GRE - Manhattan Essential Word List - L7 Flashcards
Abrasive
Rough, suitable for grinding or polishing (such as sandpaper); causing irritation or annoyance
Affable
Warm and friendly, pleasant, approachable
Anoint
Rub or sprinkle oil on; make sacred, such as by a ceremony that includes applying oil to someone
Artless
Free of deceit or craftiness, natural, genuine; lacking skill or knowledge, crude, uncultured
Balk
Refuse to proceed or to do something
Buttress
Support or encourage (v); a support or prop, esp. projecting from and supporting the wall of a building (n)
Censure
Strong disapproval or official reprimand (n); to issue such disapproval or reprimand (v)
Compliant
Obeying, submissive; following the requirements
Construe
interpret or translate
Cosmopolitan
Belonging to the entire world, at home globally; free from local or national prejudices or attachements
Crescendo
Steady increase in force, intensity, or the loudness of a musical passage; a climactic moment or peak
Deference
Respectful submission; yielding to the authority or opinionj of another
Deterrent
Something that restrains or discourages
Disingenuous
Insincere, not genuine
Dissent
Disagree or take an opposing view, esp. in relation to a formal body such as a government, political party, or church; such a view
e.g.
For example, such as
Eloquent
Marked by forceful, fluid, apt speech; expressive, emotionally moving
Ephemeral
Lasting only a short time, fleeting
Exacting
Very severe in making demands; requiring precise attention
Fanciful
Whimsical, capricious; imaginary; freely imaginative rather than based on reason or reality
Forfeit
Surrender or lose as a result of an error, crime, or failure to fulfill an obligation
Gist
Main idea, essence
Hedonist
Person devoted to pleasure
Impartial
Unbiased, fair
Incipient
Just beginning; in a very early state
Innocuous
Harmless, inoffensive
Kudos
Praise, honor, congratulations
Layperson
A person who is not a member of the clergy or not a member of a particular profession (such as medicine, law, etc.)
Makeshift
A temporary, often improvised, substitute (n); improvised for temporary use (adj.)
Monotony
Sameness or repetitiousness to the point of being boring; lack variation, uniformity, esp. repetition in sound
Novel
New, fresh, original
Offset
Counteract, compensate for (v); a counterbalance(n)
Pariah
Social outcast, untouchable
Perfidious
Disloyal, treacherous, violating one’s trust
Plastic
Able to be shaped or formed; easily influenced
Precursor
Something that comes before, esp. something that also announces or suggests something on its way
Prodigious
Extraordinarily large, impressive, etc.
Proscribe
Prohibit, outlaw; denounce; exile or banish
Recluse
Person who lives in seclusion
Resolution
The quality of being firmly determined; resolving to do something; a formal judgement, esp. decided by a vote
Rustic
Relating to country life, unsophisticated; primitive; made of rough wood (adj.); a rural or uncultured person (n)
Scant
Not enough or barely enough
Slight
Small, not very important, slender or delicate (adj.); treat as though not very important; snub, ignore(v); an act of treating in this way; a discourtesy (n)
Sporadic
Occasional, happening irregularly or in scattered locations
Subjective
Existing in the mind or relating to one’s own thoughts, opinions, emotions, etc.; personal, individual, based on feelings
Table
Lay aside to discuss later, ofter as a way to postpone discussion indefinitely
Torrid
Very hot, parching, burning; passionate
Unprecedented
Never before known or seen, without having happened previously
Volatile
Varying, inconsistent, fleeting; tending to violence, explosive;
