NEW GRE CONTEXTUAL VOCABULARY Flashcards

Question

prone

Answer 1

likely to She was PRONE to experiencing headaches whenever her level of stress was high.

Answer 2

determined; unhesitating In private, the congresswoman seemed uncertain about how to address the budget crisis, but once the cameras were rolling she became more RESOLUTE.

Answer 3

relieve; make easier The aspirin that Lin took failed to ALLEVIATE the pain from her knee injury.

Answer 4

ineffective; useless As he scrubbed the wall, Kevin realized that any attempts to prevent tiny chips of paint from flaking off would be FUTILE.

Answer 5

overly talkative Although ordinarily a man of few words, Quinton became quite GARRULOUS once he began discussing a topic that interested him.

Answer 6

sociable Because Johannes is so GREGARIOUS, he seeks a job in which he would have many opportunities to interact with people.

Answer 7

dangerous Attempting to walk across a busy freeway ay night is PERILOUS, no matter how carefully one proceeds.

Answer 8

often complaining Due to his QUERULOUS nature, Juan found fault with all of the solutions i proposed for his computer problem.

Answer 9

completely fill; soak The moment she walked into the room, her perfume began to SATURATE the air.

Answer 10

not talkative; reserved The eyewitness did not provide many details about the crime, in part because she was so TACITURN.

Answer 11

intoxicated; infatuated After spending most of the day relaxing at the beach and drinking margaritas, the man was so BESOTTED with alcohol and sun he could barely find the way back to his hotel room.

Answer 12

commemorative text on tombstone or monument The EPITAPH on the gravestone indicated that Smith ahd been a prominent social activist in her day.

Answer 13

anger over injustice Because they felt that the mayor had been dishonest, the city council addressed him with considerable INDIGNATION.

Answer 14

cut irregularly; slash The stunt man took precautions so that he would not LACERATE his skin when he leapt through the plate glass window.

Answer 15

freedom Freedom of speech does not give citizens the LIBERTY to say anything they want to say in every possible situation.

Answer 16

monetary; related to money As a corporate attorney, one of her responsibilities was to protect her company's PECUNIARY interests.

Answer 17

sleep-producing Reading late at night has a SOPORIFIC effect on some people, as it helps them fall right to sleep.

Answer 18

emotionlessness When the ship grazed the iceberg, the captain's STOLIDITY helped keep the crew from becoming overly panicked.

Answer 19

listlessness; inactivity The misician was so late to his own concert that a general TORPOR had settled over the audince well before he took the stage.

Answer 20

playful; impulsive Karima's sudden decision to paint her room lavender was one of her more WHIMSICAL ideas.

Answer 21

punishment; scolding His crimes call for more CHASTISEMENT than I have the energy to deliver.

Answer 22

thing that resembles, duplicates, or complements another I suspect that the vice president in my company makes very little money as compared to her COUNTERPART in your company.

Answer 23

unconventional behavior Nia's most noticeable ECCENTRICITY is her choice of hair color - orange on one side of her head, blue on the other.

Answer 24

inherited; ancestral Melanie's hearing loss was not due to accident or illness; rather, it was HEREDITARY

Answer 25

likely; having a preference I work hard for my money, and so I'm not INCLINED to spend it freely.

Answer 26

with humor Though the recent firings were a serious matter, the employees in Wilma's unit treated the topic of their job security JOCOSELY.

Answer 27

deeply respectful Having studied and written about the visual arts for many years, Dwayne had a REVERENT attitude toward genuises such as Picasso.

Answer 28

well-reasoned; convincing She persuaded me to think her way because her arguments were so COGENT and clear.

Answer 29

masterful; complete Alice is a CONSUMMATE chef, capable of creating not only delicious entrees but also appetizers, side dishes, and desserts.

Answer 30

gullibility The Jenkins family was easily swindled by the con man due to their CREDULOUSNESS.

Answer 31

correct a mistaken belief Someone should gently DISABUSE Mike of his belief that he will be a professional basketball player someday, he is too small and too slow.

Answer 32

deceive; create false impression Tell me what happened; you don't need to DISSEMBLE anymore.

Answer 33

passionate Kyle is a FERVID writer; sometimes he will work on an essay for three or four hours straight without moving from his desk.

Answer 34

talkative Although he was an eloquent speaker, Jones also tended to be LOQUACIOUS, and so his speeches often ran longer than scheduled.

Answer 35

lying She accused my brother of PREVARICATION, but in fact he had made an honest mistake.

Answer 36

false Because the Senator had never been to Florida, the claim that he had been arrested once in Miami was completely SPURIOUS.

Answer 37

diligently; persistently Richard studied ASSIDUOUSLY that night so that he wouldn't fail his history test next morning.

Answer 38

incompetent; awkward Trey guessed that the plumber was INEPT, because when he got home he saw that his basement was knee-deep in water.

Answer 39

burdensome Reading this chapter in my calculus book is such an ONEROUS task!

Answer 40

impossible to attack; unalterable The attorney's closing statement swayed the jury in her client's favor; she spoke with passion, and her logic was UNASSAILABLE.

Answer 41

not discouraged; resolute She continued to drive toward Anchorage, UNDAUNTED by the blizzard that was raging outside the car.

Answer 42

cowardly I'll never know the identity of the CRAVEN person who left an insulting note on my desk but wasn't brave enough to sign it.

Answer 43

a tribute; a formal expression of praise After her father passed away, Reika prepared an ENCOMIUM to be read at the memorial service in order to honor his memory.

Answer 44

free from blame; absolve Although he appears to be guilty, a closer look at the evidence will surely EXONERATE the defendant.

Answer 45

generous and noble How MAGNANIMOUS of her to forgive her ex-husband for years of neglect and hurtful behavior!

Answer 46

wicked According to historical accounts, the king was a NEFARIOUS man who betrayed both friends and enemies without remorse.

Answer 47

overly eager to please; servile Jill had a disturbingly OBSEQUIOUS way of trying to win favor with authority figures.

Answer 48

traitor; collaborator Benedict Arnold was a well-known QUISLING who had been an American general before defecting to the British Army.

Answer 49

misdeeds; crimes The tribal court found the young woman guilty of numerous TRANSGRESSIONS.

Answer 50

maligned; spoken very badly of The dictator was VILIFIED by the press for many decedes of oppressive policies.

Answer 51

noble My dog walks around with such a regal expression, you would think she had an ARISTOCRATIC background.

Answer 52

representative works Scholars have yet to agree about the authorship of some of the works in the Shakespearean CANON.

Answer 53

highly productive; fecund She was a PROLIFIC artist, often producing as many as three canvases per week.

Answer 54

scholarly book Last year, Jackson published a massive TOME summarizing the major battles of the U.S. Civil War.

Answer 55

continued at full strength UNABATED even after three hours, the storm continued to batter the little house.

Answer 56

deeply respected; revered The old general was VENERATED by his troops.

Answer 57

argue (in support of) Jerome wanted to become a congressman so that he could ADVOCATE for the people's interests.

Answer 58

pompous; overblown During the discussion, Beverly had become so BOMBASTIC that even those who supported her point of view grew weary of her speeches.

Answer 59

conciseness of expression BREVITY is called for in this situation, because we are running short of time.

Answer 60

exaggeration I admit that my car isn't beautiful, but to call it the ugliest and most useless piece of machinery you've ever seen is just plain HYPERBOLE.

Answer 61

modest Once you have achieved great success, the more UNASSUMING you are in your dealings with people, the more they will respect you.

Answer 62

overflowing; completely full Sometimes I am envious of the way children wake up every morning BRIMMING with energy.

Answer 63

troubling; causing uneasiness The teacher found it somewhat DISCONCERTING that his best student did so poorly on the most recent test.

Answer 64

followed as a result The two men argued for a long time before one shoved the other and a fistfight ENSUED.

Answer 65

by chance; fortunately While driving across town, the engine of Brittany's car suddenly cut off; FORTUITOUSLY, she rolled to a stop less than 50 yards from a garage.

Answer 66

gloomy From his MOROSE expression I could tell that he was depressed.

Answer 67

beginner He plays guitar quite well for a NEOPHYTE.

Answer 68

trivial; of no value Because nobody enforces this particular regulation, industry leaders consider it NUGATORY.

Answer 69

loudly defiant It is not easy to negotiate a compromise with an OBSTREPEROUS person.

Answer 70

intrusive; meddling It seems rather OFFICIOUS of Jack to be constantly poking his nose into Adrianna's business and telling her what to do.

Answer 71

thinking again and again about a topic You will never catch Tricia RUMINATING about how to handle a difficult situation; rather she acts decisively and never second-guesses herself.

Answer 72

independent; self-governed Agency leaders hope to function in a more AUTONOMOUS way once the new legislation is passed, ratherthan continuing to rely on each other for support.

Answer 73

even-temperedness; calmness People who are at complete peace with themselves can face the world with complete EQUANIMITY.

Answer 74

soothe; pacify No matter how hard I tried, I was unable to MOLLIFY the angry woman.

Answer 75

irritable; rude The more we talked, the more we got on each other's nerves; I have to admit that we were both awfully PETULANT.

Answer 76

tendency Jada has a PROPENSITY to overthink her homework assignments.

Answer 77

easily managed or controlled Because Henry was so TRACTABLE, his boss often took advantage of him.

Answer 78

foolish With a FATUOUS smile, the student walked up to the blackboard and proceeded to write down the wrong answer to the teacher's question.

Answer 79

prevent; ward off The president's economic advisors held an emergency meeting to discuss how to FORESTALL the country's imminent financial crisis.

Answer 80

cheat; extort This particular corporation has a nasty tendency to GOUGE its clients at every opportunity.

Answer 81

clarity Watkins' argument before the high court was remarkable for both its passion as well as its LUCIDITY.

Answer 82

ridiculous; absurd and laughable Lonnie has never stolen anything in his entire life; the allegation that he took Rosalind's purse is completely LUDICROUS.

Answer 83

threatening Because of his great size, a scowling expression, and the prominent scar on one cheek, John had a rather MINATORY appearance.

Answer 84

make unnecessary Wearing a helmet while riding a bicycle can OBVIATE the risk of injury.

Answer 85

trivial complaints or objections As the committee worked together on a draft of the document, there were numerous QUIBBLES about minor details of the wording.

Answer 86

stubborn; unresponsible Like a REFRACTORY child, the patient refused to take his medicine.

Answer 87

diminished; abated Once the floodwaters had SUBSIDED, the engineers were able to evaluate the extent of the damage.

Answer 88

emotional distress due to error or failure Much to her CHAGRIN, Melissa realized that her comment had deeply offended their host.

Answer 89

secretly; evasively\ If you listen to the tape closely, you can hear Tammy and Cyndi whispering FURTIVELY in the background.

Answer 90

lengthening The two committee members kept on quibbling over a trivial point, thereby PROTRACTING the meeting.

Answer 91

spoke haltingly, with unintended pauses and repetitions The witness was clearly intimidated by the atmosphere of the courtroom and consequently STAMMERED through most of his testimony.

Answer 92

left; emptied Once the tenants had VACATED the apartment, the landlord was able to replace the carpeting.

Answer 93

aware The neurosurgeon began the delicate process of removing the tumor, fully COGNIZANT of the fact that the slightest mistake could cause further damage.

Answer 94

without hope After failing three classes last semester, Blake became DESPONDENT and decided to drop out of college.

Answer 95

revealed secret or private information Jim's wife wanted to know exactly how much information he had DIVULGED to friends about their last quarrel.

Answer 96

requires; logically implies Being the accountant for this particular company ENTAILS more than the usual range of responsibilites.

Answer 97

provoke; prod If you continue to GOAD Darla with complaints about her attitude, she is likely to respond by becoming even less cooperative.

Answer 98

announced; formally declared Today the leaders of the two countries PROCLAIMED that a new era of peace between them had arrived.

Answer 99

capable of recovering easily Because she is so RESILIENT, I'm sure Debbie will overcome this latest setback.

Answer 100

thwarted; blocked Efforts by the two senators to gather suppport for their tax reform bill were STYMIED by a lck of public support for the bill.

Answer 101

shifted indecisively They VACILLATED too long and the opportunity was lost.

Answer 102

secondhand; indirectly Phil was deeply involved in every aspect of his son's life, and his mood was closely linked to his son's successes and failures; many people thought that Phil was living VICARIOUSLY through the boy.

Answer 103

disorderly mix; clutter Abe's desk was a WELTER of books, articles, and papers, along with photographs of his three children, an ashtray or two, and the occasional soda can.

Answer 104

excessively controlling Even at home, the executive exhibited a disturbingly AUTOCRATIC personality; at all times he expected compliance from his wife and obedience from his children.

Answer 105

forced Did the soldiers volunteer for this assignment, or were they COERCED by their commanding officer?

Answer 106

elaborate public display The third graders at Kelley's school put on a delightful PAGEANT to celebrate the arrival of spring.

Answer 107

conscious; able to perceive Bill was an avid astronomer and science-fiction buff who hoped that someday SENTIENT beings would be discovered on some distant planet.

Answer 108

awe-inspiring; exalted Our trip to southern Italy last summer was absolutely SUBLIME.

Answer 109

requested urgently A hint of desperation crept into her voice as Janet ENTREATED the ticket agent to sell her a seat on the next flight.

Answer 110

tastelessly showy Carly's diamond-encrusted pendant is one of the largest and most GAUDY pieces of jewelry I have seen in years.

Answer 111

temporart break; gap Jean is taking a little HIATUS from work this week in order to attend to some personal matters.

Answer 112

overly dramatic and emotional behavior I wasn't impressed by the actor's HISTRIONICS; I felt that he exaggerated his character's inner torment to the point of caricature.

Answer 113

not readily noticed An experienced spy knows how to be present and yet INCONSPICUOUS.

Answer 114

native The Yanomamo are an INDIGENOUS people who live in the upper Amazon region of South America.

Answer 115

emerging; coming into being Last year Marquis started his own consulting firm; he worked long hours at first as he sought to attract clients to his NASCENT business.

Answer 116

a set of names and rules for naming Having learned the NOMENCLATURE for describing the various types of beer, Ralph enjoyed showing off his newfound knowledge to his friends.

Answer 117

unmindful; unaware It amazes me sometimes how OBLIVIOUS my young son can be to the fact that one of his shoelaces is untied, or that he has peanut butter smeared on his pants, or that he has put his shirt on backwards.

Answer 118

persistent; holding fast If you are sufficiently TENACIOUS, you can achieve almost anything.

Answer 119

traveling across Although as a child he had been bitten by a rattlesnake there, Dan's fondness for TRAVERSING the Arizona desert was as strong as it had ever been.

Answer 120

willingly refrained from Sid always ABSTAINED from alcohol on the night before an important exam.

Answer 121

fearless; recklessly daring Briar's plan to hike the Italian Alps by herself next summer is quite AUDACIOUS!

Answer 122

reputation for evil After his conviction for allowing prisoners to be both verbally and physically abused, the warden's INFAMY quickly grew throughout the state.

Answer 123

wickedness The man's INIQUITY was reflected in his extensive history of theft and assault.

Answer 124

sexually immoral; lacking in moral restraint The president of the school board has been accused of being LICENTIOUS, but he is in fact a devoted and faithful husband.

Answer 125

carelessly; randomly When I saw how HAPHAZARDLY computer parts were strewn across Kayla's desk, I began to question whether I should allow her to fix my own computer.

Answer 126

humbleness The student demonstrated his HUMILITY by approaching the master quietly and addressing the old man in the most respectful language.

Answer 127

inventiveness; cleverness Alma demonstrated great INGENUITY by deriving the formula before anyone else in the class was even halfway finished.

Answer 128

seemingly indifferent; cool and casual With their deadline rapidly approaching, the other members of the research team found Myra's NONCHALANT attitude to be rather annoying.

Answer 129

luxurious; rich The day after George proposed, Liza showed up at work wearing the large and OPULENT ring he had given her.

Answer 130

densely packed group; crowd A THRONG of people gathered at the scene of the accident.

Answer 131

unconventional J.T.'s habit of teasing customers during their initial contact with him is an UNORTHODOX approach to selling cars.

Answer 132

multi-colored I don't want a plain old monochromatic suit; show me something bright and VARIEGATED.

Answer 133

charming in a childlike way My cousin's son is the most delightful, WINSOME little boy.

Answer 134

sarcastic; momentarily twisted With a WRY smile, Jake explained that he had been fired because he performed his job too well.

Answer 135

exceptionally bad; brutal In my opinion, her behavior was ATROCIOUS and deserving of severe punishment.

Answer 136

swollen; rounded Whereas most boxers have flattened noses after many years in the ring, Mike's nose was rather BULBOUS.

Answer 137

reddish; excessively ornamented Paul's face was quite FLORID after spending all day out in the sun,

Answer 138

extended outward The lizard's tail PROTRUDED from behind the rock.

Answer 139

topped; overcame He had SURMOUNTED many obstacles on his way to a successful career.

Answer 140

strongly encouraging Even when his team was winning by a large margin, Coach Brown's halftime speeches were always strongly HORTATORY.

Answer 141

initial; formally marking a beginning He planned to attend the INAUGURAL ceremony marking the opening of his best friend's charter school.

Answer 142

instill; indoctrinate In teaching his students carpentry, Steve tries to INCULCATE in them respect for the materials and an appreciation of the craft.

Answer 143

extremely generous Gifts from its most MUNIFICENT citizens have allowed the town to remodel city hall.

Answer 144

favoritism toward family or friends by someone in power As his uncle is vice president of our company, it seems he got his job through NEPOTISM rather than his own qualifications.

Answer 145

expressed opinion "We need a new governor," OPINED Timothy, "and we need one now."

Answer 146

prosperity; well-being My interest is not in protecting the wealthiest citizens, since they can take care of themselves, but rather in promoting the common WEAL.

Answer 147

fanatic Alice is a ZEALOT about promoting clean energy whenever she can.