50 Words the SAT Loves

Auspicious. Aesthetic. Eclectic. These words may sound vaguely familiar to the teen in your house. But do they know exactly what they mean?

If they're prepping for the SAT, they should. Vocabulary for the test isn't as random as you might think. While it changes for each test sitting, there are certain stalwarts that tend to show up again and again. And if your kid knows the set, his odds of scoring will improve. A lot.

Much money has been spent on teasing out the candidates. And coaching companies aren't giving it all out for free. The Princeton Review offered us 50 words from their stash of "most frequently tested".  If nothing else, it's a good start. So drop a few of these words into dinnertime conversation and hope your kid's ears are perked:

abstract not concrete
aesthetic having to do with the appreciation of beauty
alleviate to ease a pain or a burden
ambivalent simultaneously feeling opposing feelings; uncertain
apathetic feeling or showing little emotion
auspicious favorable; promising
benevolent well-meaning; generous
candor sincerity; openness
cogent convincing; reasonable
comprehensive broad or complete in scope or content
contemporary current, modern; from the same time
conviction a fixed or strong belief
diligent marked by painstaking effort; hard-working
dubious doubtful; of unlikely authenticity
eclectic made up of a variety of sources or styles
egregious conspicuously bad or offensive
exculpate to free from guilt or blame
florid flowery or elaborate in style
gratuitous given freely; unearned; unwarranted
hackneyed worn out through overuse; trite
idealize to consider perfect
impartial not in favor of one side or the other; unbiased
imperious arrogantly domineering or overbearing
inherent inborn; built-in
innovative introducing something new
inveterate long established; deep-rooted; habitual
laudatory giving praise
maverick one who resists adherence to a group
mollify to calm or soothe
novel strikingly new or unusual
obdurate stubborn; inflexible
objectivity judgment uninfluenced by emotion
obstinate stubbornly adhering to an opinion
ornate elaborately decorated
ostentatious describing a pretentious display
paramount of chief concern or importance
penitent expressing remorse for one's misdeeds
pervasive dispersed throughout
plausible seemingly valid or acceptable; credible
profound having great depth or seriousness
prosaic unimaginative; dull; ordinary
quandary a state of uncertainty or perplexity
rancorous hateful; marked by deep-seated ill will
spurious not genuine; false; counterfeit
stoic indifferent to pleasure or pain; impassive
superfluous extra; unnecessary
tenuous having little substance or strength; unsure; weak
timorous timid; fearful
transitory short-lived; temporary
vindicated freed from blame