GRE Vocabulary 7 Flashcards
Dissociate (v)
To withdraw from association
He tried to dissociate himself from the bigotry in his past.
Dissonant (adj)
Out of harmony; incongruous; at variance
It was something more than harsh and dissonant, and it betrayed no lack of skill
Distend (v)
To spread in all directions; expand; swell:
The sea distended about them.
Distill (v)
To extract the essential elements of; refine; abstract:
She managed to distill her ideas into one succinct article.
Divest (v)
To rid of or free from:
He divested himself of all responsibility for the decision.
Doctrinaire (n)
A person who tries to apply some doctrine or theory without sufficient regard for practical considerations; an impractical theorist.
Elate (v)
To make very happy or proud
News to elate the hearer.
Elegy (n)
A sad or mournful musical composition.
Then, as afterwards recorded by Robison, he turned towards his officers and repeated several stanzas of Gray’s elegy.
Elucidate (v)
To make lucid or clear; throw light upon; explain:
An explanation that elucidated his recent strange behavior.
Emaciate (v)
To make abnormally lean or thin by a gradual wasting away of flesh.
Sickness diminished the ranks, and emaciate men, haggard and way-worn, tottered painfully along the rugged ways.
Emollient (n)(adj)
Having the power of softening or relaxing, as a medicinal substance;
Emollient lotions for the face.
Venal (adj)
Open to bribery; mercenary.
A venal judge.
Doggerel (n)
Comic or burlesque, and usually loose or irregular in measure.
I had the girls say that doggerel about the forty-nine blue bottles while we were stuck fast in the mud.
Manse (n)
The house and land occupied by a minister
Nexus (n)
A means of connection, tie, link.
The nexus between industry and political power.
Promulgate (v)
To make known by open declaration; publish;
The federal and state governments, at their core, establish laws and promulgate rules.
Dross (adj)
Waste matter, refuse.
Demur (v)
To make objection, especially on the grounds of scruples;
They wanted to make him the treasurer, but he demurred.
Felicitous (adj)
Well-suited for the occasion, as an action, manner
The chairman’s felicitous anecdote set everyone at ease.
Veritable (adj)
Being truly or very much so.
The early 1970s witnessed a veritable price explosion.
Impassive (adj)
Not feeling or showing emotion.
His cold, impassive face.
Hermetic (adj)
Made airtight by fusion or sealing.
A hermetic seal that ensures perfect waterproofing.
Fracas (n)
[frakɑ]
A noisy, disorderly disturbance or fight.
The fracas was broken up by stewards.
Eminence (n)
High station, rank, or repute.
Philosophers of eminence.
Epigram (n)
A pithy saying or remark expressing an idea in a clever and amusing way.
Oscar Wilde had a genius for epigram.
Epitome (n)
A person or thing that is a perfect example of a particular quality or type.
She looked the epitome of elegance and good taste.
Equanimity (n)
Mental or emotional stability or composure.
In person, Reagan was a great deal like Obama, in his self-confidence and his equanimity under pressure.
Equivocal (adj)
Deliberately ambiguous,allowing the possibility of several different meanings.
An equivocal answer.
Erudite (adj)
Characterized by great knowledge, learned or scholarly.
An erudite professor.
Espouse (v)
To make one’s own, adopt or embrace.
Mitt Romney agrees with nearly everything the Tea Party claims to espouse.
Eradicate (v)
Remove completely.
Estrange (v)
To turn away in feeling or affection; make unfriendly or hostile.
Their quarrel estranged the two friends.
Evanescent (adj)
[ev-uh-nes-uh nt]
Vanishing, fading away, fleeting.
The evanescent Arctic summer.
Extrinsic (adj)
Not essential or inherent; not a basic part or quality; extraneous
Facts that are extrinsic to the matter under discussion.
Exult (v)
To show or feel a lively or triumphant joy, rejoice exceedingly, be highly elated or jubilant.
They exulted over their victory.
Facetious (adj)
[fuh-see-shuh s]
Lacking serious intent, concerned with something nonessential.
A facetious remark.
Facile (adj)
[faas-il]
Easily done, performed OR superficial ignoring complexities.
A facile seven-lengths victory. .
Rectitude (n)
Rightness of principle or conduct, moral virtue.
The rectitude of her motives.
Crucible (n)
A container of metal or refractory material employed for heating substances to high temperatures.
Ingenue (n)
[an-zhuh-noo]
Artless, innocent, unworldly girl.
