GRE Major Tests Chapter 3 Flashcards
Acrid
sharp, pungent (used of smells and tastes)
ex) The acrid smell of cigarette ashes burned her nose and brought tears to her eyes.
Boorish
ill-mannered
ex) Even though the pirate captain was brutal and boorish with his men, he was always courteous to the female captives.
Cynical
believing that people act only out of selfish motives
ex) I’am cynical about politics.
Epistle
a letter (form of communication)
ex) The epistle from the court ordered me to appear as a possible juror.
Heresy
against orthodox opinion
ex) Heresy in our church has led to a huge disagreement between members of our congregation.
Lance
spear, spike, javelin
ex) I saw a lance in a museum that was said to have been used in the middle ages.
Obscure
difficult to understand
ex) Everything seemed dark, obscure, and terrible.
Poignant
deeply moving, strongly affecting the emotions
ex) Because the poignant movie reminded me of my partial childhood, it made me cry.
Respite
a break
ex) Gardening is the perfect hobby for those who need respite from heretic city life.
Terse
concise, to the point
ex) “working on it”, came the terse response.
Acrophobia
fear of heights
ex) The boy’s acrophobia prevented him from climbing the ladder.
Bourgeois
middle class
ex) Although he came from a poor family, Charles always acted bourgeois when he was out with his friends.
Debility
weakness, incapacity
ex) The debility she suffered from has threatened her health.
Epistolary
concerned with letters
ex) An epistolary novel.
Hiatus
interruption, pause
ex) After a three year hiatus, Simple Minds came back with a new CD.
Languid
tired, slow
ex) After the long journey I felt very languid.
Obscured
hidden, covered
ex) Dark clouds obscured the Moon.
Poised
calm, collected, self-possessed
ex) The actors were poised on stage, ready for the curtain to come up.
Resplendent
shining, glowing
ex) The peacock is a bird with resplendent plumage in multiple shades if blues and greens.
Therapeutic
medicinal, curative
ex) Research has shown that family pets can be very therapeutic in helping people to overcome depression.
Acuity
sharpness (mental or visual)
ex) A snipers visual acuity has to be exceptional because he must be able to clearly see his targets.
Braggart
someone who boasts
ex) He was a braggart who was always talking about how much money he made.
Debunking
exposing false claims or myths
ex) The results of the study debunks his theory.
Epitomized
characterized
ex) She told me my assignment epitomized excellence in the field of physics.
Hidebound
rigid in opinions
ex) The hidebound innkeeper refused to see the need for a web site.
Languish
decay, fade away, to live in miserable conditions
ex) He languished in prison for years.
Obsequious
servile, submissive
ex) The little girl had obsequious manners.
Polemical
causing debate or argument
ex) They managed to discuss the issues without resorting to polemics.
Restorative
a tonic
ex) The restorative powers of rest.
Thwart
prevent, frustrate
ex) She did all she could to thwart his plans.
Adamant
forceful, inflexible
ex) We all wondered why they adamantly opposed having GPS installed.
Brawny
muscular
ex) He had brawny tattooed arms.
Decathlon
an athletic event with ten events
ex) The decathlon was delayed due to poor weather conditions.
Equivocate
speak ambiguously
ex) The applicant seemed to be equivocating when we asked about his last job.
Hieroglyphics
picture writing, writing which its hard to read or enigmatic.
ex) The word hieroglyphic means “sacred carving” in Greek.
Larceny
theft
ex) Once the trial ended, the man was charged with the crime of larceny.
Obsession
a domination concern
ex) I’am obsessed with this business.
Ponderous
weighty, slow and heavy
ex) He carried a ponderous load.
Retention
preservation
ex) The soil’s retention of moisture.
Timorous
cowardly
ex) A timorous voice.
Adroit
skillful
ex) It was the adroit way to solve problem.
Brevity
being brief, shortness of time
ex) The brevity of human life.
Decorum
correct behavior
ex) He maintained a decorum behavior throughout the party.
Err
make a mistake
ex) To err is human.
Hinder
obstruct
ex) She wasn’t certain why her chest felt tight enough to hinder her breathing.
Obsolete
no longer valid
ex) We are in the process of obsoleting this product.
Pontificate
speak pompously
ex) We had to listen to her pontificate about the best way to raise children.
Reticent
restrained, holding something back, uncommunicative
ex) She answered questions but was reticent most of the time.
Largess
generosity
ex) An activist for the poor, Philip is well-known for his largess which helps many in need.
Tirade
stream of verbal abuse
ex) His tirade ended as abruptly as it began.
