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GRE Magoosh Words > Magoosh Common Words 3 and 4 > Flashcards

Magoosh Common Words 3 and 4 Flashcards

1
Q

derive

A

come from
e.g. “Some maintain that he derived the idea of civil disobedience from Thoreau”

Synonyms: stem, descend, spring, draw

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2
Q

elucidate

A

make (something) clear; explain
e.g. “Having grabbed the attention he then used the interview to elucidate the argument.”

Synonyms: decode, enlighten, exemplify, explicate, illuminate.

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3
Q

abstain

A

restrain oneself from doing or enjoying something.
e.g. “The terms stipulate that he must abstain from the consumption of alcohol and controlled substances”

Synonyms: cease, forgo, pass up, quit, refrain, withhold

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4
Q

treacherous

A

tending to betray; unpredictable
e.g. “A holidaymaker was swept away by treacherous currents”

Synonyms: traitorous, disloyal, perfidious

Synonyms: hazardous, perilous, unsafe, precarious, deceptive

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5
Q

juxtapose

A

place or deal with close together for contrasting effects
e.g. “The black-and-white photos of slums were starkly juxtaposed with color images.”

Synonyms: compare, collocate, colligate

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6
Q

forlorn

A
  1. pitifully sad and abandoned or lonely
  2. to show hopelessness

e.g. “When I called, the tiny forlorn figure sat up and reached out towards us.”

Synonyms: miserable, sorrowful, dejected, despondent, wretched, morose

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7
Q

derivative

A

To draw strongly on something already in existence
e.g. “Petroleum is a derivative of coal tar.”

Synonyms: cognate, secondary, subordinate, variation

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8
Q

contrive

A

to pull off a plan or scheme
e.g. “The prisoners contrived a way to escape.”

Synonyms: plan, plot, project, rig, concoct, devise

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9
Q

ameliorate

A

make (something bad or unsatisfactory) better
e.g. “The reform did much to ameliorate living standards”

Synonyms: alleviate, lighten, mitigate, amend

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10
Q

vilify

A

slander; speak or write about in an abusively disparaging manner
e.g. “He has been vilified in the press for his comments on Israel”

Synonyms: disparage, denigrate, defame, slander

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11
Q

travesty

A
  1. a mockery
  2. a false, absurd, or distorted representation of something.

e.g. “the absurdly lenient sentence is a travesty of justice”

Synonyms for 1: parody, caricature, burlesque, mock

Synonyms for 2: misrepresentation, distortion, perversion, corruption

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12
Q

rudimentary

A

to be in the early stages of development
e.g. “When baseball was in its rudimentary stages, different teams played by different rules.”

Synonyms: primitive, crude, embryonic, vestigial

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13
Q

negligible

A

so small or unimportant as to be not worth considering; insignificant
e.g. “He said that the risks were negligible”

Synonyms: trivial, trifling, nugatory, minute

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14
Q

subsume

A

include or absorb (something) in something else.
e.g. “most of these phenomena can be subsumed under two broad categories”

Synonyms: integrate, contain, incorporate, assimilate

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15
Q

mollify

A

to make someone angry less angry
e.g. “nature reserves were set up around the power stations to mollify local conservationists”

Synonyms: appease, placate, pacify, conciliate

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16
Q

refractory

A

hard or impossible to manage; stubbornly disobedient
e.g. “To make his life easier, the store owner decided to fire the refractory workers who were difficult to manage.”

Synonyms: unmanageable, difficult, stubborn, contentious, intractable

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17
Q

magnanimous

A

generous or forgiving, especially towards a rival or less powerful person
e.g. “In a magnanimous gesture, she gave her co-writer the award”

Synonyms: altruistic, charitable, considerate, selfless

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18
Q

tenacious

A

stubbornly unyielding
e.g. “He is very tenacious when he thinks he’s on to a good story”

Synonyms: determined, steadfast, staunch, resolute, unswerving

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19
Q

eminent

A

to be higher than others in terms of quality(s) or position
e.g. “one of the world’s most eminent statisticians”

Synonyms: illustrious, distinguished, renowned, venerable, lionized

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20
Q

languid

A

slow and relaxed; not inclined towards physical exertion
e.g. “She was pale, languid, and weak as if she had delivered a child”

Synonyms: weary, fatigued, enervated, feeble, sluggish

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21
Q

denote

A

be a sign of; indicate.
e.g. “This mark denotes purity and quality”

Synonyms: designate, indicate, betoken, signify, signal

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22
Q

frustrate

A

to hinder or prevent
e.g. “the rescue attempt was frustrated by bad weather”

Synonyms: thwart, obstruct, derail, hamper, hinder, check

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23
Q

tantamount

A

equivalent in seriousness to; virtually the same as
e.g. “The resignations were tantamount to an admission of guilt”

Synonyms: commensurate, identical

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24
Q

staunch

A

very loyal and committed in attitude
e.g. “a staunch supporter of the anti-nuclear lobby”

Synonyms: ardent, come-through, loyal, reliable, stalwart, steadfast

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25
Q

fallacious

A

based on a mistaken belief
e.g. “The idea that nuclear power can solve the coming energy crisis is therefore totally fallacious.”

Synonyms: erroneous, false, untrue

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26
Q

insidious

A

to work in a subtle but destructive way
e.g. “It was an insidious disease and the effects were noticed too late”

Synonyms: stealthy, subtle, surreptitious, sneaking

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27
Q

jubilant

A

feeling or expressing great happiness and triumph
e.g. “a large number of jubilant fans ran onto the pitch”

Synonyms: overjoyed, exultant, triumphant, euphoric, ecstatic

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28
Q

incongruous

A

lacking compatibility; not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings or other aspects of something.
e.g. “The duffel coat looked incongruous with the black dress she wore underneath”

Synonyms: bizarre, contradictory, inappropriate, incoherent, incompatible

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29
Q

immutable

A

unchanging over time or unable to be changed
e.g. “The Koran is seen as the direct and immutable word of God.”

Synonyms: fixed, set, rigid, inflexible, unyielding

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30
Q

ascetic

A

characterized by severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence
e.g. “An ascetic life of prayer, fasting, and manual labour”

Synonyms: austere, self-denying, abstinent, spartan

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31
Q

disaffected

A

dissatisfied, especially with people in authority or a system of control.
e.g. “a military plot by disaffected elements in the army”

Synonyms: dissatisfied, disgruntled, renegade, insurgent, rebellious

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32
Q

avaricious

A

to be excessively greedy
e.g. “avaricious corporate bosses looking to maximize profits”

Synonyms: rapacious, mercenary, covetous

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33
Q

vehement

A
  1. showing strong feeling
  2. forceful, passionate, or intense
    e.g. “On the subject of chastity until marriage, she is just as vehement.”

Synonyms: ardent, furious, enthusiastic, fervent, fierce

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34
Q

jingoism

A

fanatical patriotism
e.g. Stop this jingoism that is leading this and other nations to war

Synonyms: zealous, fanaticism, chauvinism, nationalism

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35
Q

circumvent

A

to cleverly find a way out of one’s duties/obligations
e.g. “if you come to an obstruction in a road you can seek to circumvent it”

Synonyms: sidestep, dodge

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36
Q

haughty

A

to show arrogant superiority and disdain towards others
e.g. “She gave him a haughty look and turned away”

Synonyms: arrogant, conceited, snobbish, patronizing, smug, scornful

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37
Q

quotidian

A

of or occurring every day; daily.
e.g. “The car sped noisily off through the quotidian traffic”

Synonyms: commonplace, ordinary

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38
Q

ecletic

A

deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources
e.g. “universities offering an eclectic mix of courses”

Synonyms: wide, broad, mixed

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39
Q

itinerant

A

traveling from place to place
e.g. “Soon the word spread, and itinerant travelers began to squat there.”

Synonyms: peripatetic, wandering, peregrinate

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40
Q

panache

A

flamboyant confidence of style or manner.
e.g. “he entertained London society with great panache”

Synonyms: brio, charisma, flair, flamboyance

41
Q

belligerent

A

hostile and aggressive
e.g. “The rail companies are taking a belligerent attitude towards the disputes.”

Synonyms: bellicose, combative, contentious, pugnacious, irascible

42
Q

delineate

A

describe in detail
e.g. “the law should delineate and prohibit behavior which is socially abhorrent”

Synonyms: define, depict, lay out

43
Q

precocious

A

one who matures or develops exceptionally early
e.g. “The point is made early on that Daniel is an intellectually precocious child.”

Synonyms: talented, clever, intelligent

44
Q

ephemeral

A

lasting a short time
e.g. “fashions are ephemeral: new ones regularly drive out the old”

Synonyms: transitory, transient, temporary

45
Q

guileless

A

innocent and without deception
e.g. “There was an innocence about those days - something wanton yet guileless.”

Synonyms: artless, ingenuous, naivety

46
Q

unequivocal

A

to have only one meaning or interpretation and leading to only one conclusion
e.g. “They must be so unequivocal that there will be no doubt about the construction.”

Synonyms: absolute, indisputable, obvious, straightforward

47
Q

supplant

A

take the place or move into the position of
e.g. “Domestic production has been supplanted by imports and jobs have been lost”

Synonyms: overthrow, succeed, supersede

48
Q

spurious

A

plausible but false
e.g. “I could find all sorts of spurious reasons why I needed to continue smoking.”

Synonyms: bogus, false, specious

49
Q

heretic

A

A heretic is someone whose beliefs or actions are considered unorthodox (wrong by most people, because they disagree with beliefs that are generally accepted)

e.g. “He was considered a heretic and was ridiculed and ostracized for his ideas.”

Synonyms: freethinker, iconoclast, schismatic, renegade, agnostic

50
Q

contingent

A
  1. dependent on

Synonyms: accidental, chance, dependent

  1. a gathering of persons representative of some larger group

e.g. “his fees were contingent on the success of his search”

Synonyms: batch, cohort

51
Q

blatant

A

(of bad behavior) done openly and unashamedly
e.g. “He told a blatant lie to all students last time round.”

Synonyms: unabashed, audacious, insolent, impudent

52
Q

discrete

A

constituting a separate entity or part
e.g. “speech sounds are produced as a continuous sound signal rather than discrete units”

Synonyms: distinct, various, detached

53
Q

idiosyncrasy

A

a mode of behavior or way of thought peculiar to an individual.
e.g. “one of his little idiosyncrasies was always preferring to be in the car first”

Synonyms: peculiar, quirk, whimsical, eccentricity

54
Q

unscrupulous

A

having no morals or principles
e.g. “As a result, many people lost money, some no doubt cheated by unscrupulous speculators.”

Synonyms: venal, corrupt, crafty, crooked, deceitful

55
Q

exalt

A

praise or glorify
e.g. “the party will continue to exalt their hero”

Synonyms: lionize, lauded, venerate, acclaim

56
Q

exonerate

A

to free someone from guilt
e.g. “The police report exonerated Lewis from all charges of corruption.”

Synonyms: absolve, clear, acquit, vindicate, exculpate

57
Q

confound

A

to mistake one thing for another; cause confusion
e.g. “the inflation figure confounded economic analysts”

Synonyms: baffle, bewilder, discombobulate, dumbfound, perplex

58
Q

tortuous

A

full of twists and turns
e.g. “the route is remote and tortuous”

Synonyms: circuitous, convoluted, indirect, labyrinthine, meandering, twisting

59
Q

implausible

A

(of an argument or statement) not seeming reasonable
e.g. “This is a blatantly implausible claim”

Synonyms: dubious, farfetched, flimsy, improbable, inconceivable

60
Q

ignoble

A

not honourable in character or purpose.
e.g. “ignoble feelings of intense jealousy”

Synonyms: sordid, degraded, corrupt, unscrupulous, unprincipled

61
Q

opaque

A

difficult to understand
e.g. “He is far more insecure than the opaque hard man many imagine.”

Synonyms: arcane, equivocal, incomprehensible, abstruse

62
Q

adamant

A

refusing to be persuaded or to change one’s mind
e.g. “Andrew was adamant that his son would not suffer the horrors he had.”

Synonyms: determined, insistent, intransigent, resolute, rigid

63
Q

aberrant

A
  1. deviating from the norm
  2. departing from an accepted standard.
    e.g. “This somewhat aberrant behavior requires an explanation”

Synonyms: atypical, anomalous, digressive, irregular, nonconformist, rogue

64
Q

exacting

A

requiring and demanding accuracy
e.g. “She was an exacting woman to work for.”

Synonyms: imperious, onerous, demanding

65
Q

pundit

A

an expert in a particular subject or field who is frequently called upon to give their opinions to the public.
e.g. “political pundits were tipping him for promotion”

Synonyms: buff, cognoscenti, expert

66
Q

soporific

A

tending to induce drowsiness or sleep.
e.g. “the motion of the train had a somewhat soporific effect”

Synonyms: sedative, tranquilizing

67
Q

indifference

A

to not seem to care
e.g. “It is a matter of indifference as far as the Legal Aid is concerned.”

Synonyms: disinterest, disregard, inattention, inertia, insensitivity, lack, negligence

68
Q

largess

A

generosity in bestowing money or gifts upon others
e.g. “presumably public money is not dispensed with such largesse to anyone else”

Synonyms: munificent, benefaction, magnanimity

69
Q

underscore

A

to emphasize; give extra weight to
e.g. “These failures underscore the difficulty of what we’re attempting to do.”

Synonyms: emphasize, reinforce, underline, accentuate

70
Q

eradicate

A

to completely destroy
e.g. “It is extremely difficult to eradicate prejudices so deeply rooted and natural.”

Synonyms: abolish, annihilate, eliminate, erase, expunge, extirpate

71
Q

provincial

A

having opinions and ideas that are limited, old-fashioned and simple
e.g. “He makes me wait as he summons a provincial police officer to accompany us.”

Synonyms: pedestrian, parochial, myopic

72
Q

pragmatic

A

to be based on practical experience rather than theory
e.g. “he favoured a pragmatic approach to the problem”

Synonyms: practical, realistic

73
Q

espouse

A

to support/adopt an idea or cause
e.g. “He used his books to lend weight to the causes he espoused.”

Synonyms: adopt, embrace, endorse, advocate

74
Q

copious

A

in abundance; ample supply
e.g. “There was a copious amount of work to get through”

Synonyms: profuse, ample, lavish

75
Q

bumbling

A
  1. to lack physical movement
  2. acting in a confused or ineffectual way; incompetent
    e.g. “The drunk man was bumbling around the bar, knocking over tables.”

Synonyms: lurch, stumble, wobble, falter

76
Q

intransigent

A

not willing to change the course of action or belief
e.g. “He was stubbornly intransigent when asked to share some of his inheritance”

Synonyms: adamant, inflexible, obstinate, resolute

77
Q

hackneyed

A

(of a phrase or idea) having been overused; unoriginal and trite
e.g. “Folktales are hackneyed old sayings”

Synonyms: platitude, trite, banal, vapid

78
Q

reconcile

A

make (one account) consistent with another
e.g. “It is not necessary to reconcile the cost accounts to the financial accounts”

Synonyms: accommodate, appease, assuage, conform, harmonize.

79
Q

construe

A

interpret (a word or action) in a particular way.
e.g. “his words could hardly be construed as an apology”

Synonyms: define, infer, interpret, parse

80
Q

burgeon

A

begin to grow or increase rapidly; flourish.
e.g. “the city’s suburbs have burgeoned, sprawling out from the center”

Synonyms: prosper, snowball, sprout

81
Q

expound

A
  1. clarify the meaning
  2. explain in depth
    e.g. “he was expounding a powerful argument”

Synonyms: delineate, exemplify, explain, explicate, clarify

82
Q

laudable

A

(of an action, idea, or aim) deserving praise
e.g. “laudable though the aim might be, the results have been criticized”

Synonyms: noteworthy, exemplary, reputable, honourable, sterling

83
Q

petulant

A

(of a person or their manner) childishly sulky or bad-tempered
e.g. “he acted like a petulant child who had been refused what he wanted”

Synonyms: cranky, fractious, impatient, sullen, peevish, whiny

84
Q

ostentatious

A

characterized by pretentious or showy display; designed to impress
e.g. “She wears an ostentatious diamond ring and a pearl the size of a marble.”

Synonyms: extravagant, gaudy

85
Q

abstruse

A

difficult to understand; obscure.
e.g. “an abstruse philosophical inquiry”

Synonyms: arcane, equivocal, incomprehensible

86
Q

refute

A

prove (a statement or theory) to be wrong or false; disprove.
e.g. “these claims have not been convincingly refuted”

Synonyms: disprove, quash, contend, repudiate

87
Q

pedantic

A

excessively concerned with minor details or rules; overscrupulous.
e.g. “his analyses are careful and even painstaking, but never pedantic”

Synonyms: overscrupulous, fastidious

87
Q

incorrigible

A

(of a person or their behavior) not able to be changed or reformed.
e.g. “He’s an incorrigible liar and will continue to lie and deceive.”

Synonyms: inveterate, habitual, irredeemable, hardened, incurable

88
Q

forthcoming

A
  1. verb - easy-going while talking to others
  2. adjective - available when required or as promised
    e.g. “she had never been forthcoming about her time in the States”

Synonyms: anticipated, approaching, impending

88
Q

acerbic

A

(especially of a comment or style of speaking) sharp and forthright
e.g. “His prose is peppered with acerbic wit and keen insight.”

Synonyms: caustic, harsh, sharp, scathing

89
Q

myopic

A

lacking foresight or intellectual insight.
e.g. “the government still has a myopic attitude to public spending”

Synonyms: pedestrian, parochial, provincial

90
Q

denigrate

A

criticize unfairly; disparage.
e.g. “doom and gloom merchants who denigrate their own country”

Synonyms: besmirch, defame, disparage, impugn, slander, blister

91
Q

temperance

A

the quality of moderation or self-restraint.
e.g. “the whole multitude of men lack temperance in their lives, either from ignorance or from want of self-control”

Synonyms: abstinence, self-denial, austerity, asceticism

92
Q

implacable

A

incapable of being less hostile;
e.g. “Grattan from the first denounced the scheme with implacable hostility.”

Synonyms: inexorable, intractable, relentless, ruthless

93
Q

ingratiate

A

gain the favor of someone by flattering or trying to please them
e.g. “a sycophantic attempt to ingratiate herself with the local aristocracy”

Synonyms: fawn, obsequious, toady

94
Q

apocryphal

A

(of a story or statement) of doubtful authenticity
e.g. “there is an apocryphal story about a disgraced rock star who ended up in bankruptcy court”

Synonyms: fictitious, made-up, untrue, fabricated, false, spurious

95
Q

admonitory

A

a firm warning or reprimand.
“he received numerous admonitions for his behavior”

Synonyms: reprimand, rebuke, reproof, remonstrance, reproach, lambast

96
Q

decorum

A

behavior in keeping with good taste and propriety.
e.g. “he had acted with the utmost decorum”

Synonyms: etiquette, decency, propriety

GRE Magoosh Words (11 decks)

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