GRE - Manhattan Essential Word List - L2 Flashcards
Abdicate
(v) Formally give up the throne (or some other power or responsibility), give up, such as power, as of monarchs and emperors, or duties and obligations
Adhere
Stick (to), such as with glue, or to a plan or belief
Alienate
Cause to become unfriendly, hostile, or distant
Arcane
Known or understood by only a few; obscure, secret
Augment
Make Larger
Bolster
Strengthen or support
Capricious
Acting on impulse, erratic
Coalesce
Come together, unite; fuse together
Confer
Consult, compare views; bestow or give
Conversant
Knowledge about or experienced with
Covert
Secret, veiled, undercover
Debunk
Expose, ridicule, or disprove false or exaggerated claims
Denote
Be a name or symbol for
Disabuse
Free someone from a mistake in thinking
Dispatch
Speed, promptness; send off or deal with in a speedy way
Divine
Discover through divination or or supernatural means; perceive by insight
Egalitarian
Related to belief in the equality of all people, esp. in political, economic, or social spheres
Enervate
Weaken, tire
Eschew
Shun, avoid, abstain from
Extrapolate
Conjecture about an unknown by projecting information about something known; predict by projecting past experience
Finesse
Extreme delicacy, subtlety, or diplomacy in handling a sensitive situation or in a performance or skill (n); use tact or diplomacy; employ a deceptive strategy (v)
Gainsay
Declare false, deny; oppose
Guile
Clever deceit, cunning, craftiness
Hyperbole
Deliberate exaggeration for effect
Inadvertent
Unintentional; characterized by a lack of attention, careless
Indifferent
Not caring, having no interest; unbiased, impartial
Jargon
Vocabulary specific to a group or occupation; convoluted or unintelligible language
Landmark
Object (such as a building) that stands out and can be used to navigate by; a very important place, event, etc.
Likewise
Also, in addition to; similarly, in the same way
Metamorphosis
A complete change or transformation (in biology, a change such as a caterpillar becoming a pupa and then a butterfly)
Nascent
Coming into existence, still developing
Obstinate
Stubborn or hard to control
Oscillate
Swing back and forth; waver, change one’s mind
Patronizing
Condescending, having a superior manner, treating as an inferior
Phone
fake, counterfeit; insincere, not genuine
Posthumous
Happening or continuing after death
Pretentious
Claiming or demanding a position of importance or dignity, esp. when unjustified; showing off, creating a deceptive, false show of worth
Proliferate
Increase or spread rapidly or excessively
Quandary
Uncertainty or confusion about what to do, dilemma
Replete
Supplied in abundance, filled gorged (used with with)
Retrospective
Looking to the past or backward; applying to the past, retroactive (adj.); An art exhibit of an artist’s work over a long period of time (n)
Sanguine
Cheerfully optimistic, hopeful; reddish, ruddy (as in rosy-red cheeks indicating health or vitality)
Simultaneous
At the same time
Spate
Sudden outpouring or rush; flood
Status quo
Existing state or condition
Supplicate
Pray humbly; ask, beg, or seek in a humble way
Tenuous
Long and thin, slender; slimsy, having little substance
Ubiquitous
Existing everywhere at the same time
Verbose
Wordy
Wily
Crafty, cunning, characterized by tricks or artifice
