GRE Cards Deck V Flashcards
vacillate
verb
Definition: Waver in one’s mind or opinions, be indecisive
Usage: In need of a good used car, I was vacillating between the Ford and the Hyundai until a recommendation from a friend helped me decide.
Related Words: Equivocate (use unclear language to deceive or avoid committing to a position), Ambivalent (uncertain; unable to decide, or wanting to do two contradictory things at once), Waffle (waver, be indecisive), Dither (act irresolutely), Tergiversate (repeatedly change one’s opinions, equivocate)
Memory Trick: Vacillate sounds a bit like Vaseline. When you vacillate, your decisions are quite slippery, as though coated in petroleum jelly.
venerate
(verb)
Also venerable (adj)
Definition: Revere, regard with deep respect and awe
Usage: The boys were utterly crushed when the baseball player they venerated saw them waiting and refused to sign an autograph.
Related Words: Revere (feel or express very deep respect and awe)
More Info: Something venerable is worthy of great respect and admiration and is possessed of great dignity usually associated with age or longstanding. That is, you can venerate anything—Mariah Carey, for instance—but if you call her venerable, she might be a bit insulted that you think she’s old. Venerable often appears in the phrase “venerable institution” (said of Harvard, for instance).
veracity
(noun)
Also veracious (adj)
Definition: Truthfulness, accuracy; habitual adherence to the truth
Usage: I question the veracity of your story—I just don’t think you’ve been to outer space.
Related Words: Probity (honesty, integrity), Verisimilitude (having the appearance of truth), Verity (the quality of being true)
More Info: Don’t confuse veracious (true) with voracious (hungry, ravenous).
verbose
adj
Definition: Wordy
Usage: Twitter’s 140 character limit really forces the verbose to go against their natural tendencies and instead write succinctly.
Related Words: Loquacious, Prolix, and Voluble mean “talkative, wordy.”
More Info: The Latin “verbum” means “word” and of course gives us verb, verbal, etc., and also verbiage (excess words or style of expressing something in words). A verbose person could stand to cut down on the verbiage.
viable
adj
Definition: Capable of living (or growing, developing, etc.); practical, workable
Usage: I have three screenplay ideas, but the studio head said only one was commercially viable. / Due to leaps forward in technology, premature babies are considered viable earlier and earlier—currently around 24 weeks.
Related Words: Feasible (possible; logical or likely; suitable), Plausible (credible, having the appearance of truth)
More Info: The Latin root for “life” (“vi”) gives us vivid, survive, revive, vivacious, and convivial. And also the Spanish word for “life” and thus the Ricky Martin classic, “Livin’ La Vida Loca.”
vintage
adj, noun
Definition: Related to items of high quality from a previous era, old-fashioned, antique (adj); the wine of a particular year (noun)
Usage: We went to see vintage car.
Related Words: Retro is an informal word used to describe the best of earlier times (often related to fashion, design, etc.)
More Info: Vintage originated in relation to wine, and the same root appears in vine and vintner (winemaker).
virtual
adj
Definition: Existing only in the mind or by means of a computer network; existing in results or in essence but not officially or in name
Usage: Virtual gaming.
Related Words: Nominal can mean “in name only” but not in fact. In this way, it is something of an opposite to virtual, which can mean not in name, but existing in reality (The abused maid was nominally a free person, but kept as a virtual slave). De facto means “in fact, actually” (but not in name, as in Some allege that Edith Wilson was the de facto—or virtual—President after her husband Woodrow was incapacitated by a stroke).
vituperate
verb
Definition: Verbally abuse, rebuke or criticize harshly
Usage: All couples fight, but your girlfriend vituperates you so severely that I’m not sure she loves you at all. Verbal abuse is actually a pretty good reason to break up.
Related Words: Pejorative (disparaging, derogatory, belittling), Revile (verbally abuse or speak very badly of), Berate (scold angrily and at length)
More Info: Vituperate comes from the Latin root “vitium,” (“fault”), which also occurs in vice (sin, wickedness) and vitiate (ruin, corrupt). Vice (or vitiating your things) would be one reason for vituperating someone.
volatile
adj
Definition: Varying, inconstant, fleeting; tending to violence, explosive;
Usage: Following the sudden revolution, the political environment in the country was so volatile that anything could have started a riot. / Stock prices are by nature volatile—if you want a “safe and steady” investment, try mutual funds.
Related Words: Inconstancy (Fickleness, unreliability; the state of changing without good reason), Erratic (inconsistent, wandering, having no fixed course)
More Info: From chemistry: a volatile substance easily changes states, such as by evaporating.
vanguard
noun
Definition: Leading units at the front of an army; leaders in a trend or movement, people on the “cutting edge;” the forefront of a trend or movement
Usage: Google is the vanguard in the search engine.
More Info: The avant-garde (French for in front of the guard) were the leading soldiers at the front of an army. Vanguard is derived from avant-garde and means the same thing. Metaphorically, the avant-garde (noun or adjective) or vanguard (noun) are innovators, those “ahead of their time.” Sometimes, the avant-garde seems a little crazy at first. For example, She arrived at the mixer in a dress that was a little avant-garde for the otherwise conservative Yale Club—she would have looked more appropriate at an art gallery or Lady Gaga concert.
variegated
adj
Definition: Varied in color, having multicolored patches or spots; diverse
Usage: The brides dresses are boldly variegated, having many different colors.
Related Words: Myriad (innumerable, existing in abundance; diverse), Heterogeneous (different in type, incongruous; composed of different types of elements)
More Info: In biology, variegation refers to different colored zones in the leaves of plants. Of course, the “vari” part is the same as in various, so it shouldn’t be hard to figure out a synonym like varicolored.
verdant
adj
Definition: Green, such as with vegetation, plants, grass, etc.; young and inexperienced
Usage: One would love to see the lushness of the verdant forests in rainy Oregon. / The first-year associate was a little too verdant to be assigned to the big case.
Related Words: Primaveral or Vernal (relating to the spring; fresh, youthful)
More Info: Verdant is, of course, related to the Spanish verde and French vert for “green.” The color green is also used figuratively—saying someone is “green” (much like a new spring plant) or “wet behind the ears” (a reference to just being born) means the person is inexperienced.
verisimilar
adj
Definition: Having the appearance of truth, probable
Usage: It’s a verisimilar story, sure, but where’s the proof?
Related Words: Feasible (possible; logical or likely; suitable), Plausible (credible, having the appearance of truth)
More Info: The root “ver” means “true” and appears in verify, veracious (truthful), aver (claim, assert), and verity or veracity (truth).
vernal
adj
Definition: Relating to the spring; fresh, youthful
Usage:
of or pertaining to spring:
“vernal sunshine.”
appearing or occurring in spring:
“vernal migratory movements.”
appropriate to or suggesting spring; springlike:
“vernal greenery.”
belonging to or characteristic of youth:
“vernal longings.”
Related Words: Primaveral is a synonym. (The dish pasta primavera is full of vegetables—that is, “spring pasta”).
More Info: The vernal equinox is a moment in spring at which the Sun is directly over the equator; this is associated with a change of seasons.
vestige
noun
Definition: Trace or sign of something that once existed
Usage:
These old buildings are the last vestiges of a colonial past.
There is now no vestige of hope that the missing children will be found alive.
Related Words: Scintilla (a tiny bit or trace), Residue (remainder, leftover part after something has been removed)
More Info: Vestigial features in biology are those left over from a previous stage of evolution—for instance, the hind limbs of whales and snakes, and the tailbone in humans. Thus, when a baby is born with a protruding tailbone, it is called a vestigial tail (as featured in the 2001 film Shallow Hal).
vex
(verb)
Also vexation (noun)
Definition: annoy or bother; puzzle or distress
Usage: “Don’t vex me,” said the nanny. “Behave, or I’ll tell your parents.” / She was totally vexed by the crossword clue.
Related Words: Irk (synonym), Nettle (irritate, sting, or annoy)
More Info: Related to vehicle, vex comes from a root for “to convey”—transportation wasn’t so smooth in Roman times, so imagine the vexation that might result from being pulled in a cart by horses over lots of rocks.
via
preposition
Definition: Through, by means of, by way of (by a route that goes through or touches)
Usage: We will be flying to Russia via Frankfurt. / Many of the students at our college got here via special programs that assist low-income students in preparing for college.
Related Words: Per can also be used in this way. The most common use of per is “for each,” as in, “We will need one sandwich per child.” However, per may also mean “by means of” or “according to.” I have delivered the package per your instructions.
More Info: Via is Latin for “way, road, channel.” This root also appears in viaduct, a bridge or series of bridges, especially carrying a road or railway over water, a valley, etc.
vicissitude
noun
Definition: Changes or variations over time, esp. regular changes from one thing to another
Usage: While she scrubbed pots and pans, she pondered the vicissitudes of life —she once had a house full of servants, and now was a maid herself.
Related Words: Vagaries (unpredictable or erratic actions or occurrences, as in the vagaries of the weather)
vim
noun
Definition: Pep, enthusiasm, vitality, lively spirit
Usage: “I’m old, not dead!” said Grandpa Albert, full of vim and ready for his first bungee jump.
Related Words: Vigor (synonym), Verve (vigor, spirit, liveliness), Sprightly (vivacious, full of life)
More Info: Vim is usually heard in the expression “vim and vigor.” Like so many of these “two-part” expressions (hale and hardy, for instance), the two words are more or less synonyms, and thus the expression is a bit redundant.
virulent
adj
Definition: Extremely infectious, poisonous, etc.; hateful, bitterly hostile
Usage: Racism is a virulent force that corrupts schools, workplaces, and the basic machinery of democracy. / Discipline in the classroom is one thing, but the teacher’s virulence towards misbehaving students was enough to get her suspended from teaching.
Related Words: Pervasive (tending to spread throughout), Pathogenic (capable of producing disease).
More Info: The original meaning of the root “virus” was “poison” (what we call viruses weren’t discovered until 1898).
viscid or viscous
adj
Definition: Thick, adhesive, or covered in something sticky
Usage: Ugh, what did you spill on this floor? It’s too viscous to be absorbed by these paper towels. Is this hair conditioner?
Related Words: Adhere (stick to, such as with glue, or to a plan or belief)
vitriol
(noun)
Also vitriolic (adj)
Definition: Something highly caustic, such as criticism (literally, one of a number of chemicals including sulfuric acid)
Usage: After another embarrassing loss, the team was full of vitriol for the coach who had led them to their worst season in history.
Related Words: Caustic (capable or burning or corroding; extremely critical or sarcastic), Acrimony (bitterness, animosity), Contumely (contemptuous treatment or a humiliating insult)
vociferous
adj
Definition: Noisily crying out, as in protest
Usage: Local activist groups have become increasingly vociferous as the volume of traffic passing through the village has grown.
Related Words: Stentorian (loud), Clamor (vociferous uproar, as from a crowd)
More Info: The root “voc” (from “vox”) means “voice” and also occurs in vocal, equivocal, and vox populi (the voice of the people).
voluble
adj
Definition: Easily fluent in regards to speech
Usage:
A voluble spokesman for the cause
Many see Parker as the obvious leader, whose voluble style works well on TV.
Related Words: Loquacious, Prolix, and Verbose mean “talkative, wordy.” Glib means “fluent in speaking” in a bad way that suggests superficiality or insincerity.
More Info: From the same root (“volvere,” meaning “to roll”) as revolve—the words just “roll” right out of a voluble person.
