Most Common GRE Words, Part 2 Flashcards
aesthete
noun: one who professes great sensitivity to the beauty of art and nature
A true aesthete, Marty would spend hours at the Guggenheim Museum, staring at the same Picasso.
aesthetic
apathetic
adjective: marked by a lack of interest
Mr. Thompson was so talented at teaching math that even normally apathetic students took interest.
audacious
adjective: willing to be bold in social situations or to take risks
As all of the other campers cowered in their tents, Bill, armed only with a flashlight, audaciously tracked down the bear that had raided their food.
banal
adjective: repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
The professor used such banal expression that many students in the class either fell asleep from boredom or stayed awake to complete his sentences and humor friends.
bucolic
adjective: relating to the pleasant aspects of the country
The noble families of England once owned vast expanses of beautiful, bucolic land.
chortle
verb: to chuckle, laugh merrily, often in a breathy, muffled way
Walking into the cafe, I could hear happy, chortling people and smell the rich aroma of roasted coffee beans.
concede
verb: acknowledge defeat
I concede. You win!
verb: admit (to a wrongdoing)
After a long, stern lecture from her father, Olivia conceded to having broken the window.
verb: give over; surrender or relinquish to the physical control of another
The Spanish were forced to concede much of the territory they had previously conquered.
conspicuous
adjective: without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious
Among the tall trees and flower fields, the building seemed out of place with its conspicuous, cold concrete and angular steel exterior.
cryptic
adjective: mysterious or vague, usually intentionally
Since Sarah did not want her husband to guess the Christmas present she had bought him, she only answered cryptically when he would ask her questions about it.
culminate
verb: reach the highest or most decisive point
Beethoven’s musical genius culminated in the 9th Symphony, which many consider his greatest work.
decorous
adjective: characterized by good taste in manners and conduct
Sally’s parties are decorous affairs, and instead of the usual beer and music, there is tea and intellectual conversation.
culpability
noun: a state of guilt
Since John had left his banana peel at the top of the stairwell, he accepted culpability for Martha’s broken leg.
deferential
adjective: showing respect
If you ever have the chance to meet the president, stand up straight and be deferential.
dictatorial
adjective: expecting unquestioning obedience; characteristic of an absolute ruler
The coach was dictatorial in his approach: no players could ever argue or question his approach.
didactic
adjective: instructive (especially excessively)
Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich is a didactic novel, instructing the reader on how to live a good life.
diffident
adjective: showing modest reserve; lacking self-confidence
As a young girl she was diffident and reserved, but now as an adult, she is confident and assertive.
dogmatic
adjective: highly opinionated, not accepting that one’s own beliefs may not be correct
Bryan is dogmatic in his belief that the earth is flat, claiming that all pictures of a spherical earth are computer generated.
eschew
verb: avoid and stay away from deliberately; stay clear of
Politicians are the masters of eschewing morals; academics are the masters of eschewing clarity.
engender
verb: give rise to
The restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles were so severe that they engendered deep hatred and resentment in the German people.
entrenched
adjective: fixed firmly or securely
By the time we reach 60-years old, most of our habits are so entrenched that it is difficult for us to change.
exacerbate
verb: make worse
Her sleeplessness exacerbated her cold–when she woke up the next day, her sinuses were completely blocked.
fortuitous
adjective: occurring by happy chance; having no cause or apparent cause
Missing my train turned out to be quite fortuitous since I ran into a childhood friend on the next train and we were able to reconnect after so many years.
frivolous
adjective: not serious in content or attitude or behavior
Compared to Juliet’s passionate concern for human rights, Jake’s non-stop concern about football seems somewhat frivolous.
gainsay
verb: deny or contradict; speak against or oppose
I can’t gainsay a single piece of evidence James has presented, but I still don’t trust his conclusion.
gall
noun: the trait of being rude and impertinent
The speeding car had the gall to switch five lanes at once, run through a red light, and then cut off a police car before finally coming to a stop in front of a sea of flashing red lights.
noun: feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will
In an act of gall, Leah sent compromising photos of her ex-boyfriend to all his co-workers and professional contacts.
verb: to strongly bother, vex, annoy, exasperate
I try to look for the best in Gwendolyn, but her bad attitude really galls me.
germane
adjective: relevant and appropriate
The professor wanted to tell the jury in detail about his new book, but the lawyer said it wasn’t germane to the charges in the cases.
glut
noun: an excessive supply
The Internet offers such a glut of news related stories that many find it difficult to know which story to read first.
verb: supply with an excess of
In the middle of economic crises, hiring managers find their inboxes glutted with resumes.
gossamer
adjective: characterized by unusual lightness and delicacy
The gossamer wings of a butterfly, which allow it to fly, are also a curse, so delicate that they are often damaged.
impudent
adjective: improperly forward or bold
In an impudent move, the defendant spoke out of order to say terribly insulting things to the judge.
inexorable
adjective: impossible to stop or prevent
The rise of the computer was an inexorable shift in technology and culture.
incisive
adjective: having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
The lawyer had an incisive mind, able in a flash to dissect a hopelessly tangled issue and isolate the essential laws at play.
lambast
verb: criticize severely or angrily
Showing no patience, the manager utterly lambasted the sales team that lost the big account.
mawkish
adjective: overly sentimental to the point that it is disgusting
The film was incredibly mawkish, introducing highly likeable characters only to have them succumb to a devastating illness by the end of the movie.
meticulous
adjective: marked by extreme care in treatment of details
The Japanese noodle maker was meticulous in making his noodles and would never let another person take over the task.
mitigate
verb: make less severe or harsh
I can only spend so much time mitigating your disagreements with your wife, and at certain point, you need to do it on your own.
verb: lessen the severity of an offense
If it weren’t for the mitigating circumstances, he would have certainly lost his job.
obscure
verb: make unclear
On the Smith’s drive through the Grand Canyon, Mr. Smith’s big head obscured much of Mrs. Robinson’s view, so that she only saw momentary patches of red rock.
adjective: known by only a few
Many of the biggest movie stars were once obscure actors who got only bit roles in long forgotten films.
This word has other definitions, but these are the most important ones to study.
platitude
noun: a trite or obvious remark
The professor argued that many statements regarded as wise in previous times, such as the Golden Rule, are now regarded as mere platitudes.
perfidy
noun: an act of deliberate betrayal; a breach of a trust
Sure, he was the best salesman in the company; but Michael had abused the trust of the firm, sharing product secrets with a competitor, and for such perfidy he was terminated.
preclude
verb: keep from happening or arising; make impossible
The manager specified that all other gates be locked, to preclude the possibility of persons without tickets entering the arena undetected.
predilection
noun: a strong liking
Monte had a predilection for the fine things in life: Cuban cigars, 200 dollar bottles of wine, and trips to the French Riviera.
prescience
noun: the power to foresee the future
Baxter’s warnings about investing in technology stocks seemed like an act of prescience after the whole market declined significantly.
querulous
adjective: habitually complaining
The querulous old woman was beginning to wear down even the happier members of the staff with her ceaseless complaining.
recondite
adjective: difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge
I found Ulysses recondite and never finished the book, waiting instead to read it with someone else so we could penetrate its meaning together.
reticent
adjective: disinclined to talk, not revealing one’s thoughts
When asked about her father, Helen lost her outward enthusiasm and became rather reticent
rustic
adjective: characteristic of rural life; awkwardly simple and provincial
The vacation cabin had no electricity and no indoor plumbing, but despite these inconveniences, Nigel adored its rustic charm.
superfluous
adjective: serving no useful purpose
How can we hope to stay open if we don’t eliminate all superfluous spending, like catered meetings and free acupuncture Tuesday?
adjective: more than is needed, desired, or required
The third paragraph in your essay is superfluous and can be deleted.
torpor
noun: inactivity resulting from lethargy and lack of vigor or energy
After work, I was expecting my colleagues to be enthusiastic about the outing, but I found them in a state of complete torpor.
vociferous
adjective: conspicuously and offensively loud; given to vehement outcry
In giving Marcia a particular vociferous response, Paul caused people at every other table in the restaurant to turn around and look at them angrily.
volubility
noun: the quality of talking or writing easily and continuously
The professor’s volubility knows no bounds; he could talk through a hurricane and elaborate a point from one St. Patrick’s Day to the next.
