SAT Vocab (Princeton)

adhere

to believe in and follow the practices of

advocate

to publicly reccomend or support

affront

an insult; a deliberate act of disrespect

alleviate

to relieve; to make bearable; to lessen

allocate

to distribute; to assign; to allot

allude

to suggest or call attention to indirectly; to hint at

ambiguous

unclear in meaning; able to be interpreted multiple ways

ambivalence

the state of having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something

analogous

comparable in certain respects, typically in a way which makes clearer the nature of the things compared

anecdote

a short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person

anomaly

an unusual occurence; a deviation

apathetic

having no interest in or not caring about something

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

astute

shrewd and keen in judgement

attribute

to ascribe something to a given cause

benevolent

generous and kind

bias

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

bolster

to support or strengthen; prop up

brevity

concise and exact use of words in writing or speech

burgeon

to expand and flourish

buttress

to increase the strength of or justification for; to reinforce

candor

truthfulness; sincere honesty

capitalize

to attempt to gain an advantage from an oppurtunity or situation

circumvent

to find a way around

cohesion

the action of forming a united whole

compelling

evoking interest, attention, or admiration

compensation

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

complementary

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

concede

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

conform

to match what is expected or what others are doing

congenial

pleasant, friendly, or agreeable

consensus

a general agreement

conspicuous

easily seen; impossible to miss

converge

to come together to form a new whole

corroborate

to confirm or give support to a statement, theory, or finding

culpable

guilty or worthy of blame

curtail

to reduce in extent or quantity

debunk

to expose as nonsense

decisive

settling an issue; producing a definite result

deduce

to arrive at a conclusion through reasoning

deference

humble submission and respect

degrade

to treat or regard someone with contempt or disrespect

delegate

to assign (a task) to another person

denounce

to publicly declare to be wrong or evil

derive

to obtain from a specific source

despondent

feeling hopeless and depressed

deviate

to go away from the norm

disconcerting

causing one to feel unsettled or worried

disparate

different and distinct

dispute

to engage in an argument or cast doubt upon

divergent

tending to be different or develop in different directions

dormant

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

dubious

full of doubt; uncertain

earnest

sincere and serious in intention or effort

elicit

to draw out a response or fact from someone

eloquent

fluent or persuasive in speaking or writing

elusive

difficult to find or catch

ephemeral

lasting a very short time

epitome

to be a perfect example of

equity

the quality of being fair or impartial

erratic

irregular in pattern or movement

evince

to reveal the presence of a quality or feeling

evoke

to bring or recall to the conscious mind

exert

to make a physical or mental effort

exonerate

to free completely from blame

explicit

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

fallacy

a false notion or belief

foster

to encourage or promote the development of

gregarious

talkative and social

haphazard

done without planning or preparation

hinder

to get in the way of or prevent something

imminent

about to happen

impartial

not biased toward one side; treating something fairly

impede

to delay or prevent someone or something from obstruction; to hinder

impenetrable

impossible to penetrate, entrer, or understand

implicit

implied but not plainly expressed

impose

to force a rule or punishment to be accepted or obeyed

indecipherable

not able to be read or understood

indifference

lack of interest, concern, or sympathy

induce

to succeed at influencing or persuading someone to do something

inevitable

certain to happen; unavoidable

inexplicable

unable to be explained

innocuous

not causing any harm

intrinsic

belonging to something within its nature

invoke

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

ironic

happening in the opposite way from what is expected, and typically causing amusement

jarring

inconsistent in a striking or shocking way

juxtapose

to place close together for contrasting effect

latent

existing but not yet developed or manifest

laud

to praise

lucrative

producing wealth or profit

malicious

done with wicked intent

mandate

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

meticulous

showing great attention to detail; very careful and precise

mitigate

to make less serious, severe, or painful

novel

new or unusual in an interesting way

nuanced

characterized by slight degrees of meaning or expression

objective

having an unbiased perspective