SAT Vocabulary Lesson 13
Words like didactic, obsequious, and vacillate — 25 challenging vocabulary words with definitions, exercises, and an answer key.
A free account is enough for the complete SAT word list and the full-length practice test.
Word List with Definitions
Study these 25 vocabulary words. Each word includes its part of speech and definition. Use the printable worksheet to practice recalling each word from its meaning.
| Word | Part of Speech | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| acquiesce | (v) | to accept or agree without protest |
| austere | (adj) | severely plain; strict and without comfort |
| brazen | (adj) | boldly disrespectful; without shame |
| credulous | (adj) | too ready to believe things |
| didactic | (adj) | intended to teach, often in a heavy-handed way |
| enervate | (v) | to drain of energy or strength |
| esoteric | (adj) | understood by only a small group with special knowledge |
| frugal | (adj) | careful and sparing with money or resources |
| guile | (n) | clever deceit; cunning |
| hapless | (adj) | unlucky; repeatedly meeting with misfortune |
| inept | (adj) | lacking skill; clumsy |
| languid | (adj) | slow and lacking energy |
| maverick | (n) | an independent person who resists group thinking |
| morass | (n) | a swamp; a confusing or troublesome situation |
| obsequious | (adj) | excessively eager to please or obey |
| penchant | (n) | a strong liking or tendency |
| prodigal | (adj) | wastefully extravagant |
| reproach | (v) | to express disapproval or disappointment to someone |
| scrupulous | (adj) | careful to do what is right and exact |
| staid | (adj) | settled and serious; not lively |
| truculent | (adj) | quick to argue or fight; aggressively defiant |
| untenable | (adj) | impossible to defend or maintain |
| vacillate | (v) | to waver between different opinions or choices |
| wily | (adj) | skilled at gaining an advantage through trickery |
| wistful | (adj) | full of gentle longing or regret |
Practice Exercises
The printable worksheet includes two types of exercises, covering every word on the list:
- Write the Word — A meaning is given; write the word from the list that matches it.
- Choose the Best Word — A meaning is given with four choices; circle the word that matches.
Printable Worksheet
The printable PDF includes the word list, both exercises, and a full answer key. Every word on the list is practiced exactly once across the two exercises.
The other half of the test: SAT Writing and Language
Twelve printable worksheets on the conventions the SAT checks — commas, semicolons and dashes, apostrophes, sentence boundaries, agreement, pronouns, verb tense, modifiers, parallel structure, transitions, rhetorical synthesis, and conciseness. Each teaches the rule, then drills it as four-choice questions with a key that explains every answer. The Commas worksheet needs only a free account.
New: SAT Reading worksheets
Seven printable worksheets on the Reading skills the test scores — words in context, central ideas, command of evidence in text and in data, inferences, text structure and purpose, and cross-text connections. Each teaches the skill and the wrong-answer types the test relies on, then asks about two original passages. The Words in Context worksheet needs only a free account.
SAT Vocabulary Quiz — Lesson 13
Test your knowledge of the Lesson 13 words. Select the best answer for each question and submit to see your score.
SAT Vocabulary Quiz — Lesson 13
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Which word means 'to agree without protest'?
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Which word means 'too ready to believe things'?
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Which word means 'clever deceit'?
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Which word means 'understood by only a small group'?
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Which word means 'to waver between choices'?