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GRE > 22 Short > Flashcards

22 Short Flashcards

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1
Q

riveting

A

adjective

completely engrossing; compelling: the book is a riveting account of the legendary freedom fighter.

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2
Q

roil

A

verb
1 [with object] literary make (a liquid) turbid or muddy by disturbing the sediment: winds roil these waters.
• [no object] (of a liquid) move in a turbulent, swirling manner: the sea roiled below her | figurative : a kind of fear roiled in her.
2 another term for rile.

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3
Q

rote

A

noun

mechanical or habitual repetition of something to be learned: a poem learned by rote in childhood.

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4
Q

rouse

A

verb [with object]
1 bring out of sleep; awaken: she was roused from a deep sleep by a hand on her shoulder.
• [no object] cease to sleep or to be inactive; wake up: she roused and looked around.
• startle out of inactivity; cause to become active: once the enemy camp was roused, they would move on the castle | she’d just stay a few more minutes, then rouse herself and go back.
• startle (game) from a lair or cover.
2 cause to feel angry or excited: the crowds were roused to fever pitch by the drama of the race.
• cause or give rise to (an emotion or feeling): his evasiveness roused my curiosity.
3 stir (a liquid, especially beer while brewing): rouse the beer as the hops are introduced.

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5
Q

rubicund

A

adjective

(especially of someone’s face) having a ruddy complexion; high-colored.

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6
Q

rue

A 
verb (rues, rueing or ruing, rued) [with object]
bitterly regret (something one has done or allowed to happen): Ferguson will rue the day he turned down that offer | she might live to rue this impetuous decision.
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7
Q

ruffle

A

verb [with object]
1 disorder or disarrange (someone’s hair), typically by running one’s hands through it: he ruffled her hair affectionately.
• (of a bird) erect (its feathers) in anger or display: on his departure to the high wires, the starling ruffled his feathers and flirted his wings.
• disturb the smoothness or tranquility of: the evening breeze ruffled the surface of the pond in the yard.
• disconcert or upset the composure of (someone): Brian had been ruffled by her questions.
2 (usually as adjective ruffled) ornament with or gather into a frill: a blouse with a high ruffled neck.
noun
1 an ornamental gathered or goffered frill of lace or other cloth on a garment, especially around the wrist or neck.
2 a vibrating drumbeat.

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8
Q

ruminate

A

verb [no object]
1 think deeply about something: we sat ruminating on the nature of existence.
2 (of a ruminant) chew the cud.

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9
Q

rumple

A

verb [with object] (usually as adjective rumpled)
give a creased, ruffled, or disheveled appearance to: a rumpled bed.
noun [in singular]
an untidy state.

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10
Q

ruse

A

noun

an action intended to deceive someone; a trick: Eleanor tried to think of a ruse to get Paul out of the house.

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11
Q

rustic

A

adjective
1 relating to the countryside; rural.
• having a simplicity and charm that is considered typical of the countryside: the unblemished charm of rustic life has been a perennial source of inspiration for the painter | bare plaster walls and a terra-cotta floor give a rustic feel.
• lacking the sophistication of the city; backward and provincial: you are a rustic halfwit.
2 made in a plain and simple fashion: rustic pottery.
• made of untrimmed branches or rough timber: a rustic oak bench.
• with rough-hewn or roughened surface or with deeply sunk joints: a rustic bridge.
• denoting freely formed lettering, especially a relatively informal style of handwritten Roman capital letter.

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12
Q

rustle

A

verb
1 [no object] make a soft, muffled crackling sound like that caused by the movement of dry leaves or paper: she came closer, her skirt swaying and rustling.
• [with adverbial of direction] move with a rustling sound: a nurse rustled in with a syringe.
• [with object] move (something), causing it to make a rustling sound: Dolly rustled the paper irritably.
2 [with object] round up and steal (cattle, horses, or sheep).
3 [no object] North American informal move or act quickly or energetically; hustle: rustle around the kitchen, see what there is.
noun [usually in singular]
a soft, muffled crackling sound like that made by the movement of dry leaves or paper: there was a rustle in the undergrowth behind her.

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13
Q

saccharine

A

adjective [attributive]
1 excessively sweet or sentimental.
2 dated relating to or containing sugar; sugary.

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14
Q

sacrilege

A

noun
violation or misuse of what is regarded as sacred: putting ecclesiastical vestments to secular use was considered sacrilege.

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15
Q

saddle

A

verb [with object]
put a saddle on (a horse): he was in the stable saddling up his horse.
• (usually be saddled with) burden (someone) with an onerous responsibility or task: he’s saddled with debts of $12 million.

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16
Q

salient

A

adjective
1 most noticeable or important: it succinctly covered all the salient points of the case.
• prominent; conspicuous: it was always the salient object in my view.
noun
a piece of land or section of fortification that juts out to form an angle.
• an outward bulge in a line of military attack or defense.

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17
Q

salubrious

A

adjective
health-giving; healthy: salubrious weather.
• (of a place) pleasant; not run-down.

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18
Q

salutary

A

adjective
(especially with reference to something unwelcome or unpleasant) producing good effects; beneficial: a salutary reminder of where we came from.

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19
Q

salve

A

noun
an ointment used to promote healing of the skin or as protection.
• something that is soothing or consoling for wounded feelings or an uneasy conscience: the idea provided him with a salve for his guilt.
verb [with object]
1 soothe (wounded pride or one’s conscience): charity salves our conscience.

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20
Q

sanctify

A

verb (sanctifies, sanctifying, sanctified) [with object]
set apart as or declare holy; consecrate: a small shrine was built to sanctify the site.
• make legitimate or binding by religious sanction: they see their love sanctified by the sacrament of marriage.
• free from sin; purify.
• cause to be or seem morally right or acceptable: ancient customs that are sanctified by tradition.

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21
Q

sanctimonious

A

adjective derogatory
making a show of being morally superior to other people: what happened to all the sanctimonious talk about putting his family first?

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22
Q

sanguine

A

adjective
1 optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation: he is sanguine about prospects for the global economy | the committee takes a more sanguine view.
noun
a blood-red color.

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23
Q

sap

A

noun
the fluid, chiefly water with dissolved sugars and mineral salts, that circulates in the vascular system of a plant.
• vigor or energy: the hot, heady days of youth when the sap was rising.
verb (saps, sapping, sapped) [with object]
gradually weaken or destroy (a person’s strength or power): our energy is being sapped by bureaucrats and politicians.
• (sap someone of) drain someone of (strength or power): her illness had sapped her of energy and life.

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24
Q

sapient

A

adjective
1 formal wise, or attempting to appear wise.
• (chiefly in science fiction) intelligent: sapient life forms.
2 relating to the human species (Homo sapiens): our sapient ancestors of 40,000 years ago.
noun
a human of the species Homo sapiens.

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25
Q

sartorial

A

adjective [attributive]

relating to tailoring, clothes, or style of dress: sartorial elegance.

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26
Q

sate

A

verb [with object]
satisfy (a desire or an appetite) to the full: sate your appetite at the resort’s restaurant.
• supply (someone) with as much as or more of something than is desired or can be managed.

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27
Q

satiate

A

verb

another term for sate1: he folded up his newspaper, his curiosity satiated.

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28
Q

saturnine

A

adjective
(of a person or their manner) slow and gloomy: a saturnine temperament.
• (of a person or their features) dark in coloring and moody or mysterious: his saturnine face and dark, watchful eyes.
• (of a place or an occasion) gloomy: a saturnine setting.

29
Q

saunter

A

verb [no object, with adverbial of direction]
walk in a slow, relaxed manner, without hurry or effort: Adam sauntered into the room.
noun
a leisurely stroll: a quiet saunter down the road.

30
Q

savant

A

noun

a learned person, especially a distinguished scientist.

31
Q

savory

A

adjective
1 (of food) belonging to the category which is salty or spicy rather than sweet.
• having an appetizing taste or smell: she carried in a pie from the kitchen, steaming and savory.
2 [usually with negative] morally wholesome or acceptable: everyone knew it was a front for less savory operations.

32
Q

scads

A

plural noun informal, chiefly North American

a large number or quantity: they raised scads of children | [in singular] : he’s installed a scad of microprocessors.

33
Q

scant

A

adjective
barely sufficient or adequate: companies with scant regard for the safety of future generations.
• [attributive] barely amounting to a specified number or quantity: she weighed a scant two pounds.
verb [with object] chiefly North American
provide grudgingly or in insufficient amounts: he does not scant his attention to the later writings.
• deal with inadequately; neglect: the press regularly scants a host of issues relating to safety and health.

34
Q

scathing

A

adjective

witheringly scornful; severely critical: she launched a scathing attack on the governor.

35
Q

schism

A

noun

a split or division between strongly opposed sections or parties, caused by differences in opinion or belief.

36
Q

scintillate

A

verb [no object]

emit flashes of light; sparkle.

37
Q

seditious

A

adjective

inciting or causing people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch: the letter was declared seditious.s

38
Q

scission

A

noun technical
the action or state of cutting or being cut.
• chiefly Biochemistry breakage of a chemical bond, especially one in a long chain molecule so that two smaller chains result.
• a division or split between people or parties; a schism.

39
Q

scoff

A

verb [no object]
speak to someone or about something in a scornfully derisive or mocking way: [with direct speech] : “You, a scientist?” he scoffed | department officials scoffed at the allegations.
noun
an expression of scornful derision.

40
Q

scorch

A

verb
1 [with object] burn the surface of (something) with flame or heat: surrounding houses were scorched by heat from the blast.
• [no object] become burned when exposed to heat or a flame: the meat had scorched.
• (often as adjective scorched) (of the heat of the sun) cause (vegetation or a place) to become dried out and lifeless: a desolate, scorched landscape.
2 [no object, with adverbial of direction] informal (of a person or vehicle) move very fast: a sports car scorching along the expressway.
noun
the burning or charring of the surface of something: [as modifier] : a scorch mark.

41
Q

scorn

A

noun
the feeling or belief that someone or something is worthless or despicable; contempt: I do not wish to become the object of scorn | [in singular] : a general scorn for human life.
• [in singular] archaic a person viewed with scorn: a scandal and a scorn to all who look on thee.
• archaic a statement or gesture indicating scorn.
verb [with object]
feel or express contempt or derision for: I was routinely ridiculed and scorned by conservatives and liberals alike.
• reject (something) in a contemptuous way: opponents scorned his offer to negotiate.
• [no object, with infinitive] refuse to do something because one is too proud: at her lowest ebb, she would have scorned to stoop to such tactics.

42
Q

scotch

A

verb
1 [with object] decisively put an end to: a spokesman has scotched the rumors.
2 [with object and adverbial] wedge (someone or something) somewhere: he soon scotched himself against a wall.

43
Q

scour

A

verb [with object]
1 clean or brighten the surface of (something) by rubbing it hard, typically with an abrasive or detergent: he scoured the bathtub.
• remove (dirt or unwanted matter) by rubbing with an abrasive or detergent: use an electric toothbrush to scour off plaque | [no object] : I’ve spent all day mopping and scouring.
• (of water or a watercourse) make (a channel or pool) by flowing forcefully over something and removing soil or rock: a stream came crashing through a narrow cavern to scour out a round pool below.
2 • archaic administer a strong purgative to.
noun
1 the action of scouring or the state of being scoured, especially by swift-flowing water.
• [in singular] an act of rubbing something hard to clean or brighten it: give the floor a good scour.
2 (also scours) diarrhea in livestock, especially cattle and pigs.

44
Q

scowl

A

noun
an angry or bad-tempered expression.
verb [no object]
frown in an angry or bad-tempered way: she scowled at him defiantly.

45
Q

scrappy

A

adjective (scrappier, scrappiest)
1 consisting of disorganized, untidy, or incomplete parts: scrappy lecture notes piled up unread. [mid 19th century: derivative of scrap1.]

46
Q

scrawl

A

verb [with object]
write (something) in a hurried, careless way: Charlie scrawled his signature | [no object] : he was scrawling on the back of a used envelope.
noun
an example of hurried, careless writing: the page was covered in scrawls and doodles | reams of handwritten scrawl.

47
Q

scribble

A

verb [with object]
write or draw (something) carelessly or hurriedly: he took the clipboard and scribbled something illegible | (as adjective scribbled) : scribbled notes | [no object] : hastily he scribbled in the margin.
• [no object] informal write for a living or as a hobby: she spent her last years scribbling and painting.
noun
a piece of writing or a picture produced carelessly or hurriedly: illegible scribbles | he would never be able to decipher your scribble.

48
Q

scrupulous

A

adjective
(of a person or process) diligent, thorough, and extremely attentive to details: the research has been carried out with scrupulous attention to detail.
• very concerned to avoid doing wrong: she’s too scrupulous to have an affair with a married man.

49
Q

scuff

A

verb [with object]
scrape or brush the surface of (a shoe or other object) against something: I scuffed the heel of my shoe on a stone.
• mark (a surface) by scraping or brushing it, especially with one’s shoes: the linoleum on the floor was scuffed.
• [no object] (of an object or surface) become marked by scraping or brushing: these shoes won’t scuff.
• drag (one’s feet or heels) when walking: he scuffed his feet boyishly.
• [no object, with adverbial of direction] walk while dragging one’s feet or heels: she scuffed along in her slippers.
noun
a mark made by scraping or grazing a surface or object: dark colors don’t show scuffs.

50
Q

scurrilous,

A

adjective
making or spreading scandalous claims about someone with the intention of damaging their reputation: a scurrilous attack on his integrity.
• humorously insulting: a very funny collection of bawdy and scurrilous writings.

51
Q

scurrilous

A

adjective
making or spreading scandalous claims about someone with the intention of damaging their reputation: a scurrilous attack on his integrity.
• humorously insulting: a very funny collection of bawdy and scurrilous writings.

52
Q

seamy

A

adjective (seamier, seamiest)

sordid and disreputable: a seamy sex scandal.

53
Q

secrete

A

verb [with object]
(of a cell, gland, or organ) produce and discharge (a substance): insulin is secreted in response to rising levels of glucose in the blood.
verb [with object]
conceal; hide: the assets had been secreted in Swiss bank accounts.

54
Q

sedate

A

adjective
calm, dignified, and unhurried: in the old days, business was carried on at a rather more sedate pace.
• quiet and rather dull: sedate suburban domesticity.
verb [with object]
calm (someone) or make them sleep by administering a sedative drug: she was heavily sedated.

55
Q

sedentary

A

adjective
(of a person) tending to spend much time seated; somewhat inactive.
• (of work or a way of life) characterized by much sitting and little physical exercise.
• (of a position) sitting; seated.

56
Q

sedulous

A

adjective

(of a person or action) showing dedication and diligence: he watched himself with the most sedulous care.

57
Q

seemly

A

adjective

conforming to accepted notions of propriety or good taste; decorous: I felt it was not seemly to observe too closely.

58
Q

self-absorbed

A

adjective

preoccupied with one’s own feelings , interests, or situation: they are too self-absorbed to listen carefully to others.

59
Q

seminal,

A

adjective
1 (of a work, event, moment, or figure) strongly influencing later developments: his seminal work on chaos theory.
2 relating to or denoting semen.

60
Q

seminal

A

adjective
1 (of a work, event, moment, or figure) strongly influencing later developments: his seminal work on chaos theory.
2 relating to or denoting semen.

61
Q

sepulchral

A

adjective
relating to a tomb or interment: sepulchral monuments.
• gloomy; dismal: a speech delivered in sepulchral tones.

62
Q

septic

A

adjective
1 (chiefly of a wound or a part of the body) infected with bacteria.
2 [attributive] denoting a drainage system incorporating a septic tank.

63
Q

sequela

A

noun (plural sequelae | -ˈkwelē, -ˈkwelī | ) (usually sequelae) Medicine
a condition which is the consequence of a previous disease or injury: the long-term sequelae of infection.

64
Q

sequester

A

verb [with object]
1 isolate or hide away (someone or something): Tiberius was sequestered on an island | the jurors had been sequestered since Monday | the artist sequestered himself in his studio for two years.
• [no object] Chemistry form a chelate or other stable compound with (an ion, atom, or molecule) so that it is no longer available for reactions.
2 take legal possession of (assets) until a debt has been paid or other claims have been met: the power of courts to sequester the assets of unions.
• take forcible possession of (something); confiscate: rebel property was sequestered and a military government installed.
• legally place (the property of a bankrupt) in the hands of a trustee for division among the creditors: (as adjective sequestered) : a trustee in a sequestered estate.

65
Q

sere

A

adjective literary

(especially of vegetation) dry or withered: small green vineyards encircled by vast sear fields.

66
Q

serendipity,

A

noun
the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way: a fortunate stroke of serendipity | a series of small serendipities.

67
Q

serendipity

A

noun
the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way: a fortunate stroke of serendipity | a series of small serendipities.

68
Q

serene

A

adjective
1 calm, peaceful, and untroubled; tranquil: her eyes were closed and she looked very serene | serene certainty.
2 (Serene) (in a title) used as a term of respect for members of some European royal families: His Serene Highness.

69
Q

rune/runic

A

noun
a letter of an ancient Germanic alphabet, related to the Roman alphabet.
• a mark or letter of mysterious or magic significance.
• (runes) small stones, pieces of bone, etc., bearing runes, and used as divinatory symbols: the casting of the runes.
• a spell or incantation.

GRE (14 decks)

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