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GRE Vocab - 1 > B > Flashcards

B Flashcards

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1
Q

babble

A

chatter idly (Eg: The little girl babbled about her doll. )

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2
Q

bacchanalian

A

drunken (Eg: Emperor Nero attended the bacchanalian orgy. )

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3
Q

badger

A

pester; annoy (Eg: She was forced to change her telephone number because she was badgered by obscene phone calls. )

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4
Q

badinage

A

teasing conversation (Eg: Her friends at work greeted the news of her engagement with cheerful badinage. )

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5
Q

baffle

A

frustrate; perplex (Eg: The new code baffled the enemy agents. )

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6
Q

bait

A

harass; tease (Eg: The soldiers baited the prisoners- terrorizing them. )

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7
Q

baleful

A

menacing; deadly (Eg: Casting a baleful eye at his successful rival- the rejected suitor stole off- vowing to have his revenge. )

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8
Q

balk

A

stoop short- as if faced with an obstacle- and refuse to continue (Eg: The chief of police balked at sending his officers into the riot-torn area. )

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9
Q

balk

A

foil (Eg: When the warden learned that several inmates were planning to escape- he took steps to balk their attempt. )

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10
Q

ballast

A

heavy substance used to add stability or weight (Eg: The ship was listing badly to one side; it was necessary to shift the ballast in the hold to get her back on an )

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11
Q

balm

A

something that relieves pain (Eg: Friendship is the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love. )

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12
Q

balmy

A

mild; fragrant (Eg: A balmy breeze refreshed us after the sultry blast. )

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13
Q

banal

A

hackneyed; commonplace; trite (Eg: His frequent use of cliches made his essay seem banal. )

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14
Q

bandy

A

discuss lightly; exchange blows or words (Eg: The president refused to bandy words with reporters at the press conference. )

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15
Q

bane

A

cause of ruin (Eg: Lack of public transportation is the bane of urban life. )

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16
Q

bantering

A

good-naturedly ridiculing (Eg: They resented his bantering remarks because they misinterpreted his teasing as sarcasm. )

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17
Q

barb

A

sharp projection form fishhook- etc.; pointed comment (Eg: The barb from the fishhook caught in his finger as he grabbed the fish. )

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18
Q

bard

A

poet (Eg: The ancient bard Homer sang of the fall of Troy. )

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19
Q

barefaced

A

shameless; bold; unconcealed (Eg: Shocked by Huck Finn’s barefaced lies- Miss Watson prayed the good Lord would give him a sense of his )

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20
Q

baroque

A

highly ornate (Eg: Accustomed to the severe- angular lines of modern skyscrapers- they found the flamboyance of baroque )

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21
Q

barrage

A

barrier laid down by artillery fire; overwhelming profusion (Eg: The company was forced to retreat through the barrage of heavy canyons. )

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22
Q

barrister

A

counselor-at-law (Eg: Galsworthy started as a barrister- but when he found the practice of law boring- turned to writing. )

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23
Q

barterer

A

trader (Eg: The barterer exchanged trinkets for the natives’ furs. )

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24
Q

bask

A

luxuriate; take pleasure in warmth (Eg: basking on the beach- she relaxed so completely that she fell asleep. )

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25
Q

bastion

A

stronghold; something seen as a source of protection (Eg: The villagers fortified the town hall- hoping this improvised bastion could protect them from the guerrila )

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26
Q

bate

A

let down; restrain (Eg: Until it was time to open the presents- the children had to bate their curiosity. )

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27
Q

bauble

A

trinket; trifle (Eg: The child was delighted with the bauble she had won in the grab bag. )

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28
Q

bawdy

A

indecent; obscene (Eg: She took offense at his bawdy remarks. )

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29
Q

beatific

A

giving bliss; blissful (Eg: The beatific smile on the child’s face made us very happy. )

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30
Q

beatitude

A

blessedness; state of bliss (Eg: Growing closer to God each day- the mystic achieved a state of indescribable beatitude. )

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31
Q

bedizen

A

dress with vulgar finery (Eg: The witch doctors were bedizened in their gaudiest costumes. )

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32
Q

bedraggle

A

wet thoroughly (Eg: We were so bedraggled by the severe storm that we had to change into dry clothing. )

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33
Q

befuddle

A

confuse thoroughly (Eg: His attempts to clarify the situation succeeded only on befuddling her further. )

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34
Q

beget

A

father; produce; give rise to (Eg: One good turn may deserve another; it does not necessarily beget another. )

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35
Q

begrudge

A

resent (Eg: I begrudge every minute I have to spend attending meetings. )

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36
Q

beguile

A

amuse; delude; cheat (Eg: I beguiled himself during the long hours by playing solitaire. )

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37
Q

behemoth

A

huge creature; something of monstrous size or power (Eg: Sportcasters nicknamed the linebacker The Behemoth. )

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38
Q

beholden

A

obligated; indebted (Eg: Since I do not wish to be beholden to anyone- I cannot accept this favor. )

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39
Q

behoove

A

be suited to; be incumbent upon (Eg: In this time of crisis- it behooves all of us to remain calm and await the instructions of our superiors. )

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40
Q

belabor

A

explain or go over excessively or to a ridiculous degree; assail verbally (Eg: The debate coach warned her student not to bore the audience by belaboring his point. )

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41
Q

belated

A

delayed (Eg: He apologized for his belated note of condolence to the widow of his friend and explained that he had just )

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42
Q

beleaguer

A

besiege (Eg: As soon as the city was beleaguered- the life became more subdued as the citizens began their long wait for )

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43
Q

belie

A

contradict; give a false impression (Eg: His coarse- hard-bitten exterior belied his innate sensitivity. )

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44
Q

belittle

A

disparage; depreciate (Eg: Parents should not belittle their children’s early attempts at drawing- but should encourage their efforts. )

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45
Q

bellicose

A

warlike (Eg: His bellicose disposition alienated his friends. )

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46
Q

belligerent

A

quarrelsome (Eg: Whenever he had too much to drink- he became belligerent and tried to pick fights with strangers. )

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47
Q

bemused

A

confused; lost in thought; preoccupied (Eg: Jill studied the garbled instructions with a bemused look on her face. )

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48
Q

benediction

A

blessing (Eg: The appearance of the sun after the many rainy days was like a benediction. )

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49
Q

benefactor

A

gift giver; patron (Eg: Scrooge later became Tiny Tim’s benefactor and gave him a benediction. )

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50
Q

beneficent

A

kindly; doing good (Eg: The overgenerous philanthropist had to curb his beneficent impulses before he gave away all his money )

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51
Q

beneficiary

A

person entitled to benefits or proceeds of an insurance policy (Eg: You may change your beneficiary as often as you wish. )

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52
Q

benevolent

A

generous; charitable (Eg: His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him. )

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53
Q

benign

A

kindly; favorable; not malignant (Eg: The old man was well liked because of his benign attitude toward friend and stranger alike. )

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54
Q

benison

A

blessing (Eg: Let us pray that the benison of peace once more shall prevail among the nations of the world. )

55
Q

bent

A

determined; natural talent or inclination (Eg: bent on advancing in the business world- the secretary heroine of Working Girl had a true bent for high )

56
Q

bequeath

A

leave to someone by means of a will; hand down (Eg: In his will- Father bequeathed his watch to Phillip; the bequest meant a great deal to the boy. )

57
Q

berate

A

scold strongly (Eg: He feared she would berate him for his forgetfulness. )

58
Q

bereavement

A

state of being deprived of something valuable or beloved (Eg: His friends gathered to console him upon his sudden bereavement. )

59
Q

bereft

A

deprived of; lacking (Eg: The foolish gambler soon found himself bereft of funds. )

60
Q

berserk

A

frenzied (Eg: )

61
Q

beset

A

harass; trouble (Eg: Many problems beset the American public school system. )

62
Q

besmirch

A

soil- defile (Eg: The scandalous remarks in the newspaper besmirch the reputations of every member of the society. )

63
Q

bestial

A

beastlike; brutal; inhuman (Eg: The Red Cross sought to put an end to the bestial treatment of prisoners of war. )

64
Q

bestow

A

confer (Eg: He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero. )

65
Q

betroth

A

become engaged to marry (Eg: The announcement that they had become betrothed surprised their friends who had not suspected any )

66
Q

bevy

A

large group (Eg: The movie actor was surrounded by a bevy of startlets. )

67
Q

bicameral

A

two-chambered- as a legislative body (Eg: The United States Congress is a bicameral body. )

68
Q

bicker

A

quarrel (Eg: The children bickered morning- noon- and night- exasperating their parents. )

69
Q

biennial

A

every two years (Eg: The group held biennial meetings instead of annual ones. )

70
Q

bifurcated

A

divided into two branches; forked (Eg: With a bifurcated branch and a piece of elastic rubber- he made a crude but effective slingshot. )

71
Q

bigotry

A

stubborn intolerance (Eg: Brought up in a democratic atmosphere- student was shocked by the bigotry and narrowness expressed by )

72
Q

bilious

A

suffering from indigestion; irritable (Eg: His bilious temperament was apparent to all who heard him rant about his difficulties. )

73
Q

bilk

A

swindle; cheat (Eg: The con man specialized in bilking insurance companies. )

74
Q

bivouac

A

temporary encampment (Eg: While in bivouac- we spent the night in our sleeping bags under the stars. )

75
Q

bizarre

A

fantastic; violently contrasting (Eg: The plot of the novel was too bizarre to be believed. )

76
Q

blanch

A

bleach; whiten (Eg: Although age had blanched his hair- he was still vigorous and energetic. )

77
Q

bland

A

soothing; mild (Eg: She used a bland ointment for her sunburn. )

78
Q

blandishment

A

flattery (Eg: Despite the salesperson’s blandishments- the customer did not buy the outfit. )

79
Q

blase

A

bored with pleasure or dissipation (Eg: Your blase attitude gives your students an erroneous impression of the joys of scholarship. )

80
Q

blasphemous

A

profane; impious (Eg: The people in the room were shocked by his his blasphemous language. )

81
Q

blatant

A

extremely obvious; loudly offensive (Eg: Caught in a blatant lie- the scoundrel had only one regret: he wished that he had lied more subtly. )

82
Q

bleak

A

cold; cheerless (Eg: The Aleutian Islands are bleak military outposts. )

83
Q

blighted

A

suffering from a disease; destroyed (Eg: The extent of the blighted areas could be seen only when viewed from the air. )

84
Q

blithe

A

gay; joyous; careless (Eg: Shelley called the skylark a blithe spirit because of its happy song. )

85
Q

bloated

A

swollen or puffed as with water or air (Eg: Her bloated stomach came from drinking so much water. )

86
Q

blowhard

A

talkative boaster (Eg: After all Sol’s talk about his big show business connections led nowhere- Sally decided he was just another )

87
Q

bludgeon

A

club; heavy-headed weapon (Eg: His walking stick served him as a bludgeon on many occasions. )

88
Q

bluff

A

pretense (of strength); deception; high cliff (Eg: Claire thought Lord Byron’s boast that he would swim the Hellespont was just a bluff- she was astounded )

89
Q

blunder

A

error (Eg: The criminal’s fatal blunder led to his capture. )

90
Q

blurt

A

utter impulsively (Eg: Before she could stop him- he blurted out the news. )

91
Q

bode

A

foreshadow; portend (Eg: The gloomy skies and the sulfurious odors from the mineral springs seemed to bode evil to those who )

92
Q

bogus

A

counterfeit; not authentic (Eg: The police quickly found the distributors of the bogus twenty-dollar bills. )

93
Q

boisterous

A

violent; rough; noisy (Eg: The unruly crowd became even more boisterous when he tried to quiet them. )

94
Q

bolster

A

support; reinforce (Eg: The debaters amassed file boxes full of evidence to bolster their arguments. )

95
Q

bombast

A

pompous- inflated language (Eg: Filled with bombast- the orator’s speech left the audience more impressed with his pomposity than with his )

96
Q

boon

A

blessing; benefit (Eg: The recent rains that filled our empty reservoirs were a boon to the whole community. )

97
Q

boorish

A

rude; insensitive (Eg: Though Mr. Potts constantly interrupted his wife- she ignored his boorish behavior- for she had lost hope )

98
Q

bouillon

A

clear beef soup (Eg: The cup of bouillon served by the stewards was welcomed by those who had been chilled by the cold )

99
Q

bountiful

A

generous; showing bounty (Eg: She distributed gifts in a bountiful and gracious manner. )

100
Q

bourgeois

A

middle class (Eg: The French Revolution was inspired by the bourgeois- who resented the aristocracy. )

101
Q

bovine

A

cowlike; placid and dull (Eg: Nothing excites Esther; even when she won the state lottery- she still preserved her air of bovine calm. )

102
Q

bowdlerize

A

expurgate (Eg: After the film editors had bowdlerized the language in the script- the motion picture’s rating was changed )

103
Q

brackish

A

somewhat saline (Eg: He found the only wells in the area were brackish; drinking the water made him nauseous. )

104
Q

braggadocio

A

boasting (Eg: He was disliked because his manner was always full of braggadocio. )

105
Q

braggart

A

boaster (Eg: Modest by nature- she was no braggart- preferring to let her accomplishments speak for themselves. )

106
Q

bravado

A

swagger; assumed air of defiance (Eg: )

107
Q

brawn

A

muscular strength; sturdiness (Eg: It takes brawn to become a champion weight-lifter. )

108
Q

brazen

A

insolent (Eg: Her brazen contempt for authority angered the officials. )

109
Q

breach

A

breaking of contract or duty; fissure; gap (Eg: They found a breach in the enemy’s fortifications and penetrated their lines. )

110
Q

breadth

A

width; extent (Eg: We were impressed by the breadth of her knowledge. )

111
Q

brevity

A

conciseness (Eg: brevity is essential when you send a telegram or cablegram; you are charged for every word. )

112
Q

brindled

A

tawny or grayish with streaks or spots (Eg: He was disappointed in the litter because the puppies were brindled; he had hoped for animals of uniform )

113
Q

bristling

A

rising like bristles; showing irritation (Eg: The dog stood there- bristling with anger. )

114
Q

brittle

A

easily broken; difficult (Eg: My employer’s brittle personality made it difficult for me to get along with her. )

115
Q

broach

A

open up (Eg: He did not even try to broach the subject of poetry. )

116
Q

brocade

A

rich- figured fabric (Eg: The sofa was covered with expensive brocade. )

117
Q

brochure

A

pamphlet (Eg: This brochure on farming was issued by the Department of Agriculture. )

118
Q

brooch

A

ornamental clasp (Eg: She treasured the brooch because it was an heirloom. )

119
Q

brook

A

tolerate; endure (Eg: The dean would brook no interference with his disciplinary actions. )

120
Q

browbeat

A

bully; intimidate (Eg: Billy resisted Ted’s attempts to browbeat him into handing over his lunch money. )

121
Q

brusque

A

blunt; abrupt (Eg: She was offended by his brusque reply. )

122
Q

bucolic

A

rustic; pastoral (Eg: )

123
Q

buffoonery

A

clowning (Eg: John Candy’s buffoonery in Uncle Buck was hilarious. )

124
Q

bugaboo

A

bugbear; object of baseless terror (Eg: If we become frightened by such bugaboos- we are no wiser than the birds who fear scarecrows. )

125
Q

bullion

A

gold and silver in the form of bars (Eg: Much bullion is stored in the vaults at Fort Knox. )

126
Q

bulwark

A

earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends (Eg: The navy is our principal bulwark against invasion. )

127
Q

bungle

A

spoil by clumsy behavior (Eg: I was afraid you would bungle his assignment but I had no one else to send. )

128
Q

bureaucracy

A

government by bureaus (Eg: Many people fear that the constant introduction of federal agencies will create a government by )

129
Q

burgeon

A

grow forth; send out buds (Eg: In the spring- the plants that burgeon are a promise of the beauty that is to come. )

130
Q

burlesque

A

give an imitation that ridicules (Eg: In his caricature- he burlesqued the mannerisms of his adversary. )

131
Q

burly

A

husky; muscular (Eg: The burly mover lifted the packing crate with ease. )

132
Q

burnish

A

make shiny by rubbing; polish (Eg: The maid burnished the brass fixtures until they reflected the lamplight. )

133
Q

buttress

A

support; prop up (Eg: Just as architects buttress the walls of cathedrals with flying buttresses- debates buttress their arguments )

134
Q

buxom

A

full-bosomed; plump; jolly (Eg: High fashion models usually are slender rather than buxom. )

GRE Vocab - 1 (5 decks)

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