Advanced VI Flashcards
turgid
turgid
adjective: (of language) pompous and tedious
The amount of GRE vocabulary he used increased with his years–by the time he was 60, his novels were so turgid that even his diehard fans refused to read them.
enormity
enormity
noun: an act of extreme wickedness
The enormity of Pol Pot’s regime is hard to capture in words–within months hundreds of thousands of Cambodians lost their lives.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
aplomb
aplomb
noun: great coolness and composure under strain
Nancy acted with aplomb during dangerous situations–she once calmly climbed up an oak tree to save a cat.
bridle
bridle
verb: the act of restraining power or action or limiting excess
New curfew laws have bridled people’s tendency to go out at night.
verb: to react with anger or to take offense
The hostess bridled at the tactless dinner guests who insisted on eating before everybody had gotten their food.
dolorous
dolorous
adjective: showing sorrow
Chopin’s ballades are filled with sharp changes in moods–a dolorous melody can give way to a lighthearted tempo.
elegiac
elegiac
adjective: expressing sorrow
Few can listen to the elegiac opening bars of the Moonlight sonata without feeling the urge to cry.
conflate
conflate
verb: mix together different elements or concepts
In her recent book, the author conflates several genres–the detective story, the teen thriller, and the vampire romance–to create a memorable read.
unassailable
unassailable
adjective: immune to attack; without flaws
Professor Williams is so self-assured as to seem arrogant, presenting each and every opinion as an unassailable fact.
stultify
stultify
verb: cause one, through routine, to lose energy and enthusiasm
As an undergraduate Mark felt stultified by classes outside his area of study; only in grad school, in which he could focus solely on literary analysis, did he regain his scholarly edge.
inequity
inequity
noun: injustice by virtue of not conforming with rules or standards
After decades of racial inequity, the “separate but equal” doctrine was successfully overturned.
autocratic
autocratic
adjective: characteristic of an absolute ruler or absolute rule; having absolute sovereignty
The last true autocratic country is certainly North Korea; nowhere does a leader exercise the absolute control over all aspects of a people the way that Kim Jong-un does.
adjective: offensively self-assured or given to exercising usually unwarranted power
The manager was finally fired for his autocratic leadership, which often bordered on rude and offensive.
doughty
doughty
adjective: brave; bold; courageous
I enjoy films in which a doughty group comes together to battle a force of evil.
transmute
transmute
verb: change or alter in form, appearance, or nature
One of the goals of alchemy was to find the substance or process that would transmute lead into gold.
malingerer
malingerer
noun: someone shirking their duty by pretending to be sick or incapacitated
At one time, our country was full of hardworking respectful people, but now it seems that everyone is a malingerer with little inclination to work.
panegyric
panegyric
noun: a formal expression of praise
Dave asked Andrew to do just a simple toast, but Andrew launched into a full panegyric, enumerating a complete list of Dave’s achievements and admirable qualities.
fecund
fecund
adjective: intellectually productive
The artist had entered a fecund period, producing three masterpieces in the span of two months.
self-effacing
self-effacing
adjective: reluctant to draw attention to yourself
The most admirable teachers and respected leaders are those who are self-effacing, directing attention and praise to their students and workers.
hauteur
hauteur
noun: overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner toward inferiors
As soon as she won the lottery, Alice began displaying a hauteur to her friends, calling them dirty-clothed peasants behind their backs.
impugn
impugn
verb: attack as false or wrong
Though many initially tried to impugn Darwin’s theory, in scientific circles today, the idea is taken as truth.
tyro
tyro
noun: someone new to a field or activity
All great writers, athletes, and artists were tyros at one time—unknown, clumsy, and unskilled with much to learn.
callow
callow
adjective: young and inexperienced
Both Los Angeles and New York are known for callow out-of-towners hoping to make it big.
pellucid
pellucid
adjective: transparently clear; easily understandable
The professor had a remarkable ability to make even the most difficult concepts seem pellucid.
obtuse
obtuse
adjective: slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity; lacking in insight or discernment
Jackson was the most obtuse member of the team: the manager’s subtle ironies were always lost on him.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
complaisant
complaisant
adjective: showing a cheerful willingness to do favors for others
On her first day at the job, Annie was complaisant, fulfilling every request of her new employer and anticipating future requests.
facile
facile
adjective: arrived at without due care or effort; lacking depth
Many news shows provide facile explanations to complex politics, so I prefer to read the in-depth reporting of The New York Times.
palatable
palatable
adjective: acceptable to the taste or mind
Mikey didn’t partake much in his friends’ conversations, but found their presence palatable.
ethereal
ethereal
adjective: characterized by lightness and insubstantiality
Because she dances with an ethereal style, ballet critics have called her Madame Butterfly.
impervious
impervious
adjective: not admitting of passage or capable of being affected
I am not impervious to your insults; they cause me great pain.
complicit
complicit
adjective: Associated with or participating in an activity, especially one of a questionable nature.
While the grand jury cleared the senator of all criminal charges, in the public mind he was still complicit in the corruption.
gumption
gumption
noun: resourcefulness and determination
Wallace Stegner lamented the lack of gumption in the U.S. during the sixties, claiming that no young person knew the value of work.
vaunted
vaunted
adjective: highly or widely praised or boasted about
For years, they had heard of New York City’s vaunted skyline, and when they finally saw it, the spectacular cityscape did not disappoint them in the least.
desideratum
desideratum
noun: something desired as a necessity
The desideratum of the environmental group is that motorists should rely on carpooling.
assiduously
assiduously
adverb: with care and persistence
The top college football program recruits new talent assiduously, only choosing those who were the top in their county.
bromide
bromide
noun: a trite or obvious remark
Instead of sharing his umbrella, the cheeky stranger offered Martha the following bromide: “Looks like it’s raining.”
proscribe
proscribe
verb: command against
My doctor proscribed my habit of eating donuts with chocolate sauce and hamburger patties for breakfast.
coterminous
coterminous
adjective: being of equal extent or scope or duration
The border of the state is coterminous with geographic limits on travel; the east and north are surrounded by a nearly uncrossable river and the south by a desert.
unimpeachable
unimpeachable
adjective: free of guilt; not subject to blame; beyond doubt or reproach
After his long and unimpeachable service to the company, Sharat felt that a gold watch was a slap in the face rather than an honor.
afford
afford
verb: provide with an opportunity
The summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro affords a panoramic view that encompasses both Tanzania and Kenya.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
mendicant
mendicant
noun: a pauper who lives by begging
Tolstoy was an aristocrat, but he strove to understand the Christianity of the Russian peasants by wandering among them as a mendicant.
noisome
noisome
adjective: having an extremely bad smell
Each August, when the winds moved in a south easterly direction, the garbage dump would spread noisome vapors through the small town.
discursive
discursive
adjective: (of e.g. speech and writing) tending to depart from the main point
Many readers find it tough to read Moby Dick since the author is discursive, often cutting the action short to spend 20 pages on the history of a whale.
conflagration
conflagration
noun: a very intense and uncontrolled fire
In the summer months, conflagrations are not uncommon in the southwest, due to the heat and lack of rain.
appropriate
appropriate
verb: to give or take something by force
The government appropriated land that was occupied by squatters, sending them scurrying for another place to live.
verb: to allocate
The committe appropriated the funds to its various members.
This word has other definitions, but these are the most important ones to study
abjure
abjure
verb: formally reject or give up (as a belief)
While the church believed that Galileo abjured the heliocentric theory under threat of torture, he later wrote a book clearly supporting the theory.
proselytize
proselytize
verb: convert (someone) to another religion, philosophy, or perspective
Lisa loves her Mac but says little about it; by contrast, Jake will proselytize, interrogating anyone with an Android about why she didn’t purchase an iPhone.
desiccated
uninteresting. lacking vitality
desideratum
something desired as a necessity
inviolable
never to be broken infringed or dishonoured
internecine
destructive to both sides
(of conflict) within a group or organization
solicitous
showing hovering atttentitivness
pontificate
talk in a dogmatic and pompest manner
