GRE Major Tests Chapter 21 Flashcards
Abate
reduce in intensity
ex) I hope this medicine will abate the pain in my leg.
Abjure
renounce, swear to refrain from something
ex) In order to marry the peasant he loved, the prince made the decision to abjure his title.
Blandishment
words used to coax or flatter
ex) Despite his nervousness at meeting his in-laws, Dylan was able to offer just the right blandishment to get their approval.
Boor
ill-mannered person
ex) Jack was such a boor he would not even hold a door for his mother.
Cardinal
- high ranking church official; 2. major, important
ex) In a town in Italy, having litter-free land is a cardinal law due to the number of environmentalists who live there.
Deliberate
- slow (a); 2. to think over (v); 3. on purpose (a)
ex) Tom deliberately broke the window.
Equivocation
speaking ambiguously [equivocate (v), equivocal (a)]
ex) The crooked salesman went out of his way to equivocate the sales terms to the elderly couple.
Feckless
feeble, helpless, lacking in initiative
ex) Larry was such a feckless manager that the company was forced to declare bankruptcy.
Imperturbability
quality of being calm and not easily disturbed [imperturbable (a)]
ex) The imperturbable actress carried on with her performance even when her costar forgot his lines.
Meretricious
falsely attractive, tawdry
ex) Adding those flamboyant earrings to such a colorful skirt gives your entire outfit a meretricious effect.
Augury
prediction, looking for omens [augur (v)]
ex) There are those who view the virus as an augury of the world coming to an end.
Boycott
refuse to have dealings with
ex) Since the employees have had their insurance demands met, they have ended the boycott and are now returning to work.
Glib
speaking easily but without thinking carefully; speaking in a smooth, easy way that is insincere
ex) How could he have been so glib about such a traumatic event?
Incise
cut into [incision (n); incisive (a)]
ex) The clay is incised to create a design.
Moralistic
concerned with morals [moralize (v)]
ex) The conversation took a moralistic turn as my mother began to scold me for living a lifestyle she felt to be immoral.
Ostracism
shunning, social isolation [ostracize (v)]
ex) Sadly, the rich children ostracize the other girl because she comes from a poor family.
Penchant
inclination, leaning, tendency, predilection
ex) At an early age, my annoying brother seemed to have a penchant for getting into trouble.
Rarefy
make less dense [rarefaction (n)]
ex) To make the mixture less dense, add water to rarefy it.
Repine
fret, be discontented
ex) While in prison the man did nothing but repine for his freedom.
Stipulate
to insist upon something as a condition of an agreement [stipulation (n)]
ex) Before I agree to close the deal, I must stipulate a few requirements that must be met before I sign on the dotted line.
Diaphanous
transparent, thin and delicate
ex) Most dancers wear several layers of clothing because the stage lights often make their costumes appear diaphanous.
Feint
pretended attack, a move intended to deceive
ex) The child’s feint involved pretending to be ill so he would not have to face his bullies at school.
Inured
able to withstand hardship, to become accustomed to something unpleasant by prolonged exposure
ex) Ever since Melissa lost her mother when she was a child, she has been inured to hardship.
Mettlesome
describes a person or animal that is both spirited and brave
ex) My brother is a mettlesome boy whose free-spirit always leads him to some type of adventure.
Puissance
power
ex) After having an undefeated record for months, the wrestler’s puissance over her competitors was quickly displayed in every fight.
Recondite
obscure
ex) The difficult concept of the physics theory was recondite to everyone but the scientists.
Stygian
very dark
ex) The stygian cave led to an underground river which frightened the explorers.
Touting
brag, advertising, supporting [tout (v)]
ex) Although Jared’s parents are extremely wealthy, he acts like a normal person and does not tout his background.
Virtuosity
skill, expertise [virtuoso (n); virtuosi (n.pl)]
ex) The talented singer’s virtuosity landed her a spot at the famed Apollo Theater.
Volubility
excessive talkativeness [voluble (a)]
ex) After my grandfather drinks a few beers, he becomes voluble and will not stop talking.
Caret
A proofreading symbol (‸) used to indicate where something is to be inserted in a line of printed or written matter.
ex) Always include carets when needed.
Contiguous
used to describe things that touch each other or are next to each other
ex) Having a balcony that is contiguous to my bedroom allows me to view the sunrise from my bed.
Damp
(used of vibration) reduce in extent
ex) His hand moved to his mouth as he tried to damp down the panic.
Ellipsis
omission of essential words
ex) Always include ellipsis’s when needed.
Extirpation
wiping out, complete destruction [extirpate (v)]
ex) Hopefully the pesticides will extirpate the insects from my garden.
Foppish
behaving or dressing like a dandy, excessively concerned with fashion
ex) Like a fop, a man overly concerned with his appearance.
Gaffe
an obvious error or mistake
ex) Because of the quarterback’s gaffe, our team lost the big game.
Hortatory
encouraging, exhorting
ex) The coach gave his players a hortatory speech to inspire them to play well.
Opprobrious
conveying shame or contempt
ex) Elaine was offended by her friends’ opprobrious remarks about her drunken behavior.
Recumbent
reclining, lying down
ex) After drinking four beers, my father was recumbent in his favorite chair.
Ambidextrous
able to use both left and right hands equally well
ex) Although he considered himself to be ambidextrous, he was always cutting his left hand when he tried to juggle swords.
Culpability
guilt [culpable = blameworthy]
ex) The judge found the man culpable of the crime and sentenced him to life in prison.
Discernment
smart judgement
ex) I used discernment to choose the candidate for whom I wanted vote.
Encomium
praise
ex) Paula finds painting so therapeutic that she has written an encomium celebrating the art form.
Inveigle
coax, cajole, wheedle, entice
ex) The detective could inveigle information out of the quietest suspects.
Minatory
threatening
ex) Although the message seemed minatory, the student swore that it was joke and not a threat.
Ossified
turned to bone; become rigid [ossification (n)]
ex) My father’s opinion has started to ossify so I know he won’t change his mind.
Plumb
explore, measure depth of (v), exact (a. slang)
ex) Using the Internet, you can easily plumb your essay topic before writing the paper.
Quintessential
most typical, the perfect example of [quintessence (n)]
ex) Everyone knows watermelon is the quintessential fruit on a hot summer day.
Runic
mysterious, magical
ex) And the book may be just what the thieves need to figure out the runic symbols.
