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GRE Vocabulary > Deck 2 > Flashcards

Deck 2 Flashcards

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1
Q

reckon

A

verb:

1) to consider or have the opinion that something is as stated
I don’t reckon much to (US of) their chances of winning (= I do not think they will win).

2) to calculate an amount based on facts or on your expectations

Do you reckon this watch has a little value?

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2
Q

staggering

A

adjective: very shocking and surprising

It costs a staggering $50,000 per week to keep the museum open to the public.

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3
Q

moratorium

A

noun: a stopping of an activity for an agreed amount of time

a five-year worldwide moratorium on nuclear weapons testing

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4
Q

treacherous

A

adjective:
1) If the ground or sea is treacherous, it is extremely dangerous, especially because of bad weather conditions

Snow and ice have left many roads treacherous, and drivers are warned to use caution.

2) A person who is treacherous deceives someone who trusts them, or has no loyalty

Vargas plays the part of a treacherous aristocrat who betrays his king and country.

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5
Q

ferocious

A

adjective: frightening and violent

a ferocious dog

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6
Q

opaque

A

adjective: Opaque writing or speech is difficult to understand

I find her poetry a little too opaque.

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7
Q

destitute

A

adjective: without money, food, a home, or possessions

The floods left thousands of people destitute.

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8
Q

topple

A

vreb: to (cause to) lose balance and fall down

The statue of the dictator was toppled (over) by the crowds. / The tree toppled and fell.

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9
Q

notional

A

adjective: existing only as an idea, not as something real

Almost everyone will have to pay a higher tax bill than the notional amount suggested by the Treasury Secretary.

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10
Q

clandestine

A

adjective: planned or done in secret, especially describing something that is not officially allowed

The group held weekly clandestine meetings in a church.

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11
Q

resuscitate

A

verb: to bring someone who is dying back to life, wake someone who is unconscious, or bring something back into use or existence

You should learn how to resuscitate a person whose breathing has stopped.

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12
Q

think-tank

A

noun: a group of experts brought together, usually by a government, to develop ideas on a particular subject and to make suggestions for action

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13
Q

thumping

A

adjective:
1) very big or important

a thumping defeat/victory

2) extremely or importantly

I’m not carrying that thumping great thing around with me!

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14
Q

scrutiny

A

noun: the careful and detailed examination of something in order to get information about it

The government’s record will be subjected to/come under (close) scrutiny in the weeks before the election.

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15
Q

grievance

A

noun: a complaint or a strong feeling that you have been treated unfairly

A special committee has been appointed to handle prisoners’ grievances.

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16
Q

burgeoning

A

adjective: developing quickly

The company hoped to profit from the burgeoning communications industry.

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17
Q

unrelenting

A

adjective: extremely determined; never becoming weaker or admitting defeat

She will be remembered as an unrelenting opponent of racial discrimination.

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18
Q

concur

A

verb: to agree or have the same opinion

The new report concurs with previous findings.

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19
Q

unprecedented

A

adjective: never having happened or existed in the past

This century has witnessed environmental destruction on an unprecedented scale.

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20
Q

sunder

A

verb: to break something apart

The last few bubbles rose from the sundered ship.

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21
Q

divulge

A

verb: to make something secret known

Journalists do not divulge their sources.

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22
Q

contentious

A

adjective: causing , involving, or likely to cause disagreement and argument

a contentious decision/policy/issue/subject

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23
Q

ample

A

adjective: more than enough

You’ll have ample opportunity to ask questions after the talk.

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24
Q

perennial

A

adjective:lasting a very long time, or happening repeatedly or all the time

The film “White Christmas” is a perennial favourite.

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25
Q

impetus

A

noun: something that encourages a particular activity or makes that activity more energetic or effective

The recent publicity surrounding homelessness has given (a) fresh impetus to the cause.

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26
Q

coy

A

adjective:

1) intentionally keeping something secret

She’s very coy about her age.

2) acting shy, uncertain, or unwilling to say much, often in order to increase interest in something by keeping back information about it

McIntyre is coy about his future in football.

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27
Q

feeble

A

adjective:

1) weak and without energy, strength, or power

He was a feeble, helpless old man.

2) not effective or good

a feeble joke/excuse

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28
Q

quell

A

verb: to stop something, especially by using force

Police in riot gear were called in to quell the disturbances/unrest.

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29
Q

averse

A

adjective: strongly disliking or opposed to

Few people are averse to the idea of a free holiday.

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30
Q

remittance

A

noun: an amount of money that you send to someone

She sends a small remittance home to her parents each month.

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31
Q

impervious

A

adjective:
1) waterproof
2) not able to be influenced, hurt, or damaged

He seems to be impervious to pain.

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32
Q

dogmatic

A

adjective: highly opinionated, not accepting that one’s own beliefs may not be correct

Bryan is dogmatic in his belief that the earth is flat.

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33
Q

platitude

A

noun: a remark or statement that may be true but is boring and has no meaning because it has been said so many times before

He doesn’t mouth platitudes about it not mattering who scores as long as the team wins.

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34
Q

torpor

A

noun: inactivity resulting from lethargy and lack of vigor or energy

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

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35
Q

prescience

A

noun: the power to foresee the future

Baxter’s warnings about investing in technology stocks seemed like an act of prescience after the whole market declined significantly.

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36
Q

apathetic

A

adjective: marked by a lack of interest

Mr. thompson was so talented at teaching math that even normally apathetic students took interest.

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37
Q

lambast

A

verb: criticize severely or angrily

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

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38
Q

banal

A

adjective: repeated too often, overfamiliar through overuse

The professor used such banal expression that many students in the class either fell asleep from boredom or stayed awake to complete his sentences.

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39
Q

incisive

A

adjective: having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions

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

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40
Q

bucolic

A

adjective: relating to the pleasant aspects of the country

The noble families of England once owned vast expanses of beautiful, bucolic land.

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41
Q

predilection

A

noun: a strong liking

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

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42
Q

cryptic

A

adjective: mysterious or vague, usually intentionally

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

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43
Q

concede

A

verb:
1) acknowledge defeat

Trump refused to concede even after the recounting of ballots that clearly indicated Joe Biden’s victory.

2) admit to a wrongdoing

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

3) give over, surrender or relinquish to the physical control of another

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

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44
Q

concede

A

verb:
1) acknowledge defeat

Trump refused to concede even after the recounting of ballots that clearly indicated Joe Biden’s victory.

2) admit to a wrongdoing

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

3) give over, surrender or relinquish to the physical control of another

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

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45
Q

incongruous

A

adjective: lacking in harmony or compatibility or approriateness

The vast economic inequality of modern society is incongruous with America’s ideals.

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46
Q

heretic

A

noun: a person who holds unorthodox opinions in any field (not merely religion)

Though everybody at the gym told Mikey to do cardio before weights, Mikey was a heretic and always did the reverse.

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47
Q

vehement

A

adjective: marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions

While the other employees responded to the bad news in a measured way, Andrew responded in a vehement manner, tipping over his desk and shouting at the top of his lungs.

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48
Q

disaffected

A

adjective: discontented as toward authority

After watching his superior take rations from the soldiers, he quickly became disaffected and rebelled.

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49
Q

staunch

A

adjective: firm and dependable especially in loyalty

No longer a staunch supporter of the movement, Todd now will openly question whether its goals are worthwhile.

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50
Q

mollify

A

verb: to make someone who is angry less angry, placate

In the morning, Janine was unable to mollify Harry, if he happened to become angry, unless he’d had his cup of coffee.

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51
Q

juxtapose

A

verb: place side by side for contrast

The appeal of her paintings comes from a classical style which is juxtaposed with modern themes.

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52
Q

abstain

A

verb: choose not to consume or take part in (particularly something enjoyable)

Considered a health nut, Jessica abstained from anything containing sugar.

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53
Q

eminent

A

adjective: standing above others in quality or position

Shakespeare is an eminent author in the English language.

54
Q

avaricious

A

adjective: excessively greedy

Since avaricious desire is similar to gluttony or lust - sins of excess - it was listed as one of the seven deadly sins by the Catholic church.

55
Q

derivative

A

adjective: not original but drawing strongly on something already in existence, especially in reference to a creative product

Because the movies were utterly derivative of other popular ovies, they did well at the box office.

56
Q

quotidian

A

adjective: found in the ordinary course of events

Phil gets so involved thinking about Aristotle’s arguments that he totally forgets quotidian concerns, such as exercising and eating regularly.

57
Q

unequivocal

A

adjective: admitting of no doubt or misunderstanding; having only one meaning or interpretation and leading to only one conclusion

The President’s first statement on the subject was vague, so when he spoke to Congress about the same subject later, he was careful to make his position completely unequivocal.

58
Q

denote

A

verb: be a sign or indication of; have as a meaning

Even if the text is not visible, the red octagon denotes “stop” to all motorists.

59
Q

negligible

A

adjective: so small as to be meaningless; insignificant

60
Q

immutable

A

adjective: not able to be changed

Taxes are one of the immutable laws of the land, so there is no use arguing about paying them.

61
Q

forlorn

A

adjective: marked by or showing hopelessness

After her third pet dog died, Marcia was simply forlorn: this time even the possibility of buying a new dog no longer held any joy.

62
Q

tenacious

A

adjective: stubbornly unyielding

Even the most tenacious advocates for gun ownership must admit some of the dangers that firearms present.

63
Q

jubilant

A

adjective: full of high-spirited delight because of triumph or success

My hard work paid off, and I was jubilant to receive a perfect score on the GRE.

64
Q

supplant

A

verb: take the place or move into the position of

For many, a cell phone has supplanted a traditional phone.

65
Q

eclectic

A

adjective: comprised of a variety of styles

Malala was known for her eclectic tastes in music, one moment dancing to disco and the next “air conducting” along to Beethoven’s 9th symphony.

66
Q

haughty

A

adjective: having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy

The haughty manager didn’t believe that any of his subordinates could ever have an insight as brilliant as his own.

Trump is haughty.

67
Q

travesty

A

noun: an absurd presentation of something; a mockery

what I expected to be an intelligent, nuanced historical documentry turned out to be a poorly-produced travesty of the form.

68
Q

ascetic

A

adjective: practicing self-denial

His ascetic life is the main reason he inspired so many followers, especially since he gave up wealth and power to live in poverty.

noun: one who practices great self-denial

Historically, ascetics like Gandhi are often considered wise men partially because of the restraint.

69
Q

panache

A

noun: distinctive and showy elegance

Jim, with his typical panache, came to the wedding reception with a top hat and cane.

70
Q

refractory

A

adjective: stubbornly resistant to authority or control

Used to studious high school students, Martha was unprepared for the refractory Kindergarteners who neigher sat still not listened to a single word she said.

71
Q

unscrupulous

A

adjective: without scruples or principles

72
Q

hackneyed

A

adjective: lacking significance through having been overused

Cheryl rolled her eyes when she heard the lectuerer’s hackneyed adive to “be true to yourself”.

73
Q

pundit

A

noun: someone who has been admitted to membership in a scholarly field

Steven Pinker’s credentials are unquestioned as a pundit; he has taught at MIT and Stanford, teaches at Harvard, and has published a number of influencial books on cognition, language, and psychology.

74
Q

tortuous

A

adjetive: marked by repeated turns and bends, not straghtforward

Because the logic behind McMahon’s side of the debate was so tortuous, his audience came out either completely confused or, worse, feeling they’d been tricked.

75
Q

temperance

A

noun: the trait of avoiding excesses

Welles wasn’t known for his temperance - he usually ate enough for two and drank enough for three.

76
Q

iconoclastic

A

adjective: defying tradition or convention

Jackson Pollock was an iconoclastic artist, totally breaking with tradition by splashing paint on a blank canvas.

77
Q

ostentatious

A

adjective: intended to attract notice and impress others, tawdry or vulgar

Matt wanted to buy stone lions for front of the house, but Cynthia convinced him that such a display would be too ostentatious for a modest house in an unassuming neighborhood.

78
Q

provincial

A

adjective: characteristic of a limited perspective, not fashionable or sophisticated

Maggie’s enthusiasm about her high school teams seemed provincial to her college classmates, all of whom were following a nationally ranked college team.

79
Q

abstruse

A

adjective: difficult to understand, incomprehensible

80
Q

pedantic

A

adjective: marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects

Professor Thompson was regarded as an expert in his field, but his lectures were utterly pedantic, focused on rigorous details of the most trivial conventions in the field.

81
Q

underscore

A

verb: give extra weight to (a communication)

While the hiking instructor agreed that carrying a first aid kit could be a good idea under certain circumstances, he underscored the importance of carrying enough water.

82
Q

laudable

A

adjective: worthy of high praise

83
Q

acerbic

A

adjective: harsh in tone

Most movie critics are acerbic towards summer blockbusters, often referring to them as garbage.

84
Q

contingent

A

noun: a gathering of persons representative of some larger group

A small contingent of those loyal to the king have gathered around the castle to defend it.

adjective: dependent on (usually with upon)

Whether the former world champions can win again this year is contingent upon none of its star players getting injured.

85
Q

decorum

A

noun: propriety in manners and conduct

You will obey the rules of decorum for this courtroom or spend the night in a jail cell.

86
Q

aberrant

A

adjective: markedly different from an accepted norm

When the financial director started screaming and throwing food at his co-workers, the police had to come in to deal with his aberrant behavior.

87
Q

burgeon

A

verb: grow and flourish

China’s housing market is burgeoning, but some predict that the frowth is merely a bubble and will burst much like the US real estate bubble of 2008.

88
Q

confound

A

verb: to cause confusion

Though Harry loved numbers, calculus confounded him.

verb: mistake one thing for another

Americans often confound sweet potatoes with yams, and refer to both vegetables by the same name.

89
Q

denigrate

A

verb: charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone

Count Rumford denigrated the new theory of heat, demonstrating that it was wholly inadequate to explain the observations.

90
Q

expound

A

verb: add details or explanation; clarify the meaning; state in depth

The CEO refused to expound on the decision to merge our department with another one, and so I quit.

91
Q

myopic

A

adjective: lacking foresight or imagination

The company ultimately went out of business becase the myopic managers couldn’t predict the changes in their industry.

92
Q

idiosyncrasy

A

noun: a behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual

Peggy’s numerous idiosyncrasies include wearing mismatched shoes, laughing loudly to herself, and owning a pet aardvark.

93
Q

indifference

A

noun: the trait of seeming not to care

94
Q

refute

A

verb: prove to be false or incorrect

95
Q

ingratiate

A

verb: gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts

Even though Tom didn’t like his new boss, he decided to ingratiate himself to her in order to advance his career.

96
Q

petulant

A

adjective: easily irritated or annoyed

97
Q

ignoble

A

ajdective: dishonorable

In 1919, the World Series was rigged - an ignoble act which baseball took decades to recover from.

98
Q

soporific

A

adjective: inducing mental lethargy; sleep inducing

Although the professor is brilliant, his bland monotone gives his lectures a soporific effect.

99
Q

implacable

A

adjective: incapable of making less angry of hostile

Win or lose, the coach was always implacable, never giving the athletes an easy practice or a break.

100
Q

exalt

A

verb: praise or glorify

The teenagers exalted the rock star, covering their bedrooms with posters of him.

101
Q

construe

A

verb: interpreted in a particular way

The author’s inability to take a side on the issue was construed by both his opponents and supporters as a sign of weakness.

102
Q

blatant

A

adjective: without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious

Allen was often punished in school for blatantly disrespecting teachers.

103
Q

implausible

A

adjective: describing a statement that is not believable

The teacher found it implausible that the student was late to school because he had been kidnapped by outlaws on horseback.

104
Q

exacting

A

adjective: requiring and demanding accuracy

Though his childhood piano teacher was so exacting, Max is thankful now, as a professional pianist.

105
Q

eradicate

A

verb: to completely destroy

106
Q

largess

A

noun: extreme generosity and giving

Uncle Frank was known for his largess, so his nephew was sad when he did not receive a present for his birthday.

107
Q

reconcile

A

verb: make one thing compatible with another

108
Q

exonerate

A

verb: pronounce not guilty of criminal charges

The document clearly indicated that Nick was out of the state at the time of the crime, and so served to exonerate him of any charges.

109
Q

desist

A

verb: to stop doing something, especially something that someone else does not want you to do

The soldiers have been ordered to desist from firing their guns.

110
Q

jumble

A

noun: an untidy and confused mixture of things, feelings, or ideas

He rummaged through the jumble of papers on his desk.

111
Q

scotch

A

verb: to prevent something from being believed or being done

Her remarks were intended to scotch rumours of imminent job losses.

112
Q

redress

A

verb: to put right a wrong or give payment for a wrong that has been done

Most managers, politicians and bosses are men - how can women redress the balance (= make the situation fairer and more equal)?

113
Q

scrutinize

A

verb: to examine something very carefully in order to discover information

He scrutinized the men’s faces carefully/closely, trying to work out who was lying.

114
Q

unnerve

A

verb: to make someone feel less confident and slightly frightened:
I think it unnerved me to be interviewed by so many people.

115
Q

bout

A

noun: a short period of illness or involvement in an activity

a bout of flu

116
Q

vie

A

verb: to compete with other people to achieve or get something

Six candidates are currently vying for the Democratic presidential nomination.

117
Q

apostasy

A

noun: the act of giving up your religious or political beliefs and leaving a religion or a political party

In those days apostasy was punishable by death.

118
Q

exuberant

A

adjective: (especially of people and their behaviour) very energetic

Young and exuberant, he symbolizes Italy’s new vitality.

119
Q

bottlenecks

A

noun:

1) a place where a road becomes narrow, or a place where there is often a lot of traffic, causing the traffic to slow down or stop

The construction work is causing bottlenecks in the city centre.

2) a problem that delays progress

Is there any way of getting around this bureaucratic bottleneck?

120
Q

tumble

A

verb: to fall quickly and without control

I lost my footing and tumbled down the stairs.

121
Q

falter

A

verb: to lose strength or purpose and stop, or almost stop

The dinner party conversation faltered for a moment.

122
Q

wager

A

noun: an amount of money that you risk in the hope of winning more, by trying to guess something uncertain, or the agreement that you make to take this risk

She put a cash wager of £50 on the race.

123
Q

intractable

A

adjective: very difficult or impossible to control, manage, or solve

We are facing an intractable problem.

124
Q

unfettered

A

adjective: not limited by rules or any other controlling influence

Poets are unfettered by the normal rules of sentence structure.

125
Q

acrimonious

A

adjective: full of anger, arguments, and bad feeling

an acrimonious dispute

126
Q

statecraft

A

noun: the skill of governing a country

127
Q

frothy

A

adjective:

1) entertaining and easily understood, but not serious or intended to make you think

Her first novel was a frothy romantic comedy.

2) used to describe a market in which the prices of assets are beginning to rise above their real value because of high demand

Anyone who invests in a market this frothy must surely realize it is also risky.

128
Q

abate

A

verb: to become less strong

The storm/wind/rain has started to abate.

129
Q

grapple

A

verb: to fight, especially in order to win something

The children grappled for the ball.

130
Q

laggard

A

noun: someone or something that is very slow

GRE Vocabulary (11 decks)

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