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GRE Vocabulary
Advanced vocabulary for the GRE
100
English
Graduate
06/13/2010

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Term
ineluctable
Definition
inevitable; not to be avoided

e.g., an ineluctable fate
Term
mythopoeic
Definition
giving rise to myths
Term
limpid
Definition
1. transparent, pellucid
2. clear and simple
3. serene and untroubled
Term
obverse
Definition
1. facing the observer or opponent
2. opposite
Term
trepidation
Definition
apprehension, uncertain agitation
Term
indolent
Definition
1. lazy, averse to activity
2. conducive to laziness (e.g., indolent hear)
3. slow to develop (e.g., an indolent tumor)
4. causing little or no pain (e.g., an indolent ulcer)
Term
misapprehension
Definition
to apprehend wrongly, to misunderstand
Term
rapt
Definition
1. lifted up and carried away
2. transported with emotion : enraptured
3. wholly absorbed : engrossed
Term
gander
Definition
an adult male goose
Term
cur
Definition
1. a mongrel or inferior dog
2. a surly or cowardly fellow
Term
libation
Definition
1a. an act of pouring a liquid as a sacrifice (as to a deity)
1b. a liquid (as wine) used in a libation
2a. an act or instance of drinking often ceremoniously
2b. beverage; especially a drink containing alcohol
Term
ruth
Definition
1. compassion for the misery of another
2. sorrow for one's own faults, remorse
Term
catechism
Definition
1. oral instruction
2. a manual for catechizing, specifically a summary of religious doctrine often in the form of questions and answers
Term
undergird
Definition
to form the basis or foundation of, to strengthen, support
Term
chandler
Definition
1. a maker or seller of candles and perhaps soaps
2. a seller of any specialized area (e.g., a yacht chandler)
Term
executrix
Definition
a female executor
Term
cartwright
Definition
a workman who makes and repairs carts and wagons
Term
prosthetist
Definition
a specialist in prosthetics
Term
conscription
Definition
compulsory enrollment of persons especially for military service, draft
Term
skein
Definition
1. a ball of yarn
2. something resembling a ball or yarn
3. a flock of wildfowl
4. (v) to wind into a skein
Term
sumptuary
Definition
1. relating to personal expenditures and especially to prevent extravagance and luxury (e.g., conservative sumptuary tastes)
2 : designed to regulate extravagant expenditures or habits especially on moral or religious grounds (e.g., sumptuary laws/taxes)
Term
epic
Definition
1. a long narrative poem in elevated style recounting the deeds of a legendary or historical hero
2a. extending beyond the usual or ordinary especially in size or scope (e.g., his genius was epic)
2b. heroic
Term
coke
Definition
a residue of coal
Term
greisen
Definition
a crystalline rock consisting of quartz and mica
Term
irreproachable
Definition
not reproachable, blameless, impeccable
Term
Definition
having God as the central interest and ultimate concern (e.g., a theocentric culture)
Term
arcanum (pl: arcana)
Definition
1. mysterious or specialized knowledge, language, or information accessible or possessed only by the initiate —usually used in plural
2. elixir
Term
scabrous
Definition
rough or covered in unwholesome patches
Term
strident
Definition
1. characterized by harsh, insistent, and discordant sound (e.g., a strident voice)
2. commanding attention by a loud or obtrusive quality (e.g., strident slogans)
Term
logy
Definition
lethargic, lacking in energy, sluggish, groggy
Term
mendicant
Definition
a beggar
Term
collar
Definition
1a. to seize by the collar or neck
1b. arrest, grab
1c. to get control of, preempt (e.g., we can collar nearly the whole of this market)
Term
purblind
Definition
lacking in vision, insight, or understanding; obtuse
Term
canting
Definition
1. affectedly pious or righteous (e.g., a canting moralist)
2. setting something at an angle
Term
febrile
Definition
feverish, marked by fever
Term
malefactor
Definition
1. a felon, one who commits a crime
2. one who does harm to another person
Term
lackey
Definition
1. a servant
2. a toady, servile follower
Term
unguent
Definition
an ointment used to serve or heal
Term
emolument
Definition
compensation or perquisites in return for employment
Term
dandy
Definition
1. a man who gives exaggerated attention to personal appearance
2. something excellent in its class
Term
fatalist
Definition
one who thinks that things can't be changed by human efforts
Term
stanch
Definition
to stop the flow of something
Term
impasse
Definition
1a. a predicament affording no obvious escape
1b. deadlock
2. an impassable road or way, cul-de-sac
Term
forbear
Definition
to shun, hold back, or abstain
Term
apotheosize
Definition
to deify, or elevate to divine status
Term
admix
Definition
to mix in
Term
commix
Definition
to blend, mingle; to become blended, commix
Term
preternatural
Definition
1. existing outside of nature
2. exceeding what is natural or regular; extraordinary (e.g., wits trained to preternatural acuteness by the debates — G. L. Dickinson)
3. inexplicable by ordinary means; psychic (e.g., preternatural phenomena)
Term
animus
Definition
1. basic attitude or governing spirit, disposition, intention
2. a usually prejudiced and often spiteful or malevolent ill will
Term
enmity
Definition
positive, active, and typically mutual hatred or ill will; hostility; antipathy
Term
impassive
Definition
apathetic, giving no sign of feeling or emotion, expressionless
Term
adjudge
Definition
1. to decide or rule upon as a judge, adjudicate, rule
2. to hold or pronounce to be, deem
Term
fusty
Definition
1. musty
2. rigidly old-fashioned
Term
superseded
Definition
outdated
Term
dowdy
Definition
1. not neat or becoming in appearance; shabby
2a. lacking smartness or taste
2b. old-fashioned
Term
superannuated
Definition
1. outmoded, old-fashioned
2a. incapacitated or disqualified for active duty by advanced age
2b. older than the typical member of a specified group
Term
fervency
Definition
fervor, intense feeling or expression, fervidness, fervidity
Term
silver-tongued
Definition
marked by convincing and eloquent expression
Term
plucky
Definition
spirited, brave
Term
stout
Definition
1a. strong of character, brave, bold
1b. firm, determined, obstinate, uncompromising
2. physically strong, sturdy, vigorous
3. forceful , violent
4 : bulky in body : fat
Term
doughty
Definition
marked by fearless resolution, valiant
Term
mettlesome
Definition
spirited, bold, courageous
Term
stouthearted
Definition
1. courageous
2. stubborn
Term
abeyance
Definition
temporary suspension or suppression, a temporary inactivity
Term
abrogate
Definition
to abolish or invalidate by authority
Term
accede
Definition
to express approval; agree to
Term
acrimony
Definition
animosity, bitterness
Term
acuity
Definition
keenness of perception; sharpness
Term
adventitious
Definition
1. accidental
2. occuring sporadically or unexpectedly
3. not inherent or innate
Term
anathema
Definition
1. something shunned or disliked
2. a curse, ban, or denunciation
3. something that has been cursed, banned, or denounced
Term
ancillary
Definition
1. subordinate, subsidiary
2. auxiliary, supplementary
Term
anodyne
Definition
1. serving to calm or soothe pain
2. innocuous, not likely to offend or cause tension
Term
aphorism
Definition
an old saying, a short pithy saying
Term
apocryphal
Definition
not genuine, false, fictional
Term
apostate
Definition
one who renounces a religious faith
Term
apostrophe
Definition
the addressing of a usually absent person or a usually personified thing rhetorically
Term
apothegm
Definition
a short and instructive saying
Term
apotheosis
Definition
1. glorification, elevation to divine status
2. a glorified ideal
3. a perfect example; quintessence
Term
apprehension
Definition
1a. the act or power of perceiving or comprehending
2. seizure by legal process, arrest
3. suspicion or fear especially of future evil; foreboding
Term
bromide
Definition
2a. a commonplace or tiresome person : bore
2b. a commonplace or hackneyed statement or notion
Term
platitudinous
Definition
dull, insipid, banal, trite
Term
shopworn
Definition
1. faded, soiled, or otherwise impaired by remaining too long in a store
2. stale from excessive use or familiarity
3. worn-out
Term
threadbare
Definition
1a. worn, shabby
1b. wearing threadbare clothing, very poor
1c. barely adequate because of cheapness or shabbiness
2. exhausted of interest or freshness
Term
jejune
Definition
1. lacking nutritive value
2. devoid of significance or interest, dull
3. juvenile, puerile
Term
magniloquent
Definition
bombastic, high-flown
Term
declamatory
Definition
of, using, or related to rhetorical display; bombastic
Term
fustian
Definition
1. a strong cotton and linen fabric
2. high-flown or affected writing or speech; anything high-flown or affected in style (noun OR adj.)
Term
orotund
Definition
1. marked by fullness, strength, and clarity of sound; sonorous
2. pompous, bombastic
Term
high-flown
Definition
pretentious
Term
din
Definition
1. loud continued noise; a welter of discordant sounds
2. a situation or condition resembling a din
Term
willful
Definition
1. obstinately and often perversely self-willed
2. done deliberately, intentional
Term
upbraid
Definition
1. to criticize severely; find fault with
2. to reproach severely; scold vehemently
Term
trenchant
Definition
1. vigorously effective and articulate; sharply perceptive; keen (e.g., trenchant commentary)
2. caustic (e.g., trenchant remarks)
Term
mordant
Definition
1. biting and caustic in thought, manner, or style; incisive
2. burning, pungent, caustic
Term
muddle
Definition
1. a state of especially mental confusion
2. a confused mess
(also a verb)
Term
pettifogger
Definition
1. a lawyer whose methods are petty, underhanded, or disreputable; shyster
2. one given to quibbling over trifles
Term
shyster
Definition
a person who is professionally unscrupulous especially in the practice of law or politic
Term
sophistry
Definition
subtly deceptive reasoning or argumentation
Term
byzantine
Definition
1. of, relating to, or characterized by a devious and usually surreptitious manner of operation
1b. intricately involved; labyrinthine
Term
knotty
Definition
complex, full of difficulty or complication
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