GRE Vocabulary 2 Flashcards
abate
(verb) to lessen in intensity or degree
accolade
(noun) an expression of praise
adulation
(noun) excessive praise; intense adoration
aesthetic
(adj.) dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful
ameliorate
(verb) to make better or more tolerable
ascetic
(noun) one who practices rigid self-denial, esp. as an act of religious devotion
avarice
(noun) greed, esp. for wealth (adj: avaricious)
axiom
(noun) a universally recognized principle (adj: axiomatic)
burgeon
(verb) to grow rapidly or flourish
bucolic
(adj.) rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants
cacophany
(noun) harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance (adj: cacophonous)
canon
(noun) an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature (adj: canonical)
castigation
(noun) severe criticism or punishment (verb: castigate)
catalyst
(noun) a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction without itself changing; a person or thing that causes change
caustic
(adj.) burning or stinging; causing corrosion
chary
(adj.) wary, cautious, sparing
cogent
(adj.) appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing
complaisance
(noun) the willingness to comply with the wishes of others (adj: complaisant)
contentious
(adj.) argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement)
contrite
(adj.) regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness (noun: contrition)
culpable
(adj.) deserving blame (noun: culpability)
dearth
(noun) smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack
demur
(verb) to question or oppose
didactic
(adj.) intended to teach or instruct
discretion
(noun) cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions (adj: discrete)
disinterested
(adj.) free of bias or self-interest; impartial
dogmatic
(adj.) expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or improvable principles (noun: dogma)
ebullience
(noun) the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings (adj: ebullient)
eclectic
(adj.) composed of elements drawn from various sources
elegy
(noun) a mournful poem, esp. one lamenting the dead (adj. elegiac)
emollient
(adj/noun): soothing, esp. to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying; an agent that softens or smooths the skin
empirical
(adj.) based on observation or experiment
enigmatic
(adj.) mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand (noun: enigma)
ephemeral
(adj.) brief; fleeting
esoteric
(adj.) intended for or understood by a small, specific group
euology
(noun) a speech honoring the dead (verb: eulogize)
exonerate
(verb) to remove blame
facetious
(adj.) playful, humorous
fallacy
(noun) an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief (adj: fallacious)
furtive
(adj.) marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious
gregarious
(adj.) sociable, outgoing, enjoying the company of other people
harangue
(verb/noun) to deliver a pompous speech or tirade; a long, pompous speech
hyperbole
(noun) an exaggerated statement; often used as a figure of speech (adj: hyperbolic)
impecunious
(adj.) lacking funds, without money
incipient
(adj.) beginning to come into being or to become apparent
inert
(adj.) unmoving; lethargic; sluggish
innocuous
(adj.) harmless, causing no damage
intransgient
(adj.) refusing to compromise (noun:intransigence)
inveigle
(verb) to obtain by deception or flattery
morose
(adj.) sad; sullen; melancholy
odious
(adj.) evoking intense aversion or dislike
opaque
(adj.) impenetrable by light; not reflecting light
oscillation
(noun) the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm (verb: oscillate)
penurious
(adj.) penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous
pernicious
(adj.) extremely harmful; potentially causing death
peruse
(verb) to examine with great care (noun: perusal)
pious
(adj.) extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion (noun: piety)
precursor
(noun) one that precedes and indicates or announces another
preen
(verb) to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care
prodigious
(adj.) abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary
prolific
(adj.) producing large volumes or amounts; productive
putrefy
(verb) to rot, decay and give off a foul odor (adj: putrid)
quaff
(verb) to drink deeply
quiescence
(noun) stillness, motionlessness, quality of being at rest (adj: quiescent)
redoubtable
(adj.) awe-inspiring; worthy or honor
sanction
(noun/verb) authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance; to give permission or authority to
satire
(noun) a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision (adj: satirical)
squalid
(adj.) sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect (noun: squalor)
stoic
(adj.) indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast (noun: stoicism)
supplant
(verb) to take the place of; to supercede
torpid
(adj.) lethargic; sluggish; dormant (noun: torpor)
ubiquitous
(adj.) existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread
urbane
(adj.) sophisticated; refined; elegant (noun: urbanity)
vilify
(verb) to defame; to characterize harshly
viscous
(adj.) thick, sticky (noun: viscosity)
