GRE supplemental 4 Flashcards
emollient
adj. soothing; making less harsh; mollifying n. an agent that softens or soothes the skin
n. an expression of praise
accolade
v. to lose or lack vitality; fail to make progress or be successful v. suffer from being forced to remain in an unpleasant situation
languish
adj. unfortunate; inappropriate
infelicitous
demur
v. to question or oppose
imperturbable
adj. marked by extreme calm, impassivity, and steadiness
n. a harsh denunciation
diatribe
pithy
adj. precise and brief
v. to feel deep respect or admiration for
revere
n. a mournful poem (esp. one lamenting the dead)
elegy
axiom
a universally recognized principle
eclectic
adj. composed of elements drawn from various sources
polemical
adj. controversial; argumentative
adj. intended to teach or instruct
didactic
n. substance which accelerates a chemical reaction without changing; a person or thing that causes change
catalyst
furtive
adj. marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious
pedagogy
n. the profession or principles of teaching or instructing
adj. awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
redoubtable
adj. lethargic; sluggish; dormant (n. torpor)
torpid
v. to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care
preen
inveigle
v. to obtain by deception or flattery
mendacity
n. the condition of being untruthful; dishonesty
adj. extremely harmful; potentially causing death
pernicious
n. a work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humour or derision
satire
adj. playful; humorous
facetious
v. to obstruct or block
occlude
aver
v. to state as a fact; to declare or assert
adj. having or showing often vicious ill will, spite, or hatred
malevolent
adj. burning or stinging; causing corrosion
caustic
v. to grow or increase swiftly and abundantly
proliferate
adj. beginning to come into being or to become apparent
incipient
caustic
adj. burning or stinging; causing corrosion
preen
v. to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care
n. questions; doubts in the mind; reservations
queries
halcyon
adj. calm and peaceful
placate
v. to appease; to calm by making concessions
v. to grow rapidly or flourish
burgeon
impecunious
adj. lacking funds; without money
adj. calm and peaceful
halcyon
adj. marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious
furtive
tirade
n. a long and extremely critical speech; a harsh denunciation
adj. penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous
penurious
sanction
v. to give permission or authority to n. authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance
opprobrium
n. disgrace; contempt; scorn
v. to drink deeply
quaff
adj. characterized by extreme care and precision; attentive to detail
meticulous
prolific
adj. producing large volumes or amounts; productive
idolatrous
adj. given to intense or excessive devotion to something
contrite
adj. regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness
adj. sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of others
gregarious
exonerate
v. to remove blame
didactic
adj. intended to teach or instruct
inert
adj. unmoving; lethargic; sluggish
malevolent
adj. having or showing often vicious ill will, spite, or hatred
penury
n. poverty; destitution
adj. greatly emotional or zealous
fervent
adj. characterized by bitter, long-lasting resentment
rancorous
n. severe criticism or punishment
castigation
primp
v. to spend time making minor adjustments to
adj. pertaining to wisdom
sapiential
adj. extremely talkative
loquacious
evanescent
adj. tending to disappear like vapor; vanishing
v. to reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients
adulterate
surreptitious
adj. kept secret (esp. because not approved)
eccentric
adj. departing from norms or conventions
pernicious
adj. extremely harmful; potentially causing death
putrefy
v. to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor
surfeit
v. to feed or supply to excess; n. an overabundant supply; excess
insipid
adj. without taste or flavor; lacking in spirit; bland
adj. composed of elements drawn from various sources
eclectic
n. the condition of being untruthful; dishonesty
mendacity
v. to state as a fact; to declare or assert
aver
v. to give permission or authority to n. authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance
sanction
spurious
adj. lacking authority or validity; false; counterfeit
gregarious
adj. sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of others
fervent
adj. greatly emotional or zealous
penurious
adj. penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous
v. to spend time making minor adjustments to
primp
v. to disguise or conceal; to mislead
dissemble
adj. departing from norms or conventions
eccentric
acumen
n. keen, accurate judgment or insight
intransigent
adj. refusing to compromise
n. immunity from punishment or penalty
impunity
adj. misleadingly attractive; plausible but false
specious
adulation
n. excessive praise; intense adoration
v. to invalidate; to repeal; to retract
rescind
adj. enabling a person to learn something for themselves (perhaps “hands on” or by trial and error)
heuristic
adj. producing large volumes or amounts; productive
prolific
revere
v. to feel deep respect or admiration for
castigation
n. severe criticism or punishment
tenuous
adj. having little substance or strength; flimsy; weak
cacophony
harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance
n. the profession or principles of teaching or instructing
pedagogy
n. the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings
ebullience
n. excessive praise; intense adoration
adulation
loquacious
adj. extremely talkative
adj. brief; fleeting
ephemeral
adj. tending to disappear like vapor; vanishing
evanescent
grandiloquence
n. pompous speech or expression (designed to impress)
peevish
adj. easily irritated (esp. by unimportant things)
infelicitous
adj. unfortunate; inappropriate
quaff
v. to drink deeply
adj. kept secret (esp. because not approved)
surreptitious
torpid
adj. lethargic; sluggish; dormant (n. torpor)
adj. revealing no emotion
impassive
rancorous
adj. characterized by bitter, long-lasting resentment
adj. overly concerned with the trivial details of learning or education; show-offish about one’s knowledge
pedantic
n. the willingness to comply with the wishes of others (adj. complaisant)
complaisance
n. a speech honoring the dead
eulogy
accolade
n. an expression of praise
dearth
n. smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack
n. pompous speech or expression (designed to impress)
grandiloquence
harangue
v. to deliver a pompous speech or tirade n. a long pompous speech
adj. soothing; making less harsh; mollifying n. an agent that softens or soothes the skin
emollient
v. to obtain by deception or flattery
inveigle
chary
adj. wary; cautious; sparing
v. to deliver a pompous speech or tirade n. a long pompous speech
harangue
implacable
adj. not capable of being appeased or significantly changed
diatribe
n. a harsh denunciation
adj. wary; cautious; sparing
chary
adj. without taste or flavor; lacking in spirit; bland
insipid
n. cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions (adj. discrete)
discretion
adj. lacking funds; without money
impecunious
n. smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack
dearth
v. to defame; to characterize harshly
vilify
specious
adj. misleadingly attractive; plausible but false
hegemony
n. the consistent dominance of one state or ideology over others
n. stillness; motionlessness; quality of being at rest
quiescence
v. to yearn intensely; to languish; to lose vigor
pine
v. to feed or supply to excess; n. an overabundant supply; excess
surfeit
adj. controversial; argumentative
polemical
adj. precise and brief
pithy
adj. fleeting; passing quickly; brief
transient
adj. recklessly wasteful; extravagant; profuse; lavish
prodigal
adj. indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast
stoic
v. to question or oppose
demur
bombastic
adj. pompous; grandiloquent
disinterested
adj. free of bias or self-interest; impartial
impunity
n. immunity from punishment or penalty
adj. marked by extreme calm, impassivity, and steadiness
imperturbable
v. to appease; to calm by making concessions
placate
recalcitrant
adj. obstinately defiant of authority; difficult to manage
adj. regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness
contrite
satire
n. a work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humour or derision
dogmatic
adj. expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or improvable principles
heuristic
adj. enabling a person to learn something for themselves (perhaps “hands on” or by trial and error)
v. to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor
putrefy
redoubtable
adj. awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
adj. expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or improvable principles
dogmatic
transient
adj. fleeting; passing quickly; brief
ebullience
n. the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings
proliferate
v. to grow or increase swiftly and abundantly
prodigal
adj. recklessly wasteful; extravagant; profuse; lavish
pine
v. to yearn intensely; to languish; to lose vigor
impassive
adj. revealing no emotion
adj. not capable of being appeased or significantly changed
implacable
burgeon
v. to grow rapidly or flourish
adj. lacking authority or validity; false; counterfeit
spurious
repudiate
v. to refuse to have anything to do with; to disown
eulogy
n. a speech honoring the dead
n. a superficial remark (esp. one offered as meaningful)
platitude
adulterate
v. to reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients
discretion
n. cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions (adj. discrete)
adj. refusing to compromise
intransigent
languish
v. to lose or lack vitality; fail to make progress or be successful v. suffer from being forced to remain in an unpleasant situation
n. a long and extremely critical speech; a harsh denunciation
tirade
n. the consistent dominance of one state or ideology over others
hegemony
ephemeral
adj. brief; fleeting
meticulous
adj. characterized by extreme care and precision; attentive to detail
facetious
adj. playful; humorous
v. to remove blame
exonerate
n. keen, accurate judgment or insight
acumen
adj. given to intense or excessive devotion to something
idolatrous
complaisance
n. the willingness to comply with the wishes of others (adj. complaisant)
v. to refuse to have anything to do with; to disown
repudiate
quiescence
n. stillness; motionlessness; quality of being at rest
incipient
adj. beginning to come into being or to become apparent
n. poverty; destitution
penury
stoic
adj. indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast
misanthrope
n. one who hates all other humans
adj. having little substance or strength; flimsy; weak
tenuous
platitude
n. a superficial remark (esp. one offered as meaningful)
adj. free of bias or self-interest; impartial
disinterested
subpoena
n. a court order requiring appearance and/or testimony
a universally recognized principle
axiom
queries
n. questions; doubts in the mind; reservations
elegy
n. a mournful poem (esp. one lamenting the dead)
adj. obstinately defiant of authority; difficult to manage
recalcitrant
harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance
cacophony
rescind
v. to invalidate; to repeal; to retract
catalyst
n. substance which accelerates a chemical reaction without changing; a person or thing that causes change
sapiential
adj. pertaining to wisdom
adj. easily irritated (esp. by unimportant things)
peevish
dissemble
v. to disguise or conceal; to mislead
adj. pompous; grandiloquent
bombastic
occlude
v. to obstruct or block
n. one who hates all other humans
misanthrope
n. disgrace; contempt; scorn
opprobrium
adj. unmoving; lethargic; sluggish
inert
n. a court order requiring appearance and/or testimony
subpoena
pedantic
adj. overly concerned with the trivial details of learning or education; show-offish about one’s knowledge
vilify
v. to defame; to characterize harshly
