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GRE vocab > M > Flashcards

M Flashcards

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1
Q

Myriad

A

Adj

Countless or extremely great in numbers:

The myriad lights of the city brighten the night.

Synonym: infinite; boundless

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2
Q

Mercurial

A

Adj

(Of a person) subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind:

His mercurial temperament caused him to lose yet another job.

Synonym: capricious; volatile

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3
Q

Mien

A

Noun

A person’s look or manner, especially one of particular kind indicating their character or mood:

He had a cautious, academic mien.

Synonym: aura, demeanor

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4
Q

Mollify

A

Verb

Appease the anger or anxiety of someone:

Regulator often force government backed firms to shrink to mollify rivals.

Synonym: placate; conciliate

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5
Q

Machination

A

Noun

Plot or scheme:

Tired of his enemies’ endless machinations to remove him from the throne, the king had them executed.

Synonym: collusion; conspiracy

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6
Q

Maelstrom

A

Noun

Whirlpool; turmoil; agitated state of mind:

The transportation system of the city had collapsed on the maelstrom of war.

Synonym: turbulence

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7
Q

Magnate

A

Noun

Powerful or influential person:

The entertainment magnate bought two cable TV stations to add to his collection of magazine and publishing houses.

Synonym: potentate; tycoon; luminary

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8
Q

Malediction

A

Noun

A curse, a wish of evil upon another:

The frog prince looked for a princess to kiss him and put an end to the witch’s malediction.

Synonym: anathema; imprecation

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9
Q

Malinger

A

Verb

To evade responsibility by pretending to be ill:

A common way to avoid the draft was by malingering.

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10
Q

Malleable

A

Adj

Capable of being shaped:

Gold is the most malleable of precious metals; it can easily be formed into most any shape.

Synonym: plastic; pliant

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11
Q

Mannered

A

Adj

Artificial or stilled in character:

The portrait is an example of the mannered style that was favored in that era.

Synonym: affected; ersatz; unnatural

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12
Q

Mar

A

Verb

To damage, deface; spoil:

Telephone poles mar the natural beauty of the countryside.

Synonym: blemish; disfigure; impair; injure; scar

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13
Q

Martinet

A

Noun

Strict disciplinarian; one who rigidly follows rules:

A complete martinet, the official insisted that Pete fill out all the forms again even though he was already familiar with his case.

Synonym: stickler

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14
Q

Maudlin

A

Adj

Overly sentimental:

The mother’s death should have been a touching scene, but the movie’s treatment of it was so maudlin that it made audience cringe.

Synonym: bathetic

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15
Q

Mendacious

A

Adj

Dishonest:

So many or her stories were mendacious that I decided she must be pathological liar.

Synonym: deceitful

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16
Q

Mendicant

A

Noun

Beggar:

“Can you spare a dime?”begged the mendicant as the businessman walked past.

Synonym: panhandler; pauper

17
Q

Meretricious

A

Adj

Gaudy; falsely attractive:

The casino’s meretricious decor horrified the cultivated interior designer.

Synonym: flashy; specious; tawdry

18
Q

Metaphor

A

Noun

Figure of speech comparing two different things

19
Q

Meticulous

A

Adj

Extremely careful, fastidious, painstaking

20
Q

Militate

A

Verb

To operate against, work against:

Lenin militated against tsar for years before he overthrew him and established the Soviet Union.

Synonym: influence

21
Q

Mirth

A

Noun

Frivolity, gaiety, laughter:

Lisa’s hilarious joke contributed to the general mirth at the dinner party.

Synonym: glee

22
Q

Misanthrope

A

Noun

A person who dislikes others:

The grinch was such a misanthrope that even the sight of children singing made him angry.

Synonym: curmudgeon

23
Q

Missive

A

Noun

A written note or letter:

Priscilla spent hours composing a romantic missive for Elvis.

Synonym: message

24
Q

Mitigate

A

Verb

To soften, to lessen:

A judge may mitigate a sentence if she decides that a person committed a crime out of need.

Synonym: alleviate; assuage; mollify; palliate; placate

25
Q

Mollify

A

Verb

To calm or make less severe:

Their argument was so intense that it was difficult to believe any compromise would mollify them.

Synonym: assuage; palliate; mitigate

26
Q

Molt

A

Verb

To shed hair, skin, or an outer layer periodically:

The snake molted its skin and left it behind in a crumpled mass.

Synonym: cast; defoliate; desquamate

27
Q

Monastic

A

Adj

Extremely plain or secluded, as in monastery:

The philosopher retired to his monastic lodgings to contemplate life free from any worldly distraction.

Synonym: austere

28
Q

Monotony

A

Noun

No variation, tediously the same:

The monotony of the sound of the dripping faucet almost drove the research assistant crazy.

Synonym: drone; tedium

29
Q

Mores

A

Noun

Fixed customs or manners; moral attitude:

In keeping with the mores of ancient roman society, Nero held a celebration every weekend.

Synonym: conventions; practices

30
Q

Multifarious

A

Adj

Diverse:

Ken opened the hotel room window, letting in the multifarious noises of the great city.

Synonym: assorted; heterogenous

31
Q

Myopic

A

Adj

Lacking foresight, having a narrow view or long-ranged perspective:

Not wanting to spend a lot of money up front, the myopic business owner would likely suffer the consequences later.

Synonym: short-sighted

32
Q

Milieu

A

Noun

surroundings, especially of a social or cultural nature:

His natural milieu is that of the arts.

Synonym: environment

33
Q

Malign

A

Adj

evil in nature or effect; malevolent:

She had a strong and malign influence.

Synonym: harmful; inimical; malignant

GRE vocab (27 decks)

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