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GRE > Adj. Section 2 > Flashcards

Adj. Section 2 Flashcards

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1
Q

compliant

A

obeying, obliging, or yielding
By then , Henry seemed less compliant with his wife’s wishes than he had six months before.
We should not be producing compliant students who do not dare to criticize.

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2
Q

composed

A

calm; tranquil; serene

he remain perfectly composed and calm; the committee is composed mainly of lawyers

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3
Q

concerted

A

contrived or arranged by agreement; done or performed together or in cooperation; collaborated
a concerted plan of operations; take concerted action

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4
Q

concordant

A

agreeing; harmonious

all three tests have concordant results

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5
Q

condescending

A

showing or implying a usually patronizing descent from dignity or superiority
his comments were offensive and condescending to us

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6
Q

condign

A

well-deserved; fitting; adequate

condign punishment; condign english basic skill, especially written

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7
Q

conducive

A

tending to produce; contributive; helpful

good eating habits are conducive to good health

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8
Q

congenial

A

(of a person) pleasant because of a personality, qualities, or interests that are similar to one’s own; agreeable, suitable
a congenial work; He thought that was a congenial job.
I met few people congenial to me in the department.

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9
Q

congruous

A

exhibiting harmony of parts
The congruous layout of the mansion’s formal gardens conveys a sense of both grandeur and intimacy.
When performing his official duties, the president must be dressed in clothes that are congruous with his high position.

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10
Q

consummate

A

to bring to a state of perfection; fulfill
he is a consummate athlete, gentleman, liar
This landscape painting is a consummate work of art .
His happiness was consummated when he heard the good news.

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11
Q

contagious

A

scarlet fever is highly contagious; his enthusiasm was contagious; a contagious laugh

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12
Q

contemporaneous

A

living or occurring during the same period of time; contemporary
No contemporaneous texts exist to validate their claims.

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13
Q

content

A

satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else
Humanists were not content with putting knowledge to new uses.

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14
Q

contiguous

A

in close proximity without actually touching; near
the bridge is contiguous to the house; Again, all of these readings are contiguous and present and valid, informing one another emotionally.
The astronauts climbed through a hatch from the command module into the contiguous lander.
So far gene recombination can move only single genes or small contiguous gene units.

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15
Q

contingent

A

subject to chance; dependent for existence, occurrence, character, etc., on something not yet certain
Outdoor arrangements are, as ever, contingent on the weather.
Our success is contingent upon your support.

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16
Q

convoluted

A

(especially of an argument, story, or sentence) extremely complex and difficult to follow; twisted; coiled; complicated
a convoluted argument, explanation; a convoluted coastline

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17
Q

cosmopolitan

A

free from local, provincial, or national ideas, prejudices, or attachments; belonging to all the world
a cosmopolitan city; no dynasty had been so cosmopolitan and outward-looking

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18
Q

covert

A

concealed; secret; disguised
covert operations, surveillance; he stole a covert glance at her across the table; Every measure, both overt and covert, is being taken against terrorists.

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19
Q

craven

A

cowardly; contemptibly timid, lacking in courage

he had a craven fear of flying

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20
Q

credulous

A

willing to believe or trust too readily, especially without proper or adequate evidence
few people are credulous enough to believe such nonsense

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21
Q

cryptic

A

mysterious in meaning; puzzling; secret

a cryptic message, remark, smile; a cryptic crossword clue

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22
Q

culpable

A

deserving blame or censure; blameworthy

they held her culpable for the accident; he is more culpable than the others because he is old enough to know better

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23
Q

cumbersome

A

burdensome; troublesome; clumsy

cumbersome equipment; cumbersome bureaucracy

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24
Q

cunning

A

skill employed in a shrewd or sly manner, as in deceiving

a cunning liar; he was as cunning as a fox

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25
Q

curt

A

rudely brief in speech or abrupt in manner; brief; concise

a curt reply; a curt nod; his tone was curt and unfriendly

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26
Q

cynical

A

distrusting or disparaging the motives of others

her experiences with men have made her thoroughly cynical about love

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27
Q

decent

A

kind; obliging; generous; conforming to the recognized standard of propriety, good taste, modesty; respectable
a very decent fellow; live in decent conditions; quite a decent house; a decent fortune

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28
Q

decorous

A

characterized by dignified propriety in conduct, manners, appearance, character, etc.; polite and restrained
We were asked to be on our most decorous behavior at the formal event.
For all its wildness, its 9000-foot peaks and grizzly bears, Glacier is the most decorous of parks.

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29
Q

deleterious

A

injurious to health; harmful

the deleterious effect of stress on health

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30
Q

derelict

A

left or deserted, as by the owner or guardian; abandoned

careless derelict land, buildings, sites; the canal has been derelict for many years

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31
Q

desolate

A

barren or laid waste; devastated; solitary

a bleak and desolate landscape; the thought that her husband did not want the baby made her feel utterly desolate

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32
Q

desperate

A

reckless or dangerous because of despair or urgency; leaving little or no hope
desperate diseases require desperate remedies; desperate weather; a desperate fool; is desperate for a cup of tea

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33
Q

despicable

A

deserving to be despised; contemptible

a despicable crime

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34
Q

detrimental

A

damaging; harmful

detrimental to the company’s future

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35
Q

devoid

A

not possessing, untouched by, void, or destitute; entirely lacking or free from
a book devoid of content; be devoid of common sense; devoid of vegetation

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36
Q

didactic

A

intended for instruction; instructive; inclined to teach or lecture others too much
Some colleges and universities are already being didactic about safe computing.
He combines humor and social commentary and does it without being didactic.

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37
Q

dignified

A

showing a composed or serious manner that is worthy of respect; stately; decorous
a dignified person, manner, voice; Throughout his trial, he maintained a dignified silence.

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38
Q

dilatory

A

tending to delay or procrastinate; slow; tardy
The government has been dilatory in dealing with the problem of unemployment.
The dilatory limousine came rolling up the drive.

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39
Q

discreet

A

judicious in one’s conduct or speech, especially in order to avoid causing offense or to gain an advantage; prudent; circumspect
he is very discreet in giving his opinions; a discreet silence

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40
Q

discursive

A

passing aimlessly from one subject to another; digressive; rambling
a discursive writer, speech

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41
Q

disingenuous

A

lacking in frankness, candor, or sincerity, typically by pretending that one knows less about something than one really does; falsely or hypocritically ingenuous; insincere
It would be disingenuous of me to claim I had never seen it.

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42
Q

disinterested

A

unbiased by personal interest or advantage; not influenced by selfish motives
a disinterested observer, judgement; a piece of disinterested advice

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43
Q

dispassionate

A

free from or unaffected by passion; devoid of personal feeling or bias; impartial; calm
taking a calm, dispassionate view of the situation; a dispassionate observer

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44
Q

dispirited

A

discouraged; dejected; disheartened; gloomy

she looked tired and dispirited

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45
Q

docile

A

easily managed or handled; tractable

a docile horse; be docile at school but unruly at home

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46
Q

dogged

A

persistent in effort; stubbornly tenacious

a dogged scholar; resume one’s dogged effort; It is dogged as does it.

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47
Q

dormant

A

lying asleep or as if asleep

the dormant economy; a long dormant memory stirred; dormant right; a dormant project; the girl’s dormant talent

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48
Q

draconian

A

(of laws or their application) excessively harsh and unusually severe or cruel; rigorous
adopt draconian measures

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49
Q

dubious

A

doubtful; wavering or hesitating in opinion

These claims are dubious and not scientifically proven.

50
Q

earthly

A

of or pertaining to the earth, especially as opposed to heaven; worldly; possible or conceivable
They don’t make much money, because some things are more valuable than earthly rewards.

51
Q

eccentric

A

irregular; erratic; peculiar; odd

an eccentric person; eccentric conduct

52
Q

eclectic

A

selecting or choosing from various sources

His house is an eclectic mixture of the antique and the modern.

53
Q

efficacious

A

capable of having the desired result or effect

They hope the new drug will prove especially efficacious in the relief of pain.

54
Q

egalitarian

A

asserting, resulting from, or characterized by belief in the equality of all people, especially in political, economic, or social life
Some professors are very hierarchal, others try to be more egalitarian.

55
Q

egregious

A

outstandingly bad; shocking; extraordinary in some bad way; glaring; flagrant
egregious behavior; an egregious error

56
Q

elaborate

A

worked out with great care and nicety of detail; detailed and complicated in design and planning
These stores made it a cinch to expand his original plan for simple tuna sandwiches into a more elaborate salad.
Some are primitively simple, others immensely elaborate.

57
Q

elliptical

A

pertaining to or having the form of an ellipse; tending to be ambiguous, cryptic, or obscure
an elliptical remark(one that suggests more than is actually said)
He loved elliptical comments capable of many interpretations.

58
Q

empirical

A

derived from or guided by experience or experiment

empirical evidence, knowledge, research; an empirical study

59
Q

endearing

A

tending to make dear or beloved

an endearing smile; shyness is one of her most endearing qualities

60
Q

engaging

A

winning; attractive; pleasing
an engaging smile
The color captured in the picture and its arrangement was eye engaging.

61
Q

enormous

A

greatly exceeding the common size; huge; immense

an enormous difference; enormous profits; a man of enormous strength

62
Q

ephemeral

A

lasting a very short time; short-lived; transitory

an ephemeral fever; an ephemeral flower; ephemeral joys, pleasures

63
Q

equitable

A

just and right; fair; reasonable

an equitable distribution of resources

64
Q

equivalent

A

five pounds or its equivalent in books

65
Q

equivocal

A

allowing the possibility of several different meanings, as a word or phrase, especially with intent to deceive or misguide; questionable; dubious; suspicious
She gave an equivocal answer, typical of a politician.
Women were less equivocal than men on the subject of fidelity in marriage.

66
Q

erratic

A

having no certain or definite course; not fixed; eccentric; queer
The electricity supply here is quite erratic.
She has learnt to live with his sudden changes of mood and erratic behavior.
The event is erratic and unpredictable, but it occurs roughly every three to seven years.

67
Q

erudite

A

educated, knowledgeable; wise, sapient

an erudite professor, commentary

68
Q

esoteric

A

understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest; recondite
Specialist dictionaries may be required to understand some of the more esoteric texts.

69
Q

euphoric

A

intensely happy or confident

She was euphoric when she received the Oscar.

70
Q

evanescent

A

vanishing; fading away; fleeting
It was an evanescent moment, captured in the pop of a photographer’s flashbulb.
Elusive and evanescent, the rainbow has generated wonder and speculation .

71
Q

evenhanded

A

impartial; equitable
Several broadcasters have been criticized for failing to give evenhanded treatment to all the parties during the election campaign.

72
Q

evocative

A

tending to evoke; bringing strong images, memories, or feelings to mind
evocative words; the perfume was evocative of spring
Once, headlines were meant to be clever or catchy or evocative.
It’s a beautiful phrase, evocative of an ideal to which anyone would want to aspire.

73
Q

exacting

A

rigid or severe in demands or requirements; requiring close application or attention
an exacting microbe, teacher; exacting work, terms
He was known as a demanding and exacting newsman and anchor.
Strawberries have somewhat more exacting requirements.

74
Q

exemplary

A

serving for example; serving as a desirable model; representing the best of its kind; serving as a warning
exemplary conducts, punishments, penalty
The overriding goal is to help students become exemplary global citizens.
The prime minister leads a life of exemplary simplicity.
His character was special and exemplary in the dog-eat-dog world of politics.

75
Q

exhaustive

A

exhausting a subject, topic, etc.; comprehensive; thorough; drain, as resources or strength
Take a look at the festival website to see the exhaustive list of free attractions.
As is customary, this list is hardly exhaustive or comprehensive.

76
Q

exorbitant

A

going beyond the usual, necessary, or proper limit or degree; greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation
exorbitant costs, fares, fees, prices, rents; it’s a good hotel but the price is exorbitant
She pays an exorbitant amount of rent living there.

77
Q

exotic

A

of foreign origin or character

exotic flowers, food, designs

78
Q

exquisite

A

extraordinarily fine or admirable; intense; acute, or keen, as pleasure or pain
exquisite craftsmanship; exquisite pain, pleasure; an exquisite sense of timing

79
Q

extant

A

still existing

extant remains of the ancient wall; a limited number of documents from the period are still extant

80
Q

extinct

A

no longer in existence

an extinct family, species, volcano

81
Q

extraneous

A

not belonging or proper to a thing; not pertinent; irrelevant; external; foreign
extraneous help, interference; extraneous to the subject
If you remove what’s extraneous, it all makes sense.
Many people might not want all this extraneous software cluttering up their hard drive.

82
Q

extravagant

A

spending much more than is necessary or wise; wasteful

an extravagant price; to load somebody with extravagant praise; extravagant in conduct, dress; extravagant habit

83
Q

exuberant

A

produced or growing in extreme abundance; joyously unrestrained; lavish or extravagant
lavishly abundant: exuberant growth, imagination
extremely joyful: exuberant spirits
extremely good: exuberant health
Johnny lived a very exuberant lifestyle.

84
Q

exultant

A

triumphant; showing great joy, satisfaction

the fans were exultant at their team’s victory

85
Q

facetious

A

not meant to be taken seriously; amusing; humorous

a facetious comment, remark; stop being facetious, this is serious

86
Q

facile

A

moving, acting with ease: a facile style
easily done, performed, used: a facile task, liar
she has a facile tongue
Her way of thinking which is highly visual and extraordinarily facile and detailed.

87
Q

fake

A

designed to deceive or cheat; not real; counterfeit

fake diamonds; a medical fake

88
Q

fanatical

A

motivated or characterized by an extreme, uncritical enthusiasm or zeal, as in religion or politics
His enthusiasm for aerobics was almost fanatical; Gary is fanatical about football

89
Q

fastidious

A

excessively particular, critical, or demanding; hard to please
he is fastidious about his food

90
Q

fatuous

A

foolish or inane, especially in an unconscious, complacent manner; silly
a fatuous attempt; a fatuous smile

91
Q

feasible

A

capable of being done, effected, or accomplished

a feasible plan; a road feasible for travel

92
Q

feckless

A

ineffective; lazy; having no sense of responsibility

two years of feckless negotiations; feckless parents

93
Q

felicitous

A

well-suited for the occasion
a felicitous remark; felicitous weather
The chairman’s felicitous anecdote set everyone at ease.

94
Q

ferocious

A

savagely fierce, as a wild beast, person, action, or aspect; violently cruel
a ferocious appetite; a ferocious look

95
Q

fervent

A

having or showing great warmth or intensity of spirit, feeling, enthusiasm
fervent heat; fervent hatred, love; a fervent soul

96
Q

fickle

A

casually changeable

the fickle world of fashion; a fickle lover

97
Q

figurative

A

metaphorically so called; ornamental, flowery, elaborate

the figurative art; a figurative design; in a figurative sense; a figurative style

98
Q

finicky

A

excessively particular or fastidious; difficult to please; exacting, demanding, meticulous; choosy, picky
he is terribly finicky about his food; repairing watches must be a very finicky job

99
Q

fitful

A

coming, appearing, acting; recurring irregularly
a fitful breeze, gleam, wind; a fitful worker
Loneliness may cause fitful sleep.
The popular acclaim of dinosaurs has been fitful and episodic.
His fitful attempts to present his programs as a coherent, compelling whole have been a failure.

100
Q

fleeting

A

passing swiftly; vanishing quickly

a fleeting glimpse, smile; a fleeting moment of happiness; we paid a fleeting visit to Paris

101
Q

florid

A

reddish; flowery; excessively ornate

a middle-aged man with a florid complexion; a book written in a very florid style

102
Q

foolhardy

A

recklessly or thoughtlessly bold

a foolhardy decision; sailing the Atlantic in such a tiny boat wasn’t so much brave as foolhardy

103
Q

formidable

A

causing fear, apprehension, or dread

a formidable enemy, task

104
Q

fortuitous

A

happening or produced by chance; accidental; lucky; fortunate
a fortuitous meeting; his success depended on a fortuitous combination of circumstances

105
Q

fractious

A

refractory or unruly; readily angered; peevish; irritable

children often get fractious and tearful when tired

106
Q

fragile

A

easily broken, shattered, or damaged

the economy remains extremely fragile; her father is now 86 and in fragile health

107
Q

frail

A

easily broken or destroyed; fragile

mother was becoming too frail to live alone

108
Q

frantic

A

desperate or wild with excitement, passion, fear, pain

a frantic dash, search, struggle; let’s go back, your parents must be getting frantic by now

109
Q

frivolous

A

unconcerned about or lacking any serious purpose
frivolous comment, suggestions
To deny it is to see in art only something frivolous and insincere.
It’s not as though proofreading instructions are arbitrary and frivolous.

110
Q

frolicsome

A

merrily playful; full of fun

the frolicsome students left school for summer vacation

111
Q

frugal

A

economical in use or expenditure

he has always been hard-working and frugal

112
Q

futile

A

incapable of producing any result; ineffective; useless; pointless
a futile attempt, exercise, gesture
Those efforts proved futile.
To critique how the dinosaurs and monsters were drawn would be a futile exercise.

113
Q

gargantuan

A

gigantic; enormous

a gargantuan appetite, meal

114
Q

garrulous

A

excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, especially about trivial matters
he became positively garrulous after a few glasses of wine

115
Q

gawky

A

awkward; ungainly; clumsy

a shy gawky teenager

116
Q

genuine

A

not counterfeit; authentic; real

a genuine signature, writing

117
Q

glib

A

(of words or the person speaking them) fluent and voluble but insincere and shallow; insincerely
no one was convinced by his glib answers, explanations

118
Q

gloomy

A

dark or dim; deeply shaded

a gloomy room, atmosphere; gloomy skies

119
Q

grandiose

A

more complicated or elaborate than necessary; grand in an imposing or impressive way
the grandiose scheme for a journey across the desert came to nothing

120
Q

gratuitous

A

given, done, bestowed, or obtained without charge or payment; free; voluntary
gratuitous service, help; gratuitous blessing; there is too much gratuitous violence in the movie

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