Verbal GRE Practice Flashcards
irk·some
/ˈərksəm/
adjective
irritating; annoying.
“an irksome journey
fer·vid
/ˈfərvəd/
intensely enthusiastic or passionate, especially to an excessive degree.
“a letter of fervid thanks”
staunch
/stôn(t)SH,stän(t)SH/
.
loyal and committed in attitude.
“a staunch supporter of the antinuclear lobby”
cog·ni·zant
/ˈkäɡnəzənt,ˌkäɡˈnīzənt/
having knowledge or being aware of.
“statesmen must be cognizant of the political boundaries within which they work”
ac·qui·esce
/ˌakwēˈes/
accept something reluctantly but without protest.
“Sara acquiesced in his decision”
re·pu·di·ate
/rəˈpyo͞odēˌāt/
refuse to accept or be associated with.
“she has repudiated policies associated with previous party leaders”
mer·cu·ri·al
/ˌmərˈkyo͝orēəl/
(of a person) subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind.
“his mercurial temperament”
ruffled
/ˈrəfld/
affected by a loss of calmness or composure
cum·ber·some
/ˈkəmbərsəm/
large or heavy and therefore difficult to carry or use; unwieldy.
“cumbersome diving suits”
e·qua·nim·i·ty
/ˌekwəˈnimədē/
mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation.
“she accepted both the good and the bad with equanimity”
imputed
/imˈpyo͞odəd/
to lay the responsibility or blame for (something) often falsely or unjustly
ef·fi·ca·cy
/ˈefəkəsē/
the ability to produce a desired or intended result.
“there is little information on the efficacy of this treatment”
trep·i·da·tion
/ˌtrepəˈdāSH(ə)n/
.
a feeling of fear or agitation about something that may happen.
“the men set off in fear and trepidation”
Craftily
skillful in underhand or evil schemes; cunning; deceitful; sly. Obsolete. skillful; ingenious; dexterous
in·ept
/iˈnept/
having or showing no skill; clumsy.
“the inept handling of the threat”
nas·cent
/ˈnāsənt,ˈnasənt/
(especially of a process or organization) just coming into existence and beginning to display signs of future potential.
“the nascent space industry”
un·formed
/ˌənˈfôrmd/
without a definite form or shape.
not having developed or been developed fully.
pho·net·ic
/fəˈnedik/
relating to speech sounds.
“detailed phonetic information”
hap·pen·stance
/ˈhapənˌstans/
coincidence.
“it was just happenstance that I happened to be there
du·plic·i·ty
/d(y)o͞oˈplisədē/
deceitfulness; double-dealing.
“he was accused of duplicity and branded a traitor
shrewd·ness
/ˈSHro͞odnəs/
the quality of having or showing good powers of judgement.
“he is a man of some tactical shrewdness”
e·va·sive
/əˈvāsiv/
tending to avoid commitment or self-revelation, especially by responding only indirectly.
“she was evasive about her phone number”
e·quiv·o·ca·tion
/iˌkwivəˈkāSH(ə)n/
the use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth or to avoid committing oneself; prevarication.
“I say this without equivocation”
be·hold·en
/bəˈhōld(ə)n/
owing thanks or having a duty to someone in return for help or a service.
“I don’t like to be beholden to anybody”
dis·pa·rate
/ˈdispərət,dəˈsperət/
essentially different in kind; not allowing comparison.
“they inhabit disparate worlds of thought”
vul·ner·a·ble
/ˈvəln(ə)rəb(ə)l/
susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm.
zeal
/zēl/
great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective.
“his zeal for privatization”
deftness
skillful performance or ability without difficulty. synonyms: adeptness, adroitness, facility, quickness.
de·tach·ment
/dəˈtaCHmənt/
the state of being objective or aloof.
“he felt a sense of detachment from what was going on”
el·o·quence
/ˈeləkwəns/
fluent or persuasive speaking or writing.
laud·a·to·ry
/ˈlôdəˌtôrē/
(of speech or writing) expressing praise and commendation.
“enthusiastic and laudatory articles”
dis·perse
/dəˈspərs/
distribute or spread over a wide area.
“storms can disperse seeds via high altitudes”
co·a·lesce
/ˌkōəˈles/
come together to form one mass or whole.
“the puddles had coalesced into shallow streams”
in·so·lent
/ˈinsələnt/
showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect.
“she hated the insolent tone of his voice”
in·scru·ta·ble
/inˈskro͞odəb(ə)l/
impossible to understand or interpret.
“Guy looked blankly inscrutable”
venal
capable of being bought or obtained for money or other valuable consideration
im·pu·dence
/ˈimpyədəns/
not showing respect for another person; impertinent.
“he could have strangled this impudent upstart”
im·per·ti·nence
/ˌimˈpərt(ə)nəns/
lack of respect; rudeness.
“they gasped at the impertinence of the suggestion”
bra·zen
/ˈbrāzən/
bold and without shame.
“he went about his illegal business with a brazen assurance”
net·tle
/ˈnedl/
irritate or annoy (someone).
“I was nettled by Alene’s tone of superiority”
ex·po·si·tion
/ˌekspəˈziSH(ə)n/
a comprehensive description and explanation of an idea or theory.
“the exposition and defense of his ethics”
objurgation
a harsh rebuke
express sharp disapproval or criticism of (someone) because of their behavior or actions.
“she had rebuked him for drinking too much”
con·temp·tu·ous
/kənˈtempCHo͞oəs/
showing contempt; scornful.
“she was intolerant and contemptuous of the majority of the human race”
ec·lec·ti·cism
/əˈklektəˌsizəm/
the practice of deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.
“the eclecticism of his work consciously reflects his upbringing”
co·er·cion
/kōˈərZHən,kōˈərSHən/
the practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats.
“our problem cannot be solved by any form of coercion but only by agreement”
tem·per·ance
/ˈtemp(ə)rəns/
abstinence from alcoholic drink.
“the temperance movement”
no·to·ri·e·ty
/ˌnōdəˈrīədē/
the state of being famous or well known for some bad quality or deed.
“the song has gained some notoriety in the press”
em·i·nence
/ˈemənəns/
fame or recognized superiority, especially within a particular sphere or profession.
“her eminence in cinematography”
prov·i·den·tial
/ˌprävəˈden(t)SH(ə)l/
occurring at a favorable time; opportune.
“thanks to that providential snowstorm, the attack had been repulsed”
im·per·cep·ti·ble
/ˌimpərˈseptəb(ə)l/
impossible to perceive.
“his head moved in an almost imperceptible nod”
pre·car·i·ous
/prəˈkerēəs/
not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse.
“a precarious ladder”
as·cer·tain
/ˌasərˈtān/
find (something) out for certain; make sure of.
“an attempt to ascertain the cause of the accident”
ex·ac·er·bate
/iɡˈzasərˌbāt/
make (a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling) worse.
o·ver·look
fail to notice (something).
o·ver·shad·ow
/ˌōvərˈSHadō/
appear much more prominent or important than.
“his competitive nature often overshadows the other qualities”
