Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Barron's GRE Verbal Workbook > M > Flashcards

M Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
GRE® Vocabulary flashcards GRE® Psychology flashcards
1
Q

macabre

A

adj. grim and horrible

The film was too macabre for my taste.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Machiavellian

A

adj. crafty; double-dealing

The country’s leader proceeds on the assumption that other leaders are as Machiavellian as he is.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

machinations

A

n. plots or schemes

The novel describes the machinations behind the merger of the two companies.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

macrocosm

A

n. the universe

Both the hexagram and the Rose Cross are traditional symbols of the macrocosm.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

maelstrom

A

n. whirlpool; turmoil

The civilians were sucked into the maelstrom of war.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

magisterial

A

adj. authoritative

The book is a magisterial analysis of Hamlet.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

magnanimous

A

adj. generous, noble

Our team was magnanimous in victory.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

magnate

A

n. powerful person

The business magnate owns his own airplane.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

magnitude

A

n. extent, greatness of size

We didn’t realize the magnitude of the problem until it was too late to do anything about it.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

magnum opus

A

n. the greatest single work of a writer, composer, or artist

The professor’s magnum opus is the five-volume An Economic History of Europe.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

maladroit

A

adj. clumsy, tactless

The maladroit play of the basketball team means it’s headed for a losing season.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

malady

A

n. illness

A cure for the malady has not been found.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

malaise

A

n. feeling of discomfort; general sense of depression

A malaise has descended on the country.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

malapropism

A

n. humorous misuse of a word

The audience burst into laughter on hearing the speaker’s malapropism.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

malcontent

A

n. discontented person

The principal appealed to the malcontents among the students to improve their attitude.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

malediction

A

n. curse

The witch uttered a malediction.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

malefactor

A

n. doer of evil

We identified the malefactor by his guilty look.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

malevolent

A

adj. causing evil

Early humans seemed to have believed in the existence of malevolent spirits.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

malfeasance

A

n. misconduct

Several incidents of malfeasance are being investigated by the police.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

malice

A

n. animosity, hatred

The soldier feels no malice for his enemy.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

malicious

A

ad. full of animosity and hatred

The malicious soldiers tortured their captives.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

malgin

A

adj. evil

The church teaches that there are malign supernatural forces at work in the world.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

malign

A

v. to speak evil of

Don’t malign him behind his back.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

malinger

A

v. to feign illness to escape duty

The soldier was accused of malingering.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

malleable

A

adj. capable of being shaped; impressionable

Confucius believed that human nature is fairly malleable.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

mandate

A

n. authoritative command

The election is a mandate for change.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

mandatory

A

adj. required, necessary

Voting is mandatory in some countries.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

Manichaeism

A

n. a dualistic religious philosophy taught by the Persian prophet Manes

Manichaeism was one of the major Iranian Gnostic religions.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

manifest (adj.)

A

adj. obvious

The reasons for his choice are manifest.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

manifest (v.)

A

v. to occur in reality; make evident

The unusual symptoms manifested early in her pregnancy.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

manifestation

A

n. occurrence in reality

The symptoms are the first manifestation of the illness.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

manifold

A

adj. diverse, comprised of many parts

The newly proposed bill would benefit citizens in manifold ways.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

manna

A

n. spiritual nourishment

The holy man’s writings are manna for his followers.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

manumission

A

n. freedom from slavery

The manumission of the slaves was slow in that state.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

martial

A

adj. warlike

The army trains recruits in the martial arts.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

martinet

A

n. strict disciplinarian

The teacher was considered a martinet.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

masochist

A

n. one who enjoys pain

Herb is not enough of a masochist to take a job teaching incorrigible criminals.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

matriarchy

A

n. a family or community governed by women

Few societies in history have been matriarchies.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
39
Q

matriculate

A

v. to enroll in a college

Which university do you plan to matriculate at?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
40
Q

matrilineal

A

ad. tracing ancestry through the mother’s line

Susan is researching matrilineal societies for her sociology paper.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
41
Q

maudlin

A

adj. overly sentimental

The maudlin movie brought tears to many eyes.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
42
Q

maven

A

n. an expert

The newspaper’s editor-in-chief is considered a language maven.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
43
Q

maverick

A

n. dissenter

We tried to persuade the maverick that his view was mistaken.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
44
Q

mawkish

A

adj. very sentimental

The story is a bit mawkish for my taste.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
45
Q

maxim

A

n. a concise statement of a fundamental principle

“Never do to others what you would not like them to do to you” is a well-known maxim.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
46
Q

mea culpa

A

n. an admission of a personal fault or mistake

The CEO’s mea culpa included an apology to customers who had been adversely affected by the company’s mistake.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
47
Q

meager

A

adj. scanty; inadequate

We can’t survive on such meager rations.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
48
Q

meandering

A

adj. winding back and forth, rambling

We rode down a meandering stream.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
49
Q

medieval

A

adj. pertaining to the middle ages

Sarah is majoring in medieval studies at the university.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
50
Q

meditation

A

n. reflection; thought

After some meditation on the issue, I realized that my view was mistaken.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
51
Q

medley

A

n. mixture

The concert featured a medley of popular songs from the 1960s.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
52
Q

megalith

A

n. huge stone used in prehistoric structures

Ten megaliths were discovered on the island.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
53
Q

megalomania

A

n. delusions of power or importance

In the grip of megalomania, the country’s leader ordered the invasion of the much more powerful neighboring country.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
54
Q

melancholy

A

adj. sad, depressed

The mood was melancholy after the tragedy was announced.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
55
Q

mélange

A

n. mixture

The soup is a mélange of ingredients.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
56
Q

menagerie

A

n. a variety of animals kept together

Mr. Smith has a menagerie in his backyard.

57
Q

mendacious

A

adj. dishonest

The mendacious shop keeper was reported in the newspaper.

58
Q

mendicant

A

n. beggar

The mendicants went from house to house asking for food.

59
Q

mentor

A

n. wise advisor

The president listened closely to his mentor’s advice.

60
Q

mercenary (n.)

A

n. soldier hired for battle

The army was composed mainly of mercenaries.

61
Q

mercenary (adj.)

A

adj. greedy

I suspect that his motives are largely mercenary.

62
Q

mercurial

A

adj. quick, unpredictable

Jim’s moods are mercurial.

63
Q

meretricious

A

adj. gaudy; plausible but false; specious

We rejected the argument as meretricious.

64
Q

meridian

A

n. imaginary circle that passes through the North and South Pole

The meridian passes through the poles at right angles to the equator.

65
Q

meritocratic

A

adj. relating to a system in which advancement is based on achievement

Free market economies tend to be meritocratic.

66
Q

meritorious

A

adj. deserving praise

The nurse’s dedication to her patients is meritorious.

67
Q

mesmerize

A

v. hypnotize

The continuous movement of the windshield wipers nearly mesmerized the driver.

68
Q

metamorphose

A

v. to change, transform

The small town has metamorphosed into a city over the past fifty years.

69
Q

metamorphosis

A

n. change, transformation

Our town has undergone a metamorphosis over the last fifty years.

70
Q

metaphor

A

n. figure of speech that compares two different things

The English teacher pointed out the metaphor in the first paragraph of the story.

71
Q

metaphysic

A

n. an underlying philosophical or theoretical principle

The book proposes a new metaphysic of literary criticism.

72
Q

metaphysical

A

adj. pertaining to speculative philosophy

Metaphysical issues lie outside the field of science.

73
Q

metaphysics

A

n. speculative philosophy about the nature of reality

The conclusion in the area of metaphysics reached by the British philosopher John McTaggart is that the world is composed of nothing but souls, each soul related to one or more of the others by love.

74
Q

meteorological

A

adj. concerned with the weather

Tim wants to pursue a career in meteorological science.

75
Q

methodology

A

n. a particular procedure or set of procedures

Perhaps you used the wrong methodology to try to solve the problem.

76
Q

meticulous

A

adj. very careful; fastidious

Meticulous planning went into the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

77
Q

mettle

A

n. courage, endurance

The battle tested the soldiers’ mettle.

78
Q

mettlesome

A

adj. full of courage and fortitude; spirited

The general is proud of his mettlesome soldiers.

79
Q

microcosm

A

n., a small system having analogies to a larger system; small world

The principal told the students that the school was a microcosm of the larger world.

80
Q

milieu

A

n. environment; surroundings

Social realist novelists describe the milieu of a society.

81
Q

militant

A

adj. combative; bellicose

Militant members of the party argued for stronger measure.

82
Q

militate

A

v. to work against

Several unlucky events militated against his rising to stardom.

83
Q

millennium

A

n. a span of one thousand years; a hoped for period of joy, justice, and prosperity

Let’s hope that his millennium is more peaceful that the last one.

84
Q

minatory

A

adj. threatening; menacing

The stranger’s minatory gestures alarmed the woman.

85
Q

minuscule

A

adj. very small

The critic described the film as “artless comedy shot on a minuscule budget.”

86
Q

minute

A

adj. very small

Elementary particles are minute.

87
Q

minutia

A

n. petty details

Sally enjoys the minutia of office work.

88
Q

mirth

A

n. gaiety

The party was an occasion of great mirth.

89
Q

misanthropy

A

n. hatred of humanity

The travelers avoided visiting the village because its inhabitants had a reputation for misanthropy.

90
Q

misapprehension

A

n. a misunderstanding

Laura is under the misapprehension that she’s one of the world’s great poets.

91
Q

miscellany

A

n. mixture of writings on various subjects

The volume is a miscellany of sports writing.

92
Q

misconstrue

A

v. to misunderstand

The student deliberately misconstrued what the teacher said.

93
Q

miscreant

A

n. villain; criminal

The new mayor has vowed to use the full power of the law to go after the miscreants.

94
Q

misdemeanor

A

n. a misdeed

He was fired for a misdemeanor.

95
Q

miserly

A

adj. stingy, mean

The prisoners receive a miserly amount of food every day.

96
Q

misgiving

A

n. doubt, sense of foreboding

We had some misgivings about taking such a difficult course.

97
Q

misnomer

A

n. incorrect name

Korean jade is a misnomer for serpentine.

98
Q

misogynist

A

adj. characterized by a hatred of women

To some people all-male clubs reflect misogynist sttitudes.

99
Q

missive

A

n., letter

I’ve received your missive.

100
Q

mitigating

A

adj. causing to become less harsh, severe, or painful; alleviating

The judge considered the mitigating circumstances in the case.

101
Q

mnemonic

A

adj. related to memory; assisting memory

Try using mnemonic devices to remember difficult words.

102
Q

modicum

A

n. limited quantity

There is not even a modicum of truth in his story about the lost term paper.

103
Q

modus operandi

A

n. a method of operating or proceeding

The company’s modus operandi is to identify potential rivals early and drive them out of business.

104
Q

mollify

A

v. to soothe

The manager mollified the angry customer.

105
Q

momentous

A

adj. very important

July 4, 1776, is a momentous date in American history.

106
Q

monarchy

A

n. government by a monarch; a state ruled by a monarch

The country’s monarchy was established in 1415.

107
Q

monastic

A

adj. relating to monks or monasteries; removed from worldly concerns

Hugh led an almost monastic existence.

108
Q

monism

A

n., philosophical belief that reality is comprised of one fundamental substance

By the term “neutral monism” modern philosophers mean the view that the physical and the mental can both be reduced to a third substance.

109
Q

monochromatic

A

adj. having one color

This novel portrays a monochromatic view of life.

110
Q

monogamy

A

n. marriage to one person at a time

In some cultures monogamy is considered abnormal.

111
Q

monolithic

A

adj. solid and uniform; constituting a single, unified whole

The monolithic structure was built centuries ago by the original inhabitants of that island.

112
Q

monologue

A

n. speech performed by one actor

The monologue lasted for five minutes.

113
Q

montage

A

n. composite picture

The montage portrays life in different periods of history.

114
Q

moot

A

adj. debatable, previously decided

The point is moot, so let’s not waste time debating it.

115
Q

moratorium

A

n. an authorized delay of a specific activity

The nation agreed to a moratorium on testing biological weapons.

116
Q

morbid

A

adj. gruesome, unhealthily gloomy

Let’s not dwell on the morbid details.

117
Q

mordant

A

adj. bitingly sarcastic

The comedian’s mordant humor appeals to some people but not others.

118
Q

mores

A

n. customs

Mores vary from culture to culture.

119
Q

moribund

A

adj. dying

Scientists are studying the moribund culture.

120
Q

morose

A

adj. ill-humored; sullen

Preparing to surrender, the general was morose.

121
Q

morphology

A

n. the form and structure of an organism

Dr. Cutler is an expert on the morphology of ants.

122
Q

mosaic

A

adj. relating to a design made up of small piece of various colors

Mosaic materials and techniques is the topic of today’s lecture.

123
Q

mote

A

n. tiny particle

Tom has a mote in his eye.

124
Q

motif

A

n. a main theme for development; a repeated figure

There are three motifs in this novel.

125
Q

motley

A

adj. many colored, made up of many parts

The association was a motley collection.

126
Q

multifaceted

A

adj. made up of many parts

The problem is multifaceted.

127
Q

multifarious

A

adj. diverse

Science attempts to make sense of multifarious phenomena.

128
Q

multiplicity

A

n. state of being numerous

There is a multiplicity of explanations for the origin of the world.

129
Q

mundane

A

adj. worldly as opposed to spiritual; concerned with the ordinary

The priest has little interest in mundane concerns.

130
Q

munificent

A

adj. generous

The library thanked the munificent donor for his large donation.

131
Q

muse

A

v. to consider something at length; ponder

Amber mused about which of the men she should go out with.

132
Q

mutability

A

n. changeability

The mutability of the weather is a common topic of conversation.

133
Q

mutable

A

adj. changeable

The astrological sign Gemini is called “mutable” because it occurs as spring changes into summer.

134
Q

mutation

A

n. significant genetic change

The mutation caused a birth defect.

135
Q

muted

A

adj. silent; toned down

The atmosphere was muted.

136
Q

myopic

A

dj. near-sighted, unable to anticipate events

The myopic adviser had no idea of the great changes to come.

137
Q

myriad

A

adj. of a large number or multitude

The child is trying to count the myriad grains of sand on the beach.

138
Q

mystic

A

n. a person who undergoes profound spiritual experiences

The mystic recorded his experiences in a diary.

139
Q

mystical

A

adj. stemming from direct communion with ultimate reality or God

The psychologist is studying mystical experiences.

Barron's GRE Verbal Workbook (26 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions