Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

English Vocalbulary > GRE Vocabulary 4 > Flashcards

GRE Vocabulary 4 Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
Proverbs and Idioms flashcards
1
Q

Aseptic (adj)

A

Free from the living germs of disease.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Prolix (adj)

A

Using or containing too many words; tediously lengthy.

He found the narrative too prolix and discursive.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Foolhardy (n)

A

Recklessly bold or rash.

It would be foolhardy to go into the scheme without support.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Picaresque (adj)

A

Rogues in episodes of satire

A picaresque adventure novel.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Raucous (adj)

A

Noisy, harsh, rowdy.

Raucous youths.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Providential (adj)

A

Opportune, fortunate, or lucky.

His appearance had seemed more than just providential.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Antipodal

A

Polar opposites.

Diametrically opposed to.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Pillory (n) (v)

A

Punish severely..

Attack or ridicule publicly.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Infelicitous (adj)

A

Inappropriate.

His illustration is singularly infelicitous.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Dilatory (adj)

A

Tending to delay.

He had been dilatory in appointing a solicitor

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Overweening (adj)

A

Showing excessive confidence or pride.

Overweening ambition.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Neologism (n)

A

New words from older

words.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Lassitude (n)

A

Physical or mental weariness.

She was overcome by lassitude and retired to bed.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Locution (n)

A

Manner of speaking.

His impeccable locution.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Jocose (adj)

A

Joking manner.

A jocose allusion.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Rend (v)

A

Forcibly extract or take away.

Firemen had to rend him free of the burning car.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Stanch (v)

A

Stop the flow of.

He staunched the blood with whatever came to hand.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Solder (v)

A

Act of joining 2 metals.

The wires to this clip are soldered to the circuit board.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Demure (adj)

A

Characterized by shyness and modesty.

A demure little wife who sits at home minding the house

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Insensible (adj)

A

Unconscious.

They knocked each other insensible with their fists.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Rail (v)

A

Bitter complaining.

He railed at human fickleness.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Noisome (adj)

A

Foul, offensive.

Noisome vapors from the smoldering waste.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Mellifluous (adj)

A

Pleasingly smooth and musical to hear.

Her low mellifluous voice.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Inveterate (adj)

A

Having a particular habit, activity, or interest that is long-established.

An inveterate gambler.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Coterie (n)

A

An exclusive group.

A coterie of friends and advisers.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Impugn (v)

A

To cause people to doubt someone’s character or qualities by criticizing them

Are you impugning my competence as a professional designer

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

Voluble (adj)

A

Glib, talkative.

She was as voluble as her husband was silent.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

Misogynist (n)

A

Women hater.

A bachelor and renowned misogynist.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

Pedagogy (n)

A

The art or science of teaching.

The relationship between applied linguistics and language pedagogy.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

Ambient (adj)

A

Normal temperature.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

Inquest (n)

A

A judicial inquiry to ascertain the facts relating to an incident.

They held an inquest into the murder.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

Preen (v)

A

To dress (oneself) carefully or smartly.

He’s busy preening himself on acquiring such a pretty girlfriend.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

Parry (v)

A

To ward off, avert.

He parried the blow by holding his sword vertically.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

Guy (n)

A

A rope, cable used to guide and steady an object being hoisted or lowered.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

Sallow (adj)

A

Pale white sickly.

His skin was sallow and pitted.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

Plangent (adj)

A

Loud thundering noise.

The plangent sound of a harpsichord.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

Peripatetic (adj)

A

Walking or traveling about.

The peripatetic nature of military life.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

Rue (v)

A

To feel sorrow over; repent of; regret bitterly.

Ferguson will rue the day he turned down that offer.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
39
Q

Macerate (v)

A

Soak in liquid to soften.

Macerate the mustard seeds in vinegar.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
40
Q

Callow (adj)

A

Immature.

Earnest and callow undergraduates.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
41
Q

Wistful (adj)

A

Having or showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing.

A wistful smile.

42
Q

Corroborate (v)

A

Support with proof.

The witness had corroborated the boy’s account of the attack.

43
Q

Couch (v)

A

Frame in an indirect way.

The assurances were couched in general terms.

44
Q

Innervate (v)

A

Supply with energy.

45
Q

Impecunious (adj)

A

Poor.

They tend to lead an Impecunious existence.

46
Q

Grovel (v)

A

To lie or crawl with the face downward and the body prostrate.

He grovelled at George’s feet.

47
Q

Epicurean (adj)

A

Having luxurious tastes or habits, especially in eating and drinking.

An epicurean delight.

48
Q

Hirsute (adj)

A

Hairy.

Their hirsute chests.

49
Q

Countenance (n)

A

A person’s face or facial expression.

His impenetrable eyes and inscrutable countenance give little away.

50
Q

Scurvy (n)

A

Despicable, strong dislike.

The ravages of scurvy.

51
Q

Covert (adj)

A

Hidden, secretive.

Covert operations against the dictatorship.

52
Q

Craven (adj)

A

Coward.

A craven abdication of his moral duty.

53
Q

Eugenics (n)

A

Study of hereditary improvement by genetic study.

54
Q

Credence (n)

A

The likelihood of something being true; plausibility.

Being called upon by the media as an expert lends credence to one’s opinions.

55
Q

Execrate (v)

A

Feel or express great loathing for.

I execrate any policy that interferes with the rights and freedoms of others.

56
Q

Sempiternal (adj)

A

Eternal and unchanging.

The sempiternal sadness of the industrial background.

57
Q

Credulous (adj)

A

Easily believing.

A ceremony staged for credulous tourists.

58
Q

Plumb (v)

A

To examine closely.

She wanted to plumb her own childhood further.

59
Q

Culpable (adj)

A

Deserving blame.

Mercy killings are less culpable than ‘ordinary’ murders.

60
Q

Debase (v)

A

Lower the value of.

The love episodes debase the dignity of the drama.

61
Q

Decadent (adj)

A

Morally reprehensible.

A decaying, decadent Britain.

62
Q

Decorous (adj)

A

Well behaved.

Charlotte gave David a decorous kiss.

63
Q

Decry (v)

A

To speak disparagingly of; denounce as faulty.

Lawyers decried the imprisonment of several journalists.

64
Q

Artless (adj)

A

Not artificial; natural; simple.

An artless, naive girl.

65
Q

Ascetic (adj)

A

One who gives up world life.

An ascetic life of prayer, fasting, and manual labor.

66
Q

Ascendant (adj)

A

On the rise.

The newly ascendant liberal party

67
Q

Ascribe (v)

A

To credit or assign, as to a cause or source.

He ascribed Jane’s short temper to her upset stomach

68
Q

Assiduous (adj)

A

Hard working, diligent.

She was assiduous in pointing out every feature.

69
Q

Astute (adj)

A

Having or showing an ability to accurately assess situations or people and turn this to one’s advantage.

An astute businessman.

70
Q

Suppliant (n)

A

One who makes humble appeal or request.

She and the others who addressed high-ranking officials were not mere suppliants.

71
Q

Atrophy (v)

A

Waste away((of body tissue or an organ)).

Their muscles atrophied from prolong exposure to harsh winters.

72
Q

Anosmia (n)

A

Loss of smell.

73
Q

Austere (adj)

A

Severe or strict in manner.

He was an austere man, with a rigidly puritanical outlook

74
Q

Autonomous (n)

A

Independent in structure.

The federation included sixteen autonomous republics.

75
Q

Rapacious (adj)

A

Greedy.

Rapacious landlords.

76
Q

Avarice (n)

A

Extreme greed for wealth or material gain.

He was rich beyond the dreams of avarice.

77
Q

Unflappable (adj)

A

Cannot be disturbed emotionally.

I prided myself on being unflappable even in the most chaotic circumstances.

78
Q

Aver (v)

A

To assert or affirm with confidence.

He averred that he was innocent of the allegations.

79
Q

Emasculate (v)

A

Weaken, to castrate.

He feels emasculated, because he cannot control his sons’ behavior.

80
Q

Dormant (v)

A

Lying low.

Dormant butterflies.

81
Q

Recumbent (adj)

A

Lying down.

Recumbent statues.

82
Q

Dote (v)

A

Shower affection on.

She doted on her two young children.

83
Q

Frangible (adj)

A

Fragile.

The frangible skull of an infant.

84
Q

Dupe (v)

A

Cheat.

The newspaper was duped into publishing an untrue story.

85
Q

Magnanimous (adj)

A

Charitable.

She should be magnanimous in victory.

86
Q

Ebb (v)

A

Recede.

The tide was on the ebb.

87
Q

Wizen (adj)

A

Wither, shrink with age.

88
Q

Countermand (v)

A

Revoke or cancel (an order).

An order to arrest the strike leaders had been countermanded.

89
Q

Ebullient (adj)

A

Bubbly, cheerful and enthusiastic.

She sounded ebullient and happy.

90
Q

Apogee (n)

[ap-uh-jee]

A

Summit, the highest point.

A film which was the apogee of German expressionist cinema.

91
Q

Ecclesiastical (adj)

A

Of the church or clergy.

The ecclesiastical hierarchy.

92
Q

Eclectic (adj)

A

From diverse sources.

Universities offering an eclectic mix of courses.

93
Q

Edify (v)

A

To teach or instruct.

Rachel had edified their childhood with frequent readings from Belloc.

94
Q

Efficacious (adj)

A

Effective.

This treatment was efficacious in some cases.

95
Q

Puerile (adj)

A

Childish, immature.

A puerile argument.

96
Q

Effrontery (n)

A

Bold in your face attitude, audacity.

One juror had the effrontery to challenge the coroner’s decision.

97
Q

Effusive (adj)

A

Showing or expressing gratitude or pleasure excessively.

An effusive welcome.

98
Q

Tortuous (adj)

A

Full of twists, turns, or bends.

The route is remote and tortuous.

99
Q

Debauchery (n)

A

Lustful behavior.

100
Q

Malinger (v)

A

To pretend illness, especially in order to shirk one’s duty, avoid work

It was quick work; but Bowles had a college education—he had been only six hours a cowboy when he learned to malinger on the job.

English Vocalbulary (31 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions