SAT Princeton Review Vocab

adhere

to believe in and follow the practices of

advocate

to publicly recommend or support

allude

to suggest or call attention to indirectly; to hint at

ambivalence

the state of having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone

analogous

comparable in certain ways

anecdote

a short story about a real incident or person

apprehensive

anxious or fearful that something bad or unpleasant will happen

arbitrary

based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system

assert

to state a fact or belief confidently and forcefully

bias

prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair

brevity

concise and exact use of words in writing or speech

buttress

to increase the strength of or justification for; to reinforce

concede

to admit, often reluctantly, that something is true

consensus

general agreement among a group

corroborate

to support or confirm a statement with evidence

decisive

producing a clear and definite result

deference

respectful submission to someone else's wishes

degrade

to treat with disrespect or lower in quality

denounce

to publicly criticize something as wrong

dispute

a disagreement or argument

divergent

developing or moving in different directions

dormant

inactive for now but able to become active later

eloquent

well-spoken and persuasive

evoke

to bring a feeling or memory to mind

exert

to apply effort or force

explicit

clearly and plainly stated

imminent

about to happen very soon

impede

to slow down or block something

implicit

suggested but not directly stated

impose

to force something onto someone

indifference

lack of interest or concern

inevitable

certain to happen; unavoidable

invoke

to call on something as support or justification

ironic

happening in an unexpected way, often amusingly

novel

new and interesting in an original way

obscure

not well known or hard to understand

obsolete

no longer used; out of date

oppressive

unfairly harsh and hard to bear

pervasive

spreading widely throughout an area or group

prevalence

how common or widespread something is

prominent

important or well-known

provoke

to cause a strong reaction or emotion, often anger

reciprocate

to return a favor or action

reconcile

to restore friendly relations between people

refute

to prove that something is wrong or false

renounce

to formally give up a right or claim

repression

holding back or restraining a feeling

retain

to keep possession of something

skeptical

not easily convinced; doubtful

speculate

to guess or form a theory without solid proof

substantiate

to provide evidence that proves something true

subtle

so slight or precise that it's hard to notice

supplement

something added that completes or improves something else

tenuous

very weak or slight

undermine

to weaken or lessen the strength of something

underscore

to emphasize or draw attention to

unobtrusive

not noticeable or attracting attention

validate

to check or prove that something is accurate

verisimilitude

the appearance of being true or real

viable

capable of working successfully; feasible