GRE Major Tests Chapter 19 Flashcards
Bellicose
war-like, aggressive
ex) The patient who took the drug suddenly became erratic and bellicose.
Consummate
complete, total
ex) At the poker table, it was easy to spot the consummate players because they never seemed anxious.
Elusive
hard to pin down
ex) The animal control officer could not catch the elusive dog.
Gregarious
extroverted, sociable, outgoing
ex) If you want to be more approachable, show a gregarious smile.
Jaundiced
cynical, pessimistic
ex) My friend is jaundiced against the restaurant because they have no vegan options.
Nettle
annoy
ex) My brother will often nettle me by reading my diary.
Phenomenon
an event or happening
ex) Since I had never seen a falling star, seeing one on my honeymoon was a real phenomenon.
Recuperate
get better after illness
ex) The doctor told the tennis player she needed to recuperate for nine months before getting back into competition.
Superlative
extremely good
ex) The author had a superlative story-telling ability, but his grammar left something to be desired.
Whet
sharpen, trigger
ex) The purpose of television commercials is to whet the interest of potential buyers.
Belligerent
aggressive, ready to fight
ex) You make more friends being nice than you do by being belligerent.
Contemporary
living or happening at the same time, quite recent
ex) Contemporary medicine is much more effective than the medicines produced twenty years ago.
Emaciated
very thin, withered
ex) The emaciated boy was too weak to right off his kidnapper.
Gritty
coarse, granular
ex) The sheets fell on the gritty floor.
Jaunt
show pleasure trip, excursion for pleasure or refreshment
ex) She met up with her boyfriends for a two-mile jaunt.
Niggardly
miserly, stingy
ex) Stop being so niggardly and at least give a dollar to charity.
Philanthropy
charity
ex) During the ceremony, the generous celebrity received an award for her philanthropy.
Red tape
formalities, papaerwork
ex) I’am asked about a lot about red tape that a home business requires.
Surly
grumpy
ex) Most people tend to act surly in the morning if they aren’t used to waking up early.
Whimsical
capricious, changeable, playful
ex) The whimsical music made me feel like a little kid again.
Bemoan
complain about
ex) Because her injury did not seem to be healing, she began to bemoan her treatment.
Contrite
sorry
ex) Show how contrite you are by writing an apology letter.
Emancipate
set free
ex) Computer technology has done a great deal to emancipate offie workers from tedious jobs.
Guffaw
sudden loud laughter
ex) Most medical doctors say having a good laugh or guffaw is a great way to start the day.
Jeopardize
put at risk
ex) How dare you jeopardize the lives of others by driving drunk.
Nomadic
wandering from place to place
ex) The nomadic tribe moved their camp several times a year.
Philistine
uncultured person
ex) Only a philistine would destroy such a priceless portrait.
Redolent
smelling of
ex) The candy shop was redolent with the rich smell of chocolate.
Surreptitious
secret
ex) Your surreptitious drug habits will not stay unknown for long.
Willful
stubborn
ex) The willful man continued to chase after the happily married woman.
Benevolent
kindly
ex) Raising money for worthy causes, he is a benevolent man.
Contrition
sorrow and repentance
ex) He showed contrition for his crime.
Embezzle
defraud, steal
ex) The conman planned to embezzle the funds he helped the charity raise.
Guile
cunning, craftiness
ex) If you want to win the competition, you will need to use your guide to beat the others.
Jingoistic
extremely patriotic
ex) My fathers jingoism towards foreigners made him appear racist.
Nonchalance
an appearance of indifference, calm and composed
ex) Gone was his look of nonchalance from earlier.
Phlegmatic
calm, imperturbable
ex) The normally phlegmatic man could not help but yell when he won the lottery prize.
Redress
put right something that was wrong
ex) The manager gave me a free meal as redress for the awful service I received in his restaurant.
Surreptitiously
secretly
ex) He snuck out and surreptitiously bought her a big bunch of flowers.
Wily
cunning, calculating
ex) The police tried to catch the wily suspect for several months.
Benign
kindly, harmless
ex) When the doctor said my tumor was benign, I was so happy.
Contumacious
stubborn
ex) The judge was quick to have contumacious defendants removed from his courtroom.
Embroil
involve in hostility or argument
ex) I avoided my two best friends because I did not want to get embroiled in their dispute.
Guileless
straightforward, trusting
ex) The guileless nerd really believed the prom queen had a crush on him.
Jocular
in a joking manner
ex) The jocular man is known for his funny punch lines.
Nondescript
having no special features
ex) Because the shop was so nondescript, I walked past it several times.
Pillage
plunder
ex) The general was a decent man and did not allow any of his soldiers to pillage items from towns they invaded.
Redundant
unnecessary, superfluous
ex) I consider the celebrity’s ownership of their automobiles to be quite redundant.
Susceptible
vulnerable
ex) Many young children get the flu vaccine so they will be less susceptible to the virus.
Wispy
flimsy, frail, delicate
ex) A wispy plant.
