GRE Major Tests Chapter 24 Flashcards
Asperity
using harsh or critical tone
ex) When I was a teenager, my father used asperity when he spoke with all my dates in hopes of scaring them away.
Blowhard
boastful person
ex) He doesn’t like to be a blowhard about what he’s developed.
Disingenuous
not candid or sincere, generally by pretending one knows less than one actually does
ex) The detective was a disingenuous man who often played dumb to trick others into confessing.
Evanescent
short-lived [evanescence (n)]
ex) We would have all missed the evanescent moment if not for the photographer’s speed and skill.
Intangible
cannot be touched, abstract [intangibility (n)]
ex) Love is the intangible bond that keeps my husband and I together.
Labile
changing rapidly, unstable
ex) My body’s response to dairy products is labile and usually hurts worse when I exercise after consumption.
Malapropism
use of similar sounding but incorrect word
ex) As everyone laughed at the funny sentence, the president apologized for the malapropism made by his twisted tongue.
Posture (v)
to put on an act
ex) The small book it hefted made its stooped posture almost double over.
Proximate
immediate, nearest
ex) The proximate cause of the fire
Pugnacious
aggressive, ready to fight [pugnacity (n)]
ex) The pugnacious little boy constantly talks back to his mother.
Foreshadowed
indicated a future event [foreshadow (v)]
ex) Telling lies up front in a relationship can foreshadow serious problems down the road.
Gaucherie
awkwardness [gauche (a)]
ex) She had long since got over gaucheries such as blushing
Heterodox
unorthodox
ex) The church will excommunicate anyone who preaches heterodox beliefs.
Inscrutability
quality of being difficult to comprehend [inscrutable (a)]
ex) When Larry wrote the letter, he was so tired the writing was nearly inscrutable.
Limerick
short amusing poem
ex) As for that limerick of hers, I have heard her tell worse.
Mannered
stylized, pretentious
ex) So mannered as to be unintelligible.
Pluck (n)
courage
ex) It is admitted that her extraordinary pluck and sense of leadership were responsible for this result.
Sedulous
diligent, hard working and persistent
ex) Because he is a sedulous worker who is always on the lookout for new prospects, Garrison has been Salesman of the Year for six years in a row.
Syllogism
a line of reasoning in which a conclusion is drawn from two related premises
ex) If you believe that all water is safe to drink just because water from a bottle is safe to drink, you have used syllogism to reach a wrong conclusion.
Vicissitude
unexpected change in fortune or circumstances
ex) My vicissitude in college was tackling seven classes and a job.
Acolyte
disciple, follower or attendant
ex) a popular professor dining with a few of her acolytes.
Admonitory
conveying a warning
ex) The teacher’s voice had an admonitory tone as she told the students to stop talking or lose recess.
Caprices
an impulsive act
ex) Because John did not think before acting, he could spend the next ten years in prison for a silly caprice.
Cornucopia
a large amount of something
ex) The gigantic farmer’s market has a cornucopia of fresh foods.
Deferential
showing respect [deference (n); defer (v)]
ex) Kyle decided to shave off his mohawk in deference to his Grandmother.
Intractability
stubbornness, resistance [intractable (a)]
ex) When the hyperactive child did not take his sedative, he was intractable and difficult to manage.
Luminary
eminent person, a person who influences or motivates other people
ex) Because Dr. Swanson is a luminary in the medical profession, he recently had a surgical procedure named after him.
Minion
underling, servant
ex) At work, I’m a minion who does everything my boss says.
Undergird
support, strengthen
ex) Took measures to undergird the ship.
Vitiate
weaken, sap energy
ex) When peers and bullies apply pressure, it can vitiate the moral character of young people and lead them down the wrong path.
Coterie
clique, small group with common interests
ex) Our coterie of girls always sits at the best table in the school cafeteria.
Denigrate
decry, criticize, belittle
ex) I would never succeed in the corporate world because I could never denigrate others in order to move ahead in business.
Empirical
found by experiment or practice
ex) Our data is based on empirical evidence collected in numerous studies.
Gainsay
contradict
ex) Since Jack told the truth on the witness stand, no one was able to gainsay his statement.
Hyperbole
exaggeration [hyperbolic (a)]
ex) The main element of the product’s commercial was a hyperbole describing rapid weight loss.
Modest
- bashful, unpretentious 2. not excessive
ex) With our modest incomes, my wife and I can usually afford two vacations a year.
Prolixity
wordiness [prolix (a)]
ex) The paper was marked down for the writer’s use of prolixity to lengthen it.
Rebus
puzzle in which pictures give clues
ex) A picture of an eye followed by an L followed by an ampersand is a rebus for “island”
Sere
withered, old
ex) The sere leaves that covered the ground were once healthy, but are now dry and brittle.
Vulpine
like a fox [compare with bovine (cow-like), porcine (pig-like), etc.]
ex) He noticed Lord Faustus, especially, laughing at him with a vulpine grin.
Corroborate
give supporting evidence [corroboration (n)]
ex) I prayed my friend would corroborate the lie I told my parents!
Exacerbated
made worse [exacerbate (v), exacerbation (n)]
ex) Cora chose to exacerbate the argument by throwing a lamp at Mark’s head.
Exact (v)
to demand, extort
ex) Sure, the cross bars exact a big fuel economy penalty, but don’t the rails hurt a bit, too?
Faddish
whimsical, following a fashion
ex) The same is happening now with other foods that have become unbearably faddish.
Hapless
unlucky
ex) When Jason lost his wife and job on the same day, he knew he was a hapless soul.
Misconstrue
put a wrong interpretation on something
ex) Carla had no idea that her intended compliment had been completely misconstrued by her aunt.
Perennial
long-lasting
ex) Every election seems to continue to deal with the same perennial issues that have been the focus of all the previous elections.
Rent
torn (past participle of the verb to rend)
ex) The hungry dog is going to rend the steak into pieces.
Shard
fragment of pottery
ex) A sharp shard of shrapnel pierced the soldier’s armor and caused a deep wound.
Xenophobe
person afraid of foreigners
ex) The boy’s xenophobia arose when he watched a black man kill his mother.
