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GRE book words > Essential Words XIII > Flashcards

Essential Words XIII Flashcards

1
Q

Officious

A

Excessively eager in giving unwanted advice or intruding where one is not wanted; meddlesome, pushy

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2
Q

Offset

A

Counteract, compensate for; a counterbalance

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3
Q

Onerous

A

Burdensome, oppressive, hard to endure

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4
Q

Opaque

A

Not translucent; not allowing light, heat, etc. to pass through; dark, dull, unclear, or stupid

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5
Q

Optimal or optimum

A

Best, most desirable or favorable

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6
Q

Orthodox

A

Adhering to a traditional, established faith, or to anything customary or commonly accepted

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7
Q

Oscillate

A

Swing back and forth; waver, change one’s mind

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8
Q

Outstrip

A

Surpass, exceed; be larger or better than; leave behind

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9
Q

Overshadow

A

Cast a shadow over, darken; dominate, make to seem less important

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10
Q

Paradigm

A

Model or pattern; worldview, set of shared assumptions, values, etc.

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11
Q

Paradox

A

Contradiction, or seeming contradiction that is actually true

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12
Q

Pariah

A

Social outcast, untouchable

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13
Q

Partial

A

Biased, prejudiced, favoring one over others; having a special liking for something or someone.

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14
Q

Partisan

A

Devoted to a particular group, cause, etc.; fervent supporter of a group, party, idea, etc.; guerilla fighter

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15
Q

Patent

A

Obvious, apparent, plain to see; a letter from a government guaranteeing an inventor the rights to his or her invention

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16
Q

Pathological

A

Relating to or caused by disease; relating to compulsive bad behavior

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17
Q

Patronizing

A

Condescending, having a superior manner, treating as an inferior

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18
Q

Paucity

A

Scarcity, the state of being small in number

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19
Q

Peccadillo

A

Small sin or fault

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20
Q

Pedestrian

A

Ordinary, dull, commonplace

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21
Q

Penchant

A

Liking or inclination (usually penchant for)

22
Q

Perfidious

A

Disloyal, treacherous, violating one’s trust

23
Q

Peripheral

A

Relating to or making up an outer boundary or region; not of primary importance, fringe

24
Q

Permeate

A

Spread or penetrate throughout

25
Q

Pervasive

A

Tending to spread throughout

26
Q

Philanthropy

A

Efforts to improve the well-being of humankind, generally through giving money

27
Q

Phony

A

Fake, counterfeit; insincere, not genuine

28
Q

Pious

A

Devout; religiously reverent and dutiful

29
Q

Pith

A

Core, essence; significance or weight

30
Q

Placate

A

Satisfy or calm down (an angry or dissatisfied person), esp. by conciliatory gestures

31
Q

Placid

A

Peaceful, calm, tranquil

32
Q

Plastic

A

Able to be shaped or formed; easily influenced

33
Q

Plausible

A

Believable; having the appearance of truth

34
Q

Plummet

A

Plunge, fall straight down

35
Q

Polarized

A

Divided into sharply opposed groups

36
Q

Ponderous

A

Heavy; bulky and unwieldy; dull, labored

37
Q

Posthumous

A

Happening or continuing after death

38
Q

Potentate

A

Ruler, person of great power

39
Q

Pragmatic

A

Practical; dealing with actual facts and reality

40
Q

Preamble

A

Introductory statement, preface

41
Q

Precarious

A

Unstable, insecure, dangerous

42
Q

Precursor

A

Something that comes before, esp. something that also announces or suggests something on its way

43
Q

Predisposed

A

Having an inclination or tendency beforehand; susceptible

44
Q

Preempt

A

Prevent; take the place of, supplant; take before someone else can

45
Q

Presumptive

A

Based on inference or assumption; providing reasonable grounds for belief

46
Q

Presumptuous

A

Too bold or forward; going beyond that which is proper

47
Q

Pretentious

A

Claiming or demanding a position of importance or dignity, esp. when unjustified; showing off, creating a deceptive, false show or worth

48
Q

Principled

A

Having high moral standards

49
Q

Pristine

A

In an original, pure state; uncorrupted

50
Q

Probity

A

Honesty, integrity

GRE book words (59 decks)

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