Vocab 1 Flashcards
GRE words whose meanings were unknown or shaky at the time I encountered them
adduce
cite as evidence or proof in an argument.
“a number of factors are adduced to explain the situation”
adumbrate
report or represent in outline.
“they have adumbrated the importance of education as a means of social transformation”
indicate faintly.
“the walls were not more than adumbrated by the meager light”
foreshadow or symbolize.
“what qualities in Christ are adumbrated by the vine?”
agronomist
an expert in the science of soil management and crop production; agriculturist.
“agronomists worry that hot weather, combined with dry conditions, can hamper pollination”
alacrity
eager and enthusiastic willingness
alchemy
the medieval forerunner of chemistry, based on the supposed transformation of matter. It was concerned particularly with attempts to convert base metals into gold or to find a universal elixir.
“occult sciences, such as alchemy and astrology”
(2) a seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination.
“finding the person who’s right for you requires a very subtle alchemy”
allege
to affirm or assert, esp. without proof
allude
suggest or call attention to indirectly; hint at.
“she had a way of alluding to Jean but never saying her name”
(2) mention without discussing at length.
“we will allude briefly to the main points”
(3) ART recall (an earlier work or style) in such a way as to suggest a relationship with it.
“the photographs allude to Italian Baroque painting”
ambit
noun. the scope, extent, or bounds of something.
“within the ambit of federal law”
ambivalence
mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone.
“the law’s ambivalence about the importance of a victim’s identity”
amenable
(of a person) open and responsive to suggestion; easily persuaded or controlled.
“parents who have had easy babies and amenable children”
(2) (of a thing) capable of being acted upon in a particular way; susceptible to.
“the patients had cardiac failure not amenable to medical treatment”
anecdote
a short amusing or interesting story about a supposedly real incident or person.
“he told us anecdotes about his job”
(2) an account regarded as unreliable or hearsay.
“his wife’s death has long been the subject of rumor and anecdote”
aniconic
not employing or permitting images, idols, etc.
“an aniconic religion”
(2) not forming an image.
anodyne
not likely to provoke dissent or offense; inoffensive, often deliberately so; bland; unexceptional; run-of-the-mill.
“anodyne New Age music”
a painkilling drug or medicine; analgesic.
“she had even refused anodynes”
antediluvian
of or belonging to the time before the biblical Flood; prehistoric.
“gigantic bones of antediluvian animals”
(2) HUMOROUS ridiculously old-fashioned.
“they maintain antediluvian sex-role stereotypes”
aphorism
a pithy observation that contains a general truth, such as, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
(2) a concise statement of a scientific principle, typically by an ancient classical author.
apostate
a person who renounces a religious or political belief or principle.
“after fifty years as an apostate he returned to the faith”
(2) abandoning a religious or political belief or principle.
“an apostate Roman Catholic”
apposite
relevant, suitable, or apt in the circumstances or in relation to something.
“an apposite quotation”
approbation
an expression of approval or praise
atavism
a tendency to revert to something ancient or ancestral.
“the more civilized a society seems to be, the more susceptible it is to its buried atavism”
(2) BIOLOGY recurrence of traits of an ancestor in a subsequent generation.
avocation
a hobby or activity that someone does in addition to their main occupation, especially for pleasure.
axiomatic
self-evident or unquestionable.
“it is axiomatic that dividends have to be financed”
belies
(of an appearance) fail to give a true notion or impression of (something); disguise or contradict.
“his lively, alert manner belied his years”
(2) fail to fulfill or justify (a claim or expectation); betray.
“the notebooks belie Darwin’s later recollection”
bellicose
demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight; belligerent.
“a group of bellicose patriots”
bromide
a trite and unoriginal idea or remark, typically intended to soothe or placate.
“feel-good bromides create the illusion of problem solving”
(2) CHEMISTRY
a compound of bromine with another element or group, especially a salt containing the anion Br− or an organic compound with bromine bonded to an alkyl radical.
burgeon
to grow rapidly or flourish
cadge
INFORMAL*BRITISH ask for or obtain (something to which one is not strictly entitled); bum; scrounge.
“he eats whenever he can cadge a meal”
FALCONRY a padded wooden frame on which hooded hawks are carried to the field.
capricious
given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior; fickle; mercurial.
“it’s terrible to feel our livelihood hinges on a capricious boss”
castigate
to punish, scold, or criticize someone severely, especially for personal failings.
“He castigated himself for being so stupid”
chary
cautiously or reluctant to do something; wary.
“most people are chary of allowing themselves to be photographed”
chicanery
trickery or subterfuge
choleric
bad-tempered or irritable; easily moved to anger, often unreasonable or excessive.
“he was a choleric, self-important little man”
cicerone
a guide who gives information about antiquities and places of interest to sightseers.
complaisance
disposition to please or comply; affability.
concomitant
something that accompanies or is collaterally connected with something else.
coruscating
flashing; sparkling.
“a coruscating kaleidoscope of colors”
(2) severely critical; scathing.
“his coruscating attack on the Prime Minister”
countenance
a person’s face or facial expression.
“his impenetrable eyes and inscrutable countenance give little away”
(2) support.
“she was giving her specific countenance to the occasion”
(3) admit as acceptable or possible.
“he was reluctant to countenance the use of force”
cozen
trick or deceive.
“do not think to cozen your contemporaries”
(2) obtain by deception.
“he was able to cozen a profit”
credulous
tending to believe too readily; gullible
decorous
in keeping with good taste and propriety; polite and restrained; seemly.
“dancing with decorous space between partners”
demur
to politely raise doubts or objections or show reluctance.
“normally she would have accepted the challenge, but she demurred”
(2) the action or process of objecting to or hesitating over something.
“they accepted this ruling without demur”
denouement
the final part of a play, movie, or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved; finale.
“the film’s denouement was unsatisfying and ambiguous”
(2) the climax of a chain of events, usually when something is decided or made clear.
“I waited by the eighteenth green to see the denouement”
didactic
intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive.
“a didactic novel that set out to expose social injustice”
(2) in the manner of a teacher, particularly so as to treat someone in a patronizing way.
“slow-paced, didactic lecturing”
diffident
modest or shy because of a lack of self-confidence.
“a diffident youth”
diffuse
to spread out
(2) widely spread, scattered
(3) wordy and rambling
dilate
to widen or enlarge
(2) to give a long speech on a subject
dilettante
a person who cultivates an area of interest, such as the arts, without real commitment or knowledge; a dabbler; a tinkerer
“a wealthy literary dilettante”
(2) ARCHAIC a person with an amateur interest in the arts.
dirge
a lament for the dead, especially one forming part of a funeral rite.
(2) a mournful song, piece of music, poem or lamentation.
“singers chanted dirges”
disabuse
to free from error, misconception, or fallacy
“he was quickly disabused of the idea that anything had changed”
disaffect
to alienate the affection, sympathy, or support of someone.
(2) to fill with discontent and unrest
discomfit
to unsettle
“The presence of the victim’s family at the trial discomfited the accused.”
(2) to upset or prevent from succeeding
discursive
rambling aimlessly through a wide range of subjects.
disencumber
free from or relieve of an encumbrance.
“it would disencumber the world of a plague”
dissemble
disguise or conceal; mislead
doughty
brave and persistent; dauntless; resolute; determined
“his doughty spirit kept him going”
echt
authentic and typical
“the film’s opening was an echt pop snob event”
(2) [adverb as submodifier] authentically and typically
“echt-American writers as Hawthorne and Cooper and Mark Twain”
ecru
the light beige color of unbleached linen
effrontery
shameless or impudent boldness; presumptuousness
emollient
soothing, especially to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying; an agent that softens or smooths the skin
empirical
based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic.
“they provided considerable empirical evidence to support their argument”
enjoin
instruct or urge (someone) to do something.
“the code enjoined members to trade fairly”
(2) prescribe (an action or attitude) to be performed or adopted.
“the charitable deeds enjoined on him by religion”
(3) LAW prohibit someone from performing (a particular action) by issuing an injunction.
“he was enjoined from using the patent”
ennui
a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement.
“he succumbed to ennui and despair”
equivocate
to use ambiguous or unclear expressions, usually to avoid commitment or in order to mislead; prevaricate or hedge.
“When asked directly for his position on disarmament, the candidate only equivocated.”
ersatz
(of a product) made or used as a substitute, typically an inferior one, for something else “ersatz coffee”
2. not real or genuine “ersatz emotion”
etiolated
(of a plant) pale and drawn out due to a lack of light.
“etiolated mung bean seedlings”
(2) having lost vigor or substance; feeble.
“a tone of etiolated nostalgia”
evanescent
LITERARY soon passing out of sight, memory, or existence; quickly fading or disappearing.
“a shimmering evanescent bubble”
expiate
atone for (guilt or sin).
“their sins must be expiated by sacrifice”
extenuate
cause (an offense) to seem less serious; excuse; mitigate
“even the fact that you once helped to save my life could not extenuate your offense”; “extenuating circumstances”
(2) LITERARY make (someone) thin.
“his whole frame was extenuated by hunger and fatigue”
facetious
something not meant to be taken seriously or literally; playful or humorous.
(2) treating serious issues with inappropriate humor; flippant; glib.
fatuous
silly and pointless; inane
“a fatuous comment”
felicitous
well chosen or suited to the circumstances; apt.
“a felicitous phrase”
(2) pleasing and fortunate; advantageous; favorable
“the view was the room’s only felicitous feature”
fulminate
to loudly attack or denounce; express vehement protest.
“he fulminated against the evils of his time”
fulsome
complimentary or flattering to an excessive degree.
“they are almost embarrassingly fulsome in their appreciation”
(2) of large size or quantity; generous or abundant.
“a fulsome harvest”
(3) aesthetically, morally, or generally offensive
gainsay
deny or contradict (a fact or statement).
“the impact of the railroads cannot be gainsaid”
(2) speak against or oppose (someone).
“none could gainsay her”
garrulous
excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters.
“Polonius is portrayed as a foolish, garrulous old man”
halcyon
denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically calm, happy and peaceful.
“the halcyon days of the mid-1980s, when profits were soaring”
(2) a tropical Asian and African kingfisher with brightly colored plumage.
(3) a mythical bird said by ancient writers to breed in a nest floating at sea at the winter solstice, charming the wind and waves into calm.
hallmark
a unique, identifying trait
harangue
a lengthy and aggressive speech.
“they were subjected to a ten-minute harangue by two border guards”
(2) lecture (someone) at length in an aggressive and critical manner; rant at; deliver a tirade to
“the kind of guy who harangued total strangers about PCB levels in whitefish”
hedonism
the pursuit of pleasure; sensual self-indulgence.
(2) PHILOSOPHY the ethical theory that pleasure (in the sense of the satisfaction of desires) is the highest good and proper aim of human life.
hegemony
leadership or dominance, especially by one country or social group over others.
heiroglyphic
writing consisting of hieroglyphs.
“without the Rosetta Stone, it is likely that Egyptian hieroglyphics would still be a mystery”
(2) enigmatic or incomprehensible symbols or writing.
“tattered notebooks filled with illegible hieroglyphics”
(3) of or written in hieroglyphs.
“hieroglyphic script”
(4) (especially in art) stylized, symbolic, or enigmatic in effect.
heretical
believing in or practicing religious heresy.
“heretical beliefs”
(2) 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”
