GRE Vocab selection - Sheet1 Flashcards
equivocate, equivocations, equivocal, equivocation
to use ambiguous or unclear expressions, usually to avoid commitment or in order to mislead; prevaricate or hedge:
ie. “When asked directly for his position on disarmament, the candidate only equivocated.”
partially, partial, partiality
biased in favor of something ie. biased witness
lucid, lucidity
clear and easily understood. ie. lucid dream
diffident, diffidence
lacking confidence in one’s own ability, worth, or fitness; timid; shy.
placate,placating
to appease or pacify, especially by concessions or conciliatory gestures:
taciturn,taciturnity
stern and silent, reserved
ephemeral
lasting a very short time
belie, belies, belied
to show false, betray ie. “His trembling hands belied his calm voice.”
blithe, blithely
without thought or regard, heedless, careless 2nd joyous
garrulous, garrulity, garrulousness
excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, especially about trivial matters.
prodigal, prodigality
wasteful or recklessly extravagant. a person whos spends in a wasteful manner
intransigence, intransigent
uncompromising, inflexible
prodigious, prodigies,prodigy
extroardinary in size amount or extent. a person with extroardinary potential
engender, engendered, engendering, engenders
to produce or give rise to
iconoclast, iconoclastic
a person who attacks cherished beliefs, traditional institutions, etc., as being based on error or superstition.
prolix, prolixity
extended to great, unnecessary, or tedious length; long and wordy.
tacit
understood without being openly expressed; implied:
tacit approval.
impetus, impetuous, impetuously
a moving force; impulse; stimulus:
ie. The grant for building the opera house gave impetus to the city’s cultural life.
mercurial, mercury
changeable; volatile; fickle; flighty; erratic:
artlessness
free from deceit, cunning, or craftiness; ingenuous:
an artless child. - 2nd lacking art or skill
prevaricate, prevarication
to speak falsely or misleadingly; deliberately misstate or create an incorrect impression; lie.
erudite, erudition
characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly:
ie. an erudite professor; an erudite commentary.
floridness, florid
reddish, ruddy
enervating, enervate
to deprive or force or strength; weaken
insipid
lacking flavor.
“mugs of insipid coffee”
Synonymous with tasteless
lacking vigor or interest.
“many artists continued to churn out insipid, shallow works” synonymous with vapid
penchant
a strong inclination, taste, or liking for something:
ie. a penchant for outdoor sports.
loquacious
talkative, chattering, garrulous
irascibility, irascible, irascibly
easily provoked to anger; very irritable: ie. an irascible old man.
discomfited, discomfit, discomfiting
to confuse and deject; disconcert:
ie to be discomfited by a question.- 2nd thwart
inimical
unfavorable, harmful
probity
integrity, honesty
obsequious
characterized by or showing servile obedience and excessive eagerness to please; fawning; ingratiating:
ie. an obsequious bow;
allusion, allusive, allusiveness
a passing or casual reference; an incidental mention of something, either directly or by implication:
ie. The novel’s title is an allusion to Shakespeare.
specious
superficially plausible, but actually wrong.
“a specious argument”
castigate, castigation
to criticize or reprimand severely.
inchoate
just begun and so not fully formed or developed; rudimentary.
“a still inchoate democracy”
perfidious, perfidy
deceitfulness; untrustworthiness.
“it was an example of his perfidy
mollify
to soften in feeling or temper, as a person; pacify; appease.
fecklessness, feckless
ineffective; incompetent; futile:
ie. feckless attempts to repair the plumbing.
sanguine
cheerfully optimistic, sometimes to the point of seeming complacent, oblivious, or naive: - 2nd ruddy
ie. a sanguine disposition;
alacrity
cheerful readiness, promptness, or willingness:
ie. We accepted the invitation with alacrity.
phlegmatic, phlegmatically
not easily excited to action or display of emotion; apathetic; sluggish.
ebullience, ebullient
high spirits; exhilaration; exuberance. 2nd boiling over
exigency, exigent
requiring immediate action or aid; urgent; pressing.
inscrutable, inscrutability
incapable of being investigated, analyzed, or scrutinized; impenetrable.
pugnacious, pugnaciously
inclined to quarrel or fight readily; quarrelsome; belligerent; combative.
pernicious
causing insidious harm or ruin; ruinous; injurious; hurtful:
pernicious teachings; a pernicious lie. - 2nd deadly
inveigling, inveigle
to entice, lure, or ensnare by flattery or artful talk or inducements (usually followed by into):
to inveigle a person into playing bridge.
reticence, reticent
disposed to be silent or not to speak freely; reserved.
polemical
a controversial argument, as one against some opinion, doctrine, etc.
wheedle,wheedling
to endeavor to influence (a person) by smooth, flattering, or beguiling words or acts:
ie. We wheedled him incessantly, but he would not consent.
prosaic
commonplace or dull; matter-of-fact or unimaginative
hackneyed
made commonplace or trite; stale; banal:
ie. the hackneyed images of his poetry.
demur
to make objection, especially on the grounds of scruples; take exception; object:
ie. They wanted to make him the treasurer, but he demurred.
quixotic
extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary, impractical, or impracticable.
- 2nd impulsive and often rashly unpredictable.
synoptic
pertaining to or constituting a synopsis; affording or taking a general view of the principal parts of a subject.
admonished, admonishment, admonish
to caution, advise, or counsel against something.
approbation
approval; commendation
cogent
convincing or believable by virtue of forcible, clear, or incisive presentation; telling.
exculpate
to clear from a charge of guilt or fault; free from blame; vindicate.
aver
state or assert to be the case.
“he averred that he was innocent of the allegations”
intrepid
resolutely fearless
furtive
attempting to avoid notice or attention, typically because of guilt or a belief that discovery would lead to trouble; secretive.
“they spent a furtive day together”
contrite, contrition
feeling or expressing remorse or penitence; affected by guilt.
“a broken and a contrite heart”
implacable
unable to be placated.
“he was an implacable enemy of Ted’s”
Placate:
make (someone) less angry or hostile.
“they attempted to placate the students with promises”
nonplussed
completely puzzled or perplexed by something unexpected:
ie. She blows a hole in the wall and escapes, and the nonplussed aliens are left wondering what happened.
Nonstandard. not dismayed; indifferent or unexcited; calm:
ie. I hadn’t yet told my girlfriend I was leaving—I didn’t want to risk being crushed by a nonplussed response to the news.
prescient
having prescience, or knowledge of things or events before they exist or happen; having foresight:
ie. The prescient economist was one of the few to see the financial collapse coming.
salubrious
favorable to or promoting health
pellucidity
clear; limpid
profligate
utterly and shamelessly immoral or dissipated; thoroughly dissolute.
didactic
intended for instruction; instructive: - 2nd inclined to teach or lecture others too much:
venal
willing to sell one’s influence, especially in return for a bribe; open to bribery; mercenary:
antedated
to be of older date than; precede in time: ie. The Peruvian empire antedates the Mexican empire.
tendentious, tendentiousness
having or showing a definite tendency, bias, or purpose
pliant
bending readily; flexible; supple; adaptable:
ie. She manipulated the pliant clay.
easily influenced; yielding to others; compliant:
ie He has a pliant nature.
petulant
moved to or showing sudden, impatient irritation, especially over some trifling annoyance:
sedulous, sedulity
diligent in application or attention; persevering; assiduous.
gainsay
to deny, dispute, or contradict.
censure
strong or vehement expression of disapproval:
ie. The newspapers were unanimous in their censure of the tax proposal.
harangue
a scolding or a long or intense verbal attack; diatribe.
abeyance
temporary inactivity, cessation, or suspension:
ie. Let’s hold that problem in abeyance for a while.
redoubtable
that is to be feared; formidable.
enmity
a feeling or condition of hostility; hatred; ill will; animosity; antagonism.
opprobrium
the disgrace or the reproach incurred by conduct considered outrageously shameful; infamy.
equanimity
mental or emotional stability or composure, especially under tension or strain; calmness; equilibrium.
quiescent
being at rest; inactive or motionless; quiet; still:
churlishness, churlish
like a churl; boorish; rude:
ie. churlish behavior.
surreptitious, surreptitiously
obtained, done, made, etc., by stealth; secret or unauthorized; clandestine:
ie. a surreptitious glance.
trenchant
incisive or keen, as language or a person; caustic; cutting:
ie. trenchant wit.
2nd vigorous; effective; energetic:
ie. a trenchant policy of political reform.
plod
to walk heavily or move laboriously; trudge:
libertine
a person who is morally or sexually unrestrained, especially a dissolute man; a profligate; rake.
punctiliousness
extremely attentive to punctilios; strict or exact in the observance of the formalities or amenities of conduct or actions.
clangorous
characterized by or making a continuous loud banging or ringing sound.
munificent
(of a gift or sum of money) larger or more generous than is usual or necessary.
mendacity
untruthfulness.
modish
conforming to or following what is currently popular and fashionable.
calumnious
(of a statement) false and defamatory; slanderous.
recrudescent
breaking out again : RENEWING
portend
be a sign or warning that (something, especially something momentous or calamitous) is likely to happen.
vociferous
(especially of a person or speech) vehement or clamorous.
immured
enclose or confine (someone) against their will.
“her brother was immured in a lunatic asylum”
manacled
fetter (a person or a part of the body) with manacles.
“his hands were manacled behind his back”
abjure
solemnly renounce (a belief, cause, or claim).
“his refusal to abjure the Catholic faith”
rapacious
aggressively greedy or grasping.
“rapacious landlords”
ostentatious
characterized by vulgar or pretentious display; designed to impress or attract notice.
“books that people buy and display ostentatiously but never actually finish”
obeisance
deferential respect.
“they paid obeisance to the Prince”
soporific
tending to induce drowsiness or sleep.
“the motion of the train had a somewhat soporific effect”
gaucheness
lacking ease or grace; unsophisticated and socially awkward.
“a shy and gauche teenager”
brooked
tolerate or allow (something, typically dissent or opposition).
“Jenny would brook no criticism of Matthew”
droll
curious or unusual in a way that provokes dry amusement.
“his unique brand of droll self-mockery”
eschew
deliberately avoid using; abstain from.
“he appealed to the crowd to eschew violence”
vitiates
spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of.
“development programs have been vitiated by the rise in population”
miscreant
a person who behaves badly or in a way that breaks the law.
“the police are straining every nerve to bring the miscreants to justice”
unalloyed
(of metal) not alloyed; pure.
“unalloyed copper”
(chiefly of emotions) complete and unreserved.
“unalloyed delight”
excoriation
the act of abrading or wearing off the skin
ie. chafing and excoriation of the skin
lambaste
criticize (someone or something) harshly.
turpitude
depravity; wickedness.
“acts of moral turpitude”
felicitous
well chosen or suited to the circumstances.
“a felicitous phrase” pleasing and fortunate.
“the view was the room’s only felicitous feature”
histrionics
exaggerated dramatic behavior designed to attract attention.
“discussions around the issue have been based as much in histrionics as in history”
fervid
intensely enthusiastic or passionate, especially to an excessive degree.
“a letter of fervid thanks”
peccadillo
a small, relatively unimportant offense or sin.
“the sexual peccadilloes of celebrities aren’t necessarily news”
parsimonious
unwilling to spend money or use resources; stingy or frugal.
“even the parsimonious Joe paid for drinks all round”
chary
cautiously or suspiciously reluctant to do something.
“most people are chary of allowing themselves to be photographed”
ardently
very enthusiastically or passionately.
“both men ardently supported the war”
lugubrious
looking or sounding sad and dismal.
“his face looked even more lugubrious than usual”
subsume
include or absorb (something) in something else.
“most of these phenomena can be subsumed under two broad categories”
neophyte
a person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief.
“four-day cooking classes are offered to neophytes and experts”
desultory
lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm.
“a few people were left, dancing in a desultory fashion” (of conversation or speech) going constantly from one subject to another in a halfhearted way; unfocused.
“the desultory conversation faded”
torpor
a state of physical or mental inactivity; lethargy.
“they veered between apathetic torpor and hysterical fanaticism”
truculent
eager or quick to argue or fight; aggressively defiant.
“his days of truculent defiance were over”
duplicitous
deceitful.
“treacherous, duplicitous behavior” (two faced)
explicate
analyze and develop (an idea or principle) in detail.
“attempting to explicate the relationship between crime and economic forces”
Voluble
(of a person) talking fluently, readily, or incessantly.
“a voluble game-show host”
