SAT Vocabulary Study Guide

Put these words onto flash cards with the word on one side and the definition and mnemonic device on the other. The mnemonic devices are merely suggestions, so use whatever works for you. It also helps to relate your SAT vocabulary words with other SAT words with similar or opposite meanings.

Venerable

adj., respectable due to age or experience- similar to honorable.

Transient

adj., temporary, fleeting- something transient is in transit to somewhere or something else, so it will not be around long. Think of ephemeral, which also means fleeting, vanishing.

Surreptitious

adj., secret, stealthy- think of a reptile, a snake, slithering around without making a sound.

Superfluous

adj., more than enough, extra- think of surplus, or a super flow of water.

Spurious

adj., false- I get furious when I hear spurious arguments.

Sagacity

n., wisdom- a sage possesses great sagacity.

Reverence

n., respect- from revere, you refer to people you respect. Think of deference, which means a polite respect for others.

Rancorous

adj., hateful- rancor is hate, because don't you always feel jealous hate for those that are ranked #1?

Querulous

adj., irritable, always complaining- someone who keeps questioning and is quarrelsome about everything.

Prosaic

adj., ordinary, run-of-the-mill, unimaginative- a mosaic is a beautiful, colorful work of art, and prosaic is the opposite.

Precocious

adj., talented beyond one's age- think of someone who is conscious before (pre) everyone else.

Perfidious

adj., disloyal- fidelity is loyalty, and perfidious is the opposite.

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