SAT Vocab

adhere

adhere

to believe in and follow the practices of

advocate

to publicly recommend or support

allude

to suggest or call attention to indirectly; to hint at

ambivalence

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

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

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

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

buttress

to increase the strength of or justification for; to reinforce

capitalize

to attempt to gain an advantage from an opportunity or situation

circumvent

to find a way around

cohesion

the action of forming a united whole

compelling

evoking interest, attention, or admiration

concede

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

congenial

pleasant, friendly, or agreeable

consensus

a general agreement

converge

to come together to form a new whole

coroborate

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

culpable

guilty or worthy of blame

curtail

to reduce in extent or quantity

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

denounce

to publicly declare to be wrong or evil

derive

to obtain from a specific source

disconcerting

causing one to feel unsettled or worried

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

elicit

to draw out a response or fact from someone

eloquent

fluent or persuasive in speaking in writing

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 quality or feeling

evoke

to bring or recall to the conscious mind

exert

to make a physical or mental effort

explicit

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

foster

to encourage or promote the development of

imminent

about to happen

impede

to delay or prevent someone or something by obstructing; to hinder

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

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 because of this

jarring

inconsistent in a striking or shocking way

juxtapose

to place close together for contrasting effect

latent

existing but not yet developed or manifest

mandate

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

merticulous

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

obscure

not discovered or known about; uncertain

obsolete

no longer produced or used; out of date

obstruct

to block or deliberately make something difficult

oppressive

unjustly inflicting hardship and constraint; weighing heavily on the mind or spirits

outsized

exceptionally large

palpable

easily noticable

pervasive

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

pragmatic

dealing with things in a sensible or realistic manner; practical

preclude

to make impossible

prevalence

the fact or condition of being prevalent; commonnes

profound

having or showing great knowledge or insight

prominent

important; famous

proponent

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

provoke

to stimulate or give rise to a reaction or emotion, typically a strong or unwelcome one, in someone

reciprocate

to respond to a gesture or action by making a corresponding one

reconcile

to restore friendly relations between

refute

to prove a statement or theory to be wrong or false; disprove

renounce

to formally declare one’s abandonment of a claim, right, or possession

repression

the restraint, prevention, or inhibition of a feeling, quality, etc.

repudiate

to refuse to accept or be associated with

resilient

able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions

retain

to continue to have something; keeping possession of

skeptical

not easily convinced; having doubts or reservations

speculate

to form a theory or conjecture about a subject without firm evidence

strenuous

requiring or expending great effort

substantiate

to provide evidence to support or prove the truth of

subsumed

included or absorbed into something else

subtle

so delicate or precise as to be difficult to analyze or describe

supplement

something that completes or enhances something else when added to it

tenuous

very weak or slight

undermine

to lesson the effectiveness, power, or ability of a person or idea

underscore

to emphasize or draw attention to

unobtrusive

no conspicuous or attracting attention

validate

to check or prove the validity or accuracy of something

verisimilitude

the appearance of being true or real

vexation

the state of being annoyed, frustrated, or worried

viable

capable of working successfully; feasbile

vindicate

to clear someone of blame or suspicion