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GRE Vocab > Set 16 > Flashcards

Set 16 Flashcards

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1
Q

Stentorian
adj
(stehn tohr ee yehn)

A

Extremely loud

Cullen couldn’t hear her speaking over the STENTORIAN din of the game on TV.

Synonyms: clamorous; noisy

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2
Q

Voluble
adj
(vahl yuh buhl)

A

Talkative; speaking easily; glib

The VOLUBLE man and his reserved wife proved the old saying that opposites attract.

Synonyms: loquacious; verbose

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3
Q

Calumny
noun
(kaa luhm nee)

A

A false and malicious accusation; misrepresentation

The unscrupulous politician used CALUMNY to bring down his opponent in the senatorial race.

Synonyms: defamation; libel; slander

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4
Q

Wanton
adj
(wahn tuhn)

A

Undisciplined; unrestrained; reckless

The townspeople were outraged by the WANTON display of disrespect when they discovered the statue of the town founder covered in graffiti.

Synonyms: capricious; lewd; licentious

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5
Q

Lionize
verb
(lie uhn iez)

A

To treat as a celebrity

After the success of his novel, the author was LIONIZED by the press.

Synonyms: feast; honor; regale

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6
Q

Fervid
adj
(fuhr vihd)

A

Intensely emotional; feverish

The fans of Maria Callas were particularly FERVID, doing anything to catch a glimpse of the great opera singer.

Synonyms: burning; impassioned; passionate; vehement; zealous

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7
Q

Kinetic
adj
(kih neh tihk)

A

Relating to motion; characterized by movement

The KINETIC sculpture moved back and forth, startling the museum visitors.

Synonyms: active; dynamic; mobile

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8
Q

Sagacious
adj
(suh gay shuhs)

A

Shrewd; wise

Owls have a reputation for being SAGACIOUS, perhaps because of their big eyes, which resemble glasses.

Synonyms: astute; judicious; perspicacious; sage; wise

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9
Q

Overwrought
adj
(oh vuhr rawt)

A

Agitated; overdone

The lawyer’s OVERWROUGHT voice on the phone made her clients worry about the outcome of their case.

Synonyms: elaborate; excited; nervous; ornate

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10
Q

Yoke
verb
(yohk)

A

To join together

As soon as the farmer had YOKED his oxen together, he began to plow the fields.

Synonyms: bind; harness; pair

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11
Q

Listless
adj
(lihst lihs)

A

Lacking energy and enthusiasm

LISTLESS and depressed after breaking up with his girlfriend, Raj spent his days moping on the couch.

Synonyms: faineant; indolent; languid; lethargic; sluggish

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12
Q

Xenophobia
noun
(zee nuh foh bee uh)

A

A fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers

Countries in which XENOPHOBIA is prevalent often have more restrictive immigration policies than countries that are more open to foreign influences.

Synonyms: bigotry; chauvinism; prejudice

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13
Q

Palatial
adj
(puh lay shuhl)

A

Relating to a palace; magnificent

After living in a cramped studio apartment for years, Siobhan thought the modest one bedroom looked downright PALATIAL.

Synonyms: grand; stately

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14
Q

Unequivocal
adj
(uhn ee kwih vih kuhl)

A

Absolute; certain

The jury’s verdict was EQUIVOCAL: the organized crime boss I’ll be locked up for life.

Synonyms: categorical; clear; explicit; express; unambiguous

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15
Q

Salubrious
adj
(suh loo bree uhs)

A

Healthful

Run-down and sickly, Rita hoped that the fresh mountain air would have a SALUBRIUS effect on her health.

Synonyms: bracing; curative; medicinal; therapeutic; tonic

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16
Q

Blight
verb
(bliet)

A

To afflict; to destroy

The farmers feared that the night’s frost would BLIGHT the potato crops entirely.

Synonyms: damage; plague

17
Q

Chauvinist
noun
(shoh vuh nist)

A

Someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs

The attitude that men must be obeyed since they are inherently superior to women is common among male CHAUVINISTS.

Synonyms: bigot; jingoist; partisan

18
Q

Amortize
verb
(uh mohr tiez)

A

To diminish by installment payments

While college students are notorious for accumulating credit card debt, they are not as well known for AMORTIZING it.

Synonyms: decrease; reduce

19
Q

Embellish
verb
(ehm behl ihsh)

A

To add ornamental or fictitious details

Britt EMBELLISHED her resume, hoping to make the lowly positions she had help seem more important.

Synonyms: adorn; bedeck; elaborate; embroider; enhance; exaggerate

20
Q

Dogma
noun
(dahg muh)

A

A firmly held opinion, especially a religious belief

Linus’s central DOGMA was that children who believed in the Great Pumpkin would be rewarded.

Synonyms: creed; doctrine; teaching; tenet

21
Q

Gradation
noun
(gray day shuhn)

A

A degree or stage in a process; a variation in color

The paint store offers so many different GRADATIONS of red that it’s impossible to choose among them.

Synonyms: nuance; shade; step; subtlety

22
Q

Occlude
verb
(uh klood)

A

To step up; to prevent the passage of

A shadow is thrown across get Earth’s surface during a solar eclipse, when the light from the sun is OCCLUDED by the moon.

Synonyms: barricade; block; close; obstruct

23
Q

Malediction
noun
(maal ih dihk shun)

A

A curse; a wish of evil upon another

The frog prince looked for a princess to kiss him and out an end to the witch’s MALEDICTION.

Synonyms: anathema; imprecation

24
Q

Aberrant
adj
(uh ber unt)

A

Deviating from what is normal or expected

Since he had been a steady, cheerful worker for many years, his fellow postal workers did not expect his ABERRANT burst of rage.

Synonyms: abnormal; anomalous; deviant; divergent; errant; irregular

25
Q

Usury
noun
(yoo zhuh ree)

A

The practice of lending money at exorbitant rates

The moneylender was convicted of USURY when it was discovered that he charged 50 percent interest on all his loans.

Synonyms: loan-sharking

26
Q

Ingrate
noun
(ihn grayt)

A

An ungrateful person

When non of her relatives thanked her for the fruit cakes she had sent them, Audrey condemned them all as INGRATES.

Synonyms: cad; churl

27
Q

Sardonic
adj
(sahr dah nihk)

A

Cynical; scornfully mocking

Isabella was offended by the SARDONIC way in which her date made fun of her ideas and opinions.

Synonyms: acerbic; caustic; sarcastic; satirical; snide

28
Q

Vacillate
verb
(vaa sihl ayt)

A

To physically sway; to be indecisive

The customer held up the line as he VACILLATED between ordering chocolate-chip or rocky-road ice cream.

Synonyms: dither; falter; fluctuate; oscillate; waver

29
Q

Impious
adj
(ihm pie uhs)

A

Not devout in religion

The nun cut herself off from her IMPIOUS family after she entered the covent.

Synonyms: immoral; irreverent; profane

30
Q

Bolster
verb
(bohl stuhr)

A

To support; to prop up

The presence of giant footprints BOLSTERED the argument that Bigfoot was in the area.

Synonyms: brace; buttress; crutch; prop; stay; support; sustain; underpin; uphold

GRE Vocab (17 decks)

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