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.
aphorism
pithy maxim or saying. An aphorism is usually philosophic or scientific, as compared to an adage, which is usually more homely and concrete. “Absolute power corrupts absolutely” is an aphorism. “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink” is an adage.
aplomb
poise; assurance, (難事に対処するときの)落ち着き. Gwen’s aplomb in handling potentially embarrassing moments was legendary around the office; when one of her clients broke a piece of her best crystal, she coolly picked up her own goblet and hurled it into the fireplace.
apocalyptic
prophetic; pertaining to revelations, 啓示の. The crowd jeered at the street preacher’s apocalyptic predictions of doom.
apocryphal
spurious; not authentic; invented rather than true. Although many versions exist of the famous story of Emerson’s visit to Thoreau in jail, in his writings Thoreau never mentions any such visit by Emerson, and so the tale is most likely apocryphal.
apolitical
having an eversion or lack of concern for political affairs. It was hard to remain apolitical during the Vietnam War; even people who generally ignored public issues felt they had to take political stands.
apostate
one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs. Because he switched from one party to another, his former friends shunned him as an apostate.
apotheosis
elevation to godhood; an ideal example of something. The Roman empress Livia envied the late emperor Augustus his apotheosis; she hoped that on her death she, too, would be exalted to the ranks of the gods.
appall
dismay, shock. We were appalled by the horrifying conditions in the city’s jails.
appellation
name; title. Macbeth was startled when the witches greeted him with an incorrect appellation. Why did they call him Thane of Cawdor, he wondered, when the holder of that title still lived?
application
diligent attention. Pleased with how well Tom had whitewashed the fence, Aunt Polly praised him for his application.
apposite
appropriate; fitting. She was always able to find the apposite phrase, the correct expression for every occasion.
appraise
estimate value of. It is difficult to appraise old paintings; it is easier to call them priceless.
apprehend
arrest; dread; perceive. The police will apprehend the culprit and convict him before long.
apprise
inform. When NASA was apprised of the dangerous weather conditions, the head of the space agency decided to postpone the shuttle launch.
approbation
approval. Wanting her parents’ regard, she looked for some sign of their approbation.
appurtenances
subordinate possessions, 付属品. He bought the estate and all its appurtenances.
apropos
to the point and timely, 折りよい、適切な. When Bob spoke out against drunk driving, some of our crowd called him a spoilsport, but the rest of us found his comments extremely apropos.
aptitude
fitness; talent. The American aviator Bessie Coleman grew up in Waxahatchie, Texas, where her mathematical aptitude freed her from working in the cotton fields with her twelve brothers and sisters.
arable
fit for growing crops. The first settlers wrote home glowing reports of the new World, praising its vast acres of arable land ready for the plow.
arbiter
person with power to decide a matter in dispute; judge. As an arbiter in labor disputes, she has won the confidence of the workers and the employers.
arbitrary
unreasonable or capricious; tyrannical. The coach claimed the team lost because the umpire made some arbitrary calls.
arbitrate
act as judge. She was called upon to arbitrate the dispute between the union and the management.
arcane
secret; mysterious; known only to the initiated. Secret brotherhoods surround themselves with arcane rituals and trappings to mystify outsiders.
archaic
antiquated, 古風な（言い方の）. “Methinks,” “thee,” and “thou” are archaic words that are no longer part of our normal vocabulary.
archetype
prototype; primitive pattern. The Brooklyn Bridge was the archetype of the spans that now connect Manhattan with Long Island and New Jersey.
ardor
heat; passion; zeal. Katya’s ardor was contagious; soon all her fellow demonstrators were busily making posters and handing out flyers, inspired by her ardent enthusiasm for the cause.
arduous
hard; strenuous. Her arduous efforts had sapped her energy.
argot
slang. In the argot of the underworld, she “was taken for a ride.”
arid
dry; barren. The cactus has adapted to survive in an arid environment.
arraign
charge in court; indict. After his indictment by the Grand Jury, the accused man was arraigned in the County Criminal Court.
array
marshal; draw up in order, 配置する、整列させる. His actions were bound to array public sentiment against him.
array
clothe; adorn, (人を)美しく着飾る. She liked to watch her mother array herself in her finest clothes before going out for the evening.
arrears
being in debt. Because he was in arrears with his car payments, the repo men repossessed his Porsche.
arrest
stop or check; seize or capture (the attention). According to Connolly’s “Theory of Permanent Adolescence,” the triumphs and disappointments that boys experience at the great British public schools are so intense as to dominate their lives and to arrest their development.
arrhythmic
lacking rhythm or regularity. The doctors feared his arrhythmic heartbeat might be the first symptom of an imminent heart attack.
artful
cunning; crafty; sly. By using accurate details to suggest a misleading picture of the whole, the artful propagandist turns partial truths into more effective instruments of deception than lies.
articulate
effective; distinct. Her articulate presentation of the advertising campaign impressed her employers.
artifice
deception; trickery. The Trojan War proved to the Greeks that cunning and artifice were often more effective than military might.
artisan
manually skilled worker; craftsman, as opposed to artist. Elderly artisans from Italy trained Harlem teenagers to carve the stone figures that would decorate the new wing of the cathedral.
artless
without guile; open and honest. Red Riding Hood’s artless comment, “Grandma, what big eyes you have!” indicates the child’s innocent surprise at her “grandmother’s” changed appearance.
ascendancy
controlling influence. President Marcos failed to maintain his ascendancy over the Philippines.
ascertain
find out for certain. Please ascertain her present address.
ascetic
practicing self-denial; austere. The wealthy, self-indulgent young man felt oddly drawn to the strict, ascetic life led by members of some monastic orders.
ascribe
refer; attribute; assign. I can ascribe no motive for her acts.
aseptic
preventing infection; having a cleansing effect. Hospitals succeeded in lowering the mortality rate as soon as they introduced aseptic conditions.
asinine
stupid. Your asinine remarks prove that you have not given this problem any serious consideration.
askance
with a sideways or indirect look. Looking askance at her questioner, she displayed her scorn.
askew
crookedly; slanted; at an angle; 斜めに、歪んで. When the clown placed his hat askew upon his head, the children in the audience laughed.
asperity
Sharpness (of temper). These remarks, spoken with asperity, stung the boys to whom they had been directed.
aspersion
slanderous remark; 非難、中傷. Rather than attacking President Cleveland’s arguments with logic, his opponent resorted to casting aspersions on the president’s moral character.
aspirant
seeker after position or status. Although I am an aspirant for public office, I am not willing to accept the dictates of the party bosses.
assail
assault. He was assailed with questions after his lecture.
assay
analyze; evaluate. When they assayed the ore, they found that they had discovered a very rich vein.
assent
agree; accept. It gives me great pleasure to assent to your request.
assiduous
diligent. It took Rembrandt weeks of assiduous labor before he was satisfied with his portrait of his son.
assimilate
absorb; cause to become homogenous. The manner in which the United States was able to assimilate the hordes of immigrants during the nineteenth and early part of the twentieth centuries will always be a source of pride.
assuage
ease or lessen (pain); satisfy (hunger); soothe (anger). Jilted by Jane, Dick tried to assuage his heartache by indulging in ice cream.
