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Barron's GRE Verbal Workbook > O > Flashcards

O Flashcards

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1
Q

obdurate

A

adj. stubborn

They remained obdurate about their position.

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2
Q

obeisance

A

n. deference or homage

Once a year the king’s subjects pay him obeisance.

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3
Q

obfuscation

A

n. act of confusing, obscuring

The witness used obfuscation to hide the truth.

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4
Q

objectify

A

v. to present or regard as an object or make objective or external

The idea of justice is objectified in the novel.

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5
Q

objective

A

adj. not influenced by emotions; fair; unbiased

The judge was objective in evaluating the evidence.

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6
Q

objet d’art

A

n. object with artistic value

During the war the museum stored its most valuable objets d’art in a vault.

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7
Q

oblique

A

adj. indirect, evasive; misleading, devious

Many people missed the writer’s oblique reference.

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8
Q

obliterate

A

v. to destroy completely

The explosion obliterated the house.

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9
Q

oblivion

A

n. state of not being aware

We experience oblivion when we sleep.

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10
Q

oblivious

A

adj. not aware

The audience was oblivious of the events occurring backstage.

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11
Q

obloquy

A

n. abusively detractive language; ill repute

Obloquy was heaped on the negotiator for failing to prevent the war.

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12
Q

obscure

A

adj. dim, unclear; not well-known

The reference was to a obscure author.

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13
Q

obscure

A

v. to make dim or unclear; conceal in obscurity

The view of the valley is obscured by the high-rise apartments.

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14
Q

obsequious

A

adj. overly submissive

The servants are obsequious.

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15
Q

obsequy

A

n. funeral ceremony

Obsequies were held for the obsolescent model.

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16
Q

obsolete

A

adj. outmoded; no longer used; old-fashioned

The model car became obsolete last year.

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17
Q

obstinate

A

adj. stubborn

Jim is obstinate about not wanting to rewrite his essay.

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18
Q

obstreperous

A

adj. troublesome, boisterous, unruly

The crowd became obstreperous.

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19
Q

obtrusive

A

adj. pushy; too conspicuous

The teacher supervising the exam tried not to be obtrusiove.

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20
Q

obtuse

A

adj. insensitive, stupid, dull

His obtuse remark showed how stupid he could be.

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21
Q

obviate

A

v. to make unnecessary; anticipate and prevent

The increase in revenue has obviated the need for a price increase.

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22
Q

occlude

A

v. to shut, block

The cloud is occluding the moon.

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23
Q

occult

A

adj. related to supernatural phenomena; secret

The religious teacher revealed his occult knowledge to his closest followers.

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24
Q

Ockham’s razor

A

n. the principle that no more assumptions than necessary should be made in explaining a phenomenon

Most philosophers would probably agree that Ockham’s razor should be used with great care.

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25
Q

odious

A

adj. hateful, contemptible

The man was sentenced to life imprisonment for his odious crime.

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26
Q

odyssey

A

n. a long adventurous voyage; a quest

Tom’s odyssey took him to over fifty countries.

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27
Q

oeuvre

A

n. the sum of the lifework of an artist

The professor is writing a study of the author’s oeuvre.

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28
Q

officious

A

adj. too helpful, meddlesome

We’re tried of the officious fools interfering in our affairs.

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29
Q

ogle

A

v. to stare at

The man ogled the pretty girl.

30
Q

olfactory

A

adj. concerning the sense of smell

The air pollution has impaired his olfactory sense.

31
Q

oligarchy

A

n. government by a few

After the coup d’état the generals formed an oligarchy to run the country.

32
Q

oligopoly

A

n. a situation in which there are few sellers so that action by any one of them will affect price

The government is investigating the situation to see if an oligopoly exists.

33
Q

ombudsman

A

n. a person who investigates complaints and mediates settlements between parties

Some Americans advocate the more widespread use of ombudsmen in this country.

34
Q

ominous

A

adj. threatening

There were ominous troop movements on the country’s border.

35
Q

omnipotent

A

adj. having unlimited power

The emperor feels he is virtually omnipotent.

36
Q

omniscient

A

adj. having infinite knowledge

Many novels use an omniscient narrator.

37
Q

omnivorous

A

adj. eating everything; absorbing everything

Human beings are omnivorous.

38
Q

onerous

A

adj. burdensome

The judge has the onerous duty of sentencing convicted criminals to prison.

39
Q

onomatopoeia

A

n. formation or use of words that imitate sounds of actions they refer to

The words hiss, buzz, and whack are examples of onomatopoeia.

40
Q

ontology

A

n. theory about the nature of existence

Ontology is a subject for philosophy, not science.

41
Q

onus

A

n. a difficult responsibility or burden

“The onus is on each of you to master the material,” the professor told the class.

42
Q

opalescent

A

adj. iridescent, displaying colors

The diamond is opalescent.

43
Q

opaque

A

adj. not transparent; obscure; unintelligible

The prose of the French structuralist can be described as opaque.

44
Q

operative

A

adj. functioning, working, most important

The operative word in the phrase “greatest living writer” is “living.”

45
Q

opine

A

v. to express an opinion

The newspaper columnist opines on every topic under the sun.

46
Q

opportune

A

adj. appropriate, fitting

It is an opportune time for a coffee break.

47
Q

opportunist

A

n. person who sacrifices principles for expediency by taking advantage

Opportunists took advantage of the disaster to raise prices.

48
Q

opprobrium

A

n. disgrace; contempt

The cowardly act brought opprobrium on the soldier.

49
Q

opulence

A

n. wealth

The wedding allowed the family to display its opulence.

50
Q

oracle

A

n. person who foresees the future and gives advice; prediction of the future

Lucy consulted an oracle to find out when she would be married.

51
Q

oracular

A

adj. prophetic; uttered as if with divine authority; mysterious or ambiguous

None of us understood the oracular utterance.

52
Q

oration

A

n. lecture, formal speech

The subject of the senator’s oration is foreign policy.

53
Q

orb

A

n. spherical body; eye

The astronauts are in orbit around a large orb.

54
Q

orchestrate

A

v. to arrange music for performance; coordinate, organize

The election campaign was orchestrated by the White House.

55
Q

ordain

A

v. to make someone a priest or minister; order

Father O’Brien was ordained in 1992.

56
Q

ornate

A

adj. elaborately ornamented

The art pieces are too ornate for my taste.

57
Q

ornithologist

A

n. scientist who studies birds

The ornithologist discovered a new bird species.

58
Q

orthodox

A

adj. traditional; conservative

The new book challenges orthodox thinking on the subject.

59
Q

oscillate

A

v. to move back and forth

The governor is oscillating between two positions on the issue.

60
Q

osmosis

A

n. diffusion of a fluid; gradual assimilation or absorption

Learning a language is to some degree a process of osmosis.

61
Q

ossify

A

v. to turn to bone; become rigid; make rigidly conventional

The dead animal’s skin ossified.

62
Q

ostensibly

A

adv. apparently; professedly

The purpose of the test was ostensibly to measure the students’ improvement.

63
Q

ostentation

A

adj. showy; trying to attract attention; pretentious

The billionaire urged his family to avoid ostentatious displays of wealth during the recession.

64
Q

ostracism

A

n. exclusion, temporary banishment

The warrior faces ostracism from his tribe.

65
Q

ouster

A

n. expulsion, ejection

The ouster of the country from the United Nations was applauded around the world.

66
Q

outré

A

adj. unconventional; eccentric

The town is not as bohemian as in the past, but the outré spirit does survive.

67
Q

overt

A

adj. open and observable

The CIA has detected no overt signs of an invasion.

68
Q

overture

A

n. musical introduction; proposal, offer

The company rejected the merger overture.

69
Q

overweening

A

adj. presumptuous; arrogant; overbearing

The tragic hero is brought down by his overweening pride.

70
Q

overwrought

A

adj. agitated, overdone

Don’t make the decision in your overwrought condition.

71
Q

oxymoron

A

n. the combining of incongruous or contradictory terms

The phrase “deafening silence” is an oxymoron.

Barron's GRE Verbal Workbook (26 decks)

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