Manhattan vocab 1 (w/ details) Flashcards
formidable
inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large, powerful, intense, or capable
dolorous
Extremely sorrowful; causing or expressing great sadness or mourning
prolix
excessively wordy; tediously lengthy; too long or drawn out
Intransigent
Unwilling to change one’s view or to agree about something
GRE instructor: stubborn, stuck, unmoving
Impetuous
- Impulsive; liable to make decisions without forethought
- Moving forcefully or rapidly, characterized by forceful motion
Opportunism
The tendency to seek advantage, likely in an unethical, unscrupulous fashion
Ruthlessly taking advantage of opportunities for one’s own greedy interest
Suffix:
_____(ism)
Suffix usually indicates the dark side of a neutral word – sexism, racism, opportunism
Inimical
- Vehemently opposed to something, often in an angry or ill-willed fashion
- Hostile; inclined toward enmity
lugubrious
Mournful or dark in an exaggerated way; exceptionally grim
vituperative
Highly critical (bitter), often in an abuse way
acerbic
- Sharp, sarcastic, biting
- Tasting sour or bitter
Plausibility
The condition of being believable or possible; appearing reasonable or true
GRE instructor: Somewhere between probability (likely to be true) and possibility (could be true). Plausibility: believable.
Disaffection
Loss of interesting, feeling, or loyalty. Estrangement.
Suffix: Dis___
The opposite of something (negative)
Quotidian
- Occurring on a daily basis
- Mundane; ordinary
- Everyday
Serendipitous
Characterized by chance, luck, or good fortune
Disconsolate
- Unable to be cheered up or soothed; despondent
- Gloomy; causing unhappiness
Without console (comfort someone)
Dispassionately
Objectively; without emotional attachment
Attenuation
- The act of stretching out, making thinner; the state of being stretched, thinned out
- (Biology) The process by which an infectious organism, bacteria, or virus becomes less harmful
- (Physics) A decrease in energy or other property of a wave or particle as it disperses or scatters
Frugality
The state or act of being thrifty; conserving money or resources in a careful manner
Important: Not JUST about money
Perfunctory
- Merely routine; done only on a surface level
- Lacking in excitement; with minimum engagement
Restive
- Restless; uneasy
- Resisting outside control; stubborn
Immutable
Unchanging; fixed; cannot be altered
Pithy
Strongly worded; memorable; to the point
Prosaic
- Mundane, ordinary
- With the characteristic of prose writing, as opposed to poetry. Often in the sense of being pedestrian and lacking in animation or imagination.
It often implies a lack of poetic or artistic qualities.
Happenstance
Chance occurrence or circumstance
Duplicitous
Lying; purposefully deceptive
Solicitous
- Concerned, in an earnest, conscientious way
- Concerned, in an anxious, fearful way
- Extremely careful and precise