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GRE Vocabulary > Word List 2 > Flashcards

Word List 2 Flashcards

1
Q

affected

A

not natural or genuine; assumed

e.g. He accused the literary establishment of eschewing good clean writing and advancing affected, artsy prose instead.

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2
Q

affidavit

A

a written statement made under oath

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3
Q

perfidy

A

the quality or state of being faithless or disloyal; treachery
an act or an instance of disloyalty

e.g. He decided to forgive his wife’s perfidy, choosing to ascribe it to a moment of uncharacteristic weakness.

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4
Q

affix

A

to attach; to add something in writing
impress (imprint)
prefix or suffix

e.g. affix a stamp to a letter
affix a signature to a document
affix a seal

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5
Q

afflict

A

to cause pain or suffering to

e.g. The disease afflicts an estimated two million people every year.

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6
Q

affluent

A

having a generously sufficient and typically increasing supply of material possessions; rich

e.g. affluent clientele

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7
Q

affront

A

to insult especially to the face by behavior or language; offend
to face in defiance; confront

e.g. I didn’t mean to affront you when I told you I didn’t need your help.

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8
Q

effrontery

A

(oft. pl.) shameless boldness

e. g. He had the effrontery to deny eating any cookies, even with the crumbs still on his lips.

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9
Q

agglomerate

A

to gather into a cluster, mass, or ball

e.g. Breakfast cereal consisting of agglomerated clusters of wheat, rice, and nuts stays crunch in milk.

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10
Q

aggrandize

A

to make great or greater
to praise highly

e.g. This grant enables the library to significantly aggrandize its collection of books.
The movie aggrandizes the bad guys and makes the cops look like dopes.

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11
Q

grandeur

A

the quality or state of being grand; magnificence
an instance or example of grandeur

e.g. His paintings capture the beauty and grandeur of the landscape

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12
Q

grandiloquence

A

a lofty, extravagantly colorful, pompous, or bombastic style, manner, or quality especially in language

e.g. the predictably wearisome grandiloquence of the speeches at a political convention

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13
Q

disparage

A

to depreciate by indirect means; speak slightingly about

e.g. The article disparaged polo as a game for the wealthy.

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14
Q

aggravate

A

to make worse; intensify

e.g. They’re afraid that we might have aggravated an already bad situation.

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15
Q

aggravating

A

arousing displeasure, impatience, or anger

e.g. There’s nothing more aggravating as a blaring car alarm.

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16
Q

succor

A

to go to the aid of; relieve
relief; aid; help

e.g. We see it as our duty to give succor to those in need.

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17
Q

gregarious

A

enjoying the company of other people; social

marked by or indicating a liking for companionship; sociable

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18
Q

egregious

A

conspicuous, especially conspicuously bad; flagrant

e.g. an egregious example of political bias

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19
Q

aggrieve

A

to give pain or trouble to; distress

e.g. a person aggrieved by an unlawful search and seizure

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20
Q

agnostic

A

a person who holds the view that any ultimate reality (as God) is unknown and probably unknowable
a person who is unwilling to commit to an opinion about something
involving or characterized by agnosticism
noncommittal; undogmatic

e.g. politic agnostics

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21
Q

agog

A

full of intense interest or excitement; eager

e.g. Kids are agog over new toys.

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22
Q

demagogue

A

a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power

e.g. That politician is just a demagogue who preys upon people’s fears and prejudices.

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23
Q

agrarian

A

of, or related to, land

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24
Q

agronomy

A

science of controlling the soil to produce crops

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25
Q

alabaster

A

a white stone

translucent, smooth, and white

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26
Q

alacrity

A

promptness in response; cheerful readiness

e.g. Having just acquired his driver’s license, the teen agreed with alacrity to drive his cousin to the airport.

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27
Q

recalcitrant

A

obstinately defiant of authority or restraint
difficult to manage or operate; resistant

e.g. The manager worried that the recalcitrant employee would try to undermine his authority.

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28
Q

dilatory

A

tending or intended to cause delay
characterized by procrastination; tardy

e.g. dilatory tactics
The homeowner is claiming that local firefighters were dilatory in responding to the call.

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29
Q

alcove

A

a small recessed section of a room; nook

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30
Q

alibi

A

formal statement that a person was in another place at the time of a crime
an excuse usually intended to avert blame or punishment (as for failure or negligence)

e.g. She made up an alibi for why she missed the meeting.

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31
Q

alimentary

A

of or relating to nourishment or nutrition

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32
Q

allay

A

to subdue or reduce in intensity or severity; alleviate

e.g. The new advertising campaign is an attempt to allay the public’s concerns about the safety of the company’s products.

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33
Q

allege

A

to assert without proof or before proving

e.g. He alleged that mayor has accepted bribes.
The mayor is alleged to have accepted bribes.

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34
Q

allegiance

A

loyalty to a person, country, group, etc.

e.g. He owes allegiance to them for all the help they have given him.

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35
Q

allegory

A

a story in which the characters and events are symbols that stand for ideas about human life or for a political or historical situation

e.g. The long poem is an allegory of love and jealousy.

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36
Q

allocate

A

to apportion for specific purpose or to particular persons or things; distribute
to set apart or earmark; designate

e.g. allocate resources
allocate a section of the building for special research purposes

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37
Q

allude

A

to make indirect reference

e.g. comments alluding to an earlier discussion

38
Q

alluring

A

attractive; charming

39
Q

aloft

A

at or to a great height
in the air, especially in flight (as in an airplane)

e.g. The ease with which he can hold a ballerina aloft with one hand is awesome.
meals served aloft
measuring the winds aloft

40
Q

aloof

A

removed or distant either physically or emotionally
at a distance

e.g. He stood aloof from worldly success.

41
Q

altruism

A

unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others; selflessness

42
Q

amalgam

A

a mixture of different elements

e.g. a church that is an amalgam of traditional and modern architectural styles

43
Q

amalgamate

A

to unite in or as if in an amalgam, especially to merge into a single body

e.g. amalgamating different styles of music

44
Q

ambidextrous

A

using both hands with equal ease

unusually skillfull

45
Q

dexterous

A

mentally adroit and skillful; clever

skillful and competent

46
Q

watershed

A

a region of area bounded peripherally by a divide and draining ultimately to a particular watercourse or body of water
a crucial dividing point, line, or factor

47
Q

ambivalent

A

having simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings toward an object, person, or action

48
Q

valiant

A

possessing or acting with bravery or boldness; courageous
marked by, exhibiting, or carried out with courage or determination; heroic

e.g. She died last year after a valiant battle with cancer.
She made a valiant attempt to fix the problem.

49
Q

valor

A

courage; bravery

e.g. The absence of indecision even in the face of death is the true mark of valor.

50
Q

amble

A

to walk slowly in a free and relaxed way; saunter
an easy gait
a leisurely walk

e.g. We ambled along as we talked.
We had a lovely amble about the quaint village before continuing our drive.

51
Q

amenable

A

capable of submission (as to judgment or test); suited
readily brought to yield, submit, or cooperate;willing

e.g. The data is amenable to analysis.
a government not amenable to change
I was more amenable to spending more time at home.

52
Q

inimical

A

being adverse often by reason of hostility or malevolence; hostile; unfriendly

e.g. He received an inimical response rather than the anticipated support.
laws designed to enhance national security that some regard as inimical to cherished freedoms

53
Q

obdurate

A

stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
resistant to persuasion or softening influences

e.g. He is known for his obdurate determination.
the obdurate refusal of the crotchety old man to let the neighborhood kids retrieve their stray ball from his backyard

54
Q

ossify

A

to change into bone

to become or to make hardened or conventional and opposed to change

55
Q

amenity

A

the quality of being pleasant or agreeable
(oft. pl.) something (as a conventional social gesture) that conduces to smoothness or pleasantness of social relationships
something that conduces to comfort, convenience, or enjoyment

e.g. hotels with modern amenities
an unhappy, bickering couple who, at least in public, observe all the amenities of polite behavior

56
Q

amiable

A

good-natured; affable; genial

57
Q

amicable

A

friendly; showing good will

58
Q

amity

A

friendship, especially friendly relations between nations

e.g. a youth club fostering amity among the city’s many and diverse ethnic groups

59
Q

amnesia

A

loss of memory due usually to brain injury, illness, etc.

60
Q

amnesty

A

the act of an authority (as a government) by which pardon is granted to a large group of individuals

61
Q

amorphous

A

having no definite form; shapeless
being without definite character or nature; lacking organization or unity

e.g. an amorphous cloud mass
an amorphous segment of society

62
Q

amortize

A

to pay off (as a mortgage) gradually usually by periodic payments or principal and interest
to gradually reduce or write off the cost or value of (as an asset)

e.g. amortize the machinery over five years

63
Q

metamorphose

A

to change into different physical form especially by supernatural means
to change strikingly the appearance or character of; transform
to undergo metamorphosis

e.g. a science fiction story in which radiation metamorphoses people into giant bugs

64
Q

amphibian

A

an amphibious organism

an amphibious vehicle, especially an airplane designed to take off from and land on either land or water

65
Q

ample

A

generous or more than adequate in size, scope, or capacity
generously sufficient to satisfy a requirement or need

e.g. There was room for an ample garden.
The police found ample evidence of wrongdoing.

66
Q

anachronism

A

an error in chronology, especially a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other

e.g. He is an old-fashioned politician who is seen by many of his colleagues as an anachronism.

67
Q

anagram

A

word made by rearranging the letters of another word

68
Q

analgesia

A

insensibility to pain without loss of consciousness

69
Q

analgesic

A

a drug that relieves pain

pain-relieving

70
Q

analogy

A

resemblance in some particulars between things otherwise unlike; similarity

71
Q

anathema

A

someone or something intensely disliked or loathed
a ban or curse solemnly pronounced by ecclesiastical authority; a vigorous denunciation

e.g. a politician who is anathema to conservatives

72
Q

panegyric

A

a eulogistic oration or writing
formal or elaborate praise

e.g. He wrote a panegyric on the centennial of the Nobel laureate’s birth.

73
Q

ancestry

A

line of descent; lineage, especially honorable, noble, or aristocratic descent
persons initiating or comprising a line of descent; ancestors

e.g. be of noble ancestry

74
Q

ancillary

A

subordinate, subsidiary
auxiliary, supplementary

e.g. use of a drug as ancillary to surgical treatment

75
Q

anemia

A

a lack of red blood cells

76
Q

anemic

A
  • anemia
77
Q

anguish

A

extreme pain, distress, or anxiety

e.g. He experienced the anguish of divorce after 10 years of marriage.

78
Q

angular

A

stiff in character or manner; lacking smoothness or grace
lean and having prominent bone structure

e.g. The sniping hasn’t been limited to his aggressive, angular fashion sense.
an angular face

79
Q

magnanimous

A

showing or suggesting a lofty and courageous spirit
showing or suggesting nobility of feeling and generosity of mind

e.g. a magnanimous donation to the town’s animal shelter
She was too magnanimous to resent all the things others had said to her.

80
Q

animosity

A

ill will or resentment tending toward active hostility

e.g. We put aside our personal animosities so that we could work together.

81
Q

animus

A

a strong feeling of dislike or hatred

e.g. feeling no animus toward those who had wronged her

82
Q

annals

A

a record of events arranged in yearly sequence

83
Q

annex

A 
to attach as a quality, consequence, or condition
to incorporate (a country or other territory) within the domain of a state

e.g. The government planned to annex the islands.

84
Q

annul

A

to reduce to nothing; obliterate
to make ineffective or inoperative; neutralize
to declare or make legally invalid or void

e.g. Unfortunately, his arrogant attitude annuls the many generous favors he does for people.
He plans to annul their short-lived, ill-advised marriage.

85
Q

anonymity

A
  • anonymous
86
Q

anorexia

A

a serious physical and emotional illness in which an abnormal fear of being fat leads to very poor eating habits and dangerous weight loss

87
Q

antagonize

A

to act in opposition to; counteract
to incur or provoke the hostility of

e.g. He didn’t mean to antagonize you.
His criticism antagonized his friends.

88
Q

Antarctic

A

of the regions around the South Pole

89
Q

antecedent

A

a preceding event, condition, or cause
predecessor, especially a model or stimulus for later developments
prior

e.g. Even online chat rooms have an antecedent in the exchanges of nineteenth-century American telegraph operators.
I’d like to follow up on an antecedent question from another reporter.

90
Q

antediluvian

A

of or relating to the period before the flood described in the Bible
made, evolved, or developed a long time ago; extremely primitive or outmoded

e.g. He has antediluvian notions about the role of women in the workplace.

91
Q

anterior

A

situated before or toward the front (or head)

coming before in time or development; earlier, previous

GRE Vocabulary (50 decks)

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