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GRE Vocab > Set 3 > Flashcards

Set 3 Flashcards

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0
Q

Hapless
adj
(haap luhs)

A

Unfortunate; having bad luck

I wish someone would give that poor, HAPLESS soul some food and shelter.

Synonyms: ill-fated; ill-starred; jinxed; luckless; unlucky

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1
Q

Inexorable
adj
(ihn ehk suhr uh buhl)

A

Inflexible; unyielding

The INEXORABLE force of the twister swept away their house.

Synonyms: adamant; obdurate; relentless

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2
Q

Whimsical
adj
(wihm sih cuhl)

A

Lightly acting in a fanciful or capricious manner; unpredictable

The ballet was WHIMSICAL, delighting the children with its imaginative characters and unpredictable sets.

Synonyms: capricious; erratic; flippant; frivolous

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3
Q

Gambol
verb
(gaam buhl)

A

To dance or skip around playfully

From her office, Amy enviously watched the playful puppies GAMBOL around Central Park.

Synonyms: caper; cavort; frisk; frolic; rollick; romp

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4
Q

Legerdemain
noun
(lehj uhr duh mayn)

A

Trickery

The little boy thought his LEGERDEMAIN was working on his mother.

Synonyms: chicanery; conjuring

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5
Q

Eloquent
adj
(ehl uh kwunt)

A

Persuasive and moving, especially in speech

The Gettysburg Address is moving not only because of its lofty sentiments but because of its ELOQUENT words.

Synonyms: articulate; expressive; fluent; meaningful; significant

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6
Q

Prevaricate
verb
(prih vaar uh cayt)

A

To lie or deviate from the truth

Rather than admit that he had overslept again, the employee PREVARICATED and claimed hat heavy traffic had prevented him from arriving at work on time.

Synonyms: equivocate; lie; perjure

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7
Q 
Condone
   verb
(kuhn dohn)
A

To overlook, pardon, or disregard

Some theorists believe that failing to prosecute minor crimes is the same as CONDONING an air of lawlessness.

Synonyms: exculpatory; excuse; pardon; remit

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8
Q

Pristine
adj
(prih steen)

A

Fresh and clean; uncorrupted

Since concerted measures had been taken to prevent looting, the archeological site was still PRISTINE when researchers arrived.

Synonyms: innocent; undamaged

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9
Q

Fractious
adj
(fraak shuhs)

A

Unruly; rebellious

The general had a hard time maintaining discipline among his FRACTIOUS troops.

Synonyms: contentious; cranky; peevish; quarrelsome

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10
Q

Connoisseur
noun
(kah nuh suhr)

A

A person with expert knowledge or discriminating tastes

Dr. Crane was a CONNOISSEUR of fine food and wine, drinking and eating only the best.

Synonyms: authority; epicure; expert; gastronome; gourmet

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11
Q

Stolid
adj
(stah lihd)

A

Unemotional; lacking sensitivity

The prisoner appeared STOLID and unaffected by the judge’s harsh sentence.

Synonyms: apathetic; impassive; indifferent; phlegmatic; stoic

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12
Q

Rustic
adj
(ruh stihk)

A

Rural

The RUSTIC cabin was an ideal setting for a vacation in the country.

Synonyms: bucolic; pastoral

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13
Q

Pejorative
noun
(peh jaw ruh tihv)

A

Having bad connotations, disparaging

The teacher scolded Mark for his unduly PEJORATIVE comments about his classmate’s presentation.

Synonyms: belittling; dismissive; insulting

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14
Q

Pedant
noun
(peh daant)

A

Someone who shows off learning

The graduate instructor’s tedious and excessive commentary on the subject soon gained her a reputation as a PEDANT.

Synonyms: doctrinaire; nit-picker; pedagogue; scholar; schoolmaster

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15
Q

Demagogue
noun
(deh muh gawg)

A

A leader or rabble-rouser, usually one appealing to emotion or prejudice

He began his career as a DEMAGOGUE, giving fiery speeches at political rallies.

Synonyms: agitator; inviter; instigator

16
Q

Deleterious
adj
(dehl ih teer ee uhs)

A

Subtly or unexpectedly harmful

If only we had known the clocks were defective before putting them on the market, it wouldn’t have been quite so DELETERIOUS to our reputation.

Synonyms: adverse; hurtful; inimical; injurious

17
Q

Officious
adj
(uh fihsh uhs)

A

Too helpful; meddlesome

While planning her wedding, Maya discovered just how OFFICIOUS her future mother-in-law could be.

Synonyms: eager; intrusive; unwanted

18
Q

Pare
verb
(payr)

A

To trim off excess; to reduce

The cook’s hands were sore after she PARED hundreds of potatoes for the banquet.

Synonyms: clip; peel

19
Q

Pugilism
noun
(pyoo juhl ih suhm)

A

Boxing

PUGILISM has been defended as a positive outlet for aggressive impulses.

Synonyms: fighting; sparring

20
Q

Verbose
adj
(vuhr bohs)

A

Wordy

The professor’s answer was so VERBOSE that his student forgot what the original question had been.

Synonyms: long-winded; loquacious; prolix; superfluous

21
Q

Limpid
adj
(lim pihd)

A

Clear; transparent

Fernando could see all the way to the bottom through the pond’s LIMPID water.

Synonyms: lucid; pellucid; serene

22
Q

Quixotic
adj
(kwihk sah tihk)

A

Overly idealistic; impractical

The practical Danuta was skeptical of her roommate’s QUIXOTIC plans to build a roller coaster in their yard.

Synonyms: capricious; impulsive; romantic; unrealistic

23
Q

Austere
adj
(aw steer)

A

Severe or stern in appearance; undecorated

The lack of decoration makes Zen seem AUSTERE to the untrained eye.

Synonyms: bleak; dour; grim; hard; harsh; severe

24
Q

Iconoclast
noun
(ie kahn uh klaast)

A

One who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions

His lack of regard for traditional beliefs soon established him as an ICONOCLAST.

Synonyms: maverick; nonconformist; rebel; revolutionary

25
Q

Ford
verb
(fohrd)

A

To cross a body of water by wading

Because of the recent torrential rains, the cowboys were unable to FORD the swollen river.

Synonyms: traverse; wade

26
Q

Machination
noun
(mahk uh nay shuhn)

A

Plot or scheme

Tired of his enemies’ endless MACHINATIONS to remove him from the throne, the king had them executed.

Synonyms: cabal; conspiracy; design; intrigue

27
Q

Exonerate
verb
(ihg zahn uh rayt)

A

To clear of blame

The fugitive was EXONERATED when another criminal confessed to committing the crime.

Synonyms: absolve; acquit; clear; exculpate; vindicate

28
Q

Ameliorate
verb
(uh meel yuhr ayt)

A

To make better; to improve

The doctor was able to AMELIORATE the patient’s suffering using painkillers.

Synonyms: amend; better; improve; pacify; upgrade

29
Q

Wily
adj
(wie lee)

A

Clever; deceptive

Yet again, the WILY coyote manga aged to elude the ranchers who wanted to capture it.

Synonyms: crafty; cunning; tricky

GRE Vocab (17 decks)

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