAS uh tee |
persistence
With his overwhelming tenacity, Clark was finally able to interview Brad Pitt for the school newspaper.
| vigilant | VIJ uh lent |
on the alert; watchful
The participants of the candlelight vigil were vigilant, as they had heard that the fraternity across the street was planning to egg them.
| extraneous | ek STRAY nee us |
irrelevant; inessential
The book, though interesting, had so much extraneous information that it was hard to keep track of the important points.
| juxtapose | JUK stuh pohz |
to place side by side, especially for comparison or contrast
Separately the pictures look identical, but if you juxtapose them, you can see the differences.
| novel (adj) | NOV il |
fresh; original; new
It was a novel idea, the sort of thing no one had tried before.
| superfluous | soo PUR floo us |
extra; unnecessary
If there is sugar in your tea, honey would be superfluous.
| synergy | SIN er jee |
combined action or operation
The synergy of hydrogen and oxygen creates water.
| tangential | tan JEN chul |
merely touching or slightly connected; only superficially relevant
Though Abby’s paper was well written, its thesis was so tangential to its proof that her teacher couldn’t give her a good grade.
| aesthetic | es THET ik |
having to do with the appreciation of beauty
Aesthetic considerations determined the arrangement of paintings at the museum; as long as art looked good together, it didn’t matter who had painted it.
| aural | AW rul |
of or related to the ear or the sense of hearing
It should come as no surprise that musicians prefer aural to visual learning.
| cacophony | kuh KAH fuh nee |
discordant, unpleasant noise
Brian had to shield his ears from the awful cacophony produced by the punk band onstage.
| dirge | DERJ |
a funeral hymn or lament
The dirge was so beautiful that everyone cried, even those who hadn’t known the deceased.
| eclectic | e KLEK tik |
made up of a variety of sources or styles
Lou’s taste in music is quite eclectic; he listens to everything from rap to polka.
| incongruous | in KAHN groo us |
lacking in harmony; incompatible
My chicken and jello soup experiment failed; the tastes were just too incongruous.
| sonorous | SAHN ur us |
producing a deep or full sound
My father’s sonorous snoring keeps me up all night unless I close my door and wear earplugs.
| strident | STRY dent |
loud, harsh, grating, or shrill
The strident shouting kept the neighbors awake all night.
| debacle | duh BAHK ul |
disastrous or ludicrous defeat or failure; fiasco
Jim’s interview was a complete debacle; he accidentally locked himself in the bathroom, sneezed on the interviewer multiple times, and knocked over the president of the company.
| debilitate | duh BIL i tayt |
impair the strength of; weaken
Deb ran the New York City marathon without proper training; the experience left her debilitated for weeks.
| tumultuous | tum UL choo us |
noisy and disorderly
The tumultuous applause was so deafening that the pianist couldn’t hear the singer.
| anachronistic | ah nak ruh NIS tik |
the representation of something as existing or happening in the wrong time period
I noticed an anachronism in the museum’s ancient Rome display: a digital clock ticking behind a statue of Venus.
| archaic | ar KAY ik |
characteristic of an earlier time; antiquated; old
“How dost thou?” is an archaic way of saying “How are you?”
| dilatory | DIL uh tor ee |
habitually late
Always waiting until the last moment to leave home in the morning, Dylan was a dilatory student.
| ephemeral | e FEM er ul |
lasting for only a brief time
The importance of SAT scores is truly ephemeral; when you are applying, they are crucial, but once you get into college, no one cares how well you did.
| redolent | RED uh lint |
fragrant; aromatic; suggestive
The aroma of apple pie wafted into my room, redolent of weekends spent baking with my grandmother.
| temporal | TEM per ul |
of, relating to, or limited by time
One’s enjoyment of a Starbuck’s mocha latte is bound by temporal limitations; all too soon, the latte is gone.
| onerous | O ner us |
troublesome or oppressive; burdensome
The onerous task was so difficult that Ona thought she’d never get through it.
| portent | POR tent |
indication of something important or calamitous about to occur; omen
A red morning sky is a terrible portent for all sailors — it means that stormy seas are ahead.
| prescience | PRE shens |
knowledge of actions or events before they occur; foreknowledge; foresight
Preetha’s prescience was such that people wondered if she was psychic; how else could she know so much about the future?
| austere | aw STEER |
without decoration; strict
The gray walls and bare floors of his monastery cell provided an even more austere setting than Brother Austen had hoped for.
| banal | buh NAL |
drearily commonplace; predictable; trite
The poet’s imagery is so banal that I think she cribbed her work from Poetry for Dummies.
| hackneyed | HAK need |
worn out through overuse; trite
All Hal could offer in the way of advice were hackneyed old phrases that I’d heard a hundred times before.
| insipid | in SIP id |
uninteresting; unchallenging; lacking taste or savor
That insipid movie was so predictable that I walked out.
| prosaic | pro ZAY ik |
unimaginative; dull (antonym: poetic)
Rebecca made a prosaic mosaic consisting of identical, undecorated tiles.
| soporific | sah puh RIF ik |
inducing or tending to induce sleep
The congressman’s speech was so soporific that even his cat was yawning.
| vapid | VAP id |
lacking liveliness, animation, or interest; dull
Valerie’s date was so vapid that she thought he was sleeping with his eyes open.
| brevity | BRE vi tee |
the quality or state of being brief in duration
Brevity = briefness. (You can’t get any shorter than that!)
| expedient | ek SPEE dee ent |
appropriate to a purpose; convenient; speedy
It was more expedient to use Federal Express than to use the post office.
| transient | TRAN zhent |
passing quickly in time or space
Jack Dawson enjoyed his transient lifestyle; with nothing but the clothes on his back and the air in his lungs, he was free to travel wherever he wanted.
| augment | awg MENT |
to make greater, as in size, extent, or quantity; to supplement
The model Angele Franju is rumored to have augmented her studies in chemistry with a minor in German literature.
| bolster | BOWL ster |
to hearten, support or prop up
The class bolstered Amelia’s confidence; she had no idea she already knew so much.
| burgeon | BER jun |
to grow and flourish
The burgeoning Burgess family required a new house because its old one had only one bedroom.
| copious | KO pee us |
plentiful; having a large quantity
She took copious notes during class, using up five large notebooks.
| distend | dis TEND |
to swell out or expand from internal pressure, as when overly full
The balloon distended as it was filled with helium, much like Mike’s stomach after he ate an entire turkey on Thanksgiving.
| grandiose | gran dee OHS |
great in scope or intent; grand
The party was a grandiose affair; hundreds of richly dressed guests danced the night away.
| prodigious | pruh DIJ us |
enormous
Steven Spielberg’s prodigious talent has made him the most successful film producer and director of our time.
| profundity | pro FUN di tee |
great depth of intellect, feeling, or meaning
The actor’s profundity surprised the director, who had heard that he was a bit of an airhead.
| redouble | ree DUB ul |
to make twice as great; to double
Rita redoubled her efforts to become president of her class by campaigning twice as hard as before.
| scintillating | SIN til ay ting |
brilliant
The writer’s scintillating narrative diverted Izabel’s attention away from her other guests.
| averse | uh VERS |
strongly disinclined
Ava proved so averse to homework that she would break out in hives at the mere mention of it.
| conspicuous | kun SPIK yoo us |
easy to notice; obvious (antonym: inconspicuous)
The red tuxedo was conspicuous among all the classic black ones. What was he thinking?
| demure | duh MYUR |
modest and reserved
Muriel was the most demure girl in the class, always sitting quietly in the back of the room and downplaying any compliments she received.
| diffidence | DIF uh dins |
timidity or shyness
Lea’s diffident nature often prevented her from speaking out in class.
| docile | DAHS ul |
submissive to instruction; willing to be taught
The SAT class was so docile that the teacher wondered if she was in the right room.
| innocuous | in NAHK yoo us |
having no adverse effect; harmless
The plants were as innocuous as they looked; we suffered no ill effects from eating their leaves.
| placid | PLAS id |
calm or quiet; undisturbed
Lake Placid was the place to go for those in need of a quiet vacation.
| quiescent | kwee ES sint |
quiet, still, or at rest; inactive
Quinn’s quiescent behavior made him an ideal roommate.
| concord | KON kord |
agreement (antonym: discord)
The class was in concord about the necessity to perform Hamlet, rather than King Lear, in the spring show.
| concur | kun KUR |
to agree
The board concurred that the con artist who had stolen their money had to be convicted.
| dogmatic | dog MAT ik |
stubbornly attached to insufficiently proven beliefs
Avik was dogmatic in his belief that the power lines were giving his dog headaches.
| fastidious | fas TID ee us |
carefully attentive to detail; difficult to please
Kelly, always so fastidious, dramatically edited our group’s report.
| intransigence | in TRAN zi jents |
refusal to moderate a position or to compromise
Jeff was so intransigent in his views that it was impossible to have a rational debate with him.
| jocular | JOK yoo ler |
characterized by or given to joking
Yung-Ji’s jocular disposition helped him gain popularity.
| meticulous | muh TIK yoo lus |
extremely careful and precise
Since Kelly was so meticulous, we asked her to proofread our group’s report.
| affable | AF uh bul |
easy-going; friendly
My mom always said that the key to being affable is the ability to make others laugh.
| alacrity | uh LAK ruh tee |
promptness in response; cheerful readiness; eagerness
I was so happy when I got the acceptance letter from the University of Alaska that I sprinted home with great alacrity to share the good news.
| amiable | AY mee uh bul |
friendly; agreeable; good-natured
Mr. Amis was so amiable that he let us call him “Big A.”
| benign | be NINE |
kind and gentle
Uncle Ben is a benign and friendly man who is always willing to help.
| sanguine | SAN gwin |
cheerfully confident; optimistic
Harold’s sanguine temperament kept him cheerful, even through somber times.
| belligerent | buh LIH jer int |
eager to fight; hostile or aggressive
The prosecutor was reprimanded for his belligerent cross-examination of the witness, who had dissolved into tears.
| cantankerous | kan TANK er us |
ill-tempered and quarrelsome; disagreeable
The dog hid under the tank as a result of the cat’s cantankerous disposition.
| contentious | kun TEN shus |
quarrelsome
The contentious debate over science class content is increasingly making the news.
| deleterious | del uh TER ee us |
having a harmful effect
It was only once he started his test that Murray realized the deleterious effects of one too many Red Bulls; he couldn’t concentrate, and his hands were shaking so much he could barely write.
| exacerbate | eg ZA ser bayt |
to increase the severity, violence, or bitterness of; aggravate
Alan’s procrastination problems were exacerbated by the monkeys who kept throwing bananas at him while he tried to concentrate.
| flippant | FLIP ent |
disrespectfully humorous or casual
Flap’s flippant remarks to the teacher got him sent to the principal’s office.
| insolent | IN suh lint |
insulting in manner or speech
The insolent prime minister stuck her tongue out at the queen.
| nefarious | nuh FAYR ee us |
flagrantly wicked; vicious
Dorothy’s kindness and bravery triumphed over the nefarious antics of the Wicked Witch of the West.
| pernicious | per NISH us |
extremely or irrevocably harmful; deadly
The fertilizer’s pernicious effects were not immediately obvious, but researchers became suspicious when all their petunias died.
| rancorous | RANK er us |
marked by bitter, deep-seated ill-will
They had such a rancorous relationship that no one could believe that they had ever gotten along.
| repugnant | ree PUG nent |
arousing disgust or aversion; offensive or repulsive
The pug’s behavior at the dog park was repugnant, causing other dogs to avoid him altogether.
| supercilious | SUPE er sil lee us |
disdainful; haughty; arrogant
The nobleman traveled through the town with a supercilious expression, sneering at the peasants as he was carried past them.
| arboreal | ar BOR ee ul |
relating to or resembling a tree or trees
The Rocky Mountain National Forest will celebrate its arboreal splendor with an Arbor Day concert.
| invocation (n) | in vo KAY shun |
a call (usually upon a higher power) for assistance, support, or inspiration
The group invoked the god of war as their protector on the field of battle.
| stratify | STRAT i fy |
to layer or separate into layers
Jonas studied the stratified bedrock and was able to see which time periods went with which layers.
| variegated | VAR ee ih gay tid |
having streaks, marks, or patches of a different color or colors; varicolored
The wood’s markings were so variegated that Mr. Vargas assumed they had been painted on.
| verdant | VUR dent |
green with vegetation
The garden was verdant after the rain.
As important as Hit Parade words are, they aren’t the only words on the SAT. As you go about learning the Hit Parade, you should also try to incorporate other new words into your vocabulary. The Hit Parade will help you determine what kinds of words you should be learning—good solid words that are fairly difficult but not impossible.
One very good source for SAT words is whatever you’re already reading. Magazines that interest you and books you read for school, or just for fun, are treasure troves of good vocabulary; just take the time to look up words you don’t already know. Reading can only help your chances of earning a higher score on the SAT.