GRE Advanced Words Flashcards
indigent
adjective: poor; having very little
In the so-called Third World, many are indigent and only a privileged few have the resources to enjoy material luxuries.
noun: a poor or needy person
The indigents, huddled under the overpass, tried to start a small bonfire in the hope of staying warm.
alacrity
noun: an eager willingness to do something
The first three weeks at his new job, Mark worked with such alacrity that upper management knew it would be giving him a promotion.
untoward
adjective: unfavorable; inconvenient
Some professors find teaching untoward as having to prepare for lectures and conduct office hours prevents them from focusing on their research.
expansive
adjective: communicative, and prone to talking in a sociable manner
After a few sips of cognac, the octogenarian shed his irascible demeanor and became expansive, speaking fondly of the “good old days”.
expunge
verb: to eliminate completely
When I turned 18, all of the shoplifting and jaywalking charges were expunged from my criminal record.
lascivious
adjective: lecherous; sexually perverted
Lolita is a challenging novel for many, not necessarily because of the elevated prose style but because of the depravity of the main character, Humbert Humbert, who, as an old, lascivious man, lusts after a girl.
sedulous
adjective: done diligently and carefully
An avid numismatist, Harold sedulously amassed a collection of coins from over 100 countries—an endeavor that took over fifteen years across five continents.
exegesis
noun: critical explanation or analysis, especially of a text
The Bible is fertile ground for exegesis—over the past five centuries there have been as many interpretations as there are pages in the Old Testament.
penurious
adjective: lacking money; poor
Truly penurious, Mary had nothing more than a jar full of pennies.
adjective: miserly
Warren Buffett, famous multi-billionaire, still drives a cheap sedan, not because he is penurious, but because luxury cars are gaudy and impractical.
arrant
adjective: complete and wholly (usually modifying a noun with negative connotation)
An arrant fool, Lawrence surprised nobody when he lost all his money in a pyramid scheme that was every bit as transparent as it was corrupt.
fractious
adjective: irritable and is likely to cause disruption
We rarely invite my fractious Uncle over for dinner; he always complains about the food, and usually launches into a tirade on some touchy subject.
byzantine
adjective: intricate and complex
Getting a driver’s license is not simply a matter of taking a test; the regulations and procedures are so byzantine that many have found themselves at the mercy of the Department of Motor Vehicles.
diatribe
noun: a strong verbal attack against a person or institution
Steve’s mom launched into a diatribe during the PTA meeting, contending that the school was little more than a daycare in which students stare at the wall and teachers stare at the chalkboard.
cow
verb: to intimidate
Do not be cowed by a 3,000-word vocabulary list: turn that list into a deck of flashcards!
nadir
noun: the lowest point
For many pop music fans, the rap– and alternative-rock–dominated 90s were the nadir of musical expression
supercilious
adjective: haughty and disdainful; looking down on others
Nelly felt the Quiz Bowl director acted superciliously towards the underclassmen; really, she fumed, must he act so preternaturally omniscient each time he intones some obscure fact—as though everybody knows that Mt. Aconcagua is the highest peak in South America.
artless
adjective: without cunning or deceit
Despite the president’s seemingly artless speeches, he was a skilled and ruthless negotiator.
overweening
adjective: arrogant; presumptuous
Mark was so convinced of his basketball skills that in his overweening pride he could not fathom that his name was not on the varsity list; he walked up to the basketball coach and told her she had forgotten to add his name.
contentious
adjective: likely to argue
Since old grandpa Harry became very contentious during the summer when only reruns were on T.V., the grandkids learned to hide from him at every opportunity.
vicissitude
noun: change in one’s circumstances, usually for the worse
Even great rulers have their vicissitudes—massive kingdoms have diminished overnight, and once beloved kings have faced the scorn of angry masses.
base
adjective: the lowest, without any moral principles
She was not so base as to begrudge the beggar the unwanted crumbs from her dinner plate.
apostate
noun: a person who has abandoned a religious faith or cause
An apostate of the Republican Party, Sheldon has yet to become affiliated with any party and dubs himself an independent.
defray
verb: to help pay the cost of, either in part or full
In order for Sean to attend the prestigious college, his generous uncle helped defray the excessive tuition with a monthly donation.
turpitude
noun: depravity; a depraved act
During his reign, Caligula indulged in unspeakable sexual practices, so it is not surprising that he will forever be remembered for his turpitude.
malfeasance
noun: misconduct or wrongdoing (especially by a public official)
Not even the mayor’s trademark pearly-toothed grin could save him from charges of malfeasance: while in power, he’d been running an illegal gambling rink in the room behind his office.
jingoist
noun: a person who thinks their country is always right and who is in favor of aggressive acts against other countries
In the days leading up to war, a nation typically breaks up into the two opposing camps: doves, who do their best to avoid war, and jingoists, who are only too eager to wave national flags from their vehicles and vehemently denounce those who do not do the same.
saturnine
adjective: morose or gloomy
Deprived of sunlight, humans become saturnine; that’s why in very northerly territories people are encouraged to sit under an extremely powerful lamp, lest they become morose.
churlish
adjective: lacking manners or refinement
The manager was unnecessarily churlish to his subordinates, rarely deigning to say hello, but always quick with a sartorial jab if someone happened to be wearing anything even slightly mismatching.
truculent
adjective: having a fierce, savage nature
Standing in line for six hours, she became progressively truculent, yelling at DMV employees and elbowing other people waiting in line.
kowtow
verb: to bow or act in a subservient manner
Paul kowtowed to his boss so often the boss herself became nauseated by his sycophancy.
ponderous
adjective: weighed-down; moving slowly
Laden with 20 kilograms of college text books, the freshman moved ponderously across the campus.
conciliate
verb: to make peace with
His opponents believed his gesture to be conciliatory, yet as soon as they put down their weapons, he unsheathed a hidden sword.
prosaic
adjective: dull and lacking imagination
Unlike the talented artists in his workshop, Paul had no such bent for the visual medium, so when it was time for him to make a stained glass painting, he ended up with a prosaic mosaic.
catholic
adjective: of broad scope; universal
Jonah’s friends said that Jonah’s taste in music was eclectic; Jonah was quick to point out that not only was his taste eclectic but it was also catholic: he enjoyed music from countries as far-flung as Mali and Mongolia.
chary
adjective: cautious, suspiciously reluctant to do something
Having received three speeding tickets in the last two months, Jack was chary of driving at all above the speed limit, even on a straight stretch of highway that looked empty for miles ahead.
beg
verb: assume something is true (usu. followed by “the question”, meaning that you ask a question in which you assume something that hasn’t been proven true)
By assuming that Charlie was headed to college—which he was not—Maggie begged the question when she asked him to which school he was headed in the Fall.
anathema
noun: a detested person; the source of somebody’s hate
Hundreds of years ago, Galileo was anathema to the church; today the church is anathema to some on the left side of the political spectrum.
attenuate
verb: to weaken (in terms of intensity); to taper off/become thinner.
Her animosity towards Bob attenuated over the years, and she even went so far as to invite him to her party.
insufferable
adjective: intolerable, difficult to endure
Chester always tried to find some area in which he excelled above others; unsurprisingly, his co-workers found him insufferable and chose to exclude him from daily luncheons out.
imbibe
verb: to drink or absorb as if drinking
Plato imbibed Socrates’ teachings to such an extent that he was able to write volumes of work that he directly attributed, sometimes word for word, to Socrates.
