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GRE Words > Deck 2 > Flashcards

Deck 2 Flashcards

1
Q

decree

A

official order

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2
Q

proscribe

A

forbid

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3
Q

hubris

A

excessive pride or self confidence

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4
Q

avarice

A

extreme greed

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5
Q

derivative

A
  • (typically of an artist or work of art) imitative of the work of another person, and usually disapproved of for that reason: an artist who is not in the slightest bit derivative.
    • originating from, based on, or influenced by: Darwin’s work is derivative of the moral philosophers.
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6
Q

underscore

A

emphasize

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7
Q

eminence

A

fame or recognized superiority

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8
Q

notoriety

A

being famous for a bad quality or deed

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9
Q

providential

A

occurring at a favorable time, opportune

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10
Q

tumultuous

A

loud, confused noise; disorderly

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11
Q

supplant

A

supercede and replace

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12
Q

extemporaneous

A

spoken or done without preparation

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13
Q

fecklessness

A

irresponsibility/ineffectiveness

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14
Q

luminary

A

a person who inspires or influences others, especially one prominent in a particular sphere
(one of the luminaries of child psychiatry)

archaic a natural light-giving body, especially the sun or moon.
(an artificial light)

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15
Q

scintillating

A

brilliant

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16
Q

incendiary

A 
-designed to cause fires
(incendiary grenades)
- tending to stir up conflict
(incendiary rhetoric)
-very exciting
(an incendiary live performer)
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17
Q

veracious

A

truth

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18
Q

efflorescence

A

reach an optimum stage of development; blossom

simple concepts that effloresce into testable conclusions

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19
Q

acquisitiveness

A

excessive interest in acquiring money or material things

a culture of acquisitiveness permeated his administration

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20
Q

Ponderous

A

moving with great effort

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21
Q

Prodigal

A

wasting all your oney

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22
Q

Prodigious

A

enormous

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23
Q

Desultory

A

rambling

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24
Q

Magnanimous

A

big heart, kind

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25
Q

erudite

A

scholarly/learning

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26
Q

Maladroitness

A

clumsiness

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27
Q

Funereal

A

depressing

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28
Q

Lambaste

A

criticize harshly

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29
Q

Doleful

A

expressing sorrow, mournful

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30
Q

aberrant

A

out of the ordinary

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31
Q

cupidity

A

excessive greed

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32
Q

verisimiliture

A

likeness to reality (very similar to reality)

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33
Q

extant

A

still in existance

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34
Q

loath

A

reluctant

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35
Q

dynamism

A

vigorous activity and progress

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36
Q

egoism

A

self-centeredness

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37
Q

Tepid

A

1 (especially of a liquid) only slightly warm; lukewarm.

2 showing little enthusiasm: the applause was tepid.

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38
Q

clangorous

A

continuous loud banging or ringing sound

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39
Q

excise

A

remove

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40
Q

indictment

A

charge of wrongdoing

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41
Q

dubious

A

hesitating/doubting; suspect

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42
Q

impecunious

A

penniless

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43
Q

assiduous

A

diligent

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44
Q

conspire

A

plot jointly (negative)

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45
Q

tacit

A

understood or implied without being stated

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46
Q

abstruse

A

difficult to understand/obscure

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47
Q

adverse

A

preventing success or development; harmful; unfavorable

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48
Q

hortatory

A

aiming to strongly encourage or urge someone to do something

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49
Q

transgressions

A

an act that goes against a law, rule, or code of conduct; an offense

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50
Q

trifling

A

noun
1 a thing of little value or importance
• [in singular] a small amount of something

verb [no object]
1 (trifle with) treat (someone or something) without seriousness or respect
2 archaic talk or act frivolously
• [with object] (trifle something away) waste something, especially time, frivolously.

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51
Q

trifling

A

noun
1 a thing of little value or importance
• [in singular] a small amount of something

verb [no object]
1 (trifle with) treat (someone or something) without seriousness or respect
2 archaic talk or act frivolously
• [with object] (trifle something away) waste something, especially time, frivolously.

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52
Q

antagonistic

A

showing or feeling active opposition or hostility toward someone or something

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53
Q

penchant

A

a strong or habitual liking for something or tendency to do something

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54
Q

penchant

A

a strong or habitual liking for something or tendency to do something

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55
Q

docile

A

ready to accept control or instruction; submissive

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56
Q

adroit

A

clever/skillful

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57
Q

inure

A

cause to accept or become hardened to; habituate

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58
Q

asperity

A

bitterness

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59
Q

skewer

A

tear apart

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60
Q

vitriol

A

harsh and bitter criticism

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61
Q

vitriol

A

harsh and bitter criticism

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62
Q

hackneyed

A

unoriginal/trite

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63
Q

cornucopia

A

noun – a goat’s horn filled with grain and flowers and fruit symbolizing prosperity

noun – the property of being extremely abundant

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64
Q

imperil

A

pose a threat to; present a danger to

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65
Q

unscrupulous

A

adjective – without scruples or principles

66
Q

posthumous

A

adjective – occurring or coming into existence after a person’s death

67
Q

aver

A

state or assert to be the case

68
Q

impugn

A

verb – attack as false or wrong

69
Q

polemical

A

adjective – of or involving dispute or controversy

70
Q

probing

A

thoughtful, uncovering, digging deep, etc

71
Q

effect

A

hen used as a verb, means to bring about

72
Q

augury

A

noun – an event that is experienced as indicating important things to come

73
Q

tropes

A

language used in a figurative or nonliteral sense

or tired, conventional idea

74
Q

anodyne

A

adjective – capable of relieving pain

noun – a medicine used to relieve pain

75
Q

pundits

A

experts

76
Q

intransigent

A

unyielding

77
Q

debonair

A

adjective – having a cheerful, lively, and self-confident air

adjective – having a sophisticated charm

78
Q

stolid

A

adjective – having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited

79
Q

quarry

A

noun
a place, typically a large, deep pit, from which stone or other materials are or have been extracted.
OR
an animal pursued by a hunter, hound, predatory mammal, or bird of prey.

verb
extract (stone or other materials) from a quarry.
• cut into (rock or ground) to obtain stone or other materials.

80
Q

elusive

A

hard to pin down/beyond one’s grasp

81
Q

posterity

A

future generations

82
Q

ameliorate

A

to make/get better

83
Q

ebb

A

the outward flow of the tide

OR flow back or recede; gradual decline

84
Q

volatile

A

tending to vary often or widely; liable to lead to sudden change or violence

85
Q

inscrutable

A

obscure

86
Q

incendiary

A

bringing flames/highly controversial

87
Q

zealot

A

a person who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of their religious, political, or other ideals

88
Q

censure

A

criticism

89
Q

crusader

A

a person who campaigns vigorously

90
Q

austerity

A

sternness
OR
extreme plainness and simplicity of style or appearance

91
Q

papacy

A

office or authority of the Pope

92
Q

profligacy

A

spending too much money

93
Q

ascetic

A

someone who denies worldly pleasures; austerity

94
Q

libertine

A

indulges in worldly pleasures

95
Q

heretic

A

someone who opposes the church

96
Q

précis

A

verb – make a summary (of)

noun – a sketchy summary of the main points of an argument or theory

97
Q

forthcoming

A

adjective – available when required or as promised

adjective – of the relatively near future

adjective – at ease in talking to others

98
Q

complacency

A

noun – the feeling you have when you are satisfied with yourself

99
Q

uninitiated

A

adjective – not initiated; deficient in relevant experience

100
Q

precipitate

A

reckless

101
Q

derelict

A

neglectful of one’s duties

102
Q

erratic

A

highly unpredictable

103
Q

inveterate

A

habitual and longstanding

104
Q

untiring

A

characterized by hard work and perseverance

105
Q

operatic

A

characteristic of opera; overly dramatic

106
Q

Protracted

A

something that goes on an on

107
Q

Unseemly

A

inappropriate in terms of behavior

108
Q

Sordid

A

behavior that is disgraceful and scandalous

109
Q

Pugnacity

A

hostile; aggressive

110
Q

Truculence

A

obstreperous and defiant aggressiveness

111
Q

Beleaguered

A

under siege, under pressure

112
Q

Skirmish

A

fight

113
Q

Spasmodicallly

A

happens irregularly/in bursts

114
Q

Spurious

A

not real

115
Q

Incessant

A

constant

116
Q

hastily

A

done without much thought

117
Q

brusquely

A

tersely; rudeness

118
Q

indecorously

A

inappropiate behavior

119
Q

fastidious

A

overly concerned with details

120
Q

insularity

A

being isolated or detached

121
Q

benighted

A

overtaken by night or darkness

OR
ignorance; lacking enlightenment or knowledge or culture

122
Q

beatification

A

blessed

123
Q

brio

A

vigor or vivacity of style or performance

124
Q

cumbrous

A

clumsiness and unwieldiness; cumbersome (slow, complicated, inefficient)

125
Q

capriciously

A

whmisically/unpredictably

126
Q

ponderous

A

moving with great difficulty; slow and clumsy because of great weight; dull, laborious, or excessively solumn

127
Q

crony

A

noun – a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities

128
Q

chum

A

noun – a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities

noun – bait consisting of chopped fish and fish oils that are dumped overboard to attract fish

noun – a large Pacific salmon with small spots on its back; an important food fish

129
Q

harry

A

harass

130
Q

mollify

A

sooth

131
Q

besiege

A

surround and harass

132
Q

disbar

A

exclude

133
Q

fete

A

noun – an elaborate party (often outdoors)

noun – an organized series of acts and performances (usually in one place)

verb – have a celebration

134
Q

admonish

A

warn

135
Q

protracted

A

lengthy

136
Q

lachrymose

A

sad, tearful

137
Q

penurious

A

having no money

138
Q

oeuvre

A

the works of a painter, composer, or author regarded collectively

139
Q

sanguine

A

noun – a blood-red color

adjective – confidently optimistic and cheerful

adjective – inclined to a healthy reddish color often associated with outdoor life

140
Q

untenable

A

capable of. being defended or justified

141
Q

aboveboard

A

open, honest

142
Q

cravenness

A

meanspirited cowardice

143
Q

stealthiness

A

noun – a disposition to be sly and stealthy and to do things surreptitiously

144
Q

Eponymous

A

: of, relating to, or being the person or thing for whom or which something is named : of, relating to, or being an eponym

145
Q

Behest

A

: an authoritative order : command The meeting was called at the senator’s behest.

146
Q

Coda

A

1 a : a concluding musical section that is formally distinct from the main structure
b : a concluding part of a literary or dramatic work
2 : something that serves to round out, conclude, or summarize and usually has its own interest

147
Q

Pernicious

A

: highly injurious or destructive :

As a black girl, I don’t need to read about the perniciousness of racism to understand the perniciousness of racism.

148
Q

Ubiquity

A

: presence everywhere or in many places especially simultaneously :

The book sold a lot of copies, but ubiquity and quality are not the same thing

149
Q

undermine

A

1 erode the base or foundation of (a rock formation).
• dig or excavate beneath (a building or fortification) so as to make it collapse.
2 damage or weaken (someone or something), especially gradually or insidiously: this could undermine years of hard work.

150
Q

promulgate

A

verb [with object]
promote or make widely known (an idea or cause): these objectives have to be promulgated within the organization.
• put (a law or decree) into effect by official proclamation: in January 1852 the new Constitution was promulgated.

151
Q

banal

A

adjective

so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring: songs with banal, repeated words.

152
Q

insipid

A

adjective
lacking flavor: mugs of insipid coffee.
• lacking vigor or interest: many artists continued to churn out insipid, shallow works.

153
Q

incensed

A

very angry; enraged: I was absolutely incensed.

154
Q

shrewd

A

having or showing sharp powers of judgment; astute: she was shrewd enough to guess the motive behind his gesture | a shrewd career move.

155
Q

canny

A

having or showing shrewdness and good judgment, especially in money or business matters: canny shoppers came early for a bargain.

156
Q

artifice

A

trickery and cunning

157
Q

apostle

A

advocate

“Leo Buscaglia, leading apostle of love and okayness”

158
Q

anachronistic

A

belonging to a period other than that being portrayed; old-fashioned

“she is rebelling against the anachronistic morality of her parents”

159
Q

foreground

A

to make something the most prominent or important feature

“sexual relationships are foregrounded and idealized.”

160
Q

entomology

A

study of insects

GRE Words (2 decks)

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