GRE Basic Words Flashcards
underwrite
verb: to support financially
The latest symphony broadcast was made possible with underwriting from the Carnegie Endowment.
spendthrift
noun: one who spends money extravagantly
Taking weekly trips to Vegas, Megan was a spendthrift whose excesses eventually caught up to her.
demure
adjective: to be modest and shy
The portrait of her in a simple white blouse was sweet and demure.
profuse
adjective: plentiful; pouring out in abundance
During mile 20 of the Hawaii Marathon, Dwayne was sweating so profusely that he stopped to take off his shirt, and ran the remaining six miles wearing nothing more than skimpy shorts
demean
verb: to insult; to cause someone to lose dignity or respect
At first the soccer players bantered back and forth, but as soon as one of the players became demeaning, calling the other’s mother a water buffalo, the ref whipped out a red card.
acme
noun: the highest point of achievement
The new Cessna airplanes will be the acme of comfort, offering reclining seats and ample legroom.
candid
adjective: straightforward and honest
Even with a perfect stranger, Charles was always candid and would rarely hold anything back.
remiss
adjective: to be negligent in one’s duty
Remiss in his duty to keep the school functioning efficiently, the principal was relieved of his position after only three months.
reprobate
noun: a person without morals who is disapproved of
Mr. Smith’s two boys couldn’t be more different; one was a hard-working and principled, the other was the town reprobate, always having run-ins with the law.
bleak
adjective: having a depressing or gloomy outlook
Unremitting overcast skies tend to lead people to create bleak literature and lugubrious music — compare England’s band Radiohead to any band from Southern California.
miser
noun: a person who doesn’t like to spend money (because they are greedy)
Monte was no miser, but was simply frugal, wisely spending the little that he earned.
macabre
adjective: suggesting the horror of death and decay; gruesome
Edgar Allen Poe was considered the master of the macabre; his stories vividly describe the moment leading up to—and often those moments after—a grisly death.
screed
noun: an abusive rant (often tedious)
Joey had difficulty hanging out with his former best friend Perry, who, during his entire cup of coffee, enumerated all of the government’s deficiencies–only to break ranks and launch into some screed against big business.
peruse
verb: to read very carefully
Instead of perusing important documents, people all too often rush to the bottom of the page and plaster their signatures at the bottom.
stipend
noun: a regular allowance (of money)
He was hoping for a monthly allowance loan from the government, but after no such stipend was forthcoming he realized he would have to seek other means of paying for his college tuition.
hound
verb: to pursue relentlessly
An implacable foe of corruption, Eliot Ness hounded out graft in all forms—he even helped nab Al Capone.
amiable
adjective: friendly
Amy’s name was very apt: she was so amiable that she was twice voted class president.
voracious
adjective: very hungry; approaching an activity with gusto
Steven was a voracious reader, sometimes finishing two novels in the same day.
zenith
noun: the highest point; culmination
At the zenith of his artistic career, Elvis was outselling any other artist on the charts.
slapdash
adjective: carelessly and hastily put together
The office building had been constructed in a slapdash manner, so it did not surprise officials when, during a small earthquake, a large crack emerged on the façade of the building.
censor
verb: to examine and remove objectionable material
Every fall, high school English teachers are inundated by requests to censor their curriculum by removing The Catcher in the Rye and Scarlet Letter from their reading lists.
noun: an official who censors material
The censor insisted that every reference to drugs should be removed from the manuscript.
remiss
adjective: to be negligent in one’s duty
Remiss in his duty to keep the school functioning efficiently, the principal was relieved of his position after only three months.
telling
adjective: significant and revealing of another factor
Her unbecoming dress was very telling when it came to her sense of fashion.
insolvent
adjective: unable to pay one’s bills; bankrupt
With credit card bills skyrocketing, a shockingly large number of Americans are truly insolvent.
tirade
noun: an angry speech
In terms of political change, a tirade oftentimes does little more than make the person speaking red in the face.
err
verb: to make an error
He erred in thinking that “indigent” and “indignant” were synonyms.
serendipity
noun: the instance in which an accidental, fortunate discovery is made
By pure serendipity, Sarah discovered, at a flea market in Peoria, a matching earring to replace the one that fell down the storm drain back home.
thrifty
adjective: spending money wisely
He was economical, spending his money thriftily and on items considered essential.
inundate
verb: to flood or overwhelm
The newsroom was inundated with false reports that only made it more difficult for the newscasters to provide an objective account of the bank robbery.
thoroughgoing
adjective: very thorough; complete
As a thoroughgoing bibliophile, one who had turned his house into a veritable library, he shocked his friends when he bought a Kindle.
indict
verb: to formally charge or accuse of wrong-doing
The bankrobber was indicted on several major charges, including possession of a firearm.
telltale
adjective: revealing
The many telltale signs of chronic smoking include yellow teeth, and a persistent, hacking cough.
retiring
adjective: to be shy, and to be inclined to retract from company
Nelson was always the first to leave soirees—rather than mill about with “fashionable” folk, he was retiring, and preferred the solitude of his garret.
indigenous
adjective: originating in a certain area
The plants and animals indigenous to Australia are notably different from those indigenous to the U.S—one look at a duckbill platypus and you know you’re not dealing with an opossum.
diabolical
adjective: to be extremely wicked like the devil
The conspirators, willing to dispatch anyone who stood in their way, hatched a diabolical plan to take over the city.
pine
verb: to yearn for
Standing forlornly by the window, she pined for her lost love.
inflammatory
adjective: extremely controversial, incendiary
It only takes one person to leave an inflammatory comment on an Internet thread for that thread to blow up into pages upon pages of reader indignation.
affable
adjective: likeable; easy to talk to
For all his surface affability, Marco was remarkably glum when he wasn’t around other people.
dog
verb: to pursue relentlessly; to hound
Throughout his life, he was dogged by insecurities that inhibited personal growth.
erratic
adjective: unpredictable; strange and unconventional
It came as no surprise to pundits that the President’s attempt at re-election floundered; even during his term, support for his policies was erratic, with an approval rating jumping anywhere from 30 to 60 percent.
variance
noun: the quality of being different
The cynic quipped, “There is not much variance in politicians; they all seem to lie”.
pinnacle
noun: the highest point
At its pinnacle, the Roman Empire extended across most of the landmass of Eurasia, a feat not paralleled to the rise of the British Empire in the 18th and 19th century.
summit
noun: the peak or highest point
After hiking for seven days, the climbers finally reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.
noun: a meeting of high-level leaders
Since climate change policy has been mired in congressional fighting, this summit should help set the goals for president’s next term
indignant
adjective: feeling anger over a perceived injustice
When the cyclist swerved into traffic, it forced the driver to brake and elicited an indignant shout of “Hey, punk, watch where you’re going!”
vindictive
adjective: to have a very strong desire for revenge
Though the other girl had only lightly poked fun of Vanessa’s choice in attire, Vanessa was so vindictive that she waited for an entire semester to get the perfect revenge.
affluent
adjective: wealthy
The center of the city had sadly become a pit of penury, while, only five miles away, multi-million dollar homes spoke of affluence.
tender
verb: offer up something formally
The government was loath to tender more money in the fear that it might set off inflation.
unnerving
verb: to make nervous or upset
At one time unnerved by math problems, she began avidly “Magoosh-ing”, and soon became adept at even combinations and permutations questions.
chauvinist
noun: a person who believes in the superiority of their group
The chauvinist lives on both sides of the political spectrum, outright shunning anybody whose ideas are not consistent with his own.
scintillating
adjective: describes someone who is brilliant and lively
Richard Feynman was renowned for his scintillating lectures—the arcana of quantum physics was made lucid as he wrote animatedly on the chalkboard.
fleece
verb: to deceive
Many people have been fleeced by Internet scams and never received their money back.
stem
verb: to hold back or limit the flow or growth of something
To stem the tide of applications, the prestigious Ivy requires that each applicant score at least 330 on the Revised GRE.
paucity
noun: a lack of something
There is a paucity of jobs hiring today that require menial skills, since most such jobs have either been automated or outsourced.
ferret
verb: to search for something persistently
Ever the resourceful lexicographer, Fenton was able to ferret out the word origin of highly obscure words.
aboveboard
adjective: open and honest
The mayor, despite his avuncular face plastered about the city, was hardly aboveboard – some concluded that it was his ingratiating smile that allowed him to engage in corrupt behavior and get away with it.
flush
adjective: to be in abundance
The exam’s passage is flush with difficult words, words that you may have learned only yesterday.
bellicose
adjective: warlike; inclined to quarrel
Known for their bellicose ways, the Spartans were once the most feared people from Peloponnesus to Persia.
hodgepodge
noun: a confusing mixture or jumble
Those in attendance represented a hodgepodge of the city’s denizens: chimney sweepers could be seen sitting elbow to elbow with stockbrokers.
becoming
adjective: appropriate, and matches nicely
Her dress was becoming and made her look even more beautiful.
beatific
adjective: blissfully happy
Often we imagine all monks to wear the beatific smile of the Buddha, but, like any of us, a monk can have a bad day and not look very happy.
raft
noun: a large number of something
Despite a raft of city ordinances passed by an overzealous council, noise pollution continued unabated in the megalopolis.
wax
verb: to gradually increase in size or intensity
Her enthusiasm for the diva’s new album only waxed with each song; by the end of the album, it was her favorite CD yet.
lassitude
noun: extreme tiredness, either mental or physical
Upon finishing a 6-hour standardized exam, Dahlia emerged from the testing center overcome by lassitude.
moment
noun: significant and important value
Despite the initial hullabaloo, the play was of no great moment in Hampton’s writing career, and within a few years the public quickly forgot his foray into theater arts.
checkered
adjective: marked by disreputable or unfortunate happenings
One by one, the presidential candidates dropped out of the race, their respective checkered pasts— from embezzlement to infidelity—sabotaging their campaigns.
avarice
noun: greed (one of the seven deadly sins)
The Spanish conquistadors were known for their avarice, plundering Incan land and stealing Incan gold.
exhort
verb: to strongly urge on; encourage
Nelson’s parents exhorted him to study medicine, urging him to choose a respectable profession; intransigent, Nelson left home to become a graffiti artist.
amok
adverb: in a frenzied or uncontrolled state
Wherever the bowl haircut teen-idol went, his legions of screaming fans ran through the streets amok, hoping for a glance at his boyish face
corroborate
verb: to confirm or lend support to (usually an idea or claim)
Her claim that frog populations were falling precipitously in Central America was corroborated by locals, who reported that many species of frogs had seemingly vanished overnight.
contrite
adjective: to be remorseful
Though he stole his little sister’s licorice stick with malevolent glee, Chucky soon became contrite when his sister wouldn’t stop crying.
misanthrope
noun: a hater of mankind
Kevin is such a misanthrope that he refused to attend the Christmas party, claiming that everyone’s happiness was “fake” and “annoying.”
catalyst
noun: something that speeds up an event
Rosa Parks’s refusal to give up her bus seat acted as a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement, setting into motion historic changes for African-Americans.
vicarious
adjective: felt or undergone as if one were taking part in the experience or feelings of another
The advent of twitter is a celebrity stalker’s dream, as he or she can experience—through hundreds of intimate “tweets”—the vicarious thrill of living the day-to-day life of a famous person.
sanctimonious
adjective: making a show of being pious; holier-than-thou
Even during the quiet sanctity of evening prayer, she held her chin high, a sanctimonious sneer forming on her face as she eyed those who were attending church for the first time.
heyday
noun: the pinnacle or top of a time period or career
During the heyday of Prohibition, bootlegging had become such a lucrative business that many who had been opposed to the 18th Amendment began to fear it would be repealed.
pugnacious
adjective: eager to fight or argue; verbally combative
The comedian told one flat joke after another, and when the audience started booing, he pugnaciously spat back at them, “Hey, you think this is easy – why don’t you buffoons give it a shot?”
immaterial
adjective: not relevant
The judge found the defendant’s comments immaterial to the trial, and summarily dismissed him from the witness stand.
unconscionable
adjective: unreasonable; unscrupulous; excessive
The lawyer’s demands were so unconscionable that rather than pay an exorbitant sum or submit himself to any other inconveniences, the defendant decided to find a new lawyer
cardinal
adjective: of primary importance; fundamental
Most cultures consider gambling a cardinal sin and thus have outlawed its practice.
imponderable
adjective: impossible to estimate or figure out
According to many lawmakers, the huge variety of factors affecting society make devising an efficient healthcare system an imponderable task.
disparate
adjective: two things are fundamentally different
With the advent of machines capable of looking inside the brain, fields as disparate as religion and biology have been brought together by scientists trying to understand what happens in the brain when people have a religious experience.
preemptive
adjective: done before someone else can do it
Just as Martha was about to take the only cookie left on the table, Noah preemptively swiped it.
replete
adjective: completely stocked or furnished with something
Only weeks after the hurricane made landfall, the local supermarket shelves were replete with goods, so quick was the disaster relief response.
apex
noun: the highest point
The Ivy League is considered the apex of the higher education system.
melee
noun: a wild, confusing fight or struggle
After enduring daily taunts about my name, I became enraged and pummeled the schoolyard bully and his sycophantic friends in a brutal melee.
errant
adjective: to be wandering; not sticking to a circumscribed path
Unlike his peers, who spent their hours studying in the library, Matthew preferred errant walks through the university campus.
sanguine
adjective: cheerful; optimistic
With the prospect of having to learn 3,000 words during the course of the summer, Paul was anything but sanguine.
badger
verb: to pester
Badgered by his parents to find a job, the 30-year-old loafer instead joined a gang of itinerant musicians.
virago
noun: an ill-tempered or violent woman
Poor Billy was the victim of the virago’s invective—she railed at him for a good 30-minutes about how he is the scum of the earth for speaking loudly on his cellphone in public.
desecrate
verb: to willfully violate or destroy a sacred place
After desecrating the pharaoh’s tomb, the archaeologist soon fell victim to a horrible illness.
cadaverous
adjective: emaciated; gaunt
Some actors take challenging roles in which they have to lose so much weight that they appear cadaverous.
extenuating
adjective: making less guilty or more forgivable
The jury was hardly moved by the man’s plea that his loneliness was an extenuating factor in his crime of dognapping a prized pooch.
cogent
adjective: clear and persuasive
A cogent argument will change the minds of even the most skeptical audience.
junta
noun: an aggressive takeover by a group (usually military); the group that executes such a takeover
As dangerous of a threat as North Korea is, some analysts believe that were a junta suddenly to gain power, it could be even more unpredictable and bellicose than the current leadership
pittance
noun: a small amount (of money)
Vinny’s uncle beamed smugly about how he’d offered his nephew fifty dollars for his Harvard tuition; even twice the amount would have been a mere pittance.
check
verb: to limit (usually modifying the growth of something)
Deserted for six months, the property began to look more like a jungle and less like a residence—weeds grew unchecked in the front yard
noun: the condition of being held back or limited
When government abuses are not kept in check, that government is likely to become autocratic.
moot
adjective: open to argument or debate; undecidable in a meaningless or irrelevant way
Since the Board just terminated Steve as the CEO, what the finance committee might have thought of his proposed marketing plan for next year is now a moot point.
boon
noun: a desirable state; something helpful or beneficial
Modern technology has been a boon to the travel industry.
adjective: very close and convivial
He was a boon companion to many, and will be sadly missed.
plodding
adjective: (of movement) slow and laborious
Charlie may seem to run at a plodding pace, but he is an ultramarathoner, meaning he runs distances of up to 100 miles, and can run for ten hours at a stretch.
precocious
adjective: characterized by or characteristic of exceptionally early development or maturity (especially in mental aptitude)
Though only seven years old, she was a precocious chess prodigy, able to beat players twice her age.
meander
verb: to wander aimlessly
A casual observer might have thought that Peter was meandering through the city, but that day he was actually seeking out those places where he and his long lost love had once visited.
avid
adjective: marked by active interest and enthusiasm
Martin is an avid birdwatcher, often taking long hikes into remote mountains to see some rare eagle.
raffish
adjective: marked by a carefree unconventionality or disreputableness
The men found him raffish, but the women adored his smart clothes and casual attitude.
respite
noun: a pause from doing something (as work)
Every afternoon, the small company has a respite in which workers play foosball or board games.
fete
verb: to celebrate a person
After World War II, war heroes were feted at first but quickly forgotten.
guffaw
verb: laugh boisterously
Whenever the jester fell to the ground in mock pain, the king guffawed, exposing his yellow, fang-like teeth.
degrade
verb: reduce in worth or character, usually verbally
Jesse had mockingly pointed out all of Nancy’s faults in front of their friends, publicly degrading the poor girl.
ascendancy
noun: the state that exists when one person or group has power over another
The ascendancy of the Carlsbad water polo team is clear—they have a decade of championships behind them.
proponent
noun: a person who pleads for a cause or propounds an idea
Ironically, the leading proponent of Flat-Earth Theory flies all over the world in an effort to win more adherents.
morose
adjective: ill-tempered and not inclined to talk; gloomy
After Stanley found out he was no longer able to go on vacation with his friends, he sat in his room morosely.
obdurate
adjective: unable to be persuaded or moved emotionally; stubborn; unyielding.
No number of pleas and bribes would get him to change his obdurate attitude.
malleable
adjective: capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out
The clay became malleable and easy to work with after a little water was added.
adjective: easily influenced
My little brother is so malleable that I can convince him to sneak cookies from the cupboard for me.
renege
verb: fail to fulfill a promise or obligation
We will no longer work with that vendor since it has reneged on nearly every agreement.
consummate
adjective: having or revealing supreme mastery or skill
Tyler was the consummate musician: he was able to play the guitar, harmonica, and the drum at the same time.
verb: to make perfect and complete in every respect
The restoration of the ancient church was only consummated after a twenty years of labor.
This word has other definitions, but these are the most important ones to study
disheartened
adjective: made less hopeful or enthusiastic
After the visiting team scored nine times, the home team’s fans were disheartened, some leaving the game early.
stolid
adjective: having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited
Elephants may appear stolid to casual observers, but they actually have passionate emotional lives.
incessant
adjective: uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
I don’t mind small children in brief doses, but I think the incessant exposure that their parents have to them would quickly wear me down.
archaic
adjective: so old as to appear to belong to a different period
Hoping to sound intelligent, Mary spoke in archaic English that was right out of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice–needless to say, she didn’t have many friends.
advocate
verb: speak, plead, or argue in favor of
While the senator privately approved of gay marriage, he was unwilling to advocate for the cause in a public venue.
noun: a person who pleads for a cause or propounds an idea
Martin Luther King Jr. was a tireless advocate for the rights of African-Americans in the United States.
jocular
adjective: characterized by jokes and good humor
My uncle was always in a jocular mood at family gatherings, messing up people’s hair and telling knock-knock jokes to anyone who would listen.
ingenuity
noun: the power of creative imagination
Daedalus was famous for his ingenuity; he was able to fashion his son Icarus with a pair of wings, using wax to hold them together.
impermeable
adjective: does not allow fluids to pass through
The sand bags placed on the river formed an impermeable barrier, protecting the town from flooding
pithy
adjective: concise and full of meaning
I enjoy reading the Daodejing for its pithy and insightful prose; it always gives me something to think about.
snide
adjective: expressive of contempt; derogatory or mocking in an indirect way
The chairman interpreted Taylor’s question about promotions as a snide remark, but in all innocence Taylor was trying to figure out the company’s process.
disenfranchise
verb: deprive of voting rights
The U.S. Constitution disenfranchised women until 1920 when they were given the right to vote.
deter
verb: turn away from by persuasion
His mother tried to deter him from joining the army, but he was too intoxicated with the idea of war to listen.
verb: try to prevent; show opposition to
The government’s primary job should involve deterring paths to war, not finding ways to start them.
discriminate
verb: recognize or perceive the difference
Sarah couldn’t discriminate between a good wine and a bad wine, so she avoided wine tastings.
muted
adjective: softened, subdued
Helen preferred muted earth colors, such as green and brown, to the bright pinks and red her sister liked.
transitory
adjective: lasting a very short time
If we lived forever and life was not transitory, do you think we would appreciate life less or more?
resolve
verb: reach a conclusion after a discussion or deliberation
After much thought, Ted resolved not to travel abroad this summer because he didn’t have much money in his bank account.
thwart
verb: hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of
I wanted to spend a week in New York this autumn, but the high costs of travel and lodging thwarted my plans.
elusive
adjective: difficult to capture or difficult to remember
Many first time skydivers say that describing the act of falling from the sky is elusive.
autonomously
adverb: Acting independently; self-governing (of a country)
Many of the factory workers are worried about being replaced by machines and computers that will work completely autonomously.
inclement
adjective: (of weather) unpleasant, stormy
After a week of inclement weather, we finally are able to go outside and enjoy the sun.
adjective: used of persons or behavior; showing no mercy
Marcus Aurelius, though a fair man, was inclement to Christians during his reign, persecuting them violently.
entice
verb: get someone to do something through (often false or exaggerated) promises
Harold enticed his wife, Maude, to go on a vacation to Hawaii, with promises of luaus on the beach and all-you-can-eat seafood buffets.
ornate
adjective: marked by elaborate rhetoric and elaborated with decorative details
The ornate Victorian and Edwardian homes spread throughout San Francisco are my favorite part of the city.
ornate
adjective: marked by elaborate rhetoric and elaborated with decorative details
The ornate Victorian and Edwardian homes spread throughout San Francisco are my favorite part of the city.
