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Barron's GRE > gre 3500-3759 > Flashcards

gre 3500-3759 Flashcards

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1
Q

trough

A

container for feeding farm animals; lowest point (of a wave, business cycle, etc.) (Eg: The hungry pigs struggled to get at the fresh swill in the trough. The surfer rode her board, coasting along )

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2
Q

truculence

A

agressiveness; ferocity (Eg: Tynan’s reviews were noted for their caustic attacks and general tone of truculence. )

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3
Q

truism

A

self-evident truth (Eg: Many a truism is well expressed in a proverb. )

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4
Q

truncate

A

cut the top off (Eg: )

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5
Q

tryst

A

meeting (Eg: The lovers kept their tryst even though they realized their danger. )

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6
Q

tumid

A

swollen; pompous; bombastic (Eg: I especially dislike his tumid style; I prefer writing which is less swollen and bombastic. )

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7
Q

tumult

A

commotion; riot; noise (Eg: She could not make herself heard over the tumult of the mob. )

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8
Q

tundra

A

rolling, treeless plain in Siberia and arctic North America (Eg: Despite the cold, many geologists are trying to discover valuable mineral deposits in the tundra. )

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9
Q

turbid

A

muddy; having the sediment disturbed (Eg: The water was turbid after the children had waded through it. )

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10
Q

turbulence

A

state of violent agitation (Eg: We were frightened by the turbulence of the ocean during the storm. )

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11
Q

tureen

A

deep dish for serving soup (Eg: The waiters brought the soup to the tables in silver tureens. )

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12
Q

turgid

A

swollen; distended (Eg: The turgid river threatened to overflow the levees and flood the contryside. )

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13
Q

turmoil

A

confusion; strife (Eg: Conscious he had sinned, he was in a state of spiritual turmoil. )

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14
Q

turncoat

A

traitor (Eg: The British considered Benedict Arnold a loyalist; the Americans considered him a turncoat. )

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15
Q

turpitude

A

depravity (Eg: A visitor may be denied admittance to this country if she has been guilty of moral turpitude. )

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16
Q

tutelage

A

guardianship; training (Eg: Under the tutelage of such masters of the instrument, she made rapid progress as a virtuoso. )

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17
Q

tutelary

A

protective; pertaining to a guardianship (Eg: I am acting in my tutelary capacity when I refuse to grant you permission to leave the campus. )

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18
Q

tycoon

A

wealthy leader (Eg: John D. Rockefeller was a prominent tycoon. )

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19
Q

tyranny

A

oppression; cruel government (Eg: Frederick Douglass fought against the tyranny of slavery throughout his entire life. )

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20
Q

tyro

A

beginner; novice (Eg: For a mere tyro, you have produced some marvelous results. )

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21
Q

timid

A

easily frightened; apprehensive (Eg: He was timid and cowardish; always backing up at daunting situations. )

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22
Q

tonic

A

invigorating medicine (Eg: The tonic water invigorated her, contrary to the enervating effect of the alcohol. )

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23
Q

toil

A

work laboriously; make slow painful progress (Eg: You must toil through 3500 words list in order to achieve a high score on GRE. )

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24
Q

ubiquitous

A

being everywhere; omnipresent (Eg: That Christmas “The Little Drummer Boy” seemed ubiquitous: Justin heard the tune everywhere he went. )

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25
Q

ulterior

A

situated beyond; unstated and often questionable (Eg: You must have an ulterior motive for your behavior, since there is no obvious reason for it. )

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26
Q

ultimate

A

final; not susceptible to further analysis (Eg: Scientists are searching for the ultimate truths. )

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27
Q

ultimatum

A

last demand; warning (Eg: Since they have ignored our ultimatum, our only recourse is to declare war. )

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28
Q

umbrage

A

resentment; anger; sense of injury or insult (Eg: She took umbrage at his remarks and stormed away in a huff. )

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29
Q

unanimity

A

complete agreement (Eg: We were surprised by the unanimity with which our proposals were accepted by the different groups. )

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30
Q

unassuaged

A

unsatisfied; not soothed (Eg: Her anger is unassuaged by your apology. )

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31
Q

unassuming

A

modest (Eg: He is so unassuming that some people fail to realize how great a man he really is. )

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32
Q

unbridled

A

violent (Eg: She had a sudden fit of unbridled rage. )

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33
Q

uncanny

A

strange; mysterious (Eg: You have the uncanny knack of reading my innermost thoughts. )

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34
Q

unconscionable

A

unscrupulous; excessive (Eg: She found the load shark’s demands unconscionable and impossible to meet. )

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35
Q

uncouth

A

outlandish; clumsy; boorish (Eg: )

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36
Q

unction

A

the act of anointing with oil (Eg: The anointing with oil of a person near death is called extreme unction. )

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37
Q

unctous

A

oily; bland; insincerely suave (Eg: Uriah Heep disguised his nefarious actions by unctuous protestations of his “‘umility.” )

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38
Q

undermine

A

weaken; sap (Eg: The recent corruption scandals have undermined many people’s faith in the city government. )

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39
Q

underscore

A

emphasize (Eg: Adressing the jogging class, Kim underscored the importance to runners of good nutrition. )

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40
Q

undulate

A

move with a wavelike motion (Eg: The flag undulated in the breeze. )

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41
Q

unearth

A

dig up (Eg: When they unearthed the city, the archeologists found many relics of an ancient civilization. )

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42
Q

unearthly

A

not earthly; weird (Eg: There is an unearthly atmosphere in her work that amazes the casual observer. )

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43
Q

unequivocal

A

plain; obvious (Eg: My answer to your proposal is an unequivocal and absolute “No.” )

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44
Q

unerringly

A

infallibly (Eg: My teacher unerringly pounced on the one typographical error in my essay. )

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45
Q

unfaltering

A

steadfast (Eg: She approached the guillotine with unfaltering steps. )

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46
Q

unfeigned

A

genuine; real (Eg: She turned so pale that I am sure her surprise was unfeigned. )

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47
Q

unfettered

A

liberated; freed from chains (Eg: Chained to the wall for months on end, the hostage despaired that he would ever be unfettered. )

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48
Q

unfledged

A

immature (Eg: It is hard for an unfledged writer to find a sympathetic publisher. )

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49
Q

unfrock

A

to strip a priest or minister of church authority (Eg: To disbar a lawyer, to unfrock a priest, to suspend a doctor’s license to practice–these are extreme steps )

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50
Q

ungainly

A

awkward (Eg: He is an ungainly young man; he trips over everything. )

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51
Q

unguent

A

ointment (Eg: )

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52
Q

uniformity

A

sameness; consistency; monotony (Eg: After a while, the uniformity of TV situation comedies becomes boring. )

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53
Q

unilateral

A

one-sided (Eg: This legislation is unilateral since it binds only one party in the controversy. )

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54
Q

unimpeachable

A

blameless and exemplary (Eg: Her conduct in office was unimpeachable and her record is spotless. )

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55
Q

uninhibited

A

unrepressed (Eg: The congregation was shocked by her uninhibited laughter during the sermon. )

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56
Q

unintimidating

A

unfrightening (Eg: Though Phil had expected to feel overawed when he met Joe Montana, he found the experience )

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57
Q

unique

A

without an equal; single in kind (Eg: You have the unique distinction of being the first student whom I have had to fail in this course. )

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58
Q

unison

A

unity of pitch; complete accord (Eg: The choir sang in unison. )

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59
Q

universal

A

characterizing or affecting all; present everywhere (Eg: At first, no one shared Christopher’s opinions; his theory that the world was round was met with universal )

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60
Q

unkempt

A

disheveled; with uncared-for appearance (Eg: The beggar was dirty and unkempt. )

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61
Q

unobtrusive

A

inconspicuous; not blatant (Eg: The secret service agents in charge of protecting the President tried to be as unobtrusive as possible. )

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62
Q

unprecedented

A

novel; unparalleled (Eg: Margaret Mitchell’s book Gone with the Wind was an unprecedented success. )

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63
Q

unprepossessing

A

unattractive (Eg: During adolescence many attractive young people somehow acquire the false notion that their appearance )

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64
Q

unravel

A

disentangle; solve (Eg: With equal ease Miss Marple unraveled tangled balls of yarn and baffling murder mysteries. )

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65
Q

unrequited

A

not reciprocated (Eg: Suffering the pangs of unrequited love, Olivia rebukes Cesario for his hard-heartedness. )

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66
Q

unruly

A

disobedient; lawless (Eg: The only way to curb this unruly mob is to use tear gas. )

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67
Q

unsavory

A

distasteful; morally offensive (Eg: People with unsavory reputations should not be allowed to work with young children. )

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68
Q

unscathed

A

unharmed (Eg: They prayed he would come back from the war unscathed. )

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69
Q

unseemly

A

unbecoming; indecent (Eg: Your levity is unseemly at this time of mourning. )

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70
Q

unsightly

A

ugly (Eg: Although James was an experienced emergency room nurse, he occasionally became queasy when faced )

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71
Q

unsullied

A

untarnished (Eg: I am happy that my reputation is unsullied. )

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72
Q

untenable

A

unsupportable (Eg: I find your theory untenable and must reject it. )

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73
Q

untoward

A

unfortunate; annoying (Eg: Untoward circumstances prevent me from being with you on this festive occasion. )

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74
Q

unwarranted

A

unjustified; groundless; undeserved (Eg: We could not understand Martin’s unwarranted rudeness to his mother’s guests. )

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75
Q

unwieldy

A

awkward; cumbersome; unmanageable (Eg: The large carton was so unwieldy that the movers had trouble getting it up the stairs. )

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76
Q

unwitting

A

unintentional; not knowing (Eg: She was the unwitting tool of the swindlers )

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77
Q

unwonted

A

unaccustomed (Eg: He hesitated to assume the unwonted role of master of ceremonies at the dinner. )

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78
Q

upbraid

A

scold; reproach (Eg: I must upbraid him for his unruly behavior. )

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79
Q

uproarious

A

marked by commotion; extremely funny; very noisy (Eg: The uproarious comedy hit Home Alone featured Macaulay Culkin, whose mugging and comic antics )

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80
Q

upshot

A

outcome (Eg: The upshot of the rematch was that the former champion proved that he still possessed all the skills of his )

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81
Q

urbane

A

suave; refined; elegant (Eg: The courtier was urbane and sophisticated )

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82
Q

urchin

A

mischievous child (usually a boy) (Eg: Get out! This store is no place for grubby urchins! )

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83
Q

ursine

A

bearlike; pertaining to a bear (Eg: Because of its ursine appearance, the great panda has been identified with the bears; actually, it is closely )

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84
Q

usurp

A

seize power; supplant (Eg: The revolution ended when the victorious rebel leader usurped the throne. )

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85
Q

usury

A

lending money at illegal rates of interest (Eg: The loan shark was found guilty of usury. )

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86
Q

utopia

A

imaginary land with perfect social and political system (Eg: Shangri-la was the name of James Hilton’s Tibetan utopia. )

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87
Q

uxorious

A

excessively devoted to one’s wife (Eg: His friends laughed at him because he was so uxorious and submissive to his wife’s desires. )

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88
Q

undergird

A

strengthen the base of (Eg: Whereas relativity theory undermined the Newtonian mechanics, cosmology was undergirded by it. )

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89
Q

vacillate

A

waver; fluctuate (Eg: Uncertain which suitor she ought to marry, the princess vacillated, saying now one, now the other. )

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90
Q

vacuous

A

empty; lacking in ideas; stupid (Eg: The candidate’s vacuous remarks annoyed the audience, who had hoped to hear more than empty )

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91
Q

vagabond

A

wanderer; tramp (Eg: In summer, college students wander the roads of Europe like carefree vagabonds. )

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92
Q

vagary

A

caprice; whim (Eg: She followed every vagary of fashion. )

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93
Q

vagrant

A

stray; random (Eg: He tried to study, but could not collect his vagrant thoughts. )

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94
Q

vagrant

A

homeless wanderer (Eg: Because he was a stranger in town with no visible means of support, Martin feared he would be jailed as a )

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95
Q

vainglorious

A

boastful; excessively conceited (Eg: )

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96
Q

valedictory

A

pertaining to farewell (Eg: I found the valedictory address too long; leave-taking should be brief. )

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97
Q

valid

A

logically convincing; sound; legally acceptable (Eg: You’re going to have to come up with a better argument if you want to convince me that your reasoning is )

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98
Q

validate

A

confirm; ratify (Eg: I will not publish my findings until I validate my results. )

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99
Q

valor

A

bravery (Eg: He received the Medal of Honor for his valor in battle. )

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100
Q

vampire

A

ghostly being that sucks the blood of the living (Eg: Children were afraid to go to sleep at night because of the many legends of vampires. )

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101
Q

vanguard

A

forerunners; advance forces (Eg: We are the vanguard of a tremendous army that is following us. )

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102
Q

vantage

A

position giving an advantage (Eg: They fired upon the enemy from behind trees, walls and any other point of vantage they could find. )

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103
Q

vapid

A

insipid; inane (Eg: She delivered an uninspired and vapid address. )

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104
Q

variegated

A

many-colored (Eg: Without her glasses, Gretchen saw the fields of tulips as a variegated blur. )

105
Q

vassal

A

in feudalism, one who held land of a superior lord (Eg: The lord demanded that his vassals contribute more to his military campaign. )

106
Q

vaunted

A

boasted; bragged; highly publicized (Eg: This much vaunted project proved a disappointment when it collapsed. )

107
Q

veer

A

change in direction (Eg: After what seemed an eternity, the wind veered to the east and the storm abated. )

108
Q

vegetate

A

live in a monotonous way (Eg: I do not understand how you can vegetate in this quiet village after the adventurous life you have led. )

109
Q

vehement

A

impetuous; with marked vigor (Eg: He spoke with vehement eloquence in defense of his client. )

110
Q

velocity

A

speed (Eg: The train went by at considerable velocity. )

111
Q

venal

A

capable of being bribed (Eg: )

112
Q

vendetta

A

blood feud (Eg: The rival mobs engaged in a bitter vendetta. )

113
Q

vendor

A

seller (Eg: The fruit vendor sold her wares from a stall on the sidewalk. )

114
Q

veneer

A

thin layer; cover (Eg: Casual acquaintances were deceived by his veneer of sophistication and failed to recognize his fundamental )

115
Q

venerable

A

deserving high respect (Eg: We do not mean to be disrespectful when we refuse to follow the advice of our venerable leader. )

116
Q

venerate

A

revere (Eg: In China, the people venerate their ancestors. )

117
Q

venial

A

forgivable; trivial (Eg: We may regard a hugry man’s stealing as a venial crime. )

118
Q

venison

A

the meat of a deer (Eg: The hunters dined on venison. )

119
Q

vent

A

small opening; outlet (Eg: The wine did not flow because the air vent in the barrel was clogged. )

120
Q

vent

A

express; utter (Eg: He vented his wrath on his class. )

121
Q

ventral

A

abdominal (Eg: We shall now examine the ventral plates of this serpent, not the dorsal side. )

122
Q

ventriloquist

A

someone who can make his or her voice seem to come from another person or thing (Eg: This ventriloquist does an act in which she has a conversation with a wooden dummy. )

123
Q

venturesome

A

bold (Eg: A group of venturesome women were the first to scale Mt.Annapurna. )

124
Q

venue

A

location (Eg: The attorney asked for a change of venue; he thought his client would do better if the trial were held in a )

125
Q

veracious

A

truthful (Eg: I can recommend him for this position because I have always found him veracious and reliable. )

126
Q

veracity

A

truthfulness (Eg: Trying to prove Hill a liar, Senator Spector repeatedly questioned her veracity. )

127
Q

verbalize

A

put into words (Eg: I know you don’t like to talk about these things, but please try to verbalize your feelings. )

128
Q

verbatim

A

word for word (Eg: He repeated the message verbatim. )

129
Q

verbiage

A

pompous array of words (Eg: After we had waded through all the verbiage, we discovered that the writer had said very little. )

130
Q

verbose

A

wordy (Eg: This article is too verbose; we must edit it. )

131
Q

verdant

A

green; lush in vegetation (Eg: Monet’s paintings of the verdant meadows were symphonies in green. )

132
Q

verdigris

A

green coating on copper which has been exposed to the weather (Eg: Despite all attempts to protect the statue from the elements, it became coated with verdigris. )

133
Q

verge

A

border; edge (Eg: Madame Curie knew she was on the verge of discovering the secrets of radioactive elements. )

134
Q

verisimilitude

A

appearance of truth; likelihood (Eg: Critics praised her for the verisimilitude of her performance as Lady Macbeth. She was completely )

135
Q

verity

A

truth; reality (Eg: The four verities were revealed to Buddha during his long meditation. )

136
Q

vernacular

A

living language; natural style (Eg: Cut out those old-fashioned “thee’s” and “thou’s” and write in the vernacular. )

137
Q

vernal

A

pertaining to spring (Eg: We may expect vernal showers all during the month of April. )

138
Q

versatile

A

having many talents; capable of working in many fields (Eg: He was a versatile athlete; at college he had earned varsity letters in baseball, football, and track. )

139
Q

vertex

A

summit (Eg: Let us drop a perpendicular line from the vertex of the triangle to the base. )

140
Q

vertigo

A

dizziness (Eg: We test potential plane pilots for susceptibility to spells of vertigo. )

141
Q

verve

A

enthusiasm; liveliness (Eg: She approached her studies with such verve that it was impossible for her to do poorly. )

142
Q

vestige

A

trace; remains (Eg: We discovered vestiges of early Indian life in the cave. )

143
Q

vex

A

annoy; distress (Eg: Please try not to vex your mother; she is doing the best she can. )

144
Q

viable

A

capable of maintaining life; practicable; workable (Eg: The infant, though prematurely born, is viable and has a good chance to survive. )

145
Q

viand

A

food (Eg: There was a variety of viands at the feast. )

146
Q

vicarious

A

acting as a substitute; done by a deputy (Eg: Many people get a vicarious thrill at the movies by imagining they are the characters on the screen. )

147
Q

vicissitude

A

change of fortune (Eg: Humbled by life’s vicissitudes, the last emperor of China worked as a lowly gardener in the palace over )

148
Q

victuals

A

food (Eg: I am very happy to be able to provide you with these victuals; I know you are hungry. )

149
Q

vie

A

contend; compete (Eg: Politicians vie with one another, competing for donations and votes. )

150
Q

vigilance

A

watchfulness (Eg: Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. )

151
Q

vigor

A

active strength (Eg: Although he was over seventy years old, Jack had the vigor of a man in his prime. )

152
Q

vignette

A

picture; short literary sketch (Eg: The New Yorker published her latest vignette. )

153
Q

vilify

A

slander (Eg: She is a liar and is always trying to vilify my reputation. )

154
Q

vindicate

A

clear of charges (Eg: I hope to vindicate my client and return him to society as a free man. )

155
Q

vindictive

A

revengeful (Eg: She was very vindictive and never forgave an injury. )

156
Q

vintner

A

winemaker; seller of wine (Eg: The poet wondered what the vintners could buy that would be half as precious as the wine they sold. )

157
Q

viper

A

poisonous snake (Eg: The habitat of the horned viper, a particularly venomous snake, is in sandy regions like the Sahara or the )

158
Q

virile

A

manly (Eg: I do not accept the premise that a man is virile only when he is belligerent. )

159
Q

virtual

A

in essence; for practical purposes (Eg: She is a virtual financial wizard when it comes to money matters. )

160
Q

virtue

A

goodness; moral excellence; good quality (Eg: A virtue carried to extremes can turn into something resembling vice; humility, for example, can )

161
Q

virtuoso

A

highly skilled artist (Eg: The child prodigy Yehudi Menuhin grew into a virtuoso whose virtuosity on the violin thrilled millions. )

162
Q

virulent

A

extremely poisonous (Eg: The virus is highly virulent and has made many of us ill for days. )

163
Q

virus

A

disease communicator (Eg: The doctors are looking for a specific medicine to control this virus. )

164
Q

visage

A

face; appearance (Eg: The stern visage of the judge indicated that she had decided to impose a severe penalty. )

165
Q

visceral

A

felt in one’s inner organs (Eg: She disliked the visceral sensations she had whenever she rode the roller coaster. )

166
Q

viscid

A

adhesive; gluey (Eg: The trunk of the maple tree was viscid with sap. )

167
Q

viscous

A

sticky, gluey (Eg: Melted tar is a viscous substance. )

168
Q

vise

A

tool for holding work in place (Eg: Before filling its edges, the keysmith took the blank key and fixed it firmly between the jaws of a vise. )

169
Q

visionary

A

produced by imagination; fanciful; mystical (Eg: She was given to visionary schemes that never materialized. )

170
Q

vital

A

vibrant and lively; critical; living, breathing (Eg: The vital, highly energetic first aid instructor stressed that it was vital in examining accident victims to note )

171
Q

vitiate

A

spoil the effect of; make inoperative (Eg: Fraud will vitiate the contract. )

172
Q

vitreous

A

pertaining to or resembling glass (Eg: Although this plastic has many vitreous qualties such as transparency, it is unbreakable. )

173
Q

vitriolic

A

corrosive; sarcastic (Eg: Such vitriolic criticism is uncalled for. )

174
Q

vituperative

A

abusive; scolding (Eg: )

175
Q

vivacious

A

lively or animated; sprightly (Eg: She had always been vivacious and sparkling. )

176
Q

vivisection

A

act of dissecting living animals (Eg: The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals opposed vivisection and deplored the practice of )

177
Q

vixen

A

female fox; ill-tempered woman (Eg: Aware that she was right once again, he lost his temper and called her a shrew and a vixen. )

178
Q

vociferous

A

clamorous; noisy (Eg: The crowd grew vociferous in its anger and threatened to take the law into its own hands. )

179
Q

vogue

A

popular fashion (Eg: Jeans became the vogue on many college campuses. )

180
Q

volatile

A

changeable; explosive; evaporating rapidly (Eg: The political climate today is extremely volatile: no one can predict what the electorate will do next. )

181
Q

volition

A

act of making a conscious choice (Eg: She selected this dress of her own volition. )

182
Q

voluble

A

fluent; glib (Eg: She was a voluble speaker, always ready to talk. )

183
Q

voluminous

A

bulky; large (Eg: Despite her family burdens, she kept up a voluminous correspondence with her friends. )

184
Q

voluptuous

A

gratifying the senses (Eg: The nobility during the Renaissance led voluptuous lives. )

185
Q

voracious

A

ravenous (Eg: The wolf is a voracious animal, its hunger never satisfied. )

186
Q

vortex

A

whirlwind; whirlpool; center of turbulence; predicament into which one is inexorably plunged (Eg: Sucked into the vortex of the tornado, Dorothy and Toto were carried from Kansas to Oz. )

187
Q

vouchsafe

A

grant condescendingly; guarantee (Eg: I can safely vouchsafe you fair return on your investment. )

188
Q

voyeur

A

Peeping (Eg: Jill called Jack a voyeur when she caught him aiming his binoculars at a bedroom window of the house )

189
Q

vulnerable

A

susceptible to wounds (Eg: Achilles was vulnerable only in his heel. )

190
Q

vulpine

A

like a fox; crafty (Eg: She disliked his sly ways, but granted him a certain vulpine intelligence. )

191
Q

waffle

A

speak equivocally about an issue (Eg: When asked directly about the governor’s involvement in the savings and loan scandal, the press secretary )

192
Q

waft

A

moved gently by wind or waves (Eg: Daydreaming, he gazed at the leaves that wafted past his window. )

193
Q

waggish

A

mischievous; humorous; tricky (Eg: He was a prankster who, unfortunately, often overlooked the damage he could cause with his waggish )

194
Q

waif

A

homeless child or animal (Eg: Although he already had eight cats, he could not resist adopting yet another feline waif. )

195
Q

waive

A

give up temporarily; yield (Eg: I will waive my rights in this matter in order to expedite our reaching a proper decision. )

196
Q

wallow

A

roll in; indulge in; become helpless (Eg: The hippopotamus loves to wallow in the mud. )

197
Q

wan

A

having a pale or sickly color; pallid (Eg: Suckling asked, “Why so pale and wan, fond lover?” )

198
Q

wane

A

grow gradually smaller (Eg: From now until December 21, the winter solstice, the hours of daylight will wane. )

199
Q

wangle

A

wiggle out; fake (Eg: She tried to wangle an invitation to the party. )

200
Q

wanton

A

unrestrained; willfully malicious; unchaste (Eg: Pointing to the stack of bills, Sheldon criticized Sarah for her wanton expenditures. In response, Sara )

201
Q

warble

A

sing; babble (Eg: Every morning the birds warbled outside her window. )

202
Q

warrant

A

justify; authorize (Eg: Before the judge issues the injunction, you must convince her this action is warranted. )

203
Q

warranty

A

guarantee; assurance by seller (Eg: The purchaser of this automobile is protected by the manufacturer’s warranty that he will replace any )

204
Q

warren

A

tunnels in which rabbits live; crowded conditions in which people live (Eg: The tenement was a veritable warren, packed with people too poor to live elsewhere. )

205
Q

wary

A

very cautious (Eg: The spies grew wary as they approached the sentry. )

206
Q

wastrel

A

profligate (Eg: He was denounced as a wastrel who had dissipated his inheritance. )

207
Q

wax

A

increase; grow (Eg: With proper handling, his fortunes waxed and he became rich. )

208
Q

waylay

A

ambush; lie in wait (Eg: They agreed to waylay their victim as he passed through the dark alley going home. )

209
Q

wean

A

accustom a baby not to nurse; give up a cherished activity (Eg: He decided he would wean himself away from eating junk food and stick to fruits and vegetables. )

210
Q

weather

A

endure the effects of weather or other forces (Eg: He weathered the changes in his personal life with difficulty, as he had no one in whom to confide. )

211
Q

welt

A

mark from beating or whipping (Eg: The evidence of child abuse was very clear; Jennifer’s small body was covered with welts and bruises. )

212
Q

welter

A

turmoil; bewildering jumble (Eg: The existing welter of overlapping federal and state proclaims cries out for immediate reform. )

213
Q

welter

A

wallow (Eg: At the height of the battle, the casualties were so numerous that the victims weltered in their blood while )

214
Q

wheedle

A

cajole; coax; deceive by flattery (Eg: She knows she can wheedle almost anything she wants from her father. )

215
Q

whelp

A

young wolf, dog, tiger, etc. (Eg: This collie whelp won’t do for breeding, but he’d make a fine pet. )

216
Q

whet

A

sharpen; stimulate (Eg: The odors from the kitchen are whetting my appetite; I will be ravenous by the time the meal is served. )

217
Q

whiff

A

puff or gust (of air, scent, etc.); hint (Eg: The slightest whiff of Old Spice cologne brought memories of George to her mind. )

218
Q

whimsical

A

capricious; fanciful (Eg: He dismissed his generous gift to his college as a sentimental fancy, an old man’s whimsical gesture. )

219
Q

whinny

A

neigh like a horse (Eg: )

220
Q

whit

A

smallest speck (Eg: There is not a whit of intelligence or understanding in your observations. )

221
Q

whittle

A

pare; cut off bits (Eg: As a present for Aunt Polly, Tom whittled some clothespins out of a chunk of wood. )

222
Q

whorl

A

ring of leaves around stem; ring (Eg: Identification by fingerprints is based on the difference in shape and number of whorls on the fingers. )

223
Q

willful

A

intentional; headstrong (Eg: Donald had planned to kill his wife for months; clearly, her death was a case of deliberate, willful murder, )

224
Q

wily

A

cunning; artful (Eg: She is as wily as a fox in avoiding trouble. )

225
Q

wince

A

shrink back; flinch (Eg: The screech of the chalk on the blackboard made her wince. )

226
Q

windfall

A

fallen fruit; unexpected lucky event (Eg: This huge tax refund is quite a windfall. )

227
Q

winnow

A

sift; separate good parts from bad (Eg: This test will winnow out the students who study from those who don’t bother. )

228
Q

winsome

A

agreeable; gracious; engaging (Eg: By her winsome manner, she made herself liked by everyone who met her. )

229
Q

wispy

A

thin; slight; barely discernible (Eg: Worried about preserving his few wispy tufts of hair, Walter carefully massaged his scalp and applied hair )

230
Q

wistful

A

vaguely longing; sadly pensive (Eg: With a last wistful glance at the happy couples dancing in the hall, Sue headed back to her room to study )

231
Q

withdrawn

A

introverted; remote (Eg: Rebuffed by his colleagues, the initially outgoing young researcher became increasingly withdrawn. )

232
Q

wither

A

shrivel; decay (Eg: Cut flowers are beautiful for a day, but all too soon they wither. )

233
Q

witless

A

foolish; idiotic (Eg: Such witless and fatuous statements will create the impression that you are an ignorant individual. )

234
Q

witticism

A

witty saying; facetious remark (Eg: What you regard as witticisms are often offensive to sensitive people. )

235
Q

wizardry

A

sorcery; magic (Eg: Merlin amazed the knights with his wizardry. )

236
Q

wizened

A

withered; shriveled (Eg: The wizened old man in the home for the aged was still active and energetic. )

237
Q

wont

A

custom; habitual procedure (Eg: As was his wont, he jogged two miles every morning before going to work. )

238
Q

worldly

A

engrossed in matters of this earth; not spiritual (Eg: You must leave your worldly goods behind you when you go to meet your Maker. )

239
Q

wrangle

A

quarrel; obtain through arguing; herd cattle (Eg: They wrangled over their inheritance. )

240
Q

wrath

A

anger; fury (Eg: She turned to him, full of wrath, and said, “What makes you think I’ll accept lower pay for this job than )

241
Q

wreak

A

inflict (Eg: I am afraid he will wreak his vengeance on the innocent as well as the guilty. )

242
Q

wrench

A

pull; strain; twist (Eg: She wrenched free of her attacker and landed a powerful kick to his kneecap. )

243
Q

wrest

A

pull away; take by violence (Eg: With only ten seconds left to play, our team wrested victory from their grasp. )

244
Q

writ

A

written command issued by a court (Eg: The hero of Leonard’s novel is a process server who invents unorthodox ways of serving writs on reluctant )

245
Q

writhe

A

squirm, twist (Eg: He was writhing in pain, desperate for the drug his body required. )

246
Q

wry

A

twisted; with a humorous twist (Eg: We enjoy Dorothy Parker’s verse for its wry wit. )

247
Q

xenophobia

A

fear or hatred of foreigners (Eg: When the refugee arrived in America, he was unprepared for the xenophobia he found there. )

248
Q

yen

A

longing; urge (Eg: She had a yen to get away and live on her own for a while. )

249
Q

yeoman

A

man owing small estate; middle-class farmer (Eg: It was not the aristocrat but the yeoman who determined the nation’s policies. )

250
Q

yield

A

amount produced; crop; income on investment (Eg: An experienced farmer can estimate the annual yield of his acres with surprising accuracy. )

251
Q

yield

A

give in; surrender (Eg: The wounded knight refused to yield to his foe. )

252
Q

yoke

A

join together, unite (Eg: I don’t wish to be yoked to him in marriage, as if we were cattle pulling a plow. )

253
Q

yokel

A

country bumpkin (Eg: At school, his classmates regarded him as a yokel and laughed at his rustic mannerisms. )

254
Q

yore

A

time past (Eg: He dreamed of the elegant homes of yore, but gave no thought to their inelegant plumbing. )

255
Q

zany

A

crazy; comic (Eg: I can watch the Marx brothers’ zany antics for hours. )

256
Q

zeal

A

eager enthusiasm (Eg: Wang’s zeal was contagious; soon all his fellow students were busily making posters, inspired by his ardent )

257
Q

zealot

A

fanatic; person who shows excessive zeal (Eg: It is good to have a few zealots in our group for their enthusiasm is contagious. )

258
Q

zenith

A

point directly overhead in the sky; summit (Eg: When the sun was at its zenith, the glare was not as strong as at sunrise and sunset. )

259
Q

zephyr

A

gentle breeze; west wind (Eg: When these zephyrs blow, it is good to be in an open boat under a full sail. )

Barron's GRE (8 decks)

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