GRE Vocab List 4 Flashcards
Artful
Cunning, clever or skillful
Eg- His artful behavior earned him a spot in the oceans eleven
Artifice
Clever or cunning devices used to trick others i.e. to be artful
Eg- Politics is dominated by artifice.
Expurgate
remove all traces of matter thought to be objectionable
Eg- The censor board expurgated parts of the movie deemed unfit for children.
Expunge
Remove all traces of
Eg- She tried to expunge all memories of her ex.
Censure
Express severe disapproval
Eg- The opposition censured the new bill passed by the govt.
Ponderous
Slow, clumsy and dull
Eg- The show’s plot was ponderous at best.
Imponderable
Something impossible to estimate
Eg- The effects of the pandemic are imponderable.
Powwow
Informal discussion or meeting
Eg- The colleagues met for a powwow after work.
Junta
Aggressive takeover by a group
Eg- The country is ruled by a military junta.
Imbroglio
Confusing and embarrassing situation
Eg- Trumps comments often result in a imbroglio on the international stage.
Schadenfreude
Taking joy in others sufferings
Eg- Usury is a business that thrives on schadenfreude.
Pariah
An outcast
Eg- Nerds often consider themselves as social pariahs since they face difficulty fitting in.
Nabob
A wealthy or influential person
Eg- His business sense soon turned him into a nabob.
Zeitgeist
The defining mood or spirit of a particular period of time
Eg- The switch to Netflix and other online streaming platforms is the zeitgeist of the late 2010s.
Sangfroid
Calmness and poise
Eg- I was surprised at his sangfroid even after the situation looked dim.
Parvenu
A newly rich person
Eg- You could tell he was a parvenu due to his clear lack of style.
Arriviste
An ambitious person
Eg- John was perceived as an arriviste and many old timers chose to ignore his ideas.
Lagniappe
An unexpected gift
Eg- The waited gave us a free desert as a lagniappe for the generous tip.
Picayune
of little significance or petty
Eg- The politicians spent their time arguing about picayune topics rather than topics such as economy and social welfare.
Gerrymander
Manipulating boundaries in order to favor one group
Eg- The way the territories were divided showed a clear case of gerrymandering.
Hector
Bully or intimidate
Eg- The local gangs often hectored the shop keepers for protection money.
Pollyannaish
Extremely optimistic
Eg- Sita hates being called a pollyannaish just because she prefers being optimistic.
Chauvinism
Thinking one’s group is better than the other
Eg- Feminism is a fight against chauvinism.
Pyrrhic
Won at too great a cost
Eg- Winning an argument just because you refuse to give up is just a Pyrrhic victory with your self esteem as the cost.
