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GRE > V > Flashcards

V Flashcards

1
Q

vacillate

A

waver; fluctuate

Uncertain which suitor she ought to marry, the princess vacillated, saying now one, now the other.

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2
Q

vacuous

A

empty; lacking in ideas; stupid

The candidate’s vacuous remarks annoyed the audience, who had hoped to hear more than empty platitudes

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3
Q

vagary

A

caprice; whim

She followed every vagary of fashion.

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4
Q

vagrant

A

*

stray; random

He tried to study, but could not collect his vagrant thoughts.

**

homeless wanderer

Because he was a stranger in town with no visible means of support, Martin feared he would be jailed as a vagrant.

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5
Q

vainglorious

A

boastful; excessively conceited

She was a vainglorious and arrogant individual.

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6
Q

valedictory

A

pertaining to farewell

I found the valedictory address too long; leave-taking should be brief.

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7
Q

vantage

A

position giving an advantage

They fired upon the enemy from behind trees, walls and any other point of vantage they could find.

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8
Q

vapid

A

insipid; inane

She delivered an uninspired and vapid address.

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9
Q

vassal

A

in feudalism, one who held land of a superior lord

The lord demanded that his vassals contribute more to his military campaign.

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10
Q

vaunted

A

boasted; bragged; highly publicized

This much vaunted project proved a disappointment when it collapsed.

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11
Q

veer

A

change in direction

After what seemed an eternity, the wind veered to the east and the storm abated.

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12
Q

vehement

A

impetuous; with marked vigor

He spoke with vehement eloquence in defense of his client.

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13
Q

venal

A

capable of being bribed

The venal policeman accepted the bribe offered him by the speeding motorist whom he had stopped.

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14
Q

vendetta

A

blood feud

The rival mobs engaged in a bitter vendetta.

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15
Q

veneer

A

thin layer; cover

Casual acquaintances were deceived by his veneer of sophistication and failed to recognize his fundamental shallowness.

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16
Q

venerable

A

deserving high respect

We do not mean to be disrespectful when we refuse to follow the advice of our venerable leader.

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17
Q

venial

A

forgivable; trivial

We may regard a hugry man’s stealing as a venial crime.

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18
Q

venison

A

the meat of a deer

The hunters dined on venison.

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19
Q

vent

A

small opening; outlet

The wine did not flow because the air vent in the barrel was clogged.

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20
Q

vent

A

express; utter

He vented his wrath on his class.

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21
Q

venturesome

A

bold

A group of venturesome women were the first to scale Mt.Annapurna.

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22
Q

veracious

A

truthful

I can recommend him for this position because I have always found him veracious and reliable.

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23
Q

verbalize

A

put into words

I know you don’t like to talk about these things, but please try to verbalize your feelings.

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24
Q

verbatim

A

word for word

He repeated the message verbatim.

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25
verbiage
pompous array of words After we had waded through all the verbiage, we discovered that the writer had said very little.
26
verbose
wordy This article is too verbose; we must edit it.
27
verdigris
green coating on copper which has been exposed to the weather Despite all attempts to protect the statue from the elements, it became coated with verdigris.
28
verge
border; edge Madame Curie knew she was on the verge of discovering the secrets of radioactive elements.
29
verisimilitude
appearance of truth; likelihood Critics praised her for the verisimilitude of her performance as Lady Macbeth. She was completely believable.
30
verity
truth; reality The four verities were revealed to Buddha during his long meditation.
31
vernacular
living language; natural style Cut out those old-fashioned "thee's" and "thou's" and write in the vernacular.
32
vernal
pertaining to spring We may expect vernal showers all during the month of April.
33
versatile
having many talents; capable of working in many fields He was a versatile athlete; at college he had earned varsity letters in baseball, football, and track.
34
vertex
summit Let us drop a perpendicular line from the vertex of the triangle to the base.
35
verve
enthusiasm; liveliness She approached her studies with such verve that it was impossible for her to do poorly.
36
viand
food There was a variety of viands at the feast.
37
vicarious
acting as a substitute; done by a deputy Many people get a vicarious thrill at the movies by imagining they are the characters on the screen.
38
vicissitude
change of fortune Humbled by life's vicissitudes, the last emperor of China worked as a lowly gardener in the palace over which he had once ruled.
39
victuals
food I am very happy to be able to provide you with these victuals; I know you are hungry.
40
vie
contend; compete Politicians vie with one another, competing for donations and votes.
41
vignette
picture; short literary sketch The New Yorker published her latest vignette.
42
vilify
slander She is a liar and is always trying to vilify my reputation.
43
vindicate
clear of charges I hope to vindicate my client and return him to society as a free man.
44
vindictive
revengeful She was very vindictive and never forgave an injury.
45
vintner
winemaker; seller of wine The poet wondered what the vintners could buy that would be half as precious as the wine they sold.
46
virile
manly I do not accept the premise that a man is virile only when he is belligerent.
47
viscid
adhesive; gluey The trunk of the maple tree was viscid with sap.
48
viscous
sticky, gluey Melted tar is a viscous substance.
49
vise
tool for holding work in place Before filling its edges, the keysmith took the blank key and fixed it firmly between the jaws of a vise.
50
vitiate
spoil the effect of; make inoperative Fraud will vitiate the contract.
51
vitreous
pertaining to or resembling glass Although this plastic has many vitreous qualties such as transparency, it is unbreakable.
52
vitriolic
corrosive; sarcastic Such vitriolic criticism is uncalled for.
53
vituperative
abusive; scolding He became more vituperative as he realized that we were not going to grant him his wish.
54
vivisection
act of dissecting living animals The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals opposed vivisection and deplored the practice of using animals in scientific experiments.
55
vixen
female fox; ill-tempered woman Aware that she was right once again, he lost his temper and called her a shrew and a vixen.
56
vociferous
clamorous; noisy The crowd grew vociferous in its anger and threatened to take the law into its own hands.
57
vogue
popular fashion Jeans became the vogue on many college campuses.
58
volatile
changeable; explosive; evaporating rapidly The political climate today is extremely volatile: no one can predict what the electorate will do next.
59
volition
act of making a conscious choice She selected this dress of her own volition.
60
voluble
fluent; glib She was a voluble speaker, always ready to talk.
61
voluptuous
gratifying the senses The nobility during the Renaissance led voluptuous lives.
62
voracious
ravenous The wolf is a voracious animal, its hunger never satisfied.
63
vouchsafe
grant condescendingly; guarantee I can safely vouchsafe you fair return on your investment.
64
voyeur
Peeping Jill called Jack a voyeur when she caught him aiming his binoculars at a bedroom window of the house next door.
65
vulpine
like a fox; crafty She disliked his sly ways, but granted him a certain vulpine intelligence.
66

GRE (24 decks)

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