Barron's Essential Words for the GRE: Set 3 Flashcards
1
Q
facetious
A
humorous
The comedian’s facetious comments about prominent politicians kept the audience amused.
2
Q
not inherent or essential
A
extrinsic
The experiment is designed to exclude factors that are extrinsic to the phenomenon.
3
Q
the act of estimation by projecting known information
A
extrapolation
Strict determinists believe that it is possible, at least theoretically to extrapolate the future movement of every atom in the universe based on present conditions.
4
Q
not essential
A
extraneous
5
Q
to root up; to destroy
A
extirpate
6
Q
in existence; not lost
A
extant
Unfortunatey for Bible scholars, there are no extant writings of Jesus Christ
7
Q
explanatory
A
expository
There is no one model of expository prose that a student can emulate, since each piece of good writing is unique.
8
Q
to explain; interpret; clarify
A
explicate
9
Q
to atone for
A
expiate
The pilgirms undertook their long journey to expiate their sins.
10
Q
humorous
A
facetious
11
Q
laconic
A
using a few words
The laconic actor seemed to be a good choice to play the strong silent hero in the western.
12
Q
labile
A
likely to change
Blood pressure in human beings is, to varying degrees, labile.
13
Q
kudos
A
fame; glory; honor
Kudos won by Bob Dylan include an honorary doctorate in music from Princeton University.
14
Q
place side by side
A
juxtapose
15
Q
functionalism
A
belief that the outward form of a structure should follow its interior function
16
Q
huge force destroying everything in its path
A
juggernaut
17
Q
fond of joking; playful; jocular
A
jocose
18
Q
jibe
A
to be in agreement
The auditor checked the company’s account books to make sure they jibed with the tax return it filed.
19
Q
jaundiced
A
having a yellowish discoloration of the skin; affected by envy, resentment or hostility
Norman’s experience as an infantryman during the war has given him a jaundiced view of human nature.
20
Q
factotum
A
a person who does all sorts of work; handyman
21
Q
plowed but not sowed; uncultivated
A
fallow
At the beginning of each school year the teacher looks out at the students and thinks of a fallow field, ready to be cultivated.
22
Q
foolishly self-satisfied
A
fatuous
23
Q
fawning
A
seeking favor by flattering
The boss has a reputation for hiring fawning employees.
24
Q
existing in a wild or untamed state
A
feral
Feral dogs returning to an untamed state after domestication sometimes form packs, becoming a threat to humans.
25
warmth and intensity of emotion
fervor
26
introspective
contemplating one's own thoughts and feelings
In many ways William Wordsworth's great poem "The Prelude" is an introspective work, retrospectively exploring his thoughts and feelings as he matured.
27
intimate
to make known subtly and indirectly
The editor intimated that substantial changes would have to be made in the book.
28
to insert; to change by adding new words or material
interpolate
Bible scholars vote on which sayings of Jesus they believe to be authentic and which they believe to have been interpolated by other writers.
29
deadly to both sides
internecine
30
insurmountable; unconquerable
insuperable
31
covered with hair
hirsute
32
heterodox
unorthodox, not widely accepted
33
histrionic
relating to exaggerated emotional behavior calculated for effect;
34
allure
the power to entice by charm
The allure of France is great; millions of people around the world study its language and culture.
35
alacrity
speed
36
allay
lessen; ease; soothe
Improvements in antivirus software have allayed many people's fears of having their computers "infected" with malicious software.
37
alloy
a combination; a mixture of two or more metals
38
aggrandize
to make larger or greater
One of the concerns of the framers of the constitution was that one branch of gov't would try to aggrandize itself at the expense of others.
39
alchemy
a seemingly magical power or process of transmutation
By what remarkable artistic alchemy did the interior decorator transform the drab living room into a room of vibrant color and light?
40
aggregate
amounting to a whole; total
The aggregate wealth of a country includes private as well as public resources and possessions.
41
unclear or doubtful in meaning
ambiguous
42
amalgamate
to combine into a unified whole
Now separate entities, the 12 colleges will amalgamate to create a single university.
43
appellation
name
Former US Supreme Court Justice Byron White was given the appellation "Whizzer" when he played football in college.
44
apposite
strikingly appropriate and relevant
The writer searched two dictionaries and a thesaurus before finding the perfectly apposite word he was looking for.
45
apprise
inform
The book keeps the reader apprised of the racism black Americans had to endure.
46
approbation
praise; approval
The medal of honor is the highest approbation a soldier can receive.
47
appropriate
take possession for one's own use; confiscate
48
apropos
relevant
Apropos of nothing, the speaker declared that the purpose of life is to love.
49
arabesque
ornate design featuring intertwined curves
50
asylum
place of shelter or refuge
51
atavism
return of a trait after a period of absence
Some modern political theorists reject nationalism as a tribal atavism.
52
attenuate
weaken
Modern digital radio equipment allows even signals that have been greatly attenuated to be transmitted by one station and received by another station.
53
bold; daring
audacious
54
stern; unadorned
austere
55
aver
to affirm; declare to be true
Materialism is a philosophy that avers that matter is the only reality and denies the existence of idealism and spiritualism.
56
avuncular
like an uncle, benevolent and tolerant
57
conundrum
a riddle; puzzle with no solution
The paradoxical statement "This statement is false." presents us with a conundrum.
58
contumacious
disobedient; rebellious
The king ordered his army to quell the rebellion by his contumacious subject.
59
continence
self-control; abstention from sexual activity
The monk pledged himself to a life of continence.
60
contiguous
touching; connecting without a break; neighboring
There are 48 contiguous states in the United States of America.
61
contentious
quarrelsome; causing quarrels
When genetic engineering began in the 1970s, there was a contentious and sometimes acrimonious debate among scientists themselves about their dangers.
62
conscript
a person compulsorily enrolled for military service; the act to enroll in military service compulsorily
63
diffuse
to spread out; disseminate; wordy, rambling, spread out
This essay is so diffuse it is difficult to follow its central argument.
64
digression
act of straying from the main point
The novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig contains many fascinating digressions from the main story that discuss topics such as Platonic philosophy.
65
discerning
perceptive; exhibiting keen insight and good judgment
One of the aims of English Literature course is to help students become discerning readers.
66
discern
to perceive something obscure
Superficially, expressionism can appear to be unrealistic because of its extreme distortion of reality, but upon closer examination, an inner psychological reality can often be discerned.
67
discredit
to dishonor; disgrace; cause to be doubted
The candidate's attempt to discredit his opponent by spreading damaging rumors about him failed.
68
anarchic
lacking order or control
The student of mythology speculated that Dionysos was created as a projection of the pleasure-loving, anarchic aspect of human nature.
"Most political scientists do not believe anarchism to be a tenable theory of government.
69
anchronism
something out of the proper time
The editor discovered an anachronism in the script; set in 1944, it contained a reference to the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945.
70
amenity
something that increases comfort
Many amenities considered normal and necessary in developed countries such as indoor plumbing were luxuries only a few generations ago.
71
amenable
agreeable; suited; cooperative
The young writer is amenable to suggestions to improve her prose style to maker her work more interesting.
72
ambivalence
state of having conflicting emotional attitudes
John felt some ambivalence about getting married before finishing college.
73
analog
a noun meaning something is comparable to something else
Some commentators have posited the existence of an analog to Protestant work ethic in Chinese culture, which they call the "Confucian work ethic," to explain the success of some countries with large Chinese population.
74
dross
worthless matter; trivial matter; waste
One of the ways the dross in internet blogs are filtered out from the worthwhile ones is through the links to good blogs provided by other good blogs.
75
doggerel
poor verse
Even the doggerel of a great poet like John Milton is interesting.
76
effete
depleted in vitality; decadent; overrefined
It is interesting to observe how many traditions remain strong while others gradually become effete.
77
eclectic
selecting from various sources
78
blandish
coax with flattery
Despite the salesman's blandishments, Donna did not buy the car.
79
blase
unconcerned; bored through frequent indulgence
We were amazed by John's blase attitude towards school; he seems to have made it a rule never to open a book.
80
broach
to mention for the first time
Amanda went out with her boyfriend for two years before she broached the subject of marriage.
81
bifurcate
divide into two parts
There is a bifurcation in American politics bet. a tradition that believes that interference in the affairs of other countries is imprudent, and an idealistic streak that seeks to use American power to help other countries.
82
denizen
an inhabitant; a regular visitor
The US Census Bureau has the responsibility of collecting information about the denizens of the US.
83
to slur someone's reputation
denigrate
Accdg. to a recent biography of Napoleon Bonaparte. the famous leader felt a need to denigrate women.
84
demotic
pertaining to people
Walt Whitman is considered by many to be a quintissentially American poet, a poet who celebrated the glory of the ordinary person; one critic praised him as a poet who was able to "make the demotic sing."
85
delineate
to represent or depict
Quantum theory led to the formulation of the uncertainty principle which was delineated in 1937 by Werner Heisenberg.
86
defunct
no longer existing
Solid-state electronic equipment has made vacuum tube equipment defunct in most areas other than very specialized applications.
87
default
fail to act
Rather than to default on her car loan payments
88
respect; regard for another's wish
deference
The proposal was dropped in deference to the objections of a number of people.
89
the scientific study of insects
entomology
90
enervate
to weaken
During WW II, Russian commanders counted on the cold to enervate German soldiers from invading their country.
91
emollient
soothing; mollifying
The politician's speech is filled with emollient phrases to make his message more palatable.
92
beggar
mendicant
93
meretricious
One of the allures of jargon is that it can make a poor idea worthwhile, or something meretricious plausible because it is dressed in fancy language.
94
dishonest
mendacious
The judge declared the witness's testimony inadmissible because he considered it mendacious.
95
delusions of power or importance
megalomania
In his farewell speech, the judge warned his colleagues to beware of megalomania as they exercise their power in the courtroom.
96
maverick
an independent individual who does not go along with any group or party
There's always one maverick who wants to go his own way.
97
to object or protest
remonstrate
The right and left wing remonstrated all night regarding the passing of the bill.
98
to go back on one's word
renege
Jill reneged on her promise to take Sandra to the book store.
99
formidable; worthy of respect; arousing fear
redoubtable
100
libertine
a person with no moral restraint
Don Juan is a legendary, archetypal libertine whose story has been told by many poets.
101
light manner or attitude
levity
The comedian has a gift of finding levity even in the most serious of subjects.
102
lethargy; sluggishness
lassitude
103
lambaste
to thrash verbally or physically
The critic lambasted the movie in her column, calling it "the most insipid, jejune film made in our generation.
104
argot
a specialized vocabulary for the specific group
Writers of crime fiction often use the argot of criminals and detectives to create a realistic atmosphere.
105
artifact
item made by human craft
Some scholars argue that romantic love is an artifact of culture.
106
guileless; ingenuous; natural
artless
107
one who practices self-denial
ascetic
108
slander; false rumor
aspersion
109
assuage
to make less severe
China's leaders talked with a group of American congressional representatives to assuage fears that China plans to threaten American military preeminence.
110
astringent
harsh; severe
111
preempt
take for oneself; forestall, preclude; to replace with something of greater priority
The contract preempts lawsuits by company clients.
112
propitiate
to win over; appease
They sacrificed lambs to propitiate the gods.
113
provident
frugal; providing for the future
The provident ant who saved up food for the winter..
114
prohibitive
so high as to prevent the purchase of; preventing; forbidding
...were not able to buy laptops due to the prohibitive price.
