English Vocabulary · SAT Preparation Live Review Preview
SAT Vocabulary Words
The current digital SAT Reading and Writing section uses short passages from literature, history and social studies, the humanities, and science. Its Craft and Structure questions ask students to determine the meaning of high-utility words in context and to choose the most logical and precise word or phrase. Vocabulary also supports evidence, inference, rhetorical synthesis, transitions, and clear Standard English expression across the section.
This independently authored 800-word beta curriculum is arranged in twenty-three pages of up to thirty-five words. Pages containing words 1–500 include five cloze questions drawn only from that enhanced range; words 501–800 remain fully visible and editable while the expanded practice layer is developed. Each row includes a passage-field label and an editable word-study note about a transparent affix, compound structure, capitalization, or dictionary base form. The list is an unofficial KSSR learning resource and is not endorsed by or affiliated with College Board. SAT is a registered trademark of College Board.
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| # | Word | Details | Meaning | Sample sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 211 | viable | adjective StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: viable is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context. | 可行的 | The pilot study suggests that the method is viable. |
| 212 | abnegation | noun StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Suffix focus: -ation commonly forms a noun naming an action, process, or result. | 放弃 | Her abnegation of personal credit kept attention on the relief effort. |
| 213 | abortive | adjective StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Suffix focus: -ive commonly forms an adjective meaning having a quality or tendency. | 徒劳的 | An abortive rescue attempt ended when the weather worsened. |
| 214 | abstinence | noun StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Suffix focus: -ence commonly forms a noun naming an action, quality, or state. | 节制 | Medical advice led him to choose abstinence from alcohol. |
| 215 | acclimate | verb StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: acclimate is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context. | 适应环境 | The climbers paused to acclimate before ascending farther. |
| 216 | accost | verb StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: accost is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context. | 招呼 | A reporter tried to accost the actor outside the courthouse. |
| 217 | acerbic | adjective StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: acerbic is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context. | 尖 | The columnist's acerbic wit delighted some readers and offended others. |
| 218 | acrid | adjective StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: acrid is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context. | 苦的 | Acrid smoke drifted from the burned warehouse. |
| 219 | adherent | noun StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: adherent is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context. | 会员 | Each adherent signed a pledge to defend peaceful protest. |
| 220 | adulterate | verb StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: adulterate is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context. | 1. 摻假 2. 摻雜 3. 污染 | Dishonest merchants would adulterate the spice with colored powder. |
| 221 | adverse | adjective StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: adverse is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context. | 敵對 | The medicine produced no serious adverse effects. |
| 222 | affectation | noun StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Suffix focus: -ation commonly forms a noun naming an action, process, or result. | 做作 | His elaborate accent was an affectation that disappeared among friends. |
| 223 | affluent | adjective StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: affluent is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context. | 1. 豐富 2. 豐裕 3. 分流 | The survey compared affluent districts with communities lacking basic services. |
| 224 | agenda | noun StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: agenda is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context. | 1. 議程 2. 議事日程 3. 程序 | Environmental protection moved to the top of the council's agenda. |
| 225 | agrarian | adjective StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: agrarian is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context. | 1. 農業的 2. 土地的 | The reform transformed an agrarian economy into an industrial one. |
| 226 | alloy | noun StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: alloy is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context. | 合金 | Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin. |
| 227 | ambience | noun StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Suffix focus: -ence commonly forms a noun naming an action, quality, or state. | 环境 | Soft lighting gave the library a calm ambience. |
| 228 | amenity | noun StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Suffix focus: -ity commonly forms a noun naming a quality, state, or condition. | 1. 令人舒適之物 2. 令人舒適的設備 | Reliable internet became an essential amenity for the remote town. |
| 229 | amoral | adjective StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: amoral is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context. | 1. 與道德無關的 2. 不屬於道德範疇的 | The novel depicts the machine as amoral rather than deliberately cruel. |
| 230 | amorous | adjective StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Suffix focus: -ous commonly forms an adjective meaning full of or characterized by. | 爱情 | The poet addressed each amorous sonnet to an unnamed beloved. |
| 231 | anguish | noun StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: anguish is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context. | 1. 受苦 2. 十字 | The letter conveys a parent's anguish after the disappearance. |
| 232 | apocalyptic | adjective StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: apocalyptic is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context. | 世界末日的 | The article rejects apocalyptic predictions unsupported by climate models. |
| 233 | apocryphal | adjective StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: apocryphal is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context. | 假話 | The apocryphal story appears in no contemporary account. |
| 234 | apotheosis | noun StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: apotheosis is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context. | 美化 | Critics called the cathedral the apotheosis of Gothic architecture. |
| 235 | appreciable | adjective StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Suffix focus: -able means capable of, suitable for, or worthy of an action. | 可觀 | The treatment produced an appreciable decline in symptoms. |
| 236 | aptitude | noun StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: aptitude is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context. | 1. 才能 2. 才幹 3. 資質 | Her aptitude for spatial reasoning became clear in engineering class. |
| 237 | arbiter | noun StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: arbiter is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context. | 裁判 | Both parties accepted the retired judge as a neutral arbiter. |
| 238 | artful | adjective StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: artful is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context. | 拉登語 | The candidate gave an artful answer that avoided the central issue. |
| 239 | artifice | noun StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: artifice is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context. | 1. 詭計 2. 奸計 | The memoir's apparent simplicity is a deliberate artifice. |
| 240 | ascendancy | noun StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: ascendancy is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context. | 1. 優勢 2. 好处 | The party gained ascendancy after winning several regional elections. |
| 241 | atheist | noun StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Suffix focus: -ist often names a person associated with a field, belief, or practice. | 無神論者 | The essay compares the moral arguments of an atheist and a theologian. |
| 242 | attrition | noun StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Suffix focus: -ition commonly forms a noun naming an action, process, or result. | 1. 磨損 2. 磨损 | Staff attrition left the agency unable to process applications quickly. |
| 243 | audacity | noun StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Suffix focus: -ity commonly forms a noun naming a quality, state, or condition. | 脸 | The plan's audacity attracted investors who valued innovation. |
| 244 | authoritarian | adjective StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: authoritarian is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context. | 1. 獨裁的 2. 独裁主义的 | The authoritarian government banned independent newspapers. |
| 245 | avuncular | adjective StudyField: SAT evidence and rhetorical analysis Word study: Base-form focus: avuncular is the dictionary headword; compare its inflected or derived forms in context. | 长辈的 | His avuncular advice reassured the nervous interns. |
Vocabulary reading and practice
An Awkward Welcome
Reading practice for pages 7–9. Five relevant words are highlighted.
English reading
A traveler arrives while one political faction is gaining ascendancy in the capital. Before she can acclimate, a stranger tries to accost her with questions about whether she is an atheist. She declines to discuss religion and asks the hotel clerk to show her a practical amenity: a quiet workspace.
Simplified Chinese translation
一位女旅行者抵达首都时，一个政治派别正在那里逐渐得势。她还没来得及适应，一名陌生人就试图上前问她是不是无神论者。她拒绝谈论宗教，并请酒店职员带她看看一项实用的设施：一个安静的工作空间。
Reading comprehension
1. What is gaining ascendancy?
A political faction is gaining ascendancy.
2. Who tries to accost the traveler?
A stranger tries to accost her.
3. What amenity does she request?
She requests a quiet workspace.
Vocabulary quiz
Choose the dictionary equivalent for each of 5 selected words.
Vocabulary chart page
This page focuses on the word chart. Reading passages appear once in each three-page group, while cloze quizzes remain in the established enhanced range for this level.
About the digital SAT
The digital SAT Reading and Writing section measures comprehension, analysis, synthesis, rhetoric, and command of language. Its Words in Context questions ask students to determine a word’s meaning or choose the most logical and precise word for a particular passage. That means SAT vocabulary study should focus on useful academic words, multiple meanings, tone, and exact usage—not on memorizing rare words in isolation.
Use this list as one part of SAT preparation. Read each example closely, compare near-synonyms, and notice how surrounding sentences control meaning. The lesson readings and questions are designed to practise the same habits of contextual reasoning, while official College Board questions remain the best guide to the test’s exact format.
Sources and curriculum references
These references guide selection and calibration. Definitions, sample sentences, readings, questions, and teaching notes are independently written and reviewed.
- College Board: The SAT Reading and Writing Section
- College Board: Student Question Bank — Reading and Writing
- College Board: Digital SAT Suite Assessment Framework
- WikDict downloadable bilingual dictionaries
- Kaikki.org / Wiktextract machine-readable Wiktionary data
- Language-Learning-decks public flashcard datasets
- SBBIC English-to-Khmer Dictionary
- English–Khmer Dictionary Dataset (machine-generated Khmer fallback; human review required)
- PanLex meanings snapshot (direct CC0 gap candidates; human review required)
- Cambridge bilingual dictionaries (individual editorial sense checks)
- Collins English–Hindi Dictionary (individual editorial checks)
- Hindwi and Rekhta dictionaries (individual Hindi/Urdu checks)
- National Institute of Korean Language: Basic Korean Dictionary
- JMdict/EDRDG Japanese dictionary project
- CC-CEDICT Chinese dictionary project
- VDict Vietnamese Dictionary (individual editorial check)
- Google Translate (machine-assisted lesson-reading draft; fluent review required)
- Kuperman et al.: Age-of-acquisition ratings for 30,000 English words