GRE Barron's 41-42 Flashcards
resonant
echoing;resounding; deep and full in sound. The deep, resonant voice of the actor James Earl Jones makes him particularly effective when he appears on stage.
respite
interval of relief; time for rest; delay in punishment. For David, the two weeks vacationing in New Zealand were a delightful respite from the pressures of his job.
resplendent
dazzling; glorious; brilliant. While all the adults were commenting how glorious the emperor looked in his resplendent new clothes, one little boy was heard to say, “But he’s naked!”
restitution
reparation; indemnification. He offered to make restitution for the window broken by his son.
restive
restlessly impatient; obstinately resisting control. Waiting impatiently in line to see Santa Claus, even the best-behaved children grow restive and start to fidget.
resumption
taking up again; recommencement. During the summer break, Don had not realized how much he missed university life: at the resumption of classes, however, he felt marked excitement and pleasure.
resurge
rise again; flow to and fro. It was startling to see the spirit of nationalism resurge as the Soviet Union disintegrated into a loose federation of ethnic and national groups.
resuscitate
revive. The lifeguard tried to resuscitate the drowned child by applying artificial respiration.
retain
keep; employ. Fighting to retain his seat in Congress, Senator Foghorn retained a new manager to head his reelection campaign.
retaliation
repayment in kind (usually for bad treatment). Because everyone knew the Princeton band had stolen Brown’s mascot, the whole Princeton student body expected some sort of retaliation from Brown.
retentive
holding; having a good memory. The pupil did not need to spend much time in study as he had a retentive mind.
retinue
following; attendants. The queen’s retinue followed her down the aisle.
retiring
modest; shy. Given Susan’s retiring personality, no one expected her to take up public speaking; surprisingly enough, she became a star of the school debate team.
retort
quick, sharp reply. Even when it was advisable for her to keep her mouth shut, she was always ready with a retort.
retrench
cut down; economize. If they were to be able to send their children to college, they would have to retrench.
retribution
vengeance; compensation; punishment for offenses. The evangelist maintained that an angry deity would exact retribution from the sinners.
retrieve
recover; find and bring in. The dog was intelligent and quickly learned to retrieve the game killed by the hunter.
retroactive
taking effect before its enactment (as a law) or imposition (as a tax). Because the new pension law was retroactive to the first of the year, even though Martha had retired in February she was eligible for the pension.
retrograde
go backwards; degenerate. Instead of advancing, our civilization seems to have retrograded in ethics and culture.
revelry
boisterous merrymaking. New Year’s Eve is a night of revelry.
reverberate
echo; resound. The entire valley reverberated with the sound of the church bells.
reverie
daydream; musing. She was awakened from her reverie by the teacher’s question.
revert
relapse; backslide; turn back to. Most of the time Andy seemed sensitive and mature, but occasionally he would revert to his smart-alecky, macho, adolescent self.
revile
attack with abusive language; vilify. Though most of his contemporaries reviled Captain Kidd as a notorious, bloody-handed pirate, some of his fellow merchant-captains believed him innocent of his alleged crimes.
revoke
cancel; retract. Repeat offenders who continue to drive under the influence of alcohol face having their driver’s licenses permanently revoked.
revulsion
sudden violent change of feeling; negative reaction. Many people in this country who admired dictatorships underwent a revulsion when they realized what Hitler and Mussolini were trying to do.
ribald
wanton; profane; 下品な、みだらな. He sang a ribald song that offended many of the more prudish listeners.
riddle
pierce with holes; permeate or spread throughout. With his machine gun, Tracy riddled the car with bullets till it looked like a slice of Swiss cheese. During the proofreaders’ strike, the newspaper was riddled with typos.
rife
abundant; current; in the face of the many rumors of scandal, which are rife at the moment, it is best to remain silent.
rift
opening; break. The plane was lost in the stormy sky until the pilot saw the city through a rift in the clouds.
rig
fix or manipulate. The ward boss was able to rig the election by bribing people to stuff the ballot boxes with ballots marked in his candidate’s favor.
rigor
severity. Many settlers could not stand the rigors of the New England winters.
rile
vex; irritate; muddy. Red had a hair-trigger temper: he was an easy man to rile.
riveting
absorbing; engrossing; うっとりさせる、魅惑的な. The reviewer described Byatt’s novel Possession as a riveting tale: absorbed in the story, she had finished it in a single evening.
roil
to make liquids murky by stirring up sediment; to disturb. Be careful when you pour not to roil the wine; if you stir up the sediment you’ll destroy the flavor.
roseate
rosy; optimistic. I am afraid you will have to alter your roseate views in the light of the distressing news that has just arrived.
