GRE Vocab List 4

Question 1

Artful

Answer 1

Cunning, clever or skillful

Eg- His artful behavior earned him a spot in the oceans eleven

Question 2

Artifice

Answer 2

Clever or cunning devices used to trick others i.e. to be artful
Eg- Politics is dominated by artifice.

Question 3

Expurgate

Answer 3

remove all traces of matter thought to be objectionable

Eg- The censor board expurgated parts of the movie deemed unfit for children.

Question 4

Expunge

Answer 4

Remove all traces of

Eg- She tried to expunge all memories of her ex.

Question 5

Censure

Answer 5

Express severe disapproval

Eg- The opposition censured the new bill passed by the govt.

Question 6

Ponderous

Answer 6

Slow, clumsy and dull

Eg- The show’s plot was ponderous at best.

Question 7

Imponderable

Answer 7

Something impossible to estimate

Eg- The effects of the pandemic are imponderable.

Question 8

Powwow

Answer 8

Informal discussion or meeting

Eg- The colleagues met for a powwow after work.

Question 9

Junta

Answer 9

Aggressive takeover by a group

Eg- The country is ruled by a military junta.

Question 10

Imbroglio

Answer 10

Confusing and embarrassing situation

Eg- Trumps comments often result in a imbroglio on the international stage.

Question 11

Schadenfreude

Answer 11

Taking joy in others sufferings

Eg- Usury is a business that thrives on schadenfreude.

Question 12

Pariah

Answer 12

An outcast

Eg- Nerds often consider themselves as social pariahs since they face difficulty fitting in.

Question 13

Nabob

Answer 13

A wealthy or influential person

Eg- His business sense soon turned him into a nabob.

Question 14

Zeitgeist

Answer 14

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.

Question 15

Sangfroid

Answer 15

Calmness and poise

Eg- I was surprised at his sangfroid even after the situation looked dim.

Question 16

Parvenu

Answer 16

A newly rich person

Eg- You could tell he was a parvenu due to his clear lack of style.

Question 17

Arriviste

Answer 17

An ambitious person

Eg- John was perceived as an arriviste and many old timers chose to ignore his ideas.

Question 18

Lagniappe

Answer 18

An unexpected gift

Eg- The waited gave us a free desert as a lagniappe for the generous tip.

Question 19

Picayune

Answer 19

of little significance or petty
Eg- The politicians spent their time arguing about picayune topics rather than topics such as economy and social welfare.

Question 20

Gerrymander

Answer 20

Manipulating boundaries in order to favor one group

Eg- The way the territories were divided showed a clear case of gerrymandering.

Question 21

Hector

Answer 21

Bully or intimidate

Eg- The local gangs often hectored the shop keepers for protection money.

Question 22

Pollyannaish

Answer 22

Extremely optimistic

Eg- Sita hates being called a pollyannaish just because she prefers being optimistic.

Question 23

Chauvinism

Answer 23

Thinking one’s group is better than the other

Eg- Feminism is a fight against chauvinism.

Question 24

Pyrrhic

Answer 24

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.

Question 25

Kafkaesque

Answer 25

reminding of oppressive or nightmarish qualities

Eg- My time at the company could only be describes as Kafkaesque.