SAT Hit Parade Vocabulary

Here is some of the vocabulary from the Hit Parade from The Princeton Review Digital SAT Manual. This only includes the ones that I personally was unsure about or had never heard of

ambivalence

the state of having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone.

Example: Understandably, Jillian struggled with the ambivalence regarding the group project: she loved working with her friends but felt that the work was never divided evenly.

analogous

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

Example: The rocking of a ship against the waves has been described by some as analogous to the ups and downs of a rollercoaster ride

buttress

to increase the strength of or justification for; to reinforce

Example: The commissioner has promised to train 30 new recruits by the end of the year in order to buttress the police force as the city’s borders expand.

congenial

pleasant, friendly, or agreeable

Example: Known as quite the congenial host, Davante made sure the atmosphere of his game nights was welcoming to friends both new and old

corroborate

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

Example: The thief claimed to have an alibi at the time of the crime but could not produce any friend or family or other witness to corroborate his story

curtail

to reduce in extent or quantity

Example: The new office timecard system was designed to curtail unauthorized extensions of lunch and break times.

deference

humble submission and respect

Example: The student spoke with deference to his instructor when discussing the proper application of a mixed martial arts technique.

elicit

to draw out a response or fact from someone

Example: Through a series of carefully crafted questions, the professor hoped to elicit an the answer to the geography question from her students, which would prove that they already knew the information.

epitome

a perfect example of a particular quality or type

Example: The three sisters were the epitome of the spirit of entrepreneurship: through their hard work, their baking business had begun as a roadside stand and blossomed into a multi-million-dollar brand.

evince

to reveal the presence of a quality or feeling

Example: Benjamin’s numerous social media posts within just one day of returning from his vacation were clearly meant to evince the enjoyment he had felt during his trip.

implicit

implied but not plainly expressed

Example: The teacher’s classroom rules were implicit; although the rules were not openly stated anywhere, all of the students knew what they should and should not do.

invoke

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

Example: The police captain’s son would often invoke his father’s name to get himself out of trouble.

(I knew one version of this but wanted to make sure that I could come up with this one too.)

juxtapose

to play close together for contrasting effect

Example: Video production teams working on horror movies will often juxtapose darker scenes with livelier music to create a deeper sense of tension and discomfort within the viewer.

latent

existing but not yet developed or manifest (kinda like dormant)

Example: From the moment his fingers began dancing over the keys as if he’d been playing his whole life. it was obvious that Nikolai had a latent talent for the piano that had hitherto gone unnoticed.

obsolete

no longer produced or used; out of date

pervasive

spreading widely throughout an area or group of people, especially in an unpleasant way

Example: The aging boat had holes in its hull and a pervasive smell of rotting wood.

pragmatic

dealing with things in a sensible or realistic manner; practical

Example: Hermione’s pragmatic approach to tackling the quidditch team’s budget deficit one step at a time was considered a welcomed departure from the radical ideas of the previous treasurer.

preclude

to make impossible

Example: The legal concept of double jeopardy was established to preclude the possibility of an individual being wrongly tried twice for the same criminal offense.(constitution reference)

prevalence

the fact or condition of being prevalent; commonness

(What, I knew this. I’ll keep it anyways)

Profound

having or showing great knowledge of insight

Example: Marie Curie’s understanding of chemistry and radioactivity was profound: she discovered the elements of radium and polonium, and her work in radiation therapy would save millions of lives.

proponent

a person who argues for a theory, a proposal, or concept

Example: Dr. Kerrigan was a huge proponent of proper intestinal health, as she believed all disease could be traced back to the digestive system.

reconcile

to restore friendly relations between

Example: William texted David an apology as a means to reconcile following their recent disagreement.

Repudiate

to refuse to accept or be associated with

Example: Any time of her friends advised her to try online dating, Becky would repudiate the suggestion completely, as she had been deceived by inaccurate photos and descriptions too many times!

substantiate

to provide evidence to support or prove truth of

Example: The researcher ran a series of experiments hoping to substantiate her theory on engine mechanics before presenting it to her supervisor for review.

subsumed

included or absorbed into something else

Example: Literature texts can be subsumed under two general categories: poetry and prose(written or spoken language in it’s ordinary form).

tenuous

very weak or slight

Example: With just seconds to go in the game, the team clung to a tenuous one point lead.

unobtrusive

not conspicuous or attracting attention

Example: Garbage cans at the theme park are painted to be as unobtrusive as possible, often blending into their surroundings.

verisimilitude

the appearance of being true or real

Example: Despite being a work of fiction, the movie possessed such authentic characters and believable dialogue that critics praised for its verisimilitude.

vindicate

to clear someone of blame or suspicion

Example: Upset that he had been accused of staying home sic to avoid an exam, Xander hoped that a formal doctor’s note would vindicate him in his teacher’s eyes.