GRE words Flashcards
terminology to practice for the GRE exam
“speculative”
- hypothetical, theoretical, abstract
2. involving high risk of loss
“derivative”
- imitative of another source
“eclecticism”
- broad range of subjects
“depict”
- portray, present, describe, show, represent
“temporal”
- secular, worldly (not spiritual)
- time-related (like 1st, 2nd, 3rd)
- temporal region in the head
“arbiter”
- se1. having large influence over others
ttles disputes - has authority
“patron”
- customer/client
2. sponsor (gives money for a cause)
“crass”
- NO class, sensitivity, etc
“diminutive”
- small
“belie(s/d)”
- surprisingly opposite of what is expected
“cosmopolitan”
- includes many different ethnicities/countries; multicultural
“erudite”
- academically experienced, learned, prestigously academic
“sedulous”
- diligent, hard working
“deferential”
- respectful
“austere”
- plain/simple/ascetic
2. strict
“plausible”
- reasonable
- probable
- persuasive
“statuary”
- relating to statues
“concede”
- admit
- give into something (surrender)
“generalization”
- inferring based on a specific case
“from this case, I am generalizing that…”
“cursory”
- quick and haste
“cognizant”
- being aware of
“repudiate”
- NOT accept/be associated with
“acquiesce”
- reluctant acceptance
“mercurial”
- sudden/unpredictable changes (in mood/behaviour)
“vain”
- self-absorbed
2. useless/pointless
“temperance”
- moderation/self-control
“notoriety”
- famous for a bad reason
ie. , infamous
“eminence”
- fame for excellence; superior
“tumultuous”
- uproar, disorder
“providential”
- occurring at a favourable time (divine timing, perfect timing)
“dispassionate”
- not swayed by emotion, therefore can be impartial
“precarious”
- uncertain, insecure, will collapse
“predilection”
- preference
“despondent”
- low spirits, disheartened, hopeless
“amiable”
- friendly (think, mon amie in french, my friend)
“enlist”
- enroll
“effrontery”
- rude behaviour, audacity,
“palatability”
- accepting or pleasant to taste
“extolment”
- praise highly
“sequester”
- to hide away
2. take legal possession of something until paid off (like debt)
“ensue”
- happening afterward. “the hopeless feel that ensued after the breakup”
“trifling”
- trivial, insignificant
“pioneering”
- the first to inhabit new (ideas, land)
“ameliorate”
- alleviate, make better
“ascertain”
- discover (the cause)
“exacerbate”
- worsen
“cumbersome”
- too large/heavy to use efficiently
“haphazard”
- disorganized
“zealous”
- enthusiastic, passionate
“backhanded”
- indirect, uncertain, ambiguous
2. insincere
“frugal”
- thrifty (with money and food)
“thrifty”
- using resources carefully and not wastefully
“equanimity”
- being calm/composed in difficult situations
“divergent”
- different
“disparate”
- different
“interchangeable”
- identical/similar
“prophetic”
- predicting future
2. relating to prophets
“harbinger”
- sign, indicator
“virtual”
- practically (almost) the same, but not identical
“virtually the same thing”
“obscure”
- not known/seen
“incongruous”/”incongruent”
- not in harmony with surrounding
“equitable”
- fair, just, equal
“fortuitous”
- luck, chance, accident
“copious”
- abundant, lots, considerable
“acerbic”
- sharp, biting, harsh, cutting
“scathing”
- very critical
“miserliness”
- extreme money-saving
- extremely mean
- feeling inadequate/small
“stingy”
- unwilling to spend
- not generous
“diffidence”
- modesty/shyness from lack of self-confidence
“illiberal”
- not open to freedom of thought/behaviour
- uncultured/mean
“intolerant”
- unaccepting of views other than one’s own
“fanciful”
- overimaginative and unrealistic
“involved” (not involve, which means to include, but involveD)
- complicated, difficult to understand
2. connected to/concerned with someone on a deep personal level “he’s involved with her”
“inconsequential”
- insignificant
“demanding”
- requires lot of skill/effort
2. demanding others
“partisan”
- follower of a cause
2. biased towards a cause
“erudite”
- showing great deal of knowledge
“insular”
- ignorant/uninterested/narrow-minded towards other’s cultures/experience
“imperturbable”
- calm. not upset or excited, even.
“patent”
- obvious
“pervasive”
- spreading unwelcomingly
a) “adorn”
b) “unadorn”
a) to make more beautiful
b) to make plain
“exigent”
- demanding
“extraneous”
- irrelevant/unrelated
“garrulous”
- really talkative
“munificent”
- generous, large
a) resolute
b) irresolute
a) certain, determined
b) uncertain
“laconic”
- using very few words; to the point, brief
“fastidious”
- very detailed and cleaned, scrupulous,
taciturn
- untalkative
“solicitous”
- concerned, interested, anxious to do something
“sporadic”
- scattered
“irascible”
- irritable
“pugnacious”
- eager/quick to argue/fight
“fitfully”
- irregularly
“judicious”
- good judgement
“mendacity”
= lying
“evasive”
= indirect, avoidance, lying
“prevaricate”
= evasive
“baseness”
= immoral, bad character,
“avarice”
= greedy
“aesthetic”
- relating to beauty
“innocuous”
- inoffensive, unimportant, uninteresting
“soporific”
- causing sleepiness
“esoteric”
- few know about it
2. rare/special interest
“servile”
- excessive need to please others
“obsequious”
- excessively attentive/obedient
“fawning”
- exaggerated display of flattery to someone; obsequious
“flattery”
- excessive or insincere praise
“meticulous”
- detail-attentive, precise, fussy
“pragmatic”
= practical, sensible, realistic not theoretical or idealistic
“ephemeral”
- fleeting, temporary (“fame only ephemeral”)
“gregarious”
= sociable, likeable
“merit”
- worthy of praise/reward
“specious”
- superficially plausible, but actually wrong
- misleading in appearance
(politic speech, etc)
“audacious”
- recklessly bold/brave/daring/uninhibited
“ascetic”
- severe self-discipline away from indulgences
“intelligible”
= comprehensible, understandable
“lucid”
- easily understandable, clear
“caustic”
- sharply critical/sarcastic; acerbic (sharp, bitter)
2. corrosive, able to burn through
“acerbic”
- sharpy, forthright, bitter, acidic
“onerous”
- having burdensome obligations/duties that outweigh the advantages
“i did so much work for this little money?”
“prodigal”
= spendthrift
- living/spending extravagantly/irresponsibly
“condemn”
- attack/disapprove
“denunciation”
publicly condemn someone/something
“rant”
- long passionate speech about something
“impassioned”
- very passionately
“tirade”
- *long fuming speech of *criticism
“diatribe”
- *sharply abusive **condemnation
“anomaly”
- abnormal, unusual, incongruent, inconsistent
“dissent”
- going opposite of the norm; rebellious
“maverick”
- unorthodox, independent-minded, eccentric, original, non-conforming free spirit of a person
“dignity”
- composed/serious manner worthy of respect
“decorum”
- dignified speech, dress and behaviour
“eulogy”
speech/writing praising a person/thing
“precipitate”
- cause something to happen unexpectedly/prematurely
2. change to solid
“catalyst”
a person/thing that suddenly causes something to occur
“smug”
- excessive pride in oneself
“complacent”
- high self-regard and uncritical satisfaction with one’s own achievements. “i don’t need to do any work, i’m already perfect”
“disclination”
- no enthusiasm
“aversion”
- strong dislike
“antipathy”
strong dislike
“disdain”
- being one unworthy of respect
“scorn”
contempt
“dormant”
suspended, slow
“torpor”
laziness, lethargic, dormant
“complicit”
involved in a wrong activity (like crime)
“iconoclast”
- one who attacks deeply held (religious) beliefs
2. one who destroys religious images
“efficacy”
effectiveness
“discordant”
- harsh, unpleasant, unharmonious
2. incongruent, disagreeing
“cacophony”
- harsh, unharmonious sound
“deference”
- humble and respectful submission
“propriety”
- conforming to the norm
sounds like “proper”
“quell”
end, suppress, quieten
“pacify”
quieten down, suppress, end
“mitigate”
- make less severe
“appease”
- alleviate
2. satisfy
“placate”
- to calm anger by promising a reward
“mollify”
- to alleviate one’s anxiety/anger
“concession”
- reward in return of something
eg) allowance
“enervate”
- to weaken/drain mentally, physically or morally
“vacillate”
- to go back and forth (oscillating/fluctuating) between two things, indecisively
“waver”
- to be indecisive, unsteady, unreliable, irresolute
“fortify”
strengthen
“bolster”
- support, strengthen, prop up
“gainsay”
oppose, deny, dispute, contradict
“conjecture”
- form an opinion based on incomplete information
“aggrandize”
to make greater (beyond facts)
“burgeon”
- grow quickly
2. start to grow; bud through
“abate”
= lessen something bad
“disabuse”
- to correct someone’s wrong idea
“acquitt”
- free someone from jail because they’re innocent
2. conduct oneself in a way
“vindicate”
- clear someone of blame
2. to verify
“exculpate”
- clear someone of blame
“instigate”
- to initiate/begin
“foment”
- to begin and develop something
“sanction”
- to allow
2. to punish
