The Princeton Review Hit Parade – Core 250 Vocabulary Words

250 vocabulary flashcards covering every word in The Princeton Review’s Hit Parade list, each with a concise definition for effective exam review.

abstract

not applied to actual objects

acquired

developed or learned; not naturally occurring

aesthetic

having to do with the appreciation of beauty

affable

easy-going; friendly

alienated

removed or disassociated from friends, family, or homeland

alleviate

to ease a pain or a burden

alliance

a union of two or more groups

ambiguous

open to more than one interpretation

ambivalent

simultaneously feeling opposing feelings; uncertain

amenable

responsive; agreeable

ample

describing a large amount of something

anthology

a collection of literary pieces

apathetic

feeling or showing little emotion

apparatus

equipment; a group of machines

apprehension

anxiety or fear about the future

arbiter

a judge who decides a disputed issue

arbitrary

determined by impulse rather than reason

archaic

characteristic of an earlier period; old-fashioned

arid

describing a dry, rainless climate

assertion

a declaration or statement

assiduous

hard-working

assimilation

to absorb; to make similar

astute

shrewd; clever

asylum

a place of retreat or security

auspicious

favorable; promising

austere

without decoration; strict

benevolent

well-meaning; generous

benign

kind and gentle

biased

prejudiced

brittle

easily broken when subjected to pressure

brusque

rudely abrupt

camaraderie

good will between friends

camouflage

to hide by blending in with the surroundings

candor

sincerity; openness

capricious

impulsive and unpredictable

cartographer

one who designs or makes maps

catalog

(verb) to make an itemized list of

caustic

bitingly sarcastic or witty

clandestine

secretive

clarity

clearness in thought or expression

cogent

convincing; reasonable

coherent

logically connected

cohesive

condition of sticking together

compelling

forceful; urgently demanding attention

comprehensive

large in scope or content

conception

the ability to form or understand an idea

condemn

to express strong disapproval of; denounce

condescending

treating people as weak or inferior

conflagration

a widespread fire

consensus

general agreement

contemporary

current, modern; from the same time

contemptuous

feeling hatred; scornful

context

circumstances of a situation; environment

conviction

a fixed or strong belief

convoluted

intricate; complex

copious

plentiful; having a large quantity

cordial

friendly; sincere

coup

a brilliantly executed plan

cryptic

difficult to comprehend

decorous

proper; marked by good taste

deleterious

having a harmful effect; injurious

derived

copied or adapted from a source

despotic

exercising absolute power; tyrannical

dictatorial

domineering; oppressively overbearing

didactic

intended to instruct

dilatory

habitually late

dilettante

one with an amateurish understanding of a field of knowledge

diligent

marked by painstaking effort; hard-working

discourse

verbal expression or exchange; conversation

discredit

to cause to be doubted

disdain

(noun) contempt, scorn; (verb) to regard with contempt

disingenuous

not straightforward; crafty

disparage

to speak of in a slighting way; to belittle

disparity

inequality in age, rank, or degree; difference

dogged

stubbornly persevering

dogmatic

stubbornly adhering to insufficiently proved beliefs

dubious

doubtful; of unlikely authenticity

ebullience

intense enthusiasm

eclectic

made up of a variety of sources or styles

effusive

emotionally unrestrained; gushy

egregious

conspicuously bad or offensive

eloquence

the ability to speak vividly or persuasively

elusive

difficult to capture

embellish

to make beautiful by ornamenting; to decorate

emigrate

to leave one country or region and settle in another

emollient

(adj.) softening and soothing; (noun) something that softens or soothes

emphasize

to give special attention to something; to stress

endure

to put up with; to survive a hardship

enlightening

informative; contributing to one’s awareness

enmity

mutual hatred or ill will

equanimity

calmness and even-tempered composure

equivocate

to avoid making a definite statement

excerpt

a selected part of a passage or scene

exculpate

to free from guilt or blame

exemplary

commendable; worthy of imitation

fabricated

made; concocted in order to deceive

facetious

playfully humorous

facile

done or achieved with little effort; easy

fastidious

possessing careful attention to detail; difficult to please

feral

savage; untamed