GRE Barron's 5-6 Flashcards
astral
relating to the stars. She was amazed at the number of astral bodies the new telescope revealed.
astringent
binding; causing contraction; harsh or severe. The astringent quality of the unsweetened lemon juice made swallowing difficult.
astronomical
enormously large or extensive. The government seemed willing to spend astronomical sums on weapons development.
astute
wise; shrewd; keen. The painter was an astute observer, noticing every tiny detail of her model’s appearance and knowing exactly how important each one was.
asunder
into parts; apart. A fierce quarrel split the partner ship asunder.
asylum
place of refuge or shelter; protection. The refugees sought asylum from religious persecution in a new land.
atavism
resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents; reversion to an earlier type; throwback. In his love for gardening, Martin seemed an atavism to his Tuscan ancestors who lavished great care on their small plots of soil.
atrocity
brutal deed; 残虐行為. In time of war, many atrocities are committed by invading armies.
atrophy
wasting away. Polio victims need physiotherapy to prevent the atrophy of affected limbs.
attentive
alert and watchful; considerate; thoughtful. Spellbound, the attentive audience watched the final game of the tennis match, never taking their eyes from the ball.
attenuate
make thinner; weaken or lessen (in density, force, degree). The long, dry spell attenuated the creek to the merest trickle.
attest
testify; bear witness. Having served as a member of a grand jury, I can attest that our system of indicting individuals is in need of improvement.
attrition
gradual decrease in numbers; reduction in the work force without firing employees; wearing away of opposition by means of harassment. In the 1960s urban churches suffered from attrition as members moved from the cities to the suburbs.
atypical
not normal. The child psychiatrist reassured Mrs. Keaton that playing doctor was not atypical behavior for a child of young Alex’s age. “Perhaps not,” she replied, “but charging for house calls is!”
audacious
daring; bold, 大胆な、斬新な、厚かましい. Audiences cheered as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia made their audacious, death-defying leap to freedom and escaped Darth Vader’s troops.
augment
increase; add to. Armies augment their forces by calling up reinforcements.
augury
omen; prophecy. He interpreted the departure of the birds as an augury of evil.
august
impressive; majestic. Visiting the palace at Versailles, she was impressed by the august surroundings in which she found herself.
auspicious
favoring success. With favorable weather conditions, it was an auspicious moment to set sail. Thomas, however, had doubts about sailing: a paranoid, he became suspicious whenever conditions seemed auspicious.
austere
forbiddingly stern; severely simple and unornamented. The headmaster’s austere demeanor tended to scare off the more timid students, who never visited his study willingly.
authenticate
prove genuine. An expert was needed to authenticate the original Van Gogh painting, distinguishing it from its imitation.
autocratic
having absolute, unchecked power; dictatorial. A person accustomed to exercising authority may become autocratic if his or her power is unchecked.
avarice
greediness for wealth. Montaigne is correct in maintaining that it is not poverty, but rather abundance, that breeds avarice: the more shoes Imelda Marcos had, the more she craved.
aver
assert confidently or declare; as used in law, state formally as a fact. The self-proclaimed psychic averred that, because he had extrasensory perception on which to base his predictions, he needed no seismographs or other gadgets in order to foretell earthquakes.
averse
reluctant; disinclined. The reporter was averse to revealing the sources of his information.
aversion
firm dislike. Bert had an aversion to yuppies; Alex had an aversion to punks. Their mutual aversion was so great that they refused to speak to one another.
avert
prevent; turn away. She averted her eyes from the dead cat on the highway.
avid
greedy; eager for. He was avid for learning and read everything he could get.
avocation
secondary or minor occupation. His hobby proved to be so fascinating and profitable that gradually he abandoned his regular occupation and concentrated on his avocation.
avow
declare openly. Lana avowed that she never meant to steal Debbie’s boyfriend, but no one believed her avowal of innocence.
awry
distorted; crooked, 斜めに、不首尾に. He held his head awry, giving the impression that he had caught cold in his neck during the night.
bacchanalian
drunken. Emperor Nero attended the bacchanalian orgy.
badger
pester; annoy. She was forced to change her telephone number because she was badgered by obscene phone calls.
badinage
teasing conversation. Her friends at work greeted the news of her engagement with cheerful badinage.
baffle
frustrate; perplex. The new code baffled the enemy agents.
bait
harass; tease. The school bully baited the smaller children, terrorizing them.
baleful
threatening; menacing; sinister; foreshadowing evil. The bully’s baleful glare across the classroom warned Tim to expect trouble after school.
balk
stop short, as if faced with an obstacle, and refuse to continue. The chief of police balked at sending his officers into the riot-torn area.
balk
foil; 妨げる、失敗させる. When the warden learned that several inmates were planning to escape, he took steps to balk their attempt.
balm
something that relieves pain. Friendship is the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.
balmy
mild; fragrant. A balmy breeze refreshed us after the sultry blast.
banal
hackneyed; commonplace; trite; lacking originality. The hack writer’s worn-out cliches made his comic sketch seem banal. He even resorted to the banality of having someone slip on a banana peel!
bandy
discuss lightly or glibly; exchange (words) heatedly. While the president was happy to bandy patriotic generalizations with anyone who would listen to him, he refused to bandy words with unfriendly reporters at the press conference.
bane
curse; cause of ruin. Lucy’s little brother was the bane of her existence, scribbling on walls with her lipstick and pouring her shampoo down the drain.
