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GRE Vocabulary > Various Sources > Flashcards

Various Sources Flashcards

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1
Q

approbation

A

approval or praise

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2
Q

austere

A

severe or strict in manner, attitude, or appearance; having an extremely simply style or appearance

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3
Q

axiomatic

A

self-evident or unquestionable

It is axiomatic that dividends have to be financed.

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4
Q

censure

A

express severe disapproval of someone or something, typically in a formal statement; the expression of formal disapproval

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5
Q

subterfuge

A

deceit used in order to achieve one’s goal

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6
Q

ennui

A

a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement

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7
Q

exigent

A

pressing, demanding

The exigent demands of the music took a toll on her voice.

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8
Q

extemporaneous

A

spoken or done without preparation

Having had no time in his busy schedule to prepare, he gave an extemporaneous speech to the school.

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9
Q

inured

A

accustomed to something, especially something unplesant

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10
Q

nebulous

A

in the form of a cloud or haze; unclear, vague, or ill-defined

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11
Q

neologism

A

a newly coined word or expression; the coining or use of new words

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12
Q

noxious

A

harmful, poisonous, or very unpleasant

As they were running out of the burning warehouse, they were overcome by the noxious fumes and passed out.

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13
Q

obtuse

A

annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand; slow-witted

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14
Q

paean

A

a song of praise or triumph; a thing that expresses enthusiastic praise

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15
Q

perfidy

A

deceitfulness, un-trustworthiness

She packed her bags and left, at last tired of the perfidy of her husband.

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16
Q

perfunctory

A

an action or gesture carried out with minimum of effort or reflection

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17
Q

perspicacious

A

having a ready insight into and understanding of things

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18
Q

cursory

A

hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed

He gave a cursory glance at the figures, not realizing that the profits have dropped below average this year.

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19
Q

prattle

A

to talk at length in a foolish or inconsequential way; foolish or inconsequential talk

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20
Q

precipitate

A

to cause something, usually bad or undesirable, to happen suddenly, unexpectedly, or prematurely

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21
Q

predilection

A

a preference or special liking for something; a bias in favor of something

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22
Q

qualm

A

an uneasy feeling of doubt, worry, or fear, especially about one’s own conduct; a misgiving

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23
Q

sordid

A

involving ignoble actions and motives; arousing moral distaste and contempt; dirty or squalid

The overcrowded housing conditions were sordid and degrading.

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24
Q

stymie

A

to prevent or hinder the progress of

The changes in the new regulations must not be allowed to stymie new medical treatments.

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25
Q

truculent

A

eager or quick to argue or fight; aggressively defiant

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26
Q

convoluted

A

extremely complex and difficult to follow; intricately folded, twisted, or coiled

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27
Q

virulent

A

bitterly hostile

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28
Q

abate

A

to cause to become smaller or less intense

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29
Q

accolade

A

an award or privilege granted as a special honor or as an acknowledgement of merit; a touch on a person’s shoulders with a sword at the bestowing of a knighthood

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30
Q

ascetic

A

characterized by or suggesting the practice of severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons; a person who practices severe self-discipline and abstention

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31
Q

bucolic

A

of or relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life; a pastoral poem

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32
Q

cogent

A

clear, logical, convincing

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33
Q

contrite

A

feeling or expressing remorse or penitence; affected by guilt

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34
Q

fallacy

A

a mistaken belief, especially one based on unsound argument; faulty reasoning; misleading or unsound argument

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35
Q

furtive

A

attempting to avoid notice or attention, typically because of guilt or a belief that discovery would lead to trouble; secretive; suggestive of guilt nervousness

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36
Q

gregarious

A

sociable; fond of company

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37
Q

harangue

A

a lengthy and aggressive speech; to lecture someone at length in an aggressive and critical manner

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38
Q

heretical

A

believing in or practicing religious heresy; holding an opinion at odds with what is generally accepted

I feel a bit heretical saying this, but I think the film has too much action.

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39
Q

hyperbole

A

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally

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40
Q

inert

A

lacking the ability or strength to move; lacking vigor; chemically inactive

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41
Q

odious

A

extremely unpleasant, repulsive

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42
Q

penurious

A

extremely poor; poverty-stricken; parsimonious; mean

He was generous and hospitable in contrast to his stingy and penurious wife.

43
Q

inveigle

A

to persuade someone to do something by means of deception or flattery; to gain entrance to a place by persuading someone with deception or flattery

44
Q

peruse

A

to examine carefully or at length; to read something, typically in a thorough or careful way

He has spent countless hours in libraries perusing art history books and catalogs. Now he is the most well-know art history professors in the world.

45
Q

pious

A

devoutly religious

46
Q

putrefy

A

to decay or rot and produce a fetid smell

47
Q

quaff

A

to drink something heartily; an alcoholic drink

48
Q

redoubtable

A

someone who is formidable, especially as an opponent; awe-inspiring

49
Q

squalid

A

describing a place that is extremely dirty and unpleasant, especially as a result of poverty or neglect; showing or involving a contemptible lack of moral standards

50
Q

supplant

A

to supersede and replace

51
Q

torpid

A

mentally or physically inactive; lethargic

52
Q

urbane

A

suave, courteous, and refined in manner

53
Q

acumen

A

the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions

54
Q

germane

A

relevant to a subject under consideration

55
Q

halcyon

A

denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful

56
Q

grandiloquence

A

lofty, extravagantly colorful, pompous

57
Q

idolatrous

A

worshiping idols; treating someone or something as an idol

58
Q

imperturbable

A

unable to be upset or excited; calm

59
Q

implacable

A

unable to be placated; relentless, unstoppable

60
Q

mendacity

A

untruthfulness

61
Q

opprobrium

A

harsh criticism or censure; the public disgrace arsing from someone’s shameful conduct

The neighborhood suffers from the opprobrium of being closely associated with thugs and gangsters.

62
Q

pine

A

to miss and long for the return of someone or something; to suffer a mental and physical decline, especially of a broken heart

63
Q

pith

A

the essence of something; to remove the pith from

64
Q

placate

A

to make someone less angry of hostile

65
Q

platitude

A

a remark or statement, especially one with moral content, that has been used too often to be interesting or thoughtful

66
Q

profuse

A

exuberantly plentiful; abundant

67
Q

rhetoric

A

the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques; language designed to have a persuasive or impressive effect on its audience, but often regarded as lacking in sincerity or meaningful content

68
Q

salubrious

A

healthy; describing a place that is pleasant

69
Q

solvent

A

having assets in excess of liabilities; able to pay one’s debts; able to dissolve other substances

70
Q

tenacity

A

being able to grip something firmly; determination, persistence

71
Q

acerbic

A

sharp and forthright

72
Q

amenable

A

open and responsive to suggestion; easily persuaded or controlled; capable of being acted upon in a particular way

73
Q

astringent

A

sharp or sever in manner or styple; causing the contraction of body tissues

74
Q

credulous

A

gullible; having or showing too great a readiness to believe things

75
Q

derision

A

contemptuous ridicule or mockery

76
Q

dilettante

A

a person who cultivates an area of interest, such as the arts, without real commitment or knowledge

77
Q

flout

A

to openly disregard

78
Q

maverick

A

an unorthodox or independent-minded person

79
Q

neophyte

A

a person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief

80
Q

obstinate

A

stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or chosen course of action, despite attempts to persuade one to do so

81
Q

proclivity

A

a tendency to choose or do something regularly; inclination or predisposition toward a particular thing

Having seen how his uncle pulled himself out of poverty, she has a proclivity for hard work.

82
Q

propensity

A

an inclination or natural tendency to behave in a particular way

83
Q

quotidian

A

daily; of or occurring every day

84
Q

recondite

A

little known; abstruse

85
Q

refulgent

A

shining brightly

86
Q

renege

A

to go back on a promise, undertaking, or contract; to revoke

As soon as he was elected, he reneged on his campaign promises.

87
Q

spendthrift

A

a person who spends money in an extravagant, irresponsible way

88
Q

tout

A

to attempt to sell, typically by pestering people in an aggressive or bold manner

He did not realize that by touting his wares, he was actually driving potential customers away.

89
Q

trenchant

A

vigorous or incisive in expression or style

Although the movie’s plot is exciting, the dialogue is boring an needs to be polished until it is more trenchant.

90
Q

variegated

A

exhibiting different colors, especially as irregular patches or streaks; marked by variety

91
Q

vituperate

A

to blame or insult someone in strong or violent language

92
Q

multifarious

A

many and of various types; having many varied parts of aspects

93
Q

demur

A

to question or oppose

94
Q

disinterested

A

free of bias or self-interest; impartial

95
Q

elegy

A

a mournful poem, especially one lamenting the dead

96
Q

emollient

A

soothing, especially to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying; an agent that softens or smooths the skin

97
Q

incipient

A

beginning to come into being or to become apparent

98
Q

morose

A

sad; sullen melancholy

99
Q

evanescent

A

tending to disappear like vapor; vanishing

100
Q

impassive

A

revealing no emotion

101
Q

repudiate

A

to refuse to have anything to do with; to disown

102
Q

tenuous

A

having little substance or strength; flimsy; weak

103
Q

quixotic

A

foolishly impractical; marked by lofty romantic ideals

GRE Vocabulary (11 decks)

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