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Flashcards in GRE05 Deck (200)
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1
Q

misnomer

A

wrong or improper name; incorrect designation

2
Q

brunt

A

main impact or shock (of an attack or blow); Ex. brunt of the argument

3
Q

maternal

A

motherly; N. maternity: motherhood

4
Q

tempo

A

speed of music

5
Q

covert

A

secret; hidden; implied; OP. overt

6
Q

cerebral

A

pertaining to the brain or intellect; intellectual rather than emotional; CF. cerebrum

7
Q

innovation

A

change; something newly introduced; introduction of something new; V. innovate: begin or introduce (something new); be creative; ADJ. innovative

8
Q

habitat

A

natural home of a plant or animal; CF. habitation

9
Q

potion

A

dose (of liquids); liquid dose

10
Q

choreography

A

art of representing dances in written symbols; arrangement of dances

11
Q

reaper

A

one who harvests grain; Ex. the Grim Reaper; V. reap: cut and gather (crop); harvest a crop

12
Q

clemency

A

disposition to be lenient in deciding punishments; mildness as of the weather; ADJ. clement

13
Q

devious

A

roundabout; erratic; deviating from the straight course; not straightforward; not completely honest; Ex. devious route

14
Q

margin

A

border; room; allowance beyond what is needed; Ex. margin of safety

15
Q

sepulcher

A

tomb; V: place in a sepulcher; ADJ. sepulchral

16
Q

beneficent

A

kindly; doing good

17
Q

motility

A

ability to move spontaneously; ADJ. motile: moving spontaneously

18
Q

egress

A

exit; opening for going out; act of going out; OP. ingress

19
Q

commemorative

A

remembering; honoring the memory of; Ex. commemorative stamp

20
Q

treasure

A

keep as precious; cherish

21
Q

imbibe

A

drink in

22
Q

redoubtable

A

formidable; causing fear

23
Q

elevation

A

elevated position; altitude; height; flat upright side of a building; angle made by pointing a gun; Ex. The elevation of her style is much admired; Ex. front elevation of the house

24
Q

sultry

A

(of weather) hot; sweltering; sensual; voluptuous

25
Q

purveyor

A

furnisher of foodstuffs; caterer; V. purvey: supply (eg. food); furnish; CF. provide

26
Q

galleon

A

large three-masted sailing ship

27
Q

homily

A

sermon; tedious moralizing lecture; serious warning; ADJ. homiletic

28
Q

dismiss

A

eliminate from consideration; no longer consider; put out of court without further hearing; reject; discharge from employment; direct to leave; ADJ. dismissive; N. dismissal

29
Q

hovel

A

shack; small wretched house

30
Q

commemorate

A

honor the memory of; serve as a memorial to; Ex. commemorate the 100th anniversary/those who died in the war

31
Q

saturate

A

soak thoroughly; imbue; impregnate; charge; fill to capacity

32
Q

notable

A

conspicuous; worthy of note; remarkable; important; distinguished; noted

33
Q

turbid

A

(of a liquid) having the sediment disturbed; muddy; thick

34
Q

bolster

A

support; reinforce

35
Q

fussy

A

fastidious; finicky; easily upset

36
Q

upshot

A

outcome; final result

37
Q

vegetate

A

live in a monotonous way (without interests or activity); CF. vegetation: plants of an area; CF. vegetarian; CF. vegan

38
Q

polarize

A

split into opposite extremes or camps

39
Q

chafe

A

warm by rubbing; make sore by rubbing; N.

40
Q

thwart

A

block or hinder; baffle; frustrate

41
Q

pedantic

A

bookish; showing off learning; marked by an excessive ostentatious concern for book learning; N. pedantry

42
Q

penetrate

A

enter into; pierce; permeate; see through; grasp the inner significance of; understand

43
Q

derivative

A

unoriginal; obtained from another source; Ex. derivative prose style; N.

44
Q

ewe

A

female sheep

45
Q

supplant

A

take the place of unfairly; usurp; replace

46
Q

dichotomy

A

division into two opposite parts; split; branching into two parts (especially contradictory ones)

47
Q

enjoin

A

command; order; forbid

48
Q

curator

A

superintendent; manager (in charge of a museum or a library)

49
Q

transpire

A

(of a fact) become known; be revealed; happen; give off (watery waste matter) through pores

50
Q

pauper

A

very poor person

51
Q

distend

A

expand; swell out

52
Q

strew

A

spread randomly; sprinkle; scatter; Ex. flower girl strewing rose petals

53
Q

mangy

A

shabby; wretched; suffering from mange; of bad appearance

54
Q

erudite

A

(of a person or book) learned; full of learning; scholarly; N. erudition

55
Q

impending

A

nearing; approaching; about to happen

56
Q

decadence

A

decay; fall to a lower level (of morality, civilization, or art); ADJ. decadent

57
Q

causal

A

implying a cause-and-effect relationship; N. causality

58
Q

chorus

A

phrase repeated throughout a song or poem

59
Q

sidetrack

A

switch (a railroad car) to a siding; divert from a main issue; N. CF. siding: short section of railroad track connected by switches with a main track

60
Q

dank

A

damp; unpleasantly wet

61
Q

assert

A

state strongly or positively; demand recognition of (rights, claims, etc.); make a claim to (by forceful action); Ex. assert one’s independence

62
Q

murmur

A

low, indistinct, continuous sound; V. CF. mumble

63
Q

acute

A

(of the senses) sharp; quickly perceptive; keen; penetrating; brief and severe; Ex. acute sense of smell/analysis/pain

64
Q

ravenous

A

extremely hungry; voracious

65
Q

relic

A

surviving remnant (from an extinct culture); memento; keepsake; relics: corpse; Ex. ancient relics; Ex. relics of his travel; Ex. His relics are buried at X.

66
Q

prodigy

A

highly gifted child; person with exceptional talents; marvel; wonder

67
Q

obligatory

A

binding; required; compulsory; V. oblige: constrain; make grateful; do a favor; accommodate

68
Q

benediction

A

blessing

69
Q

scheme

A

systematic plan; plot; clever dishonest plan; orderly arrangement of elements; Ex. health insurance scheme; Ex. a scheme to escape taxes; Ex. a color scheme; Ex. a story with no scheme; V: contrive a scheme

70
Q

litter

A

waste material thrown away (as bits of paper scattered untidily); V: cover untidily with scattered litter

71
Q

theoretical

A

based on theory; not practical or applied; hypothetical

72
Q

traverse

A

go through or across

73
Q

noxious

A

harmful; CF. obnoxious

74
Q

gerontocracy

A

government ruled by old people

75
Q

gnome

A

dwarf; underground spirit who guards treasure hoards

76
Q

impudence

A

impertinence; insolence

77
Q

hatch

A

deck opening; lid covering a deck opening; V: emerge from an egg; produce (young) from an egg

78
Q

mentor

A

counselor; teacher

79
Q

requite

A

make return for; repay; reciprocate; revenge; N. requittal

80
Q

mode

A

prevailing style; current fashion; manner; way of doing something; Ex. in the latest mode; Ex. simple mode of life

81
Q

stagnant

A

(of water) not flowing (often bad-smelling); motionless; stale; not developing; inactive; dull; Ex. stagnant industrial output

82
Q

expunge

A

cancel; remove a word or name (from a book or list); erase

83
Q

outstrip

A

outrun; surpass; outdo

84
Q

fervid

A

ardent; zealous; hot

85
Q

grouse

A

complain; fuss; grumble; grouch; N: plump chickenlike game bird

86
Q

scrutinize

A

examine closely and critically; N. scrutiny

87
Q

knave

A

untrustworthy person; rogue; scoundrel; jack; N. knavery

88
Q

siren

A

apparatus for making sounds; womanlike creature

89
Q

plane

A

carpenter’s tool for smoothing and leveling wood; V. CF. flat

90
Q

deport

A

send out of the country; behave; N. deportation, deportment

91
Q

peregrination

A

journey; V. peregrinate

92
Q

phalanx

A

formation of infantry carrying overlapping shields and long spears; group of men packed together (for attack or defense)

93
Q

debonair

A

(of men) friendly, charming, and fashionably dressed; aiming to please; CF. of good disposition

94
Q

incriminate

A

accuse of or implicate in a crime; serve as evidence against; cause to seem or make guilty of a crime; Ex. incriminating evidence

95
Q

concerted

A

mutually agreed on; done together by agreement; Ex. concerted effort; CF. in concert: working together

96
Q

log

A

record of a voyage or flight; record of day-to-day activities; section of a trunk; V.

97
Q

inter

A

bury; N. interment

98
Q

mobile

A

movable; not fixed; N. mobility

99
Q

sway

A

swing from side to side; influence (someone) to change one’s opinion; N.

100
Q

touching

A

causing a feeling of pity or sympathy; pathetic; V. touch: cause to feel pity or sympathy; ADJ. touched

101
Q

verbose

A

wordy; N. verbosity

102
Q

navigable

A

(of a body of water) wide and deep enough to allow ships to pass through; (of a ship or aircraft) able to be steered

103
Q

rasp

A

(of a sound) grate on (eg. nerves); make a harsh noise; have an unpleasant effect; rub with something rough; Ex. The cat’s tongue rasped my hand.

104
Q

academic

A

related to a school; not practical or directly useful

105
Q

cumulative

A

growing by addition; accumulative

106
Q

brusque

A

blunt; abrupt; curt; not wanting to waste time being nice

107
Q

mantle

A

loose sleeveless outer garment; cloak; something that covers or envelops; the layer of the earth between the crust and the core

108
Q

coagulate

A

congeal; thicken; clot; N. coagulant

109
Q

fancier

A

breeder or dealer of animals; one who has a special interest, as for raising specific plant or animal

110
Q

untoward

A

unexpected and adverse; unfortunate or unlucky; Ex. untoward encounter

111
Q

hereafter

A

life after death

112
Q

novice

A

beginner

113
Q

manumit

A

emancipate; free from slavery or bondage

114
Q

malignant

A

tending to cause death; highly injurious; aggressively malevolent; Ex. malignant tumor

115
Q

tribute

A

tax levied by a ruler; payment made by one nation to another in acknowledgment of submission; mark of respect (such as praise or gift); Ex. pay tribute to

116
Q

indissoluble

A

permanent; impossible to dissolve or disintegrate

117
Q

encompass

A

surround; include; Ex. His activities encompass publishing and computers.

118
Q

pragmatic

A

practical (as opposed to idealistic); concerned with practical worth or impact of something; Ex. pragmatic test of the skill

119
Q

pretend

A

feign; pretend to: claim to possess; make pretensions to; Ex. I don’t pretend to much expertise; N. pretense

120
Q

stupor

A

state of being stupefied; state of apathy; daze; lack of awareness

121
Q

glossy

A

smooth and shining; N. gloss: shiny brightness on a surface; superficially attractive appearance; Ex. gloss of good manners

122
Q

ulterior

A

intentionally hidden; beyond what is evident; situated beyond; unstated and often questionable; Ex. ulterior motive

123
Q

discord

A

conflict; lack of harmony; dissonance (when musical notes are played)

124
Q

rumble

A

make or move with a deep rolling sound (as thunder or stomach)

125
Q

impertinent

A

insolent; rude; not pertinent; N. impertinence

126
Q

acme

A

peak; pinnacle; highest point

127
Q

occult

A

mysterious; secret; supernatural; beyond human comprehension; CF. mysterious to human ?; OP. bare

128
Q

conflagration

A

great fire

129
Q

oblivious

A

inattentive or unmindful; unaware; wholly absorbed; forgetful(having the habit of forgetting)

130
Q

remunerative

A

(of work) compensating; rewarding; profitable; well-paid; V. remunerate: reward; pay (someone) for work or trouble

131
Q

luminous

A

shining (esp. in the dark); issuing light; Ex. luminous paint/road signs

132
Q

infinitesimal

A

very small

133
Q

dapper

A

neat and trim (in appearance); (of small men) neat in appearance and quick in movements; neat; spry

134
Q

regeneration

A

spiritual rebirth; Ex. regeneration of the prisoners; V. regenerate: give or obtain new life; reform spiritually

135
Q

potpourri

A

heterogeneous mixture; medley; mixture of dried flower petals a pot (to give a pleasant smell to a room)

136
Q

advert

A

refer

137
Q

paltry

A

insignificant; petty; trifling; contemptible; Ex. paltry sum; CF. trash

138
Q

diadem

A

crown

139
Q

felon

A

person convicted of a grave crime; CF. felony: serious crime

140
Q

tryst

A

meeting arranged by lovers; arrangement between lovers to meet

141
Q

agitate

A

stir up; disturb

142
Q

tatter

A

torn piece of cloth; ADJ. tattered: (of clothes) old and torn; (of a person) dressed in old torn clothes

143
Q

cue

A

word or signal (as in a play to prompt another actor’s speech or entrance); reminder or hint; V: give a cue to

144
Q

foreboding

A

premonition of evil; feeling of coming evil; V. forebode: be a warning of (something unpleasant)

145
Q

heckler

A

person who verbally harasses others; V. heckle: verbally harass as with gibes (by interrupting a speaker or speech)

146
Q

sectarian

A

of a sect; narrow-minded; parochial; N: member of a sect; narrow-minded person

147
Q

placid

A

peaceful; calm; Ex. placid child/lake

148
Q

superfluous

A

excessive; overabundant; unnecessary; N. superfluity

149
Q

conglomeration

A

mass of material sticking together

150
Q

perversion

A

corruption; turning from right to wrong

151
Q

pariah

A

social outcast; Ex. Mariah the pariah

152
Q

glean

A

gather leavings; gather grain left behind by reapers; gather bit by bit (facts or information) often with difficulty

153
Q

kaleidoscope

A

tube in which patterns made by the reflection in mirrors of colored pieces of glass, etc. produce interesting symmetrical effects; series of changing events; Ex. kaleidoscope of European history; CF. beautiful

154
Q

convivial

A

pleasantly merry; festive; joyous; gay; characterized by joviality; jovial

155
Q

rationale

A

fundamental reason or principle (on which a system or principle is based); fundamental reason or justification; grounds for an action

156
Q

glacial

A

like a glacier; of an ice age; extremely cold; Ex. glacial epoch; CF. iceberg

157
Q

oversee

A

watch over and direct; supervise; N. oversight: unintentional failure to notice or do something; supervision

158
Q

curmudgeon

A

churlish, miserly individual; bad-tempered old person

159
Q

paramount

A

foremost in importance; supreme; CF. para-: beyond; above; Ex. paranormal

160
Q

colossal

A

huge

161
Q

writhe

A

twist in coils; contort in pain

162
Q

indifferent

A

unmoved or unconcerned by; having no interest in; mediocre; neither good nor bad

163
Q

homespun

A

domestic; made at home; spun or woven at home; simple and ordinary; Ex. homespun philosophy

164
Q

sedulous

A

diligent; assiduous; paying attention; N. sedulity

165
Q

cleft

A

N: split

166
Q

slapdash

A

hasty and careless; haphazard; sloppy(carelessly done)

167
Q

tautological

A

needlessly repetitious; Ex. ``It was visible to the eye’’; N. tautology: needless repetition of the same sense; statement that is always true

168
Q

profane

A

violate; desecrate (something holy); treat unworthily; be profane for; ADJ: secular; nonreligious; irreverent for holy things

169
Q

trample

A

step heavily with the feet; crush under the feet

170
Q

menagerie

A

collection of wild animals on exhibition; zoo

171
Q

euthanasia

A

mercy killing

172
Q

mausoleum

A

monumental tomb; large stately tomb; CF. Mausolos

173
Q

ragamuffin

A

dirty child in torn clothes; person wearing tattered clothes

174
Q

outcast

A

one that has been excluded from a society; ADJ.

175
Q

diva

A

operatic singer; prima donna

176
Q

putative

A

supposed; reputed; generally regarded as such; Ex. putative father of the child

177
Q

pulse

A

rhythmical throbbing of arteries; brief sudden change in a normally constant quantity; V: pulsate

178
Q

conifer

A

pine tree (usu. evergreen); cone-bearing tree; ADJ. coniferous; CF. deciduous; CF. evergreen

179
Q

diatribe

A

bitter scolding or denunciation; invective; abuse

180
Q

malefactor

A

evildoer; criminal

181
Q

clapper

A

striker (tongue) of a bell

182
Q

unmitigated

A

(of something bad) not moderated; unrelieved or immoderate; without qualification; absolute; Ex. unmitigated disaster

183
Q

exculpate

A

clear from blame or guilt

184
Q

scapegoat

A

someone who bears the blame for others; whipping boy; CF. escape+goat

185
Q

gloat

A

express evil satisfaction; look at or think about with evil satisfaction; view malevolently; Ex. The thief gloated over the stolen jewels.

186
Q

caucus

A

private meeting of a group of people in a political party to select officers or determine policy; CF. the Caucus club of Boston

187
Q

quiver

A

case for arrows

188
Q

residue

A

remainder; balance

189
Q

halcyon

A

calm; peaceful; Ex. halcyon days

190
Q

infidel

A

unbeliever (with respect to a particular religion)

191
Q

cipher

A

nonentity; worthless person or thing; zero; secret code; V.

192
Q

bearing

A

deportment; connection

193
Q

ambrosia

A

food of the gods

194
Q

perverse

A

purposely continuing to do something wrong; stubbornly wrongheaded; perverted; directed away from what is right; wicked and unacceptable; Ex. perverse satisfaction; Ex. Hannibal Lecter in a perverse mood; N. perversity

195
Q

vagrant

A

wandering from place to place; roving; stray; moving in a random fashion; Ex. vagrant thoughts; N. vagrancy

196
Q

sporadic

A

occurring irregularly; intermittent

197
Q

incapacitate

A

disable; N. incapacity: lack of capacity

198
Q

puissant

A

powerful; strong; potent; N. puissance: power

199
Q

complicity

A

participation; involvement (in a questionable act or a crime)

200
Q

recluse

A

hermit; loner; ADJ. reclusive