deck_824558 Flashcards
Gre kevin test
Abase
To humble or disgrace
Abate
To reduce in amount, degree or severity
Abdicate
To give up a position, right or power
Aberrant
Deviating from normal
Abeyance
Temporary suppression or suspension
Abjure
To reject or formally abandon
Abscond
To leave secretly
Abstemious
Moderate in appetite
Accretion
A gradual growth in size
Acidulous
Sour in taste or manner
Acme
Highest point or level
Aerie
A nest build high; elevated, secluded dwelling
Affected
phony, artificial
Aggrandize
To increase in power, influence
Alacrity
Speed, quickness
Ameliorate
To make better, improve
Amortize
To diminish by installment payments
Anodyne
Something that clams or soothes pain
Apocryphal
Of questionable authority/authenticity
Apostate
One who renounces religious faith
Approbation
Approval, praise
Ardor
Intense and passionate feeling
Arrogate
To claim without justification
Attenuate
To reduce in force, to weaken
Audacious
Bold
Augury
A prophecy or prediction
August
Dignified, grandiose
Axiom
Premise, postulate, self-evident truth
Belfry
A bell tower
Bevy
A group
Bifurcate
To divide into 2 parts
Bilk
To cheat or defraud
Blight
To afflict or destroy
Blithe
Joyful, cheerful, without appropriate thought
Bombastic
Pompous in speech and manner
Bonhomie
Good-natured geniality
Boor
Crude person
Burnish
To polish
Cabal
A secret group seeking to overturn something
Calumny
A false/malicious accusation
Canard
A lie
Cartography
The science/art of making maps
Catholic
Universal; broad and comprehensive
Caustic
witty, cutting
Chauvinist
Someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs
Chicanery
Deception by means of craft or guile
Cloying
Sickly sweet, excessive
Coalesce
To grow together to form a single whole
Coffer
A large chest for money
Collusion
A collaboration, perhaps secretive or illegal
Condone
To overlook, pardon or disregard
Contrite
Deep sorrowful and repentant for a wrong
Contumacious
Rebellious
Cosset
To pamper, treat with great care
Coterie
An intimate group of people with a similar purpose
Craven
Lacking courage
Credulous
too trusting, gullible
Crescendo
steady increase in volume/force
Cupidity
Greed; strong desire
Declivity
A downward slope
Decorous
Proper, tasteful, socially corect
Decorum
Appropriateness of behavior
Deleterious
Subtly or unexpectedly harmful
Demagogue
A leader who appeals using emotion/prejudice
Demur
To express doubts, objections
Desiccate
To dry out
Desultory
Jumping from one thing to another
Diaphanous
Allowing light to show through, delicate
Diatribe
Abusive, condemnatory speech
Dictum
Authoritative statement
Diffident
Lacking self-confidence
Dilatory
Intended to delay
Dilettante
Superficial interest in a topic
Dirge
A mournful speech
Disabuse
To correct, make right
Disparate
Fundamentally different
Dissemble
To present a false appearance, to disguise one’s character/intentions
Distaff
The female branch of a family
Distend
To swell, inflate, or bloat
Dither
acting confused/without purpose
Diurnal
Active/occurring during the day
Divine
To foretell or know by inspiration
Doctrinaire
Rigidly devoted to theories without regard for practicality; dogmatic
Dogma
Firmly held opinion, particularly religious belief
Dogmatic
Dictatorial in one’s opinions
Droll
Amusing in a wry, subtle way
Dyspeptic
Indigestion, gloomy and irritable
Ebullient
Enthusiasm and high spirits
Eclectic
Made from a variety of sources
Edify
To instruct morally, spiritually
Effigy
Stuffed doll or likeness of a person
Effrontery
Audacity, nerve
Elegy
sorrowful poem or speech
Encomium
Warm praise
Endemic
Belonging/inherent to a particular area
Enervate
To reduce in strength
Engender
To produce, cause or bring about
Enumerate
Count, list or itemize
Epicure
Refined taste in food or wine
Equivocate
To use expressions of double meaning to mislead
Ersatz
fake
Erudite
scholarly
Eschew
To shun or avoid
Esoteric
Known or understood by few
Estimable
Admirable
Ethos
The beliefs or character of a group
Eulogy
A speech in praise of someone
Euphemism
Substituting an inoffensive word for a bad one
Euphony
Pleasant sound
Exculpate
To clear from blame
Exigent
Urgent
Exponent
One who champions or advocates
Expurgate
To censor
Fallow
Dormant, unused
Fatuous
Stupid, foolishly self-satisfied
Fecund
Fertile, productive, fruitful
Fervid
Intensely emotional, feverish
Fetid
Foul-smelling, putrid
Flag
To decline in vigor, strength, interest
Florid
Excessively decorated or embellished
Foment
To arouse or incite
Ford
To cross a body of water by wading
Forestall
To prevent, delay, anticipate
Fortuitous
Happening by chance, fortunate
Fractious
Unruly, rebellious
Frenetic
Frantic, frenzied
Furtive
Secret, stealthy
Gambol
To dance or skip playfully
Garner
To gather/store
Garrulous
Talkative
Glib
Insincere, offhand, casual
Glower
To glare angrily
Gradation
A degree or state of the process, variation in color
Guile
Deceit, trickery
Hapless
Unfortunate, bad luck
Hegemony
The domination of one state over its allies
Hermetic
Tightly sealed
Heterogeneous
Diverse
Hoary
Very old, whitish or gray from age
Husband
To manage economically, to use sparingly
Hyperbole
Purposeful exaggeration for effect
Iconoclast
One who opposed established beliefs, customs and institutions
Idiosyncracy
Quirk
Ignoble
Not noble in character
Imbue
Infuse, dye, wet or moisten
Impasse
Deadlock
Impecunious
Poor, no money
Impervious
Incapable of being affected
Impetuous
To act without thinking
Impious
Not devout in religion, immoral
Imprecation
A curse
Impugn
To challenge or dispute
Incarnadine
Blood red in color
Inchoate
Disorganized
Inculcate
To teach, preach
Indolent
Habitually lazy or idle
Inexorable
Inflexible, unyielding
Ingenuous
Innocence, childlike simplicity
Ingrate
Ungrateful person, cad
Ingratiate
To gain favor by deliberate effort
Inimical
Hostile, unfriendly
Iniquity
A sin, evil act
Inquest
Investigation
Insipid
Boring, bland
Insurrection
Rebellion
Inter
To bury
Interregnum
A period between reigns
Intractable
Stubborn, unruly; not easily managed
Intransigent
Uncompromising
Intrepid
Brave
Inure
To harden; accustom
Invective
Abusive language
Investiture
Ceremony conferring authority
Invidious
obnoxious, or offensive
Irascible
Easily made angry, ornery
Itinerant
Nomadic
Jargon
Nonsensical talk or specialized language
jettison
To discard
Jingoism
Belligerent support of one’s country
Judicious
Sensible, good judgment
Juncture
A point of time where two things are joined
Keen
Intellectually sharp, perceptive
Kindle
To set fire, excite or inspire
Kinetic
Relating to motion, characterized by movement
Knell
Sound of a funeral bell, omen of death or failure
Lachrymose
Tearful
Laconic
Using few words
Lampoon
Ridicule with satire
Languid
Lacking energy, indifferent, slow
Lapidary
relating to precious stones or the art of cutting them
Larceny
Theft of property
Largess
Generous giving of money to those who seem inferior
Lassitude
A state of diminished energy
Latent
Potentially available but not readily apparent
Leery
Suspicious
Legerdemain
Trickery
Levity
Inappropriate lack of seriousness, overly casual
Libertine
A free thinker, one without moral restraint (disparagingly)
Licentious
Immoral; unrestrained by society
Limpid
Clean, transparent
Lionize
To treat as a celebrity
Lissome
Easily flexed, limber, agile
Listless
Lacking energy, enthusiasm
Lugubrious
Sorrowful, mournful, dismal
Lumber
To move slowly, awkwardly
Machination
Plot or scheme
Maelstrom
Turmoil
Magnate
Powerful or influential person
Malediction
A wish of evil upon another
Malinger
To evade responsibility by pretending to be ill
Mannered
Artificial or stilted in character
Martinet
Strict disciplinarian
Maudlin
Overly sentimental
Mendacious
Dishonest
Mendicant
Begger
Mercurial
Quick, schrewd, unpredicable
Meretricious
Gaudy, falsely attractive
Fastidious
Meticulous, painstaking
Militate
To work against
Mirth
Glee
Missive
A written note or letter
Mitigate
Soften, lessen
Molt
To shed an outer layer
Monastic
Extremely plain or secluded
Mores
Fixed customs or moral attitudes
Multifarious
Diverse
Nadir
Lowest point
Neologism
New word or expression
Neophyte
New, beginner
Nettle
To irritate
Noisome
Stinking, putrid
Nominal
existing in name only, but not putting in effort, syn: minimal, titular
Nuance
subtle expression of meaning or quality
Numismatics
Coin collecting
Obdurate
Hardened in feeling, resistant to persuasion
Oblique
Indirect, evasive, misleading, devious
Obsequious
Overly submissive, eager to please
Obviate
To prevent/make unnecessary
Occlude
To stop up, prevent passage of
Officious
Too helpful, meddlesome
Onerous
Burdensome
Opine
To express an opinion
Opprobium
Public disgrace
Orotund
Pompous
Ostensible
Apparent
Palliate
To make less serious, to ease
Pallid
Lacking color or liveliness
Panache
Flamboyance, flair
Panegyric
Elaborate praise
Panoply
Impressive array
Paragon
Model of excellence
Pare
To reduce
Pariah
Outcast
Parley
Discussion between two enemies
Parry
To ward off or reflect, especially by a quick witted answer
Pastiche
Literature or music imitating other works, spoof
Pathogenic
Causing disease
Peccadillo
A minor sin or offense
Pedant
Someone who shows off learning
Penury
Severe poverty
Peregrinate
To wander from place to place, to travel on foot
Perfidious
Willing to betray trust
Perfunctory
Done in a routine way, indifferent
Peripatetic
Wandering from place to place, especially on foot
Perspicacious
Astute, keen-witted
Pervade
To permeate
Phalanx
A close-knit body of people, animals or things
Philistine
A person guided by materialism, disdainful of intellectual or artistic values
Phlegmatic
Calm, unemotional in temperament
Pithy
Succinct
Plebeian
Crude or coarse
Polemic
Controversy, argument, verbal attack
Politic
Tactful
Polyglot
A speaker of many languages
Posit
Suggest, to assume as real
Potentate
A monarch or ruler with great power
Pragmatic
Practical
Prattle
Meaningless, foolish talk
Precipitate
Sudden, headlong
Precis
Short summary of facts
Prescient
Having foresight
Prevaricate
To lie or deviate from the truth
Probity
Complete honesty and integrity
Proclivity
A natural inclination
Prodigal
Lavish, wasteful
Profligate
Corrupt, degenerate
Propitiate
To appease
Propriety
The quality of behaving in a proper manner
Prudence
Wisdom, caution, restraint
Puerile
Childish, immature, silly
Pugilism
Boxing
Pulchritude
Beauty
Pungent
Sharp and irritating to the senses
Pusillanimous
Cowardly
Querulous
Whiny
Quiescent
Motionless
Quixotic
Overly idealistic, impractical
Quotidian
Occurring daily, commonplace
Raconteur
A witty, skillful storyteller
Rarefy
To become thinner or sparser; attenuate
Redress
Relief from wrong or injury
Rejoinder
Response
Repast
Meal
Replete
Abounding, full
Repose
Relaxation, leisure
Repudiate
To deny, disclaim, renounce
Requite
To return, repay, reciprocate
Restive
Impatient, uneasy, restless
Reticent
Silent, reserved
Ribald
Vulgar humor
Rococo
Ornate
Rustic
Rural
Sacrosanct
Sacred, beyond criticism, inviolabe
Sagacious
Shrewd, wise; perspicacious
Salient
Prominent, of notable significance
Salubrious
Healthful
Sanguine
Optimistic, rosy
Sardonic
Cynical
Scintilla
Trace amount
Sedition
Behavior that promotes rebellion
Sentient
Aware, conscious
Seraphic
Angelic, sweet
Sinecure
A well paying job that requires little work
Slake
To calm down or moderate
Sobriquet
Nickname
Solecism
Grammatical mistake
Soporific
Causing sleep or lethargy
Spartan
Self-disciplined, austere
Specious
Deceptively attractive
Sportive
Frolicsome, playful
Stasis
Inertia, standstill
Stentorian
Extremely loud
Stolid
Unemotional, lacking sensitivity
Stratagem
A ruse, trick designed to deceive an enemy
Sublime
Lofty or grand
Sully
To tarnish or taint
Supplant
To replace by force, to take place of
Surfeit
Surplus
Surly
Rude, bad-tempered
Sybarite
Hedonist, devoted to pleasure, luxury
Sycophant
A self-serving flatterer, a yes-man
Symbiosis
Cooperation, mutual helpfulness
Syncopation
Temporary irregularity in musical rhythm
Tacit
Done without using words
Taciturn
Silent, not talkative
Talon
Claw
Tangential
Digressing, diverting
Tawdry
Gaudy, cheap, showy
Terrestrial
Earthly, commonplace
Toady
One who flatters in hope of gaining favors
Tome
Large and academic book
Torpor
Extreme sluggishness
Trenchant
Acute, sharp, forceful
Turgid
Bloated, swollen, distended
Tyro
Beginner, novice
Umbrage
Offense, resentment; pique; asperity
Unequivocal
Absolute, certain
Upbraid
To sharply scold
Usury
Lending money at exorbitant rates
Variegated
Varied, marked with different colors
Venerable
Respected because of age
Venerate
To respect deeply
Veracity
Truthfulness
Verdant
Green with vegetation, inexperienced
Vernal
Fresh, related to spring
Vestige
A trace or remnant
Vicissitude
A fluctuation
Vim
Vitality, energy
Viscous
Thick and adhesive, a slow-flowing fluid
Vituperate
To berate
Voluble
Talkative, glib
Wan
Sickly, pale
Wanton
Unrestrained, reckless
Whimsical
Capricious, fanciful, unpredictable
Wily
Clever, deceptive
Winsome
Charming, happily engaged
Wizened
Shriveled, wrinkled, desiccated
Wraith
Ghost
Xenophobia
Fear/hatred of strangers
Yoke
To join together
Zealot
Passionately devoted to a cause
Zenith
Point of culmination, peak, acme
Zephyr
A gentle breeze, airy or unsubstantial