Princeton Review Vocab List

Question 1

adhere

Answer 1

to believe in and follow the practices of
verb
It can be difficult to adhere to a workout regimen without coaching and discipline.

Question 2

advocate

Answer 2

to publicly recommend or support
verb
Upon his appointment, the new vice president of the company promised to advocate for increased vacation time for all employees.

Question 3

allude

Answer 3

to suggest or call attention to indirectly; to hint at
verb
I didn’t mean to allude to your past breakup when discussing celebrity romances that ended badly.

Question 4

ambivalence

Answer 4

the state of having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone
noun
Understandably, Jillian struggled with ambivalence regarding the group project: she loved working with her friends but felt that the work was never divided evenly.

Question 5

analogous

Answer 5

comparable in certain respects, typically in a way which makes clearer the nature of the things compared
adjective
The rocking of a ship against the waves has been described by some as analogous to the ups and downs of a rollercoaster ride.

Question 6

anecdote

Answer 6

a short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person
noun
Our professor opened the semester with a number of humorous anecdotes about excuses he has heard from students who missed class.

Question 7

apprehensive

Answer 7

anxious or fearful that something bad or unpleasant will happen
adjective
Lauren was apprehensive about her upcoming violin recital: she had practiced enough but had never performed in front of more than four or five people.

Question 8

arbitrary

Answer 8

based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system
adjective
The town’s enforcement of parking rules felt arbitrary, as some days the rules would be strictly enforced and other days it seemed impossible to get a ticket no matter how severe the infraction.

Question 9

assert

Answer 9

to state a fact or belief confidently and forcefully
verb
After listening to the rest of the board members shout over each other, Dominic felt the need to assert that this time could have been better spent offering practical solutions to the issue.

Question 10

bias

Answer 10

prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair
noun
Though she promised to be free of bias, it became evident very quickly that my mom preferred a dog over a cat as a potential pet.

Question 11

brevity

Answer 11

concise and exact use of words in writing or speech
noun
Sabrina’s notes were known for their brevity, as entire concepts were often summed up into a small series of words and phrases.

Question 12

buttress

Answer 12

to increase the strength of or justification for; to reinforce
verb
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.

Question 13

concede

Answer 13

to admit that something is true or valid after first denying or resisting it
verb
After an intense debate, I was forced to concede that my opponent had a strong argument regarding the need for district-wide budget reallocation.

Question 14

corroborate

Answer 14

to confirm or give support to (a statement theory etc)
verb
The thief claimed to have an alibi at the time of the crime, but could not produce any friend or family to corroborate his story.

Question 15

decisive

Answer 15

settling an issue; producing a definite result
adjective
Megan scored a decisive victory for her field hockey team, netting four goals in just the first half of the game.

Question 16

deference

Answer 16

humble submission and respect
noun
The student spoke with deference to his master when discussing the proper application of a mixed martial arts technique.

Question 17

degrade

Answer 17

to treat with contempt or disrespect
verb
The harsh note taped to the bulletin board in the employee breakroom was clearly meant to degrade those who were not clocking back in from breaks on time.

Question 18

denounce

Answer 18

to publicly declare to be wrong or evil
verb
The principal was expected to denounce graffiti T-shirts as unacceptable school attire, but she surprised everyone when she stated that she considered them to be an important part of self-expression.

Question 19

dispute

Answer 19

a disagreement, argument, or debate
noun
A handshake, or verbal, agreement between employer and employee can lead to a dispute when one party does not follow through and there is no written documentation to resolve the matter.

Question 20

divergent

Answer 20

tending to be different or develop in different directions
adjective
Due to the unclear instructions, students took divergent paths in their papers, with some arguing multiple perspectives and some switching topics altogether.

Question 21

dormant

Answer 21

inactive for a period of time
adjective
Though the volcano once erupted regularly, it has lain dormant for decades; it now lies as a popular tourist attraction.

Question 22

eloquent

Answer 22

fluent or persuasive in speaking or writing
adjective
Shakespeare’s sonnets are considered some of the most eloquent poems in English literature.

Question 23

evoke

Answer 23

to bring or recall to the conscious mind
verb
The country’s national anthem is meant to evoke feelings of pride in the citizens.

Question 24

exert

Answer 24

to make a physical or mental effort
verb
Each Olympiad competition exerts a tremendous amount of mental energy solving calculations and puzzles in time limits.

Question 25

explicit

Answer 25

stated clearly and in detail, leaving no room for confusion or doubt adjective The teacher's classroom rules were explicit; they were written on a poster right above her desk

Question 26

impose

Answer 26

to take advantage of someone by demanding their attention or commitment verb The mayor has decided to impose a curfew upon residents of his town.

Question 27

ironic

Answer 27

happening in the opposite way from what is expected and typically causing amusement because of this adjective It is ironic that the tech support company's website was listed as down for maintenance.

Question 28

novel

Answer 28

new or unusual in an interesting way adjective Novel ideas, such as Galileo's model for the Earth revolving around the Sun, usually take time to be accepted by those comfortable with traditional views

Question 29

oppressive

Answer 29

unjustly inflicting hardship and constraint; weighing heavily on the mind or spirits adjective The heat of the jungle was so oppressive that the expedition team took breaks twice as often as planned.

Question 30

prominent

Answer 30

projecting outward or upward from its surroundings adjective One of the most prominent American presidents, George Washington, is often noted as having an unusually protrusive nose.

Question 31

provoke

Answer 31

to stimulate or give rise to a reaction or emotion, typically a strong or unwelcome one in someone verb I knew I couldn't let Anthony provoke me into an argument again, as he often did.

Question 32

reciprocate

Answer 32

to respond to (a gesture or action) by making a corresponding one verb Jennifer was so touched by the Christmas gift she received from Isabell that she made plans to reciprocate as soon as she could get to the mall

Question 33

renounce

Answer 33

to formally declare one's abandonment of (a claim, right, or possession) verb In a shocking move, the king has decided to renounce his right to the throne, sending the country into a panic.

Question 34

reconcile

Answer 34

to restore friendly relations between verb William treated Caleb to an apology as a means to reconcile following their recent disagreement.

Question 35

refute

Answer 35

to prove (a statement or theory) to be wrong or false; disprove verb Scientists often publish papers meant to refute theories that they have disproven through experimentation

Question 36

retain

Answer 36

to continue to have (something); keep possession of verb In an effort to retain her position as class president, Cynthia put up flyers asking for students' votes in the upcoming election.

Question 37

repression

Answer 37

the restraint, prevention, or inhibition of a feeling, quality, etc. noun When citizens of a nation endure long periods of political repression, it can lead to verbal or physical altercations throughout that country.

Question 38

skeptical

Answer 38

not easily convinced; having doubts or reservations adjective Bryce was skeptical of his order's estimated arrival date: past orders from the same company had taken a week longer than advertised.

Question 39

speculate

Answer 39

to form a theory or conjecture about a subject without firm evidence verb The lawyer refused to speculate on the outcome of the trial, but she was hopeful that her client would be found innocent.

Question 40

subtle

Answer 40

so delicate or precise as to be difficult to analyze or describe adjective A slight cough from a friend can be a subtle indication that the friend wishes to depart from a social situation in which they feel uncomfortable.

Question 41

substantiate

Answer 41

to provide evidence to support or prove the truth of verb The researcher ran a series of experiments hoping to substantiate her theory of engine mechanics before presenting it to her supervisor for review.

Question 42

supplement

Answer 42

something that completes or enhances something else when added to it noun Milk is often considered the perfect supplement to cereal, though other liquids have become popular choices in recent years.

Question 43

tenuous

Answer 43

very weak or slight adjective With just seconds to go in the game, the team clung to a tenuous one-point lead.

Question 44

underscore

Answer 44

to emphasize or draw attention to verb Margaux came to her presentation with a series of handouts for her coworkers, hoping this would underscore the amount of work she had put into her project.

Question 45

undermine

Answer 45

to lessen the effectiveness, power, or ability of verb Michael practically ran on his way to school, worried that a mark of tardy would undermine his perfect attendance record.

Question 46

unobtrusive

Answer 46

not conspicuous or attracting attention adjective Garbage cans at Disney World are painted to be as unobtrusive as possible, often blending into their surroundings.

Question 47

validate

Answer 47

to check or prove the validity or accuracy of (something) verb The clerk refused to validate my license, noting that it expired one month ago.

Question 48

viable

Answer 48

capable of working successfully; feasible adjective The hiring supervisor was pleased to find that so many viable candidates had applied for the position.

Question 49

verisimilitude

Answer 49

the appearance of being true or real noun Despite being a work of fiction, the movie possessed such authentic characters and believable dialogue that critics praised it for its verisimilitude.