Assessing advanced reading skills on multiple choice exams can be tough, but indicators like comprehension of appropriate vocabulary serve as signals of advanced reading prowess. That’s why the SAT tests vocabulary and why we analyze reports to record which words appear on official administrations.
SAT Test takers definitely encountered challenging vocabulary in October, including a myriad (see below) of words that have appeared on past exams. Thanks to all those self-prep superstars on the r/SAT subreddit—led by supermod yodatsracist—who shared the most perplexing vocabulary they encountered on the U.S., International, and In-School administrations of the October SAT.
Here are the challenging October 2025 words we’ve already featured on Roots2Words:
abate (verb) - to diminish in force or intensity
BREAKDOWN: A- (toward) + BAT- (beat)
acquiesce (verb) - to accept, submit, or consent in silence or without protest
BREAKDOWN: AC- (towards) + QUIE- (quiet) + -ESCE (become)
alleviate (verb) - to make more bearable; to lessen pain, grief, or suffering
BREAKDOWN: A- (toward) + LEV- (light) + -IATE (to make or do)
augment (verb) - to make larger, greater, or stronger; to build on what already exists
BREAKDOWN: AUG- (to increase) + -MENT (act or state)
epitomize (verb) - to be a perfect example of something; to represent, exemplify, or typify
BREAKDOWN: EPI- (in addition) + TOM- (to cut) + -IZE (make or do)
exploit (verb) - make full or productive use of; to take advantage of in an unfair or unethical way
BREAKDOWN: EX- (out) + PLAIT- (to fold or plait) [variant of PLIC-]
extemporaneous (adj) - delivered, performed, or executed with little or no advance preparation
BREAKDOWN: EX- (out) + TEMPOR- (time) + -ANEOUS (characterized by)
incongruous (adj) - not in keeping, matching, or fitting in; out of place or harmony
BREAKDOWN: IN- (not) + CON- (with) + GRU- (rush, fall) + -OUS (inclined to)
—incongruity is a state of incompatibility, inconsistency, or mismatch
inconspicuous (adj) - not easily noticed or seen; not prominent or attracting attention
BREAKDOWN: IN- (not) + CON- (thoroughly) + SPIC- (look) + -OUS (having qualities of)
juxtaposition (noun) - an act or instance of placing two things close together to compare, contrast, or inspire thought
BREAKDOWN: JUXT- (join) + POS- (put, place) + -TION (act or state)
meticulous (adj) - extremely or overly careful in thinking about or dealing with small details; precise, picky, or punctilious
BREAKDOWN: Derives from the Latin metus meaning fear, apprehension, or anxiety.
myriad (noun) - exactly 10,000 or or indefinitely great number of persons or things.
BREAKDOWN: MYRIA- (ten thousand) + -AD (group or unit)
reprisal (noun) - an act of retaliation, redress, or recapture
BREAKDOWN: RE- (again) + PRIS- (to hold) + -AL (pertaining to)
unnerve (verb) - to cause to lose confidence, courage, or determination
BREAKDOWN: UN- (opposite) + NERV- (nerve)
vindicate (verb) - to clear from guilt or accusation; to uphold or defend; to justify or redeem
BREAKDOWN: VIN- (force) + DIC- (show) + -ATE (to do)
Many of the challenging words we haven’t covered (yet) were based on word roots:
abut (verb) - to touch, join, or share a common boundary
BREAKDOWN: A- (to) + BUT- (to beat or strike)
abridge (verb) - to shorten or condense
BREAKDOWN: A- (to) + BRIDGE- (short) [variant of BREV-]
complaisance (noun) - a willingness or disposition to please or agree with others
BREAKDOWN: COM- (very) + PLAC- (to please) + -ENCE (quality)
compliance (noun) - the act, process, or state of obeying a rule, demand or desire
BREAKDOWN: COM- (with) + PLY- (to fill) + -ENCE (quality)
concede (verb) - to admit; to acknowledge as true or right; to yield or grant
BREAKDOWN: CON- (with) + CED- (to go or give way)
contrive (verb) - to make something happen through skill, planning, and ingenuity; to accomplish something foolish
BREAKDOWN: CON- (together) + TRIV- (to find)
—contrivance is a clever construction or scheme, often considered inauthentic or dishonest
culpability (adj) - fault or blame; the state of being guilty for something
BREAKDOWN: CULP- (blame) + -ABLE (able to be) + -ITY (quality)
decouple (verb) - to separate, disconnect, or disengage
BREAKDOWN: DE- (undo) + COUPL- (to unite)
delineate (verb) - to describe, portray, or indicate with precision; to represent with words or images
BREAKDOWN: DE- (completely) + LIN- (line) + -ATE (to make or do)
distort (verb) - to twist out of proper or natural shape; to alter or mislead
BREAKDOWN: DIS- (apart, completely) + TORT- (to twist)
emanate (verb) - to issue, originate, or flow from; to give off or emit
BREAKDOWN: E- (out) + MANA- (to flow) + -ATE (make or do)
enumerate (verb) - to count or list one by one
BREAKDOWN: E- (out) + NUM- (number, to count) + -ATE (to make or do)
evasion (noun) - the act of avoiding, dodging, or escaping
BREAKDOWN: E- (out) + VAD- (to go) + -ION (act or state)
fidelity (noun) - the quality of being faithful or loyal
BREAKDOWN: FID- (faith) + -ELITY (state of)
forsake (verb) - to renounce, withdraw, or abandon entirely
BREAKDOWN: FOR- (completely) + SAKE- (dispute, accuse)
impromptu (adj) - done without planning, preparation, or rehearsal
BREAKDOWN: IM- (in) + PRO- (forward) + EMPT- (to take)
index (noun) - a detailed listing of contents; a sign or indication (plural: indices)
BREAKDOWN: IN- (in) + DEX- (show, set apart) [variant of DIC-]
inertia (noun) - sluggishness, idleness, or lack of activity; an unwillingness to take action
BREAKDOWN: IN- (not) + ART- (skill) + -IA (state of)
intermingle (verb) - to mix together
BREAKDOWN: INTER- (between) + MONG- (to mingle) + -LE (continuously)
invalidate (verb) - to make or prove to be false, void, or powerless
BREAKDOWN: IN- (not) + VAL- (worth) + -ID (that which is) + -ATE (to make or do)
mandate (noun) - an authorization or command to act in a particular way
BREAKDOWN: MAN- (hand) + -DAT (to give)
—mandate as a verb means to command
obviate (verb) - to remove a difficulty or prevent in advance
BREAKDOWN: OB- (against) + VI- (way) + -ATE (to make or do)
opaque (adj) - unable to able to be seen through
BREAKDOWN: Derives from the Latin opacus meaning darkened or obscure
ostentatious (adj) - overtly seeking to attract attention or envy; showy, gaudy, or conspicuous
BREAKDOWN: OS- (in front of) + TENS- (stretch) + --ATIOUS (inclined to)
paradoxical (adj) - having self-contradictory properties
BREAKDOWN: PARA- (contrary to) + DOX- (belief)
proxy (noun) - someone or something that acts as a substitute or agent for another; something that indirectly represents or signals another
BREAKDOWN: PRO- (just as) + CUR- (care for)
redundancy (noun) - the state of being superfluous or repetitive
BREAKDOWN: RE- (again) + UND- (to flow or rise) + -ANCY (quality)
resilience (noun) - the ability to withstand, adapt to, or bounce back from hardship or challenges
BREAKDOWN: RE- (back) + SAL- (to leap) + -IENCE (act or state)
rigor (noun) - precision or thoroughness; difficulty, strictness, or severity; stiffness
BREAKDOWN: RIG- (stiff, stretched) + -OR (state of)
transpose (verb) - to reverse, transfer, or change the order of something; to interchange
BREAKDOWN: TRANS- (across, over) + POS- (to put or place)
withhold (verb) - to hold back, suppress, or refuse
BREAKDOWN: WITH- (back, away) + HOLD- (to grasp or contain)
Oscillate is the one word on this test lacked a clear connection to classical roots but should still be high on the list of words to learn for the SAT.
If the SAT is in your future, you should learn all of these words. For more Vocab Audits, explore our SAT/ACT Resources page.
“Words will not fail when the matter is well considered.” —Horace