gre vocab advanced unabridged Flashcards
abash
v. to make ashamed; to embarrass
abject
Adj. hopeless; extremely sad and servile; defeated
abnegate
v. To deny oneself things; to reject; to renounce
abrogate
v. to abolish or repeal formally; to set aside; to nullify
abstemious
Adj. sparing or moderate, esp. in eating and drinking
abstruse
Adj. hard to understand or grasp
abysmal
Adj. extremely hopeless or wretched; bottomless
accede
v. to give in; to yield; to agree
accrete
v. to increase by growth or addition
adduce
v. to bring forward as an example or as proof; to cite
adroit
Adj. skillful; dextrous; clever; socially at ease
advent
n. arrival; coming; beginning
affable
Adj. easy to talk to; friendly
affectation
n. unnatural or artificial behavior, usually intended to impress
aggregate
n. sum total; a collection of separate tings mixed together
aghast
Adj. terrified; shocked
allege
v. to assert without proof
allusion
n. an indirect reference to something else; a hint
ambience
n. atmosphere; mood; feeling
ambivalent
Adj. undecided; having opposing feelings simultaneously
amiable
Adj. friendly; agreeable
amorphous
Adj. shapeless; bloblike
anathema
n. something or someone loathed or detested; a formal ecclesiastical curse and excommunication
ancillary
Adj. subordinate; providing assistance
animosity
n. resentment; hostility; ill will
antecedent
n. something that went before; a preceding cause or event
antipathy
n. firm dislike; a strong feeling of aversion
antithesis
n. the direct opposite
apex
n. highest point
aphorism
n. a brief, witty saying; a proverb
apocryphal
Adj. of dubious authenticity; fictitious
apostasy
n. abandonment or rejection of faith or loyalty
apposite
Adj. distinctly suitable; pertinent
appropriate
v. to take without permission; to set aside for a particular use
Arbiter
n. one who decides; a judge
arcane
Adj. mysterious; known only to a select few
archetype
n. an original model or pattern
arrant
Adj. utter; unmitigated; very bad
astute
Adj. shrewd; keen in judgment
attrition
n. a gradual wearing away, weakening, or loss; a natural decrease in numbers or size
augment
v. to make bigger; to add to; to increase
auspicious
Adj. favorable; promising
avow
v. to claim; to declare boldly; to admit
banal
Adj. unoriginal; ordinary
belabor
v. to go over repeatedly or to an absurd extent
beleaguer
v. to surround; to besiege; to harass
belie
v. to give a false impression of; to contradict
benign
Adj. gentle; not harmful; kind; mild
bereave
v. to deprive or leave desolate, esp. through death
blithe
Adj. carefree; cheerful
broach
v. to open up a subject for discussion, often a delicate subject
brook
v. to bear or tolerate; to put up with something
callow
Adj. immature
cardinal
Adj. most important; chief
catholic
Adj. universal; embracing everything
cavil
v. to quibble; to raise trivial objections
chagrin
n. humiliation; embarrassed disappointment
choleric
Adj. hot-tempered; quick to anger
circumspect
Adj. cautious
coalesce
v. to come together as one; to fuse; to unite
coda
n. a passage concluding a musical composition
cognizant
Adj. fully informed; knowledgeable; aware
collusion
n. conspiracy; secret cooperation
commensurate
Adj. equal; proportionate
conciliatory
Adj. making peace; attempting to resolve a dispute through goodwill
consecrate
v. to make or declare sacred
consonant
Adj. harmonious; in agreement
consummate
Adj. perfect; complete; supremely skillful
Contumely
n. rudeness; insolence; arrogance
convivial
Adj. fond of partying; festive
copious
Adj. abundant; plentiful
corroborate
v. to confirm; to back up with evidence
coterie
n. a select group of close associates
countenance
n. face; facial expression
covet
v. to wish for enviously
cull
v. to pick out from among many; to select; to collect
cursory
Adj. hasty; superficial
daunt
v. to make fearful; to intimidate
debacle
n. a sudden disastrous collapse, downfall, or defeat; a rout
debauchery
n. corruption by sensuality; intemperance; wild living
decorous
Adj. in good taste; orderly; proper
deleterious
Adj. harmful
deluge
n. a flood
deprecate
v. to express disapproval of
dilapidated
Adj. broken-down; fallen into ruin
discomfit
v. to confuse; to disconnect; to thwart the plans of ; to defeat in battle
discourse
n. to converse; to formally discuss a subject
doggerel
n. comic, loose verse
egregious
Adj. extremely bad; flagrant
elucidate
v. to explain; to make understandable
empirical
Adj. relying on experience or observation; not merely theoretical
endemic
Adj. native; belonging to a specific region or people
enormity
n. extreme evil or wickedness
epicure
n. a person with refined taste in wine and food
epitome
n. the perfect example of something; a paradigm
equanimity
n. composure; calm
eschew
v. to avoid; to shun
espouse
v. to support; to advocate
evince
v. to show or demonstrate clearly; manifest
exhort
v. to urge strongly
exposition
n. a setting forth of meaning or intent; a discourse intended to explain
extol
v. to praise highly
facile
Adj. fluent; skillful in a superficial way; easy
fatuous
Adj. foolish; silly; idiotic
fetter
v. to restrain; to hamper
flag
v. to weaken; to slow down
flippant
Adj. frivolously shallow and disrespectful
foment
v. to stir up; to instigate
forbear
v. to refrain from; to abstain
founder
v. to fail; to collapse; to sink
fulsome
Adj. offensively flattering or insincere; repulsive
gainsay
v. to deny; to speak or act against
gambit
n. a scheme to gain an advantage; a ploy
genial
Adj. cheerful and pleasant; friendly; helpful
germane
Adj. applicable; pertinent; relevant
gratis
Adj. free of charge
gratuitous
Adj. given freely (said of something bad); unjustified; unprovoked; uncalled for.
guile
n. cunning; duplicity; artfulness
harbinger
n. a forerunner; a signal of
hermetic
Adj. impervious to external influence; airtight
idyllic
Adj. charming in a rustic way; naturally peaceful
ignominy
n. deep disgrace
impecunious
Adj. without money; penniless
impromptu
Adj. without preparation; on the spur of the moment