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GRE Words
Words I'm learning for the gre
261
English
Undergraduate 4
10/12/2008

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Term
compendium
Definition
a brief treatment or account
Term
apace
Definition
at a rapid pace
Term
precipitate
Definition
to hasten the occurrence of
Term
ancillary
Definition
subordinate, subsidiary
Term
munificent
Definition
extremely liberal in giving, very generous
Term
bilious
Definition
pertaining to bile
Term
dudgeon
Definition
a feeling of offense or resentment
Term
irascible
Definition
easily provoked to anger
Term
petulant
Definition
unreasonably irritable
Term
pique
Definition
to affect with sharp irritation
Term
umbrage
Definition
offense, annoy
Term
waspish
Definition
wasp-stingy-bad mood
Term
dilettante
Definition
beginner at something-superficially, dabbler
Term
neophyte
Definition
beginner
Term
novitiate
Definition
state of being a novice of a religious order
Term
proselyte
Definition
a person who has changed from one opinion to another, convert
Term
tyro
Definition
novice
Term
burgeoning
Definition
to put forth
Term
callow
Definition
immature or inexperienced
Term
engender
Definition
to produce, cause or give rise to
Term
inchoate
Definition
not yet completed or fully developed
Term
incipient
Definition
beginning to exist
Term
acerbic
Definition
sour or astringent
Term
acidulous
Definition
sour
Term
acrimonious
Definition
caustic, stinging, or bitter in nature, speech, behavior
Term
asperity
Definition
harshness or sharpness of tone
Term
mordacious
Definition
biting or given to biting
Term
trenchant
Definition
incisive or keen, as language or a person; caustic; cutting
Term
fatuous
Definition
foolish
Term
hackneyed
Definition
commonplace
Term
insipid
Definition
without distinctive, interesting or stimulating qualities
Term
mundane
Definition
boring
Term
platitude
Definition
a flat, dull or trite remark
Term
prosaic
Definition
commonplace or dull
Term
quotidian
Definition
daily, customary
Term
trite
Definition
lacking in freshness
Term
bacchanalian
Definition
a drunken festival
Term
depraved
Definition
to make morally bad or evil
Term
dissipated
Definition
indulging in or characterized by excessive devotion to pleasure; intemperate; dissolute
Term
iniquity
Definition
a gross injustice, sin
Term
libertine
Definition
a person who is morally or sexually unrestrained
Term
libidinous
Definition
full of sexual lust
Term
licentious
Definition
sexually unrestrained, lascivious
Term
reprobate
Definition
a depraved, unprincipled person
Term
ribald
Definition
vulgar or indecent in speech
Term
salacious
Definition
lustful or lecherous
Term
sordid
Definition
morally ignoble or base
Term
turpitude
Definition
vile, shameful or base character
Term
capricious
Definition
subject to, led by caprice-irratic
Term
facticious
Definition
not spontaneous, copy, artificial
Term
facticious
Definition
not spontaneous, copy, artificial
Term
vicarious
Definition
performed, exercised, received or suffered in place of another
Term
aspersion
Definition
damaging or derogatory remark
Term
calumny
Definition
a false and malicious statement
Term
excoriate
Definition
to denounce or berate severely
Term
gainsay
Definition
to deny dispute or contradict
Term
harangue
Definition
a scolding or long lasting verbal attack
Term
aspersion
Definition
a damaging or derogatory remark or criticism, slander
Term
impugn
Definition
to challenge as false
Term
inveigh
Definition
to protest strongly or attack vehemently with words
Term
objurgate
Definition
to express strong disapproval; to criticize severely
Term
obloquy
Definition
censure, blame or abusive language aimed at a person or thing
Term
opprobrium
Definition
the disgrace or the reproach incurred by conduct considered outrageous shameful, infamy
Term
pillory
Definition
a wooden framework erected on a post with holes for securing hands, formerly used to expose an offender to public derision
Term
remonstrate
Definition
to say or plead in protest objection or disapproval
Term
reprehend
Definition
to reprove or find fault with; rebuke; censure; blame.
Term
reprove
Definition
to criticize or correct
Term
vituperate
Definition
to verbally abuse; berate
Term
macabre
Definition
gruesome and horrifying
Term
moribund
Definition
in a dying state, near death
Term
obsequies
Definition
a funeral rite
Term
sepulchral
Definition
serving as a tomb
Term
wraith
Definition
an apparition of a living person suppsed to portend his or her death
Term
abnegate
Definition
to refuse or deny onself some rights, conveniences, reject, renounce
Term
ascetic
Definition
religious self denial or self mortification
Term
imperious
Definition
domineering in a haughty manner, dictatorial, overbearing
Term
peremptory
Definition
leaving no opportunity for denial or refusal
Term
esoteric
Definition
understood by or meant for only the select few
Term
recondite
Definition
dealing with very profound, difficult or abstruse subject matter
Term
turbid
Definition
not clear or transparent
Term
invidious
Definition
calculated to create ill will or resentment or give offense, hateful
Term
noisome
Definition
offensive or disgusting as an odor
Term
odious
Definition
deserving or causing hatred, hateful, detestable
Term
rebartative
Definition
causing annoyance, irritation, or aversion; repellent
Term
cogent
Definition
convincing or believable by virtue of forcible, clear or incisive presentation
Term
limpid
Definition
clear, transparent
Term
pellucid
Definition
allowing the maximum passage of light as glass, translucent
Term
iconoclast
Definition
breaker or destroyer of images, especially those set up for religious veneration
Term
abash
Definition
to destroy the self-confidence, poise, or self-possession of; disconcert; make ashamed or embarrassed
Term
chagrin
Definition
a feeling of vexation, marked by disappointment or humiliation
Term
compunction
Definition
a feeling of uneasiness or anxiety of the conscience caused by regret for doing wrong or causing pain, contrition, remorse
Term
contrition
Definition
sincere penitence, or remorse
Term
diffidence
Definition
lacking confidence in one's own ability, worth, or fitness; timid; shy.
2. restrained or reserved in manner, conduct, etc.
Term
expatiate
Definition
to enlarge in discourse or writing; be copious in description or discussion
Term
foible
Definition
a minor weakness or failing of character, slight flaw or defect
Term
gaucherie
Definition
lack of social grace, sensitivity, or acuteness, awkwardness, crudeness, tactlessness
Term
rue
Definition
to feel sorrow over, repent of, regret bitterly
Term
apocryphal
Definition
of doubtful authorship or authenticity
Term
canard
Definition
a false or baseless, usually derogatory story, report or rumor
Term
chicanery
Definition
trickery or deception by quibbling or sophistry
Term
dissemble
Definition
to give a false or misleading appearance to; conceal the truth or real nature of
Term
duplicity
Definition
deceitfulness in speech or conduct, speaking or acting in two different ways concerning the same matter with intent to deceive; double dealing
Term
equivocate
Definition
to use equivocal language intentionally
Term
ersatz
Definition
to serve as a substitute, synthetic, artificial
Term
mendacious
Definition
telling lies, esp habitually, dishonest, lying, untruthful
Term
perfidy
Definition
deliberate breach of faith or trust, faithlessness, treachery
Term
prevaricate
Definition
to speak falsely or misleadingly; deliberately misstate or create an incorrect impression; lie
Term
specious
Definition
plausible but not true; based on pretense; sophistic
Term
spurious
Definition
not genuine, authentic or true
Term
conjugal
Definition
pertaining to marriage
Term
consanguine
Definition
having the same ancestry or descent; related by blood
Term
distaff
Definition
Work and concerns traditionally considered important to women.
Term
endogamous
Definition
Marriage within a particular group in accordance with custom
Term
progenitor
Definition
a biologically related ancestor
Term
scion
Definition
descendent
Term
doctrinaire
Definition
a person person who tries to apply some doctrine or theory with sufficient regard for pratical considerations, an impractical theorist
Term
tendentious
Definition
having or showing a definite tendency, bias, or purpose: a tendentious novel.
Term
exculpate
Definition
to clear from a charge of guilt or fault; free from blame; vindicate
Term
expiate
Definition
to atone for; make amends or reparation for
Term
palliate
Definition
to relieve or lessen without curing, mitigate
Term
droll
Definition
amusing in an odd way, whimsical
Term
facetious
Definition
not meant to be taken seriously or literally
Term
raillery
Definition
good humored ridicule
Term
riposte
Definition
a quick sharp return in speech or action, counterstroke
Term
simper
Definition
to smile in a silly, self conscious way
Term
abatement
Definition
the act or state of abating or the state of being abated; reduction; decrease
Term
fissure
Definition
a narrow opening
Term
interregnum
Definition
an interval of time between the close of a sovereign's reign and the accession of his or her normal or legitimate successor
Term
interstice
Definition
an intervening space
Term
clement
Definition
mild or merciful in disposition or charracter, lenient, compassionate
Term
largess
Definition
generous bestowal of gifts
Term
magnanimous
Definition
generous in forgiving an insult or injury, free from petty resentfulness or vindictiveness
Term
munificient
Definition
extremely liberal in giving, very generous
Term
unstiting
Definition
Bestowed liberally
Term
penurious
Definition
extremely stingy, parsimonious, miserly
Term
rapacious
Definition
given to seizing for plunder or the satisfaction of greed
Term
venal
Definition
willing to sell one's influence, esp for a bribe
Term
asperity
Definition
harshness or sharpness of tone, temper, or manner
Term
baleful
Definition
full of menacing or milign influences, pernicious
Term
dour
Definition
sullen, gloomy
Term
fell
Definition
fierce; cruel; dreadful; savage
Term
mordant
Definition
sharply caustic or sarcastic, as wit or a speaker, biting
Term
sardonic
Definition
scornful, mocking; disdainfully humorous
Term
truculent
Definition
fierce; cruel; savagely brutal
Term
vitriolic
Definition
vitriol-highly caustic
Term
vituperation
Definition
the act or an instance of abusive censure
Term
inimical
Definition
adverse in tendency or effect, unfavorable, harmful
Term
injurious
Definition
harmful, hurtful, or detrimental, as in effect
Term
insidious
Definition
intended to entrap or beguile
Term
minatory
Definition
menacing; threatening
Term
perfidious
Definition
deliberately faithless; treacherous; deceitful
Term
pernicious
Definition
causing insidious harm or ruin
Term
strident
Definition
making or having a harsh sound, grating, creaking
Term
detestation
Definition
abhorrence, hatred
Term
enmity.
Definition
a feeling or condition of hostility; hatred; ill will; animosity; antagonism
Term
rancor
Definition
bitter, rankling resentment or ill will
Term
salubrious
Definition
favorable to or promoting health; healthful
Term
antithetic
Definition
antithesis
Term
churlish
Definition
boorish, rude
Term
curmudgeon
Definition
a bad-tempered, difficult, cantankerous person
Term
irascible
Definition
easily provoked to anger
Term
truculent
Definition
fierce, cruel, savagely brutal
Term
credulous
Definition
willing to believe or trust too readily
Term
ingenuous
Definition
free from reserve, restraint
Term
novitiate
Definition
new to a religious order
Term
tyro
Definition
novice
Term
disengenuous
Definition
not straightforward or candid
Term
dissemble
Definition
to give a false or misleading appearance to
Term
fulsome
Definition
offensive to good taste-excessive
Term
ostensible
Definition
outwardly appearing as such, professed, pretended
Term
unctuous
Definition
characterized by excessive piousness
Term
descry
Definition
to see something unclear or distant by looking carefully
Term
indolent
Definition
having or showing a disposition to avoid exertion, slothful
Term
lackadaisical
Definition
without interest, vigor, or determination
Term
languid
Definition
lacking in vigor, or vitality
Term
quiescent
Definition
being at rest; quiet; still; inactive or motionless
Term
slothful
Definition
sluggardly; indolent; lazy
Term
torpid
Definition
inactive or sluggish
Term
adventitious
Definition
associated with something by chance rather than as an integral part
Term
auspicious
Definition
promising success, propitious, opportune
Term
kismet
Definition
fate; destiny
Term
portentous
Definition
momentous
Term
propitious
Definition
presenting favorable conditions; favorable
Term
propitiate
Definition
to make favorably inclined; appease; conciliate
Term
cavil
Definition
to raise irritating and trivial objections
Term
enjoin
Definition
to prescribe with authority or emphasis
Term
hector
Definition
to treat with insolence; bully; torment
Term
martinet
Definition
a strict disciplinarian
Term
reproof
Definition
the act of rebuking, censuring, reproving
Term
askance
Definition
with suspicion, mistrust
Term
carom
Definition
any strike and rebound, as a ball striking a wall and glancing off.
Term
oblique
Definition
neither perpendicular nor parallel, slanting
Term
sidle
Definition
to move sideways or obliquely
Term
grandiloquent
Definition
speaking or expressed in a lofty style, often to the point of being pompous or bombastic
Term
loquacious
Definition
talking or tending to talk much or freely, talkative, chattering
Term
periphrastic
Definition
circumlocutory, roundabout
Term
prolix
Definition
extended to great, unnecessary or tedious length, long or wordy
Term
turgid
Definition
swollen, distended, tumid
Term
mollify
Definition
to soften in feeling or temper, pacify, appease
Term
slake
Definition
to allay thirst desire, wrath by satisfying
Term
sonorous
Definition
giving out or capable of giving out a sound, pleasant sounding
Term
esurient
Definition
hungry, greedy
Term
impecunious
Definition
having little or no money; penniless; poor
Term
indigent
Definition
lacking food, clothing, and other necessities of life because of poverty
Term
econium
Definition
warm, glowing praise
Term
extol
Definition
praise
Term
augur
Definition
soothsayer; prophet
Term
fey
Definition
doomed, fated to die
Term
presage
Definition
a presentiment or foreboding
Term
prescient
Definition
knowledge of things before they exist or happen; foreknowledge; foresight
Term
forfend
Definition
to defend, secure or protect
Term
occlude
Definition
to close, shut or stop up a passage
Term
canny
Definition
careful, cautious, prudent
Term
perspicacious
Definition
having keen mental perception and understanding, discerning
Term
elegiac
Definition
used in, suitable for or resembling an elegy
Term
lugubrious
Definition
mournful, dismal, or gloomy, esp. in an affected, exaggerated, or unrelieved manner
Term
plaintive
Definition
expressing sorrow or melancholy; mournful
Term
threnody
Definition
a poem, speech, or song of lamentation, esp. for the dead; dirge; funeral song
Term
intractable
Definition
not easily controlled or directed, not docile or manageable, stubbon
Term
intransigent
Definition
refusing to agree or compromise, uncompromising, inflexible
Term
recalcitrant
Definition
resisting authority or control, not obedient or compliant, refractory
Term
renitent
Definition
resisting pressure, resistant
Term
compendious
Definition
containing the substance of a subject, often an exclusive subject, in a brief form; concise
Term
laconic
Definition
using few words; expressing much in few words; concise
Term
taciturn
Definition
inclined to silence, reserved in speech, reluctant to join in conversation
Term
anachronism
Definition
something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time, esp a thing or person that belongs to an earlier time
Term
diurnal
Definition
daily
Term
craven
Definition
cowardly, contemptibly timid
Term
pusillanimous
Definition
lacking courage or resolution, cowardly, faint-hearted
Term
recreant
Definition
cowardly or craven
Term
timorous
Definition
full of fear
Term
fealty
Definition
fidelty to a lord
Term
indubitable
Definition
that cannot be doubted; patently evident or certain; unquestionable
Term
probity
Definition
integrity and uprightness; honesty
Term
veracious
Definition
habitually speaking the truth; truthful
Term
iconoclast
Definition
a break or destroyer of religious images
Term
idiosyncrasy
Definition
a characteristic, habit mannerism or the like that is peculiar to an indiviual
Term
itinerant
Definition
traveling fromplace to place, esp on a circuit, as a minister or judge
Term
perpatetic
Definition
walking or traveling about
Term
discursive
Definition
passing aimlessly from one subject to another, disgressive, rambling
Term
expatiate
Definition
to enlarge in discourse or writing, be copious in description or discussion
Term
peregrination
Definition
travel from one place to another, especially on foot
Term
sojour
Definition
a temporary stay
Term
obviate
Definition
to anticipate and prevent or eliminate (difficulties, disadvantages, etc.) by effective measures; render unnecessary
Term
stultify
Definition
to make or cause to appear foolish or ridiculous
Term
vitiate
Definition
to impair the quality of, make faulty, spoil
Term
aphorism
Definition
a tersely phrased statement of a truth or opinion
Term
apothegm
Definition
a short, pithy, instructive saying; a terse remark or aphorism
Term
ditum
Definition
an authoritative pronouncement, judicial assertion
Term
platitude
Definition
a flat, dull, or trite remark, especially one uttered as if it were fresh or profound
Term
sententious
Definition
abounding in pithy aphorisms or maxims
Term
abeyance
Definition
temporary inactivity, cessation or suspension
Term
abjure
Definition
to renounce, repudiate or retract especially with formal solemnity, recant
Term
abnegation
Definition
to refuse or deny onself
Term
abortive
Definition
failing to succeed, unsucessful
Term
abrogate
Definition
to abolish by formal or official means, annul by an authoritative act
Term
decamp
Definition
to depart from a camp to pack up equipment and leave a camping ground
Term
demur
Definition
to make objection especially on the grounds of scruples, take exception, object
Term
recidivism
Definition
repeated or habitual relapse, as into crime
Term
retrograde
Definition
moving backward, having a backward motion or direction, retiring or retreating
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