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GRE Vocabulary > Word List 38 > Flashcards

Word List 38 Flashcards

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1
Q

unwitting

A

not knowing; unaware
not intended; inadvertent

e.g. kept truth from his unwitting friends
an unwitting mistake

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2
Q

unwonted

A

being out of the ordinary; rare, unusual
not accustomed by experienced

e.g. surprised by her unwonted cheerfulness
honored for the unwonted courage

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3
Q

upbraid

A

to criticize severely; find fault with
to reproach severely; scold vehemontly

e.g. His wife upbraided him for his irresponsible handling of the family finances.

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4
Q

upheaval

A

extreme agitation or disorder; radical change

e.g. The civil rights movement marked a period of social upheaval in the U.S.
the emotional upheaval of divorce

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5
Q

uproarious

A

very noisy or high-spirited
extremely funny

e.g. The movie follows the comic duo through a series of outrageous and uproarious escapades.
a chaotic, uproarious set

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6
Q

upstage

A

to draw attention away from
haughty

e.g. My apple pie upstaged her chocolate cake.

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7
Q

upswing

A

an upward swing
a marked increase or improvement

e.g. a dramatic upswing of profits
on the upswing

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8
Q

usurp

A

to seize and hold in possession by force or without right
to take or make use of without right
supplant

e.g. usurp a throne
usurped the rights to her life story
must not left stock responses based on inherited prejudice usurp careful judgment

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9
Q

usury

A

the practice of lending money and requiring the borrower to pay a high amount of interest

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10
Q

vacillate

A

to away through lack of equilibrium
fluctuate, oscillate
to waver in mind, will, or feeling; hesitate in choice of opinions or courses

e.g. vacillate on this issue for so long that someone else stepped in and made the decision

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11
Q

vacuous

A

emptied of or lacking content
marked by lack of ideas or intelligence; stupid, inane
devoid of serious occupation; idle

e.g. a dull and vacuous movie
a vacuous expression on his face

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12
Q

vagary

A

an unexpected and inexplicable change in a situation or in someone’s behavior

e.g. the vagaries of a rather eccentric elderly lady
the vagaries of the weather

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13
Q

vagrant

A

wanderer, rover
wandering about from place to place
having a fleeting, wayward, or inconstant quality

e.g. a vagrant breeze
a vagrant impulse

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14
Q

valediction

A

an act of bidding farewell

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15
Q

valiant

A

possessing or acting with bravery or boldness; courageous

marked by, exhibiting, or carried out with courage or determination; heroic

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16
Q

valor

A

strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness; personal bravery

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17
Q

vanquish

A

to overcome in battle; subdue completely
to gain mastery over (an emotion, passion, or temptation)

e.g. vanquished nation after nation in his relentless conquest of Europe
vanquish your fear

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18
Q

vantage

A

superiority in a contest
a position giving a strategic advantage, commanding perspective, or comprehensive view

e.g. The vantage had all been ours for the first half of the contest.

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19
Q

vapid

A

lacking liveliness, tang, briskness, or force; flat, dull

e.g. a song with vapid lyrics

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20
Q

variegate

A

to diversify in external appearance especially with different colors; dapple
to enliven or give interest to by means of variety

e.g. Their clothes they variegate by steeping them in dyes, which produce a color not easily effaced.

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21
Q

varnish

A

a liquid preparation that when applied to a surface dries to form a hard lustrous typically transparent coating
to apply varnish to
to cover or conceal (as something unpleasant) with something that gives an attractive appearance; gloss

e.g. The play has a varnish of witty dialogue.
He hoped by cunning to varnish over his want of faith and of ability.

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22
Q

veer

A

to change direction or course

e.g. The economy veered sharply downward.

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23
Q

venal

A

capable of being bought or obtained for money or other valuable consideration; purchasable; especially, open to corrupt influence and especially bribery; mercenary

e.g. a venal and easily bought judge
a venal arrangement with a police

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24
Q

vendetta

A

blood feud
an often prolonged series of retaliatory, vengeful, or hostile acts or exchange of such acts

e.g. waged a vendetta against against those who opposed his nomination

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25
Q

veneer

A

a thin sheet of covering material
a superficial or deceptively attractive appearance, display or effect; facade, gloss
also

e.g. a cruel person with a veneer of kindness

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26
Q

venial

A

of a kind that can be remitted; forgivable, pardonable; also, meriting no particular censure or notice; excusable

e.g. Taking the restaurant’s menu as a souvenir seems like a venial offense.

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27
Q

veracious

A

truthful, honest

marked by truth; accurate

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28
Q

verbiage

A

a profusion of words usually of little or obscure content
manner of expressing oneself in words; diction

e.g. such a tangled maze of evasive verbiage as a typical party platform
removed some of the excess verbiage from the article

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29
Q

verbose

A

containing more words than necessary; wordy
given to wordiness

e.g. a verbose reply / a verbose style

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30
Q

verdant

A

green in tint or color
unripe in experience or judgment; green

e.g. a verdant oasis/lawn
verdant college freshman

31
Q

verdict

A

the decision made by a jury in a trial
opinion, judgment

e.g. The jury reached a guilty verdict.
Do you want my verdict on the meal?

32
Q

verisimilar

A

having the appearance of truth; probable

33
Q

vernacular

A

of, relating to, or being a language or dialect native a region or country rather than a literary, cultured, or foreign language
of, relating to, or characteristic of a period, place, or group

e.g. the vernacular architecture of the region
write essays in a very easy-to-read, vernacular style

34
Q

verve

A

the spirit and enthusiasm animating artistic composition or performance; vivacity
energy, vitality

35
Q

vestige

A

a trace, mark, or visible sign left by something vanished or lost
the smallest quantity or trace

e.g. A few strange words carved on a tree were the only vestige of the lost colony Roanoke.
the fossilized vestige of a dinosaur

36
Q

vestment

A

an outer garment; especially, a robe of ceremony or office

37
Q

vex

A

to bring trouble, distress, or agitation to
puzzle, baffle

e.g. a restaurant vexed by slow service
vexed by headache all morning
a problem to vex the keenest wit

38
Q

viaduct

A

a long elevated roadway usually consisting of a series of short spans supported on arches, piers, or columns

39
Q

vicar

A

one serving as a substitute or agent; specifically, an administrative deputy
an ecclesiastical agent

e.g. God’s vicar on earth

40
Q

vicarious

A

serving instead of someone or something else
substitutionary

e.g. vicarious authority
a vicarious sacrifice / a vicarious thrill

41
Q

vicissitude

A

a change or variation occurring in the course of something
(pl.) successive, alternating, or changing phases or conditions; ups and downs

e.g. the vicissitude of seasons and human fortunes
They remained friends through the vicissitudes of 40 years.

42
Q

vie

A

to strive for superiority; contend, compete

e.g. vying to win the championship
vied with his colleagues for the coveted promotion

43
Q

vilify

A

to lower in estimation or importance
to utter slanderous and abusive statements against; defame

e.g. It remains a moral crime to vilify the good cops who have made the city safe, saving thousands of lives.

44
Q

vindicate

A 
avenge 
to free from allegation or blame 
confirm, substantiate; justify 
defend 
to maintain a right to

e.g. These discoveries vindicate their theory.
vindicate someone’s honor

45
Q

vindictive

A

disposed to seek revenge; vengeful
intended to cause anguish or hurt; spiteful

e.g. a vindictive person / vindictive rumors

46
Q

vintner

A

a wine merchant

a person who makes wine

47
Q

virtuosity

A

great technical skill (as in the practice of a fine art)

48
Q

virtuous

A

potent, efficacious

morally excellent; righteous

49
Q

virulent

A

marked by a rapid, severe, and destructive course
extremely poisonous or venomous
malignant

e.g. a virulent infection / virulent bacteria
virulent racists / virulent criticism

50
Q

vista

A

a distant view through or along an avenue or opening; aspect
an extensive mental view (as over a stretch of time or a series of events)

e.g. a gorgeous vista of the mountains from the front window
a vista of the future

51
Q

vitiate

A

to make faulty or defective; impair
to debase in moral or aesthetic status
to make ineffective

e.g. The comic impact is vitiated by obvious haste.
a mind vitiated by prejudice
Fraud vitiates a contract.

52
Q

vitrify

A

to convert into glass or a glassy substance by heat and fusion

53
Q

vitriolic

A

very caustic, scathing

54
Q

vituperate

A

to abuse or censure severely or abusively; berate

e.g. Literature and the pulpit were inevitably the interpreters that she employed to vituperate the sins of the people.

55
Q

vivacious

A

lively in temper, conduct, or spirit; sprightly

e.g. an outgoing, vivacious girl
a vivacious expression love

56
Q

vocation

A

an entry into the priesthood or a religious order
a divine call to the religious life
occupation

e.g. people who follow a religious vocation
He never felt a real sense of vocation.

57
Q

volition

A

an act of making a choice or decision; also, a choice or decision made
the power of choosing or determining; will

e.g. She’s here of her own volition.

58
Q

volley

A

a burst or emission of many things or a large amount at once

e.g. hit by a volley of bullets
a volley of questions

59
Q

voluble

A

easily rolling or turning; rotating

characterized by ready or rapid speech; glib, fluent

60
Q

voluminous

A

consisting of many folds, coils, or convolutions; winding
large, full; numerous
writing or speaking much or at great length

e.g. the building’s high ceilings and voluminous spaces
trying to keep track of voluminous slips of paper
a voluminous literature on the subject
a writer of voluminous output
a voluminous correspondent

61
Q

voluptuous

A

full of delight or pleasure to senses
suggesting sensual pleasure

e.g. voluptuous ornamentation / a voluptuous wine
a voluptuous dance
the voluptuous richness of the music

62
Q

voluptuary

A

a person whose chief interests are luxury and the gratification of sensual appetites

e.g. a fin de siecle novel about dandies and voluptuaries

63
Q

voracious

A

having a huge appetite; ravenous
excessively eager; insatiable

e.g. a voracious reader

64
Q

votary

A

devotee; a devoted admirer

e.g. a votary of the religious leader

65
Q

waddle

A

to move clumsily

e.g A fat goose waddled across the yard.

66
Q

waffle

A

equivocate, vacillate
to talk or write foolishly; blather

e.g. She waffled when asked what she thought of her sister’s new boyfriend.
waffle tiresomely off the point

67
Q

waft

A

to move or go lightly on or as if on a buoyant medium

e.g. The smell of chicken soup wafted up to my bedroom.
The sound of music wafted softly into the yard from our neighbor’s house.
A breeze wafted the scent of roses toward our table.

68
Q

wag

A

to be in motion; stir
to move in chatter or gossip
wit, joker

e.g. a dog wagging its tail
Scandal caused tongues to wag.

69
Q

waggish

A

silly and playful

e.g. waggish spoof s of popular songs

70
Q

wan

A

suggesting of poor health; sickly, pale
lacking vitality; feeble
dim, faint
languid

e.g. a wan smile/laugh
look a little wan after all that tiring work

71
Q

wanderlust

A

strong longing for or impulse toward wandering
a strong desire to travel

e.g. Wanderlust has led him to many different parts of the world.

72
Q

wane

A

to decrease in size, extent, or degree; dwindle
to fall gradually from power, prosperity, or influence

e.g. The moon waxes and wanes.
The scandal caused her popularity to wane.

73
Q

warmonger

A

one who urged or attempts to stir up war

e.g. Fortunately, the warmongers met with overwhelming opposition.

GRE Vocabulary (50 decks)

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