More GRE Words Flashcards
savor
enjoy, have a distinct flavor, smell or quality
caustic
burning, sarcastically biting
“the critic’s caustic remarks angered the hapless actors who were the subjects of his sarcasm.”
solicitous
worried, concerned
“the employer was very solicitous about the health of her employees”
perjury
false testimony while under oath
“Orange is the New Black committed perjury”
frugality
thrift, economy
“in hard times, anyone who doesn’t practice frugality risks bankruptcy”
tractable
docile, easily managed
“although Susan seemed a tractable young woman, she had a stubborn streak of independence”
mitigate
lessen in intensity, moderate, appease
“using solar power may help to mitigate global warming”
admonish
warn, reprove
“I admonish you not to go down there”
tangential
peripheral, only slightly connected, digressing
“the tangential ideas didn’t make much sense”
loquacious
talkative
“though our daughter barely speaks to us, she is very loquacious with her friends”
ephemeral
short-lived, fleeting
“the mayfly is an ephemeral creature, its adult life lasts little more than a day”
implicit
understood but not state
“Jack never told Jill he loved her, he believed his love was implicit”
distention/distend
the act of distending or state of being distended (expand, swell out)
“I can tell when he is under stress by the way the veins distend on his forehead”
amalgamate
combine, unite in one body
“the unions will attempt to amalgamate their groups into one national body”
nonplussed
to bring to a halt by confusion, perplex
“Jack’s uncharacteristic rudeness nonplussed Jill, leaving her uncertain how to react”
inured
accustomed, hardened
“she became inured to the Alaskan cold”
ostracism
ostracize, exclude from public favor, ban
“in those days, unmarried mothers suffered ostracism”
capricious
unpredictable, fickle
“the storm was capricious, it changed course constantly”
onerous
burdensome
“she asked for an assistant because her work load was too onerous”
stratagem
cleverly contrived, trick or scheme for gaining an end
euphemism
mild expression in place of an unpleasant one
“the expression ‘he passed away’ is a euphemism for ‘he died’”
enervate
weaken
“she was slow to recover from her illness, even a short walk enervated her”
pedantic
showing off learning, bookish, narrow focus on learning, ostentatiously learned
“the minor inaccuracies will stir only the pedantic”
eclectic (2)
(1) selective
(2) diverse
probity
uprightness, incorruptibility
“the defense attorney questioned the probity of the witness”
goad
urge on
“she was goaded by her friends until she yielded to their wishes”
vitiate
to make faulty of defective
“luxury vitiates even the most principled person”
approbation
approval
“wanting her parents’ regard, she looked for some sign of their approbation”
calibrate
to ascertain the caliber of, to determine, rectify, or mark the graduations of, to adjust precisely
“they carefully calibrated the dosage of the medicine”
porous
full of pores, like a sieve
membrane
a thin sheet or layer; especially : a thin sheet or layer of tissue that is part of a plant or an animal’s body
unfeigned
genuine, real
“she turned so pale that I am sure her surprise was unfeigned”
prone (2)
(1) inclined
“she was prone to sudden fits of anger during which she would lie prone on the floor screaming”
(2) prostrate
anomalous/anomaly
abnormal, irregular
“she was placed in the anomalous position of seeming to approve procedures that she despised”
secrete
hide away or cache, produce & release a substance into an organism
“the pancreas secretes insulin in the islets of Langerhans”
commensurate
corresponding in extent, degree, amount, etc. proportionate “commensurate with experience”
equal in measure or extent : coextensive
: corresponding in size, extent, amount, or degree : proportionate
belie
contradict, give a false impression
“his coarse, hard-bitten exterior belied his innate sensitivity”
ebullient
showing liveliness and enthusiasm
candor
frankness, open honestly
diffuse
“if you pay authors by the word you tempt them to produce diffuse manuscripts”
wordy, rambling, spread out (like gas)
ingenuity
“she showed amazing ingenuity in finding ways to cut costs”
a skill or cleverness in devising or combining, inventiveness
unfettered
“chained to the wall for months, the hostage despaired he would never be unfettered”
liberated, freed from chains