PrepScholar Top 150 Words Flashcards
Adhere
stick completely to a surface or substance / believe in and
follow the practices of
Aloof
not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant
Ambiguous
open to more than one interpretation; having a double meaning
Analyze
examine in detail, typically for purposes of explanation and
interpretation
Anecdote
short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or
person
Antagonize
cause someone to become hostile
Anticipate
regard as probable; expect or predict
Apprehensive
anxious or fearful that something bad will happen
Arcane
mysterious or secret
Assert
state a fact or belief confidently and forcefully
Assess
evaluate or estimate the nature, ability, or quality of
Attribute
regard something as being caused by someone or something
Bear
endure an ordeal or difficulty
Befall
(of something bad) happen to someone
Burgeon
begin to grow or increase rapidly; flourish
Coherent
logical and consistent
Compassion
concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others
Compensate
make up for something unwelcome or unpleasant by exerting an
opposite force or effect
Complement
a thing that completes or brings to perfection a larger whole
Compose
- write or create
- constitute, make up (composition, composed
of)
Condescending
having or showing a feeling of superiority
Consecutive
following continuously; in unbroken or logical sequence
Contour
an outline, especially one representing or bounding the shape or
form of something
Contract
decrease in size, number, or range
Correlate
have a mutual relationship or connection (corollary, correlated)
Corollary
a direct or natural consequence or result
Critical
- expressing disapproving comments
- expressing/involving an analysis of merits or faults of something
- involving objective analysis & evaluation of an issue to form a judgment
- situation having the potential to become disastrous
Cumbersome
- large/heavy and therefore difficult to carry or use
- slow or complicated and therefore inefficient
Deficit
the amount by which something is too small
Demean
cause a severe loss in the dignity of and respect for someone or something
Depict
show or represent
Determine
- cause something to occur in a particular way; be the decisive
factor in - ascertain or establish exactly, typically as a result of research or calculation
Devoid
entirely lacking or free from
Differentiate
- recognize or ascertain what makes ___ different
- identify differences between two or more things
- make ___ appear different or distinct
- make or become different in the
process of growth or development
Diffuse
spread out over a large area; not concentrated
Digress
leave the main subject temporarily in speech or writing
Diminish
make or become less
Discrepancy
a lack of compatibility or similarity between two or more facts
(Dis)/inclined
(un)/willing or positive (neg) about an action, belief, or attitude
Dismay
consternation and distress, typically that caused by something
unexpected
Disposition
- a person’s inherent qualities of mind and character
- an inclination or tendency
Dynamic
characterized by constant change, activity, or progress
Eclipse
a loss of significance, power, or prominence in relation to another
person or thing
Emerge
become apparent, important, or prominent
Engage
- occupy, attract, or involve interest/ attention
- cause someone to become involved in
- participate or become
involved in
Engross
absorb all the attention or interest of
Ethereal
extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this
world
Evolve
develop gradually, especially from a simple to a more complex form
Exploit
- make full use of and derive benefit from
- use a situation or
person in an unfair or selfish way
Facilitate
make an action or process easy or easier
Feign
pretend to be affected by a feeling, state, or injury
Fleeting
lasting for a very short time
Glaring
extremely obvious or conspicuous
Hardship
severe suffering or deprivation
Hurtle
move or cause to move at a great speed, typically in an uncontrolled manner
Immerse
involve oneself deeply in a particular activity or interest / dip or
submerge in a liquid
Imminent
about to happen
(Im)mobile
(un)able to move or be moved freely or easily
Impervious
unable to be affected by
Incendiary
- tending to stir up conflict
- designed to cause fires
Incompetant
not having or showing the necessary skills to do something successfully
(In)conceivable
(un) capable of being imagined or grasped mentally
(In)dissoluble
(not) able to be dissolved, loosened, or disconnected
Inevitable
certain to happen; unavoidable
Infer
deduce or conclude (information) from evidence and reasoning
rather than from clear statements
Integrate
combine one thing with another so that they become a whole
Intuition
the ability to understand something immediately, a ‘gut feeling’
Justify
- show or prove to be right or reasonable
- be a good reason for
Lack
be without or deficient in
Latent
existing but not yet developed or obvious; hidden; concealed
Lethargic
sluggish and apathetic
Mere
used to emphasize how small or insignificant __ is
Minute
extremely small
Mishap
an unlucky accident
Nostalgia
a sentimental longing or affection for the past
Notion
a conception of or belief about something
Obsolete
no longer produced or used; out of date
Obstruct
to be or get in the way of; prevent; hinder
Omit
leave out or exclude __ either intentionally or
forgetfully
Orient
align or position something relative to a known point or landmark
Paradox
something w/ sound (or apparently sound) reasoning from
acceptable premises leads to a conclusion that seems senseless,
logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory
Pensive
engaged in, involving, or reflecting deep or serious thought
Peril
serious and immediate danger
Perpetual
occurring repeatedly; so frequent as to seem endless and
uninterrupted
Ponder
think about something carefully
Potent
having great power, influence, or effect
Precede
- come before __ in time
- come before in order or position
Predate
exist or occur at a date earlier than something
Principle
a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for
a system of belief or behavior
Proficient
competent or skilled in doing or using something
Profound
- very great or intense 2. having or showing great knowledge or
insight
Pungent
having an intensely strong taste or smell
Redundant
not or no longer needed or useful
Reflect
- to bounce off light/sound w/o absorption
- show an image of
- represent something in an appropriate way
- to bring about a good/bad impression
- to think deeply about
Relevant
closely connected or appropriate to the matter at hand
Resent
feel bitterness or slight anger at a circumstance, action, or person
Revive
- to regain life, consciousness, or strength
- to restore interest in or the popularity of
Rudimentary
- involving or limited to basic principles
- of or relating to an
immature, undeveloped, or basic form
Sensory
of or relating to sensation or the physical senses; transmitted or
perceived by the senses
Skeptical
not easily convinced; having doubts or reservations
Solemn
formal and dignified; serious
Static
lacking in movement, action, or change
Superlative
of the highest quality or degree
Sustainable
- able to be maintained at a certain rate or level 2. conserving an
ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources
Trait
a distinguishing quality or characteristic
(Un)realized
(to not) give actual or physical form to
Void
a completely empty space
Wholly
entirely; fully
Abundant
existing or available in large quantities; plentiful
Altitude
the height of an object or point in relation to sea level or ground level
Atribute
a quality or feature regarded as a characteristic or inherent part of
someone or something
Characterisitic
typical of a particular person, place, or thing
Combustion
the process of burning something
Conduct
transmit a form of energy such as heat or electricity
Correspond
have a close similarity; match or agree almost exactly
Decelerate
reduce the speed of; lose velocity; move more slowly
Deposition
the process of some substance being naturally deposited
somewhere
Distinguish
recognize or treat (someone or something) as different
Efficient
being effective without wasting time or effort or expense; able to
accomplish a purpose
Emit
give off, send forth, or discharge; as of light, heat, or radiation,
vapor, etc.
Erode
remove soil or rock; become ground down or deteriorate
Evolution
process where __ passes by degrees to a different stage- especially more advanced/ mature stage
Exert
put to use; make a great effort at a mental or physical task
Exhibit
show an attribute/property/knowledge/ skill; to show, make visible or apparent
Fuse
mix together different elements; join
Gauge
measure precisely and against a standard; determine the capacity,
volume, or contents of by measurement and calculation
Generalize
draw from specific cases for more general cases
Given
specified or stated
Hypothesis
tentative theory about the natural world; a concept that’s not verified but if true would explain certain facts/phenomena
Incremental
increasing gradually by regular degrees or additions
Intact
undamaged in any way; whole
Interval
distance between things; definite length of time marked off by two instants
Larvae
active immature form of an insect, especially one that differs
greatly from the adult and forms the stage between egg and pupa
Latter
the second of two or the second mentioned of two
Mass
the quantity of matter that something contains
Maturation
coming to full development
Onset
the beginning/early stages
Precipitation
the falling to earth of any form of water (rain/snow/ hail/sleet/mist)
Prolong
lengthen or extend in duration or space
Direct Proportion
increase in one causes an increase in the other
Inverse Proportion
as one increases, the other decreases
Residual
relating to or indicating a remainder; something left after other parts have been taken away
Solution
homogeneous mixture of two or more substances; frequently a liquid
Substrate
- any substance or layer lying underneath another 2. surface on which an organism grows or is attached
- the substance that is
acted upon by an enzyme or ferment
Trial
a specific experiment or set of experiments within a larger context
Uniform
- evenly spaced
- always the same
Variable
in an experiment: an element, feature, or factor that’s changed within the experiment to determine its effects
