Judicious: meaning and SAT practice

Judicious (adjective) means: Having good judgment and making wise, careful decisions.

Judicious in a sentence

The teacher made a judicious choice to delay the test until everyone was ready.

Similar: wise, prudent, sensible, careful. Opposite: reckless, foolish.

SAT-style practice: what does “judicious” most nearly mean?

The teacher made a judicious choice to delay the test until everyone was ready.

As used in the sentence, “judicious” most nearly means

  1. wise
  2. broad
  3. absurd
  4. celebrated
Show the answer

Answer: A. “judicious” means: Having good judgment and making wise, careful decisions. “wise” is the closest match in this sentence. The other choices are real SAT-level words, but none of them carries that meaning here.

On the digital SAT this is the “Words in Context” skill, about 7 of the 54 Reading and Writing questions. The test asks what a word means as used in the passage, so a word’s most common meaning is not always the answer. More of these, with full explanations, are on SAT Words in Context practice questions.

  • astute: Having keen insight and good judgment.
  • canny: Shrewd and careful, especially in business or dealing with others.
  • circumspect: Careful to consider all circumstances and consequences before acting.
  • painstaking: Requiring or showing great care and effort.
  • punctilious: Very careful about details and proper behavior or conduct.
  • scrupulous: Extremely careful and precise about details and ethics.

← irascible · All 701 SAT words · laconic →

Want to know which SAT skills you are actually missing? Take the free diagnostic. No account needed to start.