GRE Hit Parade Group 1 Flashcards
abscond
(verb) to depart clandestinely; to steal off and hide…To prevent capture, Vietnamese Communists would often abscond as soon as southern Vietnamese military was in sight
aberrant
(adj.) deviating from the norm (aberration), the most aberrant and unusual of people often have the most to offer
alacrity
(noun) eager and enthusiastic willingness…Your child’s alacrity to help you do the dishes is something I hope my child will develop as well
anomaly
(noun) deviation from the normal order, form, or rule; abnormality…A pope ever openly supporting gay marriage would be an anomaly within the Catholic church worldwide
approbation
(noun) an expression of approval or praise…the child was only happy or satisfied when she received approbations from her mother for her good work
arduous
(adj.) strenuous, taxing; requiring significant effort…What were initially arduous tasks for me when I started work have now become simple and quick.
assuage
(verb) to ease or lessen; to appease or pacify…He often tried to assuage his dad’s temper with a bottle of liquor, only to see the opposite effect
audacious
(adj.) daring and fearless; recklessly bold (audacity)…Alex had the audacity to ask me out with just a couple months of contact
austere
(adj.) without adornment; bare; severely simple; ascetic (austerity)…Life in the peaceful villages of China is often seen to be as austere as it can get
axiomatic
(adj.) taken as a given; possession self-evident truth (axiom)…Much of math and science is axiomatic, although there are many theories and hypotheses that still cannot be proven
canonical
(adj.) following or in agreement with traditional standards…The pope’s canonical prayers, while said with good intent, will never depart from the old and outdated ways of thinking
capricious
(adj.) inclined to change one’s mind impulsively; erratic, unpredictable…Mom’s capricious manner often has a way of affecting her’s and other people’s plans and attitudes as well
censure
(verb) to criticize severely…The boss would always censure his employees without granting the opportunity to defend oneself
chicanery
(noun) trickery or subterfuge by quibbling or sophistry…the applicant resorted to flattery and chicanery to obtain the highly sough job position
connoisseur
(noun) an informed and astute judge in matters of taste; expert…Kalvin is quite the beer and coffee connoisseur, whereas I would be known as the candy connoisseur
convoluted
(adj.) complex or complicated…The plans for our Disneyland trip have become so convoluted that the trip just might not happen
disabuse
(verb) to undeceive; to set right…I can only hope that her conscience will hi her and she will disabuse her wrongdoings
discordant
(adj.) conflicting; dissonant or harsh in sound…the discordant noise of the elementary school band was beginning to give me a headache
disparate
(adj.) fundamentally distinct or dissimilar…disparate incomes of high and low class is not only apparent in underdeveloped countries, but in developed countries as well
effrontery
(noun) extreme boldness; presumptuous…the effrontery of the soldier to question his general earned him praise as well as harsh discipline
eloquent
(adj.) well-spoken, expressive, articulate…David Chiu gives at least 5 speeches a day, resulting in his eloquent oratories
enervate
(verb) to weaken; to reduce in vitality…the Vietcong were able to enervate enemies through use of traps
ennui
(noun) dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy…ennui ensued as she finished her final before the rest of the class and was forced to sit another half an hour before being let out
equivocate
(verb) to use ambiguous language w/ a deceptive intent…Kiyoko would often try to equivocate around our questions of where she was the previous night
erudite
(adj.) very learned; scholarly…the erudite professor managed to teach at a level of the average student’s understanding, despite his high level of education
exculpate
(verb) exonerate; clear of blame…the prisoner was exculpated of all charges after spending 12 years in prison and being found innocent
exigent
(adj.) urgent, pressing; requiring immediate action or attention…This is one of the most exigent problems facing the profession today.
extemporaneous
(adj.) improvised; done without preparation…She had been so used to speaking in public that the comfort level resulted in an extemporaneous last couple sentences to lift the crowd’s spirits
filibuster
(noun) intentional obstruction, especially using prolonged speechmaking to delay legislative action…filibuster is not uncommon when both sides of the House want to prevent or put something in action
fulminate
(verb) to loudly attack or denounce…Planning commission meetings are often disrupted by opponents who fulminate proposed plans to build or change