150+ SAT Vocabulary Words to Know in 2025 (With Examples)

SAT Vocabulary: Students preparing for the SAT 2025 are working hard to enhance their SAT vocabulary words or the SAT vocabulary list. For students, it's not just about retaining SAT words but also about knowing how effectively they can be used. SAT is an important exam for all students aspiring to study at a university in the USA. SAT vocabulary words used in the verbal reading section often have different meanings in the normal language, hence, students should sharpen their SAT vocab list to excel in the SAT 2025.

This Story also Contains

1. SAT Vocabulary
2. Importance of SAT Vocabulary for Success
3. How Vocabulary Affects Your SAT Score
4. Top SAT Vocabulary Words You Must Know
5. Strategies for Learning SAT Vocabulary
6. Common Mistakes to Avoid When Studying SAT Vocabulary
7. SAT Vocabulary Practice and Resources
8. Conclusion

SAT Vocabulary

SAT vocabulary retention and usage can be a difficult experience for students who are at an intermediate level of language; however, with dedicated efforts and exposure, all difficulties can be surpassed. SAT 2025 results can be achieved by excelling in grasping SAT vocabulary words in the right way and being able to understand them in different contextual texts that one reads. Students should prepare their journal of SAT vocab words and list them along with their meanings, sentences, synonyms, and antonyms.

Importance of SAT Vocabulary for Success

A candidate needs to acquire rich vocabulary words to excel in the SAT 2025 for the following reasons:

• Understand the tone of the author, and understand the deeper meaning of the contextual text.

• In case the student has opted for writing essays, SAT vocabulary words will help to express ideas clearly and persuasively.

• Even the writing section, which has grammar questions, will require candidates to understand the contextual meaning of words.

How Vocabulary Affects Your SAT Score

SAT vocabulary words influence different sections of the 2025 SAT verbal reading and writing module.

• Under the SAT reading module, rich SAT vocabulary words will help in understanding words and phrases used in vocabulary-in-context questions. Remember that SAT 2025 will test unusual meanings of common words.

• In the SAT 2025 writing section, the SAT vocab words will help you analyze the author's style and tone. Hence, providing clarity to select the best word or phrase.

Top SAT Vocabulary Words You Must Know

Some of the SAT vocabulary words are tested frequently, while others are rare. As a student, your aim should be to excel in the language and train yourself to face any sort of word. There are various categories of SAT vocabulary words, a few of them listed below, and students should also work on different strategies to retain the SAT vocabulary words.

1. High-Frequency SAT Words

Below-listed SAT vocab words should be learned by students in a manner that they can make sentences, and know their synonyms and antonyms. If a candidate has practised the words accurately, results are guaranteed.

• Advocate – Supporter/Recommender

• Allude – Hint/Indirect reference

• Ambivalent – Having mixed feelings

• Anecdote – Story from real life

• Anomaly – Odd, Abnormal

• Apprehensive – Doubtful

• Astute – Shrewd/Clever

• Burgeon – Grow rapidly

• Cede – Give up

• Complacent – Lazy

• Complement – Add something extra

• Complimentary – Free

• Contemplate – Think deeply

• Critique – Analysis

• Deference – Respect

• Discerning – Differentiating

• Disposition – Temperament

• Efficacy – Efficiency

• Egregious – Horrifying

• Elucidate – Clarify

• Empirical – Based on experiments and data

• Endow – Gift

• Enumerate – List; itemize

• Exacting – Making great demands

• Exigent – Urgent

• Flag – Grow tired

• Galvanize – Propel

• Hypothesis – Unproven Theory

• Incite – Provoke

• Ingenuity – Clever and creative

• Ingenuous – Innocent and naive

• Insidious – Sneaky, harmful

• Intrepid – Fearless

• Lament – Express sorrow

• Lucid – Clear

• Mitigate – Lessen the severity

• Mundane – Ordinary

• Obfuscate – Confuse

• Ostentatious – Showy

• Paradox – Contradiction

• Partisan – Biased

• Perfunctory – Done without care

• Pragmatic – Practical

• Prolific – Productive

• Prudent – Wise

• Quixotic – Idealistic but impractical

• Recalcitrant – Stubborn

• Rescind – Cancel

• Scrupulous – Careful, ethical

• Spurious – False

• Superfluous – Unnecessary

• Tenacious – Persistent

• Ubiquitous – Everywhere

• Vacillate – Waver between choices

• Venerate – Respect deeply

• Verbose – Wordy

• Vindicate – Clear from blame

• Zealous – Passionate

2. Words with Multiple Meanings

Apart from the frequently used SAT vocabulary words, some words have more than one meaning. As stated earlier, students preparing for the SAT 2025 should aim for SAT vocabulary words by maintaining their journals. Some words with multiple meanings are listed below and will especially help in the writing section of the SAT 2025.

1. Abstract: A summary (noun) / Theoretical (adjective)

2. Bank: Financial institution (noun) / Slope or incline (noun)

3. Bolt: Fastener (noun) / Sudden movement (noun)

4. Cast: Actors in a play (noun) / To throw or direct (verb)

5. Clear: Easy to understand (adjective) / Free from obstacles (adjective)

6. Clip: Device for holding (noun) / Short video segment (noun)

7. Conduct: Behavior (noun) / To lead or direct (verb)

8. Console: Control panel (noun) / To comfort (verb)

9. Draft: Preliminary version (noun) / Current of air (noun)

10. File: Document (noun) / Tool for shaping (noun)

11. Fix: Repair (verb) / Prepare or arrange (verb)

12. Frame: Structure or border (noun) / Falsely accuse (verb)

13. Gauge: Measuring instrument (noun) / Evaluate or judge (verb)

14. Lean: Incline or bend (verb) / Thin or slender (adjective)

15. Light: Source of illumination (noun) / Not heavy (adjective)

16. Match: Small stick for fire (noun) / Competition or equal (noun)

17. Mine: Belonging to me (pronoun) / Excavation for minerals (noun)

18. Pitch: Throw (verb) / Sales talk or musical note (noun)

19. Point: Sharp end (noun) / Specific moment or location (noun)

20. Port: Location for ships (noun) / Connection or interface (noun)

21. Rack: Framework for holding (noun) / Strain or stress (verb)

22. Row: Line of objects (noun) / Loud argument (noun)

23. Sanction: Approve or condone (verb) / Punish or penalize (verb)

24. Saw: Tool for cutting (noun) / Past tense of "see" (verb)

25. Scale: Measurement system (noun) / Series of musical notes (noun)

26. Screen: Surface for displaying images (noun) / Filter or evaluate (verb)

27. Spring: Season (noun) / Source of water or movement (noun)

28. Stem: Main stalk of a plant (noun) / Originate or come from (verb)

29. Strike: Hit or collide (verb) / Labor stoppage (noun)

30. Subject: Topic or theme (noun) / Person under authority (noun)

31. Table: Piece of furniture (noun) / Set aside or delay (verb)

32. Tide: Rise and fall of the sea (noun) / Trend or influence (noun)

33. Tone: Quality of sound (noun) / Particular attitude (noun)

34. Train: Series of vehicles (noun) / Teach or instruct (verb)

35. Wave: Movement in the ocean (noun) / Signal or trend (noun)

36. Weather: Atmospheric conditions (noun) / Withstand or endure (verb)

37. Yield: Produce or provide (verb) / Give up or surrender (verb)

38. Abstract: Theoretical (adjective) / Summary (noun)

39. Affect: Influence (verb) / Emotions or feelings (noun)

40. Anchor: Heavy weight (noun) / Secure or stabilize (verb)

41. Bankrupt: Financially insolvent (adjective) / Deplete or exhaust (verb)

42. Catalyst: Substance that accelerates a reaction (noun) / Event or person that precipitates change (noun)

43. Channel: Waterway or path (noun) / Direct or convey (verb)

44. Current: Flow of fluid or electricity (noun) / Up-to-date (adjective)

45. Discharge: Release or dismiss (verb) / Flow of electricity (noun)

46. Edge: Sharp cutting part (noun) / Advantage or superiority (noun)

47. Extract: Pull or take out (verb) / Concentrated substance (noun)

48. Fast: Firmly fixed (adjective) / Quick or speedy (adjective)

49. Ground: Earth's surface (noun) / Reason or basis (noun)

50. Head: Top part of the body (noun) / Leader or source (noun)

3. Challenging Words to Master

Some of the challenging words to master, along with their meanings for SAT 2025, are as follows:

• Abate – Reduce in intensity

• Abdicate – Give up a position

• Aberration – Deviation from the norm

• Abhor – Hate deeply

• Abstruse – Difficult to understand

• Acquiesce – Agree reluctantly

• Acrimonious – Bitter in tone

• Adulation – Excessive praise

• Aesthetic – Concerned with beauty

• Affinity – Natural liking

• Alacrity – Eager willingness

• Altruism – Selfless concern for others

• Ambiguous – Open to multiple meanings

• Ambivalent – Having mixed feelings

• Amicable – Friendly

• Anachronistic – Out of place in time

• Animosity – Strong hostility

• Antithesis – Direct opposite

• Apathetic – Lacking interest

• Apprehensive – Fearful

• Arbitrary – Based on random choice

• Arcane – Mysterious

• Arduous – Difficult

• Assiduous – Hardworking

• Astute – Clever

• Avarice – Greed

• Banal – Commonplace

• Benevolent – Kind

• Boisterous – Noisy

• Cacophony – Harsh noise

• Capricious – Unpredictable

• Censure – Strong criticism

• Chicanery – Deception

• Circumspect – Cautious

• Coerce – Force

• Cogent – Convincing

• Complacent – Self-satisfied

• Conflagration – Large fire

• Conundrum – Difficult problem

• Copious – Abundant

• Corroborate – Confirm

• Culpable – Deserving blame

• Debilitate – Weaken

• Deference – Respect

• Deride – Mock

• Despondent – Hopeless

• Diatribe – Bitter speech

• Didactic – Instructive

• Disparate – Different

• Disseminate – Spread widely

• Ebullient – Cheerful

• Egregious – Shockingly bad

• Elucidate – Explain clearly

• Emulate – Imitate

• Enervate – Weaken

• Ephemeral – Short-lived

• Equivocate – Use ambiguous language

• Erudite – Scholarly

• Esoteric – Understood by few

• Exacerbate – Make worse

• Exculpate – Clear from blame

• Exorbitant – Excessive

• Expedite – Speed up

• Extol – Praise highly

• Facetious – Joking inappropriately

• Fastidious – Hard to please

• Flagrant – Offensive

• Fortuitous – Lucky

• Fractious – Irritable

• Garrulous – Talkative

• Grandiloquent – Pompous in speech

• Gregarious – Sociable

• Hackneyed – Overused

• Haughty – Arrogant

• Iconoclast – One who attacks traditions

• Idiosyncratic – Unique to an individual

• Impecunious – Poor

• Impetuous – Acting without thought

• Incontrovertible – Undeniable

• Indolent – Lazy

• Ineffable – Too great to describe

• Insidious – Sneaky

• Intrepid – Fearless

• Inveterate – Deep-rooted

• Irascible – Easily angered

• Laconic – Using few words

• Lethargic – Sluggish

• Loquacious – Very talkative

• Magnanimous – Generous

• Malevolent – Evil

• Malleable – Easily shaped

• Mendacious – Dishonest

• Mercurial – Unpredictable

• Mitigate – Lessen severity

• Nefarious – Wicked

• Obfuscate – Confuse

• Ostentatious – Showy

• Paragon – Model of excellence

• Pernicious – Harmful

• Perspicacious – Insightful

Strategies for Learning SAT Vocabulary

Acquiring SAT vocab words is not easy, you cannot just learn it or cram it. As an effective strategy, you need to know the real and practical usage of the words and phrases.

1. Contextual Learning: Understanding Words in Sentences

This is one of the most commonly used methods and also gets success in almost no time. All that you are expected is to become an avid reader of native English contextual texts and underline all the new words that you come across. Note them in your journal and use them in your language effectively. Make sentences, create stories to retain them, and also try to grasp their synonyms.

2. Using Flashcards and Apps to Build Your Vocabulary

Making Flashcards of the new words brings out your creative corner. Drawing a picture describing the word will not just help you retain it, but also help you master its usage in different contexts.

3. Incorporating Vocabulary into Daily Conversations

While preparing for the SAT vocabulary words, join some online study groups so that you can meet students preparing for the same exam. Peer learning will help you make use of the different and new vocabulary words, and always remember when you use words in your daily language, chances are that you will never forget their usage. You may also play vocabulary challenge games with your family members and siblings.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Studying SAT Vocabulary

Some common mistakes that students should avoid while preparing for the SAT 2025 to enhance their vocabulary are as follows:

1. Relying Too Much on Memorization

Remember that cramming and just learning the meanings of the words might end you being in a confused state. You are recommended to understand the meaning of the words with reference to the context they are used.

For example, the word “Edge” means a Sharp cutting part when used as a noun, but it also means Advantage or superiority again as a noun in a different context.

The solution to this problem is that when you learn the meanings of the words, you should try to understand the usage of the words in different contexts.

2. Ignoring the Importance of Context

This is the most common concern while acquiring new vocabulary words. Words will change their meaning when used in different contexts.

Example:

The word “sanction” means both “to permit” and “to punish,” depending on context.

SAT Vocabulary Practice and Resources

After you realise the value and importance of enhancing SAT vocabulary words or a SAT vocabulary list, the main concern is the selection of the right resources. Although we have been recommending students to read authenticated English articles, books and journals published by native English people, some of the valuable resources are listed below:

1. Recommended SAT Vocabulary Books and Resources

• Official college board web portal

• Native English newspapers like The New York Times

2. Websites and Apps for SAT Vocabulary Practice

• Khan Academy

• vocabulary.com

Conclusion

Finally, the best preparation for the SAT 2025 can be done by including a standard approach that balances all the modules of the SAT. Prepare a study schedule and include some time only to enhance SAT vocabulary words.

1. Final Tips for Mastering SAT Vocabulary

• Do not waste time

• Trust your preparation.

• Use vocabulary games

• Be consistent in your preparation

• Always practice making different sentences with the new words that you learned.

2. How Mastering Vocabulary Can Boost Your Confidence on Test Day

• It will fulfil the exam requirement

• You will easily be able to understand different contextual texts and attempt the questions confidently.

• You will be able to manage time appropriately.

About the Author:

Pooja Aggarwal is an experienced SAT/GMAT/TOEFL/IELTS/PTE trainer with over 15 years of expertise in helping students achieve their English language goals. With a degree in Education, she focuses on clear, patient, and personalized instruction. Her approach has successfully guided students from diverse backgrounds, preparing them for both Academic and General Training modules of English language exams in a supportive and engaging environment.