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Jordan GRE

Hapless

–adjective
unlucky; luckless; unfortunate.
—Synonyms miserable, woebegone, wretched, forlorn; pathetic, pitiable.

Abrogate

–verb (used with object), -gat·ed, -gat·ing.
1. to abolish by formal or official means; annul by an authoritative act; repeal: to abrogate a law.
2. to put aside; put an end to.

—Synonyms 1. cancel, revoke, rescind, nullify, void, invalidate.
—Antonyms 1. ratify, establish; preserve.

burnish

–verb (used with object)
1. to polish (a surface) by friction.
2. to make smooth and bright.
3. Engraving. to flatten and enlarge the dots of (a halftone) by rubbing with a tool.
–noun
4. gloss; brightness; luster: the burnish of brass andirons.
—Synonyms 1. buff, shine.

Noisome

–adjective
1. offensive or disgusting, as an odor.
2. harmful or injurious to health; noxious.

Gist

–noun
1. the main or essential part of a matter: What was the gist of his speech?
2. the ground of a legal action.
—Synonyms 1. essence, point, substance, burden, kernel, import.

Rapacious

–adjective
1. given to seizing for plunder or the satisfaction of greed.
2. inordinately greedy; predatory; extortionate: a rapacious disposition.
3. (of animals) subsisting by the capture of living prey; predacious.

—Synonyms 2. ravenous, voracious, grasping; preying. See avaricious.
—Antonyms 2. generous.

Imperiousness

–adjective
1. domineering in a haughty manner; dictatorial; overbearing: an imperious manner; an imperious person.
2. urgent; imperative: imperious need.
—Synonyms 1. tyrannical, despotic, arrogant. 2. necessary.
—Antonyms 1. submissive. 2. unnecessary.

Buttress

–noun
1. any external prop or support built to steady a structure by opposing its outward thrusts, esp. a projecting support built into or against the outside of a masonry wall.
2. any prop or support.
3. a thing shaped like a buttress, as a tree trunk with a widening base.
4. a bony or horny protuberance, esp. on a horse's hoof.
–verb (used with object)
5. to support by a buttress; prop up.
6. to give encouragement or support to (a person, plan, etc.).
—Synonyms 6. encourage, hearten, support, inspirit, brace, back up, reinforce, shore up.

Partisan

–noun
1. an adherent or supporter of a person, group, party, or cause, esp. a person who shows a biased, emotional allegiance.
2. Military. a member of a party of light or irregular troops engaged in harassing an enemy, esp. a member of a guerrilla band engaged in fighting or sabotage against an occupying army.
–adjective
3. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of partisans; partial to a specific party, person, etc.: partisan politics.
4. of, pertaining to, or carried on by military partisans or guerrillas.

—Synonyms 1. See follower. 3. biased, prejudiced.
—Antonyms 1. opponent.

Pundit

1. a learned person, expert, or authority.
2. a person who makes comments or judgments, esp. in an authoritative manner; critic or commentator.
3. pandit.

—Synonyms 1. sage, guru, savant.

Mercenary

–adjective
1. working or acting merely for money or other reward; venal.
2. hired to serve in a foreign army, guerrilla organization, etc.
–noun
3. a professional soldier hired to serve in a foreign army.
4. any hireling.
—Synonyms 1. grasping, acquisitive, avaricious, covetous.
—Antonyms 1. altruistic, idealistic, unselfish.

Philistine

noun
1. (sometimes initial capital letter) a person who is lacking in or hostile or smugly indifferent to cultural values, intellectual pursuits, aesthetic refinement, etc., or is contentedly commonplace in ideas and tastes.
2. (initial capital letter) a native or inhabitant of ancient Philistia.
–adjective
3. (sometimes initial capital letter) lacking in or hostile to culture.
4. smugly commonplace or conventional.
5. (initial capital letter) of or belonging to the ancient Philistines.
—Synonyms 1. Babbitt, vulgarian. 3. lowbrow.

Turpitude

–noun
1. vile, shameful, or base character; depravity.
2. a vile or depraved act.

—Synonyms 1. wickedness, vice, vileness, wrongdoing.

Viscid

–adjective
1. having a glutinous consistency; sticky; adhesive; viscous.
2. Botany. covered by a sticky substance.

Bogus

–adjective
1. not genuine; counterfeit; spurious; sham.
–noun
2. Printing, Journalism. matter set, by union requirement, by a compositor and later discarded, duplicating the text of an advertisement for which a plate has been supplied or type set by another publisher.

—Synonyms 1. fraudulent, pseudo, fake, phony.

Peccadillo

–noun, plural -loes, -los.
a very minor or slight sin or offense; a trifling fault.
[Origin: 1585–95; < Sp pecadillo, dim. of pecado sin < L peccātum transgression, n. use of neut. of ptp. of peccāre to err, offend]

—Synonyms lapse, slip, faux pas, indiscretion.

Epithet

–noun
1. any word or phrase applied to a person or thing to describe an actual or attributed quality: “Richard the Lion-Hearted” is an epithet of Richard I.
2. a characterizing word or phrase firmly associated with a person or thing and often used in place of an actual name, title, or the like, as “man's best friend” for “dog.”
3. a word, phrase, or expression used invectively as a term of abuse or contempt, to express hostility, etc.
[Origin: 1570–80; < L epitheton

—Synonyms 1, 2. nickname, sobriquet, designation, appellation. 3. curse, insult, abuse, expletive, obscenity.

Circumspect

–adjective
1. watchful and discreet; cautious; prudent: circumspect behavior.
2. well-considered: circumspect ambition.
—Synonyms 1. careful, vigilant, guarded.
—Antonyms 1. careless, indiscreet.

Euphemism

–noun
1. the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt.
2. the expression so substituted: “To pass away” is a euphemism for “to die.”

Emaciation

–noun
1. abnormal thinness caused by lack of nutrition or by disease.
2. the process of emaciating.

Epicure

–noun
1. a person who cultivates a refined taste, esp. in food and wine; connoisseur.
2. Archaic. a person dedicated to sensual enjoyment.
—Synonyms 1. gastronome, gourmet, epicurean. 2. voluptuary, sensualist, gourmand.
—Antonyms 1. ascetic.

Equivocal

–adjective
1. allowing the possibility of several different meanings, as a word or phrase, esp. with intent to deceive or misguide; susceptible of double interpretation; deliberately ambiguous: an equivocal answer.
2. of doubtful nature or character; questionable; dubious; suspicious: aliens of equivocal loyalty.
3. of uncertain significance; not determined: an equivocal attitude.
—Synonyms 1. See ambiguous.

Concur

–verb (used without object), -curred, -cur·ring.
1. to accord in opinion; agree: Do you concur with his statement?
2. to cooperate; work together; combine; be associated: Members of both parties concurred.
3. to coincide; occur at the same time: His graduation concurred with his birthday.
4. Obsolete. to run or come together; converge.

Gainsay

–verb (used with object), -said, -say·ing.
1. to deny, dispute, or contradict.
2. to speak or act against; oppose.

Harrow

–noun
1. an agricultural implement with spikelike teeth or upright disks, drawn chiefly over plowed land to level it, break up clods, root up weeds, etc.
–verb (used with object)
2. to draw a harrow over (land).
3. to disturb keenly or painfully; distress the mind, feelings, etc., of.
–verb (used without object)
4. to become broken up by harrowing, as soil.

Dross

–noun
1. waste matter; refuse.
2. Metallurgy. a waste product taken off molten metal during smelting, essentially metallic in character.
3. British. coal of little value.

Despotic

–adjective
of, pertaining to, or of the nature of a despot or despotism; autocratic; tyrannical.
Also, des·pot·i·cal.

Abridge

verb (used with object), a·bridged, a·bridg·ing.
1. to shorten by omissions while retaining the basic contents: to abridge a reference book.
2. to reduce or lessen in duration, scope, authority, etc.; diminish; curtail: to abridge a visit; to abridge one's freedom.
3. to deprive; cut off.

Feint

–noun
1. a movement made in order to deceive an adversary; an attack aimed at one place or point merely as a distraction from the real place or point of attack: military feints; the feints of a skilled fencer.
2. a feigned or assumed appearance: His air of approval was a feint to conceal his real motives.
–verb (used without object)
3. to make a feint.
–verb (used with object)
4. to make a feint at; deceive with a feint.
5. to make a false show of; simulate.

Abacus

1. a device for making arithmetic calculations, consisting of a frame set with rods on which balls or beads are moved.
2. Architecture. a slab forming the top of the capital of a column.
[Origin: 1350–1400; ME < L: board, counting board, re-formed < Gk ábax]

raconteur

a person who is skilled in relating stories and anecdotes interestingly.

Limn

–verb (used with object)
1. to represent in drawing or painting.
2. to portray in words; describe.
3. Obsolete. to illuminate (manuscripts).

Affability

–adjective
1. pleasantly easy to approach and to talk to; friendly; cordial; warmly polite: an affable and courteous gentleman.
2. showing warmth and friendliness; benign; pleasant: an affable smile.
—Synonyms 1. See civil

Urbane

–adjective
1. having the polish and suavity regarded as characteristic of sophisticated social life in major cities: an urbane manner.
2. reflecting elegance, sophistication, etc., esp. in expression: He maintained an urbane tone in his letters.
—Synonyms 1. suave, cosmopolitan.

Imbroglio

–noun, plural -glios.
1. a misunderstanding, disagreement, etc., of a complicated or bitter nature, as between persons or nations.
2. an intricate and perplexing state of affairs; a complicated or difficult situation.
3. a confused heap.

Taut

–adjective, -er, -est.
1. tightly drawn; tense; not slack.
2. emotionally or mentally strained or tense: taut nerves.
3. in good order or condition; tidy; neat.

—Synonyms 3. trim, trig, spruce, smart.

Jocular

–adjective
given to, characterized by, intended for, or suited to joking or jesting; waggish; facetious: jocular remarks about opera stars.
—Synonyms See jovial.

Sententious

–adjective
1. abounding in pithy aphorisms or maxims: a sententious book.
2. given to excessive moralizing; self-righteous.
3. given to or using pithy sayings or maxims: a sententious poet.
4. of the nature of a maxim; pithy.
—Synonyms 2. preachy, didactic, sanctimonious, moralistic.

Extirpate

1. to remove or destroy totally; do away with; exterminate.
2. to pull up by or as if by the roots; root up: to extirpate an unwanted hair.

Salutary

–adjective
1. favorable to or promoting health; healthful.
2. promoting or conducive to some beneficial purpose; wholesome.

—Synonyms 1. salubrious. See healthy.

Desultory

Definition: wavering, unsteady; erratic
Etymology: Latin de- + salire 'to leap'

Recondite

–adjective
1. dealing with very profound, difficult, or abstruse subject matter: a recondite treatise.
2. beyond ordinary knowledge or understanding; esoteric: recondite principles.
3. little known; obscure: a recondite fact.
—Synonyms 2. deep. 3. mysterious, occult, secret.
—Antonyms 2. exoteric. 3. well-known.

Execrate

–verb (used with object)
1. to detest utterly; abhor; abominate.
2. to curse; imprecate evil upon; damn; denounce: He execrated all who opposed him.
–verb (used without object)
3. to utter curses.

Exegesis

critical explanation or interpretation of a text or portion of a text, esp. of the Bible.

Expiate

–verb (used with object), -at·ed, -at·ing.
to atone for; make amends or reparation for: to expiate one's crimes.

Disinter

–verb (used with object), -terred, -ter·ring.
1. to take out of the place of interment; exhume; unearth.
2. to bring from obscurity into view: The actor's autobiography disinterred a past era.

Apotheosis

1. the elevation or exaltation of a person to the rank of a god.
2. the ideal example; epitome; quintessence: This poem is the apotheosis of lyric expression.

Excoriate

–verb (used with object), -at·ed, -at·ing.
1. to denounce or berate severely; flay verbally: He was excoriated for his mistakes.
2. to strip off or remove the skin from: Her palms were excoriated by the hard labor of shoveling.

Hoodwink

–verb (used with object)
1. to deceive or trick.
2. Archaic. to blindfold.
3. Obsolete. to cover or hide.
—Synonyms 1. dupe, cheat, swindle, gyp.

Remonstrate

–verb (used with object)
1. to say or plead in protest, objection, or disapproval.
2. Obsolete. to show.
–verb (used without object)
3. to present reasons in complaint; plead in protest.

Salacious

–adjective
1. lustful or lecherous.
2. (of writings, pictures, etc.) obscene; grossly indecent.
—Synonyms 1. lewd, wanton, lascivious, libidinous. 2. pornographic.
—Antonyms 1. modest.

Squelch

–verb (used with object), -at·ed, -at·ing.
1. to impair the quality of; make faulty; spoil.
2. to impair or weaken the effectiveness of.
3. to debase; corrupt; pervert.
4. to make legally defective or invalid; invalidate: to vitiate a claim.

Vitiate

Bequeathing

1. Law To leave or give (personal property) by will.
2. To pass (something) on to another; hand down: bequeathed to their children a respect for hard work.

Ornateness

–adjective
1. elaborately or sumptuously adorned, often excessively or showily so: They bought an ornate Louis XIV sofa.
2. embellished with rhetoric; florid or high-flown: an ornate style of writing.
—Synonyms 1. showy, ostentatious; rich, lavish.

Waft

–verb (used with object)
1. to carry lightly and smoothly through the air or over water: The gentle breeze wafted the sound of music to our ears.
2. to send or convey lightly, as if in flight: The actress wafted kisses to her admirers in the audience.
3. Obsolete. to signal to, summon, or direct by waving.
–verb (used without object)
4. to float or be carried, esp. through the air: The sound wafted on the breeze. The music wafted across the lake.
–noun
5. a sound, odor, etc., faintly perceived: a waft of perfume.
6. a wafting movement; light current or gust: a waft of air.

Stark

adverb
–adjective
1. sheer, utter, downright, or complete: stark madness.
2. harsh, grim, or desolate, as a view, place, etc.: a stark landscape.
3. extremely simple or severe: a stark interior.
—Synonyms 2, 3. See austere, bare.

Prudish

–adjective
1. excessively proper or modest in speech, conduct, dress, etc.
2. characteristic of a prude.
—Synonyms 1. reserved, coy.

Slight

—Synonyms 2. insignificant, trifling, paltry. 3. See slender. 4. weak, feeble, fragile. 5. unsubstantial, inconsiderable. 6. disdain, scorn. Slight, disregard, neglect, overlook mean to pay no attention or too little attention to someone or something. To slight is to give only superficial attention to something important: to slight one's work. To disregard is to pay no attention to a person or thing: to disregard the rules; in some circumstances, to disregard may be admirable: to disregard a handicap. To neglect is to shirk paying sufficient attention to a person or thing: to neglect one's correspondence. To overlook is to fail to see someone or something (possibly because of carelessness): to overlook a bill that is due. 9. neglect, disregard, inattention; disdain, scorn. 10. See insult.
—Antonyms 1. considerable.

Nonplussed

–verb (used with object)
1. to render utterly perplexed; puzzle completely.
–noun
2. a state of utter perplexity.
[Origin: 1575–85; (n.) < L nōn plūs lit., not more, no further, i.e., a state in which nothing more can be done]

—Synonyms 1. perplex, confuse, confound, disconcert.

Nadir

–noun
1. Astronomy. the point on the celestial sphere directly beneath a given position or observer and diametrically opposite the zenith.
2. Astrology. the point of a horoscope opposite the midheaven: the cusp of the fourth house.
3. the lowest point; point of greatest adversity or despair.
[Origin: 1350–1400; ME ≪ Ar naẓīr over against, opposite to (the zenith)]

—Synonyms 3. bottom, floor, foot, depths.

Meretricious

–adjective
1. alluring by a show of flashy or vulgar attractions; tawdry.
2. based on pretense, deception, or insincerity.
3. pertaining to or characteristic of a prostitute.

—Synonyms 1. showy, gaudy. 2. spurious, sham, false.

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