Common Words 2 Flashcards
frivolous
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.
conspicuous
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.’’
dogmatic
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.
cryptic
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.
predilection
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.
volubility
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.
gossamer
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.
preclude
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.
mitigate
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.
concede
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.
lambast
criticize severely or angrily
Synonyms : derided
Showing no patience, the manager utterly lambasted the sales team that lost the big account.
platitude
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.
incisive
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.
fortuitous
lucky
occurring by happy chance; having no cause or apparent cause
Synonyms : causeless , uncaused
His entry into the takeaway arena was somewhat fortuitous.
didactic
excessively instructive
Synonyms : didactical
James was a very didactic person; he really loved teaching
exacerbate
make worse
Synonyms : aggravate , exasperate , worsen
Her sleeplessness exacerbated her cold
prescience
predict
the power to foresee the future
Synonyms : prevision
Saad can predict GRE scores with amazing prescience
superfluous
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.
perfidy
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
gall
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
inexorable
impossible to stop or prevent
Synonyms : adamant , adamantine , intransigent
The rise of artificially intelligent beings seems inexorable
decorous
characterized by good taste in manners and conduct
Sally’s parties are decorous affairs
vociferous
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
torpor
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.
culminate
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.
bucolic
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.
reticent
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.
impudent
improperly forward or bold
Synonyms : fresh , impertinent , overbold , sassy , saucy , smart , wise
the boy was punished for his impudent behaviour
aesthete
love for aesthetics
Synonyms : esthete
A true aesthete, Marty would spend hours at the Guggenheim Museum, staring at the same Picasso.
diffident
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.
mawkish
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.
glut
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.
querolous
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.
rustic
characteristic of rural life; awkwardly simple and provincial
Synonyms : countrified , countryfied,bumpkinly , hick , unsophisticated
Mansoor adored the rustic charms of mountain summits
recondite
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.
chortle
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.
deferential
showing respect
Synonyms : deferent , regardful
If you ever have the chance to meet the president, stand up straight and be deferential.
