GRE Common Words (N-Z) Flashcards
lacking sophistication or experience
-Having never traveled before, the elementary school students were more ________ than their high school counterparts on the field trip.
naive
subtle variety
-The gray-green foliage of eucalyptus provides the soft, spatially deceptive background color of the Australian bush, monotonous at first but rippling with ________ to the acclimatized eye.
nuance
hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion
-The president was completely ________ on the issue, and no amount of persuasion would change his mind.
obdurate
overly submissive and eager to please
-The ________ new associate made sure to compliment her supervisor’s tie and agree with him on every issue.
obsequious
stubborn, unyielding
-The ________ child could not be made to eat any food that he disliked.
obstinate
to prevent; to make unnecessary
-The river was shallow enough to wade across at many points, which ________ the need for a bridge.
obviate
to stop up; to prevent the passage of
-A shadow is thrown across the Earth’s surface during a solar eclipse, when the light from the sun is ________ by the moon.
occlude
troublesome and oppressive; burdensome
-The assignment was so extensive and difficult to manage that it proved ________ to the team in charge of it.
onerous
impossible to see through; preventing the passage of light
-The heavy buildup of dirt and grime on the windows almost made them ________.
opaque
public disgrace
-After the scheme to embezzle the elderly was made public, the treasurer resigned in utter ________.
opprobrium
excessive showiness
-The ________ of the Sun King’s court is evident in the lavish decoration and luxuriousness of his palace at Versailles.
ostentation
a contradiction or dilemma
-It is a ________ that those most in need of medical attention are often those least able to obtain it.
paradox
model of excellence or perfection
-She is the ________ of what a judge should be: honest, intelligent, hardworking, and just.
paragon
someone who shows off learning
-The graduate instructor’s tedious and excessive commentary on the subject soon gained her a reputation as a ________.
pedant
willing to betray one’s trust
-The actress’s ________ companion revealed all of her intimate secrets to the gossip columnist.
perfidious
done in a routine way; indifferent
-The machinelike bank teller processed the transaction and gave the waiting customer a ________ smile.
perfunctory
to penetrate
-The miraculous new cleaning fluid is able to ________ stains and dissolve them in minutes!
permeate
charity; a desire or an effort to promote goodness
-New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art owes much of its collection to the ________ of private collectors who willed their estates to the museum.
philanthropy
to soothe or pacify
-The burglar tried to ________ the snarling dog by saying, “nice doggy,” and offering it a treat.
placate
able to be molded, altered, or bent
-The new material was very ________ and could be formed into products of vastly different shapes.
plastic
excess
-Assuming that more was better, the defendant offered the judge a ________ of excuses.
plethora
referring to music with multiple melodic lines
-As the music becomes ________, the inner parts of the orchestra become more and more emancipated.
polyphonic
practical as opposed to idealistic
-While daydreaming gamblers think they can get rich by frequenting casinos, ________ gamblers realize that the odds are heavily stacked against them.
pragmatic
to throw violently or bring about abruptly; lacking deliberation
-Upon learning that the couple married after knowing each other only two months, friends and family members expected such a ________ marriage to end in divorce.
precipitate
