SAT Challenging I Word List 

291 Words 

WORD DEFINITION GROUPING

1 abstemious eating and drinking in moderation the senses

war and
2 accede give in, agree
peace

3 acquisitive eager to gain material possessions money

4 acrid pungent, bitter the senses

one who believes it's impossible to know politics and

5 agnostic
whether or not god exists tradition

war and
6 allay relieve
peace

argument and
7 allusion, allude indirect reference, refer indirectly
language

8 amorphous shapeless, unstructured the senses

rebel, one who opposes the idea of politics and

9 anarchist
government tradition

argument and
10 annotate make notes on, explain
language

argument and
11 antipodal opposite
language

12 apocryphal dubious, erroneous truth

argument and
13 apropos appropriate
language

14 arid dry science

15 aspersion disparaging remark, slander praise and
criticism

16 aural relating to the ear, hearing the senses

17 avocation hobby money

18 bane curse give up?

19 beguile trick, bewitch emotions

discuss repeatedly, attack physically or argument and

20 belabor
verbally language

21 bent (noun) inclination emotions

22 bereavement grief, sorrow emotions

23 boon blessing give up?

swagger, outward display of self-

24 bravado pride
confidence

argument and
25 brusque blunt, curt
language

knowledge
26 bungler someone clumsy
and skill

praise and
27 calumniate belittle
criticism

war and
28 capitulate surrender under agreed conditions
peace

praise and
29 carping nagging, critical
criticism

purging or cleansing of the body or war and

30 catharsis
spirit peace

knowledge
31 chary careful
and skill
32 circumlocution indirect way of saying something argument and
language

knowledge
33 circumspect careful
and skill

34 complaisant willing to please or oblige give up?

35 complicity participation in a crime law and order

knowledge
36 comportment dignified manner or conduct
and skill

37 conducive contributive, tending to bring about science

38 conflate combine, fuse science

consecrated, politics and

39 sacred, holy
consecration tradition

friends and
40 consonance harmony, agreement
enemies

41 conspicuous clearly visible, obvious truth

42 consummate bring to completion law and order

size, amount,
43 contiguous sharing a border
location

44 contingency possibility, future emergency law and order

45 contraband illegal trade, smuggling law and order

46 contrite penitent, apologetic emotions

47 corollary natural consequence science

48 corpulence obesity the senses

49 craven cowardly, fearful give up?

praise and
50 decry, decried condemn
criticism
51 demagogue a leader who manipulates emotions truth

52 denuded stripped, bare the senses

53 desiccate dry out science

praise and
54 diatribe critical speech
criticism

55 disarming winning favor, charming emotions

56 disenfranchise revoke the right to vote law and order

57 dissembler liar truth

58 dissolute lacking moral restraint law and order

distend, size, amount,

59 swell
distension location

60 draconian strict law and order

61 drought prolonged period of time with no rainfall science

excessively bold behavior,

62 effrontery pride
presumptuousness

war and
63 elegy mournful poem or song
peace

size, amount,
64 emaciated very thin
location

65 emancipate free from bondage or oppression law and order

size, amount,
66 endemic native to a region
location

67 enfranchise grant the right to vote law and order

68 engender produce science

size, amount,
69 epidemic spread of disease in an area
location
 praise and
70 eschew avoid, shun
criticism

71 evanescent tending to vanish, not permanent time

72 eventuality possibility truth

size, amount,
73 excise remove
location

praise and
74 excoriate belittle
criticism

75 exculpate free from blame law and order

76 exonerate free from blame law and order

77 expedite speed up, accelerate time

impromptu, spoken or performed

78 extemporize time
without preparation

friends and
79 facetious humorous, playful
enemies

knowledge
80 fallible capable of making mistakes, imperfect
and skill

81 feign give a false appearance of truth

82 finagle achieve something by means of trickery truth

size, amount,
83 flag weaken or lessen
location

war and
84 flank (verb) protect, support
peace

85 foil (verb) baffle or frustrate give up?

knowledge
86 forbearance patience
and skill

87 galvanize stimulate, excite energy

 argument and
88 garrulous excessively talkative, loquacious
language

knowledge
89 gingerly carefully
and skill

90 glib insincere truth

91 goad urge on, incite give up?

92 grandiloquent pompous, using pretentious language pride

gratify,
93 please, satisfy emotions
gratification

94 gratuitous without cause or cost money

friends and
95 gregarious friendly
enemies

96 guile deceit truth

97 guileless honest truth

praise and
98 haranguing ranting
criticism

war and
99 harbor (verb) maintain, hold
peace

100 hedonist someone driven by pleasure the senses

101 heedful careful knowledge

and skill

argument and
102 hyperbole exaggeration
language

politics and
103 iconoclast(ic) someone who attacks traditional beliefs
tradition

104 idealogue one who theorizes and speculates truth

105 illusory deceptive truth

106 imbue permeate, soak the senses

107 impecunious poor money

impede,
108 hinder, restrict progress give up?
impediment

109 impertinent haughty pride

110 impetus stimulus give up?

111 implacable insatiable give up?

112 impregnable strong, invulnerable give up?

113 impugn attack as false or questionable truth

posessing a concrete form, be argument and

114 incarnate
representative of language

115 incense infuriate, make angry emotions

116 incontrovertible indisputable truth

incapable of being corrected or knowledge

117 incorrigible
reformed and skill

118 indefatigable energetic, tireless give up?

119 indisposed ill, unwilling give up?

politics and
120 induction formal entry, initiation
tradition

121 inexorable unstoppable, relentless give up?

infelicity,
122 unhappiness, unhappy emotions
infelicitous

123 insidious treacherous truth

124 insolvent bankrupt money

125 insuperable impossible to conquer give up?

politics and
126 insurgent rebel
tradition

politics and
127 insurrection rebellion against established authority
tradition

argument and
128 intonation tone
language

129 intractable stubborn, difficult to influence pride

intransigent,
130 not yielding, uncompromising give up?
intransigence

131 irascible easily angered emotions

132 ireful irate, angry emotions

knowledge
133 irresolute undecided
and skill

size, amount,
134 itinerant traveling location

the act of positioning things close size, amount,

135 juxtaposition
together location

136 laborious involving hard work give up?

137 labyrinth complicated maze give up?

friends and
138 lampoon parody, satire
enemies

139 lethargic sluggish energy

140 levity playfulness, lightheartedness emotions

141 libelous slanderous, defamatory law and order

142 licentious lacking moral restraint law and order

143 litigious argumentative, disputatious argument and
language

size, amount,
144 localize restrict to a particular place
location

argument and
145 loquacious talkative
language

146 lugubrious mournful, gloomy emotions

knowledge
147 machination plotting, scheming and skill

148 magisterial commanding, authoritative pride

war and
149 malady disease, ailment
peace

praise and
150 malign belittle
criticism

argument and
151 manifesto public statement of opinion
language

politics and
152 maverick independent rebel
tradition

knowledge
153 meander wander
and skill

154 melodrama exaggerated emotions emotions

155 membranous thin and flexible, like a membrane the senses

156 metamorphose transform science

one who hates or mistrusts other friends and

157 misanthrope
humans enemies

158 miscreant villain, offender law and order

argument and
159 misnomer incorrect or unsuitable name language

war and
160 mollify appease, soothe
peace

161 munificent generous money

size, amount,
162 myriad vast number, innumerable
location

war and
163 nadir lowest point
peace

164 narcissist conceited persion pride

war and
165 nettle make worse
peace

argument and
166 nonpartisan not biased
language

167 nullify render legally void law and order

knowledge
168 obfuscate make obscure or unclear
and skill

knowledge
169 oblivion obscurity, forgetfulness
and skill

friends and
170 obsequious suck-up
enemies

friends and
171 odious offensive, hateful
enemies

172 onus burden, responsibility give up?

173 openhanded generous money

174 opportune timely, advantageous give up?

175 osmosis gradual absorption science

176 ossify harden, become rigid science

177 ostentatious showy, pretentious pride

politics and
178 ostracize exile
tradition

179 pall grow tiresome give up?

180 pallid pale, wan the senses

size, amount,
181 paltry insignificant, meager
location

size, amount,
182 pandemic widespread disease
location

argument and
183 paragon perfect example
language

politics and
184 pariah social outcast
tradition

parsimonious,
185 cheap, stingy money
parsimony

knowledge
186 particularity attentiveness to detail, individuality
and skill

187 pathos poignancy, sympathy emotions

188 pecunious abundant, rich money

knowledge
189 pedagogy related to teaching and education
and skill

190 penury poverty money

191 perennial long-lasting, continual time

war and
192 pernicious wicked, harmful
peace

knowledge
193 perspicacious wise, insightful and skill

war and
194 pestilence fatal infectious disease
peace

195 phlegmatic sluggish, unemotional emotions

argument and
196 pithy concise and full of meaning
language

argument and
197 platitude common saying
language

politics and
198 platitudinous common
tradition

praise and
199 plaudit enthusiastic praise
criticism

politics and
200 plebian common citizen
tradition

war and
201 polarize create conflict
peace

war and
202 ponderous serious, heavy, clumsy
peace

politics and
203 populace the general public
tradition

size, amount,
204 populous having a large population
location

205 predilection preference, partiality emotions

206 premonition a feeling of evil to come, foreboding time

207 prescient psychic time

argument and
208 presumption assumption
language
209 presumptive probable, likely truth

pretense,
210 doubtful claim truth
pretension

211 prodigal recklessly wasteful or extravagant money

irreverent, showing disrespect for politics and

212 profane
religion tradition

213 profligate recklessly wasteful or extravagant money

war and
214 propitiate appease, make peace with
peace

215 prostrate lying face downwards, exhausted energy

war and
216 pugnacious aggressive, beliigerent
peace

217 quandary a state of doubt or uncertainty give up?

218 quiescent quiet, inactive energy

size, amount,
219 rarefy make thin or less compact location

war and
220 rebuff reject
peace

the act of turning to friends and

221 recourse
someone/something for assistance enemies

222 recrimination to accuse in return law and order

223 remission reduction, pardon law and order

politics and
224 renegade someone who deserts a cause
tradition

size, amount,
225 replete abundantly supplied
location
226 reprieve relief, pardon law and order

praise and
227 reprove criticize, admonish
criticism

228 respite short interval or rest or relief energy

229 resplendent splendid, dazzling emotions

230 resurgent rise again energy

argument and
231 rhapsodize narrate or say with great enthusiasm
language

232 saccharine overly sweet emotions

politics and
233 sacrilegious disrespecting something sacred
tradition

politics and
234 sacrosanct sacred
tradition

235 salutary favorable to heath, beneficial science

praise and
236 sardonic scornfully mocking
criticism

237 scour clean by scrubbing vigorously give up?

size, amount,
238 seclusion privacy, isolation
location

provoking rebellion against established politics and

239 seditious
authority tradition

240 sedulous diligent, assiduous give up?

knowledge
241 sermonize preach, express moral judgment
and skill

242 skinflinty cheap money

243 skirt (verb) evade give up?

244 sleight dexterity knowledge
and skill

knowledge
245 slovenly untidy, careless
and skill

perform a formal ceremony, make politics and

246 solemnize
serious or grave tradition

politics and
247 sovereign self-governing, independent
tradition

size, amount,
248 spareness the state of being sparse or scanty
location

argument and
249 specious seemingly reasonable but incorrect
language

250 sportive playful energy

251 stalwart courageous give up?

252 stipulate specify as a condition of an agreement law and order

253 stoic someone indifferent to pain or pleasure emotions

254 stolid showing no emotion or interest emotions

size, amount,
255 stratified layered, hierarchical
location

256 stymie obstruct give up?

war and
257 subjugate conquer
peace

argument and
258 supposition hypothesis
language

259 surreptitious secretive truth

260 swoon faint emotions

261 synchrony coincidence in time time

synergy, cooperative action that produces an friends and

262
synergistic enhanced result enemies

argument and
263 tacit implied, not spoken
language

argument and
264 taciturn silent, uncommunicative
language

friends and
265 tandem conjunction, cooperation
enemies

argument and
266 tantamount equivalent
language

267 tawdry cheap, gaudy money

268 tempestuous stormy emotions

269 tight-fisted cheap money

270 timorous apprehensive, timid emotions

271 titillating exciting energy

272 treacly overly sweet or sentimental emotions

273 tremulous timid, fearful emotions

argument and
274 trenchant scathing, clear, effective
language

275 trove money

a collection of valuable items

276 unassuming modest, not arrogant pride

277 undefiled immaculate, pure the senses

278 unsightly ugly the senses

praise and
279 upbraid belittle
criticism
280 valorous courageous give up?

knowledge
281 venerate to view with great respect
and skill

282 verity truth truth

283 verve flamboyant style the senses

argument and
284 vignette sketch, description
language

spread negative information about, praise and

285 vilify
defame criticism

war and
286 vitriolic bitter, destructive
peace

war and
287 vituperative bitterly abusive
peace

argument and
288 voluble talking easily and at length
language

size, amount,
289 winnow sorting, filtering
location

argument and
290 witticism witty remark
language

size, amount,
291 zenith highest point
location