gre week 2 Flashcards
analgesia
(noun)
an-al-JEE-zee-uh
Also analgesic (noun, adj)
Definition: Pain relief; inability to feel pain
Usage: While natural-birth advocates decline analgesia in childbirth, many women are very eager to take advantage of modern anesthesia. / A disease of the spinal cord can cause analgesia, which can be dangerous because the patient doesn’t know when he has injured himself.
Related Words: Anodyne (pain relieving medicine or anything that relieves pain)
annul
(verb)
uh-NULL
Also annulment (noun)
Definition: Make void or null, cancel, abolish (usually of laws or other established rules)
Usage: Can we appreciate the art of a murderer? For many, the value of these paintings is annulled by the artist’s crimes.
Related Words: Nullify, Void (synonyms); Abort (stop part way through, remain in an undeveloped state)
More Info: Most people associate “annul” with marriage—to get an annulment rather than a divorce, most states require that the marriage have been based on fraud, or that at least one person was not mentally competent to form a contract.
anodyne
(noun, adj)
ANN-uh-dine
Definition: Medicine that relieves pain (noun); soothing, relieving pain (adj)
Usage: While aspirin is a nice analgesic, the construction worker argued that, for sore and tired muscles, nothing beat the anodyne effects of a six-pack of beer.
Related Words: Analgesic (pain reliever)
More Info: In antiquated slang, a hangman’s noose was once (ironically) called an “anodyne necklace.”
antedate
(verb)
ANN-teh-dayt
Definition: Be older than, precede in time; assign to an earlier date
Usage: Dinosaurs antedate the first human beings by about 65 million years. / Jamal didn’t get around to writing the “Best Vocabulary Words of 2010” blog post until January 3rd, 2011, but he antedated the post for December 31st so at least the infrequent readers wouldn’t notice.
More Info: Postdate (antonym—“I will write this check now, but I’m postdating it for two weeks from now because I don’t have the money in my account yet.”)
antithetical
(adj)
an-tih-THET-ick-ull
Also antithesis (noun)
Definition: Directly opposed, opposite; involving antithesis (the rhetorical act of placing two phrases opposite one another for contrast, as in Love me or hate me)
Usage: Partying all night, every night, is antithetical to one’s academic performance.
Related Words: Deleterious (harmful, unhealthful), Counterproductive (defeating the purpose; preventing the intended goal), Inimical (unfavorable, harmful)
More Info: Antithesis can be properly understood as “anti” and “thesis”—that is, being against the “thesis” (main point) of something else. The philosopher Hegel posed a method of achieving truth by which a thesis and its antithesis are resolved at a higher level of understanding, called synthesis (in normal speech, synthesis means combination into a unified entity).
apostate
(noun, adj)
uh-PAH-stayt or uh-PAH-stit Also apostasy (noun)
Definition: Person who deserts a party, cause, religion, etc.
Usage: Many people considered “freedom fighters” by some are considered apostates by others; some women’s rights leaders in very conservative nations receive death threats from religious leaders who consider them apostate.
Related Words: Recreant (coward or deserter), Perfidy (faithlessness, treachery), Heretic (believer who disagrees with religious authorities; any nonconformist thinker), Quisling (person who betrays his country by aiding an invader), Infidel (unbeliever, person who does not accept a particular faith)
More Info: Don’t confuse apostate with apostle—the words are near-antonyms.
apostle
(noun)
uh-PAH-sull
Definition: Pioneer of a reform movement (originally, an early follower of Jesus)
Usage: In the 1980’s, when low-fat diets were all the rage, Dr. Rubens became an apostle of the Mediterranean diet, high in healthy fats, and traveled the world proselytizing to groups of physicians and nutritionists.
Related Words: Champion (person who fights for a cause), Expounder (person who presents an idea in detail), Paladin (leading champion of a cause; trusted military leader)
More Info: When capitalized, “Apostles” usually refers to the original 12 disciples of Jesus. In lowercase, an “apostle” could be any major Christian missionary, or a spreader of a non-religious doctrine. Don’t confuse apostle with apostate—the words are near-antonyms.
apposite
(adj)
APP-uh-zit or uh-PAH-zit
Definition: Highly appropriate, suitable, or relevant
Usage: He searched his brain for an apposite word to describe wealthy Americans’ addiction to consumer goods, until he discovered the neologism “affluenza.”
Related Words: Apt (appropriate, likely, disposed or prone, as in “Those who are apt to steal will receive an apt punishment”), Condign (appropriate, esp. as a punishment fits a crime)
apprise
(verb)
uh-PRIZE
Definition: Inform, give notice to
Usage: I can’t believe you failed to apprise me that my child was biting the other children in his preschool class! If I had known, I could’ve addressed this issue before all the other parents threatened to sue!
More Info: If you know Spanish or French, this word might remind you of the verb aprender or apprendre for good reason—both mean “to learn.” Don’t confuse apprise with appraise, which means “to evaluate or assess the value of,” as in “to have jewelry appraised before selling it at auction.”
approbation
(noun)
app-roh-BAY-shun
Definition: Praise or approval, especially formal approval
Usage: In her speech for class president, she won the approbation of her peers by promising not only to save the prom, but to raise enough money to make it free for everyone.
Related Words: Imprimatur (approval, a mark of approval, or especially a formal body’s approval to publish a work)
Memory Trick: Approbation begins with the same five letters as its near-synonym approval.
alienate
(verb)
AY-lee-en-ayt
Also inalienable (adj)
Definition: Cause to become unfriendly, hostile, or distant
Usage: The talk-show host was trying to help, but only alienated her viewers when she suggested that they cope with a tough economy by checking themselves into a spa.
Related Words: Disaffect (cause to lose affection or loyalty), Estrange (make hostile or indifferent—“He hasn’t spoken to his estranged son in a decade.”)
More Info: In law, alienate means to transfer property to another owner. An inalienable right is one that you cannot give away or sell (for instance, it is not possible for a person to sell himself into slavery).
alleviate
(verb)
uh-LEE-vee-ayt
Definition: Lessen, make easier to endure
Usage: The stimulus package has alleviated the pangs of the Great Recession, but times are still tough.
Related Words: Assuage (alleviate, satisfy, or pacify—“assuage someone’s fears”), Ameliorate (make better), Extenuate (to make seem less serious—“His crime was extenuated by his mental illness”), Palliate (to alleviate or extenuate)
More Info: The over-the-counter painkiller “Alleve” was undoubtedly named with the word alleviate in mind.
ambiguous
(adj)
am-BIG-yoo-uss
Definition: Not clear, hard to understand, open to having several meanings or interpretations
Usage: The meaning of this ancient text is ambiguous—either we are missing some cultural context, or else the writer actually wanted to be mysterious.
Related Words: Equivocal (allowing for several different meanings; undecided or having mixed feelings), Opaque (hard to understand; dull or stupid; literally, not allowing light to pass through)
More Info: The prefix “ambi-“ means “both” or “all.” Don’t confuse ambiguous with ambivalent, which means “having mixed feelings, undecided.” People are ambivalent; writing, speech, and other forms of communication are ambiguous.
ambivalent
(adj)
am-BIV-uh-lent
Also ambivalence (noun)
Definition: Uncertain; unable to decide, or wanting to do two contradictory things at once
Usage: I’ve been accepted to two amazing graduate programs, one inexpensive and close to home, and one in a big, exciting city. I’m ambivalent—I don’t know how I’m going to decide. / When I asked you if you thought we’d get married some day, your ambivalence hurt my feelings.
Related Words: Equivocal (allowing for several different meanings; undecided or having mixed feelings), Vacillate (waver in decision or opinion, be indecisive)
More Info: The prefix “ambi-“ means “both” or “all” and also occurs in ambiance and ambidextrous. Don’t confuse ambivalent with ambiguous, which means “vague, open to multiple meanings.”
analogous
(adj)
uh-NAL-uh-guss
Definition: Comparable, corresponding in some particular way (making a good analogy)
Usage: In the U.S., whenever opponents of a war want to suggest that the war is unwinnable, they point out all the ways in which the war is analogous to the Vietnam War.
Related Words: Tantamount (equivalent, as in “What he did is tantamount to murder.”)
anarchy
(noun)
ANN-ark-ee
Also anarchism (noun), anarchist (noun)
Definition: Absence of law or government; chaos, disorder
Usage: Once the dictator was assassinated, the country fell into total anarchy, as none of the opposition groups were strong enough to seize power.
More Info: Anarchism can sometimes mean the political philosophy that the absence of all direct government is ideal and that voluntary associations of individuals would be able to govern themselves.
anoint
(verb)
uh-NOINT
Also anointed (adj)
Definition: Rub or sprinkle oil on; make sacred, such as by a ceremony that includes applying oil to someone
Usage: After Principal Smitters raised test scores over 60% at her school, it was only a matter of time before she was anointed superintendent by a fawning school board.
More Info: Anoint shares a root with ointment, an oily substance added to the skin. Anointing occurs repeatedly in the Bible; in that time, people rubbed oil on themselves medicinally and for refreshment, and as a means of showing hospitality to guests.
anomaly
(noun)
uh-NOM-ah-lee
Also anomalous (adj)
Definition: Deviation from what is common; inconsistency
Usage: While the cosmetics division of this company has many female executives, it is an anomaly—in the rest of the company, sadly, only 4% of management positions are filled by women.
Related Words: Aberration (departing from normal; mental irregularity or deviation in morality)
More Info: The word “anomaly” sometimes pops up in discussions of the supernatural. The show X-Files was about the investigation of anomalies.
aspersions
(noun)
uh-SPER-zhunz
Also asperse (verb)
Definition: Damaging remarks, defamation, slander
Usage: He could no longer work with his duplicitous business partner, who acted friendly to his face but then spewed aspersions about him behind his back. / If you asperse me one more time, I will sue you for libel!
Related Words: Slander, Traduce, and Defame all mean “to speak maliciously and falsely of”
More Info: Aspersions is often used in the phrase “to cast aspersions,” which has the sense of throwing or tossing insults or malicious lies about someone. One additional (rare) meaning of aspersion is “to sprinkle, such as for baptism.” So, it’s not a long leap to imagine spattering or sprinkling someone with insults.
antagonize
(verb)
an-TAG-uh-nize
Also antagonistic (adj)
Definition: Make hostile or unfriendly
Usage: “Josie! Stop antagonizing your little brother! Give him back that firetruck and tell him you’re sorry for pulling his hair!”
Related Words: Provoke (anger, enrage, stir up, incite to action)
More Info: When discussing literature or films, the protagonist is the main character and the antagonist is the main adversary (The Joker is Batman’s antagonist).
