GRE Vocabulary 2 Flashcards

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1
Q

abate

A

(verb) to lessen in intensity or degree

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2
Q

accolade

A

(noun) an expression of praise

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3
Q

adulation

A

(noun) excessive praise; intense adoration

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4
Q

aesthetic

A

(adj.) dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful

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5
Q

ameliorate

A

(verb) to make better or more tolerable

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6
Q

ascetic

A

(noun) one who practices rigid self-denial, esp. as an act of religious devotion

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7
Q

avarice

A

(noun) greed, esp. for wealth (adj: avaricious)

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8
Q

axiom

A

(noun) a universally recognized principle (adj: axiomatic)

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9
Q

burgeon

A

(verb) to grow rapidly or flourish

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10
Q

bucolic

A

(adj.) rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants

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11
Q

cacophany

A

(noun) harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance (adj: cacophonous)

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12
Q

canon

A

(noun) an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature (adj: canonical)

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13
Q

castigation

A

(noun) severe criticism or punishment (verb: castigate)

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14
Q

catalyst

A

(noun) a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction without itself changing; a person or thing that causes change

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15
Q

caustic

A

(adj.) burning or stinging; causing corrosion

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16
Q

chary

A

(adj.) wary, cautious, sparing

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17
Q

cogent

A

(adj.) appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing

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18
Q

complaisance

A

(noun) the willingness to comply with the wishes of others (adj: complaisant)

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19
Q

contentious

A

(adj.) argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement)

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20
Q

contrite

A

(adj.) regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness (noun: contrition)

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21
Q

culpable

A

(adj.) deserving blame (noun: culpability)

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22
Q

dearth

A

(noun) smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack

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23
Q

demur

A

(verb) to question or oppose

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24
Q

didactic

A

(adj.) intended to teach or instruct

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25
Q

discretion

A

(noun) cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions (adj: discrete)

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26
Q

disinterested

A

(adj.) free of bias or self-interest; impartial

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27
Q

dogmatic

A

(adj.) expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or improvable principles (noun: dogma)

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28
Q

ebullience

A

(noun) the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings (adj: ebullient)

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29
Q

eclectic

A

(adj.) composed of elements drawn from various sources

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30
Q

elegy

A

(noun) a mournful poem, esp. one lamenting the dead (adj. elegiac)

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31
Q

emollient

A

(adj/noun): soothing, esp. to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying; an agent that softens or smooths the skin

32
Q

empirical

A

(adj.) based on observation or experiment

33
Q

enigmatic

A

(adj.) mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand (noun: enigma)

34
Q

ephemeral

A

(adj.) brief; fleeting

35
Q

esoteric

A

(adj.) intended for or understood by a small, specific group

36
Q

euology

A

(noun) a speech honoring the dead (verb: eulogize)

37
Q

exonerate

A

(verb) to remove blame

38
Q

facetious

A

(adj.) playful, humorous

39
Q

fallacy

A

(noun) an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief (adj: fallacious)

40
Q

furtive

A

(adj.) marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious

41
Q

gregarious

A

(adj.) sociable, outgoing, enjoying the company of other people

42
Q

harangue

A

(verb/noun) to deliver a pompous speech or tirade; a long, pompous speech

43
Q

hyperbole

A

(noun) an exaggerated statement; often used as a figure of speech (adj: hyperbolic)

44
Q

impecunious

A

(adj.) lacking funds, without money

45
Q

incipient

A

(adj.) beginning to come into being or to become apparent

46
Q

inert

A

(adj.) unmoving; lethargic; sluggish

47
Q

innocuous

A

(adj.) harmless, causing no damage

48
Q

intransgient

A

(adj.) refusing to compromise (noun:intransigence)

49
Q

inveigle

A

(verb) to obtain by deception or flattery

50
Q

morose

A

(adj.) sad; sullen; melancholy

51
Q

odious

A

(adj.) evoking intense aversion or dislike

52
Q

opaque

A

(adj.) impenetrable by light; not reflecting light

53
Q

oscillation

A

(noun) the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm (verb: oscillate)

54
Q

penurious

A

(adj.) penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous

55
Q

pernicious

A

(adj.) extremely harmful; potentially causing death

56
Q

peruse

A

(verb) to examine with great care (noun: perusal)

57
Q

pious

A

(adj.) extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion (noun: piety)

58
Q

precursor

A

(noun) one that precedes and indicates or announces another

59
Q

preen

A

(verb) to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care

60
Q

prodigious

A

(adj.) abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary

61
Q

prolific

A

(adj.) producing large volumes or amounts; productive

62
Q

putrefy

A

(verb) to rot, decay and give off a foul odor (adj: putrid)

63
Q

quaff

A

(verb) to drink deeply

64
Q

quiescence

A

(noun) stillness, motionlessness, quality of being at rest (adj: quiescent)

65
Q

redoubtable

A

(adj.) awe-inspiring; worthy or honor

66
Q

sanction

A

(noun/verb) authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance; to give permission or authority to

67
Q

satire

A

(noun) a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision (adj: satirical)

68
Q

squalid

A

(adj.) sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect (noun: squalor)

69
Q

stoic

A

(adj.) indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast (noun: stoicism)

70
Q

supplant

A

(verb) to take the place of; to supercede

71
Q

torpid

A

(adj.) lethargic; sluggish; dormant (noun: torpor)

72
Q

ubiquitous

A

(adj.) existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread

73
Q

urbane

A

(adj.) sophisticated; refined; elegant (noun: urbanity)

74
Q

vilify

A

(verb) to defame; to characterize harshly

75
Q

viscous

A

(adj.) thick, sticky (noun: viscosity)