GRE10 From1792-1991 Flashcards
gloat
express evil satisfaction; look at or think about with evil satisfaction; view malevolently; Ex. The thief gloated over the stolen jewels.
murmur
low, indistinct, continuous sound; V. CF. mumble
tortuous
winding; full of curves; Ex. tortuous mountain road
rhetoric
art of effective communication; art of using language effectively and persuasively; style of speaking or writing; grandiloquent language; Ex. political rhetoric; ADJ. rhetorical; CF. rhetorical question: question to which no answer is expected as ``Who knows it ?’’
recess
pause; temporary cessation; alcove; secret inner place; Ex. parliament in recess; V. CF. recessive
desecrate
profane; violate the sanctity of
abscond
depart secretly and hide
transitory
transient; impermanent; fleeting; N. transitoriness
itinerary
plan of a trip; record of a trip
sycophant
servile flatterer; bootlicker; yes man; ADJ. sycophantic
aspersion
slanderous remark; Ex. cast aspersions on
frantic
wild; distraught as from fear or worry; Ex. frantic with fear
regime
method of system or government
begrudge
envy; give or allow unwillingly; grudge; Ex. We shouldn’t begrudge him his success.
deft
neat; skillful
feline
of a member of the cat family; N.
incarnate
endowed with flesh; invested with bodily form; personified; Ex. devil incarnate; V: give bodily form to; embody
conclusive
decisive; ending all debate
prehensile
capable of grasping or holding (esp. by wrapping around); Ex. prehensile tails
addiction
compulsive habitual need
gamely
in a spirited manner; with courage; Ex. fight gamely against a superior boxer; ADJ. game
bevy
large group; Ex. a bevy of starlets
lubricate
apply a lubricant to; N. lubricant: substance that reduces friction
gentry
people of standing(rank or position); people of good family or high social position; class of people just below nobility
reverend
deserving reverence; N: priest
odds
chances; probability; disagreement; Ex. The odds are that it will rain. Ex. at odds with
indecisive
marked by indecision; inconclusive; Ex. indecisive battle
precipitant
something that causes a substance in a chemical solution to separate out in solid form; ħÀüÁ¦; OP. solvent
balk
stop short, as if faced with an obstacle, and refuse to continue; foil; stop or get in the way of; frustrate
rebuff
reject bluntly; snub; beat back; Ex. She rebuffed his invitation; N.
sojourn
temporary stay; V: stay for a time
laconic
brief and to the point; using few words; terse
aphasia
loss of speech due to injury or illness
compile
assemble; gather; accumulate; make (a report or a book) from facts and information found in various places; Ex. compile a dictionary
commonplace
ordinary; N: something ordinary or common; trite remark
feign
pretend
vivisection
act of dissecting living animals
apiary
a place where bees are kept
premise
assumption; postulate; proposition upon which an argument is based
faze
disconcert; dismay; embarrass
fatuous
smugly and unconsciously foolish; inane; silly; N. fatuity, fatuousness
vignette
small drawing placed at the beginning or end of a chapter; picture; short literary sketch; short written description of a character or scene
list
tilt (as of a ship); lean over (to one side)
terrestrial
on or relating to the earth
gusto
eager enjoyment; zest; enthusiasm
enfranchise
admit to the rights of citizenship (especially the right to vote); CF. franchise
plethora
excess; overabundance; Ex. a plethora of excuses
abstemious
sparing in eating and drinking; temperate
snub
ignore or behave coldly toward; Ex. I made a suggestion but she snubbed me; N.
incarnation
act of assuming a human body and human nature; one who personifies something; personification; Ex. previous incarnation/reincarnation
predicament
difficult situation; tricky or dangerous situation; dilemma
grouse
complain; fuss; grumble; grouch; N: plump chickenlike game bird
defection
desertion
unfrock
defrock; strip a priest or minister of church authority
disdain
treat with scorn or contempt
husband
use sparingly; conserve; save; Ex. husband one’s energy; CF. house holder
sedition
conduct or language inciting rebellion; rebellion; resistance to authority; insubordination; ADJ. seditious
inane
silly; senseless; Ex. inane remarks; N. inanity
trigger
set off; start
tightwad
miser; excessively frugal person
entree(entr'ee)
entrance; a way in; right to enter; main dish of a meal; Ex. entree into the exclusive circle
promulgate
announce; proclaim a doctrine or law; make known by official publication
mincing
affectedly dainty(delicate); V. mince: cut (esp. meat) into very small pieces; walk with exaggerated primness; walk in an unnatural way, taking little short steps; Ex. The actor minced across the stage; CF. mincemeat; CF. mincer
cower
shrink quivering as from fear; cringe
finale
conclusion; concluding part
supplant
take the place of unfairly; usurp; replace
calculated
deliberately planned; likely
supposititious
assumed; counterfeit; hypothetical
humdrum
dull; monotonous
rejoinder
reply; retort; comeback; V. rejoin: say in reply
acme
peak; pinnacle; highest point
underlying
lying below; fundamental
slap
hit quickly with the flat part of the hand; N. CF. smack
elope
run away secretly with the intention of getting married
tarry
linger; delay in starting or going; dawdle
covert
secret; hidden; implied; OP. overt
intrigue
make secret plans; plot; arouse the curiosity of; N: secret scheme; plot; secret love affair
suffragist
advocate of the extension of voting rights (for women); CF. suffrage
tedium
boredom; weariness; ADJ. tedious
quicksilver
mercury
idiom
expression whose meaning as a whole differs from the meanings of its individual words; distinctive style (of expression); Ex. idiom of the modern popular music; ADJ. idiomatic
breadth
width; extent
guile
deceit; duplicity; wiliness; cunning; Ex. persuade her by guile
speechless
unable for the moment to speak (because of strong feeling); Ex. speechless with anger
pr'ecis
abstract; concise summing up of main points; concise summary of a text
misogynist
hater of woman; CF. misogyny
prevaricate
lie; hide the truth (by equivocating)
smart
intelligent; quick and energetic; fashionable; Ex. smart pace/restaurant; V: cause or feel a sharp pain; N: smarting pain
defame
harm someone’s reputation; malign; speak evil of; slander; N. defamation; ADJ. defamatory
distill
refine (a liquid by evaporating and subsequent condensation); concentrate; separate the most important parts from; Ex. distill fresh water from sea water; CF. brew
arcade
a covered passageway usually lined with shops
fraudulent
cheating; deceitful; Ex. fraudulent means; N. fraud: deception; swindle
careen
lurch; sway from side to side; move with irregular swinging movement; stagger
insatiable
not easily satisfied; unquenchable; Ex. insatiable appetite
avocation
secondary or minor occupation
domineer
rule over tyrannically
onus
burden; responsibility
neophyte
recent convert; new member of a religious group; beginner; CF. plant
wilt
loose freshness; droop
enduring
lasting; surviving; V. endure: bear (pain or suffering) for a long time; remain alive (in spite of difficulties); last; survive
compost
mixture of decaying organic matter used as fertilizer; V: put or make compost
uncouth
boorish; clumsy in speech or behavior; outlandish
underscore
underline; emphasize
madrigal
pastoral song; song for several singers without instruments
circumscribe
limit; confine; draw a line around
exotic
not native; from another part of the world; strange; intriguingly unusual; Ex. exotic flower/dress
thrall
slave; bondage; slavery; Ex. Her beauty held him in thrall; CF. enthrall
stickler
perfectionist; person who insists things be exactly right
gyroscope
apparatus used to maintain balance, ascertain direction, etc.
placate
pacify; bring peace to; conciliate; appease
misgivings
doubts
wrath
anger; fury
interloper
intruder; one who interferes
bequeath
leave to someone by means of a will; hand down in his will; N. bequest
incarcerate
imprison
forfeit
something surrendered as punishment for a crime or breach of contract; V: lose as a forfeit; N. forfeiture
astronomical
enormously large or extensive
dismember
cut into small parts; cut (a body) apart limb from limb
arboretum
place where different trees and shrubs are studied and exhibited
integrity
honesty; uprightness; wholeness; state of being whole and undivided; completeness
assimilate
absorb; take (food) into the body and digest it; understand (knowledge) completely and be able to use properly; cause to become homogeneous (the people of a country or race in the wasy of behaving or thinking)
meter
arrangement of words in the form of poetry (by accentual rhythm)
obloquy
slander; disgrace; infamy
beatitude
blessedness; state of great happiness
grudge
deep feeling of dislike; Ex. grudge fight; V.
agglomeration
collection; heap; V. agglomerate: gather into a rounded mass; N. aggolmeate: jumbled mass; heap
barrage
barrier laid down by artillery fire; overwhelming profusion; large number of questions or statements; Ex. a barrage of criticism
amphitheater
oval building with tiers of seats; CF. arena
refraction
bending of a ray of light
smirk
conceited smile; offensively self-satisfied smile (often at someone else’s misfortune); V.
sway
swing from side to side; influence (someone) to change one’s opinion; N.
disingenuous
not naive; not candid; sophisticated; worldly wise; OP. ingenuous
myriad
very large number; ADJ. CF. ten thousand
conduit
aqueduct; passageway for fluids
importunate
urging; always demanding; troublesomely urgent or persistent
effigy
dummy; likeness of a person made of wood, paper, or stone; Ex. burn an effigy of the President
supple
flexible; limber; pliant
anthropoid
manlike; resembling a human being; N.
amnesty
pardon (allowed by government to political criminals)
wanderlust
strong longing to travel
wage
begin and continue (a war)
gradation
series of gradual stages; degree in such a progression
scuffle
struggle confusedly; move off in a confused hurry; N. CF. scuffling twins ?
swelter
(of a person) suffer from oppressive heat; be oppressed by heat
jeopardize
endanger; imperil; put at risk; N. jeopardy: danger
pellucid
transparent; limpid(crystal clear); clear in meaning; easy to understand
propagate
increase in number by producing young; multiply; spread; Ex. Most plants propagate by seed; Ex. newspaper propagating their ideas
bouillon
clear beef (or meat) soup
docile
obedient; easily managed; submissive
peon
landless agricultural worker; bond servant; menial worker; N. peonage
scrappy
quarrelsome
ascribe
refer; attribute; assign
doldrums
blues; listlessness(lack of spirit or energy); slack(inactive) period; period of stagnation; ocean area near the equator where ships cannot move because there is no wind; Ex. in the doldrums
spoilsport
one who spoils the pleasure of others
incubate
hatch; warm (eggs) with the body to promote hatching; maintain at optimal environment conditions for development; be holding in one’s body an infection which is going to develop into a disease; N. incubation; CF. incubation:disease
barefaced
shameless and noticeable; blatant; bold; unconcealed; having no covering on the face; Ex. barefaced lie
dialectical
relating to the art of debate; mutual or reciprocal; Ex. dialectical situation; N. dialectic: art of arriving at the truth by the exchange of logical arguments
toll
sound (a large bell) slowly at regular intervals; N: sound of a bell; fixed tax or charge
maleficient
doing evil; N. maleficience
perigee
point of moon’s orbit when it is nearest the earth; CF. apogee
temerity
boldness; nerve; rashness; Ex. temerity to ask for a pay increase after only three day’s work
drivel
nonsense; foolishness; V: talk nonsense
compulsory
obligatory; that must be done
solemnity
seriousness; gravity
prologue
introduction (to a poem or play)
quixotic
idealistic but impractical; CF. Don Quixote
peripatetic
walking about from place to place (to work); moving; Ex. peripatetic school of philosophy
ape
imitate or mimic (a person’s behavior or manner)
beneficent
kindly; doing good
pauper
very poor person
vituperative
abusive; scolding; V. vituperate: berate; scold; rail against abusively
insurrection
rebellion; uprising
rancid
having the odor of stale or decomposing fat; rank
compensatory
making up for; repaying
vindictive
disposed to revenge; vengeful; out for revenge; spiteful; intended to cause harm; malicious; Ex. vindictive streak
ineffectual
not effective; not having a desired effect; weak
lineaments
features especially of the face; distinctive shape or contour of the face; CF. line
alcove
nook; recess
fester
rankle; produce irritation or resentment; (of a cut or wound) generate pus or rot; Ex. His insult festered in my mind for days.
facade(fa\c{c}ade)
front or face (of building); superficial or false appearance
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
acquittal
deliverance from a charge; V. acquit: free from a charge or accusation; discharge from a duty; conduct (oneself) in a specified manner
gallows
framework from which a noose is suspended (used for execution by hanging)
magnanimity
generosity; ADJ. magnanimous: generous
depreciate
lessen in value; belittle; represent as of little value
courier
messenger
promontory
headland
overwhelm
(of water) cover completely; defeat completely by much greater force; Ex. overwhelmed by grief
wizened
shriveled; withered; Ex. wizened apple/old lady
cognitive
having to do with knowing or perceiving related to the mental processes; N. cognition: the mental process of knowing
condone
overlook; forgive; give tacit approval; excuse
tirade
long angry denunciatory speech; diatribe; harangue; extended scolding; denunciation
gibe
mock; make jeering remarks; N: jeering remarks
vernal
pertaining to spring
connoisseur
person competent to act as a judge of art, etc. (whose judgments are respected); a lover of an art
progeny
children; offspring; descendants
profusion
great amount; plenty; overabundance; excess; lavish expenditure; Ex. profusion of choices; ADJ. profuse: plentiful; copious; giving or given abundantly; extravagant
cleft
N: split
ravenous
extremely hungry; voracious
surge
powerful movement of or like a wave; V.
