GRE10 Flashcards
static
having no motion; unchanging; lacking development; N. stasis: stable state
seasonal
of a particular season; Ex. seasonal rise in employment
maxim
proverb; truth pithily stated
revulsion
sudden strong feeling of disgust; sudden violent change of feeling; negative reaction; Ex. revulsion from the scenes of torture
venturesome
(of a person) bold; adventurous; daring; (of an action) risky
rarefied
made less dense (of a gas); V. rarefy: make less dense; N. rarefaction
codify
arrange (laws or rules) as a code; classify; N. code: system of words used instead of ordinary writing; collection of laws, rules, established social customs
restive
impatiently restless (induced by external coercion or restriction); restlessly impatient; obstinately resisting control; Ex. restive horses because of wolves; CF. not a general synonym for `restless’
fitful
spasmodic; intermittent; irregular
tarnish
make or become dull or discolored; N.
vilify
slander; speak evil of; N. vilification
serenity
calmness; placidity; ADJ. serene
prate
talk idly; speak foolishly; boast idly
pacify
soothe; make calm or quiet; subdue; bring peace to
taciturn
habitually silent; talking little
brand
trademark; mark burned on the hide of an animal; mark burned into the flesh of criminals; mark of disgrace; V: mark with a brand; give a lasting bad name; stigmatize; Ex. The press branded him a liar.
elated
filled with excited joy and pride; overjoyed; in high spirits; joyful and proud; Ex. elated crowd; V. elate; N. elation
thrall
slave; bondage; slavery; Ex. Her beauty held him in thrall; CF. enthrall
impotent
weak; ineffective; lacking in physical strength or power
seasonable
occurring at the proper time or season; opportune; Ex. seasonable intervention in the dispute
vigil
keeping watch (during normal sleeping hours); Ex. all-night vigil
quaint
odd in an old-fashioned way; odd; old-fashioned; picturesque
stoop
bend forward and down; lower or debase oneself; fall to a lower standard of behavior by doing something; condescend; Ex. stoop to lying
puerile
childish; immature; CF. puer: boy
glow
shine brightly without a flame (as of eyes or metals); show redness and heat (in the face) after hard work or because of strong feelings; N: light produced by a heated body; brilliance of a color
prologue
introduction (to a poem or play)
theocracy
government run by religious leaders
incident
event; event that causes a crisis
mutter
utter (complaining words) indistinctly in low tones
brawny
muscular; having well-developed muscles
eclipse
darken; extinguish; outshine; surpass; cause an eclipse
bellicose
warlike
overt
open to view; public; not secret; CF. covert
industrious
diligent; hard-working; N. industry
equinox
period of equal days and nights; the beginning of spring and autumn; Ex. vernal/autumnal equinox; ADJ. equinoctial
bigot
one who is intolerant (in matters of religion or politics)
grisly
ghastly; horrifying; Ex. grisly remains of the bodies
indigent
poor; destitute
withdrawn
introverted; retiring; remote
judiciary
judicial branch of government
inaugurate
begin formally; install in office; induct into office by a formal ceremony; N. inauguration; ADJ. inaugural
incur
bring upon oneself
preempt
prevent in advance; head off(forestall); forestall by acting first; appropriate for oneself before others; supplant; take the place of; displace; Ex. preempt any attempts; ADJ. preemptive
purported
alleged; claimed; reputed or rumored; Ex. purported Satanists
attrition
rubbing away by friction; gradual decrease in numbers or strength; reduction in the work force without firing employees; wearing away of opposition by means of harassment; Ex. a war of attrition
expedient
suitable (for a particular purpose although not necessarily morally correct); practical; politic(prudent); N: something expedient
edict
decree (especially one issued by a sovereign); official command
knack
special talent; art
portly
stout; corpulent
generality
vague statement; general statement which is not detailed; quality of being general; greater part; most; Ex. generality of people
woe
great sorrow; deep inconsolable grief; affliction; suffering; Ex. financial woes
incredulity
tendency to disbelief
connotation
suggested or implied meaning of an expression; V. connote
malicious
hateful; spiteful; expressing malice; N. malice: desire to harm others; spite
axiom
self-evident truth requiring no proof
fabricate
build; lie; make up (a story) in order to deceive; Ex. fabricate the whole story; CF. fabric: underlying structure; Ex. fabric of society
latent
present but not yet noticeable or active; dormant; hidden; N. latency; CF. potential
adherent
supporter; follower
tarantula
venomous spider
ordination
ceremony conferring holy orders; ceremony of ordaining a priest
slur
slander; insult to one’s character or reputation; V.
pediatrician
physician specializing in children’s diseases; N. pediatrics
furtive
stealthy; quiet and secret (trying to escape notice); sneaky; Ex. furtive glance
cremate
incinerate (a corpse); N. crematory, crematorium
clown
act stupidly; play the fool; N.
docket
program as for trial; book where such entries are made; list of things to be done; agenda; label fixed to a package listing contents or directions; V: describe in a docket
prompt
cause; urge; provoke; provide a cue (for an actor); ADJ: done without delay; done at the right time; punctual; on time; N: reminder or cue
hermetic
sealed by fusion so as to be airtight; airtight
functional
made for practical use only (without decoration); functioning; Ex. functional modern furniture; CF. functionalism
rigid
hard and unbending; stiff and unyielding; fixed in behavior or views; strict; rigorous; Ex. rigid rule
accolade
award of merit; strong praise and approval
rightful
legally correct; Ex. rightful owner
stolid
dull; impassive; showing little emotion when strong feelings are expected
poseur
person who pretends to be sophisticated, elegant, etc., to impress others; person who poses; CF. pose
oust
expel; drive out; force out; N. ouster: ousting
epoch
period of time
manifold
many in number or kind; numerous; varied
vertebrate
having a backbone or spinal column; N: group of animals having a segmented spinal column
vulture
carrion-eating birds
cater
provide food and drink (for); cater to: try to satisfy (desires of a bad kind)
arbiter
person with power to decide a matter in dispute; judge who is in a position ot make influential judgments; Ex. supreme arbiter of fashion in beachware
whelp
young animal (esp. of the dog or cat family); young wolf, dog, tiger, etc.
mutilate
maim; injure lastingly; deprive of a limb or an essential part
hostage
person who is kept as a prisoner by an enemy so that the other side will do what the enemy demands
forlorn
sad and lonely; wretched; desolate
scuffle
struggle confusedly; move off in a confused hurry; N. CF. scuffling twins ?
appraise
estimate value of; N. appraisal
nefarious
very wicked
dinghy
small boat (often ship’s boat)
nutrition
process of nourishing or being nourished; CF. malnutrition
petty
trivial; unimportant; very small; small-minded; petty-minded
saline
salty
lexicographer
compiler of a dictionary; CF. lexicography: work of compiling a dictionary
cession
yielding to another; ceding
augment
increase; add to
luxuriant
abundant; growing healthily and in large amounts; excessively ornate; rich and splendid; fertile; Ex. luxuriant forests/prose; CF. luxurious, luxuriate
primate
group of mammals including humans
coda
concluding section of a musical or literary composition
primogeniture
seniority by birth; state of being the first-born child; right of the eldest child (to inherit the entire property of one or both parents)
deference
courteous regard for another’s wish; courteous yielding to another’s wish or opinion (showing respect); ADJ. deferential; OP. effrontery
orgy
wild drunken revelry; unrestrained indulgence in an activity; Ex. orgy of shopping
exalt
raise in rank or dignity; praise highly; inspire; Ex. exalt the imagination; ADJ. exalted; N. exaltation
feature
distinctive part of the faces (as the eyes or mouth); features: overall appearance of the face; prominent or distinctive quality; prominent article; film; V: make prominent
dilatory
delaying; tending to delay
compost
mixture of decaying organic matter used as fertilizer; V: put or make compost
perpetual
everlasting
allure
entice; attract; tempt
raspy
making a harsh noise; grating; harsh
gentry
people of standing(rank or position); people of good family or high social position; class of people just below nobility
hoard
stockpile; accumulate for future use; N: supply stored for future use
provenance
place of origin; origin or source of something; Ex. Gunpowder is of Chinese provenance; CF. come
unfeigned
genuine; real
incoherent
unintelligible; muddled; unable to express one’s thoughts in an orderly manner; illogical; lacking cohesion; not coherent
amoral
nonmoral; having no understanding of right and wrong
belligerent
quarrelsome
revile
attack with abusive language; vilify(slander)
squash
crush; quash; suppress
contest
dispute; argue about the rightness of; compete for; try to win; Ex. contest the election results; Ex. contest a seat in Parliament; N.
entail
make necessary; require; necessitate; involve; limit the inheritance of (property) to a specified succession of heirs; Ex. entail A on/upon B
atypical
not normal; not typical
delusion
false belief; hallucination; deluding; Ex. delusions of grandeur; Ex. under the delusion that
tantrum
fit of bad temper; fit of petulance; caprice; Ex. The child went into tantrums.
hue
color; aspect; Ex. opinions of every hue
obstinate
stubborn; hard to control or treat; Ex. obstinate cough; N. obstinacy
intuition
immediate insight; power of knowing without reasoning; ADJ. intuitive; V. intuit: know by intuition
penury
extreme poverty; stinginess; ADJ. penurious: very poor; stingy
tenuous
thin; slim; rare
tangible
able to be touched; real; concrete; palpable; possible to realize or understand; Ex. tangible proof
cadet
student at a military school
pluck
courage; V: pull off or out; pull out the hair or feathers of; ADJ. plucky: courageous; brave
caliber
ability; quality; diameter of the inside of a round cylinder; Ex. work of very high caliber
flourish
grow well; prosper; make sweeping gestures; wave; brandish; Ex. The trees flourished in the sun. N: showy movement or gesture; embellishment or ornamentation (esp. in handwriting)
malady
illness
cabal
small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests
harbinger
forerunner (which foreshadows what is to come)
perimeter
outer boundary; length of the outer boundary; circumference
frieze
ornamental horizontal band on a wall
apoplexy
stroke; loss of consciousness caused by too much blood in the brain
portend
foretell; presage; be a sign or warning of; N. portent: sign; omen; forewarning
ludicrous
laughable; ridiculous; trifling
minion
servile dependent; obsequious follower
bacchanalian
drunken
curb
chain or strap used with a bit to restrain a horse; something that checks; V: check; restrain
bump
hit or knock against with force; N.
odium
detestation; quality of being odious; hatefulness; disrepute (resulting from hateful conduct)
feud
bitter prolonged quarrel (usually between two peoples or families); V. CF. Romeo and Juliet; CF. feudal, feudalism
recess
pause; temporary cessation; alcove; secret inner place; Ex. parliament in recess; V. CF. recessive
deprecate
express disapproval of; deplore; protest against; belittle; ADJ. deprecatory
resonant
(of a sound) echoing; resounding(sounding loudly); deep and full in sound; producing resonance; Ex. resonant voice; N. resonance
douse
plunge into water or liquid; dip; immerse; drench; wet throughly; extinguish; throw water over; dowse
demur
object (because of doubts, scruples); raise an objection (showing qualms); hesitate; Ex. demur at the idea of working on Sunday
diorama
life-size, three-dimensional scene from nature or history; three-dimensional scene with modeled figures against a painted background
hew
cut to pieces with ax or sword; chop; N.
creed
system of religious or ethical belief
touchstone
stone used to test the fineness of gold alloys; criterion; standard
vivacious
lively or animated; sprightly
bawdy
indecent; obscene; about sex in a rude funny way; CF. bawd
provender
dry food for livestock; fodder
immune
resistant to; free or exempt from; N. immunity
nominal
in name only; of a name; trifling; (of a sum of money) very small; CF. nominate: propose as a candidate; appoint
maleficient
doing evil; N. maleficience
delta
flat plain of mud or sand between branches of a river
pending
not yet decided or settled; impending; Ex. pending decision; PREP. while awaiting; until; Ex. delay the decision pending his return
gingerly
very carefully; ADJ.
fusion
union; coalition; V. fuse
decelerate
slow down
sibylline
prophetic; oracular; N. sibyl: woman prophet (in the ancient world)
parody
humorous imitation; spoof; takeoff; travesty; V.
blasphemy
irreverence; sacrilege; cursing; bad language about God or holy things; V. blasphem; ADJ. blasphemous; CF. sacrilege
disarray
state of disorder; a disorderly or untidy state; Ex. with her clothes in disarray
inflated
exaggerated; pompous; enlarged (with air or gas)
cadaverous
like a corpse; pale
sledge
large sled drawn by work animals
fathom
comprehend; investigate; determine the depth of; N. unit of measurement for the depth of water
incredulous
withholding belief; skeptical; showing disbelief
hortatory
encouraging; exhortive; marked by exhortation; CF. exhort
dote
be excessively fond of; show signs of mental decline
brooch
ornamental clasp; pin
smug
self-satisfied; complacent
sluggish
lazy; slow; inactive; lethargic; CF. slug: nail with no shell
gibe
mock; make jeering remarks; N: jeering remarks
errant
wandering (esp. in search of adventure); straying from proper moral standards; Ex. knight-errant
precipice
cliff; dangerous position; Ex. on the edge of the precipice
reconnaissance
survey of enemy by soldiers; reconnoitering; V. reconnoiter: make a preliminary inspection of (esp. to gather military information)
aquiline
curved; hooked; of or like an eagle; Ex. aquiline nose
acrimonious
stinging; caustic; bitter in words or manner; N. acrimony: bitter ill-natured animosity in speech or behavior
disconsolate
hopelessly sad (at the loss of something)
agrarian
pertaining to land or its cultivation; Ex. agrarian reform
functionary
official (who performs a particular function)
renegade
deserter; traitor; ADJ.
desperado
reckless, desperate outlaw
corpuscle
red or white cell in the blood
forsake
desert; abandon; renounce
deride
ridicule; treat with contempt; make fun of; OP. respect
phoenix
symbol of immortality or rebirth; Ex. phoenix rising from its ashes
callus
area of thick hard skin
nether
lower; Ex. nether garments/regions
embrace
hug; clasp with the arms; adopt or espouse; accept readily; encircle; include; Ex. embrace the cause/socialism; Ex. all-embracing; CF. brace; CF. bracelet
countenance
approve; support; tolerate; Ex. countenance his rude behavior; N: face; appearance
piquant
pleasantly tart-tasting; spicy; pleasantly stimulating; Ex. piquant situation when my old enemy asked for my help
