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Guide 22 of 31

SAT words about relevance and importance.

54 words the Digital SAT draws on when a passage turns to relevance and importance — each with its part of speech, a plain-English definition, and an example sentence showing how it behaves in context.

54 words · Free PDF · No account needed

Vocabulary on the Digital SAT is tested in context, not in isolation: a Words in Context question hands you a sentence with a blank and four plausible-looking candidates, and the winner is the one whose shade of meaning fits. Studying words in a meaning-group like this one is the fastest way to build that discrimination — you learn relevance and importance as a spectrum rather than as 54 unrelated definitions.

Read the definition, then the example sentence. Say the word aloud. Come back to this theme a few days later and cover the definitions — recalling a word cold is what fixes it, and rereading it is not.

The 54 words

Alphabetical. Everything in the Relevance & Importance guide.

001
accessorynoun

a supplementary item that adds to or enhances something else

She bought a matching handbag as an accessory to her outfit.

002
ancillaryadjective

providing support to primary activities

Ancillary services included catering.

003
aproposadjective

very appropriate to a particular situation

Her comment was apropos to the discussion.

004
basicadjective

forming an essential foundation; fundamental

Understanding basic grammar is essential for learning a new language.

005
centraladjective

of greatest importance; principal

This is central to our strategy.

006
criticaladjective

expressing disapproval; extremely important

Timing is critical to the success of this operation.

007
crucialadjective

of great importance; critical

The crucial vote determined the outcome.

008
digressiveadjective

tending to stray from the main point

His digressive style frustrated listeners.

009
discountedverb

reduced in price; disregarded as being unreliable or unimportant

The store discounted all winter merchandise by fifty percent.

010
dismissverb

to send away or allow to leave; to treat as unworthy of consideration

The judge decided to dismiss the case due to lack of evidence.

011
dispensableadjective

able to be replaced or done without

No employee is truly dispensable.

012
disregardedverb

paid no attention to; ignored

The warnings were disregarded, leading to the preventable accident.

013
essentialadjective

absolutely necessary; extremely important

Water is essential for survival.

014
extraneousadjective

irrelevant or unrelated to the subject; coming from outside

The editor removed all extraneous details from the manuscript.

015
extraneousadjective

irrelevant or unrelated to the subject

Remove all extraneous details.

016
featuredverb/adjective

given special prominence; included as a main element

The article featured interviews with several industry experts.

017
foundationaladjective

serving as a base or foundation; fundamental

Mathematics is foundational to understanding physics and engineering.

018
fundamentaladjective

forming a necessary base or core

These are fundamental principles.

019
germaneadjective

relevant to a subject under consideration

Only germane information should be included.

020
highlightverb

to emphasize or draw attention to something important

The report will highlight the key findings of our research.

021
ignoredverb

refused to take notice of; disregarded

Her advice was ignored, and the project failed as a result.

022
importantadjective

of great significance or value; having high rank or influence

Education is important for personal and professional development.

023
incidentaladjective

happening as a minor consequence

The incidental costs added up.

024
inconsequentialadjective

not important or significant; trivial

The minor error was inconsequential to the overall project.

025
inconsequentialadjective

not important or significant

The error was inconsequential.

026
insignificancenoun

the quality of being too small or unimportant to be worth consideration

Standing beneath the vast stars, she felt a sense of her own insignificance.

027
integraladjective

necessary to make a whole complete

She was an integral part of the team.

028
irrelevantadjective

not connected with or related to something; not applicable

The lawyer objected, stating that the question was irrelevant to the case.

029
irrelevantadjective

not connected with the matter at hand

The judge ruled the evidence irrelevant.

030
marginaladjective

of minor importance

The marginal improvements weren't enough.

031
materialadjective

significant or relevant

The information was material to the case.

032
negligibleadjective

so small as to be not worth considering

The impact on the environment was negligible.

033
overshadowedverb

made to seem less important or successful in comparison

Her achievements were overshadowed by her more famous sibling.

034
paramountadjective

more important than anything else; supreme

Safety is of paramount importance in this industry.

035
peripheraladjective

relating to the edge or outer boundary; of secondary importance

The peripheral issues distracted from the main topic of discussion.

036
peripheraladjective

of secondary or minor importance

Peripheral issues distracted from the goal.

037
pertinentadjective

relevant to the matter at hand

She made several pertinent observations.

038
pivotaladjective

of crucial importance

It was a pivotal moment in history.

039
prioritizeverb

to designate or treat something as more important than other things

You need to prioritize your tasks to meet the deadline.

040
redundantadjective

not or no longer needed or useful; superfluous; using more words than necessary

The phrase 'free gift' is redundant since gifts are always free.

041
requireverb

to need for a particular purpose; to demand as necessary

This recipe will require three cups of flour.

042
requiredverb/adjective

needed for a particular purpose; officially compulsory

All students are required to complete the assignment by Friday.

043
requirementnoun

something that is needed or demanded; a necessary condition

A college degree is a requirement for this position.

044
requiresverb

needs for a particular purpose; demands as necessary

The job requires excellent communication skills.

045
salientadjective

most noticeable or important

The salient points were highlighted.

046
significantadjective

sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; meaningful

There has been a significant improvement in her grades.

047
superfluousadjective

unnecessary; more than is needed

The editor removed superfluous words from the article.

048
tangentialadjective

diverging from a main subject

His tangential comments delayed the meeting.

049
trivialadjective

of little value or importance

Don't waste time on trivial matters.

050
underscoreverb

to emphasize or highlight the importance of something

The report served to underscore the need for immediate action on climate change.

051
unimportantadjective

lacking in significance or value; not mattering much

The minor details seemed unimportant compared to the larger issues at hand.

052
unnecessaryadjective

not needed; more than is needed or wanted

The lengthy introduction seemed unnecessary and wasted valuable time.

053
unremarkableadjective

not particularly interesting or surprising; ordinary

The town appeared unremarkable at first but had a rich hidden history.

054
vitaladjective

absolutely necessary or important

Oxygen is vital for life.

Prefer paper? The printable Relevance & Importance guide adds a memory cue to every entry, ready to print — 50 of the 54 words on this page. For the alphabetical master list, see the SAT vocabulary list; to be quizzed on these words instead of reading them, use the vocabulary trainer or try some Words in Context practice.

31 themes down, one test to go.

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