GRE Vocab 003-30- Ielts Resources Flashcards
Cohesion
- Cohesion refers to the degree of unity or bond between parts of a whole. It signifies how well elements stick together or work harmoniously.
- The team’s cohesion was evident during the intense project; they collaborated seamlessly.
- A strong family cohesion fosters support and understanding among its members.
- In writing, cohesive sentences flow logically, connecting ideas effectively.
propelled
- Propelled refers to the action of driving forward, pushing, or moving with force. It implies acceleration or impetus.
- The strong winds propelled the sailboat across the open sea.
- Her determination and hard work propelled her career to new heights.
- The rocket engines propelled the spacecraft into orbit.
modicum
- The word “modicum” refers to a fairly small amount, especially of something good or desirable.
- His statement had a modicum of truth
- Anyone with a modicum of common sense could have seen that the plan wouldn’t work
- Despite the challenges, she managed to find a modicum of happiness in her daily routine.
plea
1) Urgent and Emotional Request - A plea is an intense request or appeal, often made in an emotional manner.
- He made a plea for help and mercy
(Synonyms: appeal, entreaty, supplication, prayer, request.)
2) Legal Context (Statement in Court) - In legal contexts, a plea refers to the answer a person gives in court when accused of committing a crime. It can be a claim of guilt or innocence, an allegation of fact, or a point of law.
- Mr. Wilson entered a plea of not guilty.
- (Related Phrases: guilty plea, not guilty plea.)
stammering
- Speaking with Unusual Pauses or Repeated Sounds, Stammering refers to the action or fact of speaking with a stammer. It involves involuntary stops, repetitions, or hesitations during speech.
- “If you speak slowly, the stammering goes away.”
- The stammerings of shaken parents revealed their anxiety
- During the interview, he made a stammering confession of guilt
- She stammered an apology and ran out of the room
- (Synonyms: stuttering, speech impediment.)
retrospect
1) Review of the Past, Retrospect refers to a survey or review of a past course of events or a period of time.
- “In retrospect, I think my marriage was doomed from the beginning.”
- (Synonyms: review, reflection, hindsight.)
2) Contemplating the Past, In a broader sense, retrospect means contemplating anything from the past, looking back on experiences, decisions, or memories.
- “I’m sure my university days seem happier in retrospect than they really were.”
conjunction
1) Linguistic Usage : A conjunction is an uninflected linguistic form that joins together sentences, clauses, phrases, or words. Common conjunctions include “and,” “but,” and “although.”
- Example Sentence: “She bought apples, pears, and oranges.”
2) Working Together or Coexistence : Definition: Conjunction refers to the act or instance of conjoining or the state of being conjoined. It implies working together or combining forces.
- Example Sentence: “The team worked in conjunction with state and local authorities
3) Simultaneous Occurrence : Definition: Conjunction can also describe events occurring together in time or space.
- Example Sentence : “The conjunction of favorable political and economic circumstances led to growth.”
4) Celestial Alignment : Definition: In astronomy, a conjunction occurs when two or more celestial bodies appear close to each other in the sky.
- Example Sentence: “We observed the conjunction of Mars and Jupiter.”
5) Logical Expression : Definition: In logic, a conjunction is a complex sentence that is true if and only if each of its components is true.
- Example Sentence: “The truth table shows the validity of a conjunction.”
intractable
1) Difficult to Control or Solve : Definition: Intractable refers to something that is very difficult or impossible to control, manage, or solve.
- Example Sentence: “We are facing an intractable problem.”
- Synonyms: knotty, thorny, complicated, stubborn, obstinate.
- Antonyms: manageable, compliant, obedient.
2) Challenging and Unyielding: Definition: In a broader sense, intractable describes situations or issues that resist easy solutions.
- Example Sentence: “The negotiations reached an intractable impasse.”
- Related Phrases: intractable economic problems.
abided
1) Living or Staying Somewhere: Definition: In old usage, abided means to live or stay somewhere.
- Example Sentence: “He abided in the wilderness for forty days.”
- It is, however, unclear how much these stipulations were effectively abided by and how far the supervision into the daily routine could go.
- If such women abided by police rules, they would be left alone.
- That agreement, however, was reached and abided by in the context in which the ban was embodied in quite different legislation.
spared out
- I tried to spare out my last bit of money for the weekend, but I ended up spending it.
- You can even spare out your monthly allowance in exchange for membership
broom
1) Physical Projections on Animals: A broom is a long-handled brush of bristles or twigs, used for sweeping floors or the ground.
- Example Sentence: “On his first day at work, he was given a broom and told to sweep the floor.”
2) Symbolic or Metaphorical Use: In stories, a broom made of a wooden stick and long parts for sweeping made of twigs is often connected with witches (people, especially women, believed to have magical powers).
- Example Sentence: “The witch cackled and flew away on her broom.”
3) Sports (Curling): In the sport of curling, a broom is a tool for making the ice smooth in front of the moving stone.
- Example Sentence: “The team captain tells teammates to sweep the ice with their brooms.”
4) Botanical Context (Plant) : A broom is also a flowering shrub with long, thin green stems and small yellow flowers.
- Example Sentence: “The mountains are covered in a scrub of broom and myrtle.”
tilting
1) Moving into a Sloping Position : To tilt means to move or cause something to move into a sloping position.
- Example Sentence: “He tilted his chair backwards and put his feet up on his desk.”
- Synonyms: lean, tip, list, slope, camber.
2) Changing in Favor of One Thing Over Another : In a broader sense, tilting can refer to changing or causing something to change in favor of one person or thing as opposed to another.
- Example Sentence: “The balance of power tilted towards the workers.”
litany
1) Christian Prayer or Recitation: A litany is a long Christian prayer in which the person leading the service speaks some parts, and the other people at the service respond with recurring formulas.
- Example Sentence: “During the church service, the priest led the congregation in a solemn litany.”
- Synonyms: prayer, invocation, petition, supplication.
2) Repetitive Series or List : In a broader sense, litany can refer to a long list of unpleasant things, especially when those things are repeated.
- Example Sentence: “The manufacturers received a litany of complaints from dissatisfied customers.”
- Related Phrases: a litany of grievances, a litany of woes.
cadet
1) Military or Police Trainee : A cadet is a young person undergoing preliminary training, usually before full entry into the uniformed services (such as the military or police). They often train for officer status.
- Example Sentence: “The cadet diligently studied military tactics and discipline.”
2) Younger Branch of a Family : In a broader sense, a cadet can refer to a younger brother or son, especially in the context of noble families.
- Example Sentence: “He was a cadet of the family of the Earls of Rosse.”
3) Trainee or Novice in Various Fields : Beyond military and police contexts, a cadet can also be a trainee or novice in other fields, such as journalism.
- Example Sentence: “She started her career as a cadet journalist, learning the ropes of reporting.”
buoyed
1) Floating or Preventing Sinking : To buoy means to prevent someone or something from sinking. It keeps them afloat.
- Example Sentence: “The very salty water buoyed her up as she swam.”
2) Making Happier or More Confident : In a broader sense, buoyed can refer to making someone feel happier or more confident about a situation.
- Example Sentence: “She was buoyed up by the warm reception her audience gave her.”
detestion
- The word “detestation” refers to an intense feeling of hatred or strong dislike toward someone or something
- He looked at her with detestation
- She was motivated by her detestation of injustice
- The early detection of fetal abnormalities is crucial for proper medical care
harness
1) Equipment for Control or Restraint : A harness is a piece of equipment with straps and belts, used to control or hold in place a person, animal, or object.
- “She secured herself with a safety harness before climbing the rock face.”
2) Collecting and Utilizing Energy : In a broader sense, harnessing refers to collecting and controlling something (such as energy) effectively.
- Example Sentence: “Scientists are exploring ways to harness solar power for sustainable energy.
- (Related Phrases: harness wind, harness waves, harness technology)
imparted
1) Make Known or Communicate : To impart means to make something known or communicate information to someone.
- The teachers imparted a great deal of knowledge to their pupils
- (Synonyms: communicate, pass on, convey, transmit, relay, give, bestow, confer, grant, lend.)
2) Giving a Particular Feeling, Quality, or Taste: Imparted can also refer to giving something a particular feeling, quality, or taste.
- Preservatives can impart color and flavor to a product.”
exuberance
1) Energetic and Cheerful Behavior : Exuberance refers to the quality of feeling energetic, excited, and cheerful. It describes someone’s behavior when they are full of energy and enthusiasm.
- Example Sentence: “Despite her age, she maintained a youthful exuberance.”
- Synonyms: ebullience, buoyancy, cheerfulness, sunniness, breeziness.
2) Vigorous Growth or Abundance : In a different context, exuberance can also describe the fact that plants are strong and growing quickly.
- “As they explored the rainforest, they marveled at the exuberance of plant life.”
- Related Phrases: “riotous multi-colored exuberance.”
innate
- 1) Inborn or Originating Naturally : Something that is innate is present from birth or originates naturally within an individual.
- Her dance expresses the innate beauty of the human spirit
- Synonyms: inborn, natural, inbred, congenital, inherent.
- Antonyms: acquired.
- 2) Originating in the Mind : In a broader sense, innate can describe qualities or abilities that are inherent and not learned.
- Cyril’s most impressive quality was his innate goodness.
- Related Phrases: innate capacity, innate talent.
lexican
1) Vocabulary of a Language or Subject : A lexicon refers to the vocabulary of a person, language, or branch of knowledge. It encompasses all the words used in a particular language or subject.
- Example Sentence: “The size of the English lexicon is vast.”
- Synonyms: lexis, word stock, dictionary, wordbook, glossary, reference book.
- 2) Dictionary, Especially for Specific Languages : In a narrower sense, a lexicon can also mean a dictionary, especially for languages like Greek, Hebrew, Syriac, or Arabic.
- Example Sentence: “He consulted a Greek–Latin lexicon.”
blurting
- 1) Uttering Abruptly and Impulsively : To blurt means to utter something suddenly and without careful consideration. It often happens impulsively.
- Example Sentence: “She blurted out the truth.”
- If somebody doesn’t blurt out the news of a miracle in progress, said miracle may slide by unnoticed and unsavored
- Synonyms: exclaim, ejaculate, tell, babble, jabber.
- Antonyms: keep quiet.
hone
1) Sharpening or Smoothing with a Whetstone: To hone means to sharpen or smooth something using a whetstone (a type of abrasive stone).
- Example Sentence: “He carefully honed the curved blade of his knife.”
- Synonyms: sharpen, whet, strop, grind, file.
2) Making More Acute, Intense, or Effective : In a broader sense, hone can refer to making something more acute, intense, or effective over a period of time.
- Example Sentence: “She has been working hard to hone her skills.
- Related Phrases: hone in on, hone her comic timing.
blade
- 1) The Flat Cutting Edge of a Tool or Weapon : A blade is the thin, flat part of a knife, saw, or other tool or weapon that forms the cutting edge.
- Example Sentence: “She sharpened the blade of her kitchen knife.”
- Synonyms: cutter, carver, cutting tool, steel.
- 2) Wide, Flat Section of an Implement or Device : A blade can also refer to the wide, flat section of various tools or machines, such as propellers or windscreen wipers.
- Example Sentence: “The helicopter’s rotor blades spun rapidly.”
- Related Phrases: propeller blade, windscreen wiper blades.
- 3) Long, Narrow Leaf of Grass or Similar Plant: In botany, a blade is a long, narrow leaf of grass or another similar plant.
- Example Sentence: “The dew glistened on each blade of grass in the morning sun.”
- 4) Attractive and Confident Young Man (Old Usage): In old usage, a blade referred to an attractive and confident young man
- Example Sentence: “He was quite the dashing young blade.”
catalyst
- 1) Chemical Reaction Accelerator : A catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change.
- Example Sentence: “Chlorine acts as a catalyst, promoting the breakdown of ozone.”
- Synonyms: channel, medium, means, agency, agent, spur, stimulus, impetus, prompt, encouragement.
- 2) Precipitating Change or Event : Beyond chemistry, a catalyst can also refer to an event or person that causes great change.
- Example Sentence: “The high suicide rate acted as a catalyst for change in the prison system.”
perpetuating
- 1) Make Continue Indefinitely : To perpetuate means to make something continue indefinitely, often in reference to something considered harmful or false.
- Example Sentence: “Increasing the supply of weapons will only perpetuate the violence and anarchy.”
- “The confusion was perpetuated through inadvertence.”
- “A monument was built to perpetuate the memory of those killed in the war.”
- Synonyms: keep going, preserve, conserve, sustain, maintain.
autonomously
- The term “autonomously” refers to acting or functioning independently or self-governing.
- 1) The ideal candidate will be able to work autonomously and without supervision
- 2) We have developed a service robot that operates autonomously, in concert with a network of devices in its environment
- 3) Viruses, on the boundary between living and nonliving, cannot autonomously reproduce but require the biochemistry and structure of a host cell.
cinders
- The term “cinders” refers to small pieces of burnt material, often resulting from the combustion of wood, coal, or other substances.
- After the bonfire, we found cinders scattered around the fire pit.
- The locomotive’s smokestack emitted a stream of cinders as it chugged along the tracks.
- The fireplace was filled with glowing cinders, providing warmth on a chilly evening
regaled
- The term “regaled” means to entertain or delight someone with stories, anecdotes, or enjoyable experiences
- At the family gathering, Uncle Joe regaled us with tales of his adventures during his travels.
- The chef regaled the guests with a sumptuous feast, leaving everyone satisfied and impressed.
- As the evening unfolded, the storyteller regaled the audience with mystical legends by the fireside.
tantamount
- The term “tantamount” means equivalent or virtually the same as something else
- In negotiations, compromise is often tantamount to finding a mutually beneficial solution.
- The CEO’s decision to cut costs was tantamount to reducing the company’s workforce.
- Trust in a relationship is tantamount to its success; without it, the foundation crumbles.
