SAT Vocab

adhere

to believe in and follow the practices of (verb)

advocate

to publicly recommend or support (verb)

affront

an insult; a deliberate act of disrespect (noun)

alleviate

to relieve; to make bearable; to lessen (verb)

allocate

to distribute; to assign; to allot (verb)

allude

to suggest or call attention indirectly; to hint at (verb)

ambiguous

unclear in meaning; able to be interpreted multiple ways (adjective)

ambivalence

the state of having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something (noun)

analogous

comparable in certain respects; typically in a way which makes clearer the nature of the things compared (adjective)

anecdote

a short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person (noun)

anomaly

an unusual occurrence; a deviation (noun)

apathetic

having no interest in or not caring about something (adjective)

apprehensive

anxious or fearful that something bad or unpleasant will happen (adjective)

arbitrary

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

assert

to state a fact or belief confidently (verb)

astute

shrewd and keen in judgment (adjective)

attribute

to ascribe something to a given cause

beneficial

providing benefits or positive outcomes (adjective)

benevolent

generous and kind (adjective)

bias

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

bolster

to support or strengthen; prop up (verb)

brevity

concise and exact use of words in writing or speech (noun)

burgeon

to expand and flourish (verb)

buttress

to increase the strength of or justification for; to reinforce (verb)

candor

truthfulness; sincere honesty (noun)

capitalize

to attempt to gain an advantage from an opportunity or situation (verb)

circumvent

to find a way around (verb)

cohesion

the action of forming a united hole (noun)

compelling

evoking interest, attention, or admiration

compensation

something given in exchange for services or to make up for loss or damage (noun)

complementary

going well together; making up what is lacking in the other (adjective)

concede

to admit that something is true or valid after first denying or resisting it (verb)

conform

to match what is expected or what others are doing (verb)

congenial

pleasant, friendly, or agreeable (adjective)

consensus

a general agreement (noun)

conspicuous

easily seen; impossible to miss (adjective)

converge

to come together to form a new whole (verb)

corroborate

to confirm or give support to a statement, theory, or finding (verb)

culpable

guilty or worthy of blame (adjective)

curtail

to reduce in extent or quantity (verb)

debunk

to expose as nonsense (verb)

decisive

settling an issue; producing a definite result (adjective)

deduce

to arrive at a conclusion through reasoning (verb)

deference

humble submission and respect (noun)

degrade

to treat or regard someone with contempt or disrespect (verb)

delegate

to assign (a task) to another person (verb)

denounce

to publicly declare to be wrong or evil (verb)

derive

to obtain from a specific source (verb)

despondent

feeling hopeless and depressed (adjective)

deviate

to go away from the norm (verb)

disconcerting

causing one to feel unsettled or worried (adjective)

disparate

different and distinct (adjective)

dispute

to engage in an argument or cast doubt upon (verb)

divergent

tending to be different or develop in difference directions (adjective)

dormant

having normal physical functions suspended or slowed down for a period of time; in or as if in deep sleep (adjective)

dubious

full of doubt; uncertain (adjective)

earnest

sincere and serious in intention or effort (adjective)

elicit

to draw out a response or fact from someone (verb)

eloquent

fluent or persuasive in speaking or writing (adjective)

elusive

difficult to find or catch (adjective)

ephemeral

lasting a very short time (adjective)

epitome

to be a perfect example of (noun)

equity

the quality of being fair or impartial (noun)

erratic

irregular in pattern or movement (adjective)

evince

to reveal the presence of a quality or feeling (verb)

evoke

to bring or recall to the conscious mind (verb)

exert

to make a physical or mental effort (verb)

exonerate

to free completely from blame (verb)

explicit

stated clearly and in detail, leaving no room for confusion or doubt (adjective)

fallacy

a false notion or belief (noun)

foster

to encourage or promote the development of (verb)

gregarious

talkative and social (adjective)

haphazard

done without planning or preparation (adjective)

hinder

to get in the way of or prevent something (verb)

imminent

about to happen (adjective)

impartial

not biased toward one side; treating something fairly (adjective)

impede

to delay or prevent someone or something by obstructing; to hinder (verb)

impenetrable

impossible to penetrate, enter, or understand (adjective)

implicit

implied but not plainly expressed (adjective)

impose

to force a rule or punishment to be accepted or obeyed (verb)

indecipherable

not able to be read or understood (adjective)

indifference

lack of interest, concern, or sympathy (noun)

induce

to succeed at influencing or persuading someone to do something (verb)

inevitable

certain to happen; unavoidable (adjective)

inexplicable

unable to be explained (adjective)

innocuous

not causing any harm (adjective)

intrinsic

belonging to something within its nature (adjective)

invoke

to cite or appeal to someone or something as an authority for an action or in support of an argument (verb)

ironic

happening in the opposite way from what is expected, and typically causing amusement because of this (adjective)

jarring

inconsistent in a striking or shocking way (adjective)

juxtapose

to place close together for contrasting effect (verb)

latent

existing but not yet developed or manifest (adjective)

laud

to praise (verb)

lucrative

producing wealth or profit (adjective)

malicious

done with wicked intent (adjective)

mandate

to order something be done or someone behave in a certain way (verb)

meticulous

showing great attention to detail; very careful and precise (adjective)

mitigate

to make less serious, severe, or painful (verb)

novel

new or unusual in an interesting way (adjective)

nuanced

characterized by slight degrees of meaning or expression (adjective)