GRE Vocabulary 5 Flashcards
Obfuscate (v)
Hide with the intention of deceiving.
The spelling changes will deform some familiar words and obfuscate their etymological origins.
Encomium (n)
Praise.
Din (n)
Noise.
The fans made an awful din.
Alloy (n)
A mixture of 2 or more metals
Pugilism (n)
Fighting, boxing.
I do not go to displays of pugilism.
Sanctimony (n)
Making a show of being morally superior to other people.
What happened to all the sanctimonious talk about putting his family first?
Baleful (adj)
Harmful.
Bill shot a baleful glance in her direction.
Hallow (n)
To make holy; sanctify.
The Ganges is hallowed as a sacred, cleansing river.
Ostensible (adj)
Apparently.
The real dispute which lay behind the ostensible complaint.
Sinecure (n)
Comfortable job.
Political sinecures for the supporters of ministers.
Lackey (n)
Toady, Servant.
Lackeys were waiting to help them from the carriage.
Redress (v)
Remedy or set right.
The question is how to redress the consequences of racist land policies.
Unctuous (adj)
Servile flatterer.
He seemed anxious to please but not in an unctuous way.
Arrant (adj)
Thorough unmitigated.
What arrant nonsense!
Vaunt (v)
Praise or boast about.
The much vaunted information superhighway.
Affectation (n)
Artificial behavior designed to impress.
The affectation of a man who measures every word for effect.
Philately (n)
The collecting of stamps.
Canonical (adj)
The original source of truth.
The canonical rites of the Roman Church.
Whit (adj)
Smallest jot off.
The last whit of warmth was drawn off by the setting sun
Epaulet (n)
Shoulder bracelet.
An army greatcoat with fancy epaulets and brass buttons.
Panoply (n)
A complete suit of armor.
Pantheon (n)
All the gods or group of a people or religion collectively.
The deities of the Hindu pantheon.
Blandishment (n)
Coax with flattery.
A blandishment is often teasing in tone.
Peremptory (adj)
Haughty.
Just do it!’ came the peremptory reply.
Tyro (n)
Novice.
A beginner or novice.
Fetid (adj)
Having an offensive odor.
The air we breathe is fetid.
Fecundity (n)
Fertility.
Multiply mated females show increased fecundity.
Rarefied (adj)
Extremely high or elevated; lofty.
Rarefied scholarly pursuits.
Delectation (n)
For the pleasure of.
They had all manner of rock ‘n’ roll goodies for our delectation.
Fickle (adj)
Changing frequently, especially as regards one’s loyalties or affections.
Celebs trying to appeal to an increasingly fickle public.
Fidelity (n)
Accuracy; exactness.
The 1949 recording provides reasonable fidelity.
Fission (n)
The act of splitting atoms.
The party dissolved into fission and acrimony
Flag (v)
Reduce in strength.
if you begin to flag, there is an excellent cafe to revive you.
Florid (adj)
Flowery; excessively ornate..
A florid, baroque building.
Forbear (v)
To refrain from doing something.
He modestly forbears to include his own work.
Forestall (v)
To prevent something from happening by acting first.
The company executives forestalled criticism by inviting union leaders to meet.
Quail (n)
A small, migratory, gallinaceous game bird.
Forthright (adj)
Straight or directly forward.
His most forthright attack yet on the reforms.
Fortuity (n)
An instance of good fortune or happening by chance.
The timing of the meeting is certainly fortuitous.
Mince (v)
To soften, moderate, or weaken (one’s words), especially for the sake of decorum or courtesy.
Visceral (adj)
Relating to deep inward feelings rather than to the intellect.
The voters’ visceral fear of change.
Refectory (n)
Dining room.
A room used for communal meals in an educational or religious institution.
Frenetic (adj)
Frantic, fast and energetic.
A frenetic pace of activity.
Infinitesimal (adj)
Very small.
An infinitesimal pause.
Sanguine (adj)
Cheerful.
He is sanguine about prospects for the global economy.
Furtive (adj)
Secretive.
They spent a furtive day together.
Calumny (n)
Invective, harsh criticisms.
A bitter struggle marked by calumny and litigation.
Quotidian (adj)
Of or occurring every day, commonplace.
The car sped noisily off through the quotidian traffic.
Salacious (adj)
Lusty.
Salacious stories.
Importune (v)
Harass (someone) persistently for or to do something.
She importuned a waiter for profiteroles.
Impregnable (adj)
Who’s defensive cannot be breached.
A massive and impregnable fortress.
Daft (adj)
Stupid.
Don’t ask such daft questions.
Solemn (adj)
Serious.
A solemn procession.
Impromptu (adj)
On the spot.
An impromptu press conference.
Impudent (adj)
Shameless or brazenly immodest.
He could have strangled this impudent upstart.
Bedizen (v)
To dress or adorn in a showy, gaudy, or tasteless manner.
A uniform bedizened with resplendent medals.
Incense (n)
A gum, spice, or other substance that is burned for the sweet smell it produces.
Volition (n)
A choice or decision made by the will.
Without conscious volition she backed into her office.
Tamp (v)
Drive down with blows.
He tamped down the tobacco with his thumb.
Steel (v)
Mentally prepare (oneself) to do or face something difficult.
His team were steeling themselves for disappointment.
Gossamer (n)
Thin lace like material or substance.
A fine gossamer fabric that clung to her skin.
Inimical (n)
Unfavorable; harmful.
The policy was inimical to Britain’s real interests.
Vainglorious (adj)
Excessively proud of oneself or one’s achievements.
This vainglorious boast of personal infallibility.
Pariah (n)
Social outcast.
They were treated as social pariahs.
Indelible (adj)
That cannot be eliminated, forgotten, changed.
An indelible marker pen.
Byzantine (adj)
[BeZantine]
Complex or intricate.
Byzantine insurance regulations.
Inveigh (v)
To protest strongly or attack vehemently with words.
There were politicians who inveighed against immigrants to get votes.
Peccadillo (n)
Minor crimes.
The sexual peccadilloes of celebrities aren’t necessarily news.
Panegyric (n)
[Panegeric]
Formal or elaborate praise.
She delivered a panegyric on the president-elect.
Quaff (v)
Drink deeply.
He quaffed pint after pint of good Berkshire ale.
Inchoate (n)
Not well developed.
A still inchoate democracy.
Essay (n)
Foray, attempts.
A misjudged essay in job preservation.
Incisive (adj)
Intelligently analytical and clear-thinking.
She was an incisive critic.
Incorrigible (adj)
Cannot be corrected.
She’s an incorrigible flirt.
Inculcate (v)
Instill (an idea, attitude, or habit) by persistent instruction..
I tried to inculcate in my pupils an attitude of inquiry.
Indigenous (adj)
Originating in and characteristic of a particular region or country.
The indigenous peoples of Siberia.
Indigent (adj)
Lacking food, clothing, and other necessities of life because of poverty.
An indigent family with no means of sustenance.
Indolent (adj)
Lazy.
They were indolent and addicted to a life of pleasure.
Redolent (adj)
Suggestive of something.
Names redolent of history and tradition.
Provident (n)
Having or showing foresight.
She had learned to be provident.
Untoward (adj)
Unexpected and inappropriate or inconvenient.
Both tried to behave as if nothing untoward had happened.
Paean (n)
Song in praise of.
A paean of praise for the great poets.
Aspersion (n)
An act of slander.
I don’t think anyone is casting aspersions on you.
Lucid (adj)
Clear, easily understood; completely intelligible.
A lucid account.
Luminous (adj)
Shining.
Luxuriant (adj)
Richly abundant, profuse, or superabundant.
Forests of dark, luxuriant foliage.
Malevolent (adj)
Harmful, showing a wish to do evil to others.
The glint of dark, malevolent eyes.
Manifest (n) (v)
List of items.
Every passenger is manifested at the point of departure.
Mannered (adj)
Behaving in a specified way..
His mannered ways were visible to all.
Mantle (n)
The seat of power or role and responsibility.
The second son has now assumed his father’s mantle.
Mar (v)
To disfigure, deface, or scar.
Violence marred a number of New Year celebrations.
Martinet (n)
Requiring strict adherence to rules.
The woman in charge was a martinet who treated all those beneath her like children.
Matrix (n)
The cultural, social, or political environment in which something develops.
Oxbridge was the matrix of the ideology.
Palette (n)
The range of colors used by a particular artist.
Paradigm (n)
A typical example or model of something.
Society’s paradigm of the ‘ideal woman’.
Paramount (adj)
Of chief importance.
The interests of the child are of paramount importance.
Parchment (n)
A stiff, flat, thin material made from the prepared skin of an animal.
He borrowed a quill and a piece of parchment.
Parsimonious (adj)
Stingy.
Even the parsimonious Joe paid for drinks all round.
Pathology (n)
The study of cause of diseases.
Paucity (n)
Lack of.
A paucity of information.
