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GRE Vocabulary > Deck 5 > Flashcards

Deck 5 Flashcards

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1
Q

lionize

A

verb: assign great social importance to

Students in the US learn to lionize Jefferson, Franklin, and Washington because they are the founding fathers of the nation.

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2
Q

precipitous

A

adjective: done with great haste and without due deliberation

Instead of calling his financial advisor, Harold acted precipitously, buying 4,000 shares of the latest hot stock, only to find out that the company had a history of inflating its year end numbers.

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3
Q

prodigious

A

adjective: so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe

After the relatively small homerun totals in the “dead ball” era, Babe Ruth’s homerun totals were truly prodigious: every year, he set a new all-time record.

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4
Q

audacity

A

noun: aggressive boldness in social situations

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5
Q

repudiate

A

verb: reject as untrue or unfounded

Many in the public believed the rumors of a UFO crash outside town, so the chief of police did everything he could to repudiate the rumors.

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6
Q

admonish

A

verb: to warn strongly, even to the point of reprimanding

Before the concert began, security personnel admonished the crowd not to come up on stage during the performance.

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7
Q

sycophant

A

noun: a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage

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8
Q

subversive

A

adjective: in opposition to an established system or institution

The ruling political party has begun a campaign to shut down subversive websites that it deems as a threat to national safety.

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9
Q

circumscribe

A

verb: restrict or confine

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10
Q

reverent

A

adjective: feeling or showing profound respect

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11
Q

garrulous

A

adjective: full of trivial conversation

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12
Q

myriad

A

noun: a large indefinite number

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13
Q

sporadic

A

adjective: recurring in scattered and irregular or unpredictable instances

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14
Q

obsequious

A

adjective: attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner; attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery

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15
Q

posit

A

verb: assume as fact

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16
Q

stringent

A

adjective: demanding strict attention to rules and procedures

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17
Q

polemic

A

noun: a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something

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18
Q

timorous

A

adjective: timid by nature or revealing fear and nervousness

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19
Q

craven

A

adjective: pathetically cowardly

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20
Q

mendacity

A

noun: the tendency to be untruthful

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21
Q

nonplussed

A

adjective: unsure how to act or respond

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22
Q

contrition

A

noun: the feeling of remorse or guilt that comes from doing something bad

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23
Q

duress

A

noun: compulsory force or threat

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24
Q

censor

A

verb: to examine and remove objectionable material
noun: an official who censors material

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25
Q

demure

A

adjective: to be modest and shy

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26
Q

affable

A

adjective: likeable; easy to talk to

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27
Q

spendthrift

A

noun: one who spends money extravagantly

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28
Q

voracious

A

adjective: very hungry; apporaching an activity with gusto

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29
Q

indict

A

verb: to formally charge or accuse of wrongdoing

The bankrobber was indicted on several major charges, including possession of a firearm.

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30
Q

pine

A

verb: to yearn for

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31
Q

underwrite

A

verb: to support financially

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32
Q

variance

A

noun: the quality of being different

The cynic quipped, “There is not much variance in politicians; they all seem to lie”.

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33
Q

amiable

A

adjective: friendly

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34
Q

slapdash

A

adjective: carelessly and hastily put together

The office building had been constructed in a slapdash manner and broke during an earthquake.

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35
Q

zenith

A

noun: the highest point; culmination

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36
Q

stipend

A

noun: a regular allowance (of money)

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37
Q

thrifty

A

adjective: spending money wisely

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38
Q

dog

A

verb: to pursue relentlessly; to hound

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39
Q

embroiled

A

verb: involved in argument or contention

to be embroiled in scandal

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40
Q

screed

A

noun: an abusive rant (often tedious)

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41
Q

profuse

A

adjective: plentiful; pouring out in abundance

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42
Q

bleak

A

adjective: having a depressing or gloomy outlook

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43
Q

peruse

A

verb: to read very carefully

to peruse important documents

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44
Q

telling

A

adjective: significant and revealing of another factor

Her unbecoming dress was very telling when it came to her sense of fashion.

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45
Q

err

A

verb: to make an error

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46
Q

cadaverous

A

adjective: very thin, pale and bony

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47
Q

melee

A

noun: a wild, confusing fight or struggle

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48
Q

hodgepodge

A

noun: a confusing mixture or jumble

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49
Q

badger

A

verb: repeatedly ask (someone) to do something; pester

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50
Q

sanguine

A

adjective: cheerful, optimistic

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51
Q

flush

A

adjective: to be in abundance

The exam’s passage is flush with difficult words.

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52
Q

heyday

A

noun: the pinnacle or top of a time period or career

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53
Q

lassitude

A

noun: extreme tiredness, either mental or physical

54
Q

ferret

A

verb: to search for something persistently

Ever the resourceful lexicographer, Fenton was able to ferret out the word origin of highly obscure words.

55
Q

cogent

A

adjective: clear and persuasive

A cogent argument will change the minds of even the most skeptical audience.

56
Q

beatific

A

adjective: blissfully happy

Often we imagine all monks to wear the beatific smile of the Buddha.

57
Q

unconscionable

A

adjective: unreasonable; unscrupulous; excessive

The lawyer’s demands were so unconscionable that rather than pay an exhorbitant sum or submit himself to any other inconveniences, the defendant decided to find a new lawyer.

58
Q

aboveboard

A

adjective: open and honest

59
Q

desecrate

A

verb: to willfully violate or destroy a sacred place

60
Q

wax

A

verb: to gradually increase in size or intensity

Her enthusiasm for the diva’s new album only waxed with each song.

61
Q

errant

A

adjective: to be wandering; not sticking to a circumscribed plan

Unlike his peers, who spent their hours studying in the library, Matthew preferred errant walks through the university campus.

62
Q

becoming

A

adjective: appropriate, and matches nicely

63
Q

preemptive

A

adjective: done before someone else can do it

64
Q

amok

A

adverb: in a frenzied or uncontrolled state

65
Q

imponderable

A

adjective: impossibel to estimate or figure out

66
Q

badger

A

verb: to pester

67
Q

ascendancy

A

noun: a state that exists when one person or group has power over another

The ascendancy of the Carlsbad water polo team is clear - they have a decade of championships behind them.

68
Q

moot

A

adjective: open to argument or debate; undecidable in a meaningless or irrelevant state

Since the Board just terminated Steve as the CEO, what the finance committee might have thought of his proposed marketing plan for next year is now a moot point.

69
Q

entice

A

verb: get someone to do something through (often false or exaggerated) promises

70
Q

pithy

A

adjective: concise and full of meaning

71
Q

appreciable

A

adjective: large enough to be noticed (usually refers to an amount)

an appreciable difference

72
Q

proponent

A

noun: a person who pleads for a cause of propounds an idea

73
Q

consummate

A

adjective: having or revealing supreme mastery or skill
verb: to make perfect and complete in every respect

74
Q

renege

A

verb: fail to fulfill a promise or obligation

We will not longer work with that vendor since he has reneged on nearly every agreement.

75
Q

apprehension

A

noun: fearful expectation

Test day can be one of pure apprehension, as many students worry about their test scores.

76
Q

ingenuity

A

noun: the power of creative imagination

77
Q

jocular

A

adjective: characterized by jokes and good humor

78
Q

resolve

A

verb: reach a conclusion after a discussion or deliberation

After much thought, Ted resolved not to travel abroad this summer because he didn’t have much money left.

79
Q

impermeable

A

adjective: does not allow fluids to pass through

an impermiable barrier for flood protection

80
Q

respite

A

noun: a pause from doing something (as work)

81
Q

disenfranchise

A

verb: deprive of voting rights

82
Q

stolid

A

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

Elephants may appear stolid, but they actually have passionate emotional lives.

83
Q

meander

A

verb: to wander aimlessly

84
Q

sentimental

A

adjective: insincerely emotional, especially in art, music and literature

85
Q

genial

A

adjective: agreeable, conducive to comfort

86
Q

precedent

A

noun: an example that is used to justify similar occurences at a later time

87
Q

whimsical

A

adjective: determined by impulses or whim rather than by necessity or reason

88
Q

facetious

A

adjective: cleverly amusing in tone

Facetious behavior will not be tolerated during sex ed class.

89
Q

vacuous

A

adjective: having or showing a lack of thought or intelligence; mindless; empty

90
Q

hamstrung

A

verb: made ineffective or powerless

91
Q

tumult

A

noun: a state of chaos, noice and confusion

92
Q

commendable

A

adjective: worthy of high praise

93
Q

uncompromising

A

adjective: not making concessions

94
Q

inadvertent

A

adjective: happening by chance or unexpectedly or unintentionally

95
Q

tarnish

A

verb. make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically

96
Q

connive

A

verb: taking part in immortal and unethical plots

With the help of the prince, the queen connived to overthrow the king.

97
Q

unseemly

A

adjective: not in keeping with accepted standards of what is right of proper in polite society

He acted in an unseemly manner, insulting the hostess and then speaking ill of her deceased husband.

98
Q

devolve

A

verb:

1) pass on or delegate to another
2) grow worse (devolve into)

99
Q

convoluted

A

adjective: highly complex or intricate

Instead of solving the math problem in three simple steps, Kumar used a convoluted soluting requiring fifteen steps.

100
Q

presumption

A

noun:
1) an assumption that is taken for granted
2) audacious (even arrogant) behavior that you have no right to

101
Q

quip

A

noun: a witty saying or remark
verb: to make a witty remark

102
Q

exemplify

A

verb:
1) to be characteristic of
2) clarify by giving an example of

103
Q

eke

A

verb: to live off meager resources, to scrape by

104
Q

travail

A

noun: use of physical or mental energy; hard work; agony or anguish

105
Q

irk

A

verb: irritate or vex

106
Q

credulity

A

noun: tendency to believe readily

107
Q

obstinate

A

adjective: unreasonably determined, especially to act in a particular way and not to change at all, despite what anyone else says

108
Q

leery

A

adjective: openly distrustful and unwilling to confide

109
Q

impregnable

A

adjective: immune to attack; incapable of being tampered with

an impregnable fortress

110
Q

discord

A

noun: lack of agreement or harmony

111
Q

enmity

A

noun: a state of deep-seated ill-will

112
Q

pastoral

A

adjective: relating to the countryside in a pleasant sense

113
Q

reservation

A

noun: an unstated doubt that prevents you from accepting something wholeheartedly

114
Q

rash

A

adjective: marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences; imprudently incurring risk

115
Q

goad

A

verb: urge on with unpleasant comments

116
Q

exasperate

A

verb: to irritate intensely

117
Q

diligent

A

adjective: characterized by care and perseverance in carrying out tasks

118
Q

foible

A

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

119
Q

placid

A

adjective: not easily irritated

120
Q

brusquely

A

adverb: in a blunt, direct manner

121
Q

savvy

A

noun: a perceptive understanding
verb: get the meaning of something
adjective: well-informed or perceptive

122
Q

ploy

A

noun: a clever plan to turn a situation to one’s advantage

123
Q

derogative

A

adjective: showing strong disapproval and not showing respect

124
Q

steadfast

A

adjective: marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable

a good captain is steadfast

125
Q

tout

A

verb: advertize in strongly positive terms; show off

126
Q

elude

A

verb: escape understanding

127
Q

tact

A

noun: consideration in dealing with others and avoiding giving offense

128
Q

squander

A

verb: spend thoughtlessly; waste time, money or an opportunity

129
Q

serene

A

adjective: calm and peaceful

130
Q

taxing

A

adjective: difficult or needing a lot of thought or effort

GRE Vocabulary (11 decks)

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