ADMONISH was indisputably the “word of the day” on the October 3, 2026 SAT. It appeared in a challenging vocabulary in context question on BOTH the International and the US tests!
An ADMONITION is a sincere warning given as a piece of advice or mild constructive criticism. For example, in his Farewell Address, George Washington famously ADMONISHED America to avoid entangling foreign alliances. I regularly, ADMONISH my SAT students to study my Substack lists of High-Frequency, Double Trouble, and One Hit Wonder words.
The October 3, 2026 passage focused on the powers of female superheroes. The passage warned that these characters sometimes exhibit behavior that has negative consequences. The key word “warn” clearly supports ADMONISH as the most logical and precise answer. Unfortunately, many students chose OBFUSCATE believing that superhero female characters were used to deliberately mislead their fans.
ADMONISH – to give a warming intended as sincere advice
OBFUSCATE – to deliberately make something unclear; confuse