GRE vocab Flashcards
1
Q
approbation
A
expression of approval or praise
2
Q
enervate
A
to weaken, reduce in vitality
3
Q
fulminate
A
to loudly attack/denounce
4
Q
obviate
A
to anticipate or make unnecessary
5
Q
perspicacious
A
acutely perceptive
6
Q
prevaricate
A
to mislead, deliberately avoid truth
7
Q
truculent
A
fierce & cruel, eager to fight
8
Q
bucolic
A
rustic & pastoral
9
Q
chary
A
wary, cautious, sparing
10
Q
cogent
A
appealing forcibly to the mind/reason; convincing
11
Q
demur
A
to question/oppose, express reluctance
12
Q
didactic
A
intended to teach/instruct
13
Q
ebullience
A
quality of lively/enthusiastic expression of thoughts/feelings
14
Q
elegy
A
mournful poem, especially lamenting the dead
15
Q
emollient
A
soothing, especially to skin; mollifying
16
Q
impecunious
A
lacking funds
17
Q
inveigle
A
to obtain by deception/flattery
18
Q
penurious
A
excessively thrifty/ungenerous
19
Q
quaff
A
to drink deeply
20
Q
quiescence
A
stillness, motionlessness, state of rest
21
Q
redoubtable
A
awe-inspiring, worthy of honor
22
Q
torpid
A
lethargic, sluggish, dormant
23
Q
ubiquitous
A
widespread, easily encountered
24
Q
adulterate
A
to reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients
25
aver
to state as fact, declare, assert
26
bombastic
pompous, grandiloquent
27
dissemble
to disguise, conceal, mislead
28
endemic
characteristic of a particular place or people
29
hackneyed
rendered trite with frequent use
30
halcyon
calm & peaceful
31
inchoate
in an initial stage, not fully formed
32
obdurate
unyielding, hardhearted, intractable
33
occlude
to obscure, block
34
opprobrium
disgrace, contempt, scorn
35
penury
poverty, destitution
36
pith
the essential or central part
37
polemical
controversial, argumentative
38
prodigal
recklessly wasteful, lavish, extravagant
39
querulous
prone to complaining/grumbling
40
recalcitrant
obstinately defiant of authority, hard to manage
41
salubrious
promoting health/well-being
42
specious
seemingly true but actually false, deceptively attractive
43
spurious
false, counterfeit
44
surfeit
overabundance/excess
45
aggrandize
to increase in intensity, power, influence
46
garrulous
pointlessly talkative
47
inimical
damaging, harmful, injurious
48
laconic
using few words, terse
49
neophyte
recent convert, novice, beginner
50
obfuscate
to deliberately obscure, make confusing
51
phlegmatic
calm, sluggish, unemotional
52
probity
adherence to highest principles; complete & confirmed integrity
53
profligate
excessively wasteful, recklessly extravagant
54
prosaic
dull; lacking in spirit or imagination
55
quotidian
commonplace, occurring/recurring daily
56
rarefy
to make/become thin, less dense; to refine
57
recondite
hidden, concealed, difficult to understand, obscure
58
refulgent
radiant, shiny, bright
59
sedulous
diligent, persistent, hard-working
60
soporific
causing drowsiness or inducing sleep
61
spendthrift
one who spends money wastefully
62
tacit
implied, not explicitly stated
63
trenchant
sharply perceptive, keen, penetrating
64
variegated
multicolored; characterized by a variety of patches of different color
65
vituperate
to use harsh condemnatory language; to abuse or censure severely or abusively; to berate
66
august
majestic, venerable
67
bent
leaning, inclination, proclivity, tendency
68
cardinal
major, as in cardinal sin
69
chauvinist
blindly devoted patriot
70
consequential
pompous, self-important (primary definitions are: logically following; important)
71
die
a tool used for shaping, as in a tool-and-die shop
72
essay
to test/try/attempt/experiment
73
fell (adj)
inhumanly cruel
74
flag (verb)
to sag or droop, become spiritless, decline
75
flip (adj)
sarcastic, impertinent (as in flippant)
76
guy (noun)
a rope, cord, or cable attached to something as a brace or guide; to steady or reinforce using a guy (think "guide"). (verb form: guyed, guying)
77
meet (adj)
fitting, proper
78
mince (verb)
to pronounce or speak affectedly; to euphemize, to speak too carefully. also to take tiny steps, tiptoe
79
nice (adj)
exacting, fastidious, extremely precise
80
obtain (adj)
to be established, accepted, or customary
81
pied
multicolored, usually in blotches
82
scurvy (adj)
contemptible, despicable
83
wag (noun)
wit, joker
84
abjure
to renounce or reject solemnly; to recant; to avoid
85
adumbrate
to foreshadow vaguely; to suggest or outline sketchily; to obscure or overshadow
86
anathema
a solemn or religious curse; accursed or thoroughly loathed person or thing
87
anodyne
soothing; something that eases pain
88
apogee
farthest or highest point; culmination; zenith
89
apotheosis
deification; exalted example
90
asperity
severity, rigor, harshness, irritability
91
asseverate
to aver, allege, or assert
92
assiduous
diligent, hard-working, sedulous
93
augury
omen, portent
94
bellicose
belligerent, pugnacious, warlike
95
calumnate
to slander, make a false accusation
96
captious
disposed to point out trivial faults; calculated to confuse or trap in argument
97
cavil
to find fault without good reason
98
celerity
speed, alacrity (think "accelerate")
99
chimera
illusion
100
contumacious
insubordinate, rebellious; ("contumely" means insult, scorn, aspersion)
101
denouement
an outcome or solution; the unraveling of a plot
102
descry
to discriminate or discern
103
desuetude
disuse
104
desultory
random; aimless; marked by a lack of plan or purpose
105
diaphanous
transparent, gauzy
106
encomium
glowing and enthusiastic praise, panegyric, tribute, eulogy
107
eschew
to shun/avoid
108
execrate
to denounce, loathe, curse, declare to be evil
109
exegesis
critical examination, explication
110
expiate
to atone/make amends for
111
extirpate
to destroy, exterminate, cut out, exscind
112
fatuous
silly, inane, foolish
113
fractious
quarrelsome, rebellious, unruly
114
gainsay
to deny, dispute, contradict, oppose
115
imbroglio
difficult or embarrassing situation
116
indefatigable
not easily exhausted, tireless, dogged
117
ineluctable
certain, inevitable
118
inimitable
one of a kind, peerless
119
insouciant
unconcerned, carefree, heedless
120
inveterate
deeply rooted, ingrained, habitual
121
jejune
vapid, uninteresting, nugatory, childish, immature, puerile
122
lubricious
lewd, wanton, greasy, slippery
123
mendicant
a beggar, supplicant
124
meretricious
cheap, gaudy, tawdry, flashy, showy
125
minatory
menacing, threatening (think minotaur)
126
nadir
low point, perigree
127
obstreperous
noisily & stubbornly defiant, aggressively boisterous
128
palliate
to make something seem less serious, to gloss over, to make less severe or intense
129
panegyric
formal praise, eulogy, encomium (expressing elaborate praise)
130
parsimonoius
cheap, miserly
131
pellucid
transparent, easy to understand, limpid
132
pecoration
the concluding part of a speech; flowery, rhetorical speech
133
plangent
pounding, thundering, resounding
134
prolix
long-winded; verbose
135
propitiate
to appease, conciliate
136
puerile
childish, immature, jejune, nugatory
137
puissance
power, strength (puissant means powerful or strong)
138
pusillanimous
cowardly, craven
139
remonstrate
to protest, object
140
salutary
remedial, wholesome, causing improvement
141
sanguine
cheerful, confident, optimistic
142
saturnine
gloomy, dark, sullen, morose
143
sententious
aphoristic or moralistic, epigrammatic, tending to moralize excessively
144
stentorian
extremely loud & powerful
145
stygian
gloomy, dark
146
tendentious
biased; showing marked tendencies
147
tyro
novice, greenhorn, amateur
148
vitiate
to corrupt, debase, spoil, make ineffective
149
voluble
fluent, verbal, having easy use of spoken language
