SAT vocab

Couch

to place in a different form.

Spare

not decorated or elaborate.

Construe

to understand or interpret in a particular way.

Equivocal

open to more than one interpretation.

Repudiate

to reject or disown.

Partisan

supporting one group or cause.

Predisposed

tending to be influenced in a certain way.

Bent

determined or strongly inclined.

Penchant

a strong inclination or liking.

Arbitrary

based on random choice rather than reason.

Empirical

based on observation or experience.

Supposition

an uncertain belief or assumption.

Surmise

to suppose something is true without evidence.

Conjecture

to form an opinion without sufficient evidence.

Intrinsic

belonging naturally; essential.

Innate

existing in one from birth.

Ubiquitous

being present everywhere at once.

Salient

most noticeable or important.

Paradoxical

seemingly contradictory but possibly true.

Pragmatic

dealing with things realistically.

Ameliorate

to make something better.

Augment

to make something greater by adding to it.

Abate

to reduce in amount or intensity.

Precipitate

to cause something to happen suddenly.

Precipitately

done hastily and without consideration.

Elicit

to draw out a response or fact.

Engender

to cause or give rise to.

Proponent

a person who argues in favor of something.

Advocate

a person who publicly supports a particular cause.

Espouse

to adopt or support a cause.

Bolster

to support or strengthen.

Buttress

to support or reinforce.

Detractor

a person who disparages someone.

Abhor

to regard with disgust or hatred.

Abnegate

to renounce or reject a belief.

Abscond

to leave hurriedly, typically to avoid detection.

Abet

to assist or encourage, usually in wrongdoing.

Allude

to refer to indirectly.

Amorphous

having no definite shape.

Apathetic

showing or feeling no interest.

Articulate

able to express thoughts clearly.

Assail

to make a violent attack.

Austerity

extreme simplification or strictness.

Badger

to repeatedly ask or urge.

Bane

a cause of great distress or annoyance.

Benign

gentle and kindly.

Berate

to scold vehemently.

Bereft

deprived of or lacking something.

Bout

a short period of intense activity.

Brevity

the quality of being brief.

Cache

a hiding place for storing.

Capitulate

to surrender or give in.

Chance

a possibility or opportunity.

Conspicuous

clearly visible; attracting notice.

Contentious

causing or likely to cause an argument.

Conviction

a firmly held belief or opinion.

Corroborate

to confirm or give support to.

Covet

to yearn to possess or have.

Credible

believable or plausible.

Dearth

a scarcity or lack of something.

Debunk

to expose the falseness of.

Defunct

no longer in existence.

Delegate

to assign responsibility.

Didactic

intended to teach.

Discriminating

having or showing refined taste.

Dispel

to drive away or disperse.

Disparate

essentially different.

Dissimilarity

the quality of being unlike.

Divergent

differing from each other.

Doctrine

a belief or set of beliefs held.

Dogma

a principle laid down by an authority.

Eclectic

deriving ideas from a broad range.

Economy

careful management of resources.

Embezzle

to steal or misappropriate money.

Embroider

to embellish a story with details.

Emulate

to imitate with intent to equal or excel.

Ethnography

the systematic study of people and cultures.

Etymology

the study of the origin of words.

Exalt

to hold in very high regard.

Execute

to carry out or implement.

Expedite

to make an action happen sooner.

Exploit

to take advantage of.

Extraneous

irrelevant or unrelated.

Extort

to obtain something by force.

Fallacy

a mistaken belief.

Flagrant

conspicuously offensive.

Foil

to prevent someone from succeeding.

Fortuitous

happening by accident or chance.

Grandiloquent

extravagantly pompous.

Grapple

to struggle or wrestle.

Gratuitous

given or done free of charge.

Grave

serious or solemn.

Grill

to ask questions closely.

Hamper

to hinder progress.

Hapless

unfortunate.

Harbor

to keep a thought or feeling in.

Hegemony

leadership or dominance.

Heterogeneous

composed of different types.

Hierarchy

a system of ranking.

Hobble

to restrict movement.