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GRE Vocabulary
N/A
127
English
Graduate
12/07/2012

Additional English Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
assuage
Definition
relieve something unpleasant
Term
erudite
Definition
very knowledgable through study
Term
prodigal
Definition
extravagantly wasteful
Term
precipitate
Definition
adj.: done rashly; v.: make something happen quickly; n.: chemical residue
Term
lucid
Definition
rational
Term
fervid
Definition
enthusiastic, heated in spirit; burning, glowing; intensely hot
Term
placate
Definition
to appease or pacify, especially by concessions or concillatory gestures
Term
zeal
Definition
fervor for something; eager desire
Term
desiccate
Definition
to dry thoroughly
Term
laudable
Definition
deserving praise (applaudable)
Term
pedant
Definition
person who makes an excessive display of learning
Term
vacillate
Definition
hesitate
Term
capricious
Definition
impulsive; liable to sudden unpredictable changes in behavior
Term
engender
Definition
to produce; to beget; to stir up
Term
loquacious
Definition
talkative, chatty
Term
pragmatic
Definition
practical point of view or practical considerations
Term
volatile
Definition
evaporating rapidly; unstable
Term
apathy
Definition
absence of emotion
Term
ephemeral
Definition
lasting a short time
Term
laconic
Definition
using few words; concise
Term

apogee

Definition
culmination; best or greatest point
Term

capitulate

Definition
to surrender after negotiation of terms
Term

impugn

Definition
to oppose or attack as false or lacking integrity
Term

Acrimony

Definition
harsh or biting sharpness especially of words, manner, or disposition
Term

Cacophony

Definition
harsh or discordant sound
Term

Sinecure

Definition
an office or position that requires little or no work and that usually provides an income
Term
myriad
Definition
a great number; innumerable
Term
belies
Definition
contradicts
Term
derision
Definition
ridicule
Term
calumny
Definition
slander
Term
commendation
Definition
act of bestowing praise
Term
prestige
Definition
high status
Term
salient
Definition
prominent
Term
salubrious
Definition
healthful
Term
inherent
Definition
natually a part of
Term
endemic
Definition
naturally a part of
Term
opprobrious
Definition
outrageously disgraceful or shameful
Term
facetious
Definition
not serious; joking, often inappropriately
Term
ebullience
Definition
exuberance
Term
dilapidate
Definition
to bring into a condition of decay or partial ruin
Term
ostentatious
Definition
showy; meant to attract notice; marked by or fond of conspicuous and sometimes pretentious display
Term
gainsaid
Definition
declared to be untrue
Term
eschew
Definition
abstain from: to avoid doing or using something on principle or as a matter of course
Term
deprecate
Definition
condemn something or somebody: to express condemnation of something or somebody
Term
acclamation
Definition
approval: a public and enthusiastic display of approval
Term
infallible
Definition

not
 liable to failure; certain
Term
histrionic
Definition
of or pertaining to actors or acting; deliberately affected or self-consciously emotional; overlydramatic, in behavior or speech.
Term
inimical
Definition
adverse in tendency or effect; unfavorable; harmful: a climate inimical to health.
Term
abstruse
Definition
hard to understand; recondite; esoteric
Term
reticent
Definition
disposed to be silent or not to speak freely; reserved.
Term
congenial
Definition
having the same nature, disposition, or tastes 
Term
gregarious
Definition
tending to associate with others of one's kind
Term
scurrilous
Definition

using or given to coarse or obscene language


Term
arcane
Definition
known or knowable only to the initiate; known or understood by very few; mysterious; secret; obscure;esoteric
Term
deride
Definition
to laugh at in scorn or contempt; scoff or jeer at; mock.
Term
abjure
Definition
to renounce upon oath;to reject solemnly; to abstain from 
Term
chagrin
Definition
disquietude or distress of mind caused by humiliation, disappointment, or failure
Term
bemuse
Definition
to make confused; to occupy the attention of 
Term
altruism
Definition
unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others
Term
supercilious
Definition
contemptuously indifferent: full of contempt and arrogance
Term

sardonic

 

Definition
disdainfully or skeptically humorous : derisively mocking
Term
fatuous
Definition
  1. unintelligent: showing a lack of intelligence or thought combined with complacency
Term
ribald
Definition
vulgar, inappropriate; depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society
Term
ignominious
Definition
not respectable; not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency
Term
apocryphal
Definition
not true: probably not true, but widely believed to be true
Term
acumen
Definition
sharpness of mind: the ability to make quick accurate intelligent judgments about people or situations
Term
acridity
Definition
sharp and harsh or unpleasantly pungent in taste or odor; deeply or violently bitter
Term
trenchant
Definition
Keen, sharp; vigorously effective and articulate; sharply perceptive 
Term
mellifluous
Definition
pleasant to hear: pleasant and soothing to listen to, and sweet or rich in tone; euphonic
Term
strident
Definition
  1. loud: harsh, loud, grating, or shrill
  2. strongly expressed: loudly, strongly, or urgently expressed
Term
extirpate
Definition
  1. completely remove something undesirable: to completely get rid of, kill off, or destroy somebody or something considered undesirable
  2. remove by surgery: to remove something surgically
Term

recondite

 

Definition
dealing with very profound, difficult, or abstruse subject matter
Term
detritus
Definition
debris: debris or discarded material; refuse
Term
refuse
Definition
the worthless or useless part of something; detritus
Term
bedlam
Definition
1. obsolete: madman, lunatic. 2. often capitalized: a lunatic asylum . 3: a place, scene, or state of uproar and confusion
Term
gaudy
Definition
1: ostentatiously or tastelessly ornamented . 2: marked by extravagance or sometimes tasteless showiness
Term
punctilious
Definition
  1. careful about correct behavior: very careful about the conventions of correct behavior and etiquette
  2. fastidious: showing great care in small details
Term
vociferous
Definition
shouting noisily: shouting in a noisy and determined way
Term
waggish
Definition
like a wag, which is a person given to droll, roguish, or mischievous humor
Term
precarious
Definition
  1. unsafe: dangerously unstable, unsteady, uncertain, or insecure
  2. not well founded: based on uncertain premises or unwarranted assumptions
Term
mien
Definition
somebody's general air: somebody's facial expression or general appearance, bearing, or posture, taken as an indication of his or her mood or character; demeanor
Term
repudiate
Definition
disown something: to disapprove of something formally and strongly and renounce any connection with it
Term
vindicate
Definition
show somebody to be blameless: to clear somebody or something of blame, guilt, suspicion, or doubt
Term
convalescing
Definition
recuperate: to spend time recovering from an illness or the effects of medical treatment, especially by resting
Term
truculent
Definition
aggressively defiant: aggressively or sullenly refusing to accept something or do what is asked
Term
panegyric
Definition
  1. praise: extravagant praise delivered in formal speech or writing
Term
phlegmatic
Definition
unexcitable: generally unemotional and difficult to arouse
Term
timorous
Definition
timid: showing fear or hesitancy
Term
deplore
Definition
find something extremely unacceptable: to disapprove of something very strongly
Term
dilettante
Definition
dabbler in art or knowledge: somebody who takes up a subject or interest in a superficial or desultory way
Term
eclectic
Definition
varied: made up of parts from various sources
Term
catholic adj.
Definition
all-inclusive: including or concerned with all people; useful to all: useful or interesting to a wide range of people; all-embracing: interested in or sympathetic to a wide range of things
Term
ambrosial
Definition
exceptionally pleasing to taste or smell; especially delicious orfragrant; worthy of the gods; divine.
Term
eschew
Definition
abstain from: to avoid doing or using something on principle or as a matter of course
Term
cretaceous
Definition
chalky: consisting of or resembling chalk
Term
exigent
Definition
  1. requiring action: needing immediate action
  2. demanding: making heavy demands on somebody
Term
specious
Definition
  1. apparently true but actually false: appearing to be true but really false
  2. deceptively attractive: superficially attractive but actually of no real interest or value
Term
promulgate
Definition
to make known; to announce
Term
foment
Definition
cause trouble: to cause or stir up trouble or rebellion
Term
arbitrate
Definition
decide between disputants; settle dispute between others: to act as a judge in a dispute between others
Term
recompense
Definition
give compensation: to give compensation to somebody for an injury or loss
Term
obloquy
Definition
disgrace or public censure
Term
diaphanous
Definition
see-through
Term
amphorous
Definition
shapeless
Term
ingenuous
Definition
  1. innocent and unworldly: showing innocence and a lack of worldly experience
  2. seeming honest: appearing honest and direct
  3. genuine
Term
ubiquitous
Definition
constantly present; existing everywhere
Term
esoteric
Definition
abstruse, understood only by a few, recondite
Term
deleterious
Definition
harmful
Term
pernicious
Definition
destructive
Term
irresolute
Definition
unable to make a decision; indecisive
Term
estimable
Definition

worthy; 

  1. admirable: deserving respect or admiration
  2. able to be estimated: able to be estimated
Term
contumacious
Definition
rebellious; seditious
Term
seditious
Definition
rebellious; contumacious
Term
artifice
Definition
deception; chicanery
Term
chicanery
Definition
deception; artifice
Term
cabal
Definition
a secret group
Term
hegemony
Definition
influence or dominance; authority or control
Term
plucky
Definition
brave
Term
parsimonious
Definition
stingy; unwillingness to part with one's goods
Term
avaricious
Definition
greedy
Term
covetous
Definition
greedy
Term
rapacious
Definition
greedy
Term
idiosyncratic
Definition
quirk; unusual response to something
Term
penurious
Definition
stingy; having very little money; frugal
Term
Herculean
Definition
taking on a monumental task
Term
Daedalean
Definition
clever individuals
Term
Gordian
Definition
gordian knot, a problem with no discernable solution
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