Shared Flashcard Set

Details

GRE 4
GRE - Princeton Review and Kapla
66
Language - English
Graduate
11/17/2010

Additional Language - English Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
ACERBIC
Definition

Having a sour or bitter taste or character; sharp; biting

Acid in temper, mood or tone

Term
AGGRANDIZE
Definition
To increase in intensity, power, influence or prestige
The supervisor sought to aggrandize himself by claiming the achievements of his staff were actually his own
Synonyms: amplify, apotheosize, augment, dignify, elevate, enlarge, ennoble, exalt, glorify, magnify, swell, uplift, wax
Term
ALCHEMY
Definition
A medieval scaimed aimed as the trasnmutation of metals, especially base metals into gold
Term
AMENABLE
Definition

Agreeable; reponsible,to suggestion

Willing ti be influenced or controlled

Readily managed; willing to be led

 

 

Term
ANACHRONISM
Definition

Something or someone out of place in terms of historical or chronological context

Mistaking or placing something in the wrong historical period

Term
ASTRINGENT
Definition

Substance, used medically or in cosmestics, that takes skin or body tissue contract and stops bleeding

 

Having a tightening effect on living tissue; harsh; severe; something with a tightening effect or tissue

Term
CONTIGUOS
Definition

Having a common boundary or edge

Sharing a border; touching; adjacent

Term
CONVENTION
Definition

A generally agreed - upon practice or attitude

Synonyms: conference, convocation, assembly

Term
DECORUM
Definition

Polite or appropriate behavior or conduct

Approprriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety

Term
CYNISCISM
Definition

An attitude or quality of belief that all people are motivated by selfishness

A person who believes all people are motivated by selfishness

General distrust of the integrity or professed motives of others

Term
DERISION
Definition

The rats peered with derision in their eyes at the terrified man

Scorn, ridicule, comtenptuous

Term
DILETTANCE
Definition
I thought he was an expert on art history until we went to the gallery together and his limited knowledge showed him to be just a dilettance
Term
DISPARAGE
Definition

He never missed a chance to disparage his competitors

To depreciate by indirect means

To slight or belittle

Term
DESSICATE
Definition

To dry out thoroughly

To make dry or dull

 

Synonyms: Dehydrate, dry, parch

Term

FAWN

The understudy fawned over the director in hopes of being cast in the part on a permanent basis

Definition

 

To flatter or praise excessively

To grovel

 

Synonyms: Bootlick, grover, pander, toady

Term
FLOUT
Definition

To show contempt for, as in a rule or convention

To treat with disdain, scorn, or contempt

Term

GARRULOUS

The garrulous parakeet distracted its owner with its continuous talking

Definition

The garrulous parakeet distracted its owner with its continuous talking

 

Synonyms: effusive, loquacious

Term

GLIB

The slimy politician managed to continue gaining supporters because he was a glib speaker

Definition

Fluent in an insicere manner; offhand; casual

Lacking in depth; superficial

 

Synonyms: easy, superficial

 

 

Term
IMMINENT
Definition
About to happen; impeding
Term
HUBRIS
Definition

His hubris made him feel superior

 

Exaggerated pride or slef-confidence

 

Overbearing presumption or pride; arrogance

Term
IMMUTABLE
Definition
Not capable of change
Term
IMPETUOUS
Definition

Hastly or rashly energetic

Impulsive and vehement

Term

INIMICAL

Even though a cease-fire had been in place for months, the two sides were still inimical to each other

Definition

Hostile; unfriendly

Damaging, harmful, injurious

 

Synonyms: adverse, antagonism, dissident, recalcitrant

Term
INTRACTABLE
Definition

Not easli managed or directed; stubborn; obstinate

Not easy manipulated

Term
ITREPID
Definition

Fearless, resolutely courageous, steadfast

Synonym: brave

Term
LACONIC
Definition

Using few words, terse

 

Synonyms: concise, curt, pithy, taciturn, terse

Term
MAVERICK
Definition
An independent individual who does not go along with a group or party
Term
MERCURIAL
Definition

Characterized by rapid and unpredictable chance in mood

Synonyms: clever, crafty, volatile, whismsical

Term
MOLLIFY
Definition

To calm or make less severe

To reduce in emotional intensity

 

Synonyms: appease; assuage; conciliate; pacify

Term
NEOPHYTE
Definition

Novice, beginner, a recent convert, a novice

 

Synonyms: apprentice, greenhorn

Term
OBSTINATE
Definition
Term
OSTENTATIOUS
Definition

Excessive showiness characterized by or given to pretentious display; showy

 

Synonyms: flashiness, pretentiousness

Term
PERVADE
Definition

To be present throughout, to permeate

 

Noun form: pervasive

 

Synonyms: imbue, infuse, penetrate, permeate, suffuse

Term

PHLEGMATIC (ADJ.)

Although the bomb could go off at any moment, the phlegmatic demolition expert remained calm and unafraid

Definition

Calm; sluggish; unemotional

Unemotional in temperament

Synonyms: apathetic, cal, emotionless, impassive, indifferent, passionless

Term
PHETORA
Definition

An overabundance; a surplus excess

 

Synonyms: glut; overabundance; superfluity; surfeit

Term
PRAGMATIC
Definition
Practical as opposed to idealistic
Term
PRESUMPTUOUS
Definition

Overstepping due bounds

Taking liberties

Arrogance

Term
PRISTINE
Definition

Fresh and clean; uncorrupted pure

 

Synonyms: innocent; undamaged

Term
PROBITY
Definition

Integrity, morality, rectitude; uprightness; virtue

adherence to highest principles

Term
PROCLIVITY
Definition

A natural predisposition or inclination

 

Synonyms: bias, propensity, predilection, predisposition, prejudice, partiality

Term

PROFLIGATE

Some historians claim that it was the Roman's decadent, profligate behavior that led to the decline of the Roman Empire

Definition

Corrupt, degenerate, excessively, wasteful, extravagant

Synonyms: dissolute, extravagant, improvident, prodigal, wasteful

 

noun form: profligacy

Term
PROPENSITY
Definition
A natural inclination or tendency, pechant
Term
PROSAIC
Definition
Dull; lacking in spirit or imagination
Term
Pungent
Definition

Sharp and irritating to the senses

Characterized by a strong smell or taste

 

Synonyms: acrid, caustic, piquant

Term
QUIXOTIC
Definition

Foolishly impractical; marked by lofty romantic ideals; overly idealistic

 

Synonyms: capricious, impulsive, romantic, unrealistic

Term
RAREFY
Definition
Hidden, concealed; difficul to understand obscure
Term
REFULGENT
Definition
Radiant; shiny; brilliant
Term
RENEGE
Definition
To fail to honor a commitmment; to go back on a promise
Term
SEDULOUS
Definition

Diligent, persistent, hardworking

Involving or accomplished with careful perseverance

Term
SHARD
Definition

A piece of broken pottery or glass

Frangment of a brittle substance

 

Term
SPORIFIC
Definition

Causing sleep or lethargy

Causing drowsiness

 

Synonyms: Hypnotic, narcotic

Term
SPARCE
Definition
Thin; not dense; arraged at widely spaced intervals
Term
SPENDTHRIFT
Definition

One who spends money wastefully or recklessly

Wasteful or extravagant

Term
VACILLATE
Definition
To waver indecisively between one course of action or opinion and another
Term
VIGILANT
Definition
Alertly watlhful
Term
VOLATILE
Definition

Readily changing to a vapor; changeable; fickle; explosive

 

Term

TACIT

Although not a word was said, everyone in the room knew that a tacit agreement had been made about what course of action take

Definition

Implied; not explicity stated

Done without using words

Synonyms: implicit, implied, undeclared, unsaid, unuttered

 

 

Term
SUBTLE
Definition

Not obvious, elusive, difficul to discern

So slight as to be difficult to detect or describe

Term
TERSE
Definition

Brief and concise

To the point

Effectively concise

Term
TOUT
Definition
To publicly praise or promote
Term
TRENCHANT
Definition

Sharply perceptive; keen; penetrating; acute; sharp; forceful; effective

 

Synonyms: biting, caustic, cutting, keen

Term
UNFEIGNED
Definition
Genuine; not false or hypocritical; not pretended
Term
UNTENABLE
Definition
Indefensible; not viable; uninhabitable
Term
VARIEGATED
Definition
Multicolored; characterized by a variety of patches of different colors
Term
VITUPERATE
Definition
To abuse verbally; berate to use harsh, condemnatory languague; to abuse or censure severaly or abusively
Term
VEXATION
Definition

Annoyance; irritation

The psychological state of being irritated or annoyed

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