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GRE Vocab (Magoosh + Saad's List) > GRE Saad Vocab - High Frequency Words List > Flashcards

GRE Saad Vocab - High Frequency Words List Flashcards

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1
Q

jarring

A
  1. the act of shaking or the state of being shaken; sudden, jerky movement
  2. having a harshly concussive, disagreeable, or discordant effect.

e.g. “the telephone struck a jarring note in those Renaissance surroundings”

Synonym: clashing, grating, rasping

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2
Q

warp

A

a twist or distortion in the shape of something
e.g. “the head of the racket had a curious warp”

Synonym: bastardize, swerve, debase, corrupt

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3
Q

valid

A

boring

Synonym: refer to words like humdrum, mundane, etc.

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4
Q

stalwart

A
  1. strongly and stoutly built
  2. loyal, reliable, and hard-working.

e.g. “the country is a stalwart defender of free speech and democracy”

Synonym: dependable, fearless, indomitable, intrepid, stout, tenacious

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5
Q

autumnal

A
  1. maturity; past maturity
  2. relating to autumn

Synonym: blooming, fall, mature

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6
Q

halcyon

A

peaceful
e.g. “We remember those halcyon days when everyone was listened to and compromise and consensus were the order of the day.”

Synonym: bucolic, pastoral, quiet, dovish

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7
Q

malingering

A

pretend to be ill in order to escape duty or work
e.g. “While some thought I was malingering, they couldn’t see the pain I dealt with”

Synonym: n/a

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8
Q

charlatan

A

a person falsely claiming to have a special knowledge or skill
e.g. “a self-confessed con artist and charlatan”

Synonym: quack, mountebank, sham, fraud, fake, humbug, impostor, hoodwinker

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9
Q

salutary

A
  1. healthy
  2. (especially with reference to something unwelcome or unpleasant) producing good effects; beneficial.
    e.g. “reviewing your household expenditure can be a salutary exercise”

Synonym: healthful, salubrious, beneficial

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10
Q

avowing

A

assert or confess openly
e.g. “he avowed that he was no longer in perfect health”

Synonym: acknowledge, admit, affirm, allow, assert, concede, proclaim

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11
Q

averting

A

prevent or ward off (an undesirable occurrence).
e.g. “the talks failed to avert a rail strike”

Synonym: avoid, deter, fend off, foil, forestall, halt, preclude

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12
Q

corollary

A

something that results from something else
e.g. “the huge increases in unemployment were the corollary of expenditure cuts”

Synonym: result, outcome, resultant, consequence

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13
Q

abject

A

showing, expressing, or offered in a spirit of humility or unseemly submissiveness
e.g. “he demanded nothing less than an abject apology from them”

Synonym: humble, servile, meek, slavish

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14
Q

sagacious

A

having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgment
e.g. “they were sagacious enough to avoid any outright confrontation”

Synonym: wise, prudent, insightful, perceptive, brilliant, sage, discerning

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15
Q

gravitas

A

seriousness
e.g. “The new leader has an air of gravitas that commands respect”

Synonym: resolve, determination, solemnity, dignity

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16
Q

parley

A

a conference/negotiation between opposing sides in a dispute
e.g. “a parley is in progress and the invaders may withdraw”

Synonym: negotiation, confab, conference

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17
Q

gadflies

A

a person who annoys or criticizes others in order to provoke them into action
e.g. “Scientists are rather like gadflies in this matter.”

Synonym: annoyance, pest, prod, spur

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18
Q

quixotic

A

impractical; idealistic
e.g. “As quixotic ventures go, the symphony has turned out well.”

Synonym: dreamy, foolish, impractical, impulsive

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19
Q

teem

A

to become filled to overflowing; abound
e.g. “The river was teeming with fish.”

Synonym: brim, bustle, crawl, overflow, abound

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20
Q

ebb

A

feline

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21
Q

burlesque

A

a caricature mockery
e.g. “a novel which is a burlesque of the literary life”

Synonym: parody, travesty, imitation

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22
Q

nebulous

A

(of a concept) vague or ill-defined.
e.g. “nebulous concepts like quality of life”

Synonym: muddled, confused, ambiguous, inchoate, opaque

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23
Q

vainglorious

A

excessively proud of oneself or one’s achievements
e.g. “this vainglorious boast of personal infallibility”

Synonym: arrogant, proud, vain, egotistical

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24
Q

list

A

to tilt to one side

Synonym: angling, bend, cock, inclination

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25
Q

baseless

A

unfounded
e.g. “The allegations are baseless and will be defended robustly.”

Synonyms: unfounded, flimsy, gratuitous
groundless, unfounded, unjustifiable

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26
Q

entailed

A

inferred; involve (something) as a necessary or inevitable part or consequence.
e.g. “a situation which entails considerable risks”

Synonym: encompass, involve, lead to, necessitate, evoke

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27
Q

certitude

A

free from doubt; absolute certainty or conviction
e.g. “the question may never be answered with certitude”

Synonym: certainty, assurance, confidence, conviction, satisfaction

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28
Q

stupefaction

A

(like in Harry Potter with Stupefy) - condition of being very surprised or shocked
e.g. “He stepped back, a look of stupefaction on his face.”

Synonym: bewilderment, perplexity, stupor, surprise

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29
Q

verisimilitude

A

the appearance of being true or real.
e.g. “the detail gives the novel some verisimilitude”

Synonym: credibility, genuineness, realism

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30
Q

accentuate

A

make more noticeable or prominent.
e.g. “his jacket unfortunately accentuated his paunch”

Synonym: emphasize, highlight, stress, feature

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31
Q

attenuate

A

to weaken
e.g. “This research provides a glimmer of hope that coral reefs can attenuate the effects of ocean acidification”

Synonym: decrease, diminish, lessen, vitiate

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32
Q

animadversion

A

a comment or remark, especially a critical one
e.g. “animadversions that the poet receives quite humbly”

Synonym: admonish, berate, castigate, chastise, chide, denounce, discipline, rebuff, rebuke

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33
Q

insouciance

A

to be carefree; casual lack of concern; indifference
e.g. “an impression of boyish insouciance”

Synonym: nonchalant, carefree, unconcerned, cavalier, blithe, lighthearted, relaxed

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34
Q

appurtenances

A

an accessory or other item associated with a particular activity or style
“the appurtenances of consumer culture”

Synonym: accouterments, assets, chattels

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35
Q

irenic

A

peaceful
e.g. “He is an engaging writer with irenic sympathy for all his subjects.”

Synonym: serene, calm, dovish, bucolic, pastoral, halcyon

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36
Q

paltry

A

(of an amount) very small or meagre.
e.g. “she would earn a paltry £33 more a month”

Synonym: meagre, pitiful, puny, trivial

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37
Q

conscientiousness

A

the personality trait of being responsible, careful or diligent
e.g. “His conscientiousness and maturity impressed faculty members.”

Synonym: dutifulness, exactitude, faithfulness, honesty, honor

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38
Q

rigor

A

strictness
e.g. “They underwent the rigors of military training.”

Synonym: austerity, firmness, hardship, harshness, ordeal, precision, rigidity

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39
Q

nothing if not

A

more of something

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40
Q

cronyism

A

Giving friends unjust authority to take charge of a position
e.g. “He instructed his officials to reduce their spending to avoid accusations of cronyism.”

Synonym: associate, colleague, buddy, friend, accomplice, peer, comrade, cohort, fellow, classmate, compatriot

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41
Q

estrange

A

to be unfriendly
e.g. “She had been estranged from her husband at the time of the offences.”

Synonym: alien, antagonize, disaffect, disunify, sever

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42
Q

murky

A

hidden; gloomy
e.g. “the sky was murky and a thin drizzle was falling”

Synonyms: grimy, dreary, foggy, fuzzy, misty

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43
Q

quell

A

to pacify things
e.g. “extra police were called to quell the disturbance”

Synonym: extinguish, overcome, put down, quench, silence, subjugate

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44
Q

mercenary

A

greedy (for money)
e.g. “the crime was committed out of mercenary motives”

Synonym: rapacious, acquisitive, avaricious, covetous

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45
Q

evenhanded

A

fair and impartial in treatment or judgment.
e.g. “an even-handed approach to industrial relations”

Synonym: balanced, equitable, fair-minded, impartial, unbiased

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46
Q

equanimity

A

calmness and composure, especially in a difficult situation
e.g. “she accepted both the good and the bad with equanimity”

Synonym: calmness, composure, coolness, serenity, tranquillity, imperturbability

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47
Q

cantankerous

A

difficult to deal with
e.g. “he can be a cantankerous old fossil at times”

Synonym: cranky, dour, grouchy, grumpy, irascible, prickly, quarrelsome

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48
Q

panegyrise

A

speak or write in praise of
e.g. “it has been admired and panegyrized as beautiful, eloquent, grand, and sublime”

Synonym: lauded, praise, reverent, venerate

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49
Q

ennui

A

boredom
e.g. “he succumbed to ennui and despair”

Synonym: apathy, languor, melancholy, sadness, tedium, weariness

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50
Q

tendentious

A

biased
e.g. “This is a tendentious, romanticized version of the history.”

Synonym: inclination, intolerance, leaning, preference, prejudice

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51
Q

croon

A

to sing in a soft, low voice, especially in a sentimental manner.
e.g. “she was crooning to the child”

Synonym: lull, hum, murmur, wail

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52
Q

hallowed

A

greatly respected
e.g. “The band will be in some hallowed and historic surroundings”

Synonym: anointed, beatified, blessed, consecrated, venerated, enshrined, honored, sanctified

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53
Q

harrowed

A

arrogant; cause distress to
e.g. “Todd could take it, whereas I’m harrowed by it”

Synonym: anxious, bothered, concerned, confused, distraught, distressed, disturbed

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54
Q

valiant

A

possessing or showing courage or determination.
e.g. “she made a valiant effort to hold her anger in check”

Synonym: fearless, gallant, gutsy, heroic, indomitable, intrepid

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55
Q

salient

A

most noticeable or important.
e.g. “it succinctly covered all the salient points of the case”

Synonym: conspicuous, pertinent, weighty, jutting, notable

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56
Q

philistine

A

a person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts
e.g. “I am a complete philistine when it comes to paintings”

Synonym: barbarian, base, crude, foul

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57
Q

importunate

A

troublesomely urgent; needing urgent attention
e.g. “the demands of the chairmanship were becoming too importunate for me to continue without an assistant”

Synonym: urgent, acute, pressing, emergent, dire, clamant

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58
Q

cagey

A

reluctant to give information owing to caution or suspicion
e.g. “a spokesman was cagey about the arrangements his company had struck”

Synonym: circumspect, crafty, secretive, shrewd, wily

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59
Q

apropos

A

very appropriate to a particular situation.
e.g. “the composer’s reference to child’s play is apropos”

Synonym: apt, germane, opportune, pertinent

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60
Q

naysayer

A

a person who criticizes, objects to, or opposes something
e.g. “he continues to win, despite the many naysayers”

Synonym: disavowing, dissenting, gainsaying, impugning

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61
Q

regal

A

excellent
e.g. “envisioned a regal wedding with hundreds of guests, a full choir, and a reception at the fanciest hotel in town”

Synonym: magnificent, glorious, majestic, splendid

62
Q

confer

A

to consult or advise
e.g. “the British monarch continues to confer knighthood on those who are outstanding in their fields of endeavor”

Synonym: advise, argue, brainstorm, consult, bargain

63
Q

tethered

A

(analogy: tie him/her)
Which cannot be pulled apart
e.g. “the horse had been tethered to a post”

Synonym: leashed, trussed, roped, corded, banded

64
Q

untethered

A

to pull apart (opposite of tether)
e.g. “I reached the horses and untethered them”

Synonym: unleashed, untied, unbound, unfastened

65
Q

infallibility

A

(not falling) - Flawless/no error
e.g. “his judgement became impaired by faith in his own infallibility”

Synonym: flawless

66
Q

extirpate

A

(extra pait not required so remove) - To destroy or remove something completely
e.g. “the triumph of modern medicine in extirpating certain diseases”

Synonym: destroy, eradicate, stamp out, root out, eliminate, suppress

67
Q

encumber

A

hold back
e.g. “all of these regulations encumber doctors, taking time away from the actual practice of medicine”

Synonym: impede, hinder, hamper, obstruct, stymie

68
Q

precipitate

A

happening suddenly
e.g.”the army’s precipitate withdrawal from the field of battle”

Synonym: hurried, rushed, impetuous, impulsive

69
Q

quash

A

(from squash) - to suppress
e.g. “the dictator commanded the army to quash the uprising without mercy”

Synonym: stifle, crush, silence, extinguish

70
Q

forsake

A

(for god’s sake please leave me) - abandon/give up
e.g. “forsaking most of our possessions, we evacuated just before the hurricane struck”

Synonym: abandon, desert, dump, quit, discard, relinquish, ditch, renounce, jettison

71
Q

betoken

A

(be a token for something) - be a signal/indication for something
e.g. “the humor in his writing is never cruel, and betokens a warm and compassionate heart”

Synonym: indicate, portent, betide, denote, omen

72
Q

valediction

A

bidding farewell
e.g. “This record and tour are by no means a last valediction to her music career.”

Synonym: departure, divergence

73
Q

rebuff

A

(reject + bluff) - refuse in a rude way
e.g. “She rebuffed him when he asked her for a date.”

Synonym: rebuke, rejection, reprimand, snub

74
Q

tenable

A

(if ten people understand the theory then it has to be reasonable) - reasonable
e.g. “the soldiers’ encampment on the open plain was not tenable, so they retreated to higher ground”

Synonym: justifiable, plausible, rational

75
Q

eclipse

A

make less important/loss of power
e.g. “the eclipse of the town from a grand seaside resort to a tacky tourist trap”

Synonym: ebb, waning, declination, deterioration, decline, degradation, descent

76
Q

pilfer

A

steal things that are not very valuable
e.g. “What sort of person would pilfer lunches from the office refrigerator?”

Synonym: filch, purloin, swipe

77
Q

discretionary

A

non-obligatory
e.g. “if it is for a post-graduate course, the award is discretionary”

Synonym: optional, non-compulsory, voluntary

78
Q

supple

A

(from shuffle) - to be flexible
e.g. “my mind is becoming more supple”

Synonym: agile, elastic, flexible, lithe, malleable, pliable, pliant

79
Q

aplomb

A

cool and calm
e.g. “Diana passed the test with aplomb”

Synonym: equanimity, nonchalance, tact

80
Q

occult

A

difficult to understand/supernatural
e.g. “He had a deep interest in astrology and the occult”

Synonym: mystic, obscure, psychic, unknown, veiled, weird

81
Q

occlude

A

(opposite of include) - means to block
e.g. “thick make-up can occlude the pores”

Synonym: clog, block, congest, stemming, checking, stanch

82
Q

dissemble

A

to deceive
e.g. “he dissembled happiness at the news that his old girlfriend was getting married—to someone else”

Synonym: dissimulate, pretend, deceive, feign, act, masquerade, sham

83
Q

ungainly

A

(not gaining anything) - so you are clumsy and awkward
e.g. “getting the ungainly couch up the stairs was a real chore”

Synonym: clumsy, awkward, unwieldy, cumbersome, gawky

84
Q

stanch

A

(stop+ tank) - to stop something from flowing
e.g. “He used a towel to try to stanch the (flow of) blood.”

Synonym: occlude, clog, block, congest, stemming, checking

85
Q

recoil

A

to quickly move away from something that is shocking, frightening, disgusting
e.g. “the social worker tried not to recoil from the sight of the cockroach in the bathtub”

Synonym: flinch, wince, cringe, shudder, quiver

86
Q

decrepitude

A

a sign of old age
e.g. “She was saddened by the decrepitude of many of the nursing home residents.”

Synonyms: senescence, infirmity, weakness, frailty, debility

87
Q

seminal

A

(from semen of sperm): meaning influential
e.g. “his seminal work on chaos theory”

Synonym: influential, formative, groundbreaking, pioneering

88
Q

contravene

A

(contra + intervene) - violate
e.g. “he contravened the Official Secrets Act”

Synonym: breach, infringe, transgress

89
Q

emblematic

A

(of something) symbolic
e.g. “the dove is emblematic of the organization’s mission to bring some peace to a troubled world”

Synonyms: totemic, symbolic, allegorical

90
Q

fungible

A

(freely exchangeable) - interchangeable
e.g. “since fruits and vegetables are regarded as fungible in this diet, you are allowed a total of five servings of either or both”

Synonym: substitutable, interchangeable

91
Q

mordant

A
  1. (more daanth) - having or showing a sharp or critical quality; biting.

e.g. “a mordant review of the movie that compared it to having one’s teeth pulled for two hours”

Synonym: acerbic, sardonic, biting, acerbic, caustic, satiric

92
Q

high-minded

A

having strong moral principles
e.g. “high-minded efforts to improve the lives of people who are less fortunate”

Synonym: noble, sublime, gallant, chivalrous, magnanimous, lofty

93
Q

fester

A

(if you foster a sore it will become fester) - aggravate
e.g. “a week after the battle the corpses of the fallen were still festering in the fields”

Synonym: putrefy, degrade, decay

94
Q

raillery

A
  1. friendly/joking
  2. good-humoured teasing

e.g. “Luke had to put up with a lot of raillery from his sister the first time he asked a girl for a date”

Synonym: ribbing, chaff, banter, ragging, badinage

95
Q

dovish

A

(dove is a soap and its nature is not to fight) - peaceful
e.g. “the party’s dovish faction has regarded the war as a bad idea from the get-go”

Synonym: pacifist, pacific, irenic, benevolent, peaceable, serene

96
Q

woo

A

(if I ask my crush and she agrees I say woohoo so I gain) - to gain
e.g. “his attempts to woo approval from working-class voters has not met with much success”

Synonym: chase, pursue

97
Q

decry

A

(de+cry kids cry when they want to show disapproval) - condemn
e.g. “they decried human rights abuses”

Synonym: rebuke, asperse, calumniate, censure, excoriate

98
Q

unyielding

A

to not give up/adamant but yielding is to surrender
e.g. “his unyielding faith in Islam”

Synonym: resolute, inflexible, intransigent, adamant, tenacious, obdurate

99
Q

polymath

A

Mr know it all; encyclopediac
e.g. “a Renaissance polymath”

Synonym: genius, virtuoso, wizard

100
Q

partisan

A

biased
e.g. “we will need people to put partisan politics aside and work with us for the good of the country”

Synonym: colored, one-sided, prejudiced, tendentious

101
Q

limpid

A

clear
e.g. “her eyes are the blue of a limpid stream of water”

Synonym: crystalline, translucent, pellucid, lucid

102
Q

trenchant

A

(ants are clear headed and walk in straight lines and never deviate) - Having keen perception
e.g. “the White Paper makes trenchant criticisms of health authorities”

Synonym: acerbic, biting, caustic, incisive, mordant, salient

103
Q

hidebound

A

(bound to hide something as they are narrow-minded so difficult to explain to them) - narrow-minded
e.g. “they are working to change hidebound corporate cultures”

Synonym: conservative, orthodox, hard-line

104
Q

hoodwink

A

(wink under hood of jacket) - meaning you deceive
e.g. “staff were hoodwinked into thinking the cucumber was a sawn-off shotgun”

Synonym: deceive, trick, dupe, gull, hoax

105
Q

disenchant

A

When reality hits you
e.g. “he may have been disenchanted by the loss of his huge following”

Synonym: disabuse, disillusion, undeceive, debunk

106
Q

tyro

A

beginner; beginning stage
e.g. “Tammy was still a tyro in ballet, but her enthusiasm to learn was inspiring.”

Synonyms: nascent, budding, neophyte, embryonic

107
Q

alarmist

A

a person who alarms others needlessly
e.g. “the problem is a fabrication by alarmists”

Synonym: scaremonger, doomster, pessimist

108
Q

import

A

is used as short form for importance on the GRE

109
Q

blight

A

(bina light ke eyes get spoilt) - Spoilt
e.g. “the vacant properties are a blight on the neighbourhood”

Synonym: contamination, corruption, excrescence, deformity

110
Q

concoct

A

to make up/invent
e.g. “trying to concoct an explanation for how the lamp got broken by itself”

Synonym: contrive, create, devise

111
Q

portend

A

There is a sign for port end): sign/indicate
e.g. “If you’re superstitious, a black cat portends trouble.”

Synonym: augur, bespeak, betoken, predict, presage

112
Q

convulsion

A

turmoil
e.g. “the Russian Revolution was one of the major convulsions of the 20th century”

Synonym: cataclysm, tumult, turbulence, upheaval

113
Q

rein

A

control
e.g. “with an effort, she reined back her impatience”

Synonym: restrain, curb, constrain, hinder, impede, stymie

114
Q

at a premium

A

difficult to get as it is scarce
e.g.

Synonym: scant, sparse

115
Q

inert

A

(From scientific term inertia) - unable to move
e.g. “the inert, abandoned factories that are scattered all over that dying city”

Synonym: dormant, immobile, idle

116
Q

compunction

A

(come and punch me when you feel you have done something wrong): Feeling remorseful/apologetic
e.g. “throughout her school years she cheated without compunction”

Synonym: qualm, attrition, conscience, contrition, misgiving, penitence

117
Q

abet

A

(a bet in cricket) - to encourage in some wrongdoing
e.g. “he was not guilty of murder but was guilty of aiding and abetting others”

Synonym: provoke, promote, instigate, incite, foment

118
Q

antithesis

A

(anti+thesis) - Exact opposite of someone/something
e.g. “true love for another is the antithesis of the desire to control that person’s life”

Synonym: opposite, contrary, counter

119
Q

proprietary

A

ownership
e.g. “The restaurant’s proprietary recipe for barbecue sauce is only known to the head chef.”

Synonym: exclusive, sole

120
Q

factious

A

disagreeing
e.g. “a factious country”

Synonym: cohesionless, disunited, fractionated, contentious, discordant

121
Q

fractious

A

annoyed; (typically of children) irritable and quarrelsome
e.g. “they fight and squabble like fractious children”

Synonym: irritable, irascible, recalcitrant, vex

122
Q

noisome

A

(When you fart in silence it’s noisome as it spreads bad odour): Bad odour/smell.
e.g. “noisome vapours from the smouldering waste”

Synonym: fetid, fusty, malodorous, musty, putrid

123
Q

founder

A

(fo+under go under the sink) - collapse
e.g. “the theater company foundered after its corporate funding dried up”

Synonym: collapse, fall, lurch

124
Q

flummery

A

meaningless
e.g. “All this flummery was, as we all know, meaningless.”

Synonym: triviality, frivolity

125
Q

rapacious

A

greedy
e.g. “Where this leaves the more rapacious companies remains to be seen.”

Synonym: ravenous, voracious, gluttonous, piggish, edacious, esurient

126
Q

douse

A

extinguish
e.g. “douse the campfire before leaving in the morning”

Synonym: extinguish, quench, choke

127
Q

gaffe

A

(goof ups just like goofy in scooby- Doo) - blunders
e.g. “committed a huge gaffe when she started drinking from the finger bowl”

Synonym: blooper, blunder, impropriety, indiscretion

128
Q

to keep abreast of

A

Up to a particular standard
e.g. “I try to keep abreast of any developments.”

Synonym: follow, keep up follow, trace

129
Q

umbrage

A

(from rage) - To take offence
e.g. “took umbrage at the slightest suggestion of disrespect”

Synonym: huff, anger, frustration, indignation, dudgeon, outrage

130
Q

welter

A

(from world tour so don’t know which country to start from) - hodepodge
e.g. “there’s such a welter of conflicting rules”

Synonym: commotion, disturbance, turmoil

131
Q

ravel

A

complicate
e.g. “It took Daisy a long time to ravel out all the wool.”

Synonym: disentangle, free, loosen, unbraid

132
Q

fealty

A

(sounds like fidelity and that means loyalty) - loyalty
e.g. “they owed fealty to the Earl rather than the King”

Synonym: fidelity, allegiance, obligation

133
Q

fusty

A

(rhymes with rusty) - outmoded/unpleasant smell
e.g. “couldn’t stay too long in the fusty attic without sneezing”

Synonym: malodorous, noisome, rancid

134
Q

obeisance

A

(obedient sons always respect others): To show respect (is usually used negatively on the real GRE e.g. bootlicking).
e.g. “they paid obeisance to the Prince”

Synonym: acquiescence, obedience, obsequiousness, curtsy

135
Q

bridle; manacle

A

(a bride bridles and controls her husband) - to control
e.g. “At first she seems to bridle at that, but not for long.”

Synonym: check, control, curb, deterrent, suppress, bristle

136
Q

erstwhile

A

one-time
e.g. “my erstwhile friend ignored me when I ran into her at the reunion”

Synonym: former, old, other, quondam

137
Q

callow

A

(cal+low meaning calibre low) - Immature
e.g. “a story about a callow youth who learns the value of hard work and self-reliance”

Synonym: inexperienced, immature, adolescent, young, juvenile, unformed, puerile

138
Q

obviate

A

(rhymes with deviate) - prevent from happening
e.g. “the presence of roller blinds obviated the need for curtains”

Synonym: prevent, avert, preclude, foreclose

139
Q

valorize

A

to assign value or validity
e.g. “Unable to face an uncertain future, they valorized the past, failing to address the present in which they lived.”

Synonym: glorify, exalt, enhance, enrich, esteem, validate

140
Q

preternatural

A

(Spider man’s peter Parker) - surpassing the natural
e.g. “an editor with a preternatural sense of what will interest the book-buying public”

Synonym: unwonted, exceeding, anomalous, incredible, phenomenal, peculiar, especial, aberrant, atypical, uncanny

141
Q

monolithic

A

(mono is single and this is thick) - so solid and uniform
e.g. “IPC moved the paper from Covent Garden to the monolithic King’s Reach Tower”

Synonym: colossal, gigantic, titanic, monumental, enormous

142
Q

hedge

A

(Hedgehog is a shy animal and tries to avoid contact with humans) - to avoid
e.g. “kept hedging whenever asked for an opinion on the matter”

Synonym: equivocation, evasion, fudge, quibble, prevaricate

143
Q

gloat

A

(Ignorant people treat goats badly and gloat at it) - Happy with their own success and even happier at others’ failure.

e.g. “his enemies gloated over his death”

Synonym: crow, exult, rejoice, relish, vaunt

144
Q

kindred

A

(relates with kindergarden with same age students) - affiliation or similar in character
e.g. “these books touch on kindred subjects”

Synonym: agnate, cognate, congeneric, incident, kin, parallel

145
Q

ludicrous

A

(if you somewhat rearrange the word, it changes to ridiculous) - ridiculous
e.g. “it’s ludicrous that I have been fined”

Synonym: absurd, ridiculous, farcical, preposterous, asinine

146
Q

sift

A

(opposite of swift) - to go through very carefully
e.g. “it will take them weeks to sift through the evidence”

Synonym: analyze, inspect, comb, winnow

147
Q

lull

A

(from lullaby) - rest/calm
e.g. “the absence of attacks for such an extended period had lulled the nation into a false sense of security”

Synonym: recess, abeyance, quiescence, equanimity

148
Q

bemoan

A

(be mourn) - to complain/regret
e.g. “it was no use bemoaning her lot”

Synonym: mournful, heartbroken, melancholy, woeful, agonized, regretful, bewailing, doleful

149
Q

scaremonger

A

(Mongolian moms are extra cautious) - to raise alarms needlessly
e.g. “I do not believe that anybody should scaremonger and frighten old people for the sake of it.”

Synonym: alarmist, pessimist

150
Q

covet

A

(from car Corvette; everyone wishes to have it) - to wish for
e.g. “I covet one of their smart bags”

Synonym: crave, begrudge, envy

GRE Vocab (Magoosh + Saad's List) (11 decks)

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