Study GRE Vocab: Hit Parade Group 2 Flash Cards

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GRE Vocab: Hit Parade Group 2

viscous

adj. thick; sticky (n. form: viscosity)

vilify

v. to defame; to characterize harshly

urbane

adj. sophisticated; refined; elegant (n. form: urbanity)

ubiquitous

adj. existing everywhere at teh same time; constantly encountered; wide-spread

torpid

adj. lethargic; sluggish; dormant (n. form: torpor)

supplant

v. to take the place of; supersede

stoic

adj. indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast (n. form: stoicism)

squalid

adj. sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect (n. form: squalor)

satire

n. a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision (adj. form: satirical)

sanction

n./v. authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance; to give permission or authority to

redoubtable

adj. awe-inspiring; worthy of honor

quiescence

n. stillness; motionlessness; quality of being at rest (adj. form: quiescent)

quaff

v. to drink deeply

putrefy

v. to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor (adj. form: putrid)

prolific

adj. producing large volumes or amounts; productive

prodigious

adj. abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary

preen

v. to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care

precursor

n. one that precedes and indicates or announces another

pious

adj. extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion (n. form: piety)

peruse

v. to examine with great care (n. form: perusal)

pernicious

adj. extremely harmful; potentially causing death

penurious

adj. penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous

oscillation

n. the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm (v. form: oscillate)

opaque

adj. impenetrable by light; not reflecting light

odious

adj. evoking intense aversion or dislike

morose

adj. sad; sullen; melancholy

inveigle

v. to obtain by deception or flattery

intransigent

adj. refusing to compromise (n. form: intransigence)

innocuous

adj. harmless; causing no damage

inert

adj. unmoving; lethargic; sluggish

incipient

adj. beginning to come into being or to become apparent

impecunious

adj. lacking funds; without money

hyperbole

n. an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech (adj. form: hyperbolic)

heretical

adj. violating accepted dogma or convention (n. form: heresy)

harangue

v./n. to deliver a pompous speech or tirade; a long, pompous speech

gregarious

adj. sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people

furtive

adj. marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious

fallacy

n. an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief (adj. form: fallacious)

facetious

adj. playful; humorous

exonerate

v. to remove blame

eulogy

n. a speech honoring the dead (v. form: eulogize)

esoteric

adj. intended for or understood by a small, specific group

ephemeral

adj. brief; fleeting

enigmatic

adj. mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand (n. form: enigma)

empirical

adj. based on observation or experiment

emollient

adj./n. soothing, esp. to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying; an agent that softens or smoothes the skin

elegy

n. a mournful poem, esp. one lamenting the dead (adj. form: elegiac)

eclectic

adj. composed of elements drawn from various sources

ebullience

n. the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings (adj. form: ebullient)

dogmatic

adj. expressing reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions (adj. form: discreet)

disinterested

adj. free of bias or self-interest; impartial

discretion

n. cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions (adj. form: discreet)

didactic

adj. intended to teach or instruct

demur

v. to question or oppose

dearth

n. smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack

culpable

adj. deserving blame (n. form: culpability)

contrite

adj. regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness (n. form: contrition)

contentious

adj. argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement

complaisance

n. the willingness to comply with the wishes of others (adj. form: complaisant)

cogent

adj. appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing

chary

adj. wary; cautious; sparing

caustic

adj. burning or stinging; causing corrosion

catalyst

n. a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction without itself changing; a person or thing that causes change

castigation

n. severe criticism or punishment (v. form: castigate)

canon

n. an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature (adj. form: canonical)

cacophony

n. harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance (adj. form: cacophonous)

bucolic

adj. rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants

burgeon

v. to grow rapidly or flourish

axiom

n. a universally recognized principle (adj. form: axiomatic)

avarice

n. greed, esp. for wealth (adj. form: avaricious)

ascetic

n. one who practices rigid self-denial, esp. as an act of religious devotion

ameliorate

v. to make better or more tolerable

aesthetic

adj. dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful

adulation

n. excessive praise; intense adoration

accolade

n. an expression of praise

abate

v. to lessen in intensity or degree

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