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GRE Vocab - 1 > A-1 > Flashcards

A-1 Flashcards

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1
Q

abbreviate

A

shorten (Eg: Because we were running out of time- the lecturer had to abbreviate her speech. )

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2
Q

abate

A

subside or moderate (Eg: Rather than leaving immediately- they waited for the storm to abate. )

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3
Q

abortive

A

unsuccessful; fruitless (Eg: We had to abandon our abortive attempts. )

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4
Q

absolute

A

complete; totally unlimited; certain (Eg: Although the King of Siam was an absolute monarch- he did not want to behead his unfaithful wife )

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5
Q

abstract

A

theoretical; not concrete; non-representational (Eg: To him- hunger was an abstract concept; he had never missed a meal. )

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6
Q

abusive

A

coarsely insulting; physically harmful (Eg: An abusive parent damages a child both mentally and physically. )

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7
Q

accelerate

A

move faster (Eg: In our science class- we learn how falling bodies accelerate. )

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8
Q

accessible

A

easy to approach; obtainable (Eg: We asked our guide whether the ruins were accessible on foot. )

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9
Q

accessory

A

additional object; useful but not essential thing (Eg: She bought an attractive handbag as an accessory for her dress. )

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10
Q

abscond

A

depart secretly and hide (Eg: The teller absconded with the bonds and was not found. )

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11
Q

aberrant

A

abnormal or deviant (Eg: Given the aberrant nature of the data- we came to doubt the validity of the entire experiment. )

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12
Q

abeyance

A

suspended action (Eg: The deal was held in abeyance until her arrival. )

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13
Q

adamant

A

hard- inflexible (Eg: He was adamant in his determination to punish the wrongdoer. )

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14
Q

adulterate

A

make impure by mixing with baser substances (Eg: )

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15
Q

adversity

A

poverty- misfortune (Eg: We must learn to meet adversity gracefully. )

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16
Q

abase

A

lower; degrade; humiliate (Eg: Anna expected to have to curtsy to the King of Siam; when told to cast herself down on the ground before )

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17
Q

abash

A

embarrass (Eg: He was not at all abashed by her open admiration. )

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18
Q

abdicate

A

renounce; give up (Eg: When Edward VII abdicated the British throne- he surprised the entire world. )

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19
Q

abet

A

assist- usually in doing something wrong (Eg: She was unwilling to abet him in the swindle he had planned. )

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20
Q

abject

A

wretched; lacking pride (Eg: On the streets of New York the homeless live in abject poverty- huddling in doorways to find shelter from )

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21
Q

abjure

A

renounce upon oath (Eg: He abjured his allegiance to the king. )

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22
Q

ablution

A

washing (Eg: His daily ablutions were accompanied by loud noises that he humorously labeled ‘‘Opera in the Bath.’’ )

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23
Q

abnegation

A

renunciation; self-sacrifice (Eg: Though Rudolph and Duchess Flavia loved one another- their love was doomed- for she had to wed the )

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24
Q

abominate

A

loathe; hate (Eg: Moses scolded the idol worshippers in the tribe because he abominated the custom. )

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25
Q

abrasive

A

rubbing away; tending to grind down (Eg: Just as abrasive cleaning powders can wear away a shiny finish- abrasive remarks can wear away a listener’s )

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26
Q

abrogate

A

abolish (Eg: He intended to abrogate the decree issued by his predecessor. )

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27
Q

absolve

A

pardon (an offense) (Eg: The father confessor absolved him of his sins. )

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28
Q

abstain

A

refrain; withhold from participation (Eg: After considering the effect of alcohol on his athletic performance- he decided to abstain from drinking )

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29
Q

abut

A

border upon; adjoin (Eg: Where our estates abut- we must build a fence. )

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30
Q

abysmal

A

bottomless (Eg: His arrogance is exceeded only by his abysmal ignorance. )

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31
Q

accede

A

agree (Eg: If I accede to this demand for blackmail- I am afraid that I will be the victim of future demands. )

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32
Q

acclimate

A

adjust to climate or environment (Eg: One of the difficulties of our present air age is the need of travellers to acclimate themselves to their new )

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33
Q

acclivity

A

sharp upslope of a hill (Eg: The car could not go up the acclivity in high gear. )

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34
Q

accolade

A

award of merit (Eg: In Hollywood- an ‘‘Oscar’’ is the highest accolade. )

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35
Q

accord

A

agreement (Eg: She was in complete accord with the verdict. )

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36
Q

accost

A

approach and speak first to a person (Eg: When the two young men accosted me- I was frightened because I thought they were going to attack me. )

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37
Q

accoutre

A

equip (Eg: The fisherman was accoutred with the best that the sporting goods store could supply )

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38
Q

accretion

A

growth; increase (Eg: The accretion of wealth marked the family’s rise in power. )

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39
Q

accrue

A

come about by addition (Eg: You must pay the interest that has accrued on your debt as well as the principal sum. )

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40
Q

acidulous

A

slightly sour; sharp; caustic (Eg: James was unpopular because of his sarcastic and acidulous remarks. )

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41
Q

acme

A

peak; pinnacle; highest point (Eg: Welles’s success in Citizen Kane marked the acme of his career as an actor; never again did he achieve such )

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42
Q

acquiesce

A

assent; agree passively (Eg: Although she appeared to acquiesce to her employer’s suggestions- I could tell she had reservations about )

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43
Q

acquittal

A

deliverance from a charge (Eg: His acquittal by the jury surprised those who had thought him guilty. )

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44
Q

acrid

A

sharp; bitterly pungent (Eg: )

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45
Q

acrimonious

A

stinging- caustic (Eg: His tendency to utter acrimonious remarks alienated his audience. )

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46
Q

actuarial

A

calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics (Eg: According to recent actuarial tables- life expectancy is greater today than it was a century ago. )

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47
Q

actuate

A

motivate (Eg: I fail to understand what actuated you to reply to this letter so nastily. )

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48
Q

acuity

A

sharpness (Eg: In time his youthful acuity of vision failed him- and he needed glasses. )

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49
Q

acumen

A

mental keenness (Eg: His business acumen helped him to succeed where others had failed. )

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50
Q

adage

A

wise saying; proverb (Eg: There is much truth in the old adage about fools and their money. )

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51
Q

addendum

A

addition; appendix to book (Eg: Jane’s editor approved her new comparative literature text but thought it would be even better with an )

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52
Q

addle

A

muddle; drive crazy (Eg: This idiotic plan is confusing enough to addle anyone. )

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53
Q

adherent

A

supporter; follower (Eg: In the wake of the scandal- the senator’s one-time adherent quietly deserted him. )

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54
Q

adjunct

A

something attached to but holding an inferior position (Eg: I will entertain this concept as an adjunct to the main proposal. )

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55
Q

adjuration

A

solemn urging (Eg: Her adjuration to tell the truth did not change the witnesses’ testimony. )

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56
Q

adjutant

A

staff officer assisting the commander; assistant (Eg: Though Wellington delegated many tasks to his chief adjutant- Lord Fitzroy Somerset- Somerset was in no )

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57
Q

admonish

A

warn; reprove (Eg: He admonished his listeners to change their wicked ways. )

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58
Q

adorn

A

decorate (Eg: Wall paintings and carved statues adorned the temple. )

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59
Q

adroit

A

skillful (Eg: His adroit handling of the delicate situation pleased his employers. )

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60
Q

adulation

A

flattery; admiration (Eg: The rock star thrived on the adulation of his groupies and yes-men. )

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61
Q

advent

A

arrival (Eg: Most Americans were unaware of the advent of the Nuclear Age until the news of Hiroshima reached )

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62
Q

adventitious

A

accidental; casual (Eg: He found this adventitious meeting with his friend extremely fortunate. )

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63
Q

adversary

A

opponent; enemy (Eg: Batman struggled to save Gotham City from the machinations of his wicked adversary- the Joker. )

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64
Q

adverse

A

unfavorable; hostile (Eg: adverse circumstances compelled him to close his business. )

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65
Q

advert

A

refer to (Eg: Since you advert to this matter so frequently- you must regard it as important. )

66
Q

advocate

A

urge; plead for (Eg: The abolitionists advocated freedom for the slaves. )

67
Q

aegis

A

shield; defense (Eg: Under the aegis of the Bill of Rights- we enjoy our most treasured freedoms. )

68
Q

affable

A

courteous (Eg: Although he held a position of responsibility- he was an affable individual and could be reached by anyone )

69
Q

affected

A

artificial; pretended (Eg: His affected mannerisms irritated may of us who had known him before his promotion. )

70
Q

affidavit

A

written statement made under oath (Eg: The court refused to accept his statement unless he presented it in the form of an affidavit. )

71
Q

affiliation

A

joining; associating with (Eg: His affiliation with the political party was of short duration for he soon disagreed with his colleagues. )

72
Q

affinity

A

kinship (Eg: She felt an affinity with all who suffered; their pains were her pains. )

73
Q

affirmation

A

positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath (Eg: Despite Tom’s affirmation of innocence- Aunt Polly still suspected he had eaten the pie. )

74
Q

affix

A

attach or add on; fasten (Eg: First the registrar had to affix his signature to the license; then he had to affix his official seal. )

75
Q

affluence

A

abundance; wealth (Eg: Foreigners are amazed by the affluence and luxury of the American way of life. )

76
Q

affront

A

insult; offend (Eg: Accustomed to being treated with respect- Miss Challoner was affronted by Vidal’s offensive behavior. )

77
Q

agape

A

openmouthed (Eg: She stared- agape- at the many strange animals in the zoo. )

78
Q

agenda

A

items of business at a meeting (Eg: We had so much difficulty agreeing upon an agenda that there was very little time for the meeting. )

79
Q

agglomeration

A

collection; heap (Eg: It took weeks to assort the agglomeration of miscellaneous items she had collected on her trip. )

80
Q

aggrandize

A

increase or intensify; raise in power- wealth- rank or honor (Eg: The history of the past quarter century illustrates how a President may aggrandize his power to act )

81
Q

aggregate

A

sum; total (Eg: The aggregate wealth of this country is staggering to the imagination. )

82
Q

aghast

A

horrified (Eg: He was aghast at the nerve of the speaker who had insulted his host. )

83
Q

agility

A

nimbleness (Eg: The agility of the acrobat amazed and thrilled the audience. )

84
Q

agitate

A

stir up; disturb (Eg: Her fiery remarks agitated the already angry mob. )

85
Q

agnostic

A

one who is skeptical of the existence of knowability of a god or any ultimate reality (Eg: The agnostic demanded proof before she would accept the statement of the minister. )

86
Q

agog

A

highly excited; intensely curious (Eg: We were all agog at the news that the celebrated movie star was giving up his career in order to enter a )

87
Q

agrarian

A

pertaining to land or its cultivation (Eg: As a result of its recent industrialization- the country is gradually losing its agrarian traditions. )

88
Q

alacrity

A

cheerful promptness (Eg: He demonstrated his eagerness to serve by his alacrity in executing the orders of his master. )

89
Q

alchemy

A

medieval chemistry (Eg: The changing of baser metals into gold was the goal of the students of alchemy. )

90
Q

alcove

A

nook; recess (Eg: Though their apartment lacked a full-scale dining room- an alcove adjacent to the living room made an )

91
Q

alias

A

an assumed name (Eg: John Smith’s alias was Bob Jones. )

92
Q

alienate

A

make hostile; separate (Eg: Her attempts to alienate the two friends failed because they had complete faith in each other. )

93
Q

alimentary

A

supplying nourishment (Eg: The alimentary canal in our bodies is so named because digestion of foods occurs there. )

94
Q

alimony

A

payments make to an ex-spouse after divorce (Eg: Because Tony had supported Tina through medical school- on their divorce he asked the court to award )

95
Q

allay

A

calm; pacify (Eg: The crew tried to allay the fears of the passengers by announcing that the fire had been controlled. )

96
Q

allege

A

state without proof (Eg: It is alleged that she had worked for the enemy. )

97
Q

allegory

A

story in which characters are used as symbols; fable (Eg: Pilgrim’s Progress is an allegory of the temptations and victories of the human soul. )

98
Q

alleviate

A

relieve (Eg: This should alleviate the pain; if it does not- we shall have to use stronger drugs. )

99
Q

alliteration

A

repetition of beginning sound in poetry (Eg: ‘‘The furrow followed free’’ is an example of alliteration. )

100
Q

alloy

A

mixture as of metals (Eg: alloy of gold are used more frequently than the pure metal. )

101
Q

allude

A

refer indirectly (Eg: Try not to allude to this matter in his presence because the topic annoys him. )

102
Q

allure

A

entice; attract (Eg: allured by the song of the sirens- the helmsman steered the ship toward the reef. )

103
Q

allusion

A

indirect reference (Eg: the allusions to mythological characters in Milton’s poems bewilder the reader who has not studied Latin. )

104
Q

alluvial

A

pertaining to soil deposits left by running water (Eg: The farmers found the alluvial deposits at the mouth of the river very fertile. )

105
Q

aloof

A

apart; reserved (Eg: Shy by nature- she remained aloof while all the rest conversed. )

106
Q

aloft

A

upward (Eg: The sailor climbed aloft into the rigging. )

107
Q

altercation

A

noisy quarrel (Eg: Throughout the altercation- not one sensible word was uttered. )

108
Q

altruistic

A

unselfishly generous; concerned for others (Eg: In providing tutorial assistance and college scholarships to hundreds of economically disadvantaged )

109
Q

amalgamate

A

combine; unite in one body (Eg: The unions will attempt to amalgamate their groups into one national body. )

110
Q

amass

A

collect (Eg: The miser’s aim is to amass and hoard as much gold as possible. )

111
Q

amazon

A

female warrior (Eg: Ever since the days of Greek mythology we refer to strong and aggressive women as amazons. )

112
Q

ambidextrous

A

capable of using either hand with equal ease (Eg: A switch-hitter in baseball should be naturally ambidextrous. )

113
Q

ambience

A

environment; atmosphere (Eg: She went to the restaurant not for the food but for the ambience. )

114
Q

ambiguous

A

unclear or doubtful in meaning (Eg: His ambiguous instructions misled us; we did not know which road to take. )

115
Q

ambivalence

A

the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes (Eg: Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next- she was confused by the )

116
Q

amble

A

moving at an easy pace (Eg: When she first mounted the horse- she was afraid to urge the animal to go faster than a gentle amble. )

117
Q

ambrosia

A

food of the gods (Eg: ambrosia was supposed to give immortality to any human who ate it. )

118
Q

ambulatory

A

able to walk (Eg: He was described as an ambulatory patient because he was not confined to his bed. )

119
Q

ameliorate

A

improve (Eg: Many social workers have attempted to ameliorate the conditions of people living in the slums. )

120
Q

amenable

A

readily managed; willing to be led (Eg: He was amenable to any suggestions that came from those he looked up to; he resented advice from his )

121
Q

amend

A

correct; change- generally for the better (Eg: Hoping to amend his condition- he left Vietnam for the United States. )

122
Q

amenities

A

convenient features; courtesies (Eg: )

123
Q

amiable

A

agreeable; lovable (Eg: His amiable disposition pleased all who had dealings with him. )

124
Q

amicable

A

friendly (Eg: The dispute was settled in an amicable manner with no harsh words. )

125
Q

amiss

A

wrong; faulty (Eg: Seeing her frown- he wondered if anything were amiss. )

126
Q

amity

A

friendship (Eg: Student exchange programs such as the Experiment in International Living were established to promote )

127
Q

amnesia

A

loss of memory (Eg: Because she was suffering from amnesia- the police could not get the young girl to identify herself. )

128
Q

amnesty

A

pardon (Eg: When his first child was born- the king granted amnesty to all in prison. )

129
Q

amoral

A

non-moral (Eg: The amoral individual lacks a code of ethics; he should not be classified as immoral. )

130
Q

amorous

A

moved by sexual love; loving (Eg: Don Juan was known for his amorous adventures. )

131
Q

amorphous

A

shapeless; vague; indeterminate (Eg: John was subject to panic attacks that left him prey to vague- amorphous fears: he knew he was terrified- )

132
Q

amphibian

A

able to live both on land and in water (Eg: Frogs are classified as amphibian. )

133
Q

amphitheater

A

oval building with tiers of seats (Eg: The spectators in the amphitheater cheered the gladiators. )

134
Q

ample

A

abundant (Eg: He had ample opportunity to dispose of his loot before his police caught up with him. )

135
Q

amplify

A

enlarge (Eg: Her attempts to amplify her remarks were drowned out by the jeers of the audience. )

136
Q

amputate

A

cut off part of body; prune (Eg: When the doctors had to amputate Ted Kennedy’s leg to prevent the spread of cancer- he did not let the )

137
Q

amok

A

in a state of rage (Eg: )

138
Q

amulet

A

charm; talisman (Eg: Around her neck she wore the amulet that the witch doctor had given her. )

139
Q

anachronism

A

something or someone misplaced in time (Eg: Shakespeare’s reference to clocks in Julius Caesar is an anachronism; no clocks existed in Caesar’s time. )

140
Q

analgesic

A

causing insensitivity to pain (Eg: The analgesic qualities of his lotion will provide temporary relief. )

141
Q

analogous

A

comparable (Eg: She called our attention to the things that had been done in an analogous situation and recommended that )

142
Q

analogy

A

similarity; parallelism (Eg: Your analogy is not a good one because the two situations are not similar. )

143
Q

anarchist

A

person who rebels against the established order (Eg: Only the total overthrow of all governmental regulations would satisfy the anarchist. )

144
Q

anarchy

A

absence of governing body; state of disorder (Eg: The assassination of the leaders led to a period of anarchy. )

145
Q

anathema

A

solemn curse; someone or something that is despised (Eg: He heaped anathema upon his foe. )

146
Q

anathematize

A

curse (Eg: The high priest anathematized the heretic. )

147
Q

anchor

A

secure or fasten firmly; be fixed in place (Eg: We set the post in concrete to anchor it in place. )

148
Q

ancillary

A

serving as an aid or accessory; auxiliary (Eg: In an ancillary capacity Doctor Watson was helpful; however- Holmes could not trust the good doctor to )

149
Q

anecdote

A

short account of an amusing or interesting event (Eg: Rather than make concrete proposals for welfare reform- President Raegan told anecdotes about poor )

150
Q

anemia

A

condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles (Eg: The doctor ascribes her tiredness to anemia. )

151
Q

anesthetic

A

substance that removes sensation with or without loss of consciousness (Eg: His monotonous voice acted like an anesthetic; his audience was soon asleep. )

152
Q

anguish

A

acute pain; extreme suffering (Eg: Visiting the site of explosion- Premier Gorbachev wept to see the anguish of the victims and their families. )

153
Q

angular

A

sharp-cornered; stiff in manner (Eg: His features- though angular- were curiously attractive. )

154
Q

animadversion

A

critical remark (Eg: He resented the animadversions of his critics- particularly because he realized they were true. )

155
Q

animated

A

lively (Eg: Her animated expression indicated a keenness of intellect. )

156
Q

animosity

A

active enmity (Eg: He incurred the animosity of the ruling class because he advocated limitations of their power. )

157
Q

animus

A

hostile feeling or intent (Eg: The animus of the speaker became obvious to all when he began to indulge in sarcastic and insulting )

158
Q

annals

A

records; history (Eg: In the annals of this period- we find no mention of democratic movements. )

159
Q

anneal

A

reduce brittleness and improve toughness by heating and cooling (Eg: After the glass is annealed- it will be less subject to chipping and cracking. )

160
Q

annihilate

A

destroy (Eg: The enemy in its revenge tried to annihilate the entire population. )

161
Q

annotate

A

comment; make explanatory notes (Eg: In the appendix to the novel- the critic sought to annotate many of the more esoteric references. )

162
Q

Acrimony

A

Bitter feeling

GRE Vocab - 1 (5 decks)

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