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GRE verbal reasoning study prep
Vocabulary - Kaplan words
26
English
Graduate
09/30/2011

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Cards

Term
Abase (uh bays)
Definition
v.
to humble; disgrace
My intention was not to abase the comedian.
Synonyms: demean, humiliate
Term
Blithe (blieth)
Definition
adj.
joyful, cheerful, or w/o appropriate thought
Summer finally came, and the blithe students spend their days at the beach.
Synonyms: carefree, lighthearted, merry
Term
Cartography (kahr tahg ruh fee)
Definition
n.
science or art of making maps
Gail's interest in cartography may stem from the extensive traveling she did as a child.
Synonyms: charting; surveying; topography
Term
Dogma (dawg muh)
Definition
n.
a firmly held opinion, esp. a religious belief
Linus's central dogma was that children who believed in the Great Pumpkin would be rewarded.
Synonyms: creed; doctrines; teaching; tenet
Term
Eloquent (ehl uh kwunt)
Definition
adj.
persuasive and moving, especially in speech
The Gettysburg Address is moving not only because of its lofty sentiments but because of its eloquent words.
Synonyms: articulate; expressive; fluent; meaningful; significant; smooth-spoken
Term
Fecund (fee kuhnd) (feh kuhnd)
Definition
adj.
fertile; fruitful; productive
The fecund couple yielded a total of 20 children.
Synonyms: flourishing; prolific
Term
Garrulous (gaar uh luhs) gaar yuh luhs)
Definition
adj.
tending to talk a lot
The garrulous parakeet distracted its owner with its continuous talking.
Synonyms: effusive; loquacious
Term
Heterogeneous (heh tuh ruh jee nee uhs)
(he truh jee nyuhs)
Definition
adj.
composed of unlike parts; different; diverse
The United Nations is by nature a heterogeneous body.
Synonyms: assorted; miscellaneous; mixed; motley; varied
Term
Imprecation (ihm prih kay shuhn)
Definition
n.
a curse
Spouting violent imprecations, Hank searched for the person who had vandalized his truck.
Synonym: damnation
Term
Jocular (jahk yuh luhr)
Definition
adj.
playful; humorous
The jocular old man entertained his grandchildren for hours.
Synonyms: amusing; comical
Term
Knell (nehl)
Definition
n.
sound of a funeral bell; omen of death or failure
When the townspeople heard the knell from the church belfry, they knew that their mayor had died.
Synonyms: chime; peal; toll
Term
Languid (laang gwihd)
Definition
adj.
lacking energy; indifferent; slow
The languid cat cleaned its fur, ignoring the vicious, snarling dog chained a few feet away from it.
Synonyms: faineant; lackadaisical; listless; sluggish; weak
Term
Mar (mahr)
Definition
v.
to damage or deface; spoil
Telephone poles mar the natural beauty of the countryside.
Synonyms: blemish; disfigure; impair; injure; scar
Term
Nuance (noo ahns)
Definition
n.
a subtle expression of meaning or quality
The scholars argued for hours over tiny nuances in the interpretation of the last line of the poem
Synonyms: gradation; subtlety; tone
Term
Opine (oh pien)
Definition
v.
to express an opinion
At the "Let's Chat Talk Show," the audience member opined that the guest was in the wrong.
Synonyms: point out; voice
Term
Pare (payr)
Definition
v.
to trim off excess; reduce
The cook's hands were sore after she pared hundreds of potatoes for the banquet.
Synonyms: clip; peel
Term
Querulous (kwehr yoo luhs)
Definition
adj.
inclined to complain; irritable
Curtis's complaint letter received prompt attention after the company labeled him a querulous potential troublemaker.
Synonyms: peevish; puling; sniveling; whiny
Term
Rejoinder (rih joyn duhr)
Definition
n.
response
Patrick tried desperately to think of a clever rejoinder to Marianna's joke, but he couldn't.
Synonyms: retort; riposte
Term
Solecism (sah lih sishz uhm)
Definition
n.
grammatical mistake; blunder in speech
"I ain't going with you," she said, obviously unaware of there solecism.
Synonyms: blooper; faux pas; vulgarism
Term
Torpor (tohr puhr)
Definition
n.
extreme mental and physical sluggishness
After surgery, the patient's torpor lasted several hours until the anesthesia wore off.
Synonyms: apathy; languor
Term
Upbraid (uhp brayd)
Definition
v.
to scold sharply
The teacher upbraided the student for scrawling graffiti all over the walls of the school.
Synonyms: berate; chide; rebuke; reproach; tax
Term
Variegated (vaar ee uh gayt ehd)
Definition
adj. varied; marked with different colors
The variegated foliage of the jungle allows it to support thousands of different animal species.
Synonym: diversified
Term
Wan (wahn)
Definition
adj.
sickly pale
The sick child had a wan face, in contrast to her rosy-cheeked sister.
Synonyms: ashen; sickly
Term
Xenophobia (zee nuh foh bee uh)
Definition
n.
a fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers
Countries in which xenophobia is prevalent often have more restrictive immigration policies than countries that are more open to foreign influences.
Synonyms: bigotry; chauvinism; prejudice
Term
Yoke (yohk)
Definition
v.
to join together
As soon as the farmer had yoked his oxen together, he began to plow the fields.
Synonyms: bind; harness; pair
Term
Zephyr (zeh fuhr)
Definition
n.
a gentle breeze; something airy or unsubstantial
The zephyr front he ocean made the intense heat not he beach bearable for the sunbathers.
Synonyms: breath; draft
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