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GRE > GRE20 > Flashcards

GRE20 Flashcards

1
Q

hydrophobia

A

fear of water; rabies

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2
Q

refrain

A

abstain from; resist; forbear; N: chorus

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3
Q

viable

A

capable of maintaining life; feasible; practical or workable; Ex. viable scheme

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4
Q

peroration

A

conclusion of an oration; perorating; V. perorate: conclude a speech; speak at great length

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5
Q

knell

A

tolling of a bell especially to indicate a funeral, disaster, etc.; sound of the funeral bell; V.

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6
Q

resourceful

A

clever and imaginative (in dealing with difficult situations); N. resource, resourcefulness

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7
Q

ravage

A

devastate; plunder; despoil; Ex. crops ravaged by storms

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8
Q

chaffing

A

bantering; joking

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9
Q

stun

A

make unconscious or numb as by a blow; amaze; astound

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10
Q

euphemism

A

mild expression in place of an unpleasant one; ADJ. euphemistic

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11
Q

foreshadow

A

give an indication beforehand; be a sign of (what is coming); portend; prefigure

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12
Q

austere

A

forbiddingly stern; ascetic; without comfort or enjoyment; severely simple and unornamented; Ex. a monk’s austere life; Ex. austere grandeur of the cathedral; N. austerity

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13
Q

dispassionate

A

calm; impartial; not influenced by personal feelings

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14
Q

aerie

A

nest of a large bird of prey

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15
Q

adage

A

wise saying; proverb

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16
Q

distinction

A

honor; excellence; difference; contrast; discrimination; Ex. graduated with distinction; Ex. a writer of real distinction

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17
Q

callous

A

hardened; unfeeling; without sympathy for the sufferings of others; unkind

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18
Q

oracular

A

of an oracle; prophetic; uttered as if with divine authority; mysterious or ambiguous; hard to understand; N. oracle: wiser person; prophecy made by an oracle

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19
Q

equine

A

resembling a horse; Ex. equine face

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20
Q

ward

A

administrative division of a city; division in a hospital or prison; incompetent person placed under the protection of a guardian; V: guard; ward off: avert

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21
Q

plaudit

A

praise; enthusiastic approval; round(succession or series) of applause; ADJ. plauditory; CF. applaud

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22
Q

outrage

A

act of extreme violence or viciousness; resentful anger; V: commit an outrage on; produce anger in; ADJ. outrageous: offensive

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23
Q

bohemian

A

unconventional (in an artistic way)

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24
Q

encipher

A

encode; convert a message into code; put into cipher

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25
Q

inebriated

A

habitually intoxicated; drunk; N. inebriety

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26
Q

probity

A

uprightness; honesty; incorruptibility

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27
Q

talisman

A

charm; object believed to give supernatural powers to or protect its bearer

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28
Q

effective

A

effectual; producing a strong response; striking; in operation; in effect; Ex. effective speech/photograph

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29
Q

score

A

number of points; written form of a musical composition; reason; group of 20; notch or incision; Ex. full/vocal score; Ex. Don’t worry on that score; V: mark with lines or notches; Ex. score the paper to make it easy to fold

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30
Q

iconoclastic

A

attacking cherished traditions; N. iconoclast: one who attacks traditional ideas; one who destroys sacred images

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31
Q

incisive

A

(appreciatively) cutting; sharp; Ex. incisive remarks; V. incise: make a cut into

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32
Q

quiescent

A

dormant; temporarily inactive; at rest; N. quiescence

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33
Q

detraction

A

slandering; aspersion; detracting; CF. detractor

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34
Q

hap

A

chance; luck

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35
Q

churlish

A

boorish; rude; N. churl: boor; yahoo

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36
Q

inert

A

inactive; lacking power to move; unable to move or act; Ex. chemically inert; N. inertia: state of being inert; force which keeps a thing in the position or state

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37
Q

rent

A

tear made by rending; rip; split

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38
Q

penitent

A

repentant; N.

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39
Q

progenitor

A

ancestor

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40
Q

arraign

A

charge in court; indict

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41
Q

aegis

A

shield; protection; defense

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42
Q

contentious

A

quarrelsome; controversial; likely to cause arguments

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43
Q

engaging

A

charming; attractive

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44
Q

ooze

A

(of a thick liquid) pass or flow slowly; N: mud or thick liquid as at the bottom of a river

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45
Q

doctrine

A

teachings in general; particular principle (religious, legal, etc.) taught; dogma; tenet; ADJ. doctrinal

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46
Q

celestial

A

heavenly

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47
Q

thrash

A

beat with a whip or flail; defeat utterly; talk about thoroughly in order to find the answer; move wildly or violently; Ex. The fishes thrashed about in the net.

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48
Q

brave

A

face courageously; Ex. brave the storm

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49
Q

goad

A

urge on; drive with a goad; cause (someone) to do something by continued annoyance; Ex. They goaded him into doing it by saying he was a coward; N: sharp-pointed stick for driving cattle; stimulus; CF. annoy continually

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50
Q

apostate

A

one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs; N. apostasy

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51
Q

hallucination

A

delusion; false idea; false perception of objects with a compelling sense of their reality; objects so perceived; V. hallucinate; ADJ. hallucinatory

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52
Q

psychosis

A

mental disorder; ADJ. N. psychotic

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53
Q

prudent

A

cautious; careful; prudential

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54
Q

desecrate

A

profane; violate the sanctity of

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55
Q

jingoist

A

extremely aggressive and militant patriot; warlike chauvinist; N. jingoism: extreme nationalism

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56
Q

crest

A

top (as of a hill or wave); showy feathers on the head of a bird

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57
Q

uninhibited

A

unrepressed; free in behavior and feelings

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58
Q

veer

A

change in direction; swerve

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59
Q

magniloquent

A

boastful; pompous

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60
Q

convoke

A

call together; Ex. convoke Parliament; N. convocation

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61
Q

retrieve

A

recover; put right; find and bring in; regain; Ex. retrieve the situation

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62
Q

garnish

A

decorate; add a garnish to; decorate (food or drink) with small items such as lemon slices; N.

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63
Q

significant

A

expressing a meaning; important; Ex. significant smile; N. significance: importance; meaning; V. signify: denote; mean; signal; make known; matter; be significant

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64
Q

genealogy

A

record of descent; lineage; ancestry; study of ancestry

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65
Q

allocate

A

assign; set apart for a particular purpose

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66
Q

equipoise

A

balance; balancing force; equilibrium

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67
Q

sherbet

A

flavored dessert ice

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68
Q

abeyance

A

suspended action

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69
Q

grandiloquent

A

(of a person or speech) using high sounding or important-sounding language; pompous; bombastic

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70
Q

geriatrics

A

medical treatment and care of old age

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71
Q

aspire

A

seek to attain (position or status); long for; Ex. aspire to become president; Ex. aspire to/after the leadership

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72
Q

climactic

A

relating to the highest point; N. climax; CF. climatic

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73
Q

polar

A

of a pole; characterized by opposite extremes; Ex. polar opposites

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74
Q

glitter

A

shine brightly with flashing points of light; Ex. glittering diamond ring; N: sparkling light; attractiveness; glamor; Ex. glitter of the sun on the waves

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75
Q

clime

A

climate

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76
Q

sardonic

A

scornfully mocking; disdainful; sarcastic; cynical; Ex. sardonic smile

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77
Q

embody

A

give a bodily form to; incorporate; include

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78
Q

prolixity

A

tedious wordiness; verbosity; ADJ. prolix: wordy; verbose; diffuse

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79
Q

spontaneity

A

lack of premeditation; naturalness; freedom from constraint; ADJ. spontaneous: self-generated; unpremeditated; happening without being planned

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80
Q

conformity

A

harmony; agreement with established rules or customs; similarity; Ex. behave in conformity with; V. conform: be similar; act in agreement; comply; Ex. conform to the rule; CF. conformance

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81
Q

gamely

A

in a spirited manner; with courage; Ex. fight gamely against a superior boxer; ADJ. game

82
Q

rail

A

complain bitterly; scold; rant; Ex. the weaker railing against injustices

83
Q

seasoned

A

experienced

84
Q

bedizen

A

dress with vulgar finery

85
Q

monograph

A

scholarly article

86
Q

perquisite(perk)

A

any gain above stipulated salary; Ex. perquisites such as free meals and a car

87
Q

palimpsest

A

parchment or piece of writing material used for second time after original writing has been erased

88
Q

responsiveness

A

state of reacting readily to appeals, orders, etc.; ADJ. responsive: readily reacting; Ex. responsive to treatment

89
Q

leaven

A

add leaven to; cause to rise or grow lighter; enliven; N: agent, such as yeast, that causes dough to rise (by fermentation); element that lightens or enlivens

90
Q

vogue

A

popular fashion; Ex. Jeans became the vogue.

91
Q

putrescent

A

becoming putrid; putrefying

92
Q

paucity

A

scarcity; dearth

93
Q

notch

A

V-shaped cut in a surface; V.

94
Q

parlance

A

language; manner of speaking; idiom; Ex. in legal/common parlance

95
Q

foppish

A

vain about dress and appearance; N. fop: man who takes too much interest in his clothes and appearance

96
Q

millennium

A

thousand-year period (as in the New Testament); hoped-for period of happiness and prosperity

97
Q

arable

A

fit for growing crops; Ex. arable land

98
Q

contend

A

struggle; compete; assert earnestly; state strongly

99
Q

blush

A

become red in the face (from embarrassment or shame); become red or rosy; N.

100
Q

aphasia

A

loss of speech due to injury or illness

101
Q

reserve

A

self-control; self-restraint; formal but distant manner; reticence; Ex. without reserve: freely and openly; ADJ. reserved: shy and uncommunicative

102
Q

boon

A

blessing; benefit; something very helpful

103
Q

doddering

A

shaky; infirm from old age; V. dodder

104
Q

muted

A

silent; muffled; toned down; Ex. muted traffic noise

105
Q

jaundice

A

medical condition in which the skin, the white part of the eyes, etc. turn yellow; V: affect with jaundice; affect with prejudice, envy, or hostility; bias

106
Q

idiosyncrasy

A

individual trait usually odd in nature; behavioral peculiarity; eccentricity; attitude, behavior, or opinion peculiar to a person; anything highly individual or eccentric; ADJ. idiosyncratic

107
Q

disembark

A

debark; go ashore (from a ship); unload cargo from a ship; CF. embark

108
Q

disputatious

A

argumentative; fond of argument

109
Q

wan

A

having a pale or sickly color; pallid

110
Q

extrapolation

A

projection; conjecture; V. extrapolate: infer (unknown information) from known information

111
Q

solace

A

comfort in sorrow or trouble; consolation; V: comfort or console in time of sorrow or trouble

112
Q

pinch

A

squeeze between the thumb and a finger, or other edges; Ex. I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. N: amount that can be held between the thumb and a finger

113
Q

impenetrable

A

not able to be pierced or entered; beyond understanding; impossible to understand; Ex. impenetrable mystery

114
Q

smother

A

kill from lack of air; suppress; cover thickly; Ex. smothered in little stickers

115
Q

querulous

A

given to complaining; complaining; fretful; whining

116
Q

nonentity

A

person of no importance; nonexistence

117
Q

heterodox

A

(of beliefs) against accepted opinion; unorthodox; unconventional

118
Q

propinquity

A

nearness (in space or relationship); proximity; kinship

119
Q

salient

A

prominent; projecting beyond a line; conspicuous; Ex. salient features

120
Q

biennial

A

every two years

121
Q

convene

A

come together; assemble; call to meet; Ex. convene the council

122
Q

resplendent

A

brilliant; splendid in appearance; dazzling; glorious

123
Q

dynamic

A

energetic; vigorously active

124
Q

incorrigible

A

uncorrectable

125
Q

monotheism

A

belief in one God

126
Q

tenacity

A

firmness; persistence

127
Q

bucolic

A

rustic; pastoral

128
Q

lap

A

take in food or drink with one’s tongue; splash gently; Ex. waves lapping the shore; N: front area from the waist to the knees of a seated person

129
Q

grunt

A

utter a deep guttural sound (as a pig does); N.

130
Q

molten

A

melted; Ex. molten lava

131
Q

legerdemain

A

sleight(dexterity) of hand; CF. light of hand

132
Q

irremediable

A

incurable; uncorrectable; impossible to remedy

133
Q

addiction

A

compulsive habitual need

134
Q

jurisdiction

A

right and power to apply the law; authority

135
Q

drone

A

idle person who lives on other people’s work; male bee

136
Q

belated

137
Q

wallow

A

roll in mud; indulge in; (of a ship) roll in a rough sea; become helpless; Ex. wallow in the mud/luxury

138
Q

parvenu

A

upstart; newly rich person

139
Q

trite

A

hackneyed; commonplace

140
Q

woeful

A

sad; (of something bad) deplorable; deplorably bad; Ex. woeful housing conditions

141
Q

disparity

A

difference; condition of inequality; OP. parity

142
Q

devoid

A

empty; lacking

143
Q

satirical

A

using satire; mocking

144
Q

impasse

A

predicament(dangerous condition) from which there is no escape; situation allowing for no further progress

145
Q

leniency

A

mildness; permissiveness; ADJ. lenient: not severe in judgment or punishment

146
Q

sibling

A

brother or sister

147
Q

precipitous

A

steep; overhasty; precipitate

148
Q

succor

A

assist (someone in difficulty); aid; comfort; N.

149
Q

disheveled

A

untidy (of hair or clothing); V. dishevel

150
Q

rou'e

A

lecherous man

151
Q

bereaved

A

deprived of (someone beloved through death)

152
Q

Epicurean

A

believing that pleasure is good and suffering is bad and should be avoided; N.

153
Q

analogous

A

comparable; similar

154
Q

curtail

A

shorten; reduce

155
Q

nectar

A

drink of the gods; sweet liquid collected by bees

156
Q

tenacious

A

holding fast (as to a belief); persistent

157
Q

dissident

A

dissenting (with an opinion, a group, or a government); rebellious; N.

158
Q

enclave

A

territory enclosed within an alien land

159
Q

killjoy

A

grouch; spoilsport; one who intentionally spoils the pleasure of others

160
Q

grievance

A

cause of complaint; complaint

161
Q

soluble

A

able to be dissolved in a liquid; able to be worked out or solved

162
Q

prosperity

A

good fortune and financial success; physical well-being

163
Q

replete

A

fully filled; filled to the brim or to the point of being stuffed; abundantly supplied; Ex. report replete with errors

164
Q

larder

A

pantry; place where food is kept

165
Q

enigma

A

puzzle; mystery; ADJ. enigmatic: obscure; puzzling

166
Q

preponderance

A

superiority of power, quantity, etc.; V. preponderate: be greater in power, weight, or importance; ADJ. preponderant

167
Q

dogged

A

determined; stubborn; stubbornly persevering; tenacious; Ex. Inspector Javert’s dogged pursuit of Jean Valjean

168
Q

meretricious

A

flashy; tawdry; attractive on the surface but of no real value; Ex. metericious argument/jewel; CF. prostitute

169
Q

assumption

A

something taken for granted; the taking over or taking possession of; Ex. her assumption of power; V. assume

170
Q

resign

A

give up (a position, right, or claim); submit (oneself) passively

171
Q

abusive

A

coarsely insulting; physically harmful

172
Q

postulate

A

self-evident truth; something assumed without proof; V: assume the truth of (as a basis of an argument)

173
Q

concomitant

A

that which accompanies; Ex. Deafnes is a frequent concommitant of old age; ADJ: existing or happening together with something else

174
Q

bulk

A

size or volume (esp. when very large); main part; Ex. The bulk of the work has already been done; ADJ. bulky: having great size

175
Q

devout

A

pious; deeply religious; sincere; earnest; Ex. my devout hope

176
Q

gape

A

open widely; slack-jawed in wonder ; open the mouth wide; stare wonderingly with the mouth open; CF. agape

177
Q

podiatrist

A

doctor who treats ailments of the feet; chiropodist; N. podiatrics

178
Q

cohere

A

stick together

179
Q

render

A

give; deliver; provide; represent in verbal or artistic form; depict; perform; make; translate; Ex. render the song beautifully

180
Q

sate

A

satisfy to the full; satisfy to excess; cloy

181
Q

moribund

A

dying; at the point of death; CF. death

182
Q

arbitrate

A

act as judge (at the request of both sides)

183
Q

assimilate

A

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)

184
Q

seemly

A

(of behavior) proper; appropriate

185
Q

indignity

A

treatment or situation that causes shame or loss of dignity, respect; offensive or insulting treatment; humiliating or degrading treatment; Ex. I suffered the indignity of having to say that in front of them.

186
Q

cameo

A

shell or jewel carved in relief; star’s special appearance in a minor role in a film

187
Q

vagary

A

capricious happening; caprice; whim; CF. wander

188
Q

mollycoddle

A

pamper; coddle; baby; indulge excessively

189
Q

swathe

A

swath; wrap around; bandage; Ex. one’s head swathed in bandages

190
Q

ostentatious

A

showy; trying to attract attention; pretentious; N. ostentation: showy display

191
Q

retract

A

withdraw; take back; draw back; Ex. retract a statement/an offer/claws; N. retraction; CF. retractile

192
Q

domineer

A

rule over tyrannically

193
Q

fictitious

A

imaginary; non-existent; purposely invented to deceive; untrue; Ex. fictitious name/boyfriend; CF. fictional

194
Q

tendentious

A

promoting a particular point of view; biased; having an aim; designed to further a cause; Ex. tendentious rather than truth-seeking; CF. tend: move in a certain direction

195
Q

harrowing

A

agonizing; distressing; traumatic; V. harrow: break up and level (soil) with a harrow; inflict great distress on; agonize; N: farming machine to break up the earth

196
Q

pummel

A

pommel; beat or pound with fists

197
Q

chasm

A

abyss; very deep crack

198
Q

pulchritude

A

beauty; comeliness; ADJ. pulchritudinous

199
Q

grovel

A

crawl or creep on ground; remain prostrate; behave in a servile manner

200
Q

fashion

A

give shape to; make; Ex. fashion the pot out of clay

GRE (27 decks)

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