Brainscape "GRE Vocab Crash Course" Flashcards
burnish
bur-nish
v. to polish or make shine
n. a shiny appearance
The store owner’s son’s only job was to burnish the statues in the window every day.
buttress
but-riss
n. a supporting structure
v. to support or encourage
The parents decided to buttress the after-school programs that were in danger of ending by making donations.
equivocate
i-kwiv-uh-keyt
v. to make vague, unclear statements
The mayor equivocated when confronted about his use of public funds.
paragon
par-uh-gon
n. a model of excellence
The man was a paragon of virtue who had never stolen so much as a loaf of bread in his life.
cacophony
kuh-kof-uh-nee
n. unpleasant, discordant sounds
The orchestra’s first attempt to play together was a cacophony of jarring notes.
mawkish
maw-kish
adj. very sentimental
The group of graduating seniors was a mawkish sight, crying and taking hundreds of pictures.
cajole
kuh-djohl
v. to make someone do something with flattery or promises
Mother cajoled her into driving the other children to school, promising to make her favorite dinner.
dogmatic
dawg-matt-ik
adj. rigidly fixed in opinion or expression in an arrogant manner
The dogmatic theorist refused to listen to any other possibilities.
calibrate
kal-ih-brehyt
v. to check or balance the scale of a measuring device with a standard scale
The new thermometer needed to be calibrated before it could be used.
perdition
per-dish-uhn
n. a state of final spiritual ruin, loss of soul, damnation
n. hell
Poor moral choices led Johnny down the road to perdition.
beseech
bih-seech
v. to request urgently
The dying man beseeched his family to visit him.
canny
can-ee
adj. careful; shrewd
John was a canny negotiator; no matter how bad his bargaining position, he would always come out on top.
seminal
sem-uh-nl
adj. original and influential
The seminal works of the artist developed into a new style of interpretation.
cantankerous
can-tang-kurr-us
adj. difficult to handle; ill-tempered
The worst part about working in customer service was having to deal with irate, cantankerous callers.
semantic
suh-man-tick
adj. related to the meaning of words
Susan felt that the abortion debate had become too focused on semantic arguments.
serrate
sare-ate
adj. having toothed edges (“serrated” is an alternate form of the adj.)
Kate used the serrate edge of the knife to cut through the tough meat.
sever
sev-er
v. to cut off
Unfortunately, to prevent the infection from spreading, the doctors had to sever the infected parts of the hand.
sinuous
sin-you-us
adj. twisting and winding
adj. not direct
The sinuous path through the mountains was probably the most dangerous route to take.
solicitude
suh-liss-ih-tood
n. caring about others’ well being
Though she claims not to have any feelings for Julio, she showed a great deal of solicitude when she learned of his illness.
solidarity
sol-ih-dare-ih-tee
n. a feeling of camaraderie with others due to shared goals
Several townspeople expressed solidarity with the union members by protesting with them.
soluble
sol-yuh-bull
adj. capable of being dissolved in a liquid
adj. capable of being solved
Certain medicines are soluble in water so they can be taken with ease.
solvent
sol-vunt
adj. able to meet financial obligations
n. a substance that can dissolve other substances
To remain solvent, the business was forced to sell its overseas operations.
soporific
sop-uh-riff-ik
adj. able to cause sleepiness
n. a substance that causes sleepiness
Bill’s new cold medication has soporific side effects that interfere with his ability to drive.
emulate
em-yuh-lehyt
v. to try to imitate or exceed another’s actions
Nancy wanted to emulate her older sister and so began to study more often.
