gre Flashcards
arbitrate
to judge a dispute between two opposing parties
attenuate
to reduce in force or degree; to weaken
capricious
changing one’s mind quickly and often
castigate
to punish or criticize harshly
caustic
biting in wit
chauvinist
someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs
chicanery
deception by means of craft or guile
cogent
convincing and well-reasoned
credulous
too trusting; gullible
desiccate
to dry out thoroughly
desultory
jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
diatribe
an abusive, condemnatory speech
diffident
lacking self-confidence
dilatory
intended to delay
dilettante
someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
dirge
a funeral hymn or mournful speech
disabuse
to set right; to free from an error
dissemble
to present a false appearance; to disguise one’s real intentions or character
enervate
to reduce in strength
egender
to produce, cause, or bring about
equivocal
open to more than one interpretation; misleading
equivocate
to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead
esoteric
known or understood by only a few
estimable
admirable
exigent
urgent; requiring immediate action
foment
to arouse or incite
gergarious
outgoing, sociable
iconoclast
one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions
garrulous
tending to talk a lot
imperturbable
not capable of being disturbed
inchoate
not fully formed, disorganized
ingenuous
showing innocence or childlike simplicity
inimical
hostile, unfriendly
innocuous
harmless
insipid
lacking interest or flavor
intransigent
uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled
irascible
easily made angry
laconic
using few words
loquacious
talkative
malinger
to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill
misanthrope
a person who dislikes others
mollify
to calm or make less severe
obdurate
hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion
obsequious
overly submissive and eager to please
obstinate
stubborn, unyielding
obviate
to prevent; to make unnecessary
occlude
to stop up; to prevent the passage of
onerous
troublesome and oppressive; burdensome
opprobrium
public disgrace
pedant
someone who shows off learning
perfidious
willing to betray one’s trust
perfunctory
done in a routine way; indifferent
precipitate
to throw violently or bring about abruptly; lacking deliberation
prevaricate
to lie or deviate from the truth
prodigal
lavish, wasteful
proliferate
to increase in number quicklt
propitiate
to conciliate; to appease
quiescent
motionless
repudiate
to reject the validity of
reticent
silent, reserved
soporfic
causing sleep or lethargy
specious
deceptively attractive; seemingly plausible but fallacious
stolid
unemotional; lacking sensibility
torpor
done without using words
vacillate
to sway physically; to be indecisive
