Digital SAT Prep: The 500 Most Important Vocabulary Words

By [email protected] May 5, 2025 9 min read

Does seeing unfamiliar words on the Digital SAT Reading and Writing section make your stomach drop? Are you worried about tackling the digital sat words in context questions when faced with vocabulary you've never encountered? It's a valid concern – a strong digital sat vocabulary is undeniably important for reaching your target score, and many students feel overwhelmed about where to even begin studying.

Imagine Aisha diligently downloading massive sat vocab lists, trying to memorize thousands of obscure words. She feels stressed, unsure which words actually matter for the test, and finds that few of them stick when she encounters them in practice passages. This scattered approach wastes time and doesn't build confidence.

There's a smarter way to prepare. While the SAT can pull from a wide range of vocabulary, focusing your initial efforts on frequently recurring words provides a solid foundation. This guide presents a list identified as containing 500 important, medium-difficulty words often seen on the test – a great starting point for most students. Learning these words systematically can make a real difference.

The 500 Most Important SAT Vocabulary Words

This list, generated using analysis of recurring SAT words, is organized by theme to help you make connections. Focus on understanding these words first:

(Argument and Language)

abstruse: difficult to understand
apt: appropriate, inclined
cajole: coax
compendious: succinct
concur: agree
delineate: list, explain
digression: stray from the subject at hand
elucidate: clarify
embroiled: involve in an argument or conflict
empirical: based on observation and experiment (not theory)
enumerate: list
epitome, epitomize: representative example
equivocal: ambiguous
exemplar: representative example
exhort: encourage
expedient: useful
fathom (verb): understand
flagrant: evident, obvious
floridity: flushed, flowery
incongruity, incongruous: inappropriateness, discrepancy
ineffable: impossible to express in words
innuendo: implicit suggestion
laconic: concise
lucid: clear, easily understood
nebulous: vague
nuance: subtle difference
paradigm: clear example
prattle: babble
pronouncement: formal declaration
proponent: supporter
prosaic: lacking imagination, dull
rebuttal: defense, counterargument
recant: reject
repudiate: reject
rescind: annul, retract
rhetoric(al), rhetorician: (related to) elegant speech/writing, elegant speaker/writer
scrutinize, scrutiny: examine carefully
simile: comparison
tangential: digressive, irrelevant
treatise: extensive written argument about some topic
verbose: wordy, long-winded

(Emotions)

aura: air, feeling
bombastic: pompous
buoyant: cheerful, floating
callous: insensitive
cantankerous(ness): irritable
capricious: fickle
caustic: bitter
convivial: sociable, lively
demonstrative: openly emotional
despondent: sad, depressed
diffident, diffidence: shy
discomfited: disappointed, defeated
disillusionment: disenchantment, disappointment
dispassionate: unemotional
elated, elation: joyful
evoke: bring about, stir up
felicitous: well-suited, happy
forlorn: sad
fortitude: courage
furor: commotion, anger
histrionic: excessively dramatic or emotional
idyllic: simply tranquil
impetuous: rash, passionate
irate: angry
jaded: tired, bored
jocular: cheerful
jovial: cheerful
maudlin: overly sentimental
melancholy: bleak
mercurial: fickle
morose: depressed
peevish: unpleasant
penchant: preference
perfunctory: done routinely with little interest or care
petulant: irritable
profound, profundity: intense, significant
propensity: inclination, tendency
repugnant: offensive, disgusting
reticent, reticence: emotionally reserved
sanguine: cheerfully confident, optimistic
solace: comfort, consolation
somber: bleak
temperamental: moody
trepidation: apprehension
truculent, truculence: aggressive, bad-tempered
vicarious: felt indirectly by imagining someone else's experiences
wrath: anger

(Energy)

alacrity: eagerness
dormant: inactive
ebullient: enthusiastic
equanimity: calmness
hardy: robust, sturdy
indolent: lazy
insipid: dull, boring
instigate: provoke, start
invoke: call forth, appeal to
lackadaisical: lacking energy, lethargic
laggard: lazy person
languid: inactive, dreamy
listless: languid, sluggish
lull: short period of calm
pacify: soothe, calm
placate: calm someone down
placid: calm
raucous: harsh, rowdy
rouse, rousing: provoke, excite
scintillating: lively, effervescent
stagnant, stagnation: not moving
static (adjective): not moving
torpor: drowsiness, apathy
unruly: boisterous, unrestrained
vapid: dull, uninteresting

(Give up?)

amenable: yielding
aspire: strive for
assiduous: diligent
assuage: relieve, appease
compliant, compliance: yielding
dauntless: courageous
debacle: failure
debilitate(d): weaken(ed)
debunk: prove wrong
deference, deferential: respectful submission, yielding
deterrent: hindrance, impediment
disheartening: discouraging
dispel: to drive away or disprove
disquiet(ing): (causing) anxiety
facile: superficial, effortless
futile, futility: hopeless
gallant(ry): courageous
impasse: obstacle
indomitable: too strong to be defeated
intrepid: courageous
onerous: difficult, trying
servile: submissive, subservient
steadfast: not yielding
subservient: yielding
tenacious, tenacity: stubborn, determined
tenuous: insignificant, flimsy
tribulation: suffering
vying: striving

(Knowledge and Skill)

acumen: insightfulness
adept: skillful
adroit: skillful
anthropology: study of human beings
boorish, boorishness: crude
cerebral: intellectual
churlish: vulgar, boorish
conscientious: careful
cosmopolitan: sophisticated, urbane
credulity, credulous: the trait of trusting others too much
didactic: (often excessively) morally instructive
discern, discerning: perceive, perceptive
epiphany: sudden realization
erudite, erudition: scholarly
esoteric: understood only by a few
fastidious: careful
finesse: tact, elegant skill
flummox: confuse
folly: foolishness
foolhardy: recklessly daring
grandiose: pompous, pretentious
inane: senseless, stupid
ineptitude: incompetence
ingenuous: unsophisticated and trusting, naïve
lithe: graceful, supple
neophyte: beginner
oversight: mistake
painstaking: careful
pedant, pedantic, pedantry: a person who makes a great show of his knowledge
precocious: early development in maturity and intelligence
provincial: narrow-minded, unsophisticated
punctilious: meticulous, attentive to detail
pundit: a knowledgeable commentator
quixotic: foolish
sage: wise
scrupulous: very careful and precise
shrewd: astute, smart
slipshod: careless, sloppy
stupefy, stupefaction: bewilder
susceptible: easily influenced or affected
tractable: easily managed or controlled
uncanny: extraordinary, weird
uncouth: crude
unfathomable: incomprehensible, unbelievable
ungainly: clumsy
urbane: elegant, sophisticated
venerable: commanding respect because of age, dignity
virtuoso, virtuosity: one with exceptional musical skill
wry: clever or grim sense of humor

(Law and Order)

corroborate: strengthen or support with additional evidence
decorum, decorous: order, politeness
equitable: even-handed
illicit: illegal
incriminate: accuse someone of a crime
indict(ment): formally accuse of a crime
indignant: angered (by injustice)
indulgent: lenient
judicious: fair
ratify: approve, confirm
sanction (verb): formally approve
vindicate, vindication: clear of blame or suspicion

(Money)

altruistic, altruism: generous
avarice: greed
benevolent: generous
bequeath: hand down (through a will)
depreciation, depreciatory: decrease in value
destitute: poor
exorbitant: too expensive
frugal(ity): cheap(ness)
lucrative: profitable
luxuriant: lush, elaborate
magnanimity, magnanimous: generosity, generous
mercenary: motivated by money
miserly: cheap, stingy
patronize: financially support, be condescending towards
penurious: cheap, stingy
perquisite: additional payment, bonus
philanthropist, philanthropic: someone who supports charity
procure: get or provide
provident: prudent, frugal
squander: waste
venal(ity): willing to accept bribes
vocation: career

(Politics and Tradition)

aberration: deviation, not normal
accost: confront
adamant: not yielding
apathetic, apathy: lacking interest
ascendancy: influence, domination
ascetic, asceticism: one who practices self-denial as a spiritual discipline
august: dignified
autocrat, autocratic: dictator, dictatorial
automaton: a person who acts like a robot
banal: common
bipartisanship: supported by two opposing groups (political parties)
depose: dethrone, remove from power
derivative: not original
desecration: violate the sacredness of
despot: dictator
doctrine: religious, political, or philosophical principles or teachings
dogmatic: tending to force one's own opinions on other people
eclectic: from diverse sources
egalitarian: belief in equality
exhibitionist, exhibitionistic: deliberately behaving a certain way to attract attention
faction: group within a larger group
fanaticism: excessive enthusiasm
hackneyed: common
heresy, heretic: belief contrary to the established opinion
idiosyncracy, idiosyncratic: unique personal trait, quirky
orthodox: conservative, traditional
pacifist: one who completely opposes violence
partisan: someone with biased beliefs
piety, pious: religious devotion
polemical: controversial
renounce: reject
reverent: respectful, pious
sanctity: holiness
staunch: strong and loyal
stock (adjective): standard, hackneyed
strident: loud and harsh
subversive: one who intends to overthrow the government
supplant: to take the place of
sycophant: suck up, flatterer
toady: suck-up
totalitarian: undemocratic, rigid political control
trite: common
usurp: seize power without authority
zealot: fanatic

(Praise and Criticism)

assail: belittle
berate: scold harshly
castigate: belittle
censorious: harshly critical
censure: scold
chastise: belittle
chide: belittle
consternation: dismay
contempt(uous): disdainful
contemptible: despicable
culpable: blameworthy
denigrate: belittle
deprecate: disapprove, belittle
deride: make fun of
derogatory, derogate: disparaging, belittling
discount (verb): disregard
disparage: belittle
eulogy, eulogize: praising speech
extol: praise
laud, laudatory: praise
noxious: poisonous
reprehensible: blameworthy
reprimand: belittle
reproach: scold
scathing: harshly critical
slight (verb): insult, snub
spurn: reject with contempt
tirade: critical speech
tout: praise

(Pride)

affected: haughty
chagrin: mortification
complacency, complacent: self-satisfaction, smugness
conciliate, conciliatory: compromising, apologizing
degradation: humiliation
demure, demurral: overly modest
flippant, flippancy: disrespectful
hubris: arrogance
ignominy, ignominious: dishonor, humiliation
imperious: arrogant
impudence, impudent: disrespectful, insolent
insolence, insolent: disrespectful
irreverent, irreverence: disrespectful
notoriety, notorious: infamous, ill fame
obdurate: stubborn
obstinate, -acy: stubborn(ness)
opportunist, opportunistic: a person who takes advantage of opportunities, often unethically
peremptory: bossy, decisive
presumptuous: too bold, arrogant
recalcitrant: stubborn
self-righteous: smug, holier-than-thou
self-serving: selfish
supercilious: arrogant
unabashed: not embarrassed
wayward: selfish, stubborn

(Science)

bog: marsh, swamp
coalesce: blend, fuse
confluence: a place where things merge or flow together
disseminate: scatter widely
effervesce: bubble, fizz
elicit: bring about
indigenous: native to a region
induce: cause
inert, inertia: not moving or active
inherent: intrinsic, natural
multifarious: many types
precipitate: outcome

(Size, Amount, Location)

abate: lessen
allocate: assign, portion
atrophy: waste away
attenuate: weaken, reduce
burgeon: grow, flourish
circumscribe: restrict
copious: abundant
dearth: scarcity
devoid: lacking
diffuse: spread out
diminutive, diminution: extremely small
efface(ment): erase
encompass: include, surround
encroaching: intrusive
excavate: unearth, dig up
extricate: disentangle
gargantuan: gigantic
germinate: (cause to) grow
hamper (verb): hinder, restrict
incubate: develop, grow
indiscriminate: unselective, random
inhibit(ing): restrain(ing)
innate: intrinsic, natural
innocuous: harmless
insular(ity): related to or similar to an island
inundate: flood
latent, latency: the state of being not yet evident or active
mitigate, mitigator: moderate, alleviate
modicum: small amount
motley: diverse, heterogeneous
parch: make dry
paucity: scarcity
peripheral: outermost, secondary
plasticity: malleability, the ability to be shaped or molded
plethora, plethoric: surplus
pliable, pliant: easily shaped or influenced
preclude: prevent
prodigious: huge
profuse, profusion: plentiful
prohibitive, prohibition: restrictive
proliferate, proliferation: grow, increase
prolific: fertile, fruitful
quell: suppress, quench
rampant: unrestrained, growing
ravenous: insatiable, having a huge appetite
reap: harvest, gather
recessive: tending to go backward
relegate: demote
relinquish: give back
repertory: collection
satiate: satisfy fully
saturate: flood, soak
scanty: barely sufficient
scope: opportunity, range
superfluous: more than necessary
surfeit: surplus
teem, teeming: abundant
trifling: frivolous, unimportant
ubiquitous: ever-present, pervasive
vacuous, vacuity: empty
viscous: thick, sticky
waning: lessening

(The Senses)

byzantine: convoluted, complex
cacophonous, cacophony: discordant sound
cursory: hasty, superficial
gait: manner of walking
garish: tastelessly showy
glutton(ous): someone who eats and drinks too much
lurid: sensational, shocking
malleable: capable of being shaped, pliable
ramshackle: poorly constructed
redolent: reminiscent, having smell
shroud: hide, obscure
stark(ness): harsh, plain
succulent: delicious

(Time)

antediluvian: very old
dilatory: tending to waste time
ephemeral: short-lived
hasten: speed up the progress of
oracle: prophet
prospective: likely or expected to become
regressive: tending to return or revert
sporadic: occurring at irregular intervals
temporize: delay, evade
transient: lasting for only a short time

(Truth)

arcane: mysterious, known only by a few
belie: give a false impression
charlatan: swindler
circuitous: indirect
clandestine: secretive
demystify: make clear and comprehensible
disingenuous: insincere
divulge: make known
dupe: deceive
duplicitous, duplicity: deliberately deceptive
enigma(tic): mystery, mysterious
exposé: a report designed to reveal the truth to the public
fallacious: deceitful, incorrect
fallacy: false belief
fraudulent: deceitful
furtive: sneaky
incredulous, incredulity: skeptical
indeterminate: left doubtful, inconclusive
inscrutable: mysterious
irony, ironic: incongruity between what is expected and what actually results
ostensible: apparent, seeming
plausible, plausibility: likely true
pretext: misleading claim or appearance
prevaricator: liar
rectify, rectitude: put right, correct
refutation, refute: arguing that a claim is false
sanctimonious: pretending to be religious, hypocritical
sophistry: deceptive reasoning
spurious: false, inauthentic
substantiate: confirm, establish as genuine

(War and Peace)

auspicious: favorable
barrage: bombardment, torrent
belligerent: aggressive, warlike
blighted: destroyed
bolster: support
buttress: support
circumvent: escape, avoid
conflagration: large destructive fire
contentious: belligerent, quarrelsome
decimate: destroy
deleterious: harmful
depravity: moral corruption
dire: urgent, dreadful
divergent: different, conflicting
divisive: creating conflict
elude: evade
elusive: difficulty to catch or define
embitter(ed): make worse
encumbrance: burden
fortuitous: fortunate, lucky
marred: scarred
nefarious: evil
palliate, palliative: relieve pain without curing
precarious: dangerous, unstable
raze: destroy, demolish
serendipity: luck
spartan: simple, self-disciplined
vanquish: conquer, defeat
vigilant: watchful, alert
vindictive: seeking revenge
virulent: poisonous

(Note: While this list is a strong starting point, the Digital SAT can draw from a wider vocabulary. Continue expanding your knowledge!)

Making This List Work for You:

Just having the list isn't enough. Refer back to our guide on effective vocabulary study (using Contextual Learning: define, find examples, write your own sentence) and apply it systematically to these 500 words. Identify those you don't know, learn them in batches, and review constantly.

Where Knowledge Meets Practice: TestAdvantage.com

Memorizing these 500 words is step one. Seeing how they function in authentic digital sat words in context questions is step two. TestAdvantage.com provides the perfect platform for this. As the de facto question bank outside of the College Board, we offer countless practice questions that incorporate these very sat vocabulary words within realistic passages. It's the ideal place to practice applying your knowledge for all Digital SAT needs. If you're finding the English section tough, working through our targeted quizzes and true-blue Digital SAT practice tests will help you recognize these words instantly and understand their meaning based on context clues. Turn your vocabulary study into real score gains. Check out our 7-day free trial and see the difference. We offer a satisfaction guarantee – if you don’t find our resources helpful, you get your money back. Start mastering the vocabulary that matters today!

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