MCAT CARS Vocabulary

usurp

v. to seize and hold by force or without legal right

v. to use without authority or right

pristine

adj. uncorrupted or primitive state

marginal

adj. situated on border or edge; minimal for requirements

paradigm

n. a pattern or a model

innocuous

adj. harmless

archetype

n. the original pattern or model that is the basis

ostentatious

adj. seeking to attract notice or impress others

status quo

n. current state of social or political affairs

humility

n. state of being humble

tradition

n. beliefs, values, customs, legends, etc. that are passed down from generation to generation

patronize

v. to behave offensively towards

disparaging

adj. tending to belittle or depreciate

depreciate

v. to lessen the value of

cursory

adj. going quickly over something without paying attention to details; superficial

oppression

n. exercise of authority in a cruel, unjust manner

derisive

adj. characterizing ridicule; mocking

apathetic

adj. having or showing no emotion

scrupulous

adj. having moral standards; principled

attest

v. to give proof or evidence

v. to bear witness to; to declare to be correct

premise

n. a proposition that supports a conclusion

subsume

v. to include as a part of a more comprehensible one

v. to bring under a rule

fallacious

adj. deceptive, misleading

disabuse

v. to free a person from deception or error

impassion

v. to fill with passion; to inflame; to excite

commend

v. to praise

abash

v. to destroy self-confidence; to be ashamed

pilfer

v. to steal, especially in large quantities

dally

v. to waste time, loiter

genial

adj. warmly, pleasantly cheerful

secularist

n. system of political or social philosophy that all rejects all religions

reinstate

v. to bring back into existence

renunciation

n. rejection

transcendental

adj. superior, surpassing

untenable

adj. indefensible

adj. not fit to be occupied

slanderous

adj. disparaging/derogatory

canny

adj. careful, cautious

adj. knowing, clever/sharp

loath

adj. reluctant, unwilling

foreclose

v. to deprive of the right

v. to shut out or exclude

bipartisan

adj. representing members of two parties

contemplate

v. to look at with continued attention; observe or study carefully

ovation

n. an enthusiastic public reception of a person

barring

prep. excepting; except for

defection

n. desertion from/abandonment of allegiance

allegiance

n. loyalty of a citizen to his/her government

disdain

v. to despise

v. to think unworthy of notice

epigram

n. any witty remark concisely expressed

secession

n. the withdrawal from the Union of 11 Southern states that brought on the Civil War

Confederacy

n. 11 southern slave states that formed the Confederate states of America; they opposed the Union during the American Civil War

The Confederate flag symbolizes slavery

Confederacy vs. Union map: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_%28American_Civil_War%29

Union

n. Referred to the national government and 20 other free states and 5 border states; fought against the Confederate states during the Civil War

Republican

n. historical rival of Democrats founded by anti-slavery activists; Abraham Lincoln and George Bush; "American Conservatives" supporting free market capitalism, limited government, strong national defense, opposing regulation and labour unions, and supporting socially conservative policies

more conservative; right-winged

Democrats

n. historical rival of Republicans; Barack Obama; "Amercan Liberals" supporting mixed economy (government intervention) and social justice; advocates for social and economic equity

more liberal; left-winged

caucus

n. a meeting of party leaders to select candidates, elect convention delegates, etc.

wary

adj. watchful; being on guard against danger

slander

slanderous

n. defamation

n. a false, defamatory statement

accord

v. to be in agreement

canon

n. a fundamental principle

castigate

v. to criticize severely

v. to punish in order to correct

hearken

v. to hear / to give attention to

antiquate

v. to make old-fashioned or out-of-date

revitalize

v. to give new life to

secular

adj. not pertaining to religion

pragmatic

adj. relating to a practical point of view

indispensible

adj. absolutely necessary

mellifluent/mellifluous

adj. sweetly or smoothly flowing; sweet-sounding

(Author's tone)

affluent

adj. abundant

pervasive

adj. spread throughout

sustenance

n. means of sustaining life; nourishment

lugubrious

adj. mournful, dismal, or gloomy

apprehensive

adj. fearful about something that might happen

adj. quick to learn or understand

insidious

adj. intended to entrap or beguile (beguile: mislead)

adj. stealthily deceitful

remiss

adj. negligent, careless, slow

reinvigorate

v. to give energy to

imperative

adj. absolutely necessary or required

celestial

adj. heavenly

paramount

adj. supreme; above others in rank

reverence

n. a feeling of deep respect

radical

adj. fundamental

adj. extreme; forming drastic changes

forge

v. to form or make

v. to imitate fraudulently

thwart

v. to oppose successfully

ramification

n. a branch

antecedent

adj. preceding

n. a preceding event or circumstance

obscurantist

n. opposition to the spread of knowledge

warrant

v. to authorize

pejorative

adj. derogatory

laudatory

(Author's tone)

adj. containing or expressing praise

approbation

(Author's tone)

adj. approval

censure

(Primary purpose)

v. to criticize harshly

repercussion

n. an effect or result of some event or action

punitive

adj. inflicting punishment

obfuscation

v. to confuse

v. to make obscure

gratuitous

adj. being without apparent reason

qualify

(Purpose question)

v. to modify

absolute

adj. perfect; no error

equivocal

adj. ambiguous

indigneous

adj. anger at something unjust; righteous anger

detachment

(Author's tone)

n. neutrality

measured

(Author's tone)

adj. cautious, regulated

regress

v. to go back

sanction

n. authorization or approval

anachronistic

adj. time-wise, unfitting

E.g. sword is anachronistic in modern warfare