GRE_3000_List17 Flashcards
nugatory
of little or no consequence [E] The book is entertaining, but its contributions to Shakespearean are nugatory. [S] incidental,inconsiderable [A] consequential;substantial '
obeisance
a movement of the body made in token of respect or submission
[E] make obeisance to her mentors.
[S] obeisant
[A] impertinent;impudent;imperious
obfuscate
to make so confused or opaque as to be difficult to perceive or understand
[E] obfuscate the reader
[S] becloud;befog;blur;muddy;
[A] demystify;elucidate;illuminate;clarify;
oblique
inclined or twisted to one side
[E] The old man give the eavesdropper an oblique glance.
[S] askew;cant;listing;
[A] direct;level;straight;
obliterate
to remove from existence
[E] The March snowstorm obliterated our hopes for an early spring.
[S] efface;eradicate;expunge;expurgate;extirpate;
oblivious
lacking conscious awareness; not informed about or aware of something
[E] He seemed oblivious to the fact that he had hurt her.
[S] incognizant;insensible;unwitting
[A] mindful;vigilant;cognizant;witting
obloquy
1 abusively detractive language or utterance;
[E] She unlashed a torrent of obloquy on her opponent.
[S] billingsgate;fulmination;invective;scurrility;vitriol;vituperation
[A] adulation;
2 the state of having lost the esteem of others
[E] The accused murder was condemned to live out his days in perpetual obloquy.
[S] discredit;disesteem;dishonor;disrepute;opprobrium;
[A] esteem;honor;respect;
obsequious
marked by or exhibiting a fawning attentiveness
[E] She’s constantly flowed by obsequious assistants who will do anything.
[S] supercilious
obtuse
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily
[E] Are you being deliberately obtuse?
[S] dumb; fatuous; oafish; vacuous;
[A] brainy; insightful; nimble
obviate
to anticipate and prevent or make unnecessary
[E] The new treatment obviates the need for surgery.
[S] avert; forestall; preclude; stave off;
occult
1 not easily apprehended or understood; abstruse
[E] an occult reference in the text that has puzzled many scholars
[S] ambiguous; arcane; equivocal; inscrutable;opaque;
[A] manifest;patent; bare;
2 to keep secret or shut off from view
[E] The actor’s life had long been occulted by a contrived public persona.
[S] belie; blanket; cloak;
[A] bare;disclose;
offbeat
noticeably different from what is generally found
[E] The writer has an enjoyable offbeat sense of humor.
[S] extraordinarily;peculiar;
[A] bathetic; hackneyed;
officious
thrusting oneself where one is not welcome
[E] an officious little man who was always telling others how to do their jobs.
[S] interfering; intruding;
[A] unobtrusive;
omniscient
possessed of complete knowledge
[E] an omniscient god
[A] vacuous
opine
to express opinions
[E] You can opine about everything you like.
[S] editorialize; comment;
opportune
suitable or convenient for a particular occurrence
[E] an opportune moment
[S] seasonable;
[A] inconvenient;
opprobrious
1 expressing contemptuous reproach; [E] opprobrious language [S] scurrilous; vitriolic; vituperative; 2 bring disgrace; shameful or infamous [E] opprobrious conduct [S] discreditable; [A] irreproachable;
ossify
to become hardened
[E] a disease that ossified the joints
[A] make pliant
ostentatious
marked by or found of conspicuous or vainglorious and sometimes pretentious display
[E] She wears an ostentatious diamond ring on his neck.
[S] flamboyant;
[A] modest;artless;austere;
ostracize
to exclude from a group
[E] He was ostracized from the scientific community for many years because of his radical political beliefs.
[S] banish; bounce; chase;
[A] embrace
outmaneuver
to overcome by artfully, and clever maneuvering
[E] He outmaneuvered his congressional opponent.
[S] outfox; outslick;
overture
1 an introductory section or part
[E] preamble; preliminary;
2 an instrumental composition intended especially as an introduction to an extended work, such as an opera or oratorio.
[E] The parade down Main Street served as the overture for a weekend for fun and festivals.
[A] coda
oxymoron
a combination of contradictory or incongruous words
[E] The phrase “ cruel kindness “ is an oxymoron.
paean
a joyous song or hymn o praise, tribute, thanksgiving, or triumph
[E] Her retirement party featured many paeans for her long years of service to the company.
[S] accolade; dithyramb
palatable
giving pleasure or contentment to the mind of senses
[E] I always associate the palatable aroma of the turkey with Thanksgiving.
[S] agreeable; congenial; delectable; dulcet; luscious;
[A] unpalatable;
palatial
of the natural of a palace, as in spaciousness or ornateness
[E] a palatial penthouse apartment;
[S] deluxe; lavish;
[A] spartan; ascetic;
palmy
marked by prosperity
[E] the palmy days of the British drama
[S] flourishing; prosperous; halcyon
[A] depressed
palpable
1 capable of being touched or felt [E] a small but palpable lump in my neck [S] touchable; [A] intangible; 2 obvious; [E] a palpable difference; [S] detectable; [A] imperceptible;inappreciable;
palter
to act insincerely or deceitfully
[E] unwilling to palter over the price of the house
[S] chaffer; dicker;haggle;
[A] candor;
paltry
1 lacking in important or worth
[E] Venture capitalists appear to be confused by such paltry amounts.
[S] niggling; piffling; trivial;
[A] material;
2 arousing or deserving one’s loathing or disgusting
[E] a paltry, underhanded scheme to get someone fired
[S] cheap; lousy; scummy; scurry;
[A] admirable; creditable;
panache
dash or flamboyance in style and action
[E] Belanger dances with an undemonstrative panache that draw one’s attention as if by seeking to deflect it; through fitness and understatement, he manages to seem at once intensely present and curiously detached.
[S] humility; dullness;
pandemonium
wild uproar or noise
[E] Christmas morning at our house is always marked by pandemonium.
[S] bluster; furor; pother; ruckus; ruction; tumult;
[A] serene;
pandemic
widespread
[E] pandemic malaria
[S] limited
panoramic
of an unobstructed or complete view of an area in every direction [S] compendious; cyclopedic; embracive; [A] narrow; [P] panorama; [E] a panorama of American history
paradigm
one that serves as a pattern
[E] He was the paradigm of the successful man.
[S] archetype; example; paragon
paragon
1 a model of excellence or perfection of a kind [E] a paragon of a good husband [S] archetype 2 to compare with [E] paragon treat with treachery [S] assimilate; parallel; [A] contrast
paramount
of chief concern or importance
[E] The paramount goal is to restore the colonial-era house with complete historical accuracy.
[S] cardinal; chief; primary;
[A] ancillary; paltry
paranoid
exhibiting or characterized by extreme and irrational fear or distrust of others
[E] a paranoid suspicion that the phone might be bugged
[S] distrustful;
[A] credulous;
[P] paranoia
parch
to make extremely dry
[E] parch a surface from exposure to sun
[S] dehydrate; desiccate; scorch;
[A] douse; drench; hydrate; steep;
pariah
one that is despised or rejected
[E] I felt like a pariah when I wore the wrong suit to the dinner party.
[S] castaway; castoff
[A] respectable person
parity
the quality or state of being equal
[E] achieve parity with our commercial competitors.
[S] coequality; coordinateness;
[A] disparity
parody
1 a literary or musical work in which the style of an author or work is closely imitated for comic effect or in ridicule
[E] The Back Dormitory Boys specialized in parody of Backstreet Boys.
[S] burlesque; caricature; spoof; travesty;
2 to copy or exaggerate in order to make fun
[E] parody a public figure’s management
[S] imitate; mock; mimic
paroxysm
1 a sudden outburst of emotion [E] a paroxysm of coughing [S] burst; ebullition; eruption; 2 a violent disturbance [E] Darwin's introduction of the theory of evolution created paroxysm in both religion and science that are still being felt today. [S] bouleversement; cataclysm; upheaval;
parrot
to repeat or imitate, especially without understanding
[E] parrot others blindly
[S] ditto; copy; duplicate;
[A] coin
parry
to evade especially by an adroit answer.
[E] He parried the embarassing question with a clever reply.
[S] avoid; dodge;
[A] confront
pastiche
1 a literary, artistic, musical, or architectural work that imitates the style of previous work, often with satirical intend.
[E] a pastiche of Birth of Venus
[S] parody
2 a pasticcio of incongruous parts; a hodgepodge
[E] a pastiche of dishes from different countries.
[S] agglomerate
pathological
being such to a degree that is extreme, excessive, or markedly abnormal
[E] She has a pathological fear for sneaks.
[S] anomalous;
[A] normal;
patina
1 a superficial covering
[E] a superficial patina of knowledge
[S] facade
[A] core
2 an appearance or aura that is derived from association, habit
[E] Although the winery is brand-new, it has been constructed and decorated to give it a patina of old-world quaintness.
[S] ambience; halo; vibration
nudge
1 to seek the attention of by a push o the elbow
[E] accidentally nudged me as he squeezed past
2 to try to persuade through earnest appeals to follow a course of attention.
[E] The car salesman nudged me into taking a test-drive.
[S] encourage,exhort,goad,press,prod
