SAT Vocabulary — Familiar Words, Unfamiliar Senses 3 flashcards
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The digital SAT's Words in Context questions test words as they are used in a passage, and a common word can carry a less common sense there. Eighty such words, each with that less common sense, three example sentences and a note on the everyday meaning to set aside.
Learn deck · part of Digital SAT · written against: Digital SAT (2024 onward). Updated 2026-10-10.
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submit (v.) · suhb-MITto propose a view or argument for others to weigh, often formallyMaking Claims
I submit that the evidence points to a simpler explanation.
The historian submits that the letters were written years after the war.
At the planning meeting, a neighbor submitted that the old survey settled the boundary.
Watch out: Everyday sense: to hand in work; here it means to propose an argument. -
reflect (v.) · rih-FLEKTto show or reveal something, such as a trait, attitude or causeEvidence & Proof
The town's grand library reflects the wealth of its early merchants.
Her careful notes reflect years of training as a botanist.
Higher test scores may reflect smaller classes rather than a new textbook.
Watch out: Everyday sense: to throw back light or an image; here it means to show or reveal. -
cloud (v.) · KLOWDto make something less clear, or to make judgment or thinking less soundClear & Unclear
Anger can cloud even a careful person's judgment.
Missing records cloud our picture of the town's early years.
Several errors clouded the study's otherwise strong findings.
Watch out: Everyday sense: a mass of water droplets in the sky; here it means to make unclear. -
organic (adj.) · or-GAN-ikdeveloping naturally and gradually, as a living thing grows; forming a connected wholeChange & Growth
The town grew in an organic way, without any master plan.
The company's organic growth came from new customers, not from buying rivals.
In the musical, the songs and the story fit together into one organic whole.
Watch out: Everyday sense: grown without artificial chemicals; here it means developing naturally. -
dull (v.) · DUHLto weaken the sharpness, strength or intensity of something, such as pain or a feelingHelp & Hinder
The medicine dulled the pain in his knee.
Years of routine had dulled her enthusiasm for the job.
Heavy snow dulled the noise of the city's traffic.
Watch out: Everyday sense: boring; here it means to make less intense. -
gulf (n.) · GUHLFa deep divide or sharp contrast that keeps two sides far apartAgreement & Conflict
A wide gulf separates the two parties on taxes.
The gulf between city and rural voters widened during the decade.
The report notes a growing gulf between what voters want and what they get.
Watch out: Everyday sense: a large bay, like the Gulf of Mexico; here it means a wide gap. -
nurse (v.) · NURSto carry a feeling, such as a grudge or hope, around with you over a long periodAttitudes & Judgment
My uncle still nurses a grudge over a referee's call from decades ago.
The family nursed hopes that the missing ship would return.
Omar quietly nursed an ambition to run a café of his own someday.
Watch out: Everyday sense: to care for the sick; here it means to hold onto a feeling. -
element (n.) · EL-uh-muhnta touch or trace of something, such as truth, risk or surpriseAmount & Degree
Like most legends, the tale of the haunted mill has an element of truth behind it.
Even routine surgery involves an element of risk.
The ending adds an element of surprise to an otherwise predictable plot.
Watch out: Everyday sense: a chemical substance like oxygen; here it means a small amount. -
occasion (v.) · uh-KAY-zhuhnto cause something or bring it about (formal)Cause & Effect
The new law occasioned fierce debate in the legislature.
His sudden departure occasioned much talk in the village.
The flood damage, the report concludes, was occasioned by poor drainage.
Watch out: Everyday sense: a special event; here it means to cause. -
muscle (n.) · MUHS-uhlpower or influence, especially political or financial strength used to get resultsFeasibility & Strength
The family's financial muscle let them fund a new wing for the hospital.
The union used its political muscle to block the bill.
Without military muscle, the treaty was hard to enforce.
Watch out: Everyday sense: body tissue that moves the bones; here it means power or influence.
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About these cards
Review status: Second-reader reviewed, with corrections applied.
Checked against:
- Senses, parts of speech and pronunciations checked against Merriam-Webster.com, The American Heritage Dictionary (5th edition, ahdictionary.com), the Cambridge Dictionary, Oxford Learner's Dictionaries and Longman; all definitions, notes and example sentences are original.
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