MUST KNOW PSAT WORDS!

oddity

a strange or peculiar person, thing, or trait

reprieve

(n) a temporary relief or delay; (v) to grant a postponement

tranquil

peaceful, calm

efficacy

effectiveness

aesthetics

a set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty, especially in art.

rectify

to make right, correct

accentuate

to emphasize

obscure

difficult to understand; partially hidden

illuminate

to light up or make clear

summations

closing statements

conjecture

an opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information

exemplifications

illustrated by examples

counterfactual

relating to or expressing what has not happened or is not the case

analogical

expressing or implying analogy

ambivalent

Having mixed feelings

associative

learning the relationship between two pieces of information

assert

(v.) to declare or state as truth, maintain or defend, put forward forcefully

reciprocate

to give in return

disengage

uncouple; separate; disconnect

retroactively

after the fact

reluctantly (adv)

unwillingness to do something

ceremoniously

formally or properly

repudiation

rejection of a proposal or idea

consequence

the result of an action

conventional

(adj.) in line with accepted ideas or standards; trite

profound

Having great depth or seriousness

tenuous

having little substance or strength

nuance

a slight or subtle degree of difference

buttress

(v.) to support, prop up, strengthen; (n.) a supporting structure

trivial

unimportant

demarcated

defined with boundaries

reconstituted

build up again from parts; reconstruct.

conflated

fused together; not distinct

discretion

cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions

inconspicuous

not easily seen; subtle; not noticeable

ambiguity

An event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way.

satirized

to make fun of

constrain

(v.) to force, compel; to restrain, hold back

amorphous

(adj.) shapeless, without definite form; of no particular type or character; without organization, unity, or cohesion

dispersed

scattered, spread, broken up

convened

come or bring together for a meeting or activity; assemble

eclipsed

obscured; blocked from view

augmented

having been made greater in size or value

repudiate

(v.) to disown, reject, or deny the validity of

constrict

To draw together or become smaller

engender

to produce, cause, or bring about

spurious

not genuine, not true, not valid

scrupulous

exact, careful, attending thoroughly to details; having high moral standards, principled

palpable

(adj.) capable of being touched or felt; easily seen, heard, or recognized

compulsory

required; mandatory

imperative

absolutely necessary

disperse

to scatter, spread far and wide

clichéd

overused; trite

invaluable

too valuable to measure; priceless

subverted

disrupted; overturned

presaged

foreshadowing; warning of, predicting

incongruous

not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings or other aspects of something

inextricable

impossible to disentangle or separate

Appeasement

Accepting demands in order to avoid conflict

inducement

An action aimed at persuading

paradigm

a model; an example

propensity

(n.) a natural inclination or predilection toward

repudiates

to completely reject; to disown; to refuse to accept

recant

(v.) to withdraw a statement or belief to which one has previously been committed, renounce, retract

conspicuous

Easily seen or noticed

pervasive

widespread

insuperable

impossible to overcome

ineluctable

not to be avoided or escaped; inevitable

irreproachable

cannot be criticized; perfect

adept

(adj.) thoroughly skilled; (n.) an expert

engender

to produce, cause, or bring about

supplanted

replaced

assuage

(v.) to make easier or milder, relieve; to quiet, calm; to put an end to, appease, satisfy, quench

supposition

something that is assumed or taken for granted without conclusive evidence

latent

hidden, present but not realized

concede

(v.) to admit as true; to yield, submit

disparate

fundamentally different; entirely unlike

surmised

guessed; concluded

contrived

showing effects of planning or manipulation

overtly

openly or publicly

prudently

discreetly or cautiously; sensibly; carefully

redressing

remedy, set right

precluding

preventing from happening; making impossible

exacerbating

making worse

tentative

uncertain

manifest

obvious; very clear; evident

insensible

Incapable of feeling; unconscious, unaware

impending

about to happen

ameliorate

to improve, make better, correct a flaw or shortcoming

contentious

quarrelsome, inclined to argue

nebulous

hazy; vague; uncertain

Pretentiousness

showing off

supposition

something that is assumed or taken for granted without conclusive evidence

circumvent

get around

corroborate

to confirm

precipitating

to cause to happen especially suddenly or prematurely

nullify

(v.) to make of no value or consequence, cancel, wipe out

denigrate

to attack the character of; to mock

stymie

to hinder, impede

exactitude

the quality of being exact