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GRE > Vocab 1 > Flashcards

Vocab 1 Flashcards

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0
Q

mar

A

to damage or deface; to spoil

Telephone poles mar the natural beauty of the countryside.

blemish, disfigure, impair, injure, scar

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1
Q

abase

A

to humble; to disgrace

My intention was not to abase the comedian.

demean; humiliate

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2
Q

acidulous

A

sour in taste or manner

The acidulous taste of the spoiled milk made the young boy’s lips pucker.

acerbic, acetous, biting, piquant, pungent, tart

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3
Q

parley

A

discussion, usually between enemies

The parley between the rival cheerleading teams resulted in neither side admitting that they copied the other’s dance moves.

debate, dialogue, negotiations, talks

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4
Q

vacillate

A

to physically away; to be indecisive

The customer held up the line as he vacillated between ordering chocolate-chip or rocky-road ice cream.

dither, falter, fluctuate, oscillate, waver

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5
Q

imbue

A

to infuse, dye, wet, or moisten

Marcia struggled to imbue her children with decent values, a difficult task in this day and age.

charge, freight, impregnate, permeate, pervade

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6
Q

pastiche

A

a piece of literature or music imitating other works

The playwright’s clever pastiche of the well-known children’s story had the audience rolling in the aisles.

medley, spoof

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7
Q

zephyr

A

a gentle breeze; something airy or unsubstantial

The zephyr from the ocean made the intense heat on the beach bearable for the sunbathers.

breath, draft

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8
Q

acme

A

the highest point, the summit, the highest level or degree attainable

Just when he reached the acme of his power, the dictator was overthrown.

apex, peak, summit

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9
Q

mannered

A

artificial or stilted in character

The portrait is an example of the mannered style that was favored in that era.

affected, unnatural

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10
Q

deviating from what is normal or expected

A

abberant

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11
Q

to make worse

A

exacerbate

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12
Q

overly sentimental

A

maudlin

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13
Q

relief from wrong or injury

A

redress

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14
Q

to become thinner or sparser

A

rarefy

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15
Q

a witty, skillful storyteller

A

raconteur

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16
Q

occurring daily, commonplace

A

quotidian

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17
Q

to tarnish, to taint

A

sully

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18
Q

beggar

A

mendicant

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19
Q

quick, shrewd, and unpredictable

A

mercurial

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20
Q

neophyte

A

novice; beginner

A relative neophyte at bowling, Rodolfo rolled all of his balls into the gutter.

21
Q

nettle

A

to irritate

I don’t particularly like having blue hair - I just do it to nettle my parents.

22
Q

propriety

A

the quality of behaving in a proper manner; obeying rules and customs

The aristocracy maintained a high level of propriety, adhering to even the most minor social rules.

23
Q

wily

A

clever, deceptive

Yet again, the wily coyote managed to elude the ranchers who wanted to capture it.

24
Q

prudence

A

wisdom, caution, or restraint

The college student exhibited prudence by obtaining practical experience along with her studies, which greatly strengthened her resume.

25
Q

whimsical

A

lightly acting in a fanciful or capricious manner; unpredictable

The ballet was whimsical, delighting the children with its imaginative characters and unpredictable sets.

26
Q

wan

A

sickly pale

The sick child had a wan face, in contrast to her rosy-cheeked sister.

ashen, sickly

27
Q

voluble

A

talkative, speaking easily, glib

The voluble man and his reserved wife proved the old saying that opposites attract.

loquacious, verbose

28
Q

pare

A

to trim off excess, to reduce

The cook’s hands were sore after she pared hundreds of potatoes for the banquet.

clip, peel

29
Q

paragon

A

model of excellence or perfection

He is the paragon of what a judge should be: honest, intelligent, hardworking and just.

apotheosis, ideal, quintessence, standard

30
Q

occlude

A

to stop up; to prevent the passage of

A shadow is thrown across the Earth’s surface during a solar eclipse, when the light from the sun is occluded by the moon.

barricade, block, close, obstruct

31
Q

obviate

A

to prevent; to make unnecessary

The river was shallow enough to wade across at many points, which obviated the need for a bridge.

forestall, preclude, prohibit

32
Q

obstinate

A

stubborn; unyielding

The obstinate child could not be made to eat any food that he perceived to be “yucky.”

intransigent, mulish, persistent, pertinacious, stubborn, tenacious

33
Q

obsequious

A

overly submissive and eager to please

The obsequious new associated made sure to compliment her supervisor’s tie and agree with him on every issue.

compliant, deferential, servile, subservient

34
Q

oblique

A

indirect or evasive; misleading or devious

Usually open and friendly, Reynaldo has been behaving in a curiously oblique manner lately.

glancing, slanted, tangential

35
Q

obdurate

A

hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion

The president was completely obdurate on the issue, and no amount of persuasion would change his mind.

inflexible, intransigent, recalcitrant, tenacious, unyielding

36
Q

numismatics

A

coin collecting

Tomas’s passion for numismatics has resulted in an impressive collection of coins from all over the world.

37
Q

nuance

A

a subtle expression of meaning or equality

The scholar’s argued for hours over tiny nuances in the interpretation of the line line of the poem.

gradation, subtlety, tone

38
Q

nominal

A

existing in name only; negligible

A nominal but far from devoted member of the high school yearbook committee, she rarely attends meetings.

minimal, titular

39
Q

noisome

A

stinking; putrid

A dead mouse trapped in your walls produces a noisome odor.

disgusting, foul, malodorous

40
Q

pariah

A

an outcast

Once he betrayed those in this community, he was banished and lived the life of a pariah.

castaway, derelict, leper, offscouring, untouchable

41
Q

polemic

A

controversy; argument; verbal attack

The candidate’s polemic against his opponent was vicious and small-minded rather than convincing and well-reasoned.

denunciation, refutation

42
Q

politic

A

shrewd and practical in managing or dealing with things; diplomatic

She was wise to curb her tongue and was able to explain her problem to the judge in a respectful and politic manner.

tactful

43
Q

polyglot

A

a speaker of many languages

Ling’s extensive travels have helped her to become a true polyglot.

44
Q

posit

A

to assume as real or conceded; to propose as an explanation mi

Before proving the math formula, we needed to posit that x and y were real numbers.

suggest

45
Q

militate

A

to operate against; work against

Lenin militated against the tsar for years before he overthrew him and established the Soviet Union.

affect, change, influence

46
Q

mirth

A

frivolity; gaiety; laughter

Vera’s hilarious jokes contributed to the general mirth at the dinner party.

glee, hilarity, jollity, merriment

47
Q

satiate

A

to satisfy fully or overindulge

His desire for power was so great that nothing less than complete control of the country could satiate it.

cloy, glut, gorge, surfeit

48
Q

scintilla

A

trace amount

This poison is so powerful that no more than a scintilla of it is needed to kill a horse.

atom, iota, mote, spark, speck

49
Q

sedition

A

behavior that promotes rebellion or civil disorder against the state

Li was arrested for sedition after he gave a fiery speech in the main square.

conspiracy, insurrection

GRE (13 decks)

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