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1
Q

rabid

A

like a fanatic; furious

He was a rabid follower of the Dodgers and watched them play whenever he could go to the ball park.

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2
Q

raconteur

A

story-teller

My father was a gifted raconteur with an unlimited supply of anecdotes.

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3
Q

ragamuffin

A

person wearing tattered clothes

He felt sorry for the ragamuffin who was begging for food and gave him money to buy a meal.

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4
Q

rail

A

scold; rant

You may rail at him all you want; you will never change him.

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5
Q

raiment

A

clothing

“How can I go to the ball?” asked Cinderella. “I have no raiment fit to wear.”

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6
Q

rakish

A

stylish; sporty

He wore his hat at a rakish and jaunty angle.

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7
Q

ramble

A

wander aimlessly (physically or mentally)

Listening to the teacher ramble, Judy wondered whether he’d ever get to his point.

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8
Q

ramification

A

branching out; subdivision

We must examine all the ramifications of this problem.

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9
Q

ramp

A

slope; inclined plane

The house was built with ramps instead of stairs in order to enable the man in the wheelchair to move
easily from room to room and floor to floor.

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10
Q

rampant

A

rearing up on hind legs; unrestrained

The rampant weeds in the garden killed all the flowers that had been planted in the spring.

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11
Q

rampart

A

defensive mound on earth

“From the ramparts we watched” as the fighting continued.

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12
Q

ramshackle

A

rickety; falling apart

The boys propped up the ramshackle clubhouse with a couple of boards.

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13
Q

rancor

A

bitterness; hatred

Let us forget out rancor and cooperate in this new endeavor.

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14
Q

rankle

A

irritate; fester

The memory of having been jilted rankled him for years.

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15
Q

rant

A

rave; speak bombastically

As we heard him rant on the platform, we could not understand his strange popularity with many people.

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16
Q

rapacious

A

excessively grasping; plundering

Hawks and other rapacious birds prey on variety of small animals.

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17
Q

rapport

A

emotional closeness; harmony

In team teaching, it is important that all teachers in the group have good rapport with one another.

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18
Q

rarefied

A

made less dense [of a gas]

The mountain climbers had difficulty breathing in the rarefied atmosphere.

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19
Q

raspy

A

grating; harsh

The sergeant’s raspy voice grated on the recruits’ ears.

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20
Q

ratify

A

approve formally; verify

Before the treaty could go into effect, it had to be ratified by the president.

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21
Q

ratiocination

A

reasoning; act of drawing conclusions from premises

While Watson was a man of average intelligence, Holmes was a genius, whose gift for ratiocination made him a superb detective.

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22
Q

rationalization

A

bringing into conformity with reason

All attempts at rationalization at this time are doomed to failure; tempers and emotions run too high for intelligent thought to prevail.

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23
Q

raucous

A

harsh and shrill

His raucous laughter irritated me and grated on my ears.

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24
Q

ravage

A

plunder; despoil

The marauding army ravaged the countryside.

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25
Q

rave

A

overwhelmingly favorable review

Though critic John Simon seldom has a good word to say about contemporary plays, his review of All in the Timing was a total rave.

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26
Q

ravel

A

fall apart into tangles; unravel or untwist; entangle

A sigle thread pulled loose, and the entire scarf started to ravel.

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27
Q

ravenous

A

extremely hungry

The revenous dog upset several garbage pails in its search for food.

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28
Q

ravine

A

narrow valley with steep sides

Steeper than a gully, less precipitous than a canyon, a ravine is, like them, the product of years of erosion.

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29
Q

raze

A

destroy completely

The owners intend to raze the hotel and erect an office building on the site.

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30
Q

reactionary

A

recoiling from progress; retrograde

His program was reactionary since it sought to abolish many of the social reforms instituted by the previous administration.

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31
Q

realm

A

kingdom; sphere

The realm of possibilities for the new invention was endless.

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32
Q

reaper

A

one who harvests grain

Death, the Grim Reaper, cuts down men and women, just as a farmer cuts down the ripened grain.

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33
Q

rebate

A

discount

We offer a rebate of ten percent to those who pay cash.

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34
Q

rebuff

A

snub; beat back

She rebuffed his invitation so smoothly that he did not realize he had been snubbed.

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35
Q

rebus

A

puzzle in which pictures stand for words

A coven of witches beside a tree is a possible rebus for the town Coventry.

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36
Q

rebuttal

A

refutation; response with contrary evidence

The defense lawyer confidently listened to the prosecutor sum up his case, sure that she could answer his arguments in her rebuttal.

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37
Q

recalcitrant

A

obstinately stubborn

Donkeys are reputed to be the most recalcitrant of animals.

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38
Q

recant

A

repudiate; withdraw previous statement

Unless you recant your confession, you will be punished severely.

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39
Q

recapitulate

A

summarize

Let us recapitulate what has been said thus far before going ahead.

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40
Q

receptive

A

quick or willing to receive ideas, suggestions, etc.

Adventure-loving Huck Finn proved a receptive audience for Tom’s tales of buried treasure and piracy.

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41
Q

recidivism

A

habitual return to crime

Prison reformers in the United States are disturbed by the high rate of recidivism; the number of persons serving second and third terms indicates the failure of the prisons to rehabilitate the inmates.

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42
Q

recipient

A

receiver

Although he had been the recipient of many favors, he was not grateful to his benefactor.

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43
Q

reciprocal

A

mutual; exchangeable; interacting

The two nations signed a reciprocal trade agreement.

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44
Q

reciprocate

A

repay in kind

If they attack us, we shall be compelled to reciprocate and bomb their territory.

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45
Q

recluse

A

hermit

The recluse lived in a hut in the forest.

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46
Q

recondite

A

abstruse; profound; secret

He read many recondite books in order to obtain the material for the scholarly thesis.

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47
Q

recourse

A

resorting to help when in trouble

The boy’s only recourse was to appeal to his father for aid.

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48
Q

recrimination

A

countercharges

Loud and angry recriminations were her answer to his accusations.

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49
Q

rectify

A

correct

I want to rectify my error before it is too late.

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50
Q

rectitude

A

uprightness

He was renowned for his rectitude and integrity.

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51
Q

recumbent

A

reclining; lying down completely or in part

The command “AT EASE” does not permit you to take a recumbent position.

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52
Q

recurrent

A

occurring again and again

These recurrent attacks disturbed us and we consulted a physician.

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53
Q

redolent

A

fragrant; odorous; suggestive of an odor

Even though it is February, the air is redolent of spring.

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54
Q

redoubtable

A

formidable; causing fear

During the Cold War period, neighboring countries tried not to offend the Russians because they could be redoubtable foes.

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55
Q

redress

A

remedy; compensation

Do you mean to tell me that I can get no redress for my injuries?

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56
Q

redundant

A

superfluous; excessively wordy; repetitious

Your composition is redundant; you can easily reduce its length.

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57
Q

reek

A

emit (odor)

The room reeked with stale tobacco smoke.

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58
Q

refectory

A

dining hall

In this huge refectory, we can feed the entire student body at one sitting.

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59
Q

refractory

A

stubborn; unmanageable

The refractory horse was eliminated from the race when he refused to obey the jockey.

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60
Q

refrain

A

v. abstain from; resist n. chorus

Whenever he heard a song with a lively chorus, Sol could never refrain from joining in on the refrain.

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61
Q

refute

A

disprove

The defense called several respectable witnesses who were able to refute the false testimony of the prosecution’s only witness.

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62
Q

regal

A

royal

Prince Albert had a regal manner.

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63
Q

regale

A

entertain

John regaled us with tales of his adventures in Africa.

64
Q

regatta

A

boat or yacht race

Many boating enthusiasts followed the regatta in their own yachts.

65
Q

regicide

A

murder of a king or queen

The beheading of Mary Queen of Scots was an act of regicide.

66
Q

regimen

A

prescribed diet and habits

I doubt whether the results warrant our living under such a strict regimen.

67
Q

reiterate

A

repeat

He reiterated the warning to make sure everyone understood it.

68
Q

rejoinder

A

retort; comeback; reply

When someone has been rude to me, I find it particularly satisfying to come up with a quick rejoinder.

69
Q

rejuvenate

A

make young again

The charlatan claimed that his elixir would rejuvenate the aged and weary.

70
Q

relegate

A

banish; consign to inferior position

If we relegate these experts to minor posts because of their political persuasions, we shall lose their valuable services.

71
Q

relent

A

give in

When her stern father would not relent and allow her to marry Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett eloped with her suitor.

72
Q

relish

A

savor; enjoy

I relish a good joke as much as anyone else.

73
Q

reminiscence

A

recollection

Her reminiscences of her experiences are so fascinating that she ought to write a book.

74
Q

remiss

A

negligent

He was accused of being remiss in his duty when the prisoner escaped.

75
Q

remission

A

temporary moderation of disease symptoms; cancellation of a debt; forgiveness or pardon

Though Senator Tsongas had been treated for cancer, his symptoms were in remission, and he was considered fit to handle the strains of a Presidential race.

76
Q

remnant

A

remainder

I suggest that you wait until the store places the remnants of these goods on sale.

77
Q

rend

A

split; tear apart

In his grief, he tried to rend his garments.

78
Q

render

A

deliver; provide; represent

He rendered aid to the needy and indigent.

79
Q

renegade

A

deserter; traitor

Because he had abandoned his post and joined forces with the Indians, his fellow officers considered the hero of Dances with Wolves a renegade.

80
Q

renege

A

deny; go back on

He reneged on paying off his debt.

81
Q

renown

A

fame

For many years an unheralded researcher, Barbara McClintock gained international renown when she won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine.

82
Q

rent

A

tear or rip; split

The conflict over abortion threatens to split our nation, creating a rent in the social fabric that will be difficult to mend.

83
Q

reparable

A

capable of being repaired

Fortunately, the damages we suffered in the accident were reparable and our car looks brand new.

84
Q

repartee

A

clever reply

He was famous for his witty repartee and his sarcasm.

85
Q

repercussion

A

rebound; reverberation; reaction

I am afraid that this event will have serious repercussions.

86
Q

repine

A

fret; complain

There is no sense repining over the work you have left undone.

87
Q

repository

A

storehouse

Libraries are repositories of the world’s best thoughts.

88
Q

reprehensible

A

deserving blame

Your vicious conduct in this situation is reprehensible.

89
Q

repress

A

restrain; crush; oppress

Anne’s parents tried to curb her impetuosity without repressing her boundless high spirits.

90
Q

reprieve

A

temporary stay

During the twenty-four-hour reprieve, the lawyers sought to make the stay of execution permanent.

91
Q

reprimand

A

reprove severely

I am afraid that my parents will reprimand me when I show them my report card.

92
Q

reprisal

A

retaliation

I am confident that we are ready for any reprisals the enemy may undertake.

93
Q

reprise

A

recurrent action; musical repetition; repeat performance

At Waterloo, it was not the effect of any one skirmish that exhausted Colonel Audly; rather it was the cumulative effect of the constant reprises that left him spent.

94
Q

reproach

A

blame; censure

I want my work to be above reproach and without error

95
Q

reprobate

A

person hardened in sin, devoid of a sense of decency

I cannot understand why he has so many admirers if he is the reprobate you say he is.

96
Q

reprobation

A

severe disapproval

The students showed their reprobation of his act by refusing to talk with him.

97
Q

reprove

A

censure; rebuke

The principal reproved the students when they became unruly in the auditorium.

98
Q

reputed

A

supposed

He is the reputed father of the child.

99
Q

requiem

A

mass for the dead; dirge

They played Mozart’s Requiem at the funeral.

100
Q

requisite

A

necessary requirement

Many colleges state that a student must offer three years of a language as a requisite for admission.

101
Q

requite

A

repay; revenge

The wretch requited his benefactors by betraying them.

102
Q

rescind

A

cancel

Because of public resentment, the king had to rescind his order.

103
Q

respite

A

delay in punishment; interval of relief; rest

The judge granted the condemned man a respite to enable his attorneys to file an appeal.

104
Q

restitution

A

reparation; indemnification

He offered to make restitution for the window broken by his son.

105
Q

restraint

A

controlling force

She dreamt of living an independent life, free of all restraints.

106
Q

resumption

A

taking up again; recommencement

During the summer break, Don had not realized how much he missed university life: at the resumption of classes, however, he felt marked excitement and pleasure.

107
Q

resurgent

A

rising again after defeat, etc.

The resurgent nation surprised everyone by its quick recovery after total defeat.

108
Q

retaliate

A

repay in kind (usually for bad treatment)

Fear that we will retaliate immediately deters our foe from attacking us.

109
Q

retentive

A

holding; having a good memory

The pupil did not need to spend much time in study as he had a retentive mind.

110
Q

reticent

A

reserved; uncommunicative; inclined to silence

Hughes preferred reticent employees to loquacious ones, noting that the formers’ dislike of idle chatter might ensure their discretion about his affairs.

111
Q

retinue

A

following; attendants

The queen’s retinue followed her down the aisle.

112
Q

retiring

A

modest; shy

Given Susan’t retiring personality, no one expected her to take up public speaking; surprisingly enough, she became a star of the school debate team.

113
Q

retort

A

quick, sharp reply

Even when it was advisable for her to keep her mouth shut, she was always ready with a retort.

114
Q

retraction

A

withdrawal

He dropped his libel suit after the newspaper published a retraction of its statement.

115
Q

retrench

A

cut down; economize

If they were to be able to send their children to college, they would have to retrench.

116
Q

retribution

A

vengeance; compensation; punishment for offenses

The evangelist maintained that an angry deity would exact retribution from the sinners.

117
Q

retroactive

A

taking effect before its enactment (as a law) or imposition (as a tax)

Because the new pension law was retroactive to the first of the year, even though Martha had retired in February she was eligible for the pension.

118
Q

retrograde

A

go backwards; degenerate

Instead of advancing, our civilization seems to have retrograded in ethics and culture.

119
Q

revelry

A

boisterous merrymaking

New Year’s Eve is a night of revelry.

120
Q

reverberate

A

echo; resound

The entire valley reverberated with the sound of the church bells.

121
Q

reverent

A

respectful

His reverent attitude was appropriate in a house of worship.

122
Q

reverie

A

daydream; musing

He was awakened from his reverie by the teacher’s question.

123
Q

revile

A

slander; vilify

He was avoided by all who feared that he would revile and abuse them if they displeased him.

124
Q

revulsion

A

sudden violent change of feeling; negative reaction

Many people in this country who admired dictatorships underwent a revulsion when they realized what Hitler and Mussolini were trying to do.

125
Q

rhapsodize

A

to speak or write in an exaggeratedly enthusiastic manner

She greatly enjoyed her Hawaiian vacation and rhapsodized about it for weeks.

126
Q

ribald

A

wanton; profane

He sang a ribald song that offended many of the more prudish listeners.

127
Q

rider

A

amendment or clause added to a legislative bill

Senator Foghorn said he would support Senator Filibuster’s tax reform bill only if Filibuster agreed to add an antipollution rider to the bill.

128
Q

rift

A

opening; break

The plane was lost in the stormy sky until the pilot saw the city through a rift in the clouds.

129
Q

rig

A

fix or manipulate

The ward boss was able to rig the election by bribing people to stuff the ballot boxes with ballots marked in his candidate’s favor.

130
Q

rigor

A

severity

Many settlers could not stand the rigors of the New England winters.

131
Q

rile

A

vex; irritate; muddy

Red had a hair-trigger temper: he was an easy man to rile.

132
Q

riventing

A

absorbing; engrossing

The reviewer described Byatt’s novel Possession as a riveting tale: absorbed in the story, he had finished it in a single evening.

133
Q

rivulet

A

small stream

As the rains continued, the trickle of water running down the hillside grew into a rivulet that threatened to
wash away a portion of the slope.

134
Q

rococo

A

ornate; highly decorated

The rococo style in furniture and architecture, marked by scrollwork and excessive decoration, flourished during the middle of the eighteenth century.

135
Q

roil

A

to make liquids murky by stirring up sediment; to disturb

Be careful when you pour not to roil the wine; if you stir up the sediment you’ll destroy the flavor.

136
Q

roseate

A

rosy; optimistic

I am afraid you will have to alter your roseate views in the light of the distressing news that has just arrived.

137
Q

roster

A

list

They print the roster of players in the season’s program.

138
Q

rostrum

A

platform for speech-making; pulpit

The crowd murmured angrily and indicated that they did not care to listen to the speaker who was approaching the rostrum.

139
Q

rote

A

repetition

He recited the passage by rote and gave no indication he understood what he was saying.

140
Q

rotunda

A

circular building or hall covered with a dome

His body lay in state in the rotunda of the Capitol.

141
Q

rotundity

A

roundness; sonorousness of speech

Washington Irving emphasized the rotundity of the governor by describing his height and circumference.

142
Q

rousing

A

lively; stirring

“And now, let’s have a rousing welcome for TV’s own Roseanne Arnold, who’ll lead us in a rousing rendition of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’”

143
Q

rout

A

stampede; drive out

The reinforcements were able to rout the enemy

144
Q

rubble

A

fragments

Ten years after World War II, some of the rubble left by enemy bombings could still be seen.

145
Q

rubic

A

title or heading (in red print); directions for religious ceremony; protocol

In ordaining the new priests, the bishop carefully observed all the rubrics for the ordination service.

146
Q

ruddy

A

reddish; healthy-looking

His ruddy features indicated that he had spent much time in the open.

147
Q

rudimentary

A

not developed; elementary

His dancing was limited to a few rudimentary steps.

148
Q

rueful

A

regretful; sorrowful; dejected

The artist has captured the sadness of childhood in his portrait of the boy with the rueful countenance.

149
Q

ruffian

A

bully; scoundrel

The ruffians threw stones at the police.

150
Q

ruminate

A

chew the cud; ponder

We cannot afford to wait while you ruminate upon these plans.

151
Q

rummage

A

ransack; thoroughly search

When we rummaged through the trunks in the attic, we found many souvenirs of our childhood days.

152
Q

runic

A

mysterious; set down in an ancient alphabet

Tolkien’s use of Old English words and inscriptions in the runic alphabet give The Lord of the Rings its atmosphere of antiquity.

153
Q

ruse

A

trick; stratagem

You will not be able to fool your friends with such an obvious ruse.

154
Q

rustic

A

pertaining to country people; uncouth

The backwoodsman looked out place in his rustic attire.

155
Q

rusticate

A

banish to the country; dwell in the country

I like city life so much that I can never understand how people can rusticate in the suburbs.

156
Q
A

GRE (24 decks)

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