Princeton Book Key GRE Terms Group 2 Flashcards
abate (verb)
to lessen in intensity or degree
accolade (noun)
an expression of praise
adulation (noun)
excessive praise; intense adoration
aesthetic (adj.)
dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful
ameliorate (verb)
to make better or more tolerable
ascetic (noun)
one who practices rigid self-denial, especially as an act of religious devotion
avarice (noun)
greed, especially for wealth (adj. form: avaricious)
burgeon (verb)
to grow rapidly or flourish
bucolic (adj.)
rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants
cacophony (noun)
harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance (adj. form: cacophonous)
canon (noun)
an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature (adj. form: canonical)
castigation (noun)
severe criticism or punishment (verb form: castigate)
catalyst (noun)
a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction without itself changing; a person or thing that causes change
caustic (adj.)
wary; cautious; spring
cogent (adj.)
appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing
complaisance (noun)
the willingness to comply with the wishes of others (adj. form: complaisant)
contentious (adj.)
argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement
contrite (adj.)
regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness (noun form: contrition)
culpable (adj.)
deserving blame (noun form; culpability)
dearth (noun)
smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack
demur (verb)
to question or oppose
didactic (adj.)
intended to teach or instruct
discretion (noun)
cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsibility decisions (adj. form: discreet)
disinterested (adj.)
free of bias or self-interest; impartial
dogmatic (adj.)
expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or improvable principles (noun form: dogma)
ebullience (noun)
the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings (adj. form: ebullient)
eclectic (adj.)
composed of elements drawn from various sources
emollient (adj.)/(noun)
soothing, especially to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying; an agent that softens or smoothes the skin
empirical (adj.)
based on observation or experiment
enigmatic (adj.)
mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand (noun form: enigma)
ephemeral (adj.)
brief; fleeting
esoteric (adj.)
intended for or understood by a small, specific group
eulogy (noun)
a speech honoring the dead (verb form: eulogize)
exonerate (verb)
to remove blame
facetious (adj.)
playful; humorous
fallacy (noun)
an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief (adj. form fallacious)
furtive (adj.)
marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious
gregarious (adj.)
sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people
harangue (verb)/(noun)
to deliver a forceful or angry speech; ranting speech or writing
heretical (adj.)
violating accepted dogma or convention (noun form: hersey)
hyperbole (noun)
an exaggerated stamens; often used as a figure of speech (adj. form: hyperbole)
impecunious (adj.)
lacking funds; without money
incipient (adj.)
beginning to come into being or to become apparent
inert (adj.)
unmoving; lethargic; sluggish
innocuous (adj.)
harmless; causing no damage
intransigent (adj.)
refusing to compromise (noun form: intransigence)
inveigle (verb)
to obtain by deception or flattery
morose (adj.)
sad; sullen; melancholy
odious (adj.)
evoking intense aversion or dislike
opaque (adj.)
impenetrable by light; not reflecting light
oscillation (noun)
the act or state of winging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm (verb form: oscillate)
penurious (adj.)
penny-pitching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous
pernicious (adj.)
extremely harmful in a way that is not easily seen or noticed
peruse (verb)
to examine with great care (noun form: perusal)
pious (adj.)
extremely reverent or devour; showing strong religious devotion (noun form: piety)
precursor (noun)
one that precedes and indicates or announces another
preen (verb)
to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care
prodigious (adj.)
abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary
prolific (adj.)
producing large volumes or amounts; productive
putrefy (verb)
to rot; to decay and give off a foul order (adj. form: putrid)
quiescence (noun)
stillness; motionlessness; quality of being at rest (adj. form: quiescent)
redoubtable (adj.)
awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
sanction (noun)/(verb)
authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance; to give permission or authority
satire (noun)
a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision (adj. form: satirical)
squalid (adj.)
sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect (noun form: squalor)
stoic (adj.)
indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast (noun form: stoicism)
supplant (verb)
to take the place of; to supersede
torpid (adj.)
lethargic; slugglish; dormant (noun form: torpor)
ubiquitous (adj.)
existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encouraged; widespread
urbane (adj.)
sophisticated; refined; elegant (noun form: urbanity)
vilify (verb)
to defame; to characterize harshly
viscous (adj.)
thick; sticky (noun form: viscosity)
