MCAT CARS Vocabulary
canny
adj. careful, cautious adj. knowing, clever/sharp
humility
n. state of being humble
secularist
n. system of political or social philosophy that all rejects all religions
archetype
n. the original pattern or model that is the basis
indispensible
adj. absolutely necessary
imperative
adj. absolutely necessary or required
affluent
adj. abundant
equivocal
adj. ambiguous
indigneous
adj. anger at something unjust; righteous anger
approbation (Author's tone)
adj. approval
gratuitous
adj. being without apparent reason
measured (Author's tone)
adj. cautious, regulated
derisive
adj. characterizing ridicule; mocking
laudatory (Author's tone)
adj. containing or expressing praise
fallacious
adj. deceptive, misleading
pejorative
adj. derogatory
slanderous
adj. disparaging/derogatory
apprehensive
adj. fearful about something that might happen adj. quick to learn or understand
radical
adj. fundamental adj. extreme; forming drastic changes
cursory
adj. going quickly over something without paying attention to details; superficial
innocuous
adj. harmless
scrupulous
adj. having moral standards; principled
apathetic
adj. having or showing no emotion
celestial
adj. heavenly
untenable
adj. indefensible adj. not fit to be occupied
punitive
adj. inflicting punishment
insidious
adj. intended to entrap or beguile (beguile: mislead) adj. stealthily deceitful
lugubrious
adj. mournful, dismal, or gloomy
remiss
adj. negligent, careless, slow
secular
adj. not pertaining to religion
absolute
adj. perfect; no error
antecedent
adj. preceding n. a preceding event or circumstance
pragmatic
adj. relating to a practical point of view
loath
adj. reluctant, unwilling
bipartisan
adj. representing members of two parties
ostentatious
adj. seeking to attract notice or impress others
marginal
adj. situated on border or edge; minimal for requirements
pervasive
adj. spread throughout
transcendental
adj. superior, surpassing
paramount
adj. supreme; above others in rank
mellifluent/mellifluous
adj. sweetly or smoothly flowing; sweet-sounding (Author's tone)
disparaging
adj. tending to belittle or depreciate
anachronistic
adj. time-wise, unfitting E.g. sword is anachronistic in modern warfare
pristine
adj. uncorrupted or primitive state
genial
adj. warmly, pleasantly cheerful
wary
adj. watchful; being on guard against danger
Confederacy
n. 11 southern slave states that formed the Confederate states of America; they opposed the Union during the American Civil War The Confederate flag symbolizes slavery Confederacy vs. Union map: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_%28American_Civil_War%29
Union
n. Referred to the national government and 20 other free states and 5 border states; fought against the Confederate states during the Civil War
ramification
n. a branch
reverence
n. a feeling of deep respect
canon
n. a fundamental principle
caucus
n. a meeting of party leaders to select candidates, elect convention delegates, etc.
paradigm
n. a pattern or a model
premise
n. a proposition that supports a conclusion
repercussion
n. an effect or result of some event or action
ovation
n. an enthusiastic public reception of a person
epigram
n. any witty remark concisely expressed
sanction
n. authorization or approval
tradition
n. beliefs, values, customs, legends, etc. that are passed down from generation to generation
status quo
n. current state of social or political affairs
slander slanderous
n. defamation n. a false, defamatory statement
defection
n. desertion from/abandonment of allegiance
oppression
n. exercise of authority in a cruel, unjust manner
Republican
n. historical rival of Democrats founded by anti-slavery activists; Abraham Lincoln and George Bush; "American Conservatives" supporting free market capitalism, limited government, strong national defense, opposing regulation and labour unions, and supporting socially conservative policies more conservative; right-winged
Democrats
n. historical rival of Republicans; Barack Obama; "Amercan Liberals" supporting mixed economy (government intervention) and social justice; advocates for social and economic equity more liberal; left-winged
allegiance
n. loyalty of a citizen to his/her government
sustenance
n. means of sustaining life; nourishment
detachment (Author's tone)
n. neutrality
obscurantist
n. opposition to the spread of knowledge
renunciation
n. rejection
secession
n. the withdrawal from the Union of 11 Southern states that brought on the Civil War
barring
prep. excepting; except for
warrant
v. to authorize
accord
v. to be in agreement
patronize
v. to behave offensively towards
reinstate
v. to bring back into existence
obfuscation
v. to confuse v. to make obscure
censure (Primary purpose)
v. to criticize harshly
castigate
v. to criticize severely v. to punish in order to correct
foreclose
v. to deprive of the right v. to shut out or exclude
disdain
v. to despise v. to think unworthy of notice
abash
v. to destroy self-confidence; to be ashamed
impassion
v. to fill with passion; to inflame; to excite
forge
v. to form or make v. to imitate fraudulently
disabuse
v. to free a person from deception or error
reinvigorate
v. to give energy to
revitalize
v. to give new life to
attest
v. to give proof or evidence v. to bear witness to; to declare to be correct
regress
v. to go back
hearken
v. to hear / to give attention to
subsume
v. to include as a part of a more comprehensible one v. to bring under a rule
depreciate
v. to lessen the value of
contemplate
v. to look at with continued attention; observe or study carefully
antiquate
v. to make old-fashioned or out-of-date
qualify (Purpose question)
v. to modify
thwart
v. to oppose successfully
commend
v. to praise
usurp
v. to seize and hold by force or without legal right v. to use without authority or right
pilfer
v. to steal, especially in large quantities
dally
v. to waste time, loiter