Test prep
This list helps students preparing for the PSAT build the kind of academic vocabulary that shows up in Reading and Writing passages. Review the words below, notice how each one shifts meaning with context, and quiz yourself regularly in the weeks leading up to test day.
| Word | Meaning | In a sentence | Save |
|---|---|---|---|
| abateverb | To become less strong or severe, or to cause something to lessen in force or intensity. | The storm began to abate as evening approached, letting the ships leave harbor safely. | |
| adversitynoun | A difficult or unfavorable situation or period; hardship. | She showed remarkable resilience in the face of adversity. | |
| aestheticadjective | Connected with beauty, art, or the way something looks. | The architect chose the curved roof for aesthetic reasons. | |
| ambiguousadjective | Open to more than one reasonable interpretation. | The ambiguous instruction left us unsure which door to use. | |
| analogousadjective | Similar in certain respects, allowing a useful comparison even though the two things are otherwise different. | The heart's function is analogous to a pump, moving blood continuously through the body's vessels. | |
| arbitraryadjective | Based on random choice or personal whim rather than any reason, system, or law. | The fine seemed arbitrary since no clear rule explained why it was so high. | |
| benevolentadjective | Showing kindness and a desire to help others. | A benevolent neighbor quietly paid for the damaged fence. | |
| candidadjective | Honest and direct about what you think or know. | Please give me a candid assessment of the draft before I submit it. | |
| comprehensiveadjective | Complete and including everything that is necessary or relevant to a subject. | The report offered a comprehensive overview of the company's finances over the past decade. | |
| contentiousadjective | Likely to cause disagreement or argument; controversial. | Immigration remained the most contentious issue of the entire election campaign. | |
| credibleadjective | Able to be believed; convincing, trustworthy, and reasonable to accept as true. | The detective needed a credible witness to support her theory of the crime. | |
| deferencenoun | Respectful submission to the judgment, wishes, or authority of another person. | The junior staff treated the retiring director with great deference at the farewell dinner. | |
| discernverb | To perceive, recognize, or understand something clearly, especially when it is not obvious at first. | Through the thick fog, the sailors could barely discern the shape of the lighthouse. | |
| eloquentadjective | Expressing ideas or feelings clearly, gracefully, and powerfully. | Her eloquent speech helped the audience understand why the park mattered. | |
| empiricaladjective | Based on observation or experiment rather than theory or pure reasoning. | The scientist gathered empirical evidence before drawing any conclusions. | |
| extraneousadjective | Not directly connected to the main subject; irrelevant or unnecessary. | The editor cut several extraneous details that slowed down the story. | |
| hypotheticaladjective | Based on a suggested situation or idea rather than on something that has actually happened. | The professor posed a hypothetical scenario to see how students would react under pressure. | |
| incisiveadjective | Showing sharp, clear thinking or expression that gets quickly to the heart of a matter. | Her incisive comments during the debate exposed the flaw in his argument. | |
| indifferentadjective | Having no particular interest, concern, or sympathy regarding a situation or person. | He remained indifferent to the debate happening around him, scrolling through his phone instead. | |
| innovativeadjective | Introducing new ideas, methods, or products in an original and creative way. | The startup's innovative approach to recycling plastic waste attracted major investors. | |
| meticulousadjective | Taking great care over small details so that work is accurate or complete. | The model required meticulous measurements before any wood was cut. | |
| nuancenoun | A small but meaningful difference in meaning, feeling, sound, or appearance. | The translator preserved the nuance between a polite request and a firm instruction. | |
| objectivenoun | A goal or result that a person or organization is working to achieve. | The team's main objective this quarter is to reduce customer complaints by half. | |
| pragmaticadjective | Focused on what will work in the actual situation. | With rain approaching, we took the pragmatic step of moving the tables indoors. | |
| prevalentadjective | Widespread or common within a particular area, group, or time period. | Malaria remains especially prevalent in regions with warm, humid climates. | |
| redundantadjective | No longer needed because something else does the same job, or dismissed from a job because the position is unnecessary. | The old backup system became redundant once the new cloud storage was installed. | |
| skepticaladjective | Not easily convinced that a claim is true or reliable. | I was skeptical of the promise until I saw the results. | |
| subtleadjective | So delicate or precise as to be difficult to detect or describe; not obvious. | There was a subtle change in her tone that suggested she wasn't telling the whole story. | |
| tenuousadjective | Weak, uncertain, or supported by very little evidence. | The claim rests on a tenuous link between two unrelated events. | |
| versatileadjective | Able to adapt or be used easily for many different purposes, skills, or situations. | This versatile tool can be used for cutting, measuring, and prying. |
No matching words in this collection.
The two tests are closely related and generally test similar academic vocabulary in context, so practicing one helps with the other.
Try turning a batch of words into a quiz or crossword puzzle, then review any you miss a few days later.