Common Words 2

Question 1

frivolous

Answer 1

not serious
not serious in content or attitude or behavior
Compared to Juliet’s passionate concern for human rights, Jake’s non-stop concern about football seems somewhat frivolous.

Question 2

conspicuous

Answer 2

attention grabbing
obvious to the eye or mind
Real GRE uses this in a positive sense as attracting attention or good taste.

'’The sign was placed in a very conspicuous spot.’’

Question 3

dogmatic

Answer 3

highly opinionated, not accepting that your belief may not be correct

Bryan is dogmatic in his belief that the earth is flat, claiming that all pictures of a spherical earth are computer generated.

Question 4

cryptic

Answer 4

mysterious or vague, usually intentionally

Synonyms : cabalistic , cryptical , kabbalistic , qabalistic , sibylline

Since Sarah did not want her husband to guess the Christmas present she had bought him, she only answered cryptically when he would ask her questions about it.

Question 5

predilection

Answer 5

a strong liking

Synonyms : penchant , preference , taste

Monte had a predilection for the fine things in life: Cuban cigars, 200 dollar bottles of wine, and trips to the French Riviera.

Question 6

volubility

Answer 6

fluent
the quality of talking or writing easily and continuously

Synonyms : articulateness , fluency

The professor’s volubility knows no bounds; he could talk through a hurricane and elaborate a point from one St. Patrick’s Day to the next.

Question 7

gossamer

Answer 7

light and delicate
characterized by unusual lightness and delicacy

Synonyms : ethereal

The gossamer wings of a butterfly, which allow it to fly, are also a curse, so delicate that they are often damaged.

Question 8

preclude

Answer 8

keep from happening or arising; make impossible

Synonyms : forbid , foreclose , forestall , prevent

The manager specified that all other gates be locked, to preclude the possibility of persons without tickets entering the arena undetected.

Question 9

mitigate

Answer 9

make less severe or harsh

Synonyms : extenuate , palliate

I can only spend so much time mitigating your disagreements with your wife, and at certain point, you need to do it on your own.
verb: lessen the severity of an offense

If it weren’t for the mitigating circumstances, he would have certainly lost his job.

Question 10

concede

Answer 10

acknowledge defeat

I concede. You win!

verb: admit (to a wrongdoing)

Synonyms : confess , profess

After a long, stern lecture from her father, Olivia conceded to having broken the window.

verb: give over; surrender or relinquish to the physical control of another

Synonyms : cede , grant , yield

The Spanish were forced to concede much of the territory they had previously conquered.

Question 11

lambast

Answer 11

criticize severely or angrily

Synonyms : derided

Showing no patience, the manager utterly lambasted the sales team that lost the big account.

Question 12

platitude

Answer 12

cliche, a trite or obvious remark

Synonyms : banality , bromide , cliche , commonplace

The professor argued that many statements regarded as wise in previous times, such as the Golden Rule, are now regarded as mere platitudes.

Question 13

incisive

Answer 13

having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions

Synonyms : acute , discriminating , keen , knifelike , penetrating , penetrative , piercing, sharp

The lawyer had an incisive mind, able in a flash to dissect a hopelessly tangled issue and isolate the essential laws at play.

Question 14

fortuitous

Answer 14

lucky

occurring by happy chance; having no cause or apparent cause

Synonyms : causeless , uncaused

His entry into the takeaway arena was somewhat fortuitous.

Question 15

didactic

Answer 15

excessively instructive

Synonyms : didactical

James was a very didactic person; he really loved teaching

Question 16

exacerbate

Answer 16

make worse

Synonyms : aggravate , exasperate , worsen

Her sleeplessness exacerbated her cold

Question 17

prescience

Answer 17

predict
the power to foresee the future

Synonyms : prevision

Saad can predict GRE scores with amazing prescience

Question 18

superfluous

Answer 18

serving no useful purpose

Synonyms : otiose , pointless , purposeless, senseless , wasted

we must stop superfluous spending

adjective: more than is needed, desired, or required

Synonyms : excess , extra , redundant , spare , supererogatory , supernumerary , surplus

The third paragraph in your essay is superfluous and can be deleted.

Question 19

perfidy

Answer 19

betrayal
an act of deliberate betrayal; a breach of a trust

Synonyms : betrayal , treachery , treason,perfidiousness , treachery

For Hamilton’s teammate, it was proof of his perfidy

Question 20

gall

Answer 20

rude and impertinent

Synonyms : cheekiness , crust , freshness , impertinence , impudence , insolence

Even though Carly was only recently hired, she had the gall to question her boss’s judgment in front of the office.

noun: feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will

Synonyms : bitterness , rancor , rancour , resentment

In an act of gall, Leah sent compromising photos of her ex-boyfriend to all his co-workers and professional contacts

Question 21

inexorable

Answer 21

impossible to stop or prevent

Synonyms : adamant , adamantine , intransigent

The rise of artificially intelligent beings seems inexorable

Question 22

decorous

Answer 22

characterized by good taste in manners and conduct

Sally’s parties are decorous affairs

Question 23

vociferous

Answer 23

conspicuously and offensively loud; given to vehement outcry

Synonyms : blatant , clamant , clamorous , strident

Karen gave a vociferous response when asked for suggestions by the waiter which caused everyone to look at her

Question 24

torpor

Answer 24

inactivity resulting from lethargy and lack of vigor or energy

Synonyms : listlessness , torpidity , torpidness

After work, I was expecting my colleagues to be enthusiastic about the outing, but I found them in a state of complete torpor.

Question 25

culminate

Answer 25

reach the highest or most decisive point

Synonyms : climax

Nico Roseberg’s skills culminated in 2016 when he dominated F1 and became the world champion.

Question 26

bucolic

Answer 26

relating to the pleasant aspects of the country

Synonyms : peasant , provincial

The painting shows a typically bucolic scene with peasants harvesting crops in a field.

Question 27

reticent

Answer 27

reluctant to draw attention to yourself; temperamentally disinclined to talk

Synonyms : untalkative, retiring , self-effacing

When asked about her father, Helen lost her outward enthusiasm and became rather reticent.

Question 28

impudent

Answer 28

improperly forward or bold

Synonyms : fresh , impertinent , overbold , sassy , saucy , smart , wise

the boy was punished for his impudent behaviour

Question 29

aesthete

Answer 29

love for aesthetics

Synonyms : esthete

A true aesthete, Marty would spend hours at the Guggenheim Museum, staring at the same Picasso.

Question 30

diffident

Answer 30

showing modest reserve; lacking self-confidence

Synonyms : shy , timid , unsure

As a young girl she was diffident and reserved, but now as an adult, she is confident and assertive.

Question 31

mawkish

Answer 31

overly sentimental to the point that it is disgusting

Synonyms : bathetic , drippy , hokey , kitschy , maudlin , mushy , schmaltzy , schmalzy , sentimental , slushy , soppy , soupy

The cast of Fast and Furious put on a mawkish facade to promote the film after Paul Walker’s death.
A mawkish sentimentality appeared after the Queen’s death, just as it did after the death of Diana.

Question 32

glut

Answer 32

an excessive supply

Synonyms : oversupply , surfeit

The Internet offers such a glut of news related stories that many find it difficult to know which story to read first.

verb: supply with an excess of

Synonyms : flood , oversupply

In the middle of economic crises, hiring managers find their inboxes glutted with resumes.

Question 33

querolous

Answer 33

habitually complaining / Karen

Synonyms : fretful , whiney , whiny

The querulous Karen was beginning to wear down even the happier members of the staff with her ceaseless complaining.

Question 34

rustic

Answer 34

characteristic of rural life; awkwardly simple and provincial

Synonyms : countrified , countryfied,bumpkinly , hick , unsophisticated

Mansoor adored the rustic charms of mountain summits

Question 35

recondite

Answer 35

difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge

Synonyms : abstruse , deep

Most individuals think of Christopher Nolan’s movies as recondite and find themselves googling explanations later on.

Question 36

chortle

Answer 36

to laugh loudly

Synonyms : chuckle , laugh softly

Walking past the bar, I could hear happy, chortling people and the blast of horns from a jazz band.

Question 37

deferential

Answer 37

showing respect

Synonyms : deferent , regardful

If you ever have the chance to meet the president, stand up straight and be deferential.