GRE Power Vocab - M Flashcards
Magnanimity
n. the quality of being generously noble in mind and heart in forgiving
Malevolent
Adj. having or showing often vicious ill will, spite, or hatred
Words beginning with mal- mean bad things - Malevolent, malignant, malfunction…
Words beginning with ben- tend to have a positive meaning (benign)
Malfeasance
n. the performance of a public official of an act that is harmful or illegal
Malinger
v. to feign illness so as to avoid work
Malleable
adj. capable of being shaped or formed, easily influenced
Martial
adj. associated with war and the armed forces
Martinet
n. rigid disciplinarian
the adjective form of martinet is martinetish
The word martinet is named for Jean Martinet, 17th century drillmaster who insisted on abosulte adherence to the rules
Maunder
v. to talk or move aimlessly, mutter
Maverick
n. an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party
Maverick can also be an adjective
Technically a maverick is an unbranded animal
Melancholy
adj. tending toward sadness
Mellifluous
adj. sweetly flowing, usually used to describe words or sounds
Mendacity
n. the condition of being untruthful, dishonesty
Mendacious means false, untruthful
Mendicant
n. beggar, supplicant
Mercural
adj. characterized by rapid and unpredictable change in mood
Things that change rapidly or move quickly are often named after the Greek god Mercury. The metal used in thermometers and the closes planet to the sun are prime examples
Meretricious
adj. tawdry, pretentious, attractive but false, showy, having to do with prostitution
Meticulous
adj. characterized by extreme care and precision, attentive to detail
Mettlesome
adj. courgeous, high-spirited
Be careful word has two subtely different meanings but do not confuse with similar words such as meddlesome (inclined to interfere) and nettlesome (prickly or difficult)
mettle means courage or stamina
Militate
v. to have weight or bearing on, to argue (against)
occasionally militate is used to mean arguing for, though it usually used to mean arguing against
Milk
v. to exploit, to squeeze every last ounce of
Minatory
adj. menacing, threatening
Mince
v. pronounce or speak affectedly or too carefully, euphemized, take tiny steps, tiptoe
Misanthrope
n. one who hates humankind
Misanthropic is an adjective that means “hating humankind”
Antonym: philanthropic
Misogynist
n. one who hates women
Misogynist and misogynistic are both regarded as acceptable form for the adjective
Mitigate
v. to make or become less severe or intense, moderate
A mitigating circumstance doesn’t change wheather a person is guilty or not, but it may lessen the severity of the punishment (it mitigates the severity). Unmitigated means absolute or unrelieved
Mollify
v. to calm or soothe, reduce in emotional intensity
Emollient is a related word that can either be an adjective or a noun, and you may well recognize it from advertisements for body lotion; see the entry under emollient for more details
Monotony
n. tedious lack of variety or change
word comes from monotone meaning one sound. Monotonous is the adjective form
Morose
adj. sad, sullen, melancholy
Multifaceted
adj. having many aspects
literally, multifaceted means having many facets or faces. Figuratively, it can also mean versatile
Multifarious
adj. varied, motley, greatly diversified
Mundane
adj. of the world, typical of or conerned with the ordinary
