Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Barron's GRE Verbal Workbook > B > Flashcards

B Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
GRE® Vocabulary flashcards GRE® Psychology flashcards
1
Q

bacchanalian

A

adj. pertaining to riotous or drunken festivity

The secretive club’s bacchanalian celebrations have attracted the interest of the local authorities.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

baleful

A

adj. harmful

Some people believe that the moon can exert a baleful influence on people.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

balk

A

v. to refuse

The student balked when the teacher asked him to rewrite his essay.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

ballad

A

n. folk song, narrative poem

The performer sang a ballad telling the story of a runaway slave.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

banal

A

adj. commonplace; trite

Many comedies employ the same banal situations.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

bane

A

n. something causing death or destruction

Weapons of mass destruction are one of the great banes of the modern world.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

banter

A

n. playful conversation

“OK, cut the banter and get back to work,” the foreman shouted to the workers as their break was ending.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

barbarous

A

adj. uncivilized; lacking refinement

War sometimes shows that human beings are capable of barbarous behavior.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

bard

A

n. poet

Many famous bards have been Poet Laureates of Britain.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

baroque

A

adj. highly ornate

The hotel where I stayed in Paris was too baroque for my taste; I prefer a simple style.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

bastion

A

n. fortification

Many people regard Australia as a bastion of democracy.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

bawdy

A

adj. obscene

Daniel Defoe’s Moll Flanders is a bawdy eighteenth-century novel.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

bedevil

A

v. plague; annoy; spoil

The new car model was bedeviled by so many problems that the manufacturer withdrew it from production.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

bedizen

A

v. to dress in a showy, vulgar manner

The old actress was bedizened with costume jewelry.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

beguile

A

v. to deceive, mislead; to charm or delight

We were so beguiled by the car’s appearance that we neglected to consider whether it was really suitable.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

behaviorism

A

n. a school of psychology that studies only observable and measurable behavior

Psychologists who subscribe to the tenets of behaviorism believe that behavior can be explained without recourse to hypothetical constructs such as mind.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

behemoth

A

n. huge creature; anything very large and powerful

Modern aircraft carriers are behemoths with a crew the size of a small town.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

belabor

A

v. to insist repeatedly; harp on

The English teacher belabored the point that students must write in full sentences.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

belated

A

adj. to late

I sent my wife a belated birthday card.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

beleaguer

A

v. to harass

The army, beleaguered by enemy troops, was forced to surrender.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

belie

A

v. to misrepresent

Jim’s tough appearance belies his soft heart.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

belittle

A

v. to disparage; mark

Joe’s efforts to get a perfect GRE score were belittled, but no one was laughing when he got a perfect score.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

bellicosity

A

v. condition of being warlike or aggressive

The increased bellicosity of nations in the region worried experts at the United Nations.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

belligerence

A

n. hostility, tendency to fight

The student’s belligerence was always getting him into fights.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

bemuse

A

v. to confuse

The class was bemused by the new teacher’s vague directions.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

benefactor

A

n. patron; one who helps others

Judy discovered that a wealthy benefactor was going to pay for her college education.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

beneficent

A

adj. kindly; doing good

The billionaire is admired for his beneficent charitable contributions.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

benevolent

A

adj. generous; charitable

The benevolent billionaire donated half of his fortune to charity.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

benighted

A

adj. unenlightened

The poor benighted country had little success in its efforts to develop.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

benign

A

adj. harmless, kind

Shari was relieved when the doctor said her tumor was benign.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

bequeath

A

v. to hand down

Mr. Ford will bequeath all of his possessions to his wife.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

berate

A

v. to scold

The teacher berated the student for not handing in her homework in time.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

beseech

A

v. to beg, plead

The hostage beseeched his captors to release him.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

bestial

A

adj. beastly

Many bestial acts were committed during the war.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

bestow

A

v. to give as a gift

It is customary to bestow gifts on family and friends at Christmas.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

bête noir

A

n. something especially dreaded or hated

The novelist described mathematics as the bête noir of his childhood years.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

betoken

A

v. to indicate, signify

A wedding ring betokens the union of two people in marriage.

38
Q

bevy

A

n. group

A bevy of cheerleaders gathered around the quarterback after the football game.

39
Q

bias

A

n. prejudice

A teacher should treat students without bias.

40
Q

bibliophile

A

n. book lover

The bibliophile has a collection of over 20,000 books.

41
Q

bicameral

A

adj. composed of two legislative branches

The U.S. Congress is a bicameral body consisting of the senate and the House of Representatives.

42
Q

bifurcate

A

v. to divide into two parts

Let’s bifurcate this apple so we can share it evenly.

43
Q

bigotry

A

n. intolerance

One definition of education is the process of losing our bigotry and becoming more accepting of others and their views.

44
Q

bilateral

A

ad. two-sided

The two countries have started bilateral talks about the dispute.

45
Q

binary

A

adj. relating to something made of or based on two things or parts

A binary star is a system of two stars that revolve about their common center of mass.

46
Q

biomass

A

n. the amount of living matter in a unit area of a habitat; plant materials and animal waste used especially as a source of fuel

Biomass is derived from five sources: garbage, waste, wood, landfill gases, and alcohol fuels.

47
Q

bipartisan

A

adj. supported by two political parties

The president is working to build bipartisan support for the plan.

48
Q

biped

A

n. two-footed animal

Human beings are bipeds.

49
Q

bivouac

A

n. a temporary encampment

The major ordered the battalion to make a bivouac in the park.

50
Q

bizarre

A

adj. strikingly unusual; fantastic

Dreams sometimes have bizarre events that could not occur in reality.

51
Q

blandishment

A

n. flattery

The retired couple couldn’t resist the blandishments of the glossy travel brochure.

52
Q

blasé

A

adj. bored because of frequent indulgence; unconcerned

The veteran movie stuntman has became blasé about his work.

53
Q

blasphemy

A

n. profanity, irreverence

The suggestion that schools be abolished was considered blasphemy by the teacher’s union.

54
Q

blatant

A

adj. glaring, obvious

First, eliminate blatant errors from your writing; then, worry about the small ones.

55
Q

bleak

A

adj. cheerless; unlikely to be favorable

People with little education often face a bleak future.

56
Q

blight

A

n. affliction

Researchers are studying the causes of the potato blight.

57
Q

blithe

A

adj. joyful, cheerful; carefree

In her youth Karen was a blithe spirit, but as she grew older she became more serious.

58
Q

blitzkrieg

A

n. a swift, sudden military offensive, usually by combined air and mobile land forces

Careful planning must be done to launch a successful blitzkrieg.

59
Q

bludgeon

A

v. to hit

The referee stopped the bout after one boxer began to bludgeon his opponent mercilessly.

60
Q

bohemian

A

adj. unconventional in an artistic way

The bohemian area of the tour attracted many artists, writers, and musicians.

61
Q

boisterous

A

adj. rowdy, unrestrained

The Red Sox fans became boisterous after their team won the World Series.

62
Q

bolster

A

v. to give a boost to; prop up; support

Many famous men were bolstered in their careers by the support of their wives.

63
Q

bombastic

A

adj. pompous; using inflated language

The audience was bored by the long, bombastic speech.

64
Q

bona fide

A

adj. good faith, sincere, authentic

“I expected each of you to make a bona fide effort in this class,” the teacher told the class.

65
Q

bonanza

A

n. large amount

The oil company spent years drilling for oil hoping to find a bonanza – a lost store of crude oil.

66
Q

bonhomie

A

n. atmosphere of good cheer

Dad and Mom like dinner to be filled with bonhomie.

67
Q

boon

A

n. blessing

Summer vacation is an extra week long this year – what a boon!

68
Q

boorish

A

adj. rude; insensitive

Everyone avoids the boorish guy.

69
Q

botanist

A

n. scientist who studies plants

The botanist discovered a plant with the power to relieve pain.

70
Q

bountiful

A

adj. plentiful

The bountiful harvest means that we’ll have plenty to eat this year.

71
Q

bourgeois

A

adj. typical of the middle class

The artist denounced his critics as bourgeois fools.

72
Q

bourgeoisie

A

n. the middle class

Television generally reflects the tastes of the bourgeoisie.

73
Q

bovine

A

adj. cow-like

Asked to describe the students walking slowly to the auditorium the English teacher said, “Bovine.”

74
Q

Brahmanism

A

n. Hinduism, the religious beliefs and practices of ancient India as reflected in the Vedas

The scholar is studying monistic tendencies in the Rigveda, one of Brahminism’s sacred books.

75
Q

Brahmin

A

n. a member of a cultural and social elite

The poet T.S. Eliot was a member of a well-known family of Boston Brahmins, the Eliots.

76
Q

brazen

A

adj. bold, shameless

The brazen girl locked her parents out of the house after being scolded for lying.

77
Q

breach

A

n. violation

“One more breach of school rules and you’re out of here,” the principal told the student.

78
Q

brigand

A

n. outlaw

Some brigands like Jesse James are romanticized in books and films.

79
Q

broach

A

v. to mention for the first time

Jason decided that he would broach the subject of marriage to his girlfriend over dinner.

80
Q

bromide

A

n. a commonplace remark; a platitude

The politician’s speech is filled with bromides.

81
Q

brusque

A

adj. abrupt in manner

Although Professor Robinson is brusque with student, he always has their best interest at heart.

82
Q

bucolic

A

adj. characteristic of the countryside; rustic; pastoral

The inn’s bucolic setting makes it a popular weekend retreat for city people.

83
Q

buffoon

A

n. clown

Why is it that every class in school has a buffoon?

84
Q

bulwark

A

n. something serving as a defense

U.S. military bases in South Korea are bulwarks against invasion by North Korea.

85
Q

bureaucracy

A

n. government administration; management marked by diffused authority and inflexibility

Modern democracies require vast bureaucracies to carry out the many functions of government.

86
Q

bureaucratic

A

adj. rigidly devoted to the details of administrative procedure

Fed up with bureaucratic delays, the customer sent an e-mail to the president of the company.

87
Q

burgeon

A

v. to flourish, grow

China’s burgeoning population is putting severe strain on its natural resources.

88
Q

burly

A

adj. brawny, husky

The burly bouncer threw Billy out of the club for starting a fight.

89
Q

burnish

A

v. to polish

The soldier proudly burnished his medals.

90
Q

bustle

A

n. commotion

Raised on a farm, Jim isn’t used to the bustle of a big city.

91
Q

buttress

A

v. to reinforce, support

This argument needs to be buttressed with additional evidence.

Barron's GRE Verbal Workbook (26 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions