GRE Vocabulary 3 Flashcards
acumen
(noun) keen, accurate judgement or insight
adulterate
(verb) to reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients
amalgamate
(verb) to combine several elements into a whole (noun: amalgamation)
archaic
(adj.) outdated; associated with an earlier, perhaps more primitive, time
aver
(verb) to state as fact; to declare or assert
bolster
(verb) to provide support or reinforcement
bombastic
(adj.) pompous; grandiloquent (noun: bombast)
diatribe
(noun) a harsh denunciation
dissemble
(verb) to disguise or conceal; to mislead
eccentric
(adj.) departing from norms or conventions
endemic
(adj.) characteristic of or often found in particular locality, region, or people
evanescent
(adj.) tending to disappear like vapor, vanishing
exacerbate
(verb) to make worse or more severe
fervent
(adj.) greatly emotional or zealous (noun: fervor)
fortuitous
(adj.) happening by accident or chance
germane
(adj.) relevant to the subject at hand; appropriate in subject manner
grandiloquence
(noun) pompous speech or expression (adj.: grandiloquent)
hackeneyed
(adj.) rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage
halcyon
(adj.) calm and peaceful
hedonism
(noun) devotion to pleasurable pursuits, esp. to the pleasures of the senses (noun: hedonist)
hegemony
(noun) the consistent dominance of one state or ideology over others
iconoclast
(noun) one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions
idolatrous
(adj.) given to intense or excessive devotion to something (noun: idolatry)
impassive
(adj.) revealing no emotion
inperturbable
(adj.) marked by extreme calm, impassivity, and steadiness
implacable
(adj.) not capable of being appeased or significantly changed
impunity
(noun) immunity from punishment or penalty
inchoate
(adj.) in an initial stage; not fully formed
infelicitous
(adj.) unfortunate, inappropriate
insipid
(adj.) without taste or flavor; lacking in spirit; bland
loquacious
(adj.) extremely talkative (noun: loquacity)