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GRE Vocab > GRE Vocab 3- Kaplan > Flashcards

GRE Vocab 3- Kaplan Flashcards

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1
Q

presumptuous

A

failing to observe the limits of what is permitted or appropriate (too bold); arrogant
“I hope I won’t be considered PRESUMPTUOUS if I offer some advice”

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2
Q

lugubrious

A

sad or mournful

“After his wife left him, he walked around in a LUGUBRIOUS condition for months”

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3
Q

fatuous

A

stupid; silly

“My brother was FATUOUS for sprinting across the wet kitchen floor”

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4
Q

caustic

A

sarcastic in a scathing and bitter way

“Because my uncle was a mean man, he took pleasure in making CAUSTIC statements to people”

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5
Q

luminary

A

a person who inspires or influences others

“Because Dr. Swanson is a LUMINARY in the medical profession, he recently had a surgical procedure named after him”

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6
Q

hackneyed

A

lacking significance through having been overused; unoriginal and trite
“Too often used by young girls, the word ‘like’ has become HACKNEYED”

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7
Q

denigrate

A

to criticize unfairly; disparage

“Bullies often DENIGRATE others to hide their own feelings of worthlessness”

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8
Q

admonitory

A

conveying a warning

“The teacher’s voice had an ADMONITORY tone as she told the students to stop talking or lose recess”

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9
Q

expound

A

to present or explain systematically and in detail

“During his graduation speech, Thad will EXPOUND his hopes and prayers for his graduating class”

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10
Q

unscrupulous

A

having or showing no moral principles; not honest or fair

“The UNSCRUPULOUS drug company lied about the benefits of its new drug”

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11
Q

assiduous

A

showing great care and perseverance; diligent

“The meticulous maid was ASSIDUOUS when cleaning her mistress’s floors with a toothbrush”

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12
Q

hegemony

A

leadership or dominance over a certain area

“The president of the company has HEGEMONY over his employees”

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13
Q

circumscribe

A

restrict within limits

“When my husband drinks too much, I hide his car keys to CIRCUMSCRIBE his capacity to drive”

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14
Q

subversive

A

seeking to destroy the power of an established system or institution
“The group published a SUBVERSIVE magazine that contained nothing but negative articles about the current government”

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15
Q

winsome

A

attractive or appealing in appearance or character

“Even though the model is in her forties, she still uses her WINSOME looks to grace the covers of teen magazines”

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16
Q

gauche

A

lacking ease or grace

“His GAUCHE table manners make me cringe, especially when he tries to talk with his mouth full”

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17
Q

munificent

A

very generous

“The wealthy actor always gives the members of his staff MUNIFICENT appreciation gifts”

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18
Q

precipitous

A

done suddenly and without careful consideration

“Because Richard never thinks about the consequences of his PRECIPITOUS actions, he often ends up in jail.”

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19
Q

intrepid

A

fearless

“The INTREPID adventurer climbed the rocky mountain without fear”

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20
Q

arcane

A

understood by few; mysterious or secret

“Because it is no longer taught in schools, people are concerned that cursive writing will become ARCANE”

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21
Q

inveterate

A

habitual; long-established and unlikely to change

“He is an INVETERATE smoker and has told his family and friends that there is no way he will ever quit”

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22
Q

pernicious

A

exceedingly harmful

“Because she hates me, my neighbor is always spreading PERNICIOUS lies about me”

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23
Q

scrupulous

A

diligent, thorough, and extremely attentive to details; very concerned to avoid doing wrong
“Because Shannon is a SCRUPULOUS editor, she never misses errors when she proofreads a document”

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24
Q

pedestrian

A

lacking inspiration or excitement; dull

“A large number of people fell asleep during the PEDESTRIAN play”

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25
Q

myriad

A

a countless or extremely great number

“If you are going to New York City for your vacation, you will find MYRIAD attractions you can visit”

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26
Q

maverick

A

an unorthodox or independent-minded person

“The MAVERICK politician promised to leave behind the ways of the old guard and bring change to the government”

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27
Q

dilatory

A

slow to act; delaying
“Because I was running late to the meeting, I asked my assistant to behave in a DILATORY manner so I would have time to arrive”

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28
Q

craven

A

cowardly
“When the company went bankrupt, the CRAVEN CEO quickly flew out of the country to avoid having to answer to his former employees”

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29
Q

harried

A

persistently harassed
“With a team of new hires to train, Martha was constantly HARRIED with little questions and could not focus on her projects”

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30
Q

maladroit

A

clumsy

“The nervous boy was MALADROIT and stuttered over his words as he invited the girl to the dance”

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31
Q

timorous

A

fearful, nervous, suffering from lack of confidence

“The TIMOROUS kitten would not come out from under the bed”

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32
Q

edifying

A

providing moral or intellectual instruction

“The pastor’s sermon was spiritually EDIFYING as it was used to teach the congregation about the perils of sin”

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33
Q

imprudent

A

quick to act without thoughts of the consequences; rash; unwise
“Phil’s IMPRUDENT turn on the highway caused a six-car accident”

34
Q

duress

A

compulsory force or threat
“The judge overturned the case because the defendant’s attorney proved that his client’s confession had been given under DURESS”

35
Q

pejorative

A

expressing contempt or disapproval

“Even though I had a good explanation for my lateness, my employer still described my conduct in a PEJORATIVE way”

36
Q

sullen

A

bad-tempered and sulky; gloomy

“After being dumped by her boyfriend, Ellen was SULLEN for days”

37
Q

ignominious

A

very embarrassing; shameful or disgraceful

“When the boxer got knocked out in the first round, everyone knew it was the beginning of an IGNOMINIOUS defeat for him”

38
Q

reproach

A

to express criticism or disapproval
“At first, Sarah was going to yell at the boy, but she didn’t want to REPROACH him for telling the truth about the situation”

39
Q

polemic

A

a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something

“The political candidate posted a POLEMIC on his blog that mocked his rival’s lack of community service”

40
Q

ingenuous

A

innocent; naive

“My INGENUOUS six-year-old sister still believes there is an Easter bunny.”

41
Q

indolence

A

avoidance of activity or exertion; laziness

“The sloth is known for his INDOLENCE since he spends twenty hours a day lounging in the trees”

42
Q

salacious

A

conveying inappropriate interest in sexual matters

“The SALACIOUS content of some popular novels has led parents to demand that they be removed from school libraries”

43
Q

recalcitrant

A

having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline; stubborn
“Despite being offered treats by his parents, the little boy was still RECALCITRANT about doing his homework”

44
Q

punitive

A

inflicting or intended as punishment
“The purpose of the PUNITIVE lawsuit’s community service ruling is to forever remind the drunk driver of the cost of his actions”

45
Q

inculcate

A

to instill

“In order to INCULCATE a love of reading, the teacher encourages her students to read different types of literature”

46
Q

demure

A

reserved, modest, and shy

“My sister is too outgoing for anyone to ever accuse her of being DEMURE”

47
Q

indignant

A

angry because of unfair treatment

“The woman was INDIGNANT about the way she had been treated by the rude clerk”

48
Q

remiss

A

lacking care or attention to duty; negligent

“If I let you go without food, I would be REMISS in my responsibilities as a parent”

49
Q

spendthrift

A

a person who spends money in an extravagant, irresponsible way
“Because the lottery winner was a SPENDTHRIFT, he spent his winnings in less than a year”

50
Q

miser

A

a person who hoards wealth and spends as little money as possible
“My uncle is a MISER who complains about having to pay for anything”

51
Q

disquietude

A

a state of uneasiness or anxiety

“The little boy listened in DISQUIETUDE as his parents argued in the kitchen”

52
Q

precipitate

A 
to cause (something) to happen quickly or suddenly
"Drinking in excess will PRECIPITATE liver disease"
53
Q

alacrity

A

brisk and cheerful readiness

“The eager student attacked all school work with a rarely seen ALACRITY”

54
Q

pithy

A

concise; brief, to the point

“The title of your book should be PITHY and unforgettable”

55
Q

providential

A

occurring at a favorable time; opportune

“It was PROVIDENTIAL that I moved out of the way before being struck by the oncoming vehicle”

56
Q

fractious

A

irritable and quarrelsome

“The inexperienced teacher found the FRACTIOUS students difficult to control”

57
Q

disparate

A

essentially different in kind; not allowing comparison

“Because there was so much DISPARATE information on the topic, the research process took longer than expected”

58
Q

equivocate

A

to avoid giving a clear or direct answer to a question

“When things are not going Margie’s way, she will often twist the truth and EQUIVOCATE to put things in her favor”

59
Q

tumultuous

A

excited, confused, or disorderly

“During the recent riots, the crowd was TUMULTUOUS and went berserk as the police arrested their leader”

60
Q

acumen

A

the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions

“John’s business ACUMEN, along with his computer skills, made him an asset to the software company”

61
Q

flout

A

to openly disregard

62
Q

proclivity

A

tending to do something regularly

63
Q

abounds

A

abundant

64
Q

derisive

A

expressing contempt or ridicule

65
Q

phlegmatic

A

calm, unemotional

66
Q

demur

A

to hesitate or object

67
Q

artless

A

lacking experience, plain, naive

68
Q

bucolic

A

rustic, countryside

69
Q

canonized

A

think highly of, glorified

70
Q

polemical

A

critical, hostile

71
Q

profundity

A

deep insight

72
Q

punctilious

A

meticulous, detailed

73
Q

pedant

A

concerned with minor details

74
Q

imperious

A

authoritative, commanding

75
Q

aloof

A

cool and distant

76
Q

subvert

A

to undermine the power and authority of

77
Q

droll

A

funny

78
Q

panache

A

flamboyant confidence of style or manner

79
Q

frivolous

A

carefree, not serious

80
Q

humdrum

A

dull, monotonous

GRE Vocab (3 decks)

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