SAT Word Archive
1) Prestidigitation – [pres-ti-dij-i-tey-shuh n] (n.) magic, specifically slight of hand.
Sample Sentence: The magician impressed us with his amazing feats of prestidigitation.
Memory Trick: "Prestigious" use of "digits" (fingers).
2) Ubiquitous – [yoo-bik-wi-tuh s] (adj.) existing everywhere at once.
Sample Sentence #1: Standing in the middle of the field, he stared out at the ubiquitous rows of corn stretching into the distance.
Sample Sentence #2: Many religions believe that God is ubiquitous.
3) Defenestrate – [dee-fen-uh-streyt] (v.) throw (a person or object) out of a window.
Sample Sentence #1: In an action movie, it is not unusual to see a hero defenestrate a villain, who inevitably falls to his death.
Sample Sentence #2: I really didn’t want to wake up for school this morning, so when my alarm clock started blaring, I defenestrated it and thoroughly enjoyed the crunching sound I heard when it was run over by a truck.
4) Plethora – [pleth-er-uh] (n.) abundance; excess.
Sample Sentence: On Memorial Day, the beach was packed with a plethora of families enjoying the unofficial start of summer.
5) Cacophony – [kuh-kof-uh-nee] (n.) harsh sounds.
Sample Sentence #1: The cacophony produced by the boys pounding on the pots and pans gave the babysitter a splitting headache.
Sample Sentence #2: Because of the cacophony from the urban traffic, she had trouble sleeping in her new apartment in the middle of the city.
Memory Trick: The word itself [kuh-kof-uh-nee] sounds harsh, like its definition.
6) Hubris – [hyoo-bris] (n.) excessive pride; arrogance.
Sample Sentence: Hubris caused the downfall of many Greek tragedy heroes.
7) Quagmire – [kwag-mahy-uhr] (n.) dangerous, difficult, or puzzling situation.
Sample Sentence: Trapped in a quagmire by the terrorists, MacGuvyer disarmed the nuclear weapon and escaped the compound using only a paperclip, a lemon, and some pocket lint.
Memory Trick: On the television show Family Guy, the character Quagmire lives up to his name by always getting into quagmires chasing women.
8) Alliteration – [uh-lit-uh-rey-shuhn] (n.) the repetition of a sound at the beginning of two or more words in close succession.
Sample Sentence: The two courses Charley will be teaching this summer, Awesome Archery and Anticipating Algebra, are good examples of alliteration.
Many tongue twisters make strong use of alliteration. Example: How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
9) Masticate – [mas-ti-keyt] (v.) chew.
Sample Sentence: Mastication is simply a fancy word for the act of chewing.
Memory Trick: Mastodons masticated leaves and grasses.
10) Verbose – [ver-bohs] (adj.) containing more words than necessary (overly wordy).
Sample Sentence: One of my professors is extremely pompous and verbose; I think he just likes to hear himself speak during lectures.
Memory Trick: Someone who is “verb”ose uses many unnecessary words, including a lot of extra “verb”s.
11) Urbane – [ur-beyn] (adj.) suave; polished; courteous; sophisticated.
Sample Sentence #1: The new student became popular very quickly due to her urbane manner.
Sample Sentence #2: The urbane diplomat smoothly managed the situation to ensure both countries were happy.
Memory Trick: The “urban”e gentleman came from an “urban” area. (The word “urbane” actually comes from the word “urban” and originally meant “characteristic of, or pertaining to, city life.”)
12) Ostracize – [os-truh-sahyz] (v.) exile; banish; exclude from a group.
Sample Sentence: John was ostracized from the math club after declaring a hatred of all things mathematical.
Memory Trick: The ostrich was ostracized from the bird city for not being able to fly.
13) Bibliophile – [bib-lee-uh-fahyl, -fil] (n.) someone who loves or collects books.
Sample Sentence: With a personal book collection numbering in the thousands, Charley must be a bibliophile.
Memory Trick: The word breaks down into its definition: “biblio” (book) and “phile” (lover).
14) Jovial – [joh-vee-uh l] (adj.) happy and cheerful.
Sample Sentence: We were all in a jovial mood last night after getting the chance to hold Max and Shelle’s new baby.
15) Panacea – [pan-uh-see-uh] (n.) cure-all; a remedy or solution for all diseases, problems, or difficulties.
Sample Sentence: A sleazy “salesman” tried to sell me a bottle of “Dr. Feelgood’s Cure-All” from the back of his truck, claiming it was a panacea to cure all ills, from athlete’s foot to baldness!
16) Loquacious – [loh-kwey-shuh s] (adj.) excessively talkative.
Sample Sentence: My blind date last night didn’t go very well; she was quite loquacious and wouldn’t let me get a word in edgewise.
17) Bifurcate – [bahy-fer-keyt] (v.) split into two parts.
Sample Sentence: The road bifurcates approximately one mile east of town.
Memory Trick: The prefix “bi” means two.
18) Panache – [puh-nash, -nahsh] (n.) distinctive and stylish elegance; dashing confidence and style.
Sample Sentence: With a tip of the hat, a nod of the head, and a dash of panache, the musketeer took his leave after rescuing the lady from the perilous situation.
19) Denizen – [den-uh-zuh n] (n.) inhabitant; a person who regularly frequents a certain place.
Sample Sentence #1: The animals are denizens of the forest.
Sample Sentence #2: On the television show Cheers, Norm was a denizen of the bar; he only left to go home at night.
Memory Trick: The word “denizen” is similar to the word “citizen.”
20) Contravene – [kon-truh-veen] (v., used with an object) go or act against; act counter to; oppose.
Sample Sentence #1: The sergeant was demoted after contravening the lieutenant’s commands.
Sample Sentence #2: The Iranian citizens continue to contravene their government’s orders by holding rallies to protest election irregularities.
21) Hirsute – [hur-soot] (adj.) hairy.
Sample Sentence #1: The cavemen in the car insurance commercials are much more hirsute than most people.
Sample Sentence #2: Because of his long hair, thick beard, and extensive body hair, some people mistook the hirsute man for a werewolf.
Memory Trick: “Hirsute” almost sounds like “hair suit.”
22) Aglet – [ag-lit] (n.) a plastic or metal sheath covering the end of a lace, cord, or ribbon.
Sample Sentence #1: When I got home from work, I found my dog chewing on the aglets of my shoelaces.
Sample Sentence #2: An aglet on the end of a lace helps it pass through the eyelets on your shoe.
23) Obfuscate – [ob-fuh-skeyt, ob-fuhs-keyt] (v.) to make so confused or opaque as to be difficult to perceive or understand.
Sample Sentence #1: A great effort is being made by opponents of health care reform to obfuscate the truth about President Obama's plan to provide health care for all Americans.
Sample Sentence #2: The math teacher’s rambling explanation of derivatives merely obfuscated the topic for his students.
Memory Trick: The word “obfuscate” is similar to the word “obscure.”
24) Denotation – [dee-noh-tey-shuh n] (n.) the direct or explicit meaning of a word or phrase; the literal meaning.
Sample Sentence: To help you prepare for the SAT, we provide you with the denotation of each potential SAT word.
Memory Trick: The denotation is the dictionary definition.
25) Connotation – [kon-uh-tey-shuh n] (n.) the feelings, images, and other associations evoked by a word or phrase; the secondary, implied meaning of a word or phrase.
Sample Sentence #1: To truly understand a word, you must its connotation as well as its denotation.
Sample Sentence #2: The denotation of “puppy” is “young dog,” but a possible connotation could be “cute, cuddly, and playful little bundle of energy.”
26) Quandary – [kwon-duh-ree, -dree] (n.) dilemma or predicament.
Sample Sentence: The phrase “between a rock and a hard place” is often used to describe a difficult quandary.
27) Acquiesce – [ak-wee-ess] (v.) agree without protest.
Sample Sentence: The bank teller acquiesced to the robber’s demands.
28) Genial – [jeen-yuh l, jee-nee-uh l] (adj.) pleasantly cheerful.
Sample Sentence/Memory Trick: The genie in Disney’s Aladdin was a genial fellow.
29) Paragon – [par-uh-gon] (n.) ideal model; perfect example of a concept.
Sample Sentence: Lancelot was a paragon of knighthood.
30) Explicate – [ek-spli-keyt] (v.) explain; make clear.
Sample Sentence: Her assignment was to explicate the imagery in the poem.
Memory Trick: The words “explicate” and “explain” look similar.
31) Malleable – [mal-ee-uh-buh l] (adj.) capable of being molded or shaped; easily influenced or controlled.
Sample Sentence #1: Gold is the most malleable of all metals.
Sample Sentence #2: Be careful what you say around young children; their minds are extremely malleable.
32) Animosity – [an-uh-mos-i-tee] (n.) a feeling of strong dislike, hatred, or hostility.
Sample Sentence: The animosity between the Montagues and the Capulets was so powerful that only the deaths of their beloved children, Romeo and Juliet, could end the feud and bring the families together.
33) Palpable – [pal-puh-buh l] (adj.) obvious; evident; tangible.
Sample Sentence: The tension in the room was so palpable, you could almost cut it with a knife.
34) Salient – [sey-lee-uh nt, seyl-yuh nt] (adj.) prominent, conspicuous, or noticeable; projecting outward.
Sample Sentence: Cyrano de Bergerac is known for his most salient facial feature: his very large nose.
35) Alacrity – [uh-lak-ri-tee] (n.) cheerful quickness; promptness; liveliness.
Sample Sentence: Thrilled that John asked her to go with him to the prom, Suzie replied to his invitation with alacrity.
36) Aversion – [uh-vur-zhuh n, -shuh n] (n.) a strong feeling of dislike, opposition, or antipathy; a person, thing, or object that causes dislike or antipathy.
Sample Sentence: The lazy good-for-nothing had a strong aversion to hard work.
37) Effervescent – [ef-er-ves-uh nt] (adj.) bubbling; lively; sparkling.
Sample Sentence #1: Because we loved her effervescent personality, we were always thrilled when Stacy came to visit.
Sample Sentence #2: Soda, sparkling cider, and champagne are all effervescent products.
38) Obsolete – [ob-suh-leet, ob-suh-leet] (adj.) outdated; no longer in general use.
Sample Sentence: Cassette tapes, records, and eight-track tapes are all obsolete forms of music technology.
39) Alienate – [eyl-yuh-neyt] (v.) make indifferent, unfriendly, or hostile; cause to be withdrawn or isolated.
Sample Sentence: When the giant purple alien ate Earth’s ambassador, it alienated all of humanity.
40) Prudent – [prood-nt] (adj.) careful; utilizing common sense or good judgment.
Sample Sentence: Jason never takes major risks in financial matters; he is a very prudent fellow.
41) Prevaricate – [pri-var-i-keyt] (v.) lie; mislead.
Sample Sentence: Many criminals prevaricate when caught by the police.
42) Dilatory – [dil-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] (adj.) causing or tending to procrastinate or delay; late; slow.
Sample Sentence #1: Your grades will surely suffer if you become dilatory in your homework habits.
Sample Sentence #2: Because Brian was dilatory in getting to class this morning, the teacher made him stay after school.
43) Temerity – [tuh-mer-i-tee] (n.) rash boldness; reckless contempt of danger.
Sample Sentence: The unruly student had the temerity to question the principal’s authority.
44) Amicable – [am-i-kuh-buh l] (adj.) friendly; agreeable; showing goodwill.
Sample Sentence #1: The new student seemed like an amicable fellow, so I decided to talk to him during lunch.
Sample Sentence #2: As the world becomes ever more connected, the importance of maintaining amicable relations with other nations cannot be underestimated.
45) Sanctum – [sangk-tuh m] (n.) a private location where one is free from intrusion; a sacred or holy place; a retreat.
Sample Sentence: The Batcave is Batman’s sanctum.
Note: Sanctum and sanctum sanctorum are interchangeable, except in certain specific religious contexts.
46) Frangible – [fran-juh-buhl] (adj.) easily broken; breakable; fragile.
Sample Sentence: Crackers and vases are frangible.
47) Expunge – [ik-spuhnj] (v.) remove; erase; destroy.
Sample Sentence: After Jane successfully completed her probation for stealing the candy bar, the judge decided to expunge the crime from Jane's record.
Memory Trick: A sponge expunges marks from the chalkboard.
48) Exemplary – [ig-zem-pluh-ree, eg-zuhm-pler-ee] (adj.) excellent; commendable; serving as an example or model.
Sample Sentence #1: The teacher gave Julia a sticker to reward her exemplary performance on the quiz.
Sample Sentence #2: Parents want their children to demonstrate exemplary behavior.
Memory Trick: Exemplary. Excellent. Example.
49) Concise – [kuhn-sahys] (adj.) expressing a great deal in few words; not containing unnecessary detail; succinct.
Sample Sentence: A good summary should not be long and rambling; it should be short and concise.
