GRE Major Tests Chapter 5 Flashcards
Alacrity
eagerness, enthusiasm
ex) Having studied really hard last night, the student took the exam with alacrity.
Burgeon
grow, flourish
ex) As car prices go down, car dealers are expecting sales to burgeon.
Deleterious
harmful
ex) Pollution has a deleterious effect on the environment.
Euphemism
a polite phrase to cover something unpleasant
ex) Being treated “like a girl” is a common euphemism for not being taken seriously.
Hypocritical
insincere, pretends to have certain beliefs or feelings when they really do not.
ex) He is a hypocrite for saying he acres about the environment, because he constantly litters.
Lethargic
tired, without energy
ex) During the hottest days of summer I feel so lethargic.
Ogle
stare at, observe in an obvious manner
ex) He was ogling her breasts.
Postulate
hypothesize, propose, assert something as truth
ex) He postulated his opinion that appearance is just as important as personality.
Robust
strong, healthy
ex) My grandfather is over 90 years old, and is still in robust health.
Tractable
obedient, dutiful, polite
ex) The dog is very tractable.
Alchemy
medieval chemistry, attempt to change bas metal into gold
ex) My grandfather has the knowledge of alchemy.
Burnish
polish
ex) The old woman burnished the pot until it gleamed.
Deliberate
to think over deeply
ex) Sure she was thin, but it wasn’t a deliberate condition.
Euphony
pleasant sounds
ex) When I read the poets works, I was moved by the melodious euphony of her words.
Iconoclast
person who opposes orthodoxy
ex) The successful entrepreneur is an iconoclast who is not afraid to introduce something new to the market.
Levity
flippancy, joking about serious matters
ex) Maybe a little levity would help.
Olfactory
concerned with the sense of smell
ex) Then hound dog used his olfactory sense to locate the missing girl.
Potable
suitable for drinking
ex) Drinking water must be potable, that is, it must be clean, or drinkable.
Rotund
round
ex) A rotund little man who, predictably, was asked to play Santa every year.
Tranquil
peaceful
ex) I’am going to bed with a happy tranquil mind.
Alibi
an excuse that shows someone was not at a crime scene
ex) The police are suspicious of my alibi.
Buttress
strengthen, support
ex) My professor told him he needed to do some more research to find data to be a buttress for his theory.
Delineation
demarcation, explanation
ex) If you want your children to properly complete their chores, you have to clearly delineate the tasks so you kids will know what to do.
Evacuate
vacate, empty
ex) I’ll evacuate you as soon as it’s safe.
Idiosyncrasy
a personal peculiarity, something unique to an individual
ex) One of his little idiosyncrasies was always preferring to be in the car first.
Libertarian
someone who opposes tyranny
ex) It is more than a little ironic, a libertarian complaining of not enough government intervention.
Ominous
threatening
ex) Spain had received many ominous warnings.
Potent
powerful, compelling
ex) The potent poison killed him within seconds.
Ruminate
think over something, ponder
ex) His sudden death made us all ruminate on the true value of time.
Transcribe
copy
ex) The senator’s speech was transcribed.
Allay
to lessen
ex) A good teacher will work hard to allay the concerns of a new student.
Byline
the line that tells you who wrote an article
ex) Bod Woodward has the byline on the Post file delay story.
Demur
hesitate, refuse
ex) Normally she would accept the challenge, but she demurred.
Exacerbate
make worse
ex) If you do not take your medicine, your condition will exacerbate, and you will feel worse.
Ignominious
shameful
ex) It was an ignominious defeat for him.
Liniment
soothing lotion
ex) The trainer applied liniment to the football player’s aching back.
Omnipotent
all-powerful
ex) My teenage daughter likes to believe she is omnipotent in our household.
Pragmatic
practical
ex) There was not pragmatic solution to the problem.
Ruse
trick
ex) The security guard knew the girls were going to try and use a distractive ruse in order to shoplift.
Transgress
go astray disobey
ex) The judge will decide the penalty for my transgression.
Alleviate
make less severe
ex) He put on his sunglasses, which did little to alleviate the headache sunlight gave him.
Cacophony
discordant loud noises
ex) The road was filled with a cacophony of horns and yelling.
Denounce
condemn, speak out against
ex) It was tempting to denounce him in front of everyone, but that would be childish.
Exasperated
frustrated, annoyed
ex) We were exasperated by the delays.
Ignominy
shame
ex) Our team has to face the ignominy of a long losing streak.
Lithe
flexible
ex) She has the lithe, agile body that would be perfect for gymnastics.
Omniscient
all-knowing
ex) He thinks he knows what is best for everybody, but as far as I know he is not omniscient.
Pragmatist
practical person, one who is concerned with usefulness
ex) There was no pragmatic solution to the problem.
Saccharine
falsely sweet
ex) The foolish man at the bar thought he could pick me up with a saccharine line.
Transient
short-lived, ephemeral
ex) The snow is transient and will melt as soon as the sun appears.
