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GRE Vocab Words > Hit Parade 3 & 4 > Flashcards

Hit Parade 3 & 4 Flashcards

1
Q

acumen

A

“Her political acumen won her the election.”

keen, accurate judgement or insight

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2
Q

adulterate

A

“The company is accused of adulterating its products with cheap additives.”

to reduce purity by combing with inferior ingredients

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3
Q

amalgamate/amalgamation

A

“They amalgamated the hospital and the university together to form a teaching hospital”

to combine several elements into a whole

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4
Q

archaic

A

“The company needs to update its archaic computer systems.”

outdated, associated with an earlier, perhaps more primitive time

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5
Q

aver

A

“He averred that he was innocent by showing the evidence”

to state as fact, to declare or assert

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6
Q

bolster

A

“he bolstered his claims by providing proof”

to provide support or reinforcement

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7
Q

bombastic/bombast

A

“a bombastic speech intended to impress the voters in her congressional district was just inflated and insincere”

pompous, grandiloquent

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8
Q

diatribe

A

“a harsh denunciationa bitter diatribe about how unfair the tax system is”

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9
Q

dissemble

A

“children learn to dissemble at a surprisingly early age and hide their feelings about how they feel about disassembling the Avengers”

to disguise or conceal, to mislead

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10
Q

eccentric

A

“He was a kind but eccentric man that never followed social norms”

departing from norms or conventions

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11
Q

endemic

A

“the fish is not an endemic species of the lake, and it is rapidly devouring the native trout population”

characteristic of or often found in a particular locality, region, or people

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12
Q

evanescent

A

“beauty that is as evanescent as a rainbow that disappears quickly”

tending to disappear like vapor, vanishing

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13
Q

exacerbate

A

“by poking his brother he only exacerbated the car ride and made it worse”

to make worse or move severe

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14
Q

fervor/fervent

A

“the fervent speech was a passionate call for tolerance and compassion for those who are different”

greatly emotional or zealous

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15
Q

fortuitous

A

“You could not have arrived at a more fortuitous time. We are lucky you got here when you did”

happening by accident or chance

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16
Q

germane

A

“my personal opinion isn’t really relevant or germane to our discussion of the facts of the case
relevant to the subject at hand, appropriate in subject matter

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17
Q

grandiloquence/grandiloquent

A

“a heavyweight champion who was famous for his entertaining grandiloquence prior to every match which said he was better than everyone”

pompous speech or expression

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18
Q

hackneyed

A

“the hackneyed old sayings are so old because they are overused”

rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage

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19
Q

halcyon

A

“a halcyon era following the American Civil War was calm and peaceful”

calm and peaceful

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20
Q

hedonism/hedonist

A

“their spring break trip to Mexico became an exercise in heedless hedonism pursuing pleasure in unsafe ways”

devotion to pleasurable pursuits, esp. pleasures of the senses

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21
Q

hegemony

A

”
“They discussed the national government’s hegemony over their tribal community.”
the consistent dominance of one state or group over others

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22
Q

iconoclast

A

“they are such iconoclasts - they hate traditional religion”

one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions

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23
Q

idolatrous/idolatry

A

“anything you pursue with all of your heart is idolatry”

given to intense or excessive devotion to something

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24
Q

impassive

A

“her face remained impassive throughout the trial and she showed no emotion”

revealing no emotion

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25
Q

imperturbable

A

“Although he seems outwardly imperturbable, he can get very angry at times”

marked by extreme calm, impassivity, steadiness

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26
Q

implacable

A

“He has an implacable hatred for his political opponents.”

not capable of being appeased or significantly changed

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27
Q

impunity

A

“laws were flouted with impunity - people could do anything and get away with it”

immunity from punishment or penalty

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28
Q

inchoate

A

“inchoate feelings of affection for a man whom she had, up till now, thought of as only a friend”

in an initial stage, not fully formed

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29
Q

infelicitous

A

“an infelicitous comment on the weight of the guest of honor at the banquet was really awkward”

unfortunate, inappropriate

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30
Q

insipid

A

“an apple pie with a mushy, insipid filling that strongly resembled soggy cardboard”

lacking in qualities that interest, stimulate or challenge

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31
Q

loquacious/loquacity

A

“the loquacious host of a radio talk show talks too long”

extremely talkative

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32
Q

luminous

A

“the sun provided a very luminous effect on the valley”

characterized by brightness and the emission of light

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33
Q

malevolent/malevolence

A

“she is very evil and malevolent”

having or showing vicious ill will, spite or hatred

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34
Q

malleable

A

“the cult leader took advantage of the malleable, compliant personalities of his followers”

capable of being shaped or formed, tractable, pliable

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35
Q

mendacity/mendacious

A

“highly fictionalized “memoirs” in which the facts were few and the mendacities many”

the condition of being untruthful, dishonesty

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36
Q

meticulous

A

“he meticulously poured over every single detail”

characterized by extreme care and precision, attentive to detail

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37
Q

misanthrope/misanthropic

A

“a former misanthrope who now professes a newly discovered love of mankind”

one who hates all other humans

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38
Q

mitigate

A

“Emergency funds are being provided to help mitigate the effects of the disaster.”

to make or become less severe, intense, to moderate

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39
Q

obdurate

A

“He is known for his obdurate determination to do wrong in which no one can talk him out of”

unyielding, hardhearted, intractable

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40
Q

obsequious

A

“She’s constantly followed by obsequious assistants who will do anything she tells them to.”

exhibiting a fawning attentiveness

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41
Q

occlude

A

“the truck was occluding the road”

to obstruct or block

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42
Q

opprobrium

A

“They’re going ahead with the plan despite public opprobrium. that scorns the project”

disgrace, contempt, scorn

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43
Q

pedagogy

A

“modern pedagogy is not very effective at teaching children”

the profession or principles of teaching, or instructing

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44
Q

tractable

A

“he is a very tractable child, doing whatever his parents ask”

capable of being easily led, taught, or controlled

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45
Q

pedantic

A

“It may seem pedantic to harp on what looks like mere procedure, but this is one case where the process is the forest”

overly concerned with the trivial details of learning or education, show-offish about one’s knowledge

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46
Q

penury

A

“lived in a time when single women like herself faced a lifetime of genteel penury”

poverty, destitution

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47
Q

pervasive

A

“television’s pervasive influence on our culture affects everyone”

having the tendency to permeate or spread throughout

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48
Q

pine

A

“they still pined for their lost wealth wanting it back”

to yearn intensely, to languish, to lose vigor

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49
Q

pirate

A

“it is illegal to pirate movies”

to illegally use or reproduce

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50
Q

pith

A

“finally got to the pith of the discussion which was the most important part”

the essential or central part

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51
Q

pithy

A

“The critic gave the film a pithy review which was very short”

precise and brief

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52
Q

placate

A

“The administration placated protesters by agreeing to consider their demands which calmed them down”

to appease, to calm by making concessions

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53
Q

platitude

A

“His speech was filled with familiar platitudes about the value of hard work and dedication.”

a superficial remark, esp. one offered as meaningful

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54
Q

plummet

A

“The acrobat plummeted into the net.”

to plunge or drop straight down

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55
Q

polemical

A

“an polemical look at the supposed incompatibility between science and religion”

controversial, argumentative

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56
Q

prodigal

A

“he was prodigal with his money and wasted it all”

recklessly wasteful, extravagant, profuse, lavish

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57
Q

profuse

A

“He offered profuse apologies for being late. over and over again”

given or coming forth abundantly, extravagant

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58
Q

proliferate

A

“rumors about the incident proliferated on the Internet”

to grow or increase swiftly and abundantly

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59
Q

queries

A

“he made more queries and questions about it”

questions, inquiries, doubts in the mind, reservation

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60
Q

querulous

A

“car trips that were frequently spoiled by a couple of querulous passengers in the back because they complained the whole time”

prone to complaining or grumbling, peevish

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61
Q

rancorous/rancor

A

“a rancorous autobiography in which the author heaps blame on just about everyone who had the misfortune of knowing him”

characterized by bitter, long-lasting resentment

62
Q

recalcitrant

A

“the manager worried that the recalcitrant employee would try to undermine his authority”

obstinately defiant of authority, difficult to manage

63
Q

repudiate

A

“a generation that has repudiated the values of the past by ignoring them”

to refuse to have anything to do with, to disown

64
Q

rescind

A

“The navy rescinded its ban on women sailors and then allowed women to join the navy”

to invalidate, to repeal, to retract

65
Q

reverent/reverence

A

“a reverent crowd of worshipers loved Jesus”

marked by, feeling, or expressing a feeling of profound awe and respect

66
Q

rhetoric

A

“the mayor’s promise to fight drugs was just rhetoric, since there was no money in the city budget for a drug program”

the art or study of effective use of language for communication and persuasion

67
Q

salubrious

A

“fresh air and exercise are always salubrious and good for you”

promoting health or well-being

68
Q

solvent

A

””

able to meet financial obligations, able to dissolve another substance

69
Q

specious

A

“the specious argument of evolution”

seeming true, but actually being fallacious, misleadingly attractive, plausible but false

70
Q

spurious

A

“a spurious Picasso painting that wouldn’t have fooled an art expert for a second”

lacking authenticity or validity, false, counterfeit

71
Q

subpoena

A

“received a subpoena to appear as a witness for the prosecution”

a court order requiring appearance or testimony

72
Q

succinct

A

“a pocket guide that provides succinct explanations for rules of grammar and punctuation”

brief, concise

73
Q

superfluous

A

“cleared off all the superfluous stuff on his desk to make room for the necessary computer”

exceeding what is sufficient or necessary

74
Q

surfeit

A

“ended up with a surfeit of volunteers who simply got in each other’s way”

an overabundant supply, excess, to feed or supply to excess

75
Q

tenacity/tenacious

A

“If there is a particular tenacity in Islamist forms of terrorism today”

the quality of adherence or persistence to something valued, persistent determination

76
Q

genteel

A

“a person of genteel upbringing looks good on the outside”

of or relating to people who have high social status, pretending or trying to have the qualities and manners of people who have high social status

77
Q

tenuous

A

“the delusional person has a tenuous grasp on reality.”

having little substance or strength, flimsy, weak

78
Q

tirade

A

“the angry coach directed a tirade at the team after the loss.”

a long and extremely critical speech, a harsh denunciation

79
Q

transient

A

“had transient thoughts of suicide but never acted upon them because they never lasted very long”

fleeting, passing quickly, brief

80
Q

zealous/zealot

A

“The detective was zealous in her pursuit of the kidnappers. She would not give up until she found them”

fervent, ardent, impassioned, devoted to a cause

81
Q

acerbic

A

“whispered a steady stream of acerbic comments as the lecturer droned on on the sharp, bitter taste of acid”

having a sour or bitter taste or character, sharp, biting

82
Q

aggrandize

A

“a movie that aggrandizes the bad guys by increasing their power and prestige and makes the cops look like dopes by decreasing their influence”

to increase in intensity, power, influence or prestige

83
Q

alchemy

A

“the study of alchemy is all about turning metal into gold”

medieval science focusing on transmutation of metals and gold

84
Q

amenable

A

“whatever you decide to do, I’m amenable- I’ll agree to whatever”

agreeable, responsive to suggestion

85
Q

anachronism

A

“the new clock was an anachronism in the old room”

out of place in terms of historical or chronological order

86
Q

astringent

A

“he is a harsh, astringent critic of modern movies”
“the drug has an astringent effect on tissue by tightening the blood vessels”
having a tightening affect on living tissue, harsh, severe, something with a tightening effect on tissue

87
Q

contiguous

A

“Texas and Mexico are contiguous states.”

sharing a border, touching, adjacent

88
Q

convention

A

“the traditional modes of treatment are conventional”

a generally agreed-upon practice or attitude

89
Q

credulous/credulity

A

“they are too credulous because they never check the credentials before they believe someone”

tending to believe too readily, gullible

90
Q

cynicism/cynical

A

“he is so cynical towards good people”

an attitude of quality of belief that all people are motivated by selfishness

91
Q

decorum/decorous

A

“the young boy was praised for his decorous behavior”

polite or appropriate conduct or behavior

92
Q

derision/deride/derisive

A

“The team’s awful record has made it an object of derision in the league. Everyone makes fun of them”

scorn, ridicule, contemptuous treatment

93
Q

desiccate

A

“add a cup of desiccated coconut powder to the mix”

to dry out or dehydrate, to make dry or dull

94
Q

dilettante

A

“he writes about art not from the point of view of an artist but from that of a committed dilettante”

one with an amateurish or superficial interest in something

95
Q

disparage

A

“Voters don’t like political advertisements in which opponents disparage one another. by putting each other down”

to slight or belittle

96
Q

divulge

A

“I would like to divulge a secret to you”

to disclose something secret

97
Q

fawn

A

“a student who could not wait to fawn over the new teacher by sucking up”

to flatter or praise excessively

98
Q

flout

A

“Despite repeated warnings, they have continued to flout the law. and not care”

to show contempt for, as in a rule or convention

99
Q

garrulous

A

“the garrulous pirate talked to much”

pointlessly talkative, talking too much

100
Q

glib

A

“Politicians need to do more than provide glib answers to difficult questions by glossing over them”

marked by ease or informality, nonchalant, lacking in depth, superficial

101
Q

hubris

A

“His failure was brought on by his hubris; he always thought it was better than everyone else”

overbearing presumption or pride, arrogance

102
Q

imminent

A

“the imminent attack will com tomorrow”

about to happen, impending

103
Q

immutable

A

“one of the immutable laws of television is that low ratings inevitably lead to cancellation - that ever changes”

not capable of change

104
Q

impetuous

A

“He’s always been an impetuous young man, doing things without thinking”

hastily or rashly energetic, impulsive and vehement

105
Q

indifferent

A

“The movie was poorly received by an indifferent public who had no interest in the subject”

having no interest or concern, showing no bias or prejudice

106
Q

inimical

A

“received an inimical response rather than the anticipated support”

damaging, harmful, injurious

107
Q

intractable

A

“an intractable child who deliberately does the opposite of whatever he is told”

not easily managed or directed, stubborn, obstinate

108
Q

intrepid

A

“an intrepid explorer who probed parts of the rain forest never previously attempted by never giving up”

steadfast and courageous

109
Q

laconic

A

“He had a reputation for being laconic because he never talked”

using few words

110
Q

maverick

A

“there’s always one maverick who has to go his own way”

an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party

111
Q

mercurial

A

””
“the man on mercury had a mercurial mood that changed all the time”
characterized by rapid and unpredictable change in mood

112
Q

mollify

A

“All attempts to mollify the extremists have failed, they were noted calmed or soothed”

to calm or soothe, to reduce in emotional intensity

113
Q

neophyte

A

“neophytes are assigned an experienced church member to guide them through their first year”

a recent convert, a beginner, novice

114
Q

obfuscate

A

“politicians obfuscate things by making them unclear to the public”

to deliberately obscure, to make confusing

115
Q

obstinate

A

“his obstinate refusal to obey”

stubborn, hard-headed, uncompromising

116
Q

ostentatious

A

“the ostrich is ostentatious, always showing off to the lions”

characterized by or given to pretentious display, showy

117
Q

pervade/pervasive

A

“bad theology pervades the church”

to permeate throughout

118
Q

phlegmatic

A

“he showed no emotion in a strangely phlegmatic response to what should have been happy news”

calm, sluggish, unemotional

119
Q

plethora

A

“a plethora of knowledge on healthcare”

an overabundance, surplus

120
Q

pragmatic

A

“I’d like to be pragmatic and not go back to school at 60”

practical rather than idealistic

121
Q

presumptuous

A

“it’s a little presumptuous of you to assume that I’m your new best friend just because I invited you along”

overstepping due bounds, taking liberties

122
Q

pristine

A

“My office is a mess but her office is always pristine”

pure, uncorrupted, clean

123
Q

probity

A

“a person of indisputable probity must head the disciplinary pane because he is honest”

adherence to highest principles, complete and confirmed integrity, uprightness

124
Q

proclivity

A

“showed artistic proclivities at an early age”

a natural predisposition or inclination

125
Q

profligate/profligacy

A

“the prodigal son was profligate in his spending”

excessively wasteful, recklessly extravagant

126
Q

propensity

A

“He had a propensity for crime which was why he was always in jail”

a natural inclination or tendency, penchant

127
Q

prosaic

A

“He has a boring, prosaic writing style”

dull, lacking in spirit or imagination

128
Q

pungent

A

“the smell of the skunk was pungent”

characterized by a strong, sharp smell or taste

129
Q

quixotic

A

“They had quixotic dreams about the future that were never going to happen”

foolishly impractical, lofty romantic ideals

130
Q

quotidian

A

“plagued by a quotidian coughing fit, the result of years of smoking that happened everyday”

occurring or recurring daily, commonplace

131
Q

rarefy

A

“rarefy that stick of wood into a small stick”

to make or become thin, less dense, to refine

132
Q

recondite

A

“geochemistry is a recondite subject that is confusing”

hidden, concealed, difficult to understand, obscure

133
Q

refulgent

A

“the refulgence of a full moon on a clear autumn night”

radiant, shiny, brilliant

134
Q

renege

A

“They had promised to pay her tuition but later reneged”

to fail to honor a commitment, to go back on a promise

135
Q

sedulous

A

“an impressively sedulous suitor, he was constantly sending her flowers and other tokens of his affection”

diligent, persistent, hard-working

136
Q

shard

A

“there are shards of glass”

a piece of broken pottery or glass

137
Q

soporific

A

“the soporific effect of the train with Sophie sleeping”

causing drowsiness, tending to induce sleep

138
Q

sparse

A

“there are is a sparse amount of crops because of the famine”

thin, not dense, arranged at widely spaced intervals

139
Q

spendthrift

A

“the prodigal son was a spendthrift individual”

one who spends money wastefully

140
Q

subtle

A

“the subtle cues were hard to catch”

not obvious, elusive, difficult to discern

141
Q

tacit

A

“She felt that she had her parents’ tacit approval to borrow the car even though she didn’t ask”

implied, not explicitly stated

142
Q

terse

A

“She gave me a few terse instructions and promptly left the room”

brief and concise in wording

143
Q

tout

A

“The company is running advertisements touting the drug’s effectiveness.”

to publicly praise or promote

144
Q

trenchant

A

“a writer with a trenchant wit”

sharply perceptive, keen, penetrating

145
Q

unfeigned

A

“She looked at him with unfeigned admiration.”

genuine, not false or hypocritical

146
Q

untenable

A

“he is in an untenable condition - he can’t convince either side”

indefensible, not viable, uninhabitable

147
Q

vacillate

A

“he vacillated about buying the couch”

to waver indecisively between one course of action or opinion and another

148
Q

variegated

A

“the variegated costumes of the dancers in the nightclub were all different colors”

multicolored, characterized by a variety of patches of different colors

149
Q

vexation/vex

A

“the road block was an annoying vexation”

annoyance, irritation

150
Q

vigilant/vigilance

A

“he watched vigilantly- staying alert for signs of the enemy”

alertly watchful

151
Q

vituperate

A

“every week the minister would ascend the pulpit and vituperate the parishioners for a litany of vices”

to use harsh condemnatory language, to abuse or censure severely or abusively, to berate

152
Q

volatile/volatile

A

“his volatile mood is always changing”

readily changing to a vapor, changeable, fickle, explosive

GRE Vocab Words (11 decks)

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