GRE Vocab- Kaplan Flashcards
abate
to reduce in amount, degree, or severity
“As the hurricane’s force ABATED, the winds dropped and the sea became calm”
abscond
to leave secretly
“The patron ABSCONDED from the restaurant without paying his bill by sneaking out the door”
capricious
changing one’s mind quickly and often
“Queen Elizabeth I was quite CAPRICIOUS; her courtiers could never be sure which of their number would catch her fancy”
desiccate
to dry out thoroughly
“After a few weeks of lying on the desert’s baking sands, the cow’s carcass became completely desiccated”
elegy
a sorrowful poem or speech
“Although Thomas Gray’s ‘ELEGY Written in a Country Churchyard’ is about death and loss, it urges its readers to endure this life and to trust in spirituality”
fanatical
acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme, unquestioned devotion
“The stormtroopers were FANATICAL in their devotion to the emperor, readily sacrificing their lives for him”
guile
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”
iconoclast
one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions
“His lack of regard for traditional beliefs soon established him as an ICONOCLAST”
lament
to express sorrow; to grieve
“The children continued to LAMENT the death of the goldfish weeks after its demise”
malinger
to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill
“A common way to avoid the draft was by MALINGERING- pretending to be mentally or physically ill so as to avoid being taken by the Army”
obdurate
hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion
“The president was completely OBDURATE on the issue, and no amount of persuasion would change his mind”
paragon
model of excellence or perfection
“She is the PARAGON of what a judge should be: honest, intelligent, hardworking, and just”
quiescent
motionless
“Many animals are QUIESCENT over the winter months, minimizing activity in order to conserve energy”
rarefy
to make thinner or sparser
“Since the atmosphere RAREFIES as altitudes increase, the air at the top of vert tall mountains is too thin to breathe”
satiate
to satisfy fully or overindulge
“His desire for power was so great that nothing less than complete control of the country could SATIATE it”
tacit
done without using words
“Although not a word had been said, everyone in the room knew that a TACIT agreement had been made about which course of action to take”
vaciliate
to sway physically, to be indecisive
“The customers held up the line as he VACILLATED between ordering chocolate chip or rocky road ice cream”
whimsical
acting in a fanciful or capricious manner; unpredictable
“The ballet was WHIMSICAL, delighting the children with its imaginative characters and unpredictable sets”
zeal
passion, excitement
“She brought her typical ZEAL to the project, sparking enthusiasm in the other team members”
adulterate
to make impure
“The chef made his ketchup last longer by ADULTERATING it with water”
bombastic
pompous in speech and manner
“The ranting of the radio talk-show host was mostly BOMBASTIC; his boasting and outrageous claims had no basis in fact”
chicanery
deception by means of craft or guile
“Dishonest used car salespeople often use CHICANERY to sell their beat-up old cars”
deride
to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock
“The awkward child was often DERIDED by his “cooler” peers”
equivocal
open to more than one interpretation; misleading
“Asked a pointed question, the politician nevertheless gave an EQUIVOCAL answer”
fawn
to grovel (flatter) "The understudy FAWNED over the director in hopes of being cast in the part on a permanent basis"
impervious
impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected
“A good raincoat will be IMPERVIOUS to moisture”
lavish
(v.) to give sparingly
“She LAVISHED the puppy with so many treats that it soon became overweight and spoiled”
misanthrope
a person who dislikes others
“The character Scrooge in A Christmas Carol is such a MISANTHROPE that even the sight of children singing makes them angry”
obviate
to prevent; to make unnecessary; to remove
“The river was shallow enough to wade across at many points, which OBVIATED the need for a bridge”
pedant
someone who shows off learning
“The graduate instructor’s tedious and excessive commentary on the subject soon gained her reputation as a PEDANT”
rhetoric
effective writing or speaking
“Lincoln’s talent for RHETORIC was evident in his beautifully expressed Gettysburg Address”
soporific
causing sleep or lethargy
“The movie proved to be so SOPORIFIC that soon loud snores were heard throughout the theater”
tirade
long, harsh speech or verbal attack
“Observers were shocked at the manager’s TIRADE over such a minor mistake”
veracity
truthfulness; accuracy
“She had a reputation for VERACITY, so everyone trusted her description of events”
aggrandize
to increase in power, influence, and reputation
“The supervisor sought to AGGRANDIZE herself by claiming that the achievements of her staff were actually her own”
cogent
convincing and well reasoned
“Swayed by the COGENT argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but to acquit the defendant”
desultory
jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
“Diane had a DESULTORY academic record; she had changed majors 12 times in three years”
lacking a plan
“The students were confused by the teacher’s DESULTORY lecture which seemed to have no real focus”
enervate
to reduce in strength
“The guerrillas hoped that a series of surprise attacks would ENERVATE the regular army”
fervid
intensely emotional; feverish
“The fans of Maria Callas were unusually FERVID, doing anything to catch a glimpse of the great opera singer”
impetuous
quick to act without thinking
“It is not good for an investment broker to be IMPETUOUS, since much thought should be given to all the possible options”
