GRE Power Vocab - I Flashcards
Iconoclast
n. one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions
Iconoclastic means attacking cherished beliefs, heretical
Idolatrious
adj. given to intense or excessive devotion to something
Idolatry is the worship of idols and images or blind devotion to something
Idyll
n. a carefree, lighthearted pastoral or romantic episode or experience, a literary or musical piece describing such
Idyllic means simple or carefree
Ignominious
adj. shameful, dishonorable, ignoble, undignified, disgraceful
Ignominy is dishonor or humiliation
Illiberality
n. quality of being narrow-minded, bigoted
Imbroglio
n. difficult or embarrassing situation
Imminent
adj. about to happen; impending
don’t confuse this with eminnent, which means prominent or distinguished
Immutable
adj. not capable of change
Impassive
adj. revealing no emotion or sensibility
Impecunious
adj. lacking funds; without money
Imperious
adj. commanding, masterful, arrogant, domineering, haughty
Imperturbable
adj. marked by extreme calm, impassivity and steadiness
Impetuous
adj. hastily or rashly energetic; impulsive and vehement
Implacable
adj. not capable of being appeased or significantly changed
Importune
v. to ask incessantly, beg, nag
Importunate means persistent in asking
Impudent
adj shamelessly bold, insolent, impertinent
the characteristic of being impudent is called impudence
Impugn
v. to attack or assail verbally, censure, execrate, deny
Impunity
n. immunity from punishment, penalty, or harm
Impute
v. to attribute to a cause or source, ascribe, assign as a characteristic
Inalienable
adj. cannot be transferred
generally, we hear this word with the word “rights” as in inalienable rights
Inchoate
Adj. in an initial stage, not fully formed
for a word with a similar definition, see nascent
Incipient
adj. beginning to come into being or to become apparent
Indecorous
adj. violating generally accepted standards of good taste or propriety, unseemly
Indefatigable
adj. not easily exhaustible, tireless, dogged
Indemnity
adj. to guard or secure against anticipated loss
Indifferent
adj. having no interest or concern, apathetic; showing no bias or prejudice
Indifferent is a multifunctional word. It can mean having no interest in something, but it can also mean having no bias, which should remind you of all that confusion around disinterested and uninterested. It can also mean not good or bad, not too much or too little, and neither right nor wrong
Indolent
adj. lazy, listless, torpid
the noun form of indolent
Ineluctable
adj. certain, inevitable
Inert
adj. unmoving, lethargic, not reactive chemically
Ingenuous
adf. artless, frank and candid, lacking in sophistication
Disingenuous means lacking in candor, calculating, duplicitous
Be careful not to confuse ingenuous with ingenious, which means characterized by skill and imagination
Inherent
adj. ingrained within one’s naute, intrinsic, firmly established, essential
Inhere means to be inherent or innate to something
Inimical
adj. damaging, harmful, injurious, hostile, unfriendly
For a synonym for inimical, look ahead to pernicious
Inimitable
adj. one of a kind, peerless
Iniquity
n. wickedness, gross injustice
Iniquitous means characterized by wickedness
Injudicious
adj. ahowing lack of judgment, unwise, imprudent, indiscreet
Innervate
v. to supply with nerves, energize
Innervate is usually used to describe a physiological process, as in the fibers that innervate the facial muscles, but it can also be used metaphorically
DOn’t confuse with enervate, which is also in this book; definitions and pronunciations are very different
Innocuous
Adj. harmless; cuasing no damage
Inscrutable
adj. incapable of being discovered or understood, mysterious
Insensible
Adj. unconscious, unresponsive, unaware, unaffected, numb
Insipid
adj. without taste or flavor, lacking in spirit, dull
Insouciant
adj. unconcerned, carefree, nonchalant
Insular
adj. parochial, narrow-minded, like an island
the primary definition of insular means relating to an island, and insulate, meaning to set off in a detached position, comes from the same root
Interdict
v. prohibit, forbid, ban, halt
An interdiction is a prohibition against something
Intimate
v. to imply, suggest or insinuate
an intimation is a hint
Intractable
adj. not easily managed or directed, stubborn, obstinate
Intransigent
adj. refusing to compromise
Intrepid
adj. steadfast, courageous
Inundate
v. to cover or overwhelm, to flood
Inundation is the noun formof inundate
Inured
adj. accustomed to accepting something undesirable
Inveigh
v. to attack verbally, denounce, deprecate
Inveigle
v. to obtain by deception or flattery
Inveterate
adj. deep routed, ingrained, habitual
Inherent is a close synonym for inveterate
Invidious
adj. tending to arouse envy or ill will in others
when invidious is used to describe a distinction or comparison, it means discriminatory
Irascible
adj. easily angered; prone to temperamental outbursts
Itinerate
v. to travel from place to place
Itinerant is an adjective that means traveling from place to place
