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GRE Barron's > Deck 3 > Flashcards

Deck 3 Flashcards

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1
Q

inadvertent

A

unintentional; careless

The songwriter says that it is easy to inadvertently use the melody of another song when composing.

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2
Q

incarnate

A

having bodily form

Christians believe that Jesus Christ was God incarnate.

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3
Q

inchoate

A

imperfectly formed or formulated

Bob Dylan describes the process of how some of his songs went from an inchoate state to finished, well-produced songs.

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4
Q

incongruity

A

state of not fitting

There is an incongruity between the poem’s solemn tone and its light-hearted theme.

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5
Q

inconsequential

A

insignificant; unimportant

The meeting of the two women seemed inconsequential at the time, but in retrospect it led to one of literature’s great collaborations.

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6
Q

incorporate

A

introduce something into another thing already in existence; combine

He systematically tried to incorporate what he learned about life and music into the songs he wrote.

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7
Q

incursion

A

sudden invasion

At first, the Native Americans were not too concerned about the incursions of European settlers, but their anxiety grew with the relentless flow of people, until, finally, calamitous wars were fought between the two sides.

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8
Q

indigence

A

poverty

Most economists believe that the best way to prevent indigence is to expand employment opportunities.

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9
Q

indolent

A

habitually lazy; idle

An argument against welfare is that it encourages people to be indolent.

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10
Q

ineluctable

A

not to be avoided or escaped; inevitable

No one can escape the ineluctable truth that every creature that is born will one day die.

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11
Q

inert

A

unable to move; sluggish

The teacher was frustrated by his inability to get an answer to his question from his inert class.

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12
Q

ingenuous

A

naive and trusting; lacking sophistication; 純真な

The conman could not bring himself to take advantage of the ingenuous boy.

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13
Q

inherent

A

firmly established by nature or habit; 生来の、内在の

Some studies of random numbers generated by computers suggest that an inherent order exists in nature, since certain patterns appear that one would not expect in a random system.

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14
Q

innocuous

A

harmless

The bodyguard looked innocuous enough, but under his jacket were several weapons that could kill an attacker in seconds.

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15
Q

insensible

A

unconscious; unresponsive

The gas is intended to render enemy soldiers insensible.

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16
Q

insinuate

A

to suggest; say indirectly; imply

If you read his speech carefully you will see that the senator is insinuating that his party has taken the wrong path.

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17
Q

insipid

A

lacking in flavor; dull

Ironically, the book about how to write lively, engaging prose is an insipid piece of writing.

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18
Q

insouciant

A

indifferent; lacking concern or care

Considering the gravity of the situation, Nancy’s colleagues could not understand her insouciant attitude.

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19
Q

insularity

A

narrow-mindedness; isolation

The insularity of many tribes in New Guinea allows anthropologists to study cultures that have been relatively uninfluenced by the modern world.

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20
Q

insuperable

A

incapable of being passed over, overcome, or surmounted

Attempts by the United States to develop an antiballistic missile system have met with limited success because of the almost insuperable difficulties presented by the speed of the approaching warhead that must be intercepted.

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21
Q

interdict

A

to forbid; prohibit; to confront and halt the activities, advance, or entry of; 禁止する、差し止める

Under U.S. law, interdicted goods can be seized by customs officials.

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22
Q

internecine

A

deadly to both sides

The U.S. Civil War was an internecine conflict that lead to the deaths of 620,000 soldiers out of the 2.4 million who fought in the war.

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23
Q

interpolate

A

to insert; change by adding new words or material

The book was produced by having leading Bible scholars vote on which sayings of Jesus they believe to be authentic and which they believe to have been interpolated by other writers.

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24
Q

interregnum

A

interval between reigns; gap in continuity; 空白期間、空位期間

Those who believe that Western culture represents the culmination of history are not disheartened by considering the fall of previous dominant civilizations, believing that these were merely interregnums in the march of humanity from the cave to a united world founded on Western principles.

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25
Q

intractable

A

not easily managed

General practitioners are equipped to deal with most psychosomatic disorders, but in intractable cases a psychiatrist is consulted.

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26
Q

intransigence

A

stubbornness; refusal to compromise

Each side in the negotiations accused the other of intransigence, so talks broke down.

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27
Q

introspective

A

contemplating one’s own thoughts and feelings; 内省的な

In many ways William Wordsworth’s great poem The Prelude is an introspective work, retrospectively exploring his thoughts and feelings as he matured.

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28
Q

inundate

A

to cover with water; overwhelm

Farmers in the arid areas called for the government to build a dam to provide water to irrigate their crops and provide hydroelectric power; however, this plan was opposed by environmentalists, who dislike inundation of land because it would have an adverse effect on wildlife.

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29
Q

inure

A

1.
to accustom to hardship, difficulty, pain, etc.; toughen or harden; habituate (usually followed by to )

After 20 years in the army, the chaplain had not become inured to the sight of men dying in the battlefield.

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30
Q

invective

A

verbal abuse

The debate judge cautioned participants not to engage in invective, but rather in reasoned and decorous discourse.

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31
Q

inveigh

A

to disapprove; protest vehemently

The conservative writer inveighed against the school board’s decision to exclude moral education from the curriculum.

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32
Q

inveigle

A

to win over by flattery or coaxing; 説き伏せる、丸め込む

The students inveigled their professor into postponing the test for a week.

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33
Q

inveterate

A

confirmed; long-standing; deeply rooted

The columnist is an inveterate iconoclast who continually questions conventional wisdom.

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34
Q

invidious

A

likely to provoke ill will; offensive

Most publications in the United States prohibit their writers from making invidious comparisons between racial groups.

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35
Q

irascible

A

easily angered

The irascible old man complains every time someone makes a little noise.

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36
Q

irresolute

A

unsure of how to act; weak; 優柔不断な、決断力のない

The president admonished Congress, saying that although it faced difficult choices it must not be irresolute.

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37
Q

itinerant

A

wandering from place to place; unsettled

According to state law, companies hiring itinerant workers must provide adequate housing for them.

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38
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.

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39
Q

jibe

A

to be in agreement

The auditor checked the company’s account books to make sure that they jibed with the tax return it filed.

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40
Q

jocose

A

fond of joking; jocular; playful

a jocose and amusing manner

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41
Q

juggernaut

A

huge force destroying everything in its path

Some people in Britain regard American English as a juggernaut sweeping through the Britih Isles, destroying British English.

42
Q

junta

A

group of people united in political intrigue; a small group ruling a country, especially immediately after a coup d’état and before a legally constituted government has been instituted

The country’s ruling junta consists of a general, an admiral, and the mayor of the capital city.

43
Q

juxtapose

A

place side by side

To illustrate their case, opponents of functionalism juxtapose the products of modern architecture and those of classical architecture…

44
Q

kudos

A

fame; glory; honor

Kudos won by Bob Dylan include an honorary doctorate in music from Princeton University.

45
Q

labile

A

likely to change

Blood pressure in human beings is, to varying degrees, labile.

46
Q

laconic

A

using few words

The laconic actor seemed to be a good choice to play the strong, silent hero in the western.

47
Q

lambaste

A

to beat or whip severely

The critic lambasted the movie in her column, calling it “the most insipid, jejune film made in our generation.”

48
Q

lascivious

A

lustful; 貪欲な、好色な

The court ruled that the movie could be censored because its sole aim was to promote lascivious thoughts.

49
Q

lassitude

A

weariness of body or mind from strain, oppressive climate, etc.; lack of energy; listlessness; languor; だるさ、倦怠感

After the death of his wife, Steven suffered a three-month period of lassitude and depression.

50
Q

latent

A

present but hidden; potential

Some experts in human psychology believe that we are just beginning to explore the latent powers of the human mind.

51
Q

laud

A

to praise

The literary critic lauded Jane Austen’s work, calling it a novel that…

52
Q

lethargic

A

inactive; 気だるい、無気力な

After the 18-hour flight from New York to Singapore, the passengers were lethargic.

53
Q

levee

/ˈlɛvi/

A

an embarkment that prevents a river from overflowing

An extensive system of levees is the only way to prevent the river from flooding the area during periods of heavy rain.

54
Q

levity

/ˈlɛvɪti/

A

light manner or attitude

The comedian has a gift for finding an element of levity in the most serious of subjects.

55
Q

libertine

/ˈlɪbərˌtin, -tɪn/

A

n. one without moral restraint; 放蕩者

Don Juan is a legendary, archetypal libertine whose story has been told by many poets, such as Lord Byron.

56
Q

libido

A

sexual desire

According to psychologists, the libido of human males peaks at around the age of 18.

57
Q

Lilliputian

A

extremely small

Microbiologists study Lilliputian organisms.

58
Q

limn

A

to draw; describe

The artist based his painting on a sketch he had limned several years earlier.

59
Q

limpid

A

clear; transparent

At the bottom of the limpid pond we could see hundreds of fish swimming.

60
Q

litany

/ˈlɪtni/

A

lengthy recitation; repetitive chant

The student listened intently to his teacher’s litany of the grammatical errors committed by the class.

61
Q

literati

/ˌlɪtəˈrɑti, -ˈreɪ-/

A

n. scholarly or learned persons; intellectuals

62
Q

litigation

A

legal proceedings

The radio amateur’s neighbor resorted to litigation in an attempt to have her neighbor dismantle his 100-foot-high antenna tower.

63
Q

loquacious

A

talkative

Eighty meters is a portion of the radio spectrum where a shortwave listener can often hear loquacious“hams” chatting (“chewing the rag” in amateur radio parlance) for hours.

64
Q

lucid

A

bright; clear; intelligible

The surgeon made his views on euthanasia clear in this lucid injunction: “The prime goal is to alleviate suffering ,and not to prolong life….”

65
Q

lucre

/ˈlukər/

A

money or profits

Many religions regard the pursuit of lucre for what it can do to help others as laudable.

66
Q

luminous

A

bright; brilliant; glowing

The Moon is the most luminous object in the night sky.

67
Q

lustrous

A

shining

On the clear night we gazed up in awe at the lustrous stars.

68
Q

Machiavellian

/ˌmækiəˈvɛliən/

A

crafty; double-dealing; 策略にたけた、目的のためには手段を選ばない

One theory of the evolution of high intelligence in primates is that it evolved largely as a result of Machiavellian calculations on the part of apes.

69
Q

machination

/ˌmækəˈneɪʃən/

A

(usually plural) crafty schemes; plots; intrigues

The mayor resorted to behind-the-scenes machinations to try to win his party’s nomination for governor.

70
Q

maelstrom

/ˈmeɪlstrəm/

A

a large, powerful, or violent whirlpool; 大渦巻き、大混乱

Nearly everyone in Europe was caught up in the maelstrom that was World Warl II.

71
Q

magnanimity

A

generosity; nobility; 寛大

The senator showed his magnanimity when he conceded defeat to his opponent in the disputed election, saying that further uncertainty would be harmful to public confidence in the political system.

72
Q

malign

A

v. to speak evil of

Lawyers are sometimes maligned as greedy and dishonest.

73
Q

malinger

/məˈlɪŋgər/

A

to feign illness to escape duty; 仮病を使う

In order to discourage malingering, the company decided to require employees taking sick leave to produce a doctor’s certification of their illness.

74
Q

malleable

/ˈmæliəbəl/

A

capable of being extended or shaped by hammering or by pressure from rollers; adaptable or tractable

Behaviorists believe that human nature is malleable, and that people’s behavior can be changed by changing their environment.

75
Q

maverick

/ˈmævərɪk, ˈmævrɪk/

A

dissenter; 独自路線を行く人［組織］、一匹オオカミ

Bernie has a reputation as a maverick; he is one of only two members of the United States Congress who is independent.

76
Q

megalomania

A

delusions of power of importance

In his farewell speech the retiring trial judge warned his colleagues to beware of megalomania as they exercise their power in the courtroom.

77
Q

menagerie

/məˈnædʒəri, -ˈnæʒ-/

A

a variety of animals kept together

Linda seems to take home every abandoned pet in the town; she now has an incredible menagerie of dogs, cats, turtles, rabbits, and other animals.

78
Q

mendacious

A

dishonest

The judge ruled the testimony inadmissible because he considered it mendacious.

79
Q

mendicant

A

beggar

In Thailand it is traditional for young men to become monks for a year, a period during which they become mendicants.

80
Q

meretricious

/ˌmɛrɪˈtrɪʃəs/

A

gaudy; plausible but false; specious; 虚飾の、粉飾された

One of the allures of jargon is that it can make a poor idea appear worthwhile, or something meretricious easier to accept because it is dressed in fancy language.

81
Q

mesmerize

/ˈmɛzməˌraɪz, ˈmɛs-/

A

to hypnotize; 催眠術をかける、魅惑する、魅了する

The audience sat, mesmerized, listening to the retired soldier’s account of hand-to-hand combat against the Japanese in New Guinea during World War II.

82
Q

meteorological

/ˌmitiərəˈlɒdʒɪkəl/

A

concerned with the weather

Some experts believe that reports of UFOs are attributable to natural astronomial or meteorological phenomena.

82
Q

meticulous

A

very careful; fastidious

Science is an empirical field of study based on the belief that the laws of nature can best be discovered by meticulous observation and experimentation.

83
Q

mettle

A

courage; endurance

In many cultures, young men are expected to test their mettle by performing difficult and dangerous tasks.

84
Q

mettlesome

A

full of courage and fortitude; spirited

The mettlesome young officer was well regarded by all the senior officers.

85
Q

microcosm

A

a small system having analogies to a larger system; small world

For many years the atom was seen as a sort of microcosm of the larger universe, with electrons - analogous to the planets of a solar system - orbiting the nucleus, or “sun”.

86
Q

militate

A

to have a substantial effect; weigh heavily; to be a soldier; to fight for a belief.

The manager asked all of his employees to think of any factors that might militate against the project’s success.

87
Q

minatory

/ˈmɪnəˌtɔri, -ˌtoʊri/

A

threatening; menacing

Intelligence information suggests minatory troop concentrations on the border.

88
Q

minuscule

/ˈmɪnəˌskyul, mɪˈnʌskyul/

A

very small

Ancient geological processes are beyond the scope of carbon-14 dating because the amount of carbon-14 in material from such processes that has not decayed is minuscule.

89
Q

minutia

/mɪˈnuʃiə, -ʃə, -ˈnyu-/

A

precise details; small or trifling matters

President Ronald Reagan said that a president should concentrate on the formulation and execution of broad policy and leave the minutia of running the country to subordinates.

90
Q

misanthrope

/ˈmɪsənˌθroʊp, ˈmɪz-/

A

one who hates humanity

One of the most famous misanthropes in literature is the protagonist of the seventeenth century French writer Moliere’s play Le Misanthrope.

91
Q

miscellany

/ˈmɪsəˌleɪni; Brit. mɪˈsɛləni/

A

mixture of writings on various subjects

The book is a fascinating miscellany collected from the writer’s life work.

92
Q

miscreant

/ˈmɪskriənt/

A

villain; criminal

The public execution of miscreants was common in Great Britain in the Eighteenth century.

93
Q

misogynist

/mɪˈsɒdʒənɪst, maɪ‐/

A

one who hates women

Some people have called the philosopher a misogynist because of the numerous negative comments he made about women.

94
Q

mitigate

A

to cause to become less harsh, severe, or painful; alleviate

Although the Supreme Court under the leadership of Chief Justice Warren Burger did not rescind any of the fundamental rulings of the Warren Court that preceded it, its decisions did mitigate the effects of some of the rulings of the Warren Court.

95
Q

mnemonic

/nɪˈmɒnɪk/

A

related to memory; assisting memory

The more absurd, exaggerated, grotesque the images used as a mnemonic device to help remember a poem, the easier it will be to recall.

96
Q

modicum

/ˈmɒdɪkəm/

A

limited quantity

The scientist wrote about astronomy and other scientific subjects in a way that enabled a reader with even a modicum of knowledge of science to understand what he was saying.

97
Q

mollify

A

to soothe

The prime minister tried to mollify people protesting the tax increase with a promise that she would order a study of other means to raise revenue.

98
Q

monolithic

A

solid and uniform; constituting a single, unified whole

In the fifteenth century, there was a significant movement to revitalize the Church from within; however, it had become so monolithic over the centuries and contained so many vested interests that piecemeal reform was difficult and ineffective.

99
Q

morose

/məˈroʊs/

A

ill-humored; sullen; 不機嫌な、気難しい

The assessment of some skeptical critics of existentialism is that it is generally a view of life created by a group of thinkers whose distinguishing characteristic is that they are morose.

100
Q

motley

A

many colored; made up of many parts

The new political party is made up of a motley group of people who are unhappy with the existing parties.

GRE Barron's (7 decks)

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