SAT vocab

malign

(v.) to speak evil of, slander; (adj.) evil

suave

smoothly agreeable or polite; pleasing to the senses

oscillate

(v.) to swing back and forth with a steady rhythm; to fluctuate or waver

apprehensive

fearful or anxious, especially about the future

arbitrary

(adj.) unreasonable; based on one's wishes or whims without regard for reason or fairness

assert

To state or express firmly

corroborate

to support with evidence

deference

humble submission and respect

exert

to put forth or bring to bear

imminent

about to happen

impede

To obstruct or interfere with; to delay

implicit

(adj.) implied or understood though unexpressed; without doubts or reservations, unquestioning; potentially contained in

impose

to take advantage of

invoke

to call on for support

oppressive

burdensome, unjustly harsh, or tyrannical

emphatically

in a forceful way

irate

very angry

insinuation

an unpleasant hint or suggestion of something bad

approbation

(n.) the expression of approval or favorable opinion, praise; official approval

flout

to mock, treat with contempt

pervasive

to spread throughout

prevalence

percentage of people within a population who have a specific mental disorder

reciprocate

to give in return

reconcile

(v.) to restore to friendship; to settle; to resign (oneself)

subtle

delicate, elusive, not obvious

tenuous

having little substance or strength

unobtrusive

not readily noticeable, inconspicuous

supposition

something that is assumed or taken for granted without conclusive evidence

surmise

(v.) to think or believe without certain supporting evidence; to conjecture or guess; (n.) likely idea that lacks definite proof

rebut

to offer arguments or evidence that contradict an assertion; to refute

Ruminate

think deeply about something

grapple with

to struggle with, to deal with

infer

to find out by reasoning; to arrive at a conclusion on the basis of thought; to hint, suggest, imply

proponent

One who argues in favor of; supporter

detractor

someone who belittles something else

abrupt

sudden and unexpected

adamant

unyielding; firm in opinion

animosity

strong dislike; bitter hostility

antithetical

sharply contrasted in character or purpose

austure

severe or stern in manner; without adomment or luxery, simple, plain; harsh or sour in flavor

catalyze

to charge, inspire

coalesce

to come together

coarseness

the quality of being rough or harsh.

comprise

to include or contain; to be made up of

contrive

to plan cleverly; to devise

copious

abundant; plentiful

credulous

believing on slight evidence, gullible

debacle

a complete failure; a total collapse

despondent

in low spirits from loss of hope or courage

dexterous

(adj.) skillful in the use of hands or body; clever

discernable

distinguishable; able to tell apart

discord

disagreement

disparate

fundamentally different; entirely unlike

draconian

hard, severe, cruel

elicit

to draw forth, bring out from some source

equitable

fair, just

evince

(v.) to display clearly, to make evident, to provoke

exacerbate

to make worse

exorbitant

(adj.) unreasonably high; excessive

fruitful

bringing forth much; productive

precinct

The smallest unit of election administration; a voting district

idiosyncratic

Peculiar to one person; highly individualized

impeccable

flawless

impenetrable

impossible to pass through or enter

imperative

absolutely necessary

imperceptible

impossible or difficult to perceive by the mind or senses

imposing

grand and impressive in appearance

incongruous

out of place

indelible

not able to be erased or removed; memorable

indoctrinate

to teach certain principles

induce

(v.) to cause, bring about; to persuade

indulgent

yielding to the wishes or demands of others

ineluctable

not to be avoided or escaped; inevitable

infallible

free from error; absolutely dependable

ingenious

clever

infinitesimal

(adj.) so small as to be almost immeasurable; minute

insuperable

incapable of being overcome

insurmountable

impossible to overcome

irreaproachable

beyond criticism; faultless

irrevocable

incapable of being changed or called back

Juxtaposition

Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts

latent

hidden, present but not realized

mercurial

quick, shrewd, and unpredictable

misconstrue

to interpret wrongly, mistake the meaning of

moribund

(adj.) dying, on the way out

multifaceted

having many aspects

myriad

a very large number

nebulous

hazy; vague; uncertain

nefarious

(adj.) wicked, depraved, devoid of moral standards

offhand

casual; done without prior thought

ominous

unfavorable, threatening, of bad omen

orthodox

adhering to the traditional and established, especially in religion

outmoded

no longer needed or fashionable

palpable

capable of being touched or felt

precipitate

(v.) to fall as moisture; to cause or bring about suddenly; to hurl down from a great height, to give distinct form to; (adj.) characterized by excessive haste; (n.) moisture; the product of an action or process

preclude

to prevent

precursor

forerunner; predecessor

prescient

having or showing knowledge of events before they take place

prescribe

to order as a rule or course to be followed; to order for medical purposes

pretentious

(adj.) done for show, striving to make a big impression; claiming merit or position unjustifiably; making demands on one's skill or abilities, ambitious