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Additional GRE Vocab > New Words 2 > Flashcards

New Words 2 Flashcards

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GRE® Vocabulary flashcards GRE® Psychology flashcards
1
Q

Prehensile

A

(chiefly of an animal’s limb or tail) capable of grasping:

many monkeys have long, prehensile tails which they use in swinging through the trees

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2
Q

non-starter

A

** informal a person or plan that has no chance of succeeding or being effective:**

as a business proposition it’s a non-starter
when it came to women, he was a non-starter

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3
Q

Stultifying

A

** (usually as adjective stultifying) cause to lose enthusiasm and initiative, especially as a result of a tedious or restrictive routine:**

the stultifying conformity of provincial life

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4
Q

Pugnacious

A

eager or quick to argue, quarrel, or fight:

the increasingly pugnacious demeanour of right-wing politicians

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5
Q

Stolid

A

calm, dependable, and showing little emotion or animation:

a stolid bourgeois gent

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6
Q

Poultices

A

a soft, moist mass of material, typically consisting of bran, flour, herbs, etc., applied to the body to relieve soreness and inflammation and kept in place with a cloth.

verb
[with object]
apply a poultice to:
he poulticed the wound

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7
Q

Bane

A
  • *1a cause of great distress or annoyance:**
  • the telephone was the bane of my life*
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8
Q

Ape

A

imitate (someone or something), especially in an absurd or unthinking way:

new architecture can respect the old without aping its style

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9
Q

Arresting

A

striking; eye-catching:

at 6 ft 6 in he was an arresting figure

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10
Q

Quixotic

A

extremely idealistic; unrealistic and impractical:

a vast and perhaps quixotic project

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11
Q

Literati

A

Well educated people who are interested in literature

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12
Q

Nugatory

A
  • *of no value or importance:**
  • a nugatory and pointless observation*

useless or futile:

the teacher shortages will render nugatory the hopes of implementing the new curriculum

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13
Q

Solipsism

A
  • *the view or theory that the self is all that can be known to exist.**
  • the quality of being self-centred or selfish.*
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14
Q

cabal

A

a secret political clique or faction:

a cabal of dissidents

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15
Q

Mimetic

A

formal or technical
relating to, constituting, or habitually practising mimesis:

mimetic patterns in butterflies

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16
Q

Hoi Polloi

A

(derogatory) the masses; the common people:

avoid mixing with the hoi polloi

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17
Q

Facile

A
  • *ignoring the true complexities of an issue; superficial:**
  • facile generalizations*
  • *(of a person) having a superficial or simplistic knowledge or approach:**
  • a man of facile and shallow intellect*
  • *(of success, especially in sport) easily achieved:**
  • a facile seven-lengths victory*
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18
Q

Ennui

A

a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement:

he succumbed to ennui and despair

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19
Q

Maudlin

A
  • *self-pityingly or tearfully sentimental:**
  • a bout of maudlin self-pity*
  • *(of a book, film, or song) highly sentimental:**
  • a maudlin jukebox tune*
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20
Q

Evanescent

A

soon passing out of sight, memory, or existence; quickly fading or disappearing:

the evanescent Arctic summer

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21
Q

Propinquity

A

the state of being close to someone or something; proximity:

he kept his distance as though afraid propinquity might lead him into temptation

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22
Q

Prophylactic

A
  • *intended to prevent disease:**
  • prophylactic measures*
  • *medicine or course of action used to prevent disease:**
  • I took malaria prophylactics*
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23
Q

Inimical

A
  • *tending to obstruct or harm:**
  • the policy was inimical to Britain’s real interests*
  • *unfriendly; hostile:**
  • an inimical alien power*
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24
Q

Insuperable

A

(of a difficulty or obstacle) impossible to overcome:

insuperable financial problems

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25
Q

Gainsay

A
  • *deny or contradict (a fact or statement):**
  • the impact of the railways cannot be gainsaid*
  • *speak against or oppose (someone):**
  • none could gainsay her*
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26
Q

Indubitable

A

impossible to doubt; unquestionable:

an indubitable truth

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27
Q

Penurious

A
  • *extremely poor; poverty-stricken:**
  • a penurious old tramp*
  • *characterized by poverty:**
  • penurious years*
  • *unwilling to spend money; mean:**
  • his stingy and penurious wife*
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28
Q

Sagacious

A

having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgement; wise or shrewd:

they were sagacious enough to avoid any outright confrontation

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29
Q

Aspersion

A

an attack on the reputation or integrity of someone or something:

I don’t think anyone is casting aspersions on you

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30
Q

Aspersion

A
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31
Q

Obscurantist

A

the practice of deliberately preventing the facts or full details of something from becoming known:

allegations in the Press about government obscurantism

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32
Q

Inveigh

A

speak or write about (something) with great hostility:s

*he liked to inveigh against all forms of academic *

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33
Q

Objurgate

A

rebuke severely; scold:

the old man objurgated his son

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34
Q

Obloquy

A
  • *strong public condemnation:**
  • he endured years of contempt and obloquy*
  • *disgrace, especially that brought about by public condemnation:**
  • conduct to which no more obloquy could reasonably attach*
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35
Q

remonstrate

A
  • *make a forcefully reproachful protest:**
  • he turned angrily to remonstrate with Tommy*
36
Q

Reprehend

A

reprimand:

a recklessness which cannot be too severely reprehended

37
Q

Vituperate

A

blame or insult (someone) in strong or violent language.

38
Q

Vouchsafe

A

give or grant (something) to (someone) in a gracious or condescending manner:

it is a blessing vouchsafed him by heaven

  • *[with object] reveal or disclose (information):**
  • you’d never vouchsafed that interesting titbit before*
39
Q

Canard

A
  • *an unfounded rumour or story:**
  • the old canard that LA is a cultural wasteland*
40
Q

Dissemble

A
  • *conceal or disguise one’s true feelings or beliefs:**
  • an honest, sincere person with no need to dissemble*
  • *[with object] disguise or conceal (a feeling or intention):**
  • she smiled, dissembling her true emotion*
41
Q

Ersatz

A
  • *(of a product) made or used as a substitute, typically an inferior one, for something else:**
  • ersatz coffee*
  • *not real or genuine:**
  • ersatz emotion*
42
Q

Duplicity

A
  • *deceitfulness:**
  • the president was accused of duplicity in his dealings with Congress*
43
Q

Perfidy

A
  • *the state of being deceitful and untrustworthy:**
  • it was an example of his perfidy*
44
Q

Prevaricate

A

speak or act in an evasive way:

he seemed to prevaricate when journalists asked pointed questions

45
Q

Histrionics

A

melodramatic behaviour designed to attract attention:

by now, Anna was accustomed to her mother’s histrionics

46
Q

Fervid

A

intensely enthusiastic or passionate, especially to an excessive degree:

his fervid protestations of love

47
Q

Laconic

A

(of a person, speech, or style of writing) using very few words:

his laconic reply suggested a lack of interest in the topic

48
Q

Petulant

A

(of a person or their manner) childishly sulky or bad-tempered:
he was moody and petulant
a petulant shake of the head

49
Q

Vociferous

A

expressing or characterized by vehement opinions:

he was a vociferous opponent of the takeover

50
Q

dolorous

A
  • *feeling or expressing great sorrow or distress:**
  • a dolorous and repetitive tale of atrocity*
51
Q

abstruse

A
  • *difficult to understand; obscure:**
  • an abstruse philosophical inquiry*
52
Q

Scurrilous

A
  • *making or spreading scandalous claims about someone with the intention of damaging their reputation:**
  • a scurrilous attack on his integrity*
  • *humorously insulting:**
  • a very funny collection of bawdy and scurrilous writings*
53
Q

Fatuous

A
  • *silly and pointless:**
  • a fatuous comment*
54
Q

Ribald

A

referring to sexual matters in an amusingly rude or irreverent way:

a ribald comment

55
Q

recondite

A

(of a subject or knowledge) little known; abstruse:

the book is full of recondite information

56
Q

Waggish

A
  • *humorous in a playful, mischievous, or facetious manner:**
  • a waggish riposte*
57
Q

Abjure

A
  • *solemnly renounce (a belief, cause, or claim):**
  • MPs were urged to abjure their Jacobite allegianc*e
58
Q

Catholic

A
  • *including a wide variety of things; all-embracing:**
  • her tastes are pretty catholic*
59
Q

Convalesce

A

recover one’s health and strength over a period of time after an illness or medical treatment:

he spent eight months convalescing after the stroke

60
Q

Mien

A

a person’s appearance or manner, especially as an indication of their character or mood:

he has a cautious, academic mien

61
Q

Ambrosia

A
    • something very pleasing to taste or smell:**
  • the tea was ambrosia after the slop I’d been suffering*
62
Q

Orotund

A

(of the voice or phrasing) full, round, and imposing.

(of writing, style, or expression) pompous; pretentious.

63
Q

Arrogate

A

take or claim (something) for oneself without justification:

they arrogate to themselves the ability to divine the nation’s true interests

64
Q

August

A

respected and impressive:

she was in august company

65
Q

Acrimonious

A

(typically of speech or a debate) angry and bitter:

an acrimonious dispute about wages

66
Q

Effigy

A

a sculpture or model of a person:

coins bearing the effigy of Maria Theresa of Austria

a roughly made model of a particular person, made in order to be damaged or destroyed as a protest or expression of anger:

67
Q

Extant

A

(especially of a document) still in existence; surviving:

the original manuscript is no longer extant

68
Q

Cosset

A

care for and protect in an overindulgent way:

all her life she’d been cosseted by her family

69
Q

Torrid

A
  • *very hot and dry:**
  • the torrid heat of the afternoon*
  • *full of passionate or highly charged emotions arising from sexual love:**
  • a torrid love affair*
70
Q

Daedalian

A

ingenious, intricate, and confusing:

this curious amalgamation of comfortable hotel and Daedalian cruise ship

71
Q

Gordian

A

an extremely difficult or involved problem.

72
Q

Picayune

A

petty; worthless:

the picayune squabbling of party politicians

73
Q

unmitigated

A

absolute; unqualified:

the tour had been an unmitigated disaster

74
Q

Consummate

A

showing a high degree of skill and flair; complete or perfect:

she dressed with consummate elegance

75
Q

Irradiate

A
  • *expose to radiation.**
  • expose (food) to gamma rays to kill microorganisms.*

illuminate (something) by or as if by shining light on it:

sunlight streamed down through stained glass, irradiating the faces of family and friends

76
Q

Averred

A

state or assert to be the case: [with clause]

:he averred that he was innocent of the allegations

77
Q

Opined

A

hold and state as one’s opinion: [with direct speech]

:“The man is a genius,” he opined

78
Q

Exigency

A

an urgent need or demand:

women worked long hours when the exigencies of the family economy demanded it he put financial exigency before personal sentiment

79
Q

Rubicon

A

[as noun] a point of no return:

on the way to political union we are now crossing the Rubicon

80
Q

Jaunty

A

having or expressing a lively, cheerful, and self-confident manner:

there was no mistaking that jaunty walk

81
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82
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84
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85
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86
Q

Penurious

A

extremely poor; poverty-stricken:a penurious old tramp
characterized by poverty or need:

penurious years

** parsimonious; mean:**

he was generous and hospitable in contrast to his stingy and penurious wife

Additional GRE Vocab (10 decks)

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