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Textbook words Flashcards

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1
Q

Abate

A

To reduce in amount, degree, or severity

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2
Q

Abscond

A

To leave secretly

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3
Q

Abstain

A

To choose not to do something

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4
Q

Abyss

A

An extremely deep hole

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5
Q

Adulterate

A

To make impure

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6
Q

Advocate

A

To speak in favor of

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7
Q

Aesthetic

A

Concerning the appreciation of beauty

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8
Q

Aggrandize

A

To increase in power, influence, and reputation

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9
Q

Alleviate

A

To make more bearable

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10
Q

Amalgamate

A

To combine; to mix together

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11
Q

Ambiguous

A

Doubtful or uncertain; able to be interpreted several ways

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12
Q

Ameliorate

A

To make better; to improve

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13
Q

Anachronism

A

Something out of place in time

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14
Q

Analogous

A

Similar or alike in some way; equivalent to

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15
Q

Anomaly

A

Deviation from what is normal

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16
Q

Antagonize

A

To annoy or provoke to anger

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17
Q

Antipathy

A

Extreme dislike

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18
Q

Apathy

A

Lack of interest or emotion

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19
Q

Arbitrate

A

To judge a dispute between two opposing parties

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20
Q

Archaic

A

Ancient, old-fashioned

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21
Q

Ardor

A

Intense and passionate feeling

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22
Q

Articulate

A

Able to speak clearly and expressively

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23
Q

Assuage

A

To make something unpleasant less severe

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24
Q

Attenuate

A

To reduce in force or degree; to weaken

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25
Q

Audacious

A

Fearless and daring

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26
Q

Austere

A

Severe or stern in appearance; undecorated

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27
Q

Banal

A

Predictable, clichéd, boring

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28
Q

Bolster

A

To support; to prop up

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29
Q

Bombastic

A

Pompous in speech and manner

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30
Q

Cacophony

A

Harsh, jarring noise

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31
Q

Candid

A

Impartial and honest in speech

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32
Q

Capricious

A

Changing one’s mind quickly and often

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33
Q

Castigate

A

To punish or criticize harshly

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34
Q

Catalyst

A

Something that brings a change in something else

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35
Q

Caustic

A

Biting in wit

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36
Q

Chaos

A

Great disorder or confusion

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37
Q

Chauvinist

A

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

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38
Q

Chicanery

A

Deception by means of craft or guile

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39
Q

Cogent

A

Convincing and well-reasoned

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40
Q

Condone

A

To overlook, pardon, or disregard

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41
Q

Convoluted

A

Intricate and complicated

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42
Q

Corroborate

A

To provide supporting evidence

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43
Q

Credulous

A

Too trusting; gullible

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44
Q

Crescendo

A

Steadily increasing volume or force

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45
Q

Decorum

A

Appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety

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46
Q

Deference

A

Respect, courtesy

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47
Q

Deride

A

To speak of or treat with contempt; to mock

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48
Q

Desiccate

A

To dry out thoroughly

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49
Q

Desultory

A

Jumping from one thing to another; disconnected

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50
Q

Diatribe

A

An abusive, condemnatory speech

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51
Q

Diffident

A

Lacking self-confidence

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52
Q

Dilate

A

To make larger; to expand

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53
Q

Dilatory

A

Intended to delay

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54
Q

Dilettante

A

Someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic

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55
Q

Dirge

A

A funeral hymn or mournful speech

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56
Q

Disabuse

A

To set right; to free from error

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57
Q

Discern

A

To perceive; to recognize

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58
Q

Disparate

A

Fundamentally different; entirely unlike

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59
Q

Dissemble

A

To present a false appearance; to disguise one’s real intentions or character

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60
Q

Dissonance

A

A harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds

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61
Q

Dogma

A

A firmly held opinion, often a religious belief

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62
Q

Dogmatic

A

Dictatorial in one’s opinions

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63
Q

Dupe

A

To deceive; a person who is easily deceived

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64
Q

Eclectic

A

Selecting from or made up from a variety of sources

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65
Q

Efficacy

A

Effectiveness

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66
Q

Elegy

A

A sorrowful poem or speech

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67
Q

Eloquent

A

Persuasive and moving, especially in speech

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68
Q

Emulate

A

To copy; to try to equal or excel

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69
Q

Enervate

A

To reduce in strength

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70
Q

Engender

A

To produce, cause, or bring about

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71
Q

Enigma

A

A puzzle; a mystery

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72
Q

Enumerate

A

To count, list, or itemize

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73
Q

Ephemeral

A

Lasting a short time

74
Q

Equivocal

A

Open to more than one interpretation; misleading

75
Q

Equivocate

A

To use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead

76
Q

Erratic

A

Wandering and unpredictable

77
Q

Erudite

A

Learned, scholarly, bookish

78
Q

Esoteric

A

Known or understood by only a few

79
Q

Estimable

A

Admirable

80
Q

Eulogy

A

Speech in praise of someone

81
Q

Euphemism

A

Use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one

82
Q

Exacerbate

A

To make worse

83
Q

Exculpate

A

To clear from blame; prove innocent

84
Q

Exigent

A

Urgent; requiring immediate action

85
Q

Exonerate

A

To clear of blame

86
Q

Explicit

A

Clearly stated or shown; forthright in expression

87
Q

Fanatical

A

Acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme, unquestioned devotion

88
Q

Fawn

A

To grovel

89
Q

Fervid

A

Intensely emotional; feverish

90
Q

Florid

A

Excessively decorated or embellished

91
Q

Foment

A

To arouse or incite

92
Q

Frugality

A

A tendency to be thrifty or cheap

93
Q

Garrulous

A

Tending to talk a lot

94
Q

Gregarious

A

Outgoing, sociable

95
Q

Guile

A

Deceit or trickery

96
Q

Gullible

A

Easily deceived

97
Q

Homogenous

A

Of a similar kind

98
Q

Iconoclast

A

One who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions

99
Q

Imperturbable

A

Not capable of being disturbed

100
Q

Impervious

A

Impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected

101
Q

Impetuous

A

Quick to act without thinking

102
Q

Implacable

A

Unable to be calmed down or made peaceful

103
Q

Inchoate

A

Not fully formed; disorganized

104
Q

Ingenuous

A

Showing innocence or childlike simplicity

105
Q

Inimical

A

Hostile, unfriendly

106
Q

Innocuous

A

Harmless

107
Q

Insipid

A

Lacking interest or flavor

108
Q

Intransigent

A

Uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled

109
Q

Inundate

A

To overwhelm; to cover with water

110
Q

Irascible

A

Easily made angry

111
Q

Laconic

A

Using few words

112
Q

Lament

A

To express sorrow; to grieve

113
Q

Laud

A

To give praise; to glorify

114
Q

Lavish

A

To give unsparingly (v.); extremely generous or extravagant (adj.)

115
Q

Lethargic

A

Acting in an indifferent or slow, sluggish manner

116
Q

Loquacious

A

Talkative

117
Q

Lucid

A

Clear and easily understood

118
Q

Luminous

A

Bright, brilliant, glowing

119
Q

Malinger

A

To evade responsibility by pretending to be ill

120
Q

Malleable

A

Capable of being shaped

121
Q

Metaphor

A

A figure of speech comparing two different things; a symbol

122
Q

Meticulous

A

Extremely careful about details

123
Q

Misanthrope

A

A person who dislikes others

124
Q

Mitigate

A

To soften; to lessen

125
Q

Mollify

A

To calm or make less severe

126
Q

Monotony

A

Lack of variation

127
Q

Naive

A

Lacking sophistication or experience

128
Q

Obdurate

A

Hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion

129
Q

Obsequious

A

Overly submissive and eager to please

130
Q

Obstinate

A

Stubborn, unyielding

131
Q

Obviate

A

To prevent; to make unnecessary

132
Q

Occlude

A

To stop up; to prevent the passage of

133
Q

Onerous

A

Troublesome and oppressive; burdensome

134
Q

Opaque

A

Impossible to see through; preventing the passage of light

135
Q

Opprobrium

A

Public disgrace

136
Q

Ostentation

A

Excessive showiness

137
Q

Paradox

A

A contradiction or dilemma

138
Q

Paragon

A

Model of excellence or perfection

139
Q

Pedant

A

Someone who shows off learning

140
Q

Perfidious

A

Willing to betray one’s trust

141
Q

Perfunctory

A

Done in a routine way; indifferent

142
Q

Permeate

A

To penetrate

143
Q

Philanthropy

A

Charity; a desire or an effort to promote goodness

144
Q

Placate

A

To soothe or pacify

145
Q

Plastic

A

Able to be molded, altered, or bent

146
Q

Plethora

A

Excess

147
Q

Pragmatic

A

Practical as opposed to idealistic

148
Q

Precipitate

A

To throw violently or bring about abruptly; lacking deliberation

149
Q

Prevaricate

A

To lie or deviate from the truth

150
Q

Pristine

A

Fresh and clean; uncorrupted

151
Q

Prodigal

A

Lavish, wasteful

152
Q

Proliferate

A

To increase in number quickly

153
Q

Propitiate

A

To conciliate; to appease

154
Q

Propriety

A

Correct behavior; obedience to rules and customs

155
Q

Prudence

A

Wisdom, caution, or restraint

156
Q

Pungent

A

Sharp and irritating to the senses

157
Q

Quiescent

A

Motionless

158
Q

Rarefy

A

To make thinner or sparser

159
Q

Repudiate

A

To reject the validity of

160
Q

Reticent

A

Silent, reserved

161
Q

Rhetoric

A

Effective writing or speaking

162
Q

Satiate

A

To satisfy fully or overindulge

163
Q

Soporific

A

Causing sleep or lethargy

164
Q

Specious

A

Deceptively attractive; seemingly plausible but fallacious

165
Q

Stigma

A

A mark of shame or discredit

166
Q

Stolid

A

Unemotional; lacking sensitivity

167
Q

Sublime

A

Lofty or grand

168
Q

Tacit

A

Done without using words

169
Q

Taciturn

A

Silent, not talkative

170
Q

Tirade

A

Long, harsh speech or verbal attack

171
Q

Torpor

A

Extreme mental and physical sluggishness

172
Q

Transitory

A

Temporary, lasting a brief time

173
Q

Vacillate

A

To sway physically; to be indecisive

174
Q

Venerate

A

To respect deeply

175
Q

Veracity

A

Truthfulness; accuracy

176
Q

Verbose

A

Wordy

177
Q

Vex

A

To annoy

178
Q

Volatile

A

Easily aroused or changeable; lively or explosive

179
Q

Waver

A

To fluctuate between choices

180
Q

Whimsical

A

Acting in a fanciful or capricious manner; unpredictable

181
Q

Zeal

A

Passion, excitement

GRE Vocabulary (1 decks)

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