GRE6 Flashcards

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1
Q

EMBARRASS

A

abash, chagrin, compunction,, contrition, diffidence, expiate, foible, gaucherie, rue.

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2
Q

abash

A

to destroy the self-confidence, poise, or self-possession of; disconcert; make ashamed or embarrassed EMBARRASS:
He said nothing but looked abashed.

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3
Q

chagrin

A

a feeling of vexation, marked by disappointment or humiliation EMBARRASS:
To his parents’ chagrin, he had no intention of becoming a lawyer.

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4
Q

compunction

A

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.

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5
Q

contrition

A

sincere penitence or remorse EMBARRASS:

a contrite apology/expression.

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6
Q

foible

A

a weak point, failing, minor flaw EMBARRASS:

Married couples must learn to accept each other’s little foibles.

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7
Q

gaucherie

A

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.

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8
Q

NAG

A

admonish, cavil, belabor, enjoin, exhort, harangue, hector, martinet, remonstrate, reproof.

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9
Q

admonish

A

to urge to a duty; remind NAG:

to admonish them about their obligations.

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10
Q

cavil

A

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.

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11
Q

belabor

A

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.

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12
Q

hector

A

a blustering, domineering person; a bully NAG:

He had a loud, hectoring manner.

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13
Q

martinet

A

a strict disciplinarian, authoritarian, bully, despot NAG

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14
Q

PREDICT

A

augur, auspice, fey, harbinger, portentous, precursor, pressage, prescient, prognosticate

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15
Q

augur

A

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.

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16
Q

auspice

A

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.

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17
Q

fey

A

mysterious and strange, or trying to appear like this PREDICT:
He dismissed her later poems as fey and frivolous.

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18
Q

harbinger

A

anything that foreshadows a future event; omen; sign PREDICT:
Frost is a harbinger of winter.

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19
Q

precuror

A

an indication of the approach of something or someone, forerunner, predecessor PREDICT:
Infection with HIV is a precursor to AIDS.

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20
Q

presage

A

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.

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21
Q

prescient

A

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

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22
Q

prognosticate

A

to forecast or PREDICT:

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23
Q

LUCK

A

adventitious, amulet, auspicious, fortuitous, kismet, optimum, portentous,

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24
Q

adventitious

A

not expected or planned LUCK:

an adventitious event/situation

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25
Q

amulet

A

an object worn because it is believed to protect against evil, disease or unhappiness LUCK:

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26
Q

auspicious

A

promising success; propitious; opportune; favorable LUCK:

an auspicious occasion.

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27
Q

fortuitous

A

lucky, happening by chance PREDICT:

fortunate: a series of fortuitous events that advanced her career.

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28
Q

kismet

A

fate; destiny LUCK:

It was simply kismet; they were meant to be together.

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29
Q

propitious

A

presenting favorable conditions; favorable LUCK: propitious weather.

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30
Q

serendipity

A

good fortune; luck LUCK:

The scientist’s discovery was a real case of serendipity.

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31
Q

talisman

A

any amulet or charm LUCK:

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32
Q

HARSH-SOOUNDING

A

cacophony, din, dissonant, raucous, strident,

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33
Q

PLEASANT-SOUNDING

A

euphonious, harmonious, melodious, sonorous

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34
Q

sonorous

A

having a deep pleasant sound:

a sonorous voice

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35
Q

abdicate

A

to give up power, relinquish:

The people of the state do not wish to abdicate their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them.

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36
Q

abject

A

utterly hopeless, miserable, humiliating, or wretched:

abject poverty.

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37
Q

averse

A

having a strong feeling of opposition, antipathy, repugnance, ; opposed:
He is not averse to having a drink now and then.

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38
Q

ambidextrous

A

able to use both hands equally well:

an ambidextrous surgeon.

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39
Q

preamble

A

an introductory statement; preface:

The Declaration of Independence had a preamble when it was first written.

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40
Q

animadversion

A

an unfavorable or censorious comment:

to make animadversions on someone’s conduct.

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41
Q

animosity

A

enmity that tends to display itself in action:

a deep-seated animosity between two sisters; animosity against one’s neighbor.

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42
Q

equanimity

A

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.

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43
Q

unanimity

A

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.

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44
Q

anticlimax

A

letdown/disappointment in thought or emotion:

After so much preparation, the party was a bit of an anticlimax.

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45
Q

subaqueous

A

existing or situated under water; underwater

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46
Q

embellish

A

to beautify by or as if by ornamentation; ornament; adorn:

In a seemingly paradoxical fashion, a new technology was used to embellish nature.

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47
Q

bellicose

A

inclined or eager to fight; aggressively hostile; belligerent; pugnacious:
The general made some bellicose statements about his country’s military strength.

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48
Q

benefactor

A

donor:

Every Christmas, the students on scholarships send thank-you cards to their benefactors.

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49
Q

biped

A

a two-footed animal.

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50
Q

bifurcate

A

to divide into two parts:

A sample of water was taken from the point where the river bifurcates.

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51
Q

debonair

A

courteous, gracious, and having a sophisticated charm:

a debonair gentleman.

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52
Q

bursar/bursary

A

a treasurer or business officer, especially of a college or university/ the treasury of a monastery.

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53
Q

desiccate/Parch

A

to dry thoroughly; dry up:

Trees lose their leaves so that they don’t desiccate.

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54
Q

malleable

A

capable of being extended or shaped by hammering or by pressure from rollers, adaptable or tractable:
the malleable mind of a child.

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55
Q

ABATE

A

ebb, lapse, let up, moderate, relent, slacken, subside, wane.

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56
Q

lapse

A

become void; fall back into previous pattern:

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57
Q

slacken

A

ABATE to make or become less active, vigorous, intense, etc:

Economic growth is slackening.

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58
Q

subside

A

ABATE to sink to a low or lower level:

The violence seems to be subsiding at last.

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59
Q

abscond

A

to leave secretly:

The thieves intended to abscond with several of the museum’s most valuable paintings but failed.’

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60
Q

abyss

A

Extremely deep hole:

She stood facing the abyss, uncertain whether to turn towards life or to take a final step into the darkness.

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61
Q

apotheosize

A

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.

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62
Q

exalt

A

to raise in rank, honor, power, character, quality, etc.; elevate:
He was exalted to the position of president.

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63
Q

swell

A

to increase in size:

One side of his face had swollen up where he’d been stung.

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64
Q

commingle/intermingle/mingle

A

to mix or mingle together; combine AMALGAMATE:

The schools regularly commingled funds between accounts.

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65
Q

fuse

A

to combine or blend by melting together; melt AMALGAMATE:

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66
Q

nebulous

A

vague, obscure, ambiguous:

She has a few nebulous ideas about what she might like to do in the future, but nothing definite.

67
Q

preternatural

A

out of the ordinary course of nature; exceptional or abnormal:
preternatural powers.

68
Q

incite

A

to stir, encourage, or urge on; stimulate or prompt to action:
to incite a crowd to riot.

69
Q

pester

A

to bother persistently with petty annoyances; trouble:

Don’t pester me with your trivial problems.

70
Q

arbitrate

A

to decide as arbitrator or arbiter; determine:

to arbitrate a dispute.

71
Q

adjudge

A

to declare or pronounce formally:

In October 1990, Mirchandani was adjudged bankrupt.

72
Q

adjudicate

A

to pronounce or decree by judicial sentence:

Occasionally, he has to adjudicate on a pensions matter.

73
Q

bygone

A

past; gone by; earlier; former:

The faded OLD photograph brought memories of bygone days.

74
Q

fusty

A

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.

75
Q

antediluvian

A

very OLD, old-fashioned, or out of date; antiquated; primitive:
antediluvian ideas.

76
Q

outmoded

A

OLD gone out of style; no longer fashionable:

outmoded styles.

77
Q

stale

A

OLD not fresh, musty; stagnant, having lost novelty or interest; hackneyed; trite:
a stale joke.
Cake goes stale quickly if it’s not covered.

78
Q

dowdy

A

OLD not stylish; drab; old-fashioned:

Why do you always wear those dowdy old dresses?

79
Q

passe

A

OLD old-fashioned:

Wines from that region were quite popular for a while, but now they’re rather passé.

80
Q

devitalize

A

WEAKEN diminish, debilitate, enervate,

81
Q

unnerve

A

upset, intimidate, agitate, bewilder:

he angry look in his eyes unnerved me a lot.

82
Q

dilute

A

WEAKEN make thinner:

You need to dilute this before you drink it.

83
Q

rarefy

A

to make rare or rarer; make less dense: to rarefy a gas to make more refined, spiritual, or exalted:

84
Q

plucky

A

AUDACIOUS having or showing pluck or courage; brave:

The drowning swimmer was rescued by a plucky schoolboy.

85
Q

valorous

A

AUDACIOUS having valor; courageous; valiant; brave:

The valorous act of the solider in battle earned him great respect.

86
Q

gallant

A

AUDACIOUS brave, splendid, spirited, noble-minded, or chivalrous:
a gallant knight; a gallant rescue attempt.

87
Q

stout

A

AUDACIOUS bold, brave, or dauntless, ALSO fat:

a short, stout man

88
Q

undaunted/dauntless

A

AUDACIOUS undiminished in courage or valor; not giving way to fear; intrepid: Although outnumbered, he was undaunted.

89
Q

venturesome/venturous

A

AUDACIOUS having or showing a disposition to undertake risky or dangerous activities; daring:
a venturesome investor; a venturesome explorer.

90
Q

mettlesome

A

AUDACIOUS spirited; courageous, brave, bold:

Here she mounts some a mettlesome horse and trains him with d wonderful skill and boldness.

91
Q

valiant

A

AUDACIOUS boldly courageous; brave; stout-hearted:

a valiant soldier.

92
Q

palpable

A

very obvious:

There was a palpable sense of tension in the crowd.

93
Q

inundate

A

to overwhelm:

Laura was inundated with flowers, cards, and other gifts.

94
Q

contemptuous

A

showing or expressing contempt or disdain; scornful:

The look she gave him was contemptuous

95
Q

tranquil

A

quit and peaceful:

a tranquil garden

96
Q

BANAL

A

bromidic, shopworn, threadbare, jejune, vapid

97
Q

bromidic

A

BANAL trite

98
Q

shopworn

A

BANAL trite; hackneyed:

Because of the nature of his effort, Gormley necessarily repeats some shopworn tales.

99
Q

threadbare

A

BANAL meager, scanty, or poor: a threadbare emotional life.

hackneyed; trite; ineffectively stale: threadbare arguments.

100
Q

vapid

A

BANALwithout liveliness or spirit; dull or tedious: a vapid party; vapid conversation.

101
Q

BOLSTER

A

prop, underpin

102
Q

prop

A

BOLSTER Support,
to prop an old fence;
to prop up an unpopular government.

103
Q

underpin

A

BOLSTER to prop up or support from below; strengthen:

He presented the figures to underpin his argument.

104
Q

BOMBASTIC

A

bloated, declamatory, fustian, grandiose, magniloquent, orotund,

105
Q

fustian

A

BOMBASTIC inflated or turgid language in writing or speaking:
Fustian can’t disguise the author’s meager plot.

106
Q

grandiose

A

BOMBASTIC more complicated or elaborate than necessary; overblown:
a grandiose scheme.

107
Q

magniloquent

A

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.

108
Q

CACOPHONY

A

chaos, clamor, din, noise, discord,

109
Q

clamor

A

CACOPHONY a loud uproar, as from a crowd of people:

the clamor of the crowd at the gates.

110
Q

chide

A

to express disapproval of; scold; reproach:

The principal chided the children for their thoughtless pranks.

111
Q

CHAOS

A

clutter, jumble, muddle, snarl, turmoil

112
Q

turmoil

A

CHAOS turbulence, disorder, uproar:

The whole region is in turmoil.

113
Q

CHICANERY

A

conniving, deviousness, pettifoggery,

114
Q

conniving

A

CHICANERY To cooperate secretly in wrongdoing:

They connived to take over the business.

115
Q

devious

A

CHICANERY departing from the most direct way; circuitous; indirect:
a devious course.

116
Q

pettifog

A

CHICANERY to practice chicanery of any sort:

117
Q

CONDONE

A

overlook, pardon, disregard

118
Q

CRESCENDO

A

steadily increasing in volume or force:

the crescendo of tension became unbearable.

119
Q

obeisance

A

deference or homage: The nobles gave obeisance to the new king.

120
Q

parch

A

to make extremely, excessively, or completely dry, as heat, sun, and wind do.

121
Q

fulmination

A

DIATRIBE a violent denunciation or censure:

a sermon that was one long fulmination.

122
Q

jeremiad

A

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

123
Q

omniscient

A

having or seeming to have unlimited knowledge:

an omniscient narrator.

124
Q

laggard

A

inclined to waste time and lag behind:

But the company is saddled with an awful public image as the perennial laggard.

125
Q

tardy

A

late; behind time; not on time: How tardy were you today?

126
Q

dabbler

A

DILETTANTE to work at anything in an irregular or superficial manner:
to dabble in literature.

127
Q

cloak

A

something that covers or conceals; disguise; DISSEMBLE pretense:
He conducts his affairs under a cloak of secrecy.

128
Q

counterfeit

A

DISSEMBLE made in imitation so as to be passed off fraudulently or deceptively as genuine; not genuine; forged:
counterfeit dollar bills.

129
Q

masquerade

A

DISSEMBLE disguise:

She’s just a teacher masquerading as an academic.

130
Q

strife

A

vigorous or bitter conflict, discord, or antagonism:

to be at strife.

131
Q

magisterial

A

DOGMATIC imperious; domineering:

a magisterial tone of command.

132
Q

humbug

A

DUPE something intended to delude or deceive:

the usual political humbug

133
Q

beget

A

ENGENDER to procreate or generate to cause; produce as an effect:
a belief that power begets power.

134
Q

conundrum

A

ENGIMA anything that puzzles:

It may be the biggest, but it is far from the only temporal conundrum.

135
Q

tabulate

A

ENUMERATE to put or arrange in a tabular, systematic, or condensed form; formulate tabularly.

136
Q

fleet

A

EPHEMERAL passing swiftly; vanishing quickly; transient; transitory:
fleeting beauty; a fleeting glance.

137
Q

foment

A

to arouse, incite, provoke:

The song was banned on the grounds that it might foment racial tension.

138
Q

instigate

A

FOMENT to cause by incitement:

to instigate a quarrel.

139
Q

effusive

A

GARRULOUS emotionally excessive; overly demonstrative:
Eruptive behavior has varied from vigorous explosions, accompanied by tephra falls and pyroclastic flows, to effusive lava flows.

140
Q

amorphous

A

having no fixed form or shape, lacking definite form; having no specific shape; formless:
an amorphous mass of jelly

141
Q

ornery

A

stubborn:

I can’t do a thing with that ornery mule.

142
Q

bewail

A

to express deep sorrow for; lament:

a little child bewailing the loss of her dog.

143
Q

shirk

A

MALINGER to evade work, duty, etc: to shirk your duties/responsibilities

144
Q

ductile

A

malleable, pliant:

Ductile iron pipe shall comply with the requirements listed in this specification section.

145
Q

drone

A

a person who lives on the labor of others; parasitic loafer:

146
Q

preclude

A

to prevent the presence, existence, or occurrence of; make impossible:
The insufficiency of the evidence precludes a conviction

147
Q

barricade

A

to obstruct or block with a barricade:

barricading the streets to prevent an attack.

148
Q

formidable

A

causing fear, apprehension, or dread:
a formidable opponent.
onerous, cumbersome:
a formidable task

149
Q

plethora

A

overabundance; excess: a plethora of advice and a paucity of assistance.

150
Q

perjure

A

The judge warned the witness not to perjure herself:

give false testimony

151
Q

decorum

A

dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc:

Attorneys and parties should conduct themselves with decorum and manners.

152
Q

standoffish

A

somewhat aloof or reserved; cold and unfriendly:

The kitty could be called adorable, if a little standoffish.

153
Q

gorge

A
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
154
Q

narcotic

A

SOPORIFIC anything that exercises a soothing or numbing effect or influence:
Television is a narcotic for many people.

155
Q

slumberous

A

SOPORIFIC sleepy; heavy with drowsiness, as the eyelids.

causing or inducing sleep.

156
Q

somnolent

A

SOPORIFIC tending to cause sleep:

a somnolent summer’s afternoon

157
Q

blemish

A

STIGMA to destroy or diminish the perfection of:

The book is blemished by those long, ineffective descriptions.

158
Q

blot

A

STIGMA a blemish on a person’s character or reputation:

He had been haunted by a blot on his past.

159
Q

sublime

A

extremely good, beautiful, or enjoyable:

the music was so sublime that it transformed the rude audience into accepting.

160
Q

august

A

SUBLIME inspiring reverence or admiration; of supreme dignity or grandeur; majestic:
an august performance of a religious drama.

161
Q

exasperate

A

VEX to irritate or provoke to a high degree; annoy extremely:
He was exasperated by the senseless delays.

162
Q

irk

A

VEX to irritate, annoy, or exasperate:

It irked him to wait in line.

163
Q

chafe

A

VEX to irritate; annoy: The dripping of the faucet chafed her nerves.

164
Q

nettle

A

VEX to irritate, annoy, or provoke:

He was nettled by her manner.