GRE Misc Flashcards
quixotic (adj) kwick-SAH-tick
Extremely impractical but very romantic, chivalrous, or idealistic; impulsive
olio (n) O-lee-o
a miscellaneous mixture; hodgepodge
priggish (adj) PRIG-ish
self-righteously moralistic and superior; narrow-minded
punctilious (adj) punk-TIL-ee-uhs
Strict or exact in the observance of the formalities or amenities of conduct or actions
bootless (adj) BOOT-less
Without result, gain, or advantage; unavailing; useless
feckless (adj) FEK-less
Ineffective; incompetent; futile; Having no sense of responsibility; indifferent; lazy
puckish (adj) PUK-ish
Mischievous; impish
wry (adj) WRY
Distorted or lopsidedness; Playful funny; Abnormally bent or turned to one side; twisted; crooked; Devious in course or purpose; misdirected; Contrary; perverse; Distorted or perverted as in meaning
puritanical (adj) pyoo-ri-TAN-i-kuhl
Very strict in moral or religious matters, often excessively so; rigidly austere
partisan (n) PAR-ti-zen
An adherent or supporter of a person, group, party, or cause, especially a person who shows a biased, emotional allegiance
taciturn (adj) TAS-i-turn
Inclined to silence; reserved in speech; reluctant to join in conversation
turbid (adj) TUR-bid
Not clear or transparent because of stirred-up sediment or the like; clouded; opaque; obscured; Thick or dense as smoke or clouds; Confused; muddled; disturbed
addlepated (adj) ADD-l-pay-ted
Stupid and confused
grandiloquent (adj) gran-DILL-oh-kwent
Relating to lofty speech, esp. to the point of being pompous, overblown, bombastic
mélange (n) mey-LANZH
A mixture; medley
tremulous (adj) TREM-yoo-luss
(of persons, the body, etc.) characterized by trembling, as from fear, nervousness, or weakness; timid, timorous, fearful;(of things) vibratory, shaking, or quivering;(of writing) done with a trembling hand
chary (adj) CHAIR-ee
Cautious or careful, wary; shy, timid; fastidious, choosy; sparing (often followed by of)
Desuetude (n) DES-wi-tood or DES-wi-tyood
The state of being no longer used or practised
risible (adj) RIZZ-uh-bull
Causing or capable of causing laughter, laughable, ludicrous; having the ability, disposition, or readiness to laugh; pertaining to or connected with laughing
verdant (adj) VER-duhnt
Green, such as with vegetation, plants, grass, etc.; young and inexperienced
convivial (adj) kuhn-VIV-ee-yuhl
Friendly, agreeable, a convivial atmosphere; fond of feasting, drinking, and merry company, jovial; of or befitting a feast; festive
triage (n, adj, verb) tree-AHZH
The process of sorting victims, as of a battle or disaster, to determine medical priority in order to increase the number of survivors (n); the determination of priorities for action in an emergency; of, pertaining to, or performing the task of triage (adj): a triage officer; (used with object) to act on or in by triage: to triage a crisis (verb)
uncouth (adj) uhn-KOOTH
Awkward, clumsy, or unmannerly (Think of Cousin Ed on National Lampoons); strange and ungraceful in appearance or form; unusual or strange
putative (adj) PYOO-tuh-tiv
Commonly regarded as such; reputed; supposed; purported
myrmidon (n) MUR-mi-don or MUR-mi-d’n
A person who executes without question or scruple a master’s commands
wizened (n) WIZZ-end
Withered, shriveled
gallivant (adj) GAL-uh-vant or gal-uh-VANT
To wander about, seeking pleasure or diversion, gad; to go about with members of the opposite sex
artifice (n) AR-tuh-fiss
A clever trick or stratagem, a cunning, crafty device or expedient, wile; trickery, guile, craftiness; cunning, ingenuity, inventiveness; a skillful or artful contrivance or expedient
pedant (n) PED-int
Person who pays excessive attention to book learning and rules, or who uses his or her learning to show off
dissipation (n) dis-uh-PAY-shuhn
A wasting by misuse; mental distraction; amusement, diversion; dissolute way of living, especially excessive drinking of liquor; intemperance
profligate (adj; n) PROH-fli-git or PROH-fli-gayt
Utterly and shamelessly immoral or dissipated, thoroughly dissolute; recklessly prodigal or extravagant (adj); a person of such character
trenchant (adj) TREN-chint
Forceful or vigorous, effective, keen; caustic, sharp
parlous (adj; adv) PAR-luss
Perilous, dangerous (adj); to a large extent, greatly (adv)
trundle (verb) TRUN-dull
to cause (a circular object) to roll along, roll; to convey or move in a wagon, cart, or other wheeled vehicle; to cause to rotate, twirl, spin; to roll along; to move or run on a wheel or wheels or in a wheeled vehicle; to move or walk with a rolling gait
sangfroid (n) sahn-FRAW
Coolness of mind, calmness, composure
appose (verb) uh-POHZ
To place side by side, as two things, place next to, juxtapose; to put or apply (one thing) to or near to another
eremite (n) er-uh-MITE
A hermit or recluse, especially one under a religious vow
turpitude (n) TER-pit-ood
Depravity, bseness of character, corrupt or depraved acts
paragon (n) PAR-uh-gon or PAR-uh-gahn
A model or pattern of excellence or of a particular excellence; someone of exceptional merit; an unusually large, round pearl
ignomious (adj) ig-nuh-MIN-ee-uss
Marked by or attended with ignominy (disgrace, dishonor, public contempt), discreditable; bearing or deserving ignominy; contemptible
quisling (n) KWIZ-ling
A person who betrays his or her own country by aiding an invading enemy, often serving later in a puppet government; fifth columnist
flagitious (adj) fla-JISH-uss
Shamefully wicked, as persons, actions, or times; heinous or flagrant, as a crime; infamous
callow (adj; n) KAL-oh
Immature or inexperienced; (of a young bird) featherless, unfledged (adj); a recently hatched worker ant (n)
amity (n) AM-i-tee
Friendship, peaceful harmony; mutual understanding and a peaceful relationship, especially between nations; peace; accord
debauchment (n) dih-BAWCH-ment
A period of wanton or sensual self-indulgence; an uninhibited spree or party; orgy
protean (adj) PROH-tee-uhn or pro-TEE-uhn
Readily assuming different forms or characters, extremely variable; changeable in shape or form, as an amoeba; (of an actor or actress) versatile, able to play many kinds of roles
arcadian (adj) ar-KAY-dee-uhn
Rural, rustic, or pastoral, especially suggesting simple, innocent contentment
parochial (adj) puh-ROH-kee-uhl
Of or pertaining to a parish or parishes; of or pertaining to parochial schools or the education they provide; very limited or narrow in scope or outlook, provincial
hinterland (n) HIN-ter-land
The remote or less developed parts of a country, back country; the land lying behind a coastal region; an area or sphere of influence in the unoccupied interior claimed by the state possessing the coast; an inland area supplying goods, especially trade goods, to a port
spartan (adj) SPAHR-t’n
Sternly disciplined and rigorously simple, frugal, or austere; brave, undaunted
deft (adj) DEFT
Dexterous, nimble, skillful, clever
in cahoot (idom) kuh-HOOT
In partnership; in league, in conspiracy
disinterested (adj) dis-IN-tuh-res-tid or dis-IN-tri-stid
Unbiased by personal interest or advantage; not influenced by selfish motives
fulmination (n) fuhl-muh-NAY-shun
A violent denunciation or censure; violent explosion
aspersion (n) uh-SPER-zhuhn or uh-SPER-shun
A damaging or derogatory remark or criticism, slander; the act of slandering, vilification, defamation, calumniation, derogation; the act of sprinkling, as in baptism
muckrake (verb) MUHK-rake
To search for and expose real or alleged corruption, scandal, or the like, especially in politics
agog (adj) uh-GOG
Highly excited by eagerness, curiosity, anticipation
sanctimonious (adj) sangk-tuh-MOH-nee-uss
Making a hypocritical show of religious devotion, piety, righteousness
effete (adj) ih-FEET
Lacking in wholesome vigor, degenerate, decadent; exhausted of vigor or energy, worn out; unable to produce, sterile
tepid(adj) TEP-id
Moderately warm, lukewarm; characterized by a lack of force or enthusiasm
saturnine (adj) SAT-er-nine
Sluggish in temperament, gloomy, taciturn; suffering from lead poisoning, as a person; due to absorption of lead, as bodily disorders
scurvy (adj) SKER-vee
Contemptible, mean
shyster (n) SHY-ster
A lawyer who uses unprofessional or questionable methods; a person who gets along by petty, sharp practices; con man
quack (n) KWAK
A fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill; a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to skill, knowledge, or qualifications he or she does not possess; a charlatan
dally (verb) DAL-ee
To waste time, loiter, delay; to act playfully, especially in an amorous or flirtatious way; to play mockingly; trifle
sobriquet (n) SOH-brick-ay or soh-brick-AY
A nickname
appellation (n) ap-uh-LAY-shun
A name, title, or designation
abjured (verb) ab-JOOR
To renounce, repudiate, or retract, especially with formal solemnity, recant
gibe (verb; n) JIBE
To utter mocking or scoffing words, jeer; to taunt, deride (verb); a taunting or sarcastic remark (n)
fatuous (adj) FACH-oo-uss
Foolish or inane, especially in an unconscious, complacent manner; silly; unreal, illusory
fealty (n) FEE-uhl-tee
fidelity, faithfulness
wag (n) WAG
A person given to droll, roguish, or mischievous humor, wit
loaf (verb) LOHF
To idle away time; to lounge or saunter lazily and idly
plum (adj) PLUM
Extremely desirable, rewarding, profitable, or the like
flummox (verb) FLUHM-uhks
To bewilder, confound, confuse
meretricious (adj) mair-uh-TRISH-uss
Attractive in a vulgar or flashy way, tawdry; deceptive
equanimity (n) ek-wuh-NIM-i-tee or ee-kwuh-NIM-i-tee
Mental or emotional stability or composure, especially under tension or strain; calmness; equilibrium
palliate (verb) PAL-ee-ayt
To relieve or lessen without curing; mitigate, alleviate; to try to mitigate or conceal the gravity of (an offense) by excuses, apologies, etc.; extenuate
melancholy (n) MEL-uhn-kol-ee
A gloomy state of mind, especially when habitual or prolonged, depression; sober thoughtfulness, pensiveness
morose (adj) muh-ROHSS
Gloomy, sullen
