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GRE Vocab > GRE Vocab 1 > Flashcards

GRE Vocab 1 Flashcards

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0
Q

Abscond

A

(V.) To leave secretly and hide, often to avoid the law

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1
Q

Abberant

A

(Adj.) Deviating from normal or correct

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2
Q

Aggrandize

A

(V.) To make greater, to increase. Thus, to exaggerate

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3
Q

Amalgamate

A

(V.) To unite or to mix

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4
Q

Ambrosial

A

(Adj.) Extremely pleasing to the senses, divine (as related to the gods) or delicious (n: ambrosia)

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5
Q

Anachronism

A

(N.) A person or an artifact appearing after it’s own time or out of chronological order (adj: anachronistic)

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6
Q

Antediluvian

A

(Adj.) ancient, outmoded (literally; before the flood)

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7
Q

Arbitrate

A

(V.) To settle a dispute by impulse (N: arbitration)

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8
Q

Assuage

A

(V.) to make less severe; to appease/satisfy

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9
Q

Attenuate

A

(V.) weaken (adj: attenuated)

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10
Q

Audacious

A

(Adj.) extremely bold, fearless. Especially said of human behavior (n: audacity)

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11
Q

Aver

A

(V.) to declare

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12
Q

Banal

A

(Adj.) commonplace or trite (n: banality)

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13
Q

Barefaced

A

(Adj.) unconcealed, shameless or brazen

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14
Q

Blandishment

A

(N.) speech or action intended to coax someone into doing something

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15
Q

Bombast

A

(N.) pompous speech (Adj: bombastic)

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16
Q

Burgeon

A

(V., N) to grow or flourish; a bud or a new growth (adj: burgeoning)

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17
Q

Buttress

A

(V., N) To support/ a support

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18
Q

Cadge

A

(V.) to get something by taking advantage of someone

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19
Q

Caprice

A

(N.) impulse (adj: capricious)

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20
Q

Caustic

A

(Adj.) capable of dissolving by chemical action; highly critical

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21
Q

Chicanery

A

(N.) deception by trickery

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22
Q

Conflagration

A

(N.) a great fire

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23
Q

Corporeal

A

(Adj.) of or having to do with material as opposed to spiritual/tangible

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24
Q

Corporal

A

(Adj.) of the body: “corporal punishment”; a non commissioned officer ranked between a sergeant and a private

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25
Q

Corroborate

A

(V.) to strengthen or support (N: corroboration)

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26
Q

Craven

A

(Adj., N) cowardly/ a coward

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27
Q

Dearth

A

(N.) lack or scarcity

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28
Q

Depredation

A

(V.) the act of preying upon or plundering

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29
Q

Desiccate

A

(V.) to dry out thoroughly

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30
Q

Diatribe

A

(N.) a bitter abusive denunciation

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31
Q

Credulous

A

Too trusting/gullible

“Although some four year olds believe in the Easter bunny, only the most credulous nine year olds believe in him”

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32
Q

Deference

A

Respect/courtesy

“The law clerk treated the Supreme Court justice with the utmost deference”

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33
Q

Deride

A

To mock

“The awkward child was often derided by his peers”

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34
Q

Desultory

A

Jumping from one thing to another/disconnected

“Diane had a desultory academic record she had changed her major 12 times in three years”

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35
Q

Diatribe

A

An abusive, condemnatory speech

“The trucker yelled a diatribe at the driver who cut me off”

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36
Q

Diffident

A

Lacking self confidence

“Steve’s diffident manner during the job interview stemmed from his nervous nature and lack of experience in the field”

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37
Q

Dilatory

A

Intended to delay

“The congressman used dilatory measures to delay the passage of the bill”

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38
Q

Dilettante

A

Someone with an amateurish/superficial interest in something

“She’s a dilettante, she has a new hobby or interest every week”

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39
Q

Dirge

A

A funeral hymn or mournful speech

“I wrote a dirge for my recently passed friend. I will perform it at their funeral”

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40
Q

Disabuse

A

To set right; to free from error

“Galileo’s observations disabused scholars of their notion that the sun revolved around the earth”

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41
Q

Discern

A

To perceive or recognize

“It’s easy to discern the difference between butter and butter flavored topping”

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42
Q

Disparate

A

Fundamentally different: entirely unalike

“Although the twins appear to be identical physically, their personalities are disparate”

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43
Q

Dissemble

A

To present a false appearance; to disguise one’s real intentions or character

“The villain could dissemble to the police no longer - he admitted to the deed and showed them the evidence”

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44
Q

Dissonance

A

Harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds

“Cognitive dissonance is the inner conflict produced when long-standings beliefs are contradicted by new evidence”

45
Q

Dogma

A

A firmly held belief or opinion

46
Q

Dogmatic

A

Dictatorial in one’s opinions

“The dictator was dogmatic - he and only he was right”

47
Q

Dupe

A

To deceive; a person who is easily deceived

“Bugs bunny duped Elmer Fudd by dressing up as a lady rabbit”

48
Q

Eclectic

A

Selecting from or made up from a variety of sources

“Budapest’s architecture is an eclectic mix of eastern and western styles”

49
Q

Efficacy

A

Effectiveness

“The efficacy of penicillin was unsurpassed when it was first introduced; the drug completely eliminated almost all bacterial infections”

50
Q

Elegy

A

A sorrowful poem or speech

“Even though his elegy is about loss, it urges people to endure life and trust on spirituality”

51
Q

Eloquent

A

Persuasive and moving, esp in speech

“The Gettysburg address is moving not only because of it’s lofty sentiments but also because of it’s eloquent words”

52
Q

Enervate

A

To reduce in strength

“The guerrillas hoped that a series of surprise attacks would enervate the regular army”

53
Q

Engender

A

To produce, cause or bring about

“His fear of clowns was engendered when he witnessed the death of his father at the hands of a clown”

54
Q

Enigma

A

A puzzle/mystery

“Speaking in riddles and dressed in old robes, the artist gained a reputation as something of an enigma”

55
Q

Enumerate

A

To count/list/itemize

“Moses returns from the mountain with tablets on which the commandments were enumerated”

56
Q

Ephemeral

A

Lasting a short time

“The lives of mayflies seem ephemeral to us, since the flies’ average life span is a matter of house”

57
Q

Equivocate

A

To use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead

“When faced with criticism of her policies, the politician equivocated a left all parties think she agreed with them”

58
Q

Erratic

A

Wandering and unpredictable

“The plot seemed predictable until it suddenly took a series of erratic turns that surprised the audience”

59
Q

Erudite

A

Learned, scholarly, bookish

“Nan is an erudite woman, she is a well read, intelligent scholar”

60
Q

Esoteric

A

Known or understood by only a few

“only a handful of experts are knowledgable about the esoteric world of particle physics”

61
Q

Estimable

A

Admirable

“Most people consider it estimable that Mother Theresa spent her life helping the poor of India”

62
Q

Eulogy

A

Speech in praise of someone

“His best friend gave the eulogy,
Outlining his many achievements and talents”

63
Q

Euphemism

A

Use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place if a more distasteful one

“The funeral director preferred to use the euphemism ‘sleeping’ instead of the word ‘dead’”

64
Q

Exacerbate

A

To make worse

“It is unwise to take an aspirin to try and relieve heartburn; instead of providing relief, the drug will only exacerbate the problem”

65
Q

Exculpate

A

To clear from blame/prove innocent

“The legal system is intended to convict those who are guilty and exculpate those who are innocent”

66
Q

Exigent

A

Urgent; requiring immediate action

“The patient was losing blood so rapidly that it was exigent to stop the source of the bleeding”

67
Q

Exonerate

A

To clear of blame

“The fugitive was exonerated when another criminal confessed to committing to the crime”

68
Q

Fanatical

A

Acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with unquestioned

“The stormtroopers were fanatical in their devotion to the emperor, readily sacrificing their lives for him”

69
Q

Fawn

A

To grovel

“The understudy fawned over the director in hopes of being cast in the part on a permanent basis”

70
Q

Fervid

A

Intensely emotional; feverish

“The fans of One Direction were always fervid, doing anything to catch a glimpse of the band”

71
Q

Florid

A

Excessively decorated or embellished

“The palace had been decorated in a florid style; every surface had been carved and gilded”

72
Q

Foment

A

To arouse/incite

“The protesters tried to foment feeling against the war through their speeches and demonstrations”

73
Q

Frugality

A

A tendency to be thrifty or cheap

“He was known for his frugality. He could fill a giant storehouse with the money he had accumulated”

74
Q

Garrulous

A

Tending to talk a lot

“The garrulous parakeet distracted it’s owner with it’s continuous talking”

75
Q

Gregarious

A

Outgoing/sociable

“She was so gregarious that when she found herself alone she felt quite sad”

76
Q

Guile

A

Deceit or trickery

“Since he was not fast enough to catch the roadrunner on foot, the coyote resorted to guile in an effort to trap his enemy”

77
Q

Iconoclast

A

One who opposes established beliefs, customs and institutions

78
Q

Imperturbable

A

Not capable of being disturbed

“The counselor had so much experience dealing with distraught children that she seemed imperturbable, even when faced with the worst tantrums”

79
Q

Impervious

A

Impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected

“A good raincoat will be impervious to moisture”

80
Q

Impetuous

A

Quick to act without thinking

“It is not good for an investment broker to be impetuous, b/c much thought must be put into each investment”

81
Q

Implacable

A

Unable to be calmed down or made peaceful

“His rage at the betrayal was so great that he remained implacable for weeks”

82
Q

Inchoate

A

Not fully formed; disorganized

“The ideas expressed in his mature writing also appear in an inchoate form in his earlier writing”

83
Q

Ingenuous

A

Showing innocence or childlike simplicity

“She was so ingenuous that her friends feared that her innocence and trustfulness would be exploited when she visited the big city”

84
Q

Inimical

A

Hostile/unfriendly

“Even tho the children had grown up together, they were inimical to each other at school”

85
Q

Insipid

A

Lacking interest or flavor

“The critic claimed that the painting was insipid, containing no interesting qualities at all”

86
Q

Innocuous

A

Harmless

“Some snakes are poisonous, but the majority are innocuous and pose no danger to humans”

87
Q

Intransigent

A

Uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled

“The professor was intransigent on the deadline, insisting that everyone turn in the assignment at the same time”

88
Q

Inundate

A

To overwhelm or cover with

“The tidal wave inundated Atlantis, which was lost beneath the water”

89
Q

Irascible

A

Easily made angry

“The hulk’s irascible and violent nature made all who dealt with him fear for their lives”

90
Q

Laconic

A

Using few words

“She was a laconic poet who built her reputation on using words as sparingly as possible”

91
Q

Lament

A

To express sorrow; to grieve

“The children continued to lament the death of the goldfish weeks after it’s demise”

92
Q

Laud

A

To give praise; to glorify

“Parades and fireworks were staged to laud the success of the rebels”

93
Q

Lavish

A

To give unsparingly (v.); extremely generous or extravagant (adj).

“She lavished the puppy with so many treats that it soon became overweight and spoiled”

94
Q

Loquacious

A

Talkative

“She was naturally loquacious, which was a problem in situations in which listening was more important than talking”

95
Q

Lucid

A

Clear and easily understood

“The answers were written in a simple and lucid manner so that the students easily grasped them”

96
Q

Malinger

A

To evade responsibility by pretending to be ill

“A common way to avoid the draft was by malingering - pretending to be mentally or physically I’ll so as to avoid being taken by the Army”

97
Q

Metaphor

A

Figure of speech comparing two different things; a symbol

“The metaphor ‘a sea of trouble’ suggests a lot of troubles by comparing their number to the vastness of the sea”

98
Q

Misanthrope

A

A person who dislikes others

“The character Scrooge is such a misanthrope that even the sight of children singing makes him angry”

99
Q

Mitigate

A

To soften/lessen

“A judge may mitigate a sentence if she decides that a person committed a crime out of need”

100
Q

Mollify

A

To calm or make less severe

“Their argument was so intense that it was difficult to believe any compromise would mollify them”

101
Q

Monotony

A

Lack of variation

“The monotony of the sound of the dropping faucet almost drove the research assistant crazy”

102
Q

Obdurate

A

Hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion

“The president was completely obdurate on the issue, and no amount of persuasion would change his mind”

103
Q

Obsequious

A

Overly submissive and eager to please

“The obsequious new associate made sure to compliment her supervisor’s tie and agree with him on every issue.”

104
Q

Obstinate

A

Stubborn; unyielding

“Peter is so obstinate when it comes
to healthy eating, he refuses to eat any and all vegetables”

105
Q

Obviate

A

To prevent or make unnecessary

“The river was shallow enough to walk across which obviated the need for a bridge”

106
Q

Occlude

A

To stop up; to prevent the passage of

“A shadow is thrown across the earth’s surface during a solar eclipse, when the light from the sun is occluded by the moon”

107
Q

Onerous

A

Troublesome and oppressive; burdensome

“The assignment was so extensive and difficult to manage that it proved onerous to the team in charge of it”

108
Q

Opaque

A

Impossible to see through; preventing the passage of light

109
Q

Opprobrium

A

Public disgrace

“After the schisms to embezzle the elderly was made public, the treasurer resigned in utter opprobrium”

110
Q

Ostentation

A

Excessive showiness

“The ostentation of the sun king’s court is evident in the lavish decoration and luxuriousness of his palace at Versailles”

GRE Vocab (7 decks)

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