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GRE Vocab - 5 > T > Flashcards

T Flashcards

1
Q

tacit

A

understood; not put into words (Eg: We have a tacit agreement based on only a handshake. )

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2
Q

taciturn

A

habitually silent; talking a little (Eg: New Englanders are reputedly taciturn people. )

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3
Q

tactile

A

pertaining to the organs or sense of touch (Eg: His callused hands had lost their tactile sensitivity. )

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4
Q

tainted

A

contaminated; corrupt (Eg: )

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5
Q

talisman

A

charm (Eg: She wore the talisman to ward off evil. )

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6
Q

talon

A

claw of bird (Eg: The falconer wore a leather gauntlet to avoid being clawed by the hawk’s talons. )

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7
Q

tangential

A

peripheral; only slightly connected; digressing (Eg: Despite Clark’s attempts to distract her with tangential remarks- Lois kept on coming back to her main )

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8
Q

tangible

A

able to be touched; real; palpable (Eg: Although Tom did not own a house- he had several tangible assets–a car- a television- a PC–that he could )

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9
Q

tanner

A

person who turns animal hides into leather (Eg: Using a solution of tanbark- the tanner treated the cowhide- transforming it into supple leather. )

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10
Q

tantalize

A

tease; torture with disappointment (Eg: Tom loved to tantalize his younger brother with candy; he knew the boy was forbidden to have it. )

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11
Q

tantamount

A

equal (Eg: Your ignoring their pathetic condition is tantamount to the murder. )

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12
Q

tantrum

A

fit of petulance; caprice (Eg: The child learned that he could have almost anything if he went into tantrums. )

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13
Q

taper

A

candle (Eg: He lit the taper on the windowsill. )

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14
Q

tarantula

A

venomous spider (Eg: We need an antitoxin to counteract the bite of the tarantula. )

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15
Q

tarry

A

delay; dawdle (Eg: We can’t tarry if we want to get to the airport on time. )

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16
Q

taut

A

tight; ready (Eg: The captain maintained that he ran a taut ship. )

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17
Q

tautological

A

needlessly repetitious (Eg: In the sentence ‘‘It was visible to the eye-‘’ the phrase ‘‘to the eye’’ is tautological. )

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18
Q

tawdry

A

cheap and gaudy (Eg: He won a few tawdry trinkets in Coney Island. )

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19
Q

taxonomist

A

specialist in classifying (animals- etc.) (Eg: Dental patterns often enable the taxonomist to distinguish members of one rodent species from those of )

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20
Q

tedium

A

boredom; weariness (Eg: We hope this radio will help overcome the tedium of your stay in the hospital. )

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21
Q

temerity

A

boldness; rashness (Eg: Do you have the temerity to argue with me? )

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22
Q

temper

A

moderate; tone down or restrain; toughen (steel) (Eg: Not even her supervisor’s grumpiness could temper Nancy’s enthusiasm for her new job. )

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23
Q

temperament

A

characteristic frame of mind; disposition; emotional excess (Eg: Although the twins look alike- they differ markedly in temperament: Tod is calm- but Rod is excitable. )

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24
Q

temperate

A

restrained; self-controlled (Eg: Noted for his temperate appetite- he seldom gained weight. )

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25
Q

tempo

A

speed of music (Eg: I find the conductor’s tempo too slow for such a brilliant piece of music. )

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26
Q

temporal

A

not lasting forever; limited by time; secular (Eg: At one time in our history- temporal rulers assumed that they had been given their thrones by divine right. )

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27
Q

temporize

A

avoid committing oneself; gain time (Eg: I cannot permit you to temporize any longer; I must have a definite answer today. )

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28
Q

tenacious

A

holding fast (Eg: I had to struggle to break his tenacious hold on my arm. )

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29
Q

tenacity

A

firmness; persistency; adhesiveness (Eg: It is extremely difficult to overcome the tenacity of a habit such as smoking. )

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30
Q

tendentious

A

having an aim; biased; designed to further a cause (Eg: The editorials in this periodical are tendentious rather than truth-seeking. )

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31
Q

tender

A

offer; extend (Eg: Although no formal changes had been made against him- in the wake of the recent scandal the mayor felt )

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32
Q

tenet

A

doctrine; dogma (Eg: The agnostic did not accept the tenets of their faith. )

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33
Q

tensile

A

capable of being stretched (Eg: Mountain climbers must know the tensile strength of their ropes. )

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34
Q

tentative

A

provisional; experimental (Eg: Your tentative plans sound plausible; let me know when the final details are worked out. )

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35
Q

tenuous

A

thin; rare; slim (Eg: The allegiance of our allies is held by rather tenuous ties; let us hope they will remain loyal. )

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36
Q

tenure

A

holding of an office; time during which such an office is held (Eg: He was permanent tenure in this position and cannot be fired. )

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37
Q

tepid

A

lukewarm (Eg: During the summer- I like to take a tepid bath- not a hot one. )

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38
Q

terminate

A

to bring to an end (Eg: When his contract was terminated unexpectedly- he desperately needed a new job. )

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39
Q

terminology

A

terms used in a science or art (Eg: The special terminology developed by some authorities in the field has done more to confuse laypersons )

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40
Q

terminus

A

last stop of railroad (Eg: After we reached the railroad terminus- we continued our journey into the wilderness on saddle horses. )

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41
Q

terrestrial

A

on or relating to the earth (Eg: We have been able to explore the terrestrial regions much more thoroughly than the aquatic or celestial )

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42
Q

terse

A

concise; abrupt; pithy (Eg: I admire his terse style of writing; he comes directly to the point. )

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43
Q

tertiary

A

third (Eg: He is so thorough that he analyzes tertiary causes where other writers are content with primary and )

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44
Q

tesselated

A

inlaid; mosaic (Eg: I recall seeing a table with a tesselated top of bits of stone and glass in a very interesting pattern. )

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45
Q

testator

A

maker of a will (Eg: The attorney called in his secretary and his partner to witness the signature of the testator. )

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46
Q

testy

A

irritable; short-tempered (Eg: My advice is to avoid discussing this problem with him today as he is rather testy and may shout at you. )

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47
Q

tether

A

tie with a rope (Eg: Before we went to sleep- we tethered the horses to prevent their wandering off during the night. )

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48
Q

thematic

A

relating to a unifying motif or idea (Eg: Those who think of Moby Dick as a simple adventure story about whaling miss is underlying thematic )

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49
Q

theocracy

A

government of a community by religious leaders (Eg: Some Pilgrims favored the establishment of a theocracy in New England. )

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50
Q

theoretical

A

not practical or applied; hypothetical (Eg: Bob was better at applied engineering and computer programming than he was at theoretical physics and )

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51
Q

therapeutic

A

curative (Eg: Now better known for its racetrack- Saratoga Springs first gained attention for the therapeutic qualities of )

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52
Q

thermal

A

pertaining to heat (Eg: The natives discovered that the host springs gave excellent thermal baths and began to develop their )

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53
Q

thespian

A

pertaining to drama (Eg: Her success in the school play convinced her she was destined for a thespian career. )

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54
Q

thrall

A

slave; bondage (Eg: The captured soldier was held in thrall by the conquering army. )

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55
Q

thrifty

A

careful about money; economical (Eg: A thrifty shopper compares prices before making major purchases. )

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56
Q

thrive

A

prosper; flourish (Eg: Despite the impact of recession on the restaurant trade- Philip’s cafe thrived. )

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57
Q

throes

A

violent anguish (Eg: The throes of despair can be as devastating as the spasms accompanying physical pain. )

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58
Q

throng

A

crowd (Eg: Throngs of shoppers jammed the aisles. )

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59
Q

throttle

A

strangle (Eg: The criminal tried to throttle the old man with his bare hands. )

60
Q

thwart

A

baffle; frustrate (Eg: He felt that everyone was trying to thwart his plans and prevent his success. )

61
Q

tightwad

A

excessively frugal person; miser (Eg: Jill called Jack a tightwad because he never picked up the check. )

62
Q

tilter

A

handle used to move the boat’s rudder (to steer) (Eg: Fearing the wind might shift suddenly and capsize the skiff- Tom kept one hand on the tilter at all times. )

63
Q

timbre

A

quality of a musical tone produced by a musical instrument (Eg: We identify the instrument producing a musical sound by its timbre. )

64
Q

timidity

A

lack of self-confidence or courage (Eg: If you are to succeed as a salesperson- you must first lose your timidity and fear of failure. )

65
Q

timorous

A

fearful; demonstrating fear (Eg: His timorous manner betrayed the fear he felt at the moment. )

66
Q

tipple

A

drink (alcoholic beverages) frequently (Eg: He found that his most enjoyable evenings occurred when he tippled with his friends at the local pub. )

67
Q

tirade

A

extended scolding; denunciation (Eg: Long before he had finished his tirade- we were sufficiently aware of the seriousness of our misconduct. )

68
Q

titanic

A

gigantic (Eg: titanic waves beat aginst the shore during the hurricane. )

69
Q

tithe

A

tax of one-tenth (Eg: Because he was an agnostic- he refused to pay his tithes to the clergy. )

70
Q

titillate

A

tickle (Eg: I am here not to titillate my audience but to enlighten it. )

71
Q

title

A

right or claim to possession; mark of rank; name (of a book- film- etc.) (Eg: Though the penniless Duke of Ragwort no longer held title to the family estate- he still retained his title as )

72
Q

titter

A

nervous laugh (Eg: Her aunt’s constant titter nearly drove her mad. )

73
Q

titular

A

having the title of an office without the obligations (Eg: Although he was the titular head of the company- the real decisions were made by his general manager. )

74
Q

toady

A

servile flatterer; yes man (Eg: Never tell the boss anything he doesn’t wish to hear: he doesn’t want an independent adviser- he just wants )

75
Q

toga

A

Roman outer robe (Eg: Marc Antony pointed to the slashes in Caesar’s toga. )

76
Q

tome

A

large volume (Eg: He spent much time in the libraries poring over ancient tomes. )

77
Q

tonsure

A

shaving of the head- especially by person entering religious orders (Eg: His tonsure- even more than his monastic garb- indicated that he was a member of the religious order. )

78
Q

topography

A

physical features of a region (Eg: Before the generals gave the order to attack- they ordered a complete study of the topography of the )

79
Q

torpor

A

lethargy; sluggishness; dormancy (Eg: Nothing seemed to arouse him from his torpor; he had wholly surrendered himself to lethargy. )

80
Q

torque

A

twisting force; force producing rotation (Eg: With her wrench she applied sufficient torque to the nut the loosen it. )

81
Q

torrent

A

rushing stream; flood (Eg: Day after day of heavy rain saturated the hillside until the water ran downhill in torrents. )

82
Q

torso

A

trunk of statue with head and limbs missing; human trunk (Eg: This torso- found in the ruins of Pompeii- is now on exhibition in the museum in Naples. )

83
Q

tortuous

A

winding; full of curves (Eg: Because this road is so tortuous- it is unwise to go faster than twenty miles an hour on it. )

84
Q

touchstone

A

stone used to test the fineness of gold alloys; criterion (Eg: What touchstone can be used to measure the character of a person? )

85
Q

touchy

A

sensitive; irascible (Eg: Do not discuss this phase of the problem as he is very touchy about it. )

86
Q

tout

A

publicize; praise excessively (Eg: I lost confidence in my broker after he touted some junk bonds that turned out to be a bad investment. )

87
Q

toxic

A

poisonous (Eg: We must seek an antidote for whatever toxic substance he has eaten. )

88
Q

tract

A

pamphlet; a region of indefinite size (Eg: The King granted William Penn a tract of land in the New World. )

89
Q

tractable

A

docile (Eg: You will find the children in this school very tractable and willing to learn. )

90
Q

traduce

A

expose to slander (Eg: His opponents tried to traduce the candidate’s reputation by spreading rumors about his past. )

91
Q

trajectory

A

path taken by a projectile (Eg: The police tried to locate the spot from which the assassin had fired the fatal shot by tracing the trajectory )

92
Q

tranquillity

A

calmness; peace (Eg: After the commotion and excitement of the city- I appreciate the tranquillity of these fields and forests. )

93
Q

transcend

A

exceed; surpass (Eg: This accomplishment transcends all our previous efforts. )

94
Q

transcribe

A

copy (Eg: When you transcribe your notes- please send a copy to Mr.Smith and keep the original for our files. )

95
Q

transgression

A

violation of a law; sin (Eg: Forgive us our transgressions; we know not what we do. )

96
Q

transient

A

momentary; temporary; staying for a short time (Eg: Lexy’s joy at finding the perfect Christmas gift for Phil was transient; she still had to find presents for the )

97
Q

transition

A

going from one state of action to another (Eg: During the period of transition from oil heat to gas heat- the furnace will have to be shut off. )

98
Q

transitoriness

A

impermanence (Eg: Conscious that all things pass- the psalmist relates the transitoriness of happiness and fame. )

99
Q

translucent

A

partly transparent (Eg: We could not recognize the people in the next room because of the translucent curtains that separated us. )

100
Q

transmute

A

change; convert to something different (Eg: He was unable to transmute his dreams into actualities. )

101
Q

transparent

A

permitting to light to pass through freely; easily detected (Eg: Your scheme is so transparent that it will fool no one. )

102
Q

transpire

A

be revealed; happen (Eg: When Austen writes the sentence ‘‘It had just transpired that he had left gaming debts behind him-‘’ her )

103
Q

transport

A

strong emotion (Eg: Margo was a creature of extremes- at one moment in transports of joy over a vivid sunset- at another )

104
Q

trappings

A

outward decorations; ornaments (Eg: He loved the trappings of success: the limousines- the stock options- the company jet. )

105
Q

traumatic

A

pertaining to an injury caused by violence (Eg: In his nightmares- he kept on recalling the traumatic experience of being wounded in battle. )

106
Q

travail

A

painful labor (Eg: How long do you think a man can endure such travail and degradation without rebelling? )

107
Q

traverse

A

go through or across (Eg: When you traverse this field- be careful of the bull. )

108
Q

travesty

A

comical parody; treatment aimed at making something appear ridiculous (Eg: The ridiculous decision the jury has arrived at is a travesty of justice. )

109
Q

treatise

A

article treating a subject systematically and thoroughly (Eg: He is preparing a treatise on the Elizabethan playwrights for his graduate degree. )

110
Q

trek

A

travel; journey (Eg: The tribe made their trek further north that summer in search of game. )

111
Q

tremor

A

trembling; slight quiver (Eg: She had a nervous tremor in her right hand. )

112
Q

tremulous

A

trembling; wavering (Eg: )

113
Q

trenchant

A

cutting; keen (Eg: I am afraid of his trenchant wit for it is so often sarcastic. )

114
Q

trepidation

A

fear; trembling agitation (Eg: We must face the enemy without trepidation if we are to win this battle. )

115
Q

tribulation

A

distress; suffering (Eg: After all the trials and tribulations we have gone through- we need this rest. )

116
Q

tribunal

A

court of justice (Eg: The decision of the tribunal was final and the prisoner was sentenced to death. )

117
Q

tribute

A

tax levied by a ruler; mark of respect (Eg: The colonists refused to pay tribute to a foreign despot. )

118
Q

trident

A

three-pronged spear (Eg: Neptune is usually depicted as rising from the sea- carrying his trident on his shoulder. )

119
Q

trigger

A

set off (Eg: John is touchy today; say one word wrong and you’ll trigger an explosion. )

120
Q

trilogy

A

group of three works (Eg: Romain Rolland’s novel Jean Christophe was first published as a trilogy. )

121
Q

trinket

A

knickknack; bauble (Eg: Whenever she traveled abroad- Ethel would pick up costume jewelry and other trinkets as souvenirs. )

122
Q

trite

A

hackneyed; commonplace (Eg: Thr trite and predictable situations in many television programs alienate many viewers. )

123
Q

trivia

A

trifles; unimportant matters (Eg: Too many magazines ignore newsworthy subjects and feature trivia. )

124
Q

troth

A

pledge of good faith especially in betrothal (Eg: He gave her his troth and vowed to cherish her always. )

125
Q

trough

A

container for feeding farm animals; lowest point (of a wave- business cycle- etc.) (Eg: The hungry pigs struggled to get at the fresh swill in the trough. The surfer rode her board- coasting along )

126
Q

truculence

A

agressiveness; ferocity (Eg: Tynan’s reviews were noted for their caustic attacks and general tone of truculence. )

127
Q

truism

A

self-evident truth (Eg: Many a truism is well expressed in a proverb. )

128
Q

truncate

A

cut the top off (Eg: )

129
Q

tryst

A

meeting (Eg: The lovers kept their tryst even though they realized their danger. )

130
Q

tumid

A

swollen; pompous; bombastic (Eg: I especially dislike his tumid style; I prefer writing which is less swollen and bombastic. )

131
Q

tumult

A

commotion; riot; noise (Eg: She could not make herself heard over the tumult of the mob. )

132
Q

tundra

A

rolling- treeless plain in Siberia and arctic North America (Eg: Despite the cold- many geologists are trying to discover valuable mineral deposits in the tundra. )

133
Q

turbid

A

muddy; having the sediment disturbed (Eg: The water was turbid after the children had waded through it. )

134
Q

turbulence

A

state of violent agitation (Eg: We were frightened by the turbulence of the ocean during the storm. )

135
Q

tureen

A

deep dish for serving soup (Eg: The waiters brought the soup to the tables in silver tureens. )

136
Q

turgid

A

swollen; distended (Eg: The turgid river threatened to overflow the levees and flood the contryside. )

137
Q

turmoil

A

confusion; strife (Eg: Conscious he had sinned- he was in a state of spiritual turmoil. )

138
Q

turncoat

A

traitor (Eg: The British considered Benedict Arnold a loyalist; the Americans considered him a turncoat. )

139
Q

turpitude

A

depravity (Eg: A visitor may be denied admittance to this country if she has been guilty of moral turpitude. )

140
Q

tutelage

A

guardianship; training (Eg: Under the tutelage of such masters of the instrument- she made rapid progress as a virtuoso. )

141
Q

tutelary

A

protective; pertaining to a guardianship (Eg: I am acting in my tutelary capacity when I refuse to grant you permission to leave the campus. )

142
Q

tycoon

A

wealthy leader (Eg: John D. Rockefeller was a prominent tycoon. )

143
Q

tyranny

A

oppression; cruel government (Eg: Frederick Douglass fought against the tyranny of slavery throughout his entire life. )

144
Q

tyro

A

beginner; novice (Eg: For a mere tyro- you have produced some marvelous results. )

145
Q

timid

A

easily frightened; apprehensive (Eg: He was timid and cowardish; always backing up at daunting situations. )

146
Q

tonic

A

invigorating medicine (Eg: The tonic water invigorated her- contrary to the enervating effect of the alcohol. )

147
Q

toil

A

work laboriously; make slow painful progress (Eg: You must toil through 3500 words list in order to achieve a high score on GRE. )

GRE Vocab - 5 (5 decks)

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