SAT 필수 어휘 100개
2026-04-15 · 어휘 학습
SAT를 준비하는 한국 학생을 위한 안내: 이 글은 SAT Reading 섹션에서 자주 출제되는 100개 고빈출 어휘를 5개씩 묶어 정리한 어휘 학습 자료입니다. 단어, 품사, 정의, 예문이 모두 영어로 표 형식으로 제공됩니다.
활용법: 그룹별로 하루에 5단어씩 익히고, 애너그램이나 행맨에서 같은 단어들을 다시 만나면 기억에 더 잘 정착합니다. 그룹화는 알파벳 순서가 아니라 의미 군집별로 되어 있어 — 인지 과학 연구에 따르면 연관된 단어를 함께 학습할 때 기억 효과가 훨씬 강합니다.
The SAT tests your vocabulary in context — not just definitions. Mastering these high-frequency words will boost your score and sharpen your reading comprehension across all subjects.
How to Use This List
For each word, study the definition, part of speech, and example sentence. Then try using it in your own writing. The best way to remember a word is to use it.
Group 1: Words About Praise & Criticism
| Word | Part of Speech | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laud | verb | To praise highly | Critics lauded the novel for its originality. |
| Censure | verb/noun | To express strong disapproval | The senator faced censure for his remarks. |
| Extol | verb | To praise enthusiastically | She extolled the virtues of daily reading. |
| Disparage | verb | To speak slightingly of; belittle | He disparaged his rival's achievements. |
| Venerate | verb | To regard with great respect | The community venerated the elder statesman. |
Group 2: Words About Attitude & Behavior
| Word | Part of Speech | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pragmatic | adjective | Dealing with things sensibly and practically | A pragmatic approach saved the company money. |
| Reticent | adjective | Not revealing one's thoughts; reserved | She was reticent about her personal life. |
| Tenacious | adjective | Holding firmly; persistent | His tenacious spirit helped him overcome every obstacle. |
| Audacious | adjective | Showing bold daring; fearless | The startup's audacious plan disrupted the industry. |
| Impetuous | adjective | Acting quickly without thought | His impetuous decision cost him dearly. |
Group 3: Words About Logic & Argument
| Word | Part of Speech | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refute | verb | To prove wrong by argument or evidence | She refuted every claim with data. |
| Cogent | adjective | Clear, logical, and convincing | He made a cogent argument for reform. |
| Ambiguous | adjective | Open to more than one interpretation | The contract's wording was dangerously ambiguous. |
| Paradox | noun | A seemingly contradictory statement that is true | "Less is more" is a famous paradox. |
| Rhetoric | noun | The art of effective or persuasive speaking | The speech was full of political rhetoric. |
Group 4: Words About Change
| Word | Part of Speech | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitigate | verb | To make less severe or serious | Trees mitigate the effects of urban heat. |
| Exacerbate | verb | To make worse | Stress can exacerbate health problems. |
| Transient | adjective | Lasting only for a short time | Fame can be transient without real talent. |
| Ubiquitous | adjective | Present everywhere simultaneously | Smartphones have become ubiquitous in modern life. |
| Obsolete | adjective | No longer in use; out of date | Fax machines are largely obsolete today. |
Group 5: Words About Morality & Character
| Word | Part of Speech | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Integrity | noun | The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles | Her integrity was never questioned. |
| Altruism | noun | Selfless concern for others | His altruism led him to donate his savings. |
| Duplicitous | adjective | Deceitful in behavior | The duplicitous politician lost public trust. |
| Benevolent | adjective | Well-meaning and kindly | The benevolent donor funded a new library. |
| Nefarious | adjective | Wicked or criminal | The villain's nefarious plot was uncovered. |
Group 6: Words About Time & Frequency
| Word | Part of Speech | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ephemeral | adjective | Lasting only a short time | Social media fame is often ephemeral. |
| Perennial | adjective | Lasting or recurring continually | Climate change is a perennial challenge. |
| Sporadic | adjective | Occurring at irregular intervals | Sporadic rainfall affected the harvest. |
| Antiquated | adjective | Old-fashioned; outdated | The factory used antiquated machinery. |
| Imminent | adjective | About to happen | The threat of recession seems imminent. |
Group 7: Words About Quantity & Magnitude
| Word | Part of Speech | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myriad | noun/adj | A very large number | A myriad of stars filled the night sky. |
| Paucity | noun | Smallness in quantity; scarcity | The paucity of evidence weakened the case. |
| Copious | adjective | Abundant in supply | She took copious notes during the lecture. |
| Negligible | adjective | So small as to be unimportant | The temperature change was negligible. |
| Substantial | adjective | Large in size, value, or importance | The renovation required substantial investment. |
Group 8: Words About Knowledge & Wisdom
| Word | Part of Speech | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erudite | adjective | Showing great learning | The professor's lecture was erudite and engaging. |
| Astute | adjective | Shrewd; quickly understanding | An astute investor noticed the market shift early. |
| Discern | verb | To perceive or recognize clearly | It is hard to discern truth from rumor online. |
| Sagacious | adjective | Wise; showing keen discernment | The judge's sagacious ruling settled the dispute. |
| Pedantic | adjective | Excessively concerned with details | His pedantic corrections annoyed the team. |
Common SAT Reading Themes Where These Words Appear
The SAT Reading section draws passages from four broad domains, and the vocabulary you encounter clusters into recognizable patterns. Literature passages frequently feature words about character and morality (Group 5: integrity, altruism, duplicitous) and emotional states. History and social science passages rely heavily on argument vocabulary (Group 3: refute, cogent, ambiguous) and change words (Group 4: mitigate, exacerbate, transient). Science passages use words about quantity (Group 7: negligible, substantial) and process. Founding documents often deploy elevated vocabulary about wisdom and authority (Group 8: erudite, sagacious, astute).
Knowing this clustering helps you predict which words are likely to appear on test day — and prioritize your study time accordingly. If you only have two weeks before the test, focus first on argument and change vocabulary (Groups 3 and 4), since those domains generate the most SAT Reading questions. If you have a month or more, cycle through all eight groups so each cluster gets dedicated review time.
The word groups in this guide are deliberately organized by semantic theme rather than alphabetically. This is supported by vocabulary research: words encoded together in a meaningful network are far easier to recall than the same words encoded in isolation. When you study, do not just memorize tenacious in a list — link it mentally to audacious, pragmatic, and impetuous as a cluster of attitude-and-behavior words. The cluster itself becomes a memory hook.
How to Study These Words Effectively
Reading a word list is not enough. Passive exposure creates weak memory traces that fade quickly. To genuinely own a word — to use it confidently in writing and speech without thinking — you need active retrieval practice. The techniques below all work, and combining them is far more effective than any single one on its own.
Example sentence creation: After reading a word's definition, close the list and write your own example sentence from memory. Your sentence doesn't need to be sophisticated — it needs to be in your own voice, using a context meaningful to you. This generation effort dramatically improves retention compared to just reading the provided example.
Word grouping: Study words by semantic family rather than alphabetically. The words in Group 1 above (laud, censure, extol, disparage, venerate) are all about evaluating people or ideas. Learning them together builds a richer mental network around the concept of approval and criticism — and networks are far more durable in memory than isolated facts.
Daily application: Use one new word per day in writing or conversation. If you learned the word tenacious today, find a reason to use it in an email, a text, or a spoken sentence before tomorrow. This active use is the fastest route from recognition to production.
Play WordMaster's Daily Challenge alongside your SAT vocabulary study. Guessing 5-letter words builds the same orthographic pattern-recognition skills tested on the SAT Reading section, and the post-game word profiles often introduce vocabulary that overlaps with test prep lists.
SAT Study Tip
The SAT Reading section tests vocabulary in context — not isolated definitions. Practice reading entire sentences and paragraphs that contain target words, rather than just memorizing the definition in isolation. The ability to infer meaning from context is as important as knowing the definition directly.