SAT Vocabulary Ep. 11: 10 High-Frequency Words, Definitions & Practice Quiz

SAT high-frequency vocabulary Set 11: alleviate, coalesce, concede, deleterious, disparage, and 5 more words with definitions, look-alike word pairs, and a 13-question practice quiz.

CRAMBOOKNOTES SAT Vocab Series

SAT High-Frequency Vocabulary

Ep.11 Words in Context - Set 11

High School Grades 10-12 10 Key Words Digital SAT

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Word List

Word	Part of Speech	Definition	SAT Context
Alleviate Positive	verb	To make suffering, pain, or a problem less severe	"The new irrigation system was designed to alleviate the water shortages that had plagued the region for a decade."
Coalesce Neutral	verb	To come together and combine into one unified whole	"Over several meetings, the scattered proposals gradually coalesced into a single, coherent policy."
Concede Neutral	verb	To admit that something is true, often reluctantly, or to yield a point	"Though reluctant at first, the senator eventually conceded that the new data undermined her original position."
Deleterious Negative	adjective	Causing harm or damage, sometimes in a way that isn't immediately obvious	"The report warned that prolonged exposure to the chemical could have deleterious effects on local wildlife, even at low concentrations."
Disparage Negative	verb	To speak of someone or something in a dismissive, belittling way	"The editorial was careful not to disparage the opposing viewpoint, choosing instead to address its arguments directly."
Disparate Neutral	adjective	Essentially different in kind; not allowing comparison	"The anthology brings together disparate voices, from formerly enslaved writers to twentieth-century poets, united only by a shared theme."
Egregious Negative	adjective	Outstandingly bad or shocking in a way that is impossible to overlook	"The audit uncovered an egregious accounting error that had gone unnoticed for three consecutive fiscal years."
Impede Negative	verb	To slow down or block the progress of something	"Heavy silt buildup began to impede the river's natural flow, forcing engineers to dredge the channel."
Inherent Neutral	adjective	Existing as a natural and inseparable part of something	"The researchers acknowledged an inherent limitation in their study: the sample size was too small to generalize the results."
Prevalent Neutral	adjective	Widespread or common within a particular place or time	"Misinformation about the treaty became so prevalent that historians still struggle to separate fact from popular myth."

Look-Alike Words

Commonly Confused · Similar Spelling

Disparage

To speak about someone or something in a way that puts it down.

Disparate

So different from something else that the two can't really be compared.

Tip: Disparage and disparate share a root but mean very different things - disparage is an action (putting something down), disparate is a description (being different).

Opposite Charge · Contrast Pair

Alleviate

To make a problem or hardship less severe.

Impede

To slow down or block something's progress.

Tip: Alleviate makes a difficulty smaller. Impede makes progress harder to achieve.

Commonly Confused · Similar Meaning

Egregious

So bad or shocking that it stands out immediately.

Deleterious

Harmful, often in a slow or not-immediately-obvious way.

Tip: Egregious describes something shockingly bad and obvious. Deleterious describes harm that can be gradual or hidden.

Vocabulary Video

Watch - SAT Vocabulary Ep.11

Practice Quiz

SAT Vocab Ep.11 - Practice Quiz

Question 1 of 13

Doctors hoped the new medication would __________ the patient's chronic pain.

Question 2 of 13

Dozens of small protests eventually __________ into one large, organized movement.

Question 3 of 13

After reviewing the footage, the referee __________ that the call had been incorrect.

Question 4 of 13

Scientists found that even small amounts of the pesticide had __________ effects on nearby fish populations.

Question 5 of 13

The coach never __________ his players in public, even after a difficult loss.

Question 6 of 13

The museum exhibit connected surprisingly __________ objects, from ancient pottery to modern sculpture.

Question 7 of 13

The company issued a public apology after the __________ error appeared in thousands of printed textbooks.

Question 8 of 13

Construction on the main road began to __________ traffic throughout the entire downtown area.

Question 9 of 13

There is an __________ difficulty in translating poetry, since so much meaning depends on the sound of the original words.

Question 10 of 13

Food delivery apps have become increasingly __________ in cities of all sizes.

Question 11 of 13

Look-Alike Check: A critic who mocks a film as worthless in his review is choosing to __________ it, not merely describe it as disparate from others in its genre.

Question 12 of 13

Look-Alike Check: A new bike lane that speeds up commutes is best described as alleviating traffic, rather than __________ it.

Question 13 of 13

Look-Alike Check: A factory quietly releasing low levels of pollution for years, with effects that build up slowly, is best described as having a __________ impact, rather than an egregious one.

out of 13 correct

Full explanations for every question appear below after you check your answers.

Answer Key & Explanations

1Alleviate. A medication hoped to make chronic pain less severe is exactly what alleviate describes.

2Coalesced. Dozens of small protests coming together into one unified movement is exactly what coalesce means.

3Conceded. A referee admitting, after review, that a call was wrong is exactly what concede describes.

4Deleterious. Small amounts of pesticide causing harm to fish populations, not always immediately obvious, is exactly what deleterious describes.

5Disparaged. Never speaking dismissively about his players in public, even after a loss, is exactly what disparage describes, in its negated form.

6Disparate. Objects essentially different in kind, from ancient pottery to modern sculpture, connected only by an exhibit's theme, is exactly what disparate describes.

7Egregious. An error so bad it appeared in thousands of textbooks and forced a public apology is exactly what egregious describes.

8Impede. Construction slowing down traffic throughout downtown is exactly what impede means.

9Inherent. A difficulty that exists as a natural, inseparable part of translating poetry is exactly what inherent describes.

10Prevalent. Food delivery apps becoming common and widespread across cities of all sizes is exactly what prevalent describes.

11Disparage. Mocking a film as worthless is choosing to disparage it, distinct from disparate, which simply means being different.

12Impeding. A bike lane that speeds up commutes is alleviating traffic, not impeding it, which would mean slowing it down.

13Deleterious. Pollution that builds up slowly over years, without an obvious immediate impact, is deleterious, distinct from egregious, which describes something shockingly bad and obvious.

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