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Flashcards in GRE12 Deck (200)
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1
Q

filial

A

pertaining to or befitting a son or daughter; Ex. filial respect

2
Q

acidulous

A

slightly sour (in taste or manner); sharp; caustic

3
Q

illusion

A

misleading vision or visual image; false idea or belief; CF. delusion

4
Q

obsolete

A

outmoded; no longer used

5
Q

perpetuate

A

make perpetual; make something last for a long time; preserve from extinction; N. perpetuity

6
Q

conspire

A

take part in a conspiracy; (of events) work together; combine; Ex. Events conspired to produce great difficulties.

7
Q

wont

A

(the stated person’s) habit or custom; habitual procedure; ADJ. wonted: customary

8
Q

welter

A

confusion; turmoil; confused mass; bewildering jumble;

9
Q

horoscope

A

diagram of the positions of stars at a given moment (eg. of a person’s birth) used by astrologers

10
Q

bogus

A

counterfeit; not authentic; intentionally false; Ex. bogus interview

11
Q

revert

A

relapse; backslide; turn back to; return to the former owner; N. reversion

12
Q

subtlety

A

perceptiveness; ingenuity; delicacy; ADJ. subtle: delicate; so slight as to be difficult to detect; able to make fine distinctions; clever; Ex. subtle mind/differences in meaning

13
Q

cloister

A

monastery or convent

14
Q

dormant

A

sleeping; temporarily inactive; lethargic; latent

15
Q

tawny

A

brownish yellow

16
Q

clairvoyant

A

having foresight; fortuneteller; N. clairvoyance

17
Q

yield

A

amount produced; crop; income on investment; profit obtained from an investment; V: produce; give in; surrender

18
Q

elliptical

A

elliptic; oval; of an ellipse; containing an ellipsis; ambiguous either purposely or because key words have been left out

19
Q

seduce

A

lead away from proper conduct; entice; ADJ. seductive

20
Q

blowhard

A

talkative boaster; braggart

21
Q

ethos

A

underlying character of a culture, group, etc.; character or ideas peculiar to a specific person, group, or culture; Ex. the company ethos

22
Q

fallow

A

(of land) plowed but not sowed (to improve the quality); uncultivated

23
Q

libidinous

A

lustful

24
Q

gaudy

A

flashy; showy

25
Q

dynamo

A

generator for producing electricity; energetic person

26
Q

insatiable

A

not easily satisfied; unquenchable; Ex. insatiable appetite

27
Q

palette

A

board on which painter mixes pigments(coloring matters)

28
Q

attire

A

clothe; N: clothing; array; apparel

29
Q

ethereal

A

like a spirit or fairy; unearthly light; heavenly; unusually refined; Ex. She has an ethereal beauty; CF. ether: upper air

30
Q

evince

A

show clearly

31
Q

understate

A

state with less truth than seems warranted by the facts; Ex. He understated the seriousness of the crime; N. understatement; OP. overstate

32
Q

stem

A

stop or check (the flow of); Ex. stem the bleeding from the slashed artery; N: main axis of a plant; stalk

33
Q

apposite

A

appropriate; fitting

34
Q

apotheosis

A

elevation to godhood; an ideal example of something

35
Q

malcontent

A

person dissatisfied with existing state of affairs; discontented person; ADJ: discontented

36
Q

trenchant

A

cutting; incisive; keen

37
Q

peerless

A

having no equal; incomparable

38
Q

blanch

A

bleach; whiten; make white or pale

39
Q

drastic

A

strong; violent and severe; Ex. drastic changes/measures

40
Q

overture

A

musical introduction to a long musical piece; first offer or proposal (to begin talks in the hope of reaching an agreement); Ex. overtures for peace

41
Q

leery

A

(of someone) suspicious; wary; cautious

42
Q

unimpeachable

A

that cannot be impeached; beyond doubt or question; blameless and exemplary

43
Q

awry

A

distorted; crooked; bent; Ex. Our plans have gone awry.

44
Q

premise

A

assumption; postulate; proposition upon which an argument is based

45
Q

pendulous

A

hanging; suspended

46
Q

saboteur

A

one who commits sabotage; destroyer of property; N. sabotage: destruction of property (usually carried out secretly)

47
Q

knotty

A

intricate; difficult; tangled; CF. knot

48
Q

connubial

A

pertaining to marriage or the matrimonial state

49
Q

disavowal

A

denial; disclaiming; repudiating; disowning; V. disavow; CF. disclaim

50
Q

aphorism

A

pithy maxim or saying; ADJ. aphoristic

51
Q

intractable

A

unruly; difficult to manage; Ex. intractable problem/child

52
Q

evocative

A

tending to call up (emotions, memories)

53
Q

defection

A

desertion

54
Q

upbraid

A

reprimand; severely scold

55
Q

canard

A

unfounded false rumor; exaggerated false report

56
Q

anthology

A

book of literary selections by various authors; CF. omnibus

57
Q

murky

A

dark and gloomy; thick with fog; vague; Ex. murky night/fog; N. murk: partial or complete darkness; gloom

58
Q

flagrant

A

conspicuously wicked, bad, or offensive; blatant; outrageous

59
Q

contempt

A

scorn; disdain; ADJ. contemptuous; CF. contemptible

60
Q

marred

A

damaged; disfigured; V. mar: spoil; disfigure

61
Q

titular

A

of a title; in name only; nominal; having the title of an office without the obligations; Ex. titular head of the company

62
Q

impregnable

A

invulnerable; impossible to capture or enter by force; Ex. impregnable fort/argument; CF. take

63
Q

madrigal

A

pastoral song; song for several singers without instruments

64
Q

nugatory

A

worthless; futile

65
Q

irreproachable

A

beyond reproach; blameless; impeccable; Ex. irreproachable conduct

66
Q

inhibited

A

(of a person) unable to express what one really feels

67
Q

animosity

A

active enmity

68
Q

carnal

A

fleshly; sensual; concerning the desires of the body

69
Q

ingenious

A

marked by inventive skill; clever; resourceful; N. ingenuity

70
Q

lineaments

A

features especially of the face; distinctive shape or contour of the face; CF. line

71
Q

prestige

A

respect or admiration; impression produced by achievements or reputation; ADJ: causing admiration; ADJ. prestigious: having prestige

72
Q

remonstrate

A

protest; objection; V. remonstrate: say in protest

73
Q

willful

A

wilful; intentional; headstrong

74
Q

incumbent

A

obligatory; imposed as an obligation; currently holding an office; N: person who holds an office

75
Q

quail

A

cower; shrink back in fear; lose heart

76
Q

ethnic

A

relating to races

77
Q

sparse

A

not thick; thinly scattered; scanty

78
Q

fiat

A

command; arbitrary order; Ex. presidential fiat; CF. let it be done

79
Q

inkling

A

hint; slight indication

80
Q

molecule

A

the smallest particle (one or more atoms) of a substance that has all the properties of that substance

81
Q

trunk

A

main wooden stem of a tree; human body excluding the head and limbs; torso; prehensile nose of an elephant

82
Q

decrepitude

A

state of collapse or weakness caused by illness or old age

83
Q

glaze

A

cover with a thin and shiny surface; apply a glaze to; N: thin, smooth, shiny coating (as for pottery); Ex. unglazed pottery

84
Q

d'ebris

A

rubble; wreckage; scattered remains of something broken or destroyed

85
Q

subordinate

A

occupying a lower rank; inferior; submissive; N. V: put in a lower rank or class

86
Q

plumage

A

feathers of a bird;

87
Q

bigotry

A

stubborn intolerance

88
Q

alacrity

A

cheerful promptness without reluctance

89
Q

roseate

A

rosy; optimistic; Ex. roseate views

90
Q

discrete

A

separate; unconnected

91
Q

malevolent

A

wishing evil; exhibiting ill will; N. malevolence

92
Q

subjugate

A

conquer; bring under control

93
Q

blackball

A

vote against (an applicant); ostracize; N: negative vote

94
Q

compendium

A

brief, comprehensive summary; ADJ. compendious

95
Q

promote

A

advance in rank; advance; help to flourish; advocate; help actively in forming; publicize or popularize; Ex. Milk promotes health; Ex. promote a match/bill; Ex. promote a new product

96
Q

consonance

A

harmony; agreement

97
Q

mischief

A

behavior (of children) causing trouble with no serious harm; damage; harm; Ex. mischief to the crops; ADJ. mischievous: causing mischief; playfully troublesome

98
Q

equilibrium

A

balance of opposing forces; balance of the mind; equanimity

99
Q

summation

A

act of finding the total; summing-up; summary (esp. one given by the judge at the end of a trial)

100
Q

papyrus

A

ancient paper made from stem of papyrus plant

101
Q

polemical(polemic)

A

aggressive in verbal attack; disputatious (rather than simply expressing opinions)

102
Q

manipulate

A

operate with one’s hands; control or play upon (people, forces, etc.) artfully; maneuver; Ex. how to manipulate publicity and men; ADJ. manipulative

103
Q

wrest

A

obtain by pulling violently; pull away; take by violence; Ex. wrest victory from their grasp

104
Q

ambush

A

act of lying in wait to attack by surprise; sudden attack made from a concealed position; Ex. lie in ambush; V.

105
Q

insurgent

A

rebellious; N.

106
Q

premonitory

A

serving to warn

107
Q

cognitive

A

having to do with knowing or perceiving related to the mental processes; N. cognition: the mental process of knowing

108
Q

caste

A

one of the hereditary classes in Hindu society; social stratification; prestige

109
Q

sinister

A

evil; ominous

110
Q

indulge

A

yield to; gratify; allow oneself a special pleasure; Ex. indulge one’s every whim/a child/in a big cigarette; N. indulgence

111
Q

minute

A

extremely small; CF. minutes: official record of the proceedings at a meeting

112
Q

repeal

A

revoke; annul

113
Q

quip

A

taunt; clever sarcastic remark; V.

114
Q

prosperous

A

successful; rich; affluent; well-to-do; well-off

115
Q

gild

A

cover with a thin layer of gold

116
Q

accomplice

A

partner in crime

117
Q

inculcate

A

teach (ideas or principles); instill

118
Q

concatenate

A

link as in a chain

119
Q

odds

A

chances; probability; disagreement; Ex. The odds are that it will rain. Ex. at odds with

120
Q

archetype

A

prototype; primitive pattern

121
Q

iridescent

A

exhibiting rainbowlike colors; Ex. iridescent oil slick; N. iridescence

122
Q

glib

A

fluent (with insincerity or superficiality); facile; slick

123
Q

chaperon

A

older person who accompanies and supervises a young unmarried woman

124
Q

heedless

A

not noticing; disregarding

125
Q

paleontology

A

study of prehistoric life or fossils; CF. paleo-: ancient or prehistoric; Ex. paleography: study of ancient written documents

126
Q

waive

A

give up temporarily; yield; N. waiver: waiving a right or claim; document that waives a right or claim

127
Q

nettle

A

irritate; annoy; vex; ADJ. nettlesome

128
Q

gargantuan

A

huge; enormous; gigantic; CF. the hero of Gargantua and Pantagruel

129
Q

avalanche

A

great mass of falling snow and ice

130
Q

leonine

A

like a lion

131
Q

endue

A

provide with some quality; endow

132
Q

ciliated

A

having minute hairs; CF. cilium; CF. cilia: eyelash

133
Q

dexterous

A

skillful; skill in using hands or mind; N. dexterity

134
Q

augury

A

omen; prophecy; sign of coming events; V. augur: predict; foretell; be a sign of (something in future)

135
Q

dismember

A

cut into small parts; cut (a body) apart limb from limb

136
Q

imbalance

A

lack of balance or symmetry; disproportion

137
Q

medley

A

mixture

138
Q

obscure

A

dark; vague; unclear; not well known; Ex. obscure meaning/village; V: darken; cover; make unclear; Ex. obscure the moon/meaning

139
Q

solicitor

A

lawyer in the lower court of law

140
Q

ration

A

fixed portion; V: distribute as rations

141
Q

torpedo

A

underwater explosive apparatus; V.

142
Q

amazon

A

female warrior

143
Q

amputate

A

cut off part of body; prune (a limb)

144
Q

slaughter

A

killing of animals for food; massacre; V: butcher (animals) for food; kill in large numbers

145
Q

stigma

A

token of disgrace; brand; V. stigmatize: mark with a stigma; characterize as disgraceful

146
Q

melancholy

A

gloomy; morose; blue; N. ADJ. melancholic; CF. melancholia

147
Q

deplore

A

regret; express sorrow and severe disapproval for something bad; Ex. deplore their violent behavior; ADJ. deplorable: very bad; deserving severe disapproval; Ex. deplorable living condition

148
Q

indubitable

A

unable to be doubted; which cannot be doubted; unquestionable

149
Q

chimerical

A

fantastically improbable; highly unrealistic; N. chimera: unreal fancy; fire-breathing female creature

150
Q

tablet

A

small round piece of medicine; flat piece of stone or metal bearing an inscription; Ex. stone tablet on the wall

151
Q

hypochondriac

A

person unduly worried about his health; worrier without cause about illness; ADJ. CF. hypochondria: neurosis that one is or is becoming ill; CF. abdomen

152
Q

sober

A

serious; solemn; not drunken; abstemious or temperate; V: make or become sober

153
Q

specious

A

seemingly reasonable but incorrect; misleading (often intentionally)

154
Q

prevalent

A

widespread; generally accepted

155
Q

arduous

A

hard; strenuous; Ex. arduous work

156
Q

arrogance

A

pride; haughtiness; ADJ. arrogant: unpleasantly self-important (with a strong confidence in one’s own importance and a lack of respect for other people)

157
Q

tangential

A

only slightly connected; not central; peripheral; digressing; showing divergence; CF. tangent

158
Q

trough

A

long narrow container for feeding farm animals; lowest point (of a wave, business cycle, etc.); long narrow depression as between waves

159
Q

centigrade

A

denoting a widely used temperature scale (basically same as Celsius)

160
Q

fleet

A

fast; rapid; N. ADJ. fleeting: passing quickly; ephemeral

161
Q

verdigris

A

green coating or patina on copper which has been exposed to the weather

162
Q

yore

A

time long past; Ex. in the days of yore

163
Q

maudlin

A

effusively sentimental

164
Q

piebald

A

of different colors; mottled; spotted in different colors (esp. in black and white); Ex. piebald horse; CF. pie+bald

165
Q

supererogatory

A

superfluous; more than needed or demanded

166
Q

assurance

A

firm statement that something is certainly true; promise or pledge; certainty; confidence in one’s own ability; self-confidence; Ex. In spite of all his assurances, he did not come back; Ex. assurance of his loyalty; Ex. The teacher lacked assurance in fr

167
Q

spurious

A

false; counterfeit; forged; illogical; Ex. spurious arguments

168
Q

convoluted

A

coiled around; twisted; involved; complicated; intricate; complex; N. convolution: twist; one of the convex folds of the surface of the brain

169
Q

arch-

A

chief; first; Ex. archbishop

170
Q

increment

A

increase

171
Q

sound

A

in good condition; showing good judgment or good sense; thorough; complete; Ex. sound mind/investment/training

172
Q

arsenal

A

storage place for military equipment

173
Q

bane

A

posion; cause of ruin; ADJ. baneful: harmful; poisonous

174
Q

languish

A

lose animation or strength

175
Q

consign

A

send to a person or place for sale; deliver officially; entrust; put into the care of another; set apart (for a special purpose); N. consignment; CF. consignor, consignee

176
Q

obstreperous

A

boisterous; noisy and uncontrollable

177
Q

sprightly

A

lively

178
Q

delineate

A

portray; depict; sketch; describe; N. delineation

179
Q

wistful

A

sadly thoughtful (because of desires or memories); sadly pensive; vaguely longing

180
Q

spatial

A

relating to space

181
Q

marital

A

pertaining to marriage

182
Q

sensual

A

devoted to the pleasures of the sense; carnal; voluptuous; Ex. sensual woman/curves/lips

183
Q

rote

A

repetition; memorization through repetition without understanding; Ex. learn poetry by rote

184
Q

equanimity

A

calmness of temperament; composure

185
Q

formality

A

ceremonious quality; ceremonious adherence to rules; something done just for form’s sake; Ex. mere formality

186
Q

quench

A

assuage or satisfy (thrust); slake; douse or extinguish; put out; suppress

187
Q

fruition

A

bearing of fruit; fulfillment; realization; Ex. come to/be brought to fruition

188
Q

disengage

A

uncouple; separate; disconnect; stop fighting; OP. engage

189
Q

caption

A

title; chapter heading; text under illustration

190
Q

quizzical

A

curious; suggesting puzzlement (without saying); questioning; teasing; mocking; bantering; Ex. quizzical glance

191
Q

platitude

A

trite remark; commonplace statement; ADJ. platitudinous

192
Q

reduce

A

diminish; bring to a weaker or more difficult condition; demote; lower in rank; separate into components by analysis; Ex. reduced to the ranks; Ex. reduce the house to rubble; N. reduction

193
Q

exult

A

rejoice

194
Q

evoke

A

call forth (memory or feeling); Ex. That old film evoked memories of my childhood; N. evocation

195
Q

ursine

A

bearlike; pertaining to a bear

196
Q

bate

A

let down; lessen the force of; moderate; restrain; Ex. with bated breath; CF. abate

197
Q

eventual

A

happening at last as a result; Ex. eventual victory

198
Q

momentous

A

very important; N. moment; CF. momentary

199
Q

circuit

A

closed circular line around an area; circumference; regularly repeated journey from place to place

200
Q

overwhelm

A

(of water) cover completely; defeat completely by much greater force; Ex. overwhelmed by grief