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Calling all SAT preppers! If you’ve landed here, odds are you’re in the midst of studying for the big test, engrossing yourself in practice books galore. We here at ������һ����ӰԺ�ݲ� recommend you study often and early—a practice that will prove most advantageous to your score prospects. However, regardless of whether your test date is next week or three months away, you’ll need to brush up on those SAT vocabulary words. Have you heard of words like cacophony or loquacious? Can you identify them in a sentence? In this article, we’ll cover the top 275 vocab words you should know for the Digital SAT. For the complete vocabulary list, read on ahead. Or, as we might say, peruse the list below!

What Vocabulary Do I Need to Know for the Digital SAT?

Perhaps you’ve heard your parents talk about the good old days of pulling late-night study sessions, reviewing the most esoteric vocabulary words they could find. Don’t worry, that won’t be you. Since 2016, the College Board has revamped the SAT, and the oft-lamented SAT Vocabulary section has drastically changed. Now, the SAT tests your vocabulary within the context of reading passages.

So, while you might not need to look for the most arcane words out there, we recommend hitting the books and studying vocabulary lists to guarantee that you achieve the highest score possible. If you’re wondering exactly how high that score needs to land you admission to the nation’s top college, check out our chart of admission rates and statistics. Once you’ve finished reviewing these vocabulary words—or, ideally, while studying them—check out our guide on the top math formulas for the SAT and ACT.

How to Prepare for Digital SAT Vocab

1. Create flashcards.
   • Make flashcards with the word on one side and the definition on the other. Include a sentence or two so you know how the term is used and what part of speech it occupies.
2. Focus on words you don’t know.
   • Rather than reviewing every word, scan the list for unfamiliar ones and focus on those.
3. Take practice tests.
   • The College Board offers free Digital SAT practice tests via Bluebook. .
4. Review, review, review.

In addition to these steps, we’d also recommend getting in the habit of looking up new or unfamiliar words while you read (could be any book—for school or for pleasure!). By doing this, you’ll naturally expand your vocabulary and become stronger at identifying context clues.

275 of the Best SAT Vocab Words to Know in 2024

1) abandon – v. give up completely

2) abate – v. lessen

3) abject – adj. completely without pride or dignity

4) aberration – n. deviation from the norm

5) abjure – v. renounce a belief, cause, or claim

6) abnegation – n. renounce or reject something

7) abrogate – v. do away with (a law, right, or responsibility)

8) abscond – v. flee

9) abstruse – adj. dense or obscure

10) abysmal – adj. terrible

11) accede – v. agree to a demand

12) acumen – n. ability to make good judgments

13) adamant – adj. stubborn

14) adapt – v. modify

15) admonish – v. reprimand someone

16) advantageous — adj. beneficial circumstances

17) affluent – adj. wealthy

18) alacrity – n. brisk eagerness

19) ambivalence – n. state of uncertainty

20) anomaly — n. outside of what is normal or expected

21) antipathy – n. strong dislike

22) antiseptic – adj. clean or pure

23) apt — adj. accurate or appropriate

Digital SAT Vocabulary Words (Continued)

24) assertion – n. statement

25) assiduous – adj. showing great care

26) bane — n. source of distress or harm

27) beguile – v. charm or enchant

28) beneficial — adj. helpful

29) berate – v. scold or criticize

30) bereft – adj. deprived or lacking

31) blandishment – n. a flattering statement used to persuade someone

32) bias – n. prejudice

33) bolster — v. support

34) bombastic – adj. inflated

35) bovine – adj. cow-like

36) braggart – n. someone who boasts

37) brevity – n. concise

38) cacophony – n. a discordant mixture of sounds

39) cajole – v. persuade someone via flattery

40) callous – adj. cruel disregard for others

41) calumny – n. slander

42) camaraderie – n. friendship

43) candid – adj. truthful

44) candor – n. quality of being honest

45) carouse – v. drink and party in a lively way

46) carp – v. complain about trivial matters

47) catastrophic — adj. involving large-scale damage, usually sudden

Digital SAT Vocabulary Words (Continued)

48) cavort – v. dance around excitedly

49) censorious – adj. critical of others

50) circumlocution – n. using many words, particularly in an evasive way

51) circumscribe – v. restrict within limits

52) clamor – n. a loud and confused noise

53) clout – n. influence or power

54) cognizant – adj. having knowledge of

55) commensurate – adj. equal to

56) comparable – adj. similar to another thing

57) complement – v. add to or make complete

58) compunction – n. a feeling of guilt

59) concomitant – adj. naturally accompanying

60) conducive — adj. helps produce positive or desired results 

61) conduit – n. a vessel or channel for transporting something

62) conflagration – n. a large fire

63) connive – v. trick; conspire

64) consign – v. assign or deliver something into someone else’s custody

65) constituent – adj. being part of a whole

66) constructive — adj. helpful, useful

67) construe – v. interpret

68) contend – v. reckon with; struggle against

69) contusion – n. a bruise

Digital SAT Vocab Words (Continued)

70) contrite – adj. feeling of remorse or guilt

71) contentious – adj. likely to cause an argument

72) contravene– adj. violate the order of; conflict

73) convivial – adj. friendly and cheerful environment 

74) corpulence – n. obesity; fatness 

75) covet – v. want greatly

76) cupidity – n. greed for money

77) dearth – n. a lack of something

78) debacle – n. a fiasco or failure

79) debauch – v. ruin or debase, particularly in a moral sense

80) defunct – adj. no longer working

81) demagogue – n. a political leader who appeals to the prejudices of the common people

82) demur – v. show reluctance; raise objections

83) denigrate – v. disparage

84) despot – n. a tyrant

85) diaphanous – adj. light and translucent

86) dirge – n. song of lament for the dead

87) discomfit – v. make someone uncomfortable

88) disparate – adj. different from one another

89) disrepute – n. state of disgrace

Digital SAT Vocabulary Words (Continued)

90) duplicity – n. deceitfulness

91) duress – n. intimidation or coercion to force someone to perform an act

92) eclectic – adj. wide-ranging

93) edict – n. an official order

94) ebullient – adj. cheerful and lively

95) efficacious — adj. has the power to achieve a particular result

96) effluvia – n. unpleasant odor

97) egregious – adj. outstandingly bad

98) elegy – n. a poem of reflection, typically a lament for the dead

99) elicit – v. evoke or draw out

100) eloquent – adj. well-spoken

101) elude  – v. escape one’s grasp

1o2) emollient – adj. soothing  

1o3) empirical – adj. based on (as evidence)

1o4) emulate – v. imitate

1o5) enervate – v. weaken; drain of energy

106) engender – v. bring about

107) ephemeral – adj. short-lived

108) equanimity – n. mental calmness

109) equivocal – adj. ambiguous

110) evanescent – adj. fading quickly from sight

Digital SAT Vocab Words (Continued)

111) evince – v. reveal the presence of

112) exacerbate – v. make worse

113) exhort –v. strongly encourage someone to do something

114) execrable – adj. extremely bad or unpleasant

115) exigent – adj. pressing, demanding

116) expedient – adj. (of an action) convenient though possibly improper   

117) expiate – v. atone for guilt or sin

118) expunge – v. get rid of

119) extraneous – adj. irrelevant

120) extol – v. praise

121) facilitate — v. make easier, guide forward

122) fallacious – adj. false; based on mistaken belief

123) fatuous – adj. silly and pointless

124) flagrant – adj. obviously offensive

125) forbearance – n. restraint; self-control 

126) fortuitous – adj. happening by chance

127) fractious – adj. irritable and difficult to control

128) garrulous – adj. talkative

129) grandiloquent – adj. pompous or extravagant in language, style, or manner

130) grapple — v. wrestle, physically or mentally

131) gratuitous – adj. uncalled for; unnecessary

132) hapless – adj. unfortunate

Digital SAT Vocabulary Words (Continued)

133) hegemony – n. leadership or dominance, particularly of one country over another

134) heterogenous – adj. not uniform; varied

135) iconoclast – n. a person who veers from the norm; a person who attacks cherished beliefs

136) impecunious – adj. having little money; penniless

137) impede — v. prevent or hold back

138) impetuous – adj. acting without care

139) impinge – v. encroach on

140) impute – v. attribute to

141) inane – adj. ridiculous

142) inchoate – adj. just beginning; not fully formed

143) incontrovertible – adj. unable to be denied

144) inexorable – adj. impossible to prevent

145) inimical – adj. tending to obstruct or harm; unfriendly

146) injunction – n. an authoritative order

147) innocuous — adj. benign, not harmful 

148) inoculate – v. immunize someone against

149) insidious – adj. harmful

150) instigate – v. bring about; incite

151) insurgent – n. rebel or revolutionary

152) interlocutor – n. someone engaged in conversation

153) inure – v. to be accustomed to something, particularly something unpleasant  

154) intransigent – adj. stubborn; unwilling to change one’s views

Digital SAT Vocab Words (Continued)

155) inveterate – adj. long-established and unlikely to change (of a habit)

156) irreverence – n. lack of respect for

157) largesse – n. generosity in bestowing money or gifts

158) licentious – adj. promiscuous

159) litigant – n. a person involved in a lawsuit

160) maelstrom – n. a powerful storm; turmoil

161) maudlin – adj. overly sentimental; self-pitying

162) maverick – n. independent-minded person; a nonconformist

163) mawkish – adj. sentimental in a sweet or sickly way

164) maxim – n. a short, pithy statement of truth

165) mendacious – adj. lying

166) meretricious – adj. appearing attractive but having little value

167) modicum – n. a small quantity of something

168) momentous — adj. important or significant, typically in a positive way

169) morass – n. a mess; a complicated situation

170) munificent – adj. generous

171) nadir – n. lowest point

172) negligent – adj. failing to do something; neglectful

173) neophyte – n. a person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief

174) noisome – adj. disagreeable; having an offensive smell

175) noxious – adj. poisonous; harmful

Digital SAT Vocabulary Words (Continued)

176) obdurate – adj. stubborn

177) obfuscate – v. render unclear; bewilder someone

178) obstreperous – adj. noisy and difficult to control; disorderly

179) officious – adj. self-assertive, overbearing

180) onerous – adj. involving many obligations or effort

181) ostensible – adj. seemingly so

182) ostracism –  n. exclusion from a group

183) palliate – v. make less severe

184) panacea –  n. a remedy for all diseases 

185) paradigm –  n. typical example or pattern of something; a model

186) pariah – n. an outcast

187) paucity – n. a lack of; scarcity

188) pejorative – adj. expressing contempt or disapproval

189) penchant – n. habitual liking for something; a tendency toward

190) penurious – adj. poverty-stricken

191) pert – adj. attractive; impudent or saucy

192) pernicious – adj. having a harmful effect on

193) pertinacious – adj. holding firmly to a course; determined

194) phlegmatic – adj. self-controlled; calm and stoic  

195) philanthropic – adj. generous, particularly in a monetary sense

Digital SAT Vocab Words (Continued)

196) pithy – adj. concise and expressive

197) plaudit – n. expression of praise

198) plenitude – n. an abundance; full or complete

199) plethora – n. an abundance of

200) polar — adj. directly opposite

201) postulate — v. to assume as true

202) potentate – n. monarch or ruler

203) pragmatic — adj. realistic, sensible

204) preclude – v. prevent from taking place

205) predilection – n. preference or liking for something

206) probity – n. honesty; integrity 

207) proclivity – n. the tendency toward

208) profligate – adj. recklessly extravagant

209) profound — adj. showing deep knowledge or insight

210) promulgate – v. promote widely

211) proscribe – v. forbid by law

212) protean – adj. able to change easily

213) prurient – adj. overly sexual

214) puerile – adj. childishly silly

215) pugnacious – adj. quick to fight

216) punctilious – adj. paying attention to detail

217) quaint –adj. old-fashioned

218) quixotic – adj. idealistic

219) quandary – n. state of perplexity; a dilemma

Digital SAT Vocabulary Words (Continued)

220) recalcitrant – adj. uncooperative attitude

221) relegate – v. cast to a lower rank or role

222) remiss – adj. negligent

223) reprieve – n. a cancellation or postponement of a punishment

224) reprobate – n. unprincipled person

225) rescind – v. take back

226) ribald – adj. improper; lewd

227) rife – adj. filled with; widespread

228) sanctimonious – adj. being morally superior to others

229) sanguine – adj. optimistic

230) scurrilous – adj. spreading disparaging claims about someone; slanderous

231) serendipity – n. chance or good luck

232) solicitous – adj. attentive to

233) spurious – adj. statement that appears truthful but is false  

234) staid – adj. sedate, respectable

235) stolid – adj. calm and dependable

236) substantial — adj. large in size, amount, or importance

237) supercilious – adj. behaving in a haughty manner

238) supposition — n. assumption without proof

239) surfeit – n. excessive amount

240) surmise — v. guess without proof

241) surreptitious – adj. keep secret

242) tangential – adj. peripheral to the central matter

243) tenable — adj. reasonable, maintanable

Digital SAT Vocabulary Words (Continued)

244) terse – adj. brief

245) torpid – adj. lethargic; inactive

246) travesty – n. a false representation of something

247) trenchant – adj. vigorous in expression; sharp

248) trounce – v. defeat heavily

249) truculent – adj. eager to argue or fight

250) turpitude – n. depravity, wickedness

251) ubiquitous – adj. present everywhere

252) umbrage – n. offense (i.e., to take umbrage at)

253) unconventional — adj. to act outside of the norm

254) undulate – v. move in a wave-like pattern 

255) unmitigated – adj. not lessened; absolute

256) unveil – v. reveal

257) upbraid – v. scold or find fault with someone

258) upshot – n. the outcome or result of an action 

259) usury – n. unethical money lending

260) validate — v. support the truth or value of

261) veracity – n. truth or accuracy

262) vestige – n. trace or remnant of something gone

263) viability – n. ability to work successfully

264) vicissitude – n. a change of circumstances

Digital SAT Vocab Words (Continued)

265) vilify – v. speak about in a disparaging manner

266) virtuoso – n. highly skilled person, particularly in the arts

267) vital – adj. necessary

268) vitriolic – adj. filled with hatred

269) vituperate – v. blame or insult someone strongly

270) vociferous – adj. outspoken

271) wanton – adj. deliberate and unprovoked; sexually unrestrained

272) winsome – adj. attractive or charming

273) yield – v. surrender, give way to pressure

274) yoke – v. tie two things together

275) zenith – n. the peak

275 SAT Vocabulary Words You Must Know — Final Thoughts

For more information on when the SAT is offered and when we recommend taking it, see our blog: When Are SAT Test Dates in 2024? Or if you’re interested in the ACT instead, check out ACT Test Dates 2024.

Need additional test prep resources? You may also wish to peruse the following:

• When Do SAT Scores Come Out?
• Digital SAT Calculator
• Average SAT Score Over Time
• SAT to ACT Conversion Chart
• 12 Strategies & Tips to Overcome Test Anxiety
• Guide to the Digital SAT