GRE Major Tests Chapter 4 Flashcards
Adulation
strong admiration
ex) He was very uncomfortable with the adulation from his fans.
Bristle
to show irritation
ex) She bristled at his rudeness.
Decoy
lure, trap
ex) They tried to decoy the enemy towards the hidden group.
Erratic
wandering, irregular
ex) When the officer saw the man driving in an erratic manner, he pulled him over to question him.
Histrionic
theatrical, exaggerated
ex) I was accustomed to my mothers histrionics.
Laud
praise
ex) Many people lauded her efforts to help the poor.
Obstreperous
noisy and boisterous
ex) Because my nephew was obstreperous, he often gets in trouble at school.
Portend
foretell
ex) By hovering nearby, the dark clouds portend a storm in our area.
Retraction
withdrawal
ex) The retraction of the apology.
Titter
giggle quietly
ex) Some people in the audience tittered nervously during an awkward pause in the speech.
Adversity
hardship
ex) Adversity happens to everyone.
Broach
start to discuss, approach
ex) She was reluctant to broach the subject.
Deference
respect
ex) He bowed his head in deference to his master.
Esoteric
obscure and difficult to understand
ex) An esoteric statement.
Hoary
old
ex) The hoary house was built in the eighteenth century.
Lavish
on a grand scale, wasteful
ex) He is lavish with his money.
Obtuse
mentally dull
ex) The obtuse young man had a hard time understanding the simple instructions.
Portent
a warning sign
ex) A cat crossing the road before us is a portent of something unpleasant.
Revere
worship
ex) People from India revere the cow as a sacred object.
Tome
large book
ex) The tome was far heavier than she expected.
Advocate
support
ex) Any good doctor will advocate healthy eating for his patients.
Brusque
blunt
ex) The salesgirl’s brusque manner made me change my mind about shopping in the store.
Defoliate
cause leaves to fall off
ex) The period of defoliation varies in different countries according to the nature of their climate.
Espouse
promote
ex) People who espouse the Paleo diet claim that they feel beer and its much easier to control their weight.
Hone
sharpen
ex) He wanted to hone his skills as a photographer.
Lax
careless, relaxed
ex) The lax security at the event allowed people to just slip in and out unnoticed.
Obviate
avoid, make unnecessary
ex) we replaced the old mechanisms because we wanted to obviate any nervousness about potential breakdown.
Poseur
someone who puts on an act
ex) The critic labeled the writer a poseur who was not interested in influencing the people than in writing good books.
Riddled
full of (usually full of holes)
ex) The bodies of four people were found riddled with bullets.
Torpid
inactive, lazy
ex) During the colder months these reptiles remain in a torpid state.
Aesthetic
concerning art or beauty
ex) Because Henry could see both the mountains and the ocean from his hotel room, he really enjoyed the aesthetic view.
Bulwark
fortification, barricade
ex) vaccines act as a bulwark against many childhood diseases.
Defunct
no longer in existence
ex) After being hit by a hurricane, the entire neighborhood was defunct.
Etymology
the study of word origins
ex) I was puzzled about how the word typhoon came into English so I researched its etymology.
Hyperbole
grossly exaggerated speech
ex) Although what I say may sound like a hyperbole, it really is the truth.
Legend
key to map, myth
ex) He is a legend.
Odious
hateful
ex) Because he had an odious personality, he had very few friends.
Posterity
future generations
ex) we bury time capsules for ourselves and for posterity.
Rife
common
ex) The beach is rife with young people during summer months.
Torpor
dormancy, inactivity
ex) If my husband does not come out of his torpor and get his job, I will divorce him.
Affable
friendly, social
ex) Since he wanted to be voted the most affable by at school, Jason always had a smile for everyone.
Bureaucracy
officialdom
ex) In the waiting room, we were given numerous documents to complete as part of the hospitals pretreatment bureaucracy.
Degradation
deprivation, poverty
ex) The degradation of the land surrounding New Orleans was caused by Hurricane Katrina.
Eulogy
praise
ex) I was asked to give the eulogy at my friends funeral.
Hypochondriac
a person obsessed with health
ex) My college roommate was a hypochondriac who wore a facial mask to avoid inhaling germs.
Legion
in large numbers
ex) Legions of people came to see him perform.
Officious
domineering
ex) I didn’t appreciate the policeman’s officious attitude when he was questioning me.
Posthumous
after death
ex) These are his posthumous works.
Rigor
thoroughness
ex) They underwent the rigors of military training.
Totter
walk unsteadily
ex) The drunkard tottered across the road.
