GRE23 Flashcards
repel
drive away; disgust; Ex. repel the attack/moisture; Ex. repelled by the dirty room; CF. repulsion
flicker
burn unsteadily or fitfully; move waveringly; N: flickering movement or light; brief sensation; Ex. flicker of excitement
compilation
listing of information in tabular or book form; compiling
propulsive
driving forward; N. propulsion
allegory
story, play, or picture in which characters are used as symbols; fable
passive
not active; acted upon; receiving an action without acting in return; accepting without resistance
slap
hit quickly with the flat part of the hand; N. CF. smack
forward
presumptuous or bold
legend
explanatory list of symbols on a map
remnant
remainder
taper
very thin candle; gradual decrease in the width of a long object; V. make or become gradually narrower toward one end
capacity
mental or physical ability; role; position or duty; ability to accommodate; Ex. in my capacity as president
well-bred
of good upbringing; well-mannered and refined
incline
slope; slant; Ex. steep incline
preen
make oneself tidy in appearance; feel self-satisfaction or pride; (of a bird) smooth or clean (feathers) with the beak; Ex. preen oneself on; CF. prune
bacchanal
noisy party with a lot of drinking
vintner
wine merchant; winemaker; seller of wine
feign
pretend
craven
cowardly
exhort
urge (by strong argument or advice); Ex. The general exhorted his men to fight bravely; N. exhortation
ratiocination
reasoning; act of drawing conclusions from premises; V. ratiocinate: reason logically
anomalous
abnormal; irregular
execrable
very bad; detestable
accessible
easy to approach; obtainable
equivocate
use equivocal language to deceive people; lie; mislead; attempt to conceal the truth; N. equivocation
atrocity
brutal deed; ADJ. atrocious
flick
light stroke as with a whip; V: move with a light quick blow; strike with a light quick blow (as from a whip); Ex. flick the switch
enliven
make lively or spirited; animate
aureole
sun’s corona; halo; bright circle of light
consort
associate with; keep company; N: husband or wife (or a ruler)
disbar
make (a lawyer) leave the bar or the legal profession
fructify
bear fruit; produce fruit
commensurate
equal in extent; of the same size
compatible
harmonious; in harmony with; able to exist together
fluke
unlikely occurrence; stroke of fortune; accidental stroke of good luck; ADJ. fluky
forthright
straightforward; direct; frank
ordain
decree or command; grant holy orders; predestine; install as a minister, priest, or rabbi; N. ordainment; CF. ordination
gall
annoy; exasperate; chafe; N: skin sore caused by rubbing (as on the skin of a horse); exasperation
discompose
disturb the composure of; confuse
peremptory
demanding and leaving no choice; imperative; Ex. peremptory decree/knock
embroil
throw into confusion; involve in strife, dispute, or quarrel; entangle; CF. imbroglio
loiter
hang about/around; stand idly about; linger
vision
eyesight; foresight; mental image produced by the imagination; experience of seeing the supernatural
beatific
giving or showing bliss; blissful
miscellaneous
made up of a variety of parts
sullen
silently showing ill humor or resentment; dark; gloomy
fleece
wool coat of a sheep; V: shear the fleece from; rob by a trick; swindle; plunder
capillary
having a very fine bore; resembling a hair; fine and slender; Ex. capillary attraction; N: very fine hairlike tube; CF. capillarity
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
clandestine
secret
falter
hesitate; weaken in purpose or action; walk or move unsteadily through weakness; N.
gourmand
epicure; person who takes excessive pleasure in food and drink
despise
look on with scorn; regard as worthless or distasteful; ADJ. despicable: contemptible
abbreviate
shorten
piscatorial
pertaining to fishing; CF. Pisces
speck
small piece or mark; Ex. speck of dust in the eye
prostrate
stretch out full on ground; make prostrate; enervate; Ex. prostrating illness; ADJ: lying face down; having lost all strength
laborious
demanding much work or care; tedious
coquette
flirt; flirtatious woman; woman who tries to attract the admiration of men without sincere feelings; V.
materialism
preoccupation with physical comforts and things; excessive regard for worldly concerns (rather than spiritual matters)
frugality
thrift; economy; ADJ. frugal: practicing economy; costing little; inexpensive
astral
relating to the stars
mercantile
concerning trade or merchants
cogent
convincing
utopia
ideal place, state, or society; ADJ. utopian
chapel
small church (in a prison, college, or hospital)
whiff
puff or gust (of air, scent, etc.); short-lasting smell; hint; Ex. whiff of perfume/scandal
pusillanimous
cowardly; lacking courage; fainthearted
paradigm
model; example that serves as a model; pattern; list of all the inflectional forms of a word
posterity
descendants; future generations; Ex. go down to posterity; CF. posterior, anterior
admonish
warn or speak to with gentle disapproval; reprove
credential
evidence concerning one’s authority; written proof of a person’s position; Ex. The new ambassador presented his credentials to the court.
epaulet(epaulette)
ornament worn on the shoulder (of a uniform, etc.)
detrimental
harmful; damaging; N. detriment
pervasive
spread throughout; V. pervade: (of smells, ideas, feelings) spread throughout; charge; permeate
encomiastic
praising; eulogistic; N. encomium: very high praise; eulogy
smudge
dirty mark with unclear edges made by rubbing; V.
pretext
excuse
breach
breaking of contract or duty; fissure or gap; opening; V.
laggard
slow; sluggish; N: one who lags; straggler
elicit
draw out fact or information (by discussion or from someone)
nondescript
undistinctive; ordinary; ordinary-looking; Ex. nondescript fellow in a crowd
pied
piebald; variegated(many-colored); multicolored
disdain
treat with scorn or contempt
matriculate
enroll (in college or graduate school); CF. matrix
ambience
environment; atmosphere; Ex. restraurant with a pleasant ambience; ADJ. ambient: completely surrounding; Ex. ambient temperature
fraudulent
cheating; deceitful; Ex. fraudulent means; N. fraud: deception; swindle
obituary
death notice (esp. in a newspaper); ADJ.
provocative
arousing anger or sexual interest; annoying; Ex. provocative in tight jeans; V. provoke: incite to anger; cause (an unpleasant action or feeling); N. provocation
amend
correct; change ; generally for the better
habituate
accustom or familiarize; addict
predispose
give an inclination toward (in advance); make susceptible to; Ex. predispose people to certain cancer; N. predisposition
acknowledge
recognize; admit
erratic
odd; irregular in movement or behavior; unpredictable
refectory
dining hall; room where meals are served (in a school)
insinuate
hint; imply; suggest indirectly; creep in; introduce or insert (oneself) by artful means; Ex. insinuate himself into the boss’s favor; CF. ingratiate
mite
very small object or insect-like creature; small coin
centurion
Roman army officer (commanding a company of about 100 soldiers)
metallurgical
pertaining to the art of removing metals from ores; N. metallurgy: science that deals with extracting metals from ores
catholic
(of likings and interests) universal; general; broad; including many different parts; wide-ranging liberal; Ex. catholic opinions/tastes
refraction
bending of a ray of light
expropriate
take possession of (often for public use and without payment)
bristling
rising like bristles; showing irritation
elixir
cure-all; panacea; something invigorating
harbor
give protection (by giving food and shelter); provide a refuge for; hide; keep in mind (thoughts or feelings); Ex. harbor a grudge/criminal; N: place of shelter; refuge
decry
express strong disapproval of; condemn openly (something dangerous to the public); disparage; Ex. decry the violence of modern films
voluble
fluent; talkative; glib; N. volubility
bequeath
leave to someone by means of a will; hand down in his will; N. bequest
vulgar
of the common people; deficient in refinement; not refined; coarse; Ex. vulgar display of wealth; N. vulgarism: vulgarity; crudely indecent word; CF. vulgarian: vulgar person; boor; lout
enormity
hugeness (in a bad sense); excessive wickedness; Ex. enormity of the crime; ADJ. enormous
fritter
waste (time or money on unimportant things)
enrapture
please intensely; fill with rapture and delight
gnarl
protruding knot on a tree; V.
bemoan
lament; moan for; express sorrow or disapproval of
forensic
suitable to debate or courts of law; of or used in legal proceedings and the tracking of criminals; Ex. forensic science/medicine
polemic
attack or defense of an opinion; controversy or refutation; argument in support of point of view; N. polemics: art of debate or controversy
pinion
restrain or immobilize by binding the wings or legs; N: bird’s wing
syllogism
logical formula consisting of a major premise, a minor premise and a conclusion; deceptive or specious argument
hindrance
block; obstacle; V. hinder
arid
(of land) dry; barren; unproductive
mottled
blotched in coloring; spotted; Ex. mottled face; V. mottle: mark with blotches of different colors
demeanor
behavior; bearing
perforate
pierce; put a hole through
exorcise
drive out evil spirits
halting
hesitant; faltering; not fluent; Ex. halting steps/voice; V. halt: proceed or act with uncertainty; falter; hesitate; waver; stop
reprise
musical repetition; repeating of a piece of music; repeat performance; recurrent action; Ex. reprise in the finale; Ex. constant reprises
mediocre
ordinary; commonplace; neither good nor bad
browbeat
bully; intimidate
plagiarize
steal another’s ideas or writings and pass them off as one’s own; Ex. ideas plagiarized from my article; N. plagiarism; CF. kidnap
unfetter
liberate; free from chains; V. unfetter
somber
dark; gloomy; melancholy; depressing; CF. shadow
quarry
dig into (to get stone); N: mine; ä¼®Àå
surfeit
satiate; feed or supply to excess; stuff; indulge to excess in anything; N: surfeiting; excessive amount; Ex. surfeit of food
frolic
play and jump about happily; frisk; Ex. frolicking young lambs
condone
overlook; forgive; give tacit approval; excuse
severity
harshness; intensity; sternness; austerity; ADJ. severe: harsh; strict; extremely violent or intense
suffuse
spread through or over (with a color or liquid); charge; Ex. A blush suffused her cheeks.
historical
connected with history; based on events in history (whether regarded as important or not)
incandescent
strikingly bright; shining with intense heat; emitting visible light when heated; Ex. incandescent light bulb; CF. candle
stipend
pay for services
unwarranted
unjustified; having no justification; groundless; baseless; undeserved
recline
lie down
solitude
state of being alone; seclusion; ADJ. solitary: existing or living alone (esp. by choice); remote or secluded; single; sole; Ex. solitary life/inn; Ex. no solitary piece of proof
dutiful(duteous)
(of people or their behavior) respectful; obedient (filled with a sense of duty)
facade(fa\c{c}ade)
front or face (of building); superficial or false appearance
coeval
living at the same time as; existing during the same period of time; contemporary; of the same age
craft
skill (esp. with one’s hands); skill in deceiving people; guile; ADJ. crafty: cleverly deceitful; cunning
frisk
move about playfully; froric; ADJ. frisky: playful
disgruntle
make discontented
nuance
shade of slight difference in meaning or color; subtle distinction
luxuriate
take pleasure in great comfort
imbue
saturate(soak thoroughly); fill; Ex. imbue someone with feelings
cornucopia
horn (or horn-shaped container) overflowing with fruit and grain; symbol of abundance; horn of plenty
mortar
vessel in which substances are crushed with a pestle
context
writings preceding and following the passage quoted; circumstance in which an event occurs
jabber
chatter rapidly or unintelligibly
dilemma
situation that requires a choice between equally unfavorable options; problem; choice of two unsatisfactory alternatives
filch
steal (things of small value)
contiguous
adjacent to; touching upon
anvil
iron block used in hammering out metals
guffaw
boisterous laughter; V.
extricate
free from an entanglement or difficulty; disentangle
nexus
connection
cascade
small waterfall
apiary
a place where bees are kept
problematic
causing a problem; open to doubt; doubtful; unsettled; questionable; Ex. Whether the arena will ever be completed is problematic.
firebrand
piece of burning wood; hothead; troublemaker; person who stirs up trouble
impetus
moving force; momentum; force of a moving body; incentive; stimulus; impulse
galvanize
stimulate or shock by an electric current; stimulate by shock; shock into action; stir up; coat with rust-resistant zinc by using electricity
rant
speak violently or excitedly; rave; talk excitedly showing anger; scold; make a grandiloquent speech; Ex. The priest ranted about the devil.
hazardous
dangerous
congeal
freeze; coagulate
draw
choosing of a lot or card
obese
excessively fat; N. obesity
tremulous
trembling; wavering
monotony
sameness leading to boredom; monotonousness; ADJ. monotonous; CF. monotone
relent
become less severe; give in(surrender); ADJ. relentless: unyielding; continuously severe
epic
long heroic poem, novel, or similar work of art (celebrating the feats of a hero); ADJ: (of stories or events) resembling an epic; grand
arcade
a covered passageway usually lined with shops
sedition
conduct or language inciting rebellion; rebellion; resistance to authority; insubordination; ADJ. seditious
inception
start; beginning
conciliatory
reconciling; soothing; V. conciliate: reconcile; soothe; win the friendly feelings (by removing anger)
invert
turn upside down or inside out; reverse the position or condition of
carapace
shell covering the back (of a turtle, tortoise, crab, etc.)
abnegation
renunciation; self-sacrifice; self-abnegation
wastrel
waster; profligate
culinary
relating to cooking or kitchen
actuate
motivate; activate; cause to act
flip
send (something) spinning, often into the air, by striking with a light quick blow; turn over; Ex. flip over
rancor
long-lasting hatred; bitterness; Ex. negotiation without rancor; ADJ. rancorous
discrepancy
lack of consistency or agreement as between facts; difference; Ex. discrepancy between two descriptions
pantomime
acting without dialogue; V.
genuflect
bend the knee as in worship
burlesque
give an imitation that ridicules; imitate mockingly
libel
defamatory written statement; act of writing something that smears a person’s character; V. ADJ. libelous
nuptial
of marriage or the wedding ceremony; N; nuptials; wedding ceremony
egoism
excessive interest in one’s self; belief that one should be interested in one’s self rather than in others; selfishness; ADJ. egoistic, egoistical
protocol
diplomatic etiquette; ceremony and etiquette observed by diplomats; first copy of a treaty before its ratification; Ex. Protocol demands that the queen meet him at the airport.
dysentery
inflammatory disorder of the lower intestinal tract
aspersion
slanderous remark; Ex. cast aspersions on
