GRE VOCABULARY Flashcards
decameter
unit of measurement equal to 10 meters
acumen
the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions, typically in a particular domain.
“business acumen”
synonyms: astuteness, shrewdness, acuity, sharpness, sharp-wittedness, cleverness, smartness, brains
secant
cut into two parts. MATHEMATICS
the ratio of the hypotenuse to the shorter side adjacent to an acute angle (in a right-angled triangle); the reciprocal of a cosine.
2.
GEOMETRY
a straight line that cuts a curve in two or more parts
apostatize
secede; renounce a religious or political belief or principal
deliquesce
(of organic matter) become liquid, typically during decomposition. To dissolve gradually from the absorption of moisture from the air
demagogue
unprincipaled politician; a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument.
synonyms: rabble-rouser, agitator, political agitator, soapbox orator, firebrand, fomenter, provocateur More
scurrilous
making or spreading scandalous claims about someone with the intention of damaging their reputation.
“a scurrilous attack on his integrity”
synonyms: defamatory, slanderous, libelous, scandalous, insulting, offensive, gross; More
deportment
demeanor, air; behavior or manners
dendroid
of trees; tree-shaped; arborescent; branching.
frenetic
fast and energetic in a rather wild and uncontrolled way.
“a frenetic pace of activity”
synonyms: frantic, wild, frenzied, hectic, fraught, feverish, fevered, mad, manic, hyperactive, energetic, intense, amped-up, fast and furious, turbulent, tumultuous More
pliant
pliable.
“pliant willow stems”
tempestuous
characterized by strong and turbulent or conflicting emotion.
“he had a reckless and tempestuous streak”
synonyms: turbulent, stormy, tumultuous, wild, lively, heated, explosive, feverish, frenetic, frenzied More
emotional, passionate, impassioned, fiery, intense;
temperamental, volatile, excitable, mercurial, capricious, unpredictable, quick-tempered
antonyms: peaceful, calm, placid
2.
very stormy.
“a tempestuous wind”
synonyms: stormy, blustery, squally, wild, turbulent, windy, gusty, blowy, rainy; More
erudite
having or showing great knowledge or learning.
synonyms: learned, scholarly, educated, knowledgeable, well-read, well-informed, intellectual; More
prodigal
spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant.
“prodigal habits die hard”
synonyms: wasteful, extravagant, spendthrift, profligate, improvident, imprudent More
antonyms: thrifty
2.
having or giving something on a lavish scale.
“the dessert was crunchy with brown sugar and prodigal with whipped cream”
synonyms: generous, lavish, liberal, unstinting, unsparing; More
antonyms: mean
noun
noun: prodigal; plural noun: prodigals
1.
a person who spends money in a recklessly extravagant way
fervid
intensely enthusiastic or passionate, esp. to an excessive degree.
“a letter of fervid thanks”
synonyms: fervent, ardent, passionate, impassioned, intense, vehement, wholehearted, heartfelt, sincere, earnest; More
dessicate
dry out; Desiccation is the state of extreme dryness, or the process of extreme drying. A desiccant is a hygroscopic substance that induces or sustains such a state in its local vicinity in a moderately-well sealed container.
pedant
a person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning.
synonyms: dogmatist, purist, literalist, formalist, doctrinaire, perfectionist; More
engender
cause or give rise to (a feeling, situation, or condition).
“the issue engendered continuing controversy”
synonyms: cause, be the cause of, give rise to, bring about, occasion, lead to, result in, produce, create, generate, arouse, rouse, inspire, provoke, prompt, kindle, trigger, spark, stir up, whip up, induce, incite, instigate, foment; More
ephemeral
lasting for a very short time.
“fashions are ephemeral”
synonyms: transitory, transient, fleeting, passing, short-lived, momentary, brief, short; More
laconic
(of a person, speech, or style of writing) using very few words.
“his laconic reply suggested a lack of interest in the topic”
synonyms: brief, concise, terse, succinct, short, pithy More
propriety
the state or quality of conforming to conventionally accepted standards of behavior or morals.
“he always behaved with the utmost propriety”
synonyms: decorum, respectability, decency, correctness, protocol, appropriateness, suitability, good manners, courtesy, politeness, rectitude, morality, civility, modesty, demureness; More
impugn
dispute the truth, validity, or honesty of (a statement or motive); call into question.
“the father does not impugn her capacity as a good mother”
synonyms: call into question, challenge, question, dispute, query, take issue with More
apogee
the highest point in the development of something; the climax or culmination.
“the White House is considered the apogee of American achievement”
2.
ASTRONOMY
the point in the orbit of the moon or a satellite at which it is furthest from the earth.
acrimony
bitter feelings; bitterness or ill feeling.
“a quagmire of lawsuits, acrimony, and finger-pointing”
synonyms: bitterness, anger, rancor, resentment, ill feeling, ill will, bad blood, animosity, hostility, enmity, antagonism, waspishness, spleen, malice, spite, spitefulness, peevishness, venom More
recondite
(of a subject or knowledge) little known; abstruse.
“the book is full of recondite information”
synonyms: obscure, abstruse, arcane, esoteric, recherché, profound, difficult, complex, complicated, involved; More
mellifluous
(of a voice or words) sweet or musical; pleasant to hear.
“the voice was mellifluous and smooth”
synonyms: sweet-sounding, dulcet, honeyed, mellow, soft, liquid, silvery, soothing, rich, smooth, euphonious, harmonious, tuneful, musical More
euphonic
characterized by euphony, sweet sounding words, combined and formed so as to please the ear
sinecure
a position requiring little or no work but giving the holder status or financial benefit.
synonyms: easy job, cushy job, soft option; More
ebullience
the quality of being cheerful and full of energy; exuberance.
“the ebullience of happy children”
synonyms: exuberance, buoyancy, cheerfulness, cheeriness, merriment, jollity, sunniness, jauntiness, lightheartedness, high spirits, elation, euphoria, jubilation; More
ignoble
not honorable in character or purpose. "ignoble feelings of intense jealousy" synonyms: dishonorable, unworthy, base, shameful, contemptible, despicable, dastardly, vile, degenerate, shabby, sordid, mean; More 2. of humble origin or social status. "ignoble savages"
gainsaid
deny or contradict (a fact or statement).
“the impact of the railroads cannot be gainsaid”
synonyms: deny, dispute, disagree with, argue with, dissent from, contradict, repudiate, challenge, oppose, contest, counter, controvert, rebut More
benevolent
well meaning and kindly.
“a benevolent smile”
synonyms: kind, kindly, kindhearted, big-hearted, good-natured, good, benign, compassionate, caring, altruistic, humanitarian, philanthropic; More
vociferous
(esp. of a person or speech) vehement or clamorous.
“he was a vociferous opponent of the takeover”
nonplussed
(of a person) surprised and confused so much that they are unsure how to react.
“he would be completely nonplussed and embarrassed at the idea”
2.
informal
(of a person) not disconcerted; unperturbed.
abashed
cause to feel embarrassed, disconcerted, or ashamed.
“she was not abashed at being caught”
synonyms: embarrassed, ashamed, shamefaced, remorseful, conscience-stricken, mortified, humiliated, humbled, chagrined, crestfallen, sheepish, red-faced, blushing, put out of countenance, with one’s tail between one’s legs; More
abstruse
difficult to understand; obscure.
“an abstruse philosophical inquiry”
synonyms: obscure, arcane, esoteric, little known, recherché, rarefied, recondite, difficult, hard, puzzling, perplexing, cryptic, enigmatic, Delphic, complex, complicated, involved, over/above one’s head, incomprehensible, unfathomable, impenetrable, mysterious
prosaic
having the style or diction of prose; lacking poetic beauty.
“prosaic language can’t convey the experience”
synonyms: ordinary, everyday, commonplace, conventional, straightforward, routine, run-of-the-mill, by-the-numbers, workaday;
arcane
understood by few; mysterious or secret.
“modern math and its arcane notation”
synonyms: mysterious, secret;
abjure
solemnly renounce (a belief, cause, or claim). "his refusal to abjure the Catholic faith" synonyms: renounce, relinquish, reject, forgo, disavow, abandon, deny, repudiate, give up, wash one's hands of
supercilious
behaving or looking as though one thinks one is superior to others.
“a supercilious lady’s maid”
synonyms: arrogant, haughty, conceited, disdainful, overbearing, pompous, condescending, superior, patronizing, imperious, proud, snobbish, snobby, smug, scornful, sneering;
sardonic
grimly mocking or cynical.
“Starkey attempted a sardonic smile”
synonyms: mocking, satirical, sarcastic, ironical, ironic
fatuous
silly and pointless.
“a fatuous comment”
synonyms: silly, foolish, stupid, inane, idiotic, vacuous, asinine;
ribald
referring to sexual matters in an amusingly rude or irreverent way.
“a ribald comment”
ignominious
deserving or causing public disgrace or shame.
“no other party risked ignominious defeat”
synonyms: humiliating, undignified, embarrassing, mortifying;
apocryphal
(of a story or statement) of doubtful authenticity, although widely circulated as being true.
“an apocryphal story about a former president”
synonyms: fictitious, made-up, untrue, fabricated, false, spurious;
eschew
deliberately avoid using; abstain from.
“he appealed to the crowd to eschew violence”
synonyms: abstain from, refrain from, give up, forgo, shun, renounce, steer clear of, have nothing to do with, fight shy of;
dilettantish
dilettante: showing frivolous or superficial interest; amateurish; “his dilettantish efforts at painting”
ambrosial
extremely pleasing to the taste; sweet and fragrant; “a nectarous drink”; “ambrosial food”
phlegmatic
(of a person) having an unemotional and stolidly calm disposition.
synonyms: calm, cool, composed, ‘calm, cool, and collected’, controlled, serene, tranquil, placid, impassive, imperturbable, unruffled, dispassionate, philosophical;
truculent
eager or quick to argue or fight; aggressively defiant.
“his days of truculent defiance were over”
synonyms: defiant, aggressive, antagonistic, combative, belligerent, pugnacious, confrontational, ready for a fight, obstreperous, argumentative, quarrelsome, uncooperative
convalesce
recover one’s health and strength over a period of time after an illness or operation.
“he spent eight months convalescing after the stroke”
synonyms: recuperate, get better, recover, get well, get back on one’s fee
detritus
waste or debris of any kind.
“streets filled with rubble and detritus”
synonyms: debris, waste, refuse, rubbish, litter, scrap, flotsam and jetsam, rubble
punctilious
showing great attention to detail or correct behavior.
“he was punctilious in providing every amenity for his guests”
synonyms: meticulous, conscientious, diligent, scrupulous, careful, painstaking, rigorous, perfectionist, methodical, particular, strict
mien
a person’s look or manner, esp. one of a particular kind indicating their character or mood.
“he has a cautious, academic mien”
synonyms: appearance, look, expression, countenance, aura, demeanor, attitude, air, manner, bearing;
pointed
having a sharpened or tapered tip or end.
“his face tapers to a pointed chin”
synonyms: sharp, tapering, tapered, conical, jagged, spiky, spiked, barbed; More
2.
(of a remark or look) expressing criticism in a direct and unambiguous way.
“pointed comments were made about racial discrimination within the army”
synonyms: cutting, trenchant, biting, incisive, acerbic, caustic, scathing, venomous, sarcastic;
orotund
(of the voice or phrasing) full, round, and imposing.
synonyms: deep, sonorous, strong, powerful, full, rich, resonant, loud, booming
torrid
very hot and dry.
“the torrid heat of the afternoon”
synonyms: hot, scorching, searing, blazing, blistering, sweltering, burning, sultry; More
antonyms: cold, wet
full of passionate or highly charged emotions arising from sexual love.
“a torrid love affair”
synonyms: passionate, ardent, lustful, amorous; More
antonyms: passionless
2.
full of difficulty or tribulation.
“Wall Street is in for a torrid time in the next few weeks”
extant
(esp. of a document) still in existence; surviving.
“the original manuscript is no longer extant”
synonyms: still existing, in existence, existent, surviving, remaining, undestroyed
august
respected and impressive.
“she was in august company”
synonyms: distinguished, respected, eminent, venerable, hallowed, illustrious, prestigious, renowned, celebrated, honored, acclaimed, esteemed, exalted;
harbinger
a person or thing that announces or signals the approach of another.
“witch hazels are the harbingers of spring”
synonyms: herald, sign, indication, signal, portent, omen, augury, forewarning, presage
cosset
care for and protect in an overindulgent way.
“all her life she’d been cosseted by her family”
synonyms: pamper, indulge, overindulge, mollycoddle, coddle, baby, pet, mother, nanny, nursemaid, pander to, spoil;
mollify
appease the anger or anxiety of (someone).
“nature reserves were set up around the power stations to mollify local conservationists”
synonyms: appease, placate, pacify, conciliate, soothe, calm (down)