Magoosh - common words III

Question 1

insidious

Answer 1

adjective: working in a subtle but destructive way

• Plaque is insidious: we cannot see it, but each day it eats away at our enamel, causing cavities and other dental problems.
• High blood pressure is an insidious condition which has few symptoms.

Question 2

ameliorate

Answer 2

verb: make something bad better

“Three Cups of Tea” tells the story of western man who hopes to ameliorate poverty and the lack of education in Afghanistan.

Question 3

travesty

Answer 3

noun: an absurd presentation of something; a mockery

What I expected to be an intelligent, nuanced historical documentary turned out to be a poorly-produced travesty of the form.

Question 4

jingoism

Answer 4

noun: fanatical patriotism

North Korea maintains intense control over its population through a combination of jingoism and cult of personality.

Question 5

treacherous

Answer 5

adjective: tending to betray

Even though Jesse James was an outlaw, his killer, Robert Ford, is remembered more for his treacherous actions than for eliminating a criminal and murderer.

adjective: dangerously unstable and unpredictable

The bridge built from twine and vine is treacherous to walk across, and so I think I will stay put right here.

Question 6

juxtapose

Answer 6

verb: place side by side for contrast

• The appeal of her paintings comes from a classical style which is juxtaposed with modern themes.
• The exhibition juxtaposes Picasso’s early drawings with some of his later works.

Question 7

precocious

Answer 7

adjective: characterized by or characteristic of exceptionally early development or maturity (especially in mental aptitude)

Though only seven years old, she was a precocious chess prodigy, able to beat players twice her age.

Question 8

incongruous

Answer 8

adjective: unusual or different from what is around or from what is generally happening:

• The new computer looked incongruous in the dark book-filled library.
  seem incongruous
• It seems incongruous to have a woman as the editor of a men’s magazine.

Question 9

ascetic

Answer 9

adjective: practicing self-denial

His ascetic life is the main reason he inspired so many followers, especially since he gave up wealth and power to live in poverty.

noun: one who practices great self-denial

Historically, ascetics like Gandhi are often considered wise men partially because of their restraint.

Question 9

guileless

Answer 9

adjective: free of deceit

At first I thought my niece was guileless, but I then found myself buying her ice cream every time we passed a shop.

Question 9

tantamount

Answer 9

adjective: being essentially equal to something

In many situations, remaining silent is tantamount to admitting guilt, so speak to prove your innocence.

Question 10

disaffected

Answer 10

adjective: discontented as toward authority

After watching his superior take rations from the soldiers, he quickly became disaffected and rebelled.

Question 11

haughty

Answer 11

adjective: having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy

The haughty manager didn’t believe that any of his subordinates could ever have an insight as brilliant as his own.

Question 12

elucidate

Answer 12

verb: make clearer and easier to understand

Youtube is great place to learn just about anything–an expert elucidates finer points so that even a complete novice can learn.

Question 13

supplant

Answer 13

verb: take the place or move into the position of

For many, a cell phone has supplanted a traditional phone; in fact, most 20-somethings don’t even have a traditional phone anymore.

Question 14

refractory

Answer 14

adjective: stubbornly resistant to authority or control

Used to studious high school students, Martha was unprepared for the refractory Kindergarteners who neither sat still nor listened to a single word she said.

Question 15

apathy

Answer 15

noun: an absence of emotion or enthusiasm

Widespread apathy among voters led to a very small turnout on election day.

Question 16

abstain

Answer 16

verb: choose not to consume or take part in (particularly something enjoyable)

Considered a health nut, Jessica abstained from anything containing sugar–even chocolate.

Question 16

vehement

Answer 16

adjective: marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions

While the other employees responded to the bad news in a measured way, Andrew responded in a vehement manner, tipping over his desk and shouting at the top of his lungs.

Question 16

mollify

Answer 16

verb: to make someone who is angry less angry; placate

In the morning, Janine was unable to mollify Harry, if he happened to become angry, unless he’d had his cup of coffee.

Question 17

magnanimous

Answer 17

adjective: noble and generous in spirit, especially towards a rival or someone less powerful

He was a great sportsman: in defeat he was complimentary and in victory he was magnanimous.

Question 17

panache

Answer 17

noun: distinctive and showy elegance

Jim, with his typical panache, came to the wedding reception with a top hat and cane.

Question 18

quotidian

Answer 18

adjective: found in the ordinary course of events

Phil gets so involved thinking about Aristotle’s arguments that he totally forgets quotidian concerns, such as exercising and eating regularly.

Question 19

negligible

Answer 19

adjective: so small as to be meaningless; insignificant

The GRE tests cumulative knowledge, so if you cram the night before it is, at best, likely to only have a negligible impact on your score.

Question 20

immutable

Answer 20

adjective: not able to be changed

Taxes are one of the immutable laws of the land, so there is no use arguing about paying them.

Question 21

staunch

Answer 21

adjective: firm and dependable especially in loyalty

No longer a staunch supporter of the movement, Todd now will openly question whether its goals are worthwhile.

Question 22

delineate

Answer 22

verb: describe in detail

After a brief summary of proper swimming technique, the coach delineated the specifics of each stroke, spending 30 minutes alone on the backstroke.

Question 23

tenacious

Answer 23

adjective: stubbornly unyielding

Even the most tenacious advocates for gun ownership must admit some of the dangers that firearms present.

Question 24

denote

Answer 24

verb: be a sign or indication of; have as a meaning

Even if the text is not visible, the red octagon denotes “stop” to all motorists in America.

Question 25

circumvent

Answer 25

verb: cleverly find a way out of one’s duties or obligations

One way of circumventing the GRE is to apply to a grad school that does not require GRE scores.

Question 26

contrive

Answer 26

verb: 1) to pull off a plan or scheme, usually through skill or trickery
2) to invent and/or make a device or other object in a clever and possibly unusual way:

• Despite a low GPA, he contrived to get into college, going so far as to write his own glowing letters of recommendation.
• Do you think you could contrive something for hanging my clothes on until the new closet is ready?

Question 27

unequivocal

Answer 27

adjective: admitting of no doubt or misunderstanding; having only one meaning or interpretation and leading to only one conclusion

The President’s first statement on the subject was vague and open to competing interpretations, so when he spoke to Congress about the same subject later, he was careful to make his position completely unequivocal.

Question 28

belligerent

Answer 28

adjective: wishing to fight or argue

Tom said that he was arguing the matter purely for philosophical reasons, but his belligerent tone indicated an underlying anger about the issue.

Question 28

forlorn

Answer 28

adjective: marked by or showing hopelessness

After her third pet dog died, Marcia was simply forlorn: this time even the possibility of buying a new dog no longer held any joy.

Question 29

derive

Answer 29

verb: come from; be connected by a relationship of blood, for example

Many words in the English language are derived from Latin, including the word “derive.”

verb: reason by deduction; establish by deduction

From the multiple set of footprints in the living room, the investigator derived an important clue: Sheila was not alone in the room at the time of the murder.

Question 30

itinerant

Answer 30

adjective: traveling from place to place to work

Doctors used to be itinerant, traveling between patients’ homes.

noun: a person who travels from one place to another, usually to work
- He lived as an itinerant, earning or begging his bread as he went.

Question 31

eclectic

Answer 31

adjective: comprised of a variety of styles

Malala was known for her eclectic tastes in music, one moment dancing to disco the next “air conducting” along to Beethoven’s 9th symphony.

Question 32

rudimentary

Answer 32

adjective: being in the earliest stages of development; being or involving basic facts or principles

I would love to be able to present a fully polished proposal to the board, but right now, our plans for the product are still in the most rudimentary stages.

Question 33

ephemeral

Answer 33

adjective: lasting a very short time

The lifespan of a mayfly is ephemeral, lasting from a few hours to a couple of days.

Question 34

spurious

Answer 34

adjective: plausible but false

When listening to a politician speak, it is hard to distinguish the spurious claims from the authentic ones.

Question 34

derivative

Answer 34

adjective: not original but drawing strongly on something already in existence, especially in reference to a creative product (e.g. music, writing, poetry etc.).

Because the movies were utterly derivative of other popular movies, they did well at the box office.

Question 35

subsume

Answer 35

verb: contain or include

• The rogue wave quickly subsumed the pier and boardwalk, destroying everything in its path.
• Soldiers from many different countries have been subsumed into the United Nations peace-keeping force.

verb: consider (an instance of something) as part of a general rule or principle

Don Quixote of La Mancha subsumes all other modern novels, demonstrating modern literary devices and predating even the idea of a postmodern, metanarrative.

Question 36

jubilant

Answer 36

adjective: full of high-spirited delight because of triumph or success

My hardwork paid off, and I was jubilant to receive a perfect score on the GRE.

Question 37

frustrate

Answer 37

verb: hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of

I thought I would finish writing the paper by lunchtime, but a number of urgent interruptions served to frustrate my plan.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

verb: to make someone feel annoyed or less confident because they cannot achieve what they want:

Question 38

heretic

Answer 38

noun: a person who holds unorthodox opinions in any field (not merely religion)

Though everybody at the gym told Mikey to do cardio before weights, Mikey was a heretic and always did the reverse.

Question 39

fallacious

Answer 39

adjective: of a belief that is based on faulty reasoning

• The widespread belief that Inuit have forty different words for “snow” has been considered fallacious, based on a single report by Anthropologist Franz Boas.
• His argument is based on fallacious reasoning.

Question 40

languid

Answer 40

adjective: not inclined towards physical exertion or effort; slow and relaxed

As the sun beat down and the temperature climbed higher, we spent a languid week lying around the house.

Question 40

avaricious

Answer 40

adjective: excessively greedy

Since avaricious desire is similar to gluttony or lust–sins of excess–it was listed as one of the seven deadly sins by the Catholic church.

Question 41

vilify

Answer 41

verb: spread negative information about

Todd was noble after the divorce, choosing to say only complimentary things about Barbara, but Barbara did not hesitate to vilify Todd.

Question 42

eminent

Answer 42

adjective: standing above others in quality or position

Shakespeare is an eminent author in the English language, but I find his writing uninteresting and melodramatic.