Shared Flashcard Set

Details

GRE words - Part 1
Words often used on GREs
135
Language - English
Graduate
08/15/2007

Additional Language - English Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
pious
Definition
"extremely reverent or devout, showing strong religious devotion"
Term
redoubtable
Definition
awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
Term
odious
Definition
evoking intense aversion or dislike
Term
dearth
Definition
a lack; scarcity
Term
intransigent
Definition
refusing to compromise
Term
supplant
Definition
to take the place of; supersede
Term
quiescence
Definition
stillness; motionlessness
Term
putrefy
Definition
to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor
Term
viscous
Definition
thick; sticky
Term
heretical
Definition
violating accepted dogma or convention
Term
contentious
Definition
argumentative; quarrelsome
Term
disinterested
Definition
free of bias or self interest; impartial
Term
squalid
Definition
sordid; wretched and dirty from neglect
Term
recalcitrant
Definition
resisting authority; not obedient; hard to deal with
Term
inert
Definition
"unmoving, lethargic"
Term
innocuous
Definition
"harmless, causing no damage"
Term
pernicious
Definition
"extremely harmful, potentially causing death"
Term
prodigious
Definition
"abundant in size, force or extent; extraordinary"
Term
didactic
Definition
intended to teach or instruct
Term
quaff
Definition
to drink deeply
Term
harangue
Definition
to deliver a pompous speech or tirade
Term
vociferous
Definition
"crying out noisily, clamorous"
Term
chary
Definition
"wary, cautious, sparing"
Term
urbane
Definition
"sophisticated, refined, elegant"
Term
opaque
Definition
impenetrable by light
Term
empirical
Definition
based on observation or experiment
Term
stoic
Definition
"indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain, steadfast"
Term
prolific
Definition
"producting large volumes or amounts, productive"
Term
precursor
Definition
one that precedes and indicates or announces another
Term
timorous
Definition
"fearful, timid"
Term
accolade
Definition
an expression of praise
Term
demur
Definition
to question or oppose
Term
complaisance
Definition
willingness to comply with the wishes of others
Term
dogmatic
Definition
expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or improvable principles
Term
sanction
Definition
authoritative permission or approval
Term
elegy
Definition
"a mournful poem, especially one lamenting the dead"
Term
avarice
Definition
"greed, especially for wealth"
Term
ephemeral
Definition
"brief, fleeting"
Term
emollient
Definition
"soothing, especially to the skin; making less harsh"
Term
inveigle
Definition
to obtain by deception or flattery
Term
penurious
Definition
"penny pinching, excessively thrifty, ungenerous"
Term
torpid
Definition
"lethargic, sluggish"
Term
peruse
Definition
to examine with great care
Term
ebullience
Definition
"high spirits, exhilaration"
Term
gregarious
Definition
"sociable, outgoing, enjoying the company of others"
Term
eulogy
Definition
a speech honoring the dead
Term
ubiquitous
Definition
"existing everywhere at the same time, widespread"
Term
caustic
Definition
"burning or stinging, causing corrosion"
Term
adulation
Definition
"excessive praise, intense adoration"
Term
esoteric
Definition
"intended for or understod by a small, specific group"
Term
impecunious
Definition
"lacking funds, without money"
Term
vilify
Definition
"to defame, to characterize harshly"
Term
ascetic
Definition
"one who practices rigid self denial, especially as an act of religious devotion"
Term
bucolic
Definition
"rustic, characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants"
Term
furtive
Definition
"marked by stealth, covert, surreptitious"
Term
culpable
Definition
deserving blame
Term
discretion
Definition
"cautious reserve in speech, ability to make responsible decisions"
Term
incipient
Definition
"beginning to come into being, becoming apparent"
Term
enigmatic
Definition
"mysterious, obscure, difficult to understand"
Term
virulent
Definition
"extremely harmful or poisonous, bitterly hostile"
Term
veracity
Definition
"truthfulness, honestly"
Term
tortuous
Definition
"winding, twisting, excessively complicated"
Term
torque
Definition
a force that causes rotation
Term
solicitous
Definition
"concerned and attentive, eager"
Term
prevaricate
Definition
to lie or deviate from the truth
Term
paean
Definition
a song or hymn of praise
Term
onerous
Definition
"troubling, burdensome"
Term
fulminate
Definition
to loudly attack or denounce
Term
exigent
Definition
"urgent, pressing"
Term
perfidy
Definition
"intentional breach of faith, treachery"
Term
stupefy
Definition
to stun or baffle
Term
static
Definition
"not moving, at rest"
Term
squander
Definition
to waste
Term
sordid
Definition
"dirty, foul"
Term
reticent
Definition
"quiet, reserved"
Term
relegate
Definition
to forcibly assign
Term
discordant
Definition
"conflicting, dissonant"
Term
convoluted
Definition
"complex, complicated"
Term
nebulous
Definition
"vague, cloudy"
Term
canonical
Definition
"in agreement with accepted, traditional standards"
Term
precipitate
Definition
"to throw violently, to bring about abruptly"
Term
nascent
Definition
"coming into being, starting to develop"
Term
mundane
Definition
"of the world, typical, ordinary"
Term
recant
Definition
to retract
Term
magnanimous
Definition
generously noble in mind and heart
Term
perspicacious
Definition
"accutely perceptive, astute, keen witted"
Term
predilection
Definition
"a disposition in favor of something, a preference"
Term
martial
Definition
associated with war and the armed forces
Term
inure
Definition
"to harden, to accustom"
Term
lucid
Definition
"clear, easily understood"
Term
censure
Definition
"to criticize severely, to officially rebuke"
Term
refute
Definition
to disprove
Term
truculent
Definition
"firece and cruel, eager to fight"
Term
filibuster
Definition
intentional obstruction
Term
erudite
Definition
"very learned, scholarly"
Term
effrontery
Definition
"extreme boldness, audacity"
Term
perennial
Definition
happening repeatedly
Term
stymie
Definition
to block or thwart
Term
prescience
Definition
foreknowledge of events
Term
prattle
Definition
to babble meaninglessly
Term
voracious
Definition
"having an insatiable appetite, ravenous"
Term
irascible
Definition
easily angered
Term
chicanery
Definition
"trickery, subterfuge"
Term
extemporaneous
Definition
"improvised, done without preparation"
Term
perfunctory
Definition
"done in a routine way, indifferent"
Term
capricious
Definition
"inclined to change one's mind impulsively, erratic, unpredictable"
Term
equivocate
Definition
to use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent
Term
exculpate
Definition
"exonerate, to clear of blame"
Term
disparate
Definition
fundamentally different or distinct
Term
qualm
Definition
"reservation, cause for hesitancy"
Term
obviate
Definition
"to prevent, to make unnecessary"
Term
obtuse
Definition
not clear or precise in thought or expression
Term
noxious
Definition
"harmful, injurious"
Term
neologism
Definition
a new word or expression
Term
disabuse
Definition
"to set right, to free from error"
Term
laud
Definition
to praise highly
Term
enervate
Definition
"to weaken, reduce in vitality"
Term
ingenuous
Definition
"frank, candid; na•ve, innocent"
Term
abscond
Definition
"to leave secretly, to steal off and hide"
Term
aberrant
Definition
deviating from the norm
Term
alacrity
Definition
"promptness, cheerful readiness, eager and enthusiastic willingness"
Term
anomaly
Definition
"deviation from the norm, abnormality"
Term
approbation
Definition
an expression of approval or praise
Term
arduous
Definition
"strenuous, taxing, requiring significant effort"
Term
assuage
Definition
"to ease or lessen, to appease or pacify"
Term
audacious
Definition
"daring and fearless, recklessly bold"
Term
austere
Definition
"without adornment, bare, stern"
Term
axiomatic
Definition
"taken as a given, possessing self evident truth"
Term
abate
Definition
to lessen in intensity or degree
Term
ameliorate
Definition
to make better or more tolerable
Term
burgeon
Definition
to grow rapidly or flourish
Term
cacophony
Definition
"harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance"
Term
castigation
Definition
severe criticism or punishment
Term
cogent
Definition
"appealing forcibly to the mind or reason, convincing"
Term
contrite
Definition
"regretful, seeking forgiveness"
Supporting users have an ad free experience!