GRE Vocab List 5

Question 1

Quixotic

Answer 1

Unrealistic and impractical

Eg- My final year project turned out to be wildly quixotic.

Question 2

Maudlin

Answer 2

Self pitying or highly sentimental

Eg- That song always manages to trigger a bout of maudlin emotions.

Question 3

Panglossian

Answer 3

Blind optimism

Eg- As a child, he had a panglossian outlook towards life. But the cruelties of life took that away.

Question 4

Malapropism

Answer 4

Incorrect usage of a similar sounding word instead of the correct one

Question 5

Quisling

Answer 5

Traitor

Eg- Vibhishan, if you think about it, was actually a quisling.

Question 6

Bulbous

Answer 6

bulging or round

Eg- He had a bulbous nose.

Question 7

Byzantine

Answer 7

Too intricate or complex

Eg- This insurance scheme is too byzantine.

Question 8

Supercilious

Answer 8

behaving as if one is superior to others

Eg- She was a supercilious lady who mistreated her servants.

Question 9

Preternatural

Answer 9

Extraordinary

Eg- The climate is changing with preternatural speed.

Question 10

Protean

Answer 10

versatile or everchanging

Eg- To be a master of this subject is difficult because of its protean nature. There are new discoveries very often.

Question 11

Sartorial

Answer 11

related to clothes or style

Eg- She possessed sartorial elegance while walking on the red carpet.

Question 12

Saturnine

Answer 12

gloomy

Eg- Her countenance was always saturnine as if his face was stuck that way.

Question 13

Jaundice

Answer 13

being biased due to envy or resentment

Eg- Shyam failed his interview since the interviewer was jaundice against people from advertising backgrounds.

Question 14

Jejune

Answer 14

1. Dull or insipid
   Eg- His taste in movies was jejune.
2. Childish or immature
   Eg- His ideas were not taken seriously due to their jejune nature.

Question 15

Bilious

Answer 15

irritable or bad-tempered

Eg- He was banned from the local bar since his bilious temperament kept getting him into fights,

Question 16

Choleric

Answer 16

Irritable

Eg- It was hard getting a new job after he was fired due to his choleric temperament.

Question 17

Curmudgeon

Answer 17

An old person that is very grouchy

Eg- The old curmudgeon down the street refuses to return my football.

Question 18

Reprobate

Answer 18

An unprincipled person

Eg- His character on the show was that of a loveable reprobate that was witty and funny.

Question 19

Virago

Answer 19

Violent, bad-tempered woman

Eg- An FIR was registered against the virago who tried to break in my house.

Question 20

Parochial

Answer 20

Narrow minded views

Eg- Having a parochial outlook towards life will guarantee failure.

Question 21

Catholic

Answer 21

Wide ranging and all embracing

Eg- Shyams taste in music is catholic; he listens to almost every genre.

Question 22

Anathema

Answer 22

Source of someones hate or dislike

Eg- His sexist jokes were her anathema.

Question 23

Desecrate

Answer 23

Disrespecting or destroying a sacred place.

Eg- Wearing shoes in a temple is to desecrate it.

Question 24

Apostasy

Answer 24

abandoning religious or political beliefs

Eg- The UP govt changed leaders due to apostasy of one of its higher ranked politicians.

Question 25

Sanctimonious

Answer 25

Holier than thou attitude

Eg- His sanctimonious attitude really got on my nerves.