gre 1500-2000 Flashcards
gauche
clumsy; boorish (Eg: Such remarks are gauche and out of place; you should apologize for making them. )
gaudy
flashy; showy (Eg: Her gaudy taste in clothes apalled us. )
gaunt
lean and angular; barren (Eg: His once-round face looked surprisingly gaunt after he had lost weight. )
gawk
stare foolishly; look in open-mouthed awe (Eg: The country boy gawked at the skyscrapers and neon lights of the big city. )
gazette
official publication (Eg: He read the gazettes regularly for announcement of his promotion. )
genealogy
record of descent; lineage (Eg: He was proud of his genealogy and constantly referred to the achievements of his ancestors. )
generality
vague statement (Eg: This report is filled with generalities; you must be more specific in you statements. )
generic
characteristic of an entire class or species (Eg: Sue knew so many computer programmers who spent their spare time playing fantasy games that she )
genesis
beginning; origin (Eg: Tracing the genesis of a family is the theme of “Roots.” )
geniality
cheerfulness; kindliness; sympathy (Eg: This restaurant is famous and popular because of the geniality of the proprietor, who tries to make )
genre
particular variety of art or literature (Eg: Both a short story writer and a poet, Langston Hughes proved himself equally skilled in either genre. )
genteel
well-bred; elegant (Eg: We are looking for a man with a genteel apperance who can inspire confidence by his cultivated manner. )
gentility
those of gentle birth; refinement (Eg: )
gentry
people of standing; class of people just below nobility (Eg: The local gentry did not welcome the visits of the summer tourists and tried to ignore their presence in the )
genuflect
bend the knee as in worship (Eg: A proud denocrat, he refused to genuflect to any man. )
germane
pertinent; bearing upon the case at hand (Eg: The lawyer objected that the testimony being offered was not germane to the case at hand. )
germinal
pertaining to a germ; creative (Eg: Such an idea is germinal; I am certain that it will influence thinkers and philosophers for many generations. )
germinate
cause to sprout; sprout (Eg: After the seeds germinate and develop their permanent leaves, the plants may be removed from the cold )
gerontocracy
government ruled by old people (Eg: Gulliver visited a gerontocracy in which the young people acted as servants to their elders, all the while )
gerrymander
change in voting district lines in order to favor a political party (Eg: The illogical pattern of the map of this congressional district is proof that the state legislature )
gestate
evolve, as in prenatal growth (Eg: While this scheme was being gestated by the conspirators, they maintained complete silence about their )
gesticulation
motion; gesture (Eg: Operatic performers are trained to make exaggerated gesticulations because of the large auditoriums in )
ghastly
horrible (Eg: The murdered man was a ghastly sight. )
gibberish
nonsense; babbling (Eg: Did you hear that foolish boy spouting gibberish about monsters from outer space? )
gibe
mock (Eg: As you gibe at their superstitious beliefs, do you realize that you, too, are guilty of similarly foolish )
giddy
light-hearted; dizzy (Eg: He felt his giddy youth was past. )
gingerly
very carefully (Eg: )
girth
distance around something; circunference (Eg: It took an extra-large cummerbund to fit around Andrew Carnegie’s considerable girth. )
gist
essence (Eg: she was asked to give the gist of the essay in two sentence. )
glacial
like a glacier; extremely cold (Eg: Never a warm person, when offended hugo could seem positively glacial. )
glaring
highly conspicuous; harshly bright (Eg: glaring spelling or grammatical errors in your resume will unfavorably impress potential employers. )
glaze
cover with a thin and shiny surface (Eg: The freezing rain glazed the streets and made driving hazardous. )
glean
gather leavings (Eg: After the crops had been harvested by the machines, the peasants were permitted to glean the wheat left in )
glib
fluent (Eg: He is a glib and articulate speaker. )
glimmer
shine erratically; twinkle (Eg: In the darkness of the cavern, the glowworms hanging from the cavern roof glimmered like distant stars. )
gloat
express evil satisfaction; view malevolently (Eg: As you gloat over your ill-gotten wealth, do you think of the many victims you have defrauded? )
gloss
over explain away (Eg: No matter how hard he tried to talk around the issue, President Bush could not gloss over the fact that he )
glossary
brief explanation of words used in the text (Eg: I have found the glossary in this book very useful; it has eliminated many trips to the dictionary. )
glossy
smooth and shining (Eg: I want this photograph printed on glossy paper, not matte. )
glower
scowl (Eg: The angry boy glowered at his father. )
glut
overstock; fill to excess (Eg: The many manufacturers glutted the market and could not find purchasers for the many articles they had )
glutinous
sticky; viscous (Eg: Molasses is a glutinous substance. )
glutton
someone who eats too much (Eg: When Mother saw that Bobby had eaten all the cookies, she called him a little glutton. )
gnarled
twisted (Eg: The gnarled oak tree had been a landmark for years and was mentioned in several deeds. )
gnome
dwarf; underground spirit (Eg: In medieval mythology, gnomes were the special guardians and inhabitants of subterranean mines. )
goad
urge on (Eg: He was goaded by his friends until he yielded to their wishes. )
gorge
narrow canyon; steep, rocky cleft (Eg: Terrified of heights, George could not bring himself to peer down into the gorge to see the rapids below. )
gorge
stuff oneself (Eg: The gluttonous guest gorged himself with food as though he had not eaten for days. )
gory
bloody (Eg: The audience shuddered as they listened to the details of the gory massacre. )
gossamer
sheer; like cobwebs (Eg: Nylon can be woven into gossaner or thick fabrics. )
gouge
tear out (Eg: In that fight, all the rules were forgotten; the adversaries bit, kicked, and tried to gouge each other’s eyes )
gourmand
epicure; person who takes excessive pleasure in food and drink (Eg: goumands lack self-restraint; if they enjoy a particular cuisine, they eat far too much of it. )
gourmet
connoisseur of food and drink (Eg: The gourmet stated that this was the best onion soup she had ever tasted. )
graduated
arraged by degree (of height, difficulty, etc.) (Eg: Margaret loved her graduated set of Russian hollow wooden dolls; she spent hours happily putting the )
granary
storehouse for grain (Eg: We have reason to be thankful, for our crops were good and our granaries are full. )
grandeur
impressiveness; stateliness; majesty (Eg: No matter how often he hiked through the mountains, David never failed to be struck by the grandeur of )
grandiloquent
pompous; bombastic; using high-sounding language (Eg: The politician could bever speak simply; she was always grandiloquent. )
grandiose
imposing; impressive (Eg: His grandiose manner impressed those who met him for the first time. )
granulate
form into grains (Eg: Sugar that has been granulated dissolves more readily than lump sugar. )
graphic
pertaining to the art of delineating; vividly described (Eg: I was particularly impressed by the graphic presentation of the storm. )
grapple
wrestle; come to grips with (Eg: He grappled with the burglar and overpowered him. )
grate
make a harsh noise; have an unpleasant effect; shred (Eg: The screams of the quarreling children grated on her nerves. )
gratify
please (Eg: Her parents were gratified by her success. )
gratis
free (Eg: The company offered to give one package gratis to every purchaser of one of their products. )
gratuitous
given freely; unwarranted; uncalled for (Eg: Quit making gratuitous comments about my driving; no one asked you for your opinion. )
gratuity
tip (Eg: Many service employees rely more on gratuities than on salaries for their livelihood. )
gravity
seriousness (Eg: We could tell we were in serious trouble from the gravity of her expression. )
gregarious
sociable (Eg: Typically, party-throwers are gregarious; hermits are not. )
grievance
cause of complaint (Eg: When her supervisor ignored her complaint, she took her grievance to the union. )
grill
question severely (Eg: In violation of the Miranda law, the police grilled the suspect for several hours before reading him his )
grimace
a facial distortion to show feeling such as pain, disgust, etc. (Eg: Even though he remained silent, his grimace indicated his displeasure. )
grisly
ghastly (Eg: She shuddered at the grisly sight. )
grotesque
fantastic; comically hideous (Eg: On Halloween people enjoy wearing groteque costumes. )
grotto
small cavern (Eg: The Blue Grotto in Capri can be entered only by small boats rowed by natives through a natural opening in )
grouse
complain; fuss (Eg: Students traditionally grouse about the abysmal quality of “mystery meat” and similar dornitory food. )
grovel
crawl or creep on ground; remain prostrate (Eg: Even though we have been defeated, we do not have to grovel before our conquerors. )
grudging
unwilling; reluctant; stingy (Eg: We received only grudging support from the mayor despite his earlier promises of aid. )
gruel
thin, liquid porridge (Eg: Our daily allotment of gruel made the meal not only monotonous but also unpalatable. )
grueling
exhausting (Eg: The marathon is a grueling race. )
gruesome
grisly (Eg: People screamed when her gruesome appearance was flashed on the screen. )
gruff
rough-mannered (Eg: Although he was blunt and gruff with most people, he was always gentle with children. )
guffaw
boisterous laughter (Eg: The loud guffaws that came from the closed room indicated that the members of the committe had not yet )
guile
deceit; duplicity (Eg: She achieved her high position by guile and treachery. )
guileless
without deceit (Eg: He is naive, simple, and guileless; he cannot be guilty of fraud. )
guise
appearance; costume (Eg: In the guise of a plumber, the detective investigated the murder case. )
gullible
easily deceived (Eg: He preyed upon gullible people, who believed his stories of easy wealth. )
gustatory
affecting the sense of taste (Eg: The Thai restaurant offered an unusual gustatory experience for those used in a bland cuisine. )
gusto
enjoyment; enthusiasm (Eg: He accepted the assignment with such gusto that I feel he would have been satisfied with a smaller salary. )
gusty
windy (Eg: The gusty weather made sailing precarious. )
gyroscope
apparatus used to maintain balance, ascertain direction, etc. (Eg: By using a rotating gyroscope, they were able to stabilize the vessel, counteracting the rolling movements )
. - apparatus used to maintain balance, ascertain direction, etc.
(Eg: )
hackles
hairs on back and neck, especially of a dog (Eg: The dog’s hackles rose and he began to growl as the sound of footsteps grew louder. )
hackneyed
commonplace; trite (Eg: The English teacher criticized her story because of its hackneyed and unoriginal plot. )
haggard
wasted away; gaunt (Eg: After his long illness, he was pale and haggard. )
haggle
argue about prices (Eg: I prefer to shop in a store that has a one-price policy because, whenever I haggle with a shopkeeper, I am )
halcyon
calm; peaceful (Eg: In those halcyon days, people were not worried about sneak attacks and bombings. )
hale
healthy (Eg: After a brief illness, he was soon hale. )
hallowed
blessed; consecrated (Eg: She was laid to rest in hallowed ground. )
hallucination
delusion (Eg: I think you were frightened by a hallucination that you created in you own mind. )
halting
hesitant; faltering (Eg: Novice extemporaneous speakers often talk in a halting fashion as they grope for the right words. )
hamper
obstruct (Eg: The minority party agreed not to hamper the efforts of the leaders to secure a lasting peace. )
hap
chance; luck (Eg: In his poem hap, Thomas Hardy objects to the part chance plays in our lives. )
haphazard
random; by chance (Eg: His haphazard reading left him unaquainted with the authors of the books. )
hapless
unfortunate (Eg: This hapless creature had never known a moment’s pleasure. )
harangue
long, passionate, and vehement speech (Eg: In her lengthy harangue, the principal berated the offenders. )
harass
annoy by repeated attacks (Eg: When he could not pay his bills as quickly as he had promised, he was harrassed by his creditors. )
harbinger
forerunner (Eg: The crocus is an early harbinger of spring. )
harbor
provide a refuge for; hide (Eg: The church harbored illegal aliens who were political refugees. )
hardy
sturdy; robust; able to stand inclement weather (Eg: We asked the gardening expert to recommend particularly hardy plants that could withstand our harsh )
harping
tiresome dwelling on a subject (Eg: After he had reminded me several times about what he had done for me I told him to stop his harping on )
harrow
break up ground after plowing; torture (Eg: I don’t want to harrow you at this time by asking you to recall the details of your unpleasant experience. )
harry
harass, annoy, torment; raid (Eg: The guerrilla band harried the enemy nightly. )
hatch
deck opening; lid covering a deck opening (Eg: The latch on the hatch failed to catch, so the hatch remained unlatched. )
haughtiness
pride; arrogance (Eg: I resent his haughtiness because he is no better than we are. )
hazardous
dangerous (Eg: Your occupation is too hazardous for insurance companies to consider your application. )
hazy
slightly obscure (Eg: In hazy weather, you cannot see the top of this mountain. )
headlong
hasty; rash (Eg: The slave seized the unexpected chance to make a headlong dash across the border to freedom. )
headstrong
stubborn; willful; unyielding (Eg: Because she refused to marry the man her parents had chosen for her, everyone scolded Minna and called )
heckler
person who verbally harasses others (Eg: )
hedonism
belief that pleasure is the sole aim in life (Eg: hedonism and asceticism are opposing philosophies of human behavior. )
heedless
not noticing; disregarding (Eg: He drove on, heedless of the warnings that the road was dangerous. )
hegemony
dominance, especially of one nation over others (Eg: As one Eastern European nation after another declared its independence, commentators marveled at the )
heinous
atrocious; hatefully bad (Eg: Hitler’s heinous crimes will never be forgotten. )
herbivorous
grain-eating (Eg: Some herbivorous animals have two stomachs for digesting their food. )
heresy
opinion contrary to popular belief or to accepted religion (Eg: He was threatened with excommunication because his remarks were considered to be pure heresy. )
heretic
person who maintains opinions contrary to the doctrines of the church (Eg: She was punished by the Spanish Inquisition because she was a heretic. )
hermetic
sealed by fusion so as to be airtight (Eg: After these bandages are sterilized, they are placed in hermetic containers. )
hermetic
obscure and mysterious; occult (Eg: It is strange to consider that modern chemistry originated in the hermetic teachings of the ancient )
hermitage
home of a hermit (Eg: Even in his remote hermitage he could not escape completely from the world. )
herpetologist
one who studies reptiles (Eg: As a boy, Indiana Jones had a traumatic experience involving snakes; sensibly enough, he studies to be )
heterodox
unorthodox; unconventional (Eg: To those who upheld the belief that the earth did not move, Galileo’s theory that the earth circled the sun )
heterogeneous
dissimilar (Eg: In a heterogeneous group, we have an unassorted assemblage, while in a homogeneous group we have )
hew
cut to pieces with ax or sword (Eg: The cavalry rushed into melee and hewed the enemy with their swords. )
heyday
time of greatest success; prime (Eg: In their heyday, the San Francisco Forty-Niners won the Super Bowl two years running. )
hiatus
gap; pause (Eg: Except for a brief two-year hiatus, during which she enrolled in the Peace Corps, Ms. Clements has )
hibernal
wintry (Eg: Bears prepare for their long hibernal sleep by overeating. )
hibernate
sleep throughout the winter (Eg: Bears are one of the many species of animals that hibernate. )
hierarchy
body divided into ranks (Eg: It was difficult to step out of one’s place in this hierarchy. )
hieroglyphic
picture writing (Eg: The discovery of the Rosetta Stone enabled scholars to read the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. )
hilarity
boisterous mirth (Eg: The hilarity is improper on this solemn day of mourning. )
hindmost
furthest behind (Eg: The coward could always be found in the hindmost lines whenever a battle was being waged. )
hindrance
block; obstacle (Eg: Stalled cars along the highway are a hindrance to traffic that tow trucks should remove without delay. )
hinterlands
back country (Eg: They seldom had visitors, living as they did way out in the hinderlands. )
hireling
one who serves for hire (usually used contemptuously) (Eg: In a matter of such importance, I do not wish to deal with hirelings; I must meet with the chief. )
hirsute
hairy (Eg: He was a hitsute individual with a heavy black beard. )
histrionic
theatrical (Eg: He was proud of his histrionic ability and wanted to paly the role of Hamlet. )
hoard
stockpile; accumulate for future use (Eg: Whenever there are rumors of a food shortage, people are tempted to hoard food. )
hoary
white with age (Eg: The man was hoary and wrinkled when he was 70. )
hoax
trick; practical joke (Eg: Embarrassed by the hoax, he reddened and left the room. )
holocaust
destruction by fire (Eg: Citizens of San Francisco remember that the destruction of the city was caused not by the earthquake but )
holster
pistol case (Eg: Even when he was not in uniform, he carried a holster and pistol under his arm. )
homage
honor; tribute (Eg: In her speech she tried to pay homage to a great man. )
homeostasis
tendency of a system to maintain relative stability (Eg: A breakdown of the body’s immune system severely undermines the body’s ability to maintain )
homespun
domestic; made at home (Eg: homespun wit, like homespun cloth, was often coarse and plain. )
homily
sermon; serious warning (Eg: His speeches were always homilies, advising his listeners to repent and reform. )
homogeneous
of the same kind (Eg: Many educators try to put pupils of similar abilities in the same class because they believe that his )
hone
sharpen (Eg: To make shaving easier, he honed his razor with great care. )
hoodwink
deceive; delude (Eg: Having been hoodwinked once by the fast-talking salesman, he was extremely cautious when he went to )
horde
crowd (Eg: Just before Christmas the stores are filled with hordes of shoppers. )
hortatory
encouraging; exhortive (Eg: The crowd listened to his hortatory statements with ever-growing excitement; finally they rushed from the )
horticultural
pertaining to cultivation of gardens (Eg: When he bought his house, he beganto look for flowers and decorative shrubs, and began to read books )
hovel
shack; small, wretched house (Eg: He wondered how poor people could stand living in such a hovel. )
hover
hang about; wait nearby (Eg: The police helicopter hovered above the accident. )
hubbub
confused uproar (Eg: )
hubris
arrogance; excessive self-conceit (Eg: Filled with hubris, Lear refused to heed his friends’ warnings. )
hue
color; aspect (Eg: The aviary contained birds of every possible hue. )
hue
outcry (Eg: When her purse was snatched, she raised such a hue and cry that the thief was captured. )
humane
kind (Eg: His humane and considerate treatment of the unfortunate endeared him to all. )
humdrum
dull; monotonous (Eg: After years of adventure, he could not settle down to a humdrum existence. )
humid
damp (Eg: She could not stand the humid climate and moved to a drier area. )
humility
humbleness of spirit (Eg: He spoke with a humility and lack of pride that impressed his listeners. )
hummock
small hill (Eg: The ascent of the hummock is not difficult and the view from the hilltop is ample reward tor the effort. )
humus
substance formed by decaying vegetable matter (Eg: In order to improve his garden, he spread humus over his lawn and flower beds. )
hurtle
crash; rush (Eg: The runaway train hurtled toward disaster. )
husbandry
frugality; thrift; agriculture (Eg: He accumulated his small fortune by diligence and husbandry. )
hybrid
mongrel; mixed breed (Eg: Mendel’s formula explains the appearance of hybrids and pure species in breeding. )
hydrophobia
fear of water; rabies (Eg: A dog that bites a human being must be observed for symptoms of hydrophobia. )
hyperbole
exaggeration; overstatement (Eg: This salesman is guilty of hyperbole in describing his product; it is wise to discount his claims. )
hypercritical
excessively exacting (Eg: You are hypercritical in your demands for perfection; we all make mistakes. )
hypochondriac
person unduly worried about his health; worrier without cause about illness (Eg: The doctor prescribed chocolate pills for his patient who was a hypocondriac. )
hypocritical
pretending to be virtuous; deceiving (Eg: I resent his hypocritical posing as a friend for I know he is interested only in his own advancement. )
hypothetical
based on assumptions or hypotheses (Eg: Why do we have to consider hypothetical cases when we have actual case histories that we may examine? )
ichthyology
study of fish (Eg: Jacques Cousteau’s rpograms about sea life have advanced the cause of ichthyology. )
icon
religious image; idol (Eg: The icons on the walls of the church were painted in the 13th century. )
iconoclastic
attacking cherished traditions (Eg: George Bernard Shaw’s iconoclastic plays often startled more conventional people. )
ideology
ideas of a group of people (Eg: That ideology is dangerous to this country because it embraces undemocratic philosophies. )
idiom
spcial usage in language (Eg: I could not understand their idioms because literal translation made no sense. )
idiosyncrasy
peculiarity; eccentricity (Eg: One of his personal idiosyncrasies was his habit of rinsing all cutlery given him in a restaurant. )
idiosyncratic
private; peculiar to an individual (Eg: Such behavior is idiosyncratic, it is as easily identifiable as a signature. )
idolatry
worship of idols; excessive admiration (Eg: Such idolatry of singers of country music is typical of the excessive enthusiasm of youth. )
idyllic
charmingly carefree; simple (Eg: Far from the city, she led an idyllic existence in her rural retreat. )
igneous
produced by fire; volcanic (Eg: Lava, pumice, and other igneous rocks are found in great abundance around Mount Vesuvius near Naples. )
ignite
kindle; light (Eg: When Desi crooned, “Baby, light my fire,” literal-minded Lucy looked around for some paper to ignite. )
ignoble
of lowly origin; unworthy (Eg: This plan is inspired by ignoble motives and I must, therefore, oppose it. )
ignominious
disgraceful (Eg: The country smarted under the ignominious defeat and dreamed of the day when it would be victorious. )
illicit
illegal (Eg: The defense attorney claimed that the police had entrapped his client; that is, they had elicited the illicit )
illimitable
infinite (Eg: Human beings, having explored the far corners of the earth, are now reaching out into illimitable space. )
illuminate
brighten; clear up or make understandable; enlighten (Eg: Just as a lamp can illuminate a dark room, a perceptive comment can illuminate a knotty problem. )
illusion
misleading vision (Eg: It is easy to create an optical illusion in which lines of equal length appear different. )
illusive
deceiving (Eg: This is only a mirage; let us not be fooled by its illusive effect. )