GRE Barron's 3-4 Flashcards
amiable
agreeable; lovable; warmly friendly. Beth is the amiable daughter whose loving disposition endears her to all who know her.
amicable
politely friendly; not quarrelsome. Beth’s sister Jo is the hot-tempered tomboy who has a hard time maintaining amicable relationships with those around her.
amiss
wrong; faulty. Seeing her frown, he wondered if anything were amiss.
amity
friendship. Student exchange programs such as the Experiment in International Living were established to promote international amity.
amnesty
pardon. When his first child was born, the king granted amnesty to all in prison.
amorous
moved by sexual love; loving. “Love them and leave them” was the motto of the amorous Don Juan.
amorphous
formless; lacking shape or definition. As soon as we have decided on our itinerary, we shall send you a copy; right now, our plans are still amorphous.
amputate
cut off part of body; prune. When the doctors had to amputate Ted Kennedy, Jr’s leg to prevent the spread of cancer, he did not let the loss of his leg keep him from participating in sports.
amok
in a state of rage. The police had to be called in to restrain him after he ran amok in the department store.
anathema
solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse.
ancillary
serving as an aid or accessory; auxiliary. In an ancillary capacity Doctor Watson was helpful; however, Holmes could not trust the good doctor to solve a perplexing case on his own.
anecdote
short account of an amusing or interesting event.
anesthetic
substance that removes sensation with or without loss of consciousness, 麻酔剤. His monotonous voice acted like an anesthetic; his audience was soon asleep.
anguish
acute pain; extreme suffering. Visiting the site of the explosion, the president wept to see the anguish of the victims and their families.
angular
Sharp-cornered; stiff in manner. Mr. Spock’s features, though angular, were curiously attractive, in a Vulcan way.
animadversion
critical remark. He resented the animadversions of his critics, particularly because he realized they were true.
animated
lively; spirited. Jim Carrey’s facial expressions are highly animated: when he played Ace Ventura, he was practically rubber-faced.
animosity
active enmity, 敵意、憎悪. He incurred the animosity of the ruling class because he advocated limitations of their power.
animus
hostile feeling or intent. The animus of the speaker became obvious to all when he began to indulge in sarcastic and insulting remarks.
annals
records; history. In the annals of this period, we find no mention of democratic movements.
anneal
reduce brittleness and improve toughness by heating and cooling. After the glass is annealed, it will be less subject to chipping and cracking.
annex
attach; take possession of. Mexico objected to the United States’ attempts to annex the territory that later became the state of Texas.
annihilate
destroy. The enemy in its revenge tried to annihilate the entire population.
annotate
comment; make explanatory notes. In the appendix to the novel, the critic sought to annotate many of the more esoteric references.
annul
make void. The parents of the eloped couple tried to annul the marriage.
anomaly
irregularity. A bird that cannot fly is an anomaly.
anonymity
state of being nameless; anonymousness. The donor of the gift asked the college not to mention her by name; the dean readily agreed to respect her anonymity.
antagonism
hostility; active resistance. Barry showed his antagonism toward his new stepmother by ignoring her whenever she tried talking to him.
anthropoid
manlike. The gorilla is the strongest of the anthropoid animals.
anthropomorphic
having human form or characteristics. Primitive religions often have deities with anthropomorphic characteristics.
antic
extravagantly odd. Putting on an antic disposition, Hamlet acts so odd that the Danish court thinks him mad.
anticlimax
letdown in thought or emotion. After the fine performance in the first act, the rest of the play was an anticlimax.
antidote
remedy to counteract a poison or disease. When Marge’s child accidentally swallowed some cleaning fluid, the local poison control hotline instructed Marge how to administer the antidote.
antiquated
obsolete; outdated. Accustomed to editing his papers on word processors, Philip thought typewriters were too antiquated for him to use.
antithesis
contrast; direct opposite of or to. This tyranny was the antithesis of all that he had hoped for, and he fought it with all his strength.
ape
imitate or mimic. In the comedy Young Frankenstein, when the servant Igor limps off, saying, “Walk this way,” the hero apes him, hobbling after Igor in an imitation of his walk.
aperture
opening; hole. She discovered a small aperture in the wall, through which the insects had entered the room.