the rest of gre vocab Flashcards
crescendo
steadily increasing in volume or force
-The crescendo of tension became unbearable as Evel Knievel prepared to jump his motorcycle over the school buses.
credulous
too trusting; gullible
-Although some 4 yr olds believe in the Easter bunny, only the most credulous 9 yr olds also believe in him.
convoluted
intricate and complicated
-Although many people bought “A Brief History of Time”, few could follow its convoluted ideas and theories.
condone
to overlook, pardon, or disregard
-Some theorists believe that failing to prosecute minor crimes is the same as condoning an air of lawlessness.
cogent
convincing and well reasoned
-Swayed by the cogent argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but to acquit the defendant.
chicanery
deception by means of craft or guile
-dishonest used car sales people often use chicanery to sell their beat-up old cars.
chauvinist
someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs
-the attitude that men are inherently superior to women and therefore must be obeyed is common among male chauvinists.
austere
severe or stern in appearance; undecorated
-The lack of decoration makes military barracks seem austere to the civilian eye.
archaic
ancient, old-fashioned
-Her archaic commodore computer could not run on the latest software.
antagonize
to annoy or provoke to anger
-The child discovered that he could antagonize the cat by pulling its tail.
alleviate
to make more bearable
-Taking aspirin helps to alleviate a headache.
aggrandize
to increase in power, influence, and reputation
-The supervisor sought to aggrandize herself by claiming that the achievements of her staff were actually her own.
aesthetic
concerning the appreciation of beauty
-Followers of the aesthetic movement regarded the pursuit of beauty as the only true purpose of art.
advocate
to speak in favor of
-The vegetarian advocated a diet containing no meat.
abyss
an extremely deep hole
-The submarine dove into the abyss to chart the previously unseen depths.
abate
to reduce in amount, degree, or severity
-As the hurricane’s force abated, the winds dropped and the sea became calm.
abscond
to leave secretly
-The patron absconded from the restaurant without paying his bill by sneaking out the back door.
amalgamate
to combine; to mix together
-Giant industries amalgamated with mega products to form Giant-mega products incorporated.
ambiguous
doubtful or uncertain; able to be interpreted several ways
-The directions she gave were so ambiguous that we disagreed on which way to turn.
ameliorate
to make better; to improve
-The doctor was able to ameliorate the patient’s suffering using painkillers.
anachronism
something out of place in time
-The aged hippie used anachronistic phrases like “groovy” and “far out” that had not been popular for years.
analogous
similar or alike in some way; equivalent to
-In the Newtonian construct for explaining the existence of God, the universe is analogous to a mechanical timepiece, the creation of a divinely intelligent “clockmaker”.
antipathy
extreme dislike
-the antipathy between the french and the english regularly erupted into open warfare.
arbitrate
to judge a dispute between 2 opposing parties
-Since the couple could not come to agreement, a judge was forced to arbitrate their divorce proceedings.
attenuate
to reduce in force or degree; to weaken
-The Bill of Rights attenuated the traditional power of governments to change laws at will.
articulate
able to speak clearly and expressively
-She is such an articulate defender of labor that unions are among her strongest supporters.
ardor
intense and passionate feeling
-Bishop’s ardor for the landscape was evident when he passionately described the beauty of the scenic Hudson Valley.
chaos
great disorder or confusion
-In many religious traditions, God created an ordered universe from chaos.
caustic
biting in wit
-Dorothy Parker gained her reputation for caustic wit from her cutting, yet clever, insults.
catalyst
something that brings about a change in something else
-The imposition of harsh taxes was the catalyst that finally brought on the revolution.
castigate
to punish or criticize harshly
-Many Americans are amazed at how harshly the authorities in Singapore castigate perpetrators of what would be considered minor crimes in the US.
Candid
impartial and honest in speech
-The observations of a child can be charming since they are candid and unpretentious.
cacophony
harsh, jarring noise
-The junior high orchestra created an almost unbearable cacophony as they tried to tune their instruments.
bombastic
pompous in speech and manner
-The ranting of the radio talk show host was mostly bombastic; his boasting and outrageous claims had no basis in fact.
bolster
to support, to prop up
-The presence of giant footprints bolstered the argument that sasquatch was in the area.
banal
predictable, cliched, boring
-He used banal phrases like “Have a nice day” or “Another day, another dollar”.
taciturnity
reluctance to speak
flippant
lacking appropriate respect or seriousness
aplomb
self-assurance
derision
harsh criticism
benevolently
well meaning and kind
furtively
attempting to avoid notice or attention
fervent
having or displaying a passion intensity
felicitous
appropriately and pleasingly expressed
poignant
causing strong feelings
stentorian
loud and powerful
garrulous
excessively talkative
vociferous
forceful, loudly expressive
imbibe
consume by drinking or eating
dispatch
send away
spew
eject
apprehension
anxiety
trepidation
fear
dispassion
lack of concern
imperturbation
calmness
diaphanous
light, delicate, translucent
primeval
ancient
moribound
on the verge of becoming obsolete
sinecure
job that doesn’t require work
subjugation
take control over
vocation
strong feeling of suitability for particular career
confounding
confusing, defeating
exploiting
making unethical use of
fidelity
accuracy in details
