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GRE Vocab Words > Princeton Review I > Flashcards

Princeton Review I Flashcards

1
Q

Prevarications

A

Deviate from the truth

“Government officials prevaricated about the real costs of the project.”

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2
Q

Duplicitous

A

Marked by contradictory doubleness of thought; deceptive in words or action
“warned her not to trust the duplicitous art dealer”

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3
Q

Balmy (2)

A

(1) Warm, calm, and pleasant weather or wind
“a pleasant, balmy breeze”

(2) Crazy or foolish
“a completely balmy but harmless old man who talked intently to plants and believed they answered back”

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4
Q

Fawning

A

To exhibit affection or attempt to please, to seek favor or attention by flattery and obsequious behavior
“Repulsed by fawning, the executive informed his staff that he preferred constructive criticism to calculated flattery.”

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5
Q

Obsequiousness

A

Characterized by or showing servile complaisance or deference; fawning
“Repulsed by obsequiousness, the executive informed his staff that he preferred constructive criticism to calculated flattery.”

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6
Q

Probity

A

Integrity and uprightness; honesty

“He was a gentlemanly Georgian, a person of early American probity.”

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7
Q

Hegemony

A

The dominance or leadership of one social group or nation over others
“The hegemony of a single member state is not compatible with a genuine democracy.”

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8
Q

Inchoate

A

In an initial, early stage; imperfectly formed or developed
“Shirla had liked the band better when it was still in its inchoate stages and not yet fully committed to a single style of music.”

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9
Q

Nascent

A

Coming into existence; emerging, starting to develop; being born
“Shirla had liked the band better when it was still in its nascent stages and not yet fully committed to a single style of music.”

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10
Q

Hackneyed

A

Overfamiliar through overuse; made commonplace or trite; stale
“Hackneyed sayings and phrases”

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11
Q

Chary

A

(1) Very cautious; wary:
“was chary of the risks involved.”

(2) Not giving or expending freely; sparing
“was chary of compliments.”

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12
Q

Paucity

A

Smallness of number; fewness
“While hiking through the forest, Sylvie noticed a paucity of wildlife, much less than she had observed during her previous outing.”

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13
Q

Compendium (2)

A

(1) A short, complete summary; an abstract.
(2) A list or collection of various items.

“His book is a delightful compendium of miscellaneous knowledge.”

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14
Q

Surfeit

A

To feed or supply to excess, satiety, or disgust, to overindulge.
“ended up with a surfeit of volunteers who simply got in each other’s way”

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15
Q

Iconoclasts

A

A person who destroys religious images or opposes their veneration, a person who attacks settled beliefs or institutions
“Widely perceived as iconoclasts, the Johnson family paid scant heed to the opinions of their neighbors.”

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16
Q

Pariahs

A

A member of a low caste of southern India, one that is despised or rejected, outcast
“his angry outbursts have made him a pariah”

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17
Q

Inordinate

A

Archaic, disorderly, unregulated, exceeding reasonable limits, immoderate
“I waited an inordinate amount of time.”

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18
Q

Pernicious

A

Highly injurious or destructive, deadly
“Nuclear power, which can be utilized to generate electricity as well as weapons-grade plutonium, is known as a “dual use technology;” it can be applied to peaceful and pernicious purposes alike.”

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19
Q

Bombastic

A

Speech or writing that is meant to sound important or impressive but is not sincere or meaningful
“a bombastic speech intended to impress the voters in her congressional district”

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20
Q

Intrepid

A

Bold, without fear

“The intrepid explore set off down the river.”

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21
Q

Rail

A

To revile or scold in harsh, insolent, or abusive language; complain
“She would often rail against her boyfriend’s habits, but everyone could tell that her needling was mostly facetious.”

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22
Q

Fulminate

A

To utter or send out with denunciation; complain
“She would often fulminate against her boyfriend’s habits, but everyone could tell that her needling was mostly facetious.”

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23
Q

Synthesis

A

Something that is made by combining different things (such as ideas, styles, sounds, chemicals etc.)
“Cheri enjoyed the synthesis of different cuisines offered at the new restaurant. However, this same eclecticism caused the professional food critic to lambaste the chef for his compromise of tradition. What the critic saw as effrontery, Cheri interpreted as successful creativity.”

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24
Q

Lambaste

A

To criticize very harshly
“Cheri enjoyed the synthesis of different cuisines offered at the new restaurant. However, this same eclecticism caused the professional food critic to lambaste the chef for his compromise of tradition. What the critic saw as effrontery, Cheri interpreted as successful creativity.”

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25
Effrontery
A very confident attitude or way of behaving that is shocking or rude; shameless boldness, insolence "Cheri enjoyed the synthesis of different cuisines offered at the new restaurant. However, this same eclecticism caused the professional food critic to lambaste the chef for his compromise of tradition. What the critic saw as effrontery, Cheri interpreted as successful creativity."
26
Penury
The state of being very poor : extreme poverty | "lived in a time when single women like herself faced a lifetime of penury"
27
Lambaste
To criticize harshly, to assault physically or verbally | "The coach lambasted the team for its poor play"
28
Disabuse
To show or convince (someone) that a belief is incorrect | "let me disabuse you of your foolish notions about married life"
29
Revamp
Remake, revive, change "While any self-respecting theoretician will revamp her theory when presented with evidence that her assumptions are unfounded, many scientific disciplines will cling to outmoded theories. As long as even the faintest shred of support exists to bolster currently-held theories, many fields will ignore new theories even in the face of overwhelming evidence."
30
Dissemble
To hide your true feelings, opinions, to hide under a false appearance "he dissembled happiness at the news that his old girlfriend was getting married"
31
Obfuscate
To make obscure | "Politicians keep obfuscating the issues"
32
Occlude
To close up or block off | "the blood clot had occluded the vein in his heart"
33
Stratify
To form, deposit, or arrange in strata (layers), to divide or arrange into classes, castes, or social strata
34
Bile
Anger or hatred "Although known as a cohesive defensive unit on the baseball diamond, the infield trio of Tinker, Evers, and Chance was far from harmonious off the field. Professional stress and personal bile caused two of the three, Joe Tinker and Johnny Evers, to refuse even to speak to each other for thirty three years until a happy and tearful reunion in 1938 ended their acrimony."
35
Rancorous
Marked by bitterness, ill-will;deeply malevolent | "a rancorous autobiography in which the author heaps blame on just about everyone who had the misfortune of knowing him"
36
Timorousness
Of a timid disposition | "reproached myself with being so timorous and cautious"
37
Amity
Friendship; especially : friendly relations between nations | "an era of international amity"
38
Détente
The relaxation of strained relations or tensions (as between nations) "as the countries move toward détente"
39
Assignations
A meeting between lovers; the act of assigning or the assignment made "returned from an assignation with his mistress"
40
Ambivalent
Simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings, continual fluctuation "Michael felt ambivalent because the couch was the nicest in his price range, but he knew that the country in which it was made often did not enforce safe labor practices, and he did not want to be complicit in supporting unsafe working conditions."
41
Despondent
Feeling or showing extreme discouragement, dejection, or depression "despondent about his health"
42
compunction
a feeling of guilt or moral scruple that follows the doing of something bad. "spend the money without compunction"
43
fetid
smelling extremely unpleasant. | "the fetid water of the marsh"
44
vitriolic
cruel, caustic, filled with bitter criticism or malice. | "vitriolic attacks on the politicians"
45
calumnious
slanderous "They uttered calumnies against him." "He was the target of calumny for his unpopular beliefs."
46
categorical
unconditional, absolute, unqualified | He issued a categorical denial about his involvement in the deal.
47
consign
to hand over, commit permanently | "she consigned the letter to the wastebasket"
48
undermine
"this could undermine years of hard work" | damage or weaken
49
tetchy
"The fact that the CEO was overly-tired may have explained her tetchy attitude" bad-tempered and irritable.
50
petulant
"The fact that the CEO was overly-tired may have explained her petulant attitude" childishly sulky or bad-tempered.
51
deferential
showing deference; respectful. | "people were always deferential to him"
52
sanguine
optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation. "he is sanguine about prospects for the global economy"
53
enigmatic
puzzling, difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious. | "he took the money with an enigmatic smile"
54
impertinence
lack of respect; rudeness, insolence | "one man in the audience has the impertinence to suggest that his conclusions were wrong"
55
ingenuity
cleverness
56
acuity
insight | "intellectual acuity"
57
beguiling
deceptive, bewitching | "every prominent American artist has been beguiled by Maine"
58
untoward
improper | "both tried to behave as if nothing untoward had happened"
59
vestments
a garment, especially a ceremonial or official robe.
60
bijoux
jewel or trinket | "When shopping for new bijoux..."
61
azure
dark blue
62
verdigris
dark green
63
garishly
too bright or colorful | "effect of her garishly bright red hair"
64
suffuse
spread throughout something | "her cheeks were suffused with color"
65
cryptic
secretive | "he used cryptic language"
66
deprecating
disapproving | "he sniffed in a deprecating way"
67
shied from
avoided
68
scion
a descendant of a notable family. | "he was the scion of a wealthy family"
69
dudgeon
sullen mood; a feeling of offense or deep resentment. | "the manager walked out in high dudgeon"
70
annexed to
added to | "the first ten amendments were annexed to the Constitution in 1791"
71
procured for
specially obtained for | "managed to procure a pass."
72
compendious
containing or presenting the essential facts of something in a comprehensive but concise way; laconic "a compendious study"
73
antediluvian
antiquity, really ancient | "gigantic bones of antediluvian animals"
74
lugubrious
looking or sounding sad and dismal;
75
otiosity
laziness, pointless | "otiose lines in a play are pointless"
76
indolence
avoidance of activity or exertion; laziness. | "my failure is probably due to my own indolence"
77
antagonism
opposition
78
obduracy
stubbornness
79
recalcitrant
``` having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline. "a class of recalcitrant fifteen-year-olds" ```
80
curio
unusual object, a rare, unusual, or intriguing object.
81
imbued/imbue
inspire or permeate with a feeling or quality. | "the entire performance was imbued with sparkle and elan"
82
regales
entertain or amuse (someone) "he regaled her with a colorful account of that afternoon's meeting" lavish "he was regaled with excellent home cooking"
83
inculcated
indoctrinated | "the failures of the churches to inculcate a sense of moral responsibility"
84
corporal
physical, relating to the body | started to suffer the corporal ailments that come with advancing age>
85
gratuitous
uncalled for; lacking good reason; unwarranted. | "gratuitous violence"
86
indelible
not able to be forgotten or removed. | "his story made an indelible impression on me"
87
disparate
essentially different in kind; not allowing comparison. | "they inhabit disparate worlds of thought"
88
efficaciously
in an effective manner
89
ululate
howl or wail as an expression of strong emotion, typically grief. "women were ululating as the body was laid out"
90
pathos
a quality that evokes pity or sadness. | "the actor injects his customary humor and pathos into the role"
91
artifice
trick or deceive others. | "artifice and outright fakery"
92
preponderance
prevalence | "the preponderance of women among older people"
93
portentous of
acting as an omen
94
furnished
provided | Can he furnish the information to us?
95
abrogated
formally revoke | the U.S. Congress can abrogate old treaties that are unfair to Native Americans
96
espoused
adopted or embraced | "The new theory has been espoused by many leading physicists."
97
bonanza
sudden increase in wealth, good fortune, or profits. | "a bonanza in military sales"
98
monolith
mass uniform structure | "the media monolith owns a number of networks."
99
prevaricate
to avoid telling the truth by not directly answering a question "Government officials prevaricated about the real costs of the project."
100
repudiate
refuse to accept
101
arbitrate
settle an argument
102
ubiquitous
The company's advertisements are ubiquitous. | turning up everywhere
103
regnant
of common or widespread occurrence or using rule or chief power (reigning)
104
myopic
short-sighted or narrow minded
105
fugacious
lasting a short time, fleeting
106
disconcerting
troubling, disturbing | "News of his criminal past has disconcerted even his admirers."
107
patsies
a person who is easily taken advantage of, a dupe
108
vassals
servant or slave | "a much stronger nation can also turn a weaker one into a vassal state"
109
impassioned
"she made an impassioned plea for help" | emotional
110
tact
good manners | "the inspector broke the news to me with tact and consideration"
111
elegiac
"the movie score is a somber effort, elegiac in its approach" sorrowful
112
licentiously
lacking legal or moral restraints; especially : disregarding sexual restraints.
113
facetiously
not to be taken seriously; used to describe speech that is meant to be funny but that is usually regarded as annoying, silly, or not proper. "a facetious and tasteless remark about people in famine-stricken countries being spared the problem of overeating"
114
abnegate
"he attempts to abnegate personal responsibility" | to renounce, reject
115
enjoin
direct, or order | the code enjoined members to trade fairly"
116
galvanized
"the urgency of his voice galvanized them into action" | inspire, rouse
117
vacuous
inane or empty | a dull and vacuous movie
118
inane
silly; stupid. | "don't constantly badger people with inane questions"
119
quixotic
exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical. | "a vast and perhaps quixotic project"
120
catechize
to instruct systematically especially by questions, answers, and explanations and corrections; specifically : to give religious instruction in such a manner
121
annotate
to supply with critical or explanatory notes; comment upon in notes
122
inimitable
so good or unusual as to be impossible to copy; unique. | "the inimitable ambience of Hawaii"
123
callow
inexperienced and immature. | "earnest and callow undergraduates"
124
surreptitious
kept secret, especially because it would not be approved of. | "they carried on a surreptitious affair"
125
palliation
excuse or apology | don't try to palliate your constant lying by claiming that everybody lies
126
promulgated
The law was promulgated in April 1988. | promulgation, declaration
127
intimation
trying to intimate that there was more going on than anyone knew suggest, imply
128
redaction
revision, edits
129
curt
she was offended by the curt reply to her well-meaning question rude
130
churlish
it would be churlish for any dinner guest to express anything but gratitude for his host's generous hospitality rude
131
subservient
inferior
132
explicates
explains
133
propitiates
appeases
134
attenuates
lessen, diminish
135
delineated
outline, describe | "the law should delineate and prohibit behavior that is socially abhorrent"
136
synergetic
working together
137
solipsistic
egocentric, self-involved
138
tumultuous
disorderly, turbulent
139
bourgeois
commonplace
140
profundity
great depth or intensity of a state, quality, or emotion. | "the profundity of her misery"
141
victuals
food or provisions | the navy was usually equipped, clothed and victualled by the Crown
142
levity
lighthearted, frivolity, humor | the teachers disapprove of any displays of levity during school assemblies
143
mawkish
"a mawkish poem" | overly sentimental
144
scintillating
lively, brilliantly clever | "the audience loved his scintillating wit"
145
avant-garde
daring, cutting edge, unusual, experimental | "works by artists of the Russian avant-garde"
146
sententious
preachy sanctimonious | "he tried to encourage his men with sententious rhetoric"
147
sanctimonious
pretending to be morally better than other people
148
bromidic
ordinary, dull | Ouranos is a magnificent planet that has been subject to a bromidic and stale joke for far too long.
149
epochal
epoch making, influential, far-reaching | during his three epochal years in the assembly
150
gilding
decorations used to add beauty
151
expenditures
costs
152
utilitarian
useful function
153
auspicious
conducive to success; favorable. | "it was not the most auspicious moment to hold an election"
154
propitious
giving or indicating a good chance of success; favorable. | "the timing for such a meeting seemed propitious"
155
pretentious
showing off, | "a pretentious literary device"
156
ominous
giving the impression that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen; threatening; inauspicious. "there were ominous dark clouds gathering overhead"
157
inauspicious
not conducive to success; unpromising. | "it was an inauspicious beginning to the long and complex entanglement"
158
unsullied
not spoiled or made impure. | "an unsullied reputation"
159
improvident
imprudent, not having or showing foresight; spendthrift or thoughtless. "improvident and undisciplined behavior"

GRE Vocab Words (11 decks)

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