Study GRE VOCAB Flash Cards

 
Pile Management Card
GRE VOCAB

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ameliorate
v: to make better or more tolerable
ascetic
n: one who practices rigid self-denial, especially as an act of religious devotion
prodigal
adj: recklessly wasteful; extravagant; lavish
zealous
adj: fervent; ardent; impassioned
waver
v: to move to and fro: to sway; to be unsettled in opinion
voracious
adj: having an insatiable appetite or an activity or persuit; ravinous
volatile
adj: meadily changing ot a vapor; fickle, changable, explosive
vituperate
v: to use harsh, condemnatory language; berate
viscous
adj: thick; sticky
virulent
adj: extremely harmful or poisonous; bitterly hostile or antogonistic
vilify
v: to defame; to charactarize as a villain
vigilant
adj: alertly watchful
vexation
n: annoyance; irritation
veracity
n: truthfulness; honesty
variegated
adj: multicolored; charactarized a variety of patches of different color
vacillate
v: to waiver indecisively between one or another
urbane
adj: sophisticated; refined; elegant
untenable
adj: indefensible; not viable
uneigned
adj: genuine; not false or hypocritical
ubiquitous
adj: existing everywhere at the same time; widespread
truculent
adj: fierce and cruel; eager to fight
trenchant
adj: sharply perceptive; keen; penetrating
transient
adj: fleeting; breif: passing quickly
tout
v: to publicly praise or promote
tortuous
adj: winding; twisting; excessively complicated
torque
n: a force that causes rotation
torpid
adj: lathargic; sluggish
tirade
n: a long and extremely critical speech; harsh denunciation
terse
adj: breif and concise in wording
tenuous
adj: flimsy; weak; having little substance or strength
tenacity
n: the quality of adherence or persistence to something valued
tacit
adj: implied
synthesis
n: the combination of parts that make a whole
surfeit
v: overindulgence
supplant
v: to take the place of; supersede
superfluous
adj: exceeding what is sufficient or necessary
succinct
adj: breif; concise
subtle
adj: not obvious; elusive; difficult to discern
subpoena
n: a court order requiring appearnce and/or testimony
stymie
v: to thwart or block
stupefy
v: to baffle, stun or amaze
stoic
adj: indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast
static
adj: not moving or active
squander
v: to waste by spending or using irresponsibility
squalid
adj: sordid; wretched or dirty by neglect
spurious
adj: counterfeit; lacking authenticity or validity
sporadic
adj; occurring only occasionally
spendthrift
n: one who spends money wastefully
specious
adj: seeming true, but actually fallacious; misleadingly attractive
sparse
adj: not dense; arranged at widely spaced intervals
sordid
adj: foul; characterized by filth, grime or squalor
soporific
adj: causing drowsiness; sleep-inducing
solvent
adj: able to meet financial obligations; able to dissolve another substance
solicitous
adj: eager; concerned and attentive
shard
n: a piece of broken pottery or glass
sedulous
adj: diligent; persistent; hardworking
satire
n: a literary work that ridicules or criticized a human vice through humor or derision
sanction
n: authoritative permission or approval; penalty to enforce compliance
salubrious
adj: promoting health or well-being
rhetoric
n: the art or study of effective use of language for communication and persuasion
reverent
adj: expressing profound awe and respect
reticent
adj: quiet; reserved; reluctant to express thoughts or feelings
recind
vL to invalidate; to repeal; to retract
repudiate
v: disown; to refuse to have anything to do with
renege
v: to fail to honor a commitment; to go back on a promise
refute
v: to disprove; to successfully argue against
refulgent
adj: radiant; shiny; brilliant
redoubtable
adj: awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
recondite
adj: hidden; concealed; obscure and difficult to understand
recant
v: to retract, especially a previously held belief
recalcitrant
adj:difficult to manage; obstinately defiant of authority
rarefy
v: to make thin or less dense; to refine
rancorous
adj: characterized by bitter, long-lasting resentment
quotidian
adj: occurring daily; commonplace
quixotic
adj: foolishly impractical; marked by lofty, romantic goals
quiescence
n: stillness; motionlessness; state of being at rest
query
n: question; inquiry;doubt in mind; reservation
querulous
adj: prone to complaining or grumbling
qualm
n: misgiving; reservation; cause for hesitation
quaff
v: to drink deeply
putrefy
v: to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor
pungent
adj: charactarized by a strong, sharp odor
prosaic
adj: dull; unimaginative
propensity
n: a natural inclination or tendency; penchant
prolific
adj: productive; producing large volumes or amounts
proliferate
v: to grow or increase swiftly or abundantly
profuse
adj: given or coming forth abundantly
profligate
adj: excessively wasteful
prodigious
adj: extraordinary; abundant in size, force or extent
proclivity
n: natural predisposition or inclination
probity
n: uprightness; adherence to the highest principles
pristine
adj: pure; uncorrupted; clean
prevaricate
v: to mislead; purposefully avoid the truth
presumptuous
adj: taking liberties; overstepping bounds of propriety or courtesy
prescience
n: foreknowledge of events
preen
v: to dress up or primp; to groom with elaborate care
predilection
n: a disposition in favor of something
precursor
n: one that indicates or announces someone or something to come
precipitate
v/adj: to cause to happen before anticipated or required; acting with excessive haste
prattle
v: to babble meaninglessly
pragmatic
adj: practical rather than idealistic
polemical
adj: controversial; arguementative
plummet
v: to plunge or drop straight down
plethora
n: a surplus or overabundance
platitude
superficial remark, especially on offered as meaninful
placate
v: to appease; to calm by making concessions
pith/pithy
n/adj: the essential or central part; precise and brief
pirate
v: to illegally use or reproduce
pious
adj: extremely reverent or devout
pine
v: to yearn intensely; to languish or lose vigor
phlegmatic
adj: calm; sluggish; unemotional
pervasive
adj: tending to permiate throughout
pervade
v: to permiate throughout
peruse
v: to examine with great care
perspicacious
adj: acutely perceptive; having keen discernment
penurious
adj: penny-pinching; excessively thrifty
pedantic
adj: excessive attention to minutiae and formal rules
pedagogy
n: the art or profession of training, teaching or instructing
parody
n: humorous imitation intended for ridicule or comic effect, esp in literature and art
paean
n: a hymn of praise or thanksgiving
ostentatious
adj: charactarized by or given to pretentiousness
oscillation
n: the act or state of swinging back an forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm
opprobrium
n: disgrace; contempt; scorn
opaque
adj: inpenetrableor not reflecting light
onerous
adj: troubling; burdensome
odious
adj: evoking intense aversion of dislike
occlude
v: to obstruct or block
obviate
adj: to anticipate thereby making unneccessary
obtuse
adj: lacking sharpness of intellect; not clear in thought or expression
obstinate
adj: stubborn; hardheaded; uncompromising
obsequious
adj: exhibiting fawning attentiveness
obfuscate
v: to deliberately obscure; to make confusing
obdurate
v: unyeilding; hard-hearted; intractable
noxious
adj: harmful; injurious
neophyte
n: novice or beginner; a recent convert
neologism
n: a new word or expression
nebulous
adj: vague; cloudy; lacking a defined form
nascent
adj: coming into being; in the early stages
mundane
adj: typical or concerned with the ordinary
morose
adj: sad, sullen, melancholy
mollify
v: to calm or soothe; to reduce emotional intensity
mitigate
v: to make or become less severe; to moderate
misanthrope
n: one who hates all other humans
meticulous
adj: attentive to detail; characterized by extreme care and precision
mercurial
adj: characterized by rapid and unpredictable change in mood
mendacity
n: dishonesty; condition of being untruthful
maverick
n: an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party
martial
adj: associated with war and the armed forces
malleable
adj: tractable; pliable; capable of being shaped or formed
malevolent
adj: having or showing often vicious ill will, spite or hatred
magnanimity
n: being generously noble in mind and heart, especially in forgiving
luminous
adj: charactarized by brightness and the emission of light
lucid
adj: clear; easily understood
loquacious
adj: extremely talkative
laud
v: to praise highly
laconic
adj: terse; using few words
irascible
adj: easily angered
inveigle
v: to obtain by deception or flattery
inured
adj: accustomed to accepting something undesirable
intrepid
adj: courageous and steadfast
intransigent
adj: refusing to compromise
intractable
adj: stubborn or obstinate; not easily direacted or managed
insipid
adj: bland; without flavor or spirit
innocuous
adj: harmless, causing no damage
inimical
adj: damaging; harmful; malevolent
ingenuous
adj: artless; frank and candid; lacking sophistication
infelicitous
adj: unfortunate
inert
adj: unmoving; lethargic; sluggish
indifferent
adj: having no interest or concern; showing no bias
incipient
adj: beginning to come into being or be apparent
inchoate
adj: not fully formed; at an initial stage
impunity
n: immunity from punishment or penalty
implacable
adj: not capable of being appeased or changed
impetuous
adj: implusive; hastily or rashly energetic
imperturbable
adj: extremely calm, impassive and steady
inpecunious
adj: without money
impassive
adj: revealing no emotion
immutable
adj: un-changeable
imminent
adj: about to happen; impending
idolatrous
adj: given in intense devotion to something
iconoclast
n: one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions
hyperbole
n: exagerated statement, often used as a figure of speach
hubris
n: pride or arrogant presumption
heretical
adj: violating accepted dogma
hegemony
n: the consistent dominance of one state or ideology over others
hedonism
n: devotion to pleasurable persuits, particularly of the senses
harangue
v: to deliver a tirade or pompous speech
halcyon
adj: calm and peaceful
hackneyed
adj: rendered trite by frequent usage
gregarious
adj: sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of others
grandiloquence
n: pompous speech or expression
glib
adj: non-chalant; marked by ease or informality; lacking in depth or superficial
germane
adj: relevant to the subject at hand;
garrulous
adj: pointlessly talkative--talking too much
furtive
adj: stealthy; covert; surreptitious
fulminate
v: to loudly attack or denounce
fortuitous
adj: happening by fortunate accident or change
flout
v: to demonstrate contempt for, as in a rule or convention
filibuster
n: intentional obstruction, especially using long speechmaking to delay legislative action
fervent
adj: greatly emotional or zealous
fawn
v: to flatter or praise excessively
fallacy
adj: an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief
facetious
adj: playful; humorous
extemporaneous
adj: improvised. Done without preparation
exonerate
v: to remove blame
extigent
adj: urgent; pressing; requiring immediate action or attention
exculpate
v: exonerate; to clear of blame
exacerbate
v: to make worse or more severe
evenescent
adj: vanishing; tending to disappear like a vapor
eulogy
n: a speach honoring the dead
esoteric
adj: intended for or understood by a small, specific group of people
erudite
adj: scholarly; very learned
equivocate
v: to use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent
ephemeral
adj: breif; fleeting
ennui
n: dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy
enigmatic
adj: mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand
enervate
v: to weaken; to reduce in vitality
endemic
adj: charactaristic of common among a particular people, locality or region
empirical
adj: based on experiment or observation
emollient
adj: soothing, especially to the skin; mollifying
eloquent
adj: well-spoken, articulate, expressive
elegy
n: a mornful poem, especially one lamenting the dead
effrontery
n: presumptuousness; extreme boldness
eclectic
adj: composed of elements drawn from different sources
eccentric
adj: unconventional; departing from norms
ebullience
n: the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings
dogmatic
adj: stubbornly opinionated
divulge
v: to disclose something secret
dissemble
v: mislead; to disguise or conceal;
disparate
adj: fundamentally distinct; dissimilar
disparage
v: to slight or belittle
disinterested
adj: indifferent; free from self-interest
discretion
n: cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions
discordant
adj: conflicting; dissonant or harsh in sound
disabuse
v: to set right; to undeceive
dilettante
n: one with an amateurish or superficial interest in the arts or a branch of knowledge
didactic
adj: intended to teach or instruct
diatribe
n: a harsh denunciation
desiccate
v: to dry out or dehydrate; to make dry or dull
derision
n: scorn, ridicule, contemptuous treatment
demur
v: to question or oppose
decorum
n: polite or appropriate conduct or behavior
dearth
n: scarcity; a lack; smallness of quantity or number
cynicism
n: an attitude or quality of belief that all people are motivated by self-interest
culpable
adj: deserving blame
credulous
adj: gullible; tending to believe too readily
convoluted
adj: complex or complicated
convention
n: a generally agreed upon practice or attitude
contrite
adj: regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness
contentious
adj: argumentative, quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement
connoisseur
n: an informed and astute judge in matters of taste; expert
complaisance
n: the willingness to comply with the wishes of others
cogent
adj: convincing; appealing forcibly to the mind or reason
chicanery
n: trickery, subterfuge
chary
adj: wary, cautious
censure
v: to criticize severely; officially rebuke
caustic
adj: burning or stinging; causing corrosion
catalyst
n: a substance that accellerates a chemical reaction without itself changing; a person or thing that causes change
castigation
n: severe criticism or punishment
capricious
adj: erratic; unpredictable; inclined to change one's mind impulsively;
canonical
adj: following or in agreement with orthodox requirements
canon
n: an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature
cacophony
n: harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance
burgeon
v: to grow rapidly; to flourish
bucolic
adj: rustic and pastoral; charactericic of rural areas and thier inhabitants
bombast/bombastic
n/adj: pompous or self-evident writing or speech; grandiloquent
bolster
v: to provide support or reinforcement
axiom/axiomatic
n/adj: a universally recognized principle; taken as a given; possessing self-evident truth
aver
v: to state as a fact; to confirm or support
avarice
n: greed, especially for wealth
austere
adj: simple, ascetic
audacious
adj: daring and fearless; recklessly bold
astringent
adj: havig a tightening effect on living tissue; harsh; severe
assuage
v: to ease or lessen; to appease or pacify
arduous
adj: strenuous, taxing, requireing significant effort
archaic
adj: outdated; associated with an earlier, perhaps more primative, time
approbation
n: an expression of approval or praise
anomaly
n: deviation from normal order, form or rule; abnormality
anachronism
n: something or someone out of place in terms of its historical or chronological context
amenable
adj: agreeable; responsive to suggestion
amalgamate
v: to combine several elements into a whole
alchemy
n: medieval science aimed at the transmutation of metals, especially base metals, into gold
alacrity
n: eager and enthusiastic willingness
aggrandize
v: to increase in intensity, power or prestige
aesthitic
adj: dealing with , appreciativeof, or responsive to art or the beautiful
adulturate
v: to reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients
adulation
n: excessive praise; intense adoration
acumen
n: quick, keen or accurate knowledge or insight
acerbic
adj: having a sour or bitter taste or character
accolade
n: an expression of praise
abscond
v: to depart clandestinely: to steal away and hide
aberrant
adj: deviating from the norm
abate
v: to lessen in intensity or degree
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