GRE_3000_List11 Flashcards
gadfly
1 one that act as a provocative stimulus
[S]goad;impetus;impulse;incentive;irritant;spur;stimulus
[A]balm
2 a person who stimulates or annoys especially by persistent criticism
[E]a tactless gadfly during post-game interviews with the losing
team
[S]annoyer;bother;persecutor;teaser;pest
fusty
1 old-fashioned
[S]antiquated;archaic;bygone;moldy
2 saturated with dust and stale odors
[S]malodorous;fetid;musty;noisome;smelly;stale
[A]ambrosial;aromatic;redolent;savory
gaffe
1 a social or diplomatic blander
[E] A gaffe is when a politician tells the truth.
[S] impropriety;indecorum;indiscretion
[A] decency;decorum;propriety
2 a blatant mistake
[E] so called debates, which were mainly about seeing which
candidate made the most gaffes.
[S] blunder;lapse;misstep
galvanize
to stimulate or excite as if by an electric shock
[E] an issue that would galvanize public opinion
[S] provoke;agitate;intoxicate;motivate;stimulate
[A] allay;lull;pacify
gambol
to leap about playfully
[S] frolic;caper;cavort
[A] plod;trudge
garble
1 to mix up or distort to such a extent as to make misleading or
incomprehensible
[E] The summary totally garbled the results of the survey/investigation.
[S] misrepresent;belie;color;distort;twist
[A] clarify;elucidate
2 to remove usually visible impurities from
[E] Garbled spices are less likely to contaminate a recipe.
[S] clear;distill;filter;purify
[A] adulterate;contaminate
garrulous
given to excessive and often trivial or rambling talk;tiresomely
talkactive
[E] garrulous talking companions
[S] talkative;loquacious;verbose;voluble;chatty
[A] laconic;reserved;reticent;taciturn
gaudy
ostentatiously or tastelessly ornamented,excessively showy
[E] gaudy movie posters
[S] blatant;brazen;flashy;garish;meretricious;tawdry;flamboyant
[A] austere;homely;plain;conservative
gibe
to deride or tease with taunting words
[E] gibe at the umpire
[S] deride;jeer;ridicule;mock;scoff;sneer;taunt
[A] respect;revere;venerate
giddy
1 lacking in seriousness or maturity
[E] teach a bunch of giddy girls how to make a fire
[S] flighty;frivolous;frothy
[A] grave;serious;earnest
2 joyfully elated
[E] He’s clearly giddy at the news that his ailing grandfather will be
fine
[S] elated;euphoric;exhilarated;exultant;intoxicated;rapturous
[A] depressed;melancholy
gild
to give an often deceptively attractive or improved appearance to
[E] Any further retouch would be gilding the lily.
[S] polish;refine;smooth
gladiator
1 a person engaged in a fight to the death as public entertainment for
ancient Romans
[E] He comes to Rome as a gladiator to seek revenge
2 a person engaging in a public fight or controversy
[S] boxer;fighter;belligerent;combatant
glib
1 marked by ease or fluency in speaking or writing often to the point
of insincere or deceitful
[E] a glib politician
[S] nonchalant;oily
[A] taciturn;awkward
2 lacking depth and substance
[E] glib solution to the knotty problem
[S] cursory;shallow;superficial
[A] abstruse;deep;profoundglisten
to shine by reflection with a sparking luster
[E] The calm sea glistened in the sunlight
[S] flash;scintillate;sparkle;twinkle;winkle
[A] dim
gloat
a feeling of great, often malicious, pleasure or self-satisfaction
[E] gloat his enemies misfortune
[S] crow;relish;triumph
[A] mourn
gloss
1 a brief explanation of a difficult expression
[S] abstract;annotation;brief;epitome;synopsis
[A] amplification
2 a deceptively attractive external appearance
[E] He used a computer to give his astrological predictions the gloss of
real science.
[S] facade;mask;veneer
3 to deal with too lightly or not at all
[E] I don’t want to gloss over her misbehavior, but keep in mind that she has been in a lot of stress recently
[S] excuse;extenuate;
gobble
to swallow or eat greedily
[E] Lions gobble their prey.
[S] devour;gorge;guzzle;quaff;raven;swill
[A] nibble
goggle
to look long and hard in wonder or surprise
[E] goggle at the characters on the stele
[S] blink;gawk;gaze;peer;stare
gossamer
1 something light, delicate, or insubstantial [E] the gossamer of youth's dreams [S] ether;delicacy [A] substance;entity 2 extremely light, delicate, or tenuous [E] a gossamer explanation [S] diaphanous;ethereal;filmy;light;insubstantial;tenuous [A] heavy;leaden;ponderous
gratuitous
1 unnecessary or unwarranted
[E] a dubious request based on a gratuitous assumption
[S] unfounded;unjustified;unreasonable;baseless;groundless
[A] justified;warranted
2 given or granted without return or recompense
[E] a gratuitous ticket
[S] free;complementary;unearned;voluntary
[A] merited
3 not needed
[S] dispensable;inessential;needless;redundant;superfluous;surplus
[A] critical;essential;pivotal;vital
grimace
a sharp contortion of the face expressive of pain, disgust, or
disapproval
[E] She made a grimace when she tasted the medicine.
[S] frown;moue;pout;scowl
gripe
1 to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
[E] All workers were griping about the new regulations.
[S] carp;fuss;grouch;grouse;grumble;wail
[A] crow;delight;rejoice
2 to disturb the peace of mind of someone especially by repeated
disagreeable acts
[E] Constant complaints from the customers griped her to the point
where she started snapping back.
[S] aggravate;chafe;exasperate;nettle;peeve;pique;rile;ruffle;vex
grisly
inspiring repugnance;gruesome
[E] a series grisly murders
[S] appalling;dreadful;ghastly;gruesome;hideous;horrifying;macabre
grovel
to draw back or crouch down in fearful submission
[E] He made a groveling apology to the girl.
[S] cringe;creep;slither;wriggle
groove
to take pleasure in
[E] Thrill-seekers who groove on skiing will love snowboarding
[S] adore;fancy;savor;relish;get off on;rejoice in;revel in;delight in;
grueling
requiring much time, effort, or careful attention
[E] Cutting diamonds can be grueling work.
[S] arduous;burdensome;laborious;onerous;taxing;toilsome;facile
hack
1 a writer who aims solely for commercial success
2 to cut or chop with repeated or irregular blows
[E] hacking out new election districts
3 to deal with usually skillfully or efficiently
[E] just could’t hack the new job
[S] address;contend with;cope with;manage;maneuver;manipulate;
4 to put up with
[E] She’s not sure she can hack the miserable job much longer.
[S] abide;bide;brook;endure;handle;stand;stomach;sustain;tolerate
half-baked
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgement
[E] a half-baked scheme
[S] daffy;daft;dippy;harebrained;half-witted;preposterous;
[A] judicious;prudent;sagacious;sapient;sensible;sound;wise
hallmark
a conspicuous feature or characteristic
[E] The sense of guilt is the hallmark of civilized humanity.
[S] ensign;impresa;logo;symbol;totem;trademark;
hallow
to respect or honor greatly;revere
[E] consecrate;sacralize;sanctify
[A] desecrate;deconsecrate;desacralize;desanctify
hamstring
to make ineffective
[E] The downtown development committee claims that it’s hamstrung
by city ordinances.
[S] cripple;immobilize;incapacitate;
hanker
to have a strong or persistent desire;yearn
[E] hanker for adventure
[S] appetite;craving;hunger;itch;longing;lust;passion;thirst;yearning
[A] odium;lack of desire
harbinger
one that presages or foreshadows what is to come
[E] The October air stung my cheeks, a harbinger of winter.
[S] foregoer;herald;outrider;precursor
