GRE6 Flashcards
EMBARRASS
abash, chagrin, compunction,, contrition, diffidence, expiate, foible, gaucherie, rue.
abash
to destroy the self-confidence, poise, or self-possession of; disconcert; make ashamed or embarrassed EMBARRASS:
He said nothing but looked abashed.
chagrin
a feeling of vexation, marked by disappointment or humiliation EMBARRASS:
To his parents’ chagrin, he had no intention of becoming a lawyer.
compunction
a feeling of uneasiness or anxiety of the conscience caused by regret for doing wrong or causing pain; contrition; remorse, when you feel slightly guilty for something you have done or might do EMBARRASS:
I wouldn’t have any compunction about telling him to leave.
contrition
sincere penitence or remorse EMBARRASS:
a contrite apology/expression.
foible
a weak point, failing, minor flaw EMBARRASS:
Married couples must learn to accept each other’s little foibles.
gaucherie
a socially awkward or tactless act EMBARRASS:
She was wearing cubic zircons with a silk moiré Givenchy ballgown, and he was mortified by the gross gaucherie of which she was unaware.
NAG
admonish, cavil, belabor, enjoin, exhort, harangue, hector, martinet, remonstrate, reproof.
admonish
to urge to a duty; remind NAG:
to admonish them about their obligations.
cavil
to raise irritating and trivial objections; find fault with unnecessarily (usually followed by at or about ) to make unreasonable complaints, especially about things that are not important NAG:
He finds something to cavil at in everything I say.
The one cavil I have about the book is that it is written as a diary.
belabor
to explain, worry about, or work at (something) repeatedly or more than is necessary, to assail persistently NAG:
He kept belaboring the point long after we had agreed.
hector
a blustering, domineering person; a bully NAG:
He had a loud, hectoring manner.
martinet
a strict disciplinarian, authoritarian, bully, despot NAG
PREDICT
augur, auspice, fey, harbinger, portentous, precursor, pressage, prescient, prognosticate
augur
to divine or predict, as from omens; prognosticate, foreshadow PREDICT:
The company’s sales figures for the first six months augur well for the rest of the year.
auspice
Often, auspices. a favorable sign or propitious circumstance, a divination or prognostication, with the protection of PREDICT:
Financial aid is being provided to the country under the auspices of the International Monetary Fund.
fey
mysterious and strange, or trying to appear like this PREDICT:
He dismissed her later poems as fey and frivolous.
harbinger
anything that foreshadows a future event; omen; sign PREDICT:
Frost is a harbinger of winter.
precuror
an indication of the approach of something or someone, forerunner, predecessor PREDICT:
Infection with HIV is a precursor to AIDS.
presage
something that portends or foreshadows a future event; an omen, prognostic, or warning indication PREDICT:
But still the economy is not showing signs of any of the excesses that normally presage a recession.
prescient
knowledge of things or events before they exist or happen; having foresight PREDICT:
The prescient economist was one of the few to see the financial collapse coming.
the prescience of her remarks
prognosticate
to forecast or PREDICT:
LUCK
adventitious, amulet, auspicious, fortuitous, kismet, optimum, portentous,
adventitious
not expected or planned LUCK:
an adventitious event/situation
amulet
an object worn because it is believed to protect against evil, disease or unhappiness LUCK:
auspicious
promising success; propitious; opportune; favorable LUCK:
an auspicious occasion.
fortuitous
lucky, happening by chance PREDICT:
fortunate: a series of fortuitous events that advanced her career.
kismet
fate; destiny LUCK:
It was simply kismet; they were meant to be together.
propitious
presenting favorable conditions; favorable LUCK: propitious weather.
serendipity
good fortune; luck LUCK:
The scientist’s discovery was a real case of serendipity.
talisman
any amulet or charm LUCK:
HARSH-SOOUNDING
cacophony, din, dissonant, raucous, strident,
PLEASANT-SOUNDING
euphonious, harmonious, melodious, sonorous
sonorous
having a deep pleasant sound:
a sonorous voice
abdicate
to give up power, relinquish:
The people of the state do not wish to abdicate their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them.
abject
utterly hopeless, miserable, humiliating, or wretched:
abject poverty.
averse
having a strong feeling of opposition, antipathy, repugnance, ; opposed:
He is not averse to having a drink now and then.
ambidextrous
able to use both hands equally well:
an ambidextrous surgeon.
preamble
an introductory statement; preface:
The Declaration of Independence had a preamble when it was first written.
animadversion
an unfavorable or censorious comment:
to make animadversions on someone’s conduct.
animosity
enmity that tends to display itself in action:
a deep-seated animosity between two sisters; animosity against one’s neighbor.
equanimity
mental or emotional stability or composure, especially under tension or strain; calmness; equilibrium:
Her equanimity during the ominous trial was astonishing to her husband and family.
unanimity
a consensus or undivided opinion, agreed by everyone:
The jury was unanimous in finding him guilty.
The unanimity of the delegates was obvious on the first ballot.
anticlimax
letdown/disappointment in thought or emotion:
After so much preparation, the party was a bit of an anticlimax.
subaqueous
existing or situated under water; underwater
embellish
to beautify by or as if by ornamentation; ornament; adorn:
In a seemingly paradoxical fashion, a new technology was used to embellish nature.
bellicose
inclined or eager to fight; aggressively hostile; belligerent; pugnacious:
The general made some bellicose statements about his country’s military strength.
benefactor
donor:
Every Christmas, the students on scholarships send thank-you cards to their benefactors.
biped
a two-footed animal.
bifurcate
to divide into two parts:
A sample of water was taken from the point where the river bifurcates.
debonair
courteous, gracious, and having a sophisticated charm:
a debonair gentleman.
bursar/bursary
a treasurer or business officer, especially of a college or university/ the treasury of a monastery.
desiccate/Parch
to dry thoroughly; dry up:
Trees lose their leaves so that they don’t desiccate.
malleable
capable of being extended or shaped by hammering or by pressure from rollers, adaptable or tractable:
the malleable mind of a child.
ABATE
ebb, lapse, let up, moderate, relent, slacken, subside, wane.
lapse
become void; fall back into previous pattern:
slacken
ABATE to make or become less active, vigorous, intense, etc:
Economic growth is slackening.
subside
ABATE to sink to a low or lower level:
The violence seems to be subsiding at last.
abscond
to leave secretly:
The thieves intended to abscond with several of the museum’s most valuable paintings but failed.’
abyss
Extremely deep hole:
She stood facing the abyss, uncertain whether to turn towards life or to take a final step into the darkness.
apotheosize
aggrandize, apotheose, deify, dignify, elevate, ennoble, glorify, idealize, idolize, laud, put on a pedestal, worship:
She is attracted to the idea of violent social disruption but doesn’t apotheosize killing for its own sake.
exalt
to raise in rank, honor, power, character, quality, etc.; elevate:
He was exalted to the position of president.
swell
to increase in size:
One side of his face had swollen up where he’d been stung.
commingle/intermingle/mingle
to mix or mingle together; combine AMALGAMATE:
The schools regularly commingled funds between accounts.
fuse
to combine or blend by melting together; melt AMALGAMATE:
nebulous
vague, obscure, ambiguous:
She has a few nebulous ideas about what she might like to do in the future, but nothing definite.
preternatural
out of the ordinary course of nature; exceptional or abnormal:
preternatural powers.
incite
to stir, encourage, or urge on; stimulate or prompt to action:
to incite a crowd to riot.
pester
to bother persistently with petty annoyances; trouble:
Don’t pester me with your trivial problems.
arbitrate
to decide as arbitrator or arbiter; determine:
to arbitrate a dispute.
adjudge
to declare or pronounce formally:
In October 1990, Mirchandani was adjudged bankrupt.
adjudicate
to pronounce or decree by judicial sentence:
Occasionally, he has to adjudicate on a pensions matter.
bygone
past; gone by; earlier; former:
The faded OLD photograph brought memories of bygone days.
fusty
OLD having a stale smell; moldy; musty:
fusty rooms that were in need of a good airing.
old-fashioned or out-of-date, as architecture, furnishings, or the like:
They still live in that fusty, gingerbread house.
antediluvian
very OLD, old-fashioned, or out of date; antiquated; primitive:
antediluvian ideas.
outmoded
OLD gone out of style; no longer fashionable:
outmoded styles.
stale
OLD not fresh, musty; stagnant, having lost novelty or interest; hackneyed; trite:
a stale joke.
Cake goes stale quickly if it’s not covered.
dowdy
OLD not stylish; drab; old-fashioned:
Why do you always wear those dowdy old dresses?
passe
OLD old-fashioned:
Wines from that region were quite popular for a while, but now they’re rather passé.
devitalize
WEAKEN diminish, debilitate, enervate,
unnerve
upset, intimidate, agitate, bewilder:
he angry look in his eyes unnerved me a lot.
dilute
WEAKEN make thinner:
You need to dilute this before you drink it.
rarefy
to make rare or rarer; make less dense: to rarefy a gas to make more refined, spiritual, or exalted:
plucky
AUDACIOUS having or showing pluck or courage; brave:
The drowning swimmer was rescued by a plucky schoolboy.
valorous
AUDACIOUS having valor; courageous; valiant; brave:
The valorous act of the solider in battle earned him great respect.
gallant
AUDACIOUS brave, splendid, spirited, noble-minded, or chivalrous:
a gallant knight; a gallant rescue attempt.
stout
AUDACIOUS bold, brave, or dauntless, ALSO fat:
a short, stout man
undaunted/dauntless
AUDACIOUS undiminished in courage or valor; not giving way to fear; intrepid: Although outnumbered, he was undaunted.
venturesome/venturous
AUDACIOUS having or showing a disposition to undertake risky or dangerous activities; daring:
a venturesome investor; a venturesome explorer.
mettlesome
AUDACIOUS spirited; courageous, brave, bold:
Here she mounts some a mettlesome horse and trains him with d wonderful skill and boldness.
valiant
AUDACIOUS boldly courageous; brave; stout-hearted:
a valiant soldier.
palpable
very obvious:
There was a palpable sense of tension in the crowd.
inundate
to overwhelm:
Laura was inundated with flowers, cards, and other gifts.
contemptuous
showing or expressing contempt or disdain; scornful:
The look she gave him was contemptuous
tranquil
quit and peaceful:
a tranquil garden
BANAL
bromidic, shopworn, threadbare, jejune, vapid
bromidic
BANAL trite
shopworn
BANAL trite; hackneyed:
Because of the nature of his effort, Gormley necessarily repeats some shopworn tales.
threadbare
BANAL meager, scanty, or poor: a threadbare emotional life.
hackneyed; trite; ineffectively stale: threadbare arguments.
vapid
BANALwithout liveliness or spirit; dull or tedious: a vapid party; vapid conversation.
BOLSTER
prop, underpin
prop
BOLSTER Support,
to prop an old fence;
to prop up an unpopular government.
underpin
BOLSTER to prop up or support from below; strengthen:
He presented the figures to underpin his argument.
BOMBASTIC
bloated, declamatory, fustian, grandiose, magniloquent, orotund,
fustian
BOMBASTIC inflated or turgid language in writing or speaking:
Fustian can’t disguise the author’s meager plot.
grandiose
BOMBASTIC more complicated or elaborate than necessary; overblown:
a grandiose scheme.
magniloquent
speaking or expressed in a lofty or grandiose style; pompous; bombastic; boastful:
It was difficult to listen to the magniloquent speaker especially after finding out that the gift was rescinded.
CACOPHONY
chaos, clamor, din, noise, discord,
clamor
CACOPHONY a loud uproar, as from a crowd of people:
the clamor of the crowd at the gates.
chide
to express disapproval of; scold; reproach:
The principal chided the children for their thoughtless pranks.
CHAOS
clutter, jumble, muddle, snarl, turmoil
turmoil
CHAOS turbulence, disorder, uproar:
The whole region is in turmoil.
CHICANERY
conniving, deviousness, pettifoggery,
conniving
CHICANERY To cooperate secretly in wrongdoing:
They connived to take over the business.
devious
CHICANERY departing from the most direct way; circuitous; indirect:
a devious course.
pettifog
CHICANERY to practice chicanery of any sort:
CONDONE
overlook, pardon, disregard
CRESCENDO
steadily increasing in volume or force:
the crescendo of tension became unbearable.
obeisance
deference or homage: The nobles gave obeisance to the new king.
parch
to make extremely, excessively, or completely dry, as heat, sun, and wind do.
fulmination
DIATRIBE a violent denunciation or censure:
a sermon that was one long fulmination.
jeremiad
DIATRIBE a prolonged lamentation or mournful complaint Tirade:
Unable to control himself at his dog’s funeral, Tim delivered a jeremiad (unparalleled in pet mourning circles) decrying the world’s foremost injustices
omniscient
having or seeming to have unlimited knowledge:
an omniscient narrator.
laggard
inclined to waste time and lag behind:
But the company is saddled with an awful public image as the perennial laggard.
tardy
late; behind time; not on time: How tardy were you today?
dabbler
DILETTANTE to work at anything in an irregular or superficial manner:
to dabble in literature.
cloak
something that covers or conceals; disguise; DISSEMBLE pretense:
He conducts his affairs under a cloak of secrecy.
counterfeit
DISSEMBLE made in imitation so as to be passed off fraudulently or deceptively as genuine; not genuine; forged:
counterfeit dollar bills.
masquerade
DISSEMBLE disguise:
She’s just a teacher masquerading as an academic.
strife
vigorous or bitter conflict, discord, or antagonism:
to be at strife.
magisterial
DOGMATIC imperious; domineering:
a magisterial tone of command.
humbug
DUPE something intended to delude or deceive:
the usual political humbug
beget
ENGENDER to procreate or generate to cause; produce as an effect:
a belief that power begets power.
conundrum
ENGIMA anything that puzzles:
It may be the biggest, but it is far from the only temporal conundrum.
tabulate
ENUMERATE to put or arrange in a tabular, systematic, or condensed form; formulate tabularly.
fleet
EPHEMERAL passing swiftly; vanishing quickly; transient; transitory:
fleeting beauty; a fleeting glance.
foment
to arouse, incite, provoke:
The song was banned on the grounds that it might foment racial tension.
instigate
FOMENT to cause by incitement:
to instigate a quarrel.
effusive
GARRULOUS emotionally excessive; overly demonstrative:
Eruptive behavior has varied from vigorous explosions, accompanied by tephra falls and pyroclastic flows, to effusive lava flows.
amorphous
having no fixed form or shape, lacking definite form; having no specific shape; formless:
an amorphous mass of jelly
ornery
stubborn:
I can’t do a thing with that ornery mule.
bewail
to express deep sorrow for; lament:
a little child bewailing the loss of her dog.
shirk
MALINGER to evade work, duty, etc: to shirk your duties/responsibilities
ductile
malleable, pliant:
Ductile iron pipe shall comply with the requirements listed in this specification section.
drone
a person who lives on the labor of others; parasitic loafer:
preclude
to prevent the presence, existence, or occurrence of; make impossible:
The insufficiency of the evidence precludes a conviction
barricade
to obstruct or block with a barricade:
barricading the streets to prevent an attack.
formidable
causing fear, apprehension, or dread:
a formidable opponent.
onerous, cumbersome:
a formidable task
plethora
overabundance; excess: a plethora of advice and a paucity of assistance.
perjure
The judge warned the witness not to perjure herself:
give false testimony
decorum
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc:
Attorneys and parties should conduct themselves with decorum and manners.
standoffish
somewhat aloof or reserved; cold and unfriendly:
The kitty could be called adorable, if a little standoffish.
gorge
a small canyon. a gluttonous meal. something that is swallowed; contents of the stomach. an obstructing mass: an ice gorge. to eat or swallow greedily
narcotic
SOPORIFIC anything that exercises a soothing or numbing effect or influence:
Television is a narcotic for many people.
slumberous
SOPORIFIC sleepy; heavy with drowsiness, as the eyelids.
causing or inducing sleep.
somnolent
SOPORIFIC tending to cause sleep:
a somnolent summer’s afternoon
blemish
STIGMA to destroy or diminish the perfection of:
The book is blemished by those long, ineffective descriptions.
blot
STIGMA a blemish on a person’s character or reputation:
He had been haunted by a blot on his past.
sublime
extremely good, beautiful, or enjoyable:
the music was so sublime that it transformed the rude audience into accepting.
august
SUBLIME inspiring reverence or admiration; of supreme dignity or grandeur; majestic:
an august performance of a religious drama.
exasperate
VEX to irritate or provoke to a high degree; annoy extremely:
He was exasperated by the senseless delays.
irk
VEX to irritate, annoy, or exasperate:
It irked him to wait in line.
chafe
VEX to irritate; annoy: The dripping of the faucet chafed her nerves.
nettle
VEX to irritate, annoy, or provoke:
He was nettled by her manner.
