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GRE VOCAB > Vocab List > Flashcards

Vocab List Flashcards

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1
Q

abound

A

exist in large numbers or amounts

Example sentence: Opportunities for learning abound in this city.

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2
Q

amorphous

A

lacking a definite form or shape

Example sentence: The amorphous cloud slowly drifted across the sky.

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3
Q

austere

A

severe or strict in manner, attitude, or appearance

Example sentence: The austere teacher demanded discipline in the classroom.

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4
Q

belie

A

to fail to give a true impression of something

Example sentence: His calm demeanor belied the anger he felt inside.

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5
Q

capricious

A

given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior

Example sentence: The capricious weather made planning a picnic difficult.

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6
Q

cerebral

A

intellectual rather than emotional or physical

Example sentence: She preferred cerebral books that challenged her thinking.

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7
Q

congenial

A

pleasant or agreeable because of a personality, qualities, or interests that are similar to one’s own

Example sentence: He found her congenial company at the party.

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8
Q

conspicuous

A

standing out so as to be clearly visible

Example sentence: Her bright red hat was conspicuous in the sea of black umbrellas.

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9
Q

cursory

A

hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed

Example sentence: He gave the report only a cursory glance before the meeting.

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10
Q

daunting

A

seeming difficult to deal with in anticipation; intimidating

Example sentence: The daunting task of climbing the mountain lay ahead.

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11
Q

deify

A

to worship or regard as a god

Example sentence: Some cultures deify natural elements like the sun or the moon.

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12
Q

didactic

A

intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive

Example sentence: The fables were written in a didactic style to impart life lessons.

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13
Q

disseminate

A

to spread or disperse something, especially information widely

Example sentence: The organization aims to disseminate awareness about climate change.

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14
Q

feasible

A

possible to do easily or conveniently

Example sentence: The proposed plan was not feasible within the given budget.

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15
Q

flout

A

to openly disregard a rule, law, or convention

Example sentence: He flouted the school’s dress code by wearing sneakers.

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16
Q

homogeneous

A

of the same kind; alike

Example sentence: The population of the town was largely homogeneous in terms of ethnicity.

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17
Q

humdrum

A

lacking excitement or variety; dull

Example sentence: The humdrum routine of daily life became monotonous.

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18
Q

insipid

A

lacking flavor; weak or tasteless

Example sentence: The insipid soup needed more seasoning.

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19
Q

loquacious

A

talkative; chatty to an excessive degree

Example sentence: The loquacious host kept the conversation flowing all evening.

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20
Q

misanthropic

A

disliking humankind and avoiding human society

Example sentence: His misanthropic tendencies made it hard for him to form friendships.

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21
Q

misnomer

A

a wrong or inaccurate name or designation

Example sentence: Calling that dessert ‘healthy’ is a misnomer.

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22
Q

negligent

A

failing to take proper care in doing something

Example sentence: The negligent driver caused a serious accident.

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23
Q

obsequious

A

excessively obedient or attentive to others, especially to an servile degree

Example sentence: The obsequious assistant never questioned his boss’s orders.

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24
Q

placate

A

to make someone less angry or hostile

Example sentence: She tried to placate her upset friend by offering an apology.

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25
Q

proclivity

A

a tendency to choose or do something regularly; an inclination or predisposition

Example sentence: His proclivity for procrastination often led to missed deadlines.

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26
Q

puerile

A

childishly silly and trivial

Example sentence: The puerile jokes did not impress the serious audience.

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27
Q

quixotic

A

exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical

Example sentence: His quixotic dreams of world peace seemed unattainable.

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28
Q

spendthrift

A

a person who spends money in an extravagant, irresponsible way

Example sentence: His reputation as a spendthrift made him wary of credit cards.

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29
Q

taciturn

A

reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little

Example sentence: The taciturn man preferred listening to speaking.

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30
Q

wary

A

feeling or showing caution about possible dangers or problems

Example sentence: She was wary of strangers approaching her at night.

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31
Q

adulterate

A

to render something poorer in quality by adding another substance; to corrupt or debase

Example sentence: The company was fined for adulterating its products with harmful chemicals.

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32
Q

advocate

A

to publicly recommend or support

Example sentence: The organization advocates for equal rights for all citizens.

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33
Q

aggrandize

A

to increase the power, status, or wealth of something or someone

Example sentence: The leader used his position to aggrandize his family’s business.

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34
Q

alacrity

A

brisk and cheerful readiness

Example sentence: She accepted the challenge with alacrity and enthusiasm.

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35
Q

ambivalent

A

having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone

Example sentence: He was ambivalent about accepting the job offer.

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36
Q

ameliorate

A

to make something bad or unsatisfactory better

Example sentence: The new medication helped ameliorate her chronic pain.

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37
Q

amenable

A

open and responsive to suggestion; easily persuaded or controlled

Example sentence: The student was amenable to trying new study techniques.

38
Q

anachronistic

A

belonging to a period other than that being portrayed

Example sentence: The use of a typewriter in the modern office seemed anachronistic.

39
Q

audacious

A

showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks

Example sentence: The audacious plan to climb the mountain without ropes was dangerous.

40
Q

avaricious

A

having an extreme greed for wealth or material gain

Example sentence: The avaricious businessman cared only about profit, not ethics.

41
Q

banal

A

so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring

Example sentence: The banal script failed to capture the audience’s attention.

42
Q

benign

A

gentle and kind

Example sentence: His benign smile put everyone at ease.

43
Q

brazen

A

bold and without shame

Example sentence: She made a brazen attempt to cheat on the test.

44
Q

calumny

A

the making of false and defamatory statements about someone in order to damage their reputation

Example sentence: The politician was accused of spreading calumny about his opponent.

45
Q

candid

A

truthful and straightforward; frank

Example sentence: She appreciated his candid feedback on her performance.

46
Q

castigate

A

reprimand (someone) severely

Example sentence: The teacher castigated the student for cheating on the exam.

47
Q

caustic

A

sarcastic in a scathing and bitter way

Example sentence: His caustic remarks offended many people.

48
Q

construe

A

to interpret (a word or action) in a particular way

Example sentence: His silence was construed as agreement.

49
Q

contrite

A

feeling or expressing remorse or penitence; affected by guilt

Example sentence: She was contrite after realizing the impact of her actions.

50
Q

convoluted

A

extremely complex and difficult to follow

Example sentence: The convoluted plot of the novel confused many readers.

51
Q

covet

A

to yearn to possess or have (something)

Example sentence: She secretly coveted her friend’s new car.

52
Q

craven

A

contemptibly lacking in courage; cowardly

Example sentence: His craven behavior during the crisis disappointed his team.

53
Q

decorum

A

behavior in keeping with good taste and propriety

Example sentence: The formal event required a certain level of decorum from all attendees.

54
Q

deft

A

neatly skillful and quick in one’s movements or actions

Example sentence: The chef’s deft hands quickly prepared the meal.

55
Q

demur

A

raise doubts or objections or show reluctance

Example sentence: She did not demur when asked to take on the leadership role.

56
Q

derivative

A

unoriginal; obtained from another source

Example sentence: The movie was criticized for its derivative plot.

57
Q

desiccate

A

remove the moisture from (something, especially food), typically in order to preserve it

Example sentence: The hot weather will quickly desiccate the fruits.

58
Q

diatribe

A

a forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something

Example sentence: His diatribe against the government was met with mixed reactions.

59
Q

incredulous

A

unwilling or unable to believe something

Example sentence: She looked at him incredulously when he told his wild story.

60
Q

ingenuous

A

innocent and unsuspecting

Example sentence: Her ingenuous nature made her an easy target for scams.

61
Q

feign

A

to pretend

Example: She tried to feign interest in the conversation.

62
Q

furtive

A

secret, stealthy

63
Q

hamper

A

to hinder, obstruct

64
Q

indispensable

A

absolutely necessary

65
Q

lament

A

to express sorrow; to grieve

66
Q

myopic

A

nearsighted; lacking a broad, realistic view of a situation

67
Q

nonchalant

A

cool and confident, unconcerned

68
Q

partial

A

biased, prejudiced

69
Q

pensive

A

thoughtful; melancholy

70
Q

portend

A

to foreshadow

71
Q

provincial

A

limited in knowledge of the world; narrow-minded

72
Q

rudimentary

A

basic; elementary; in the earliest stages of development

73
Q

salutary

A

healthful; wholesome

74
Q

sever

A

to separate, divide into parts

75
Q

slight

A

to insult

76
Q

somnolent

A

sleepy, drowsy; inducing sleep

77
Q

stoic

A

indifferent to pleasure or pain; impassive

78
Q

supersede

A

to replace; to take the place of

79
Q

tout

A

to promote or praise energetically

80
Q

wane

A

to decrease in size, dwindle

81
Q

abhor

A

to hate very much, to detest utterly

82
Q

boisterous

A

loud and full of energy

83
Q

chivalrous

A

marked by honor, courtesy, and courage; knightly

84
Q

churlish

A

rude in a mean-spirited and surly way

85
Q

clandestine

A

secret, concealed; underhanded

86
Q

complacent

A

self-satisfied; overly content

87
Q

cumbersome

A

clumsy, hard to handle; slow-moving

88
Q

debilitating

A

weakening, harmful

89
Q

deliberate

A

to think over deeply

90
Q

droll

A

amusing in an odd or whimsical way

GRE VOCAB (2 decks)

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