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GRE Special words > Deck 1 > Flashcards

Deck 1 Flashcards

1
Q

Capricious

A

showing sudden changes in attitude or behaviour

changing suddenly and quickly

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2
Q

mercenary

A

n. a soldier who will fight for any country or group that offers payment
adj. only interested in making or getting money

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3
Q

intransigent

A

adj.(of people) unwilling to change their opinions or behaviour in a way that would be helpful to others

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4
Q

clamorous

A

adj. (especially of a lot of people or animals) making a loud noise;
(of a lot of people) making demands for something

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5
Q

invidious

A

adj. unpleasant and unfair; likely to offend somebody or make them jealous

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6
Q

numinous

A

adj. having a strong religious and spiritual quality that makes you feel that God is present

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7
Q

sonorous

A

adj. having a pleasant full deep sound.

Her clear, sonorous voice is perfect for opera.

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8
Q

insular

A

adj. (disapproving) only interested in your own country, ideas, etc. and not in those from outside.

The British are often accused of being insular.

adj. (usually disapproving) having little contact with other people.
adj. (specialist) connected with an island or islands

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9
Q

dearth

A

dearth (of something) a lack of something; the fact of there not being enough of something

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10
Q

ad hoc

A

adj/adv. arranged or happening when necessary and not planned in advance

The meetings will be held on an ad hoc basis.

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11
Q

fickle

A

adj. changing often and suddenly;

(of a person) often changing their mind in an unreasonable way so that you cannot rely on them;

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12
Q

antiquarian

A

adj. connected with the study, collection or sale of valuable old objects, especially books.
n. a person who studies, collects or sells old and valuable objects

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13
Q

counterfeit

A

adj. (of money and goods for sale) made to look exactly like something in order to trick people into thinking that they are getting the real thing

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14
Q

proprietary

A

adj. (of goods) made and sold by a particular company and protected by a registered trademark;
relating to an owner or to the fact of owning something

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15
Q

didactic

A

adj. designed to teach people something, especially a moral lesson;
(usually disapproving) telling people things rather than letting them find out for themselves

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16
Q

ameliorate

A

v. to make better something that was bad or not good enough

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17
Q

honorific

A

showing respect for the person you are speaking to

an honorific title

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18
Q

malign

A

malign somebody/something to say bad things about somebody/something publicly

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19
Q

brook

A

v. not brook something/not brook somebody doing something/brook no… to not allow something
n. a small river

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20
Q

fecundity

A

n. the ability to produce children, crops, etc.;

the ability to produce new and useful things, especially ideas

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21
Q

irascibility

A

n. the fact of tending to become angry very easily

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22
Q

downplay

A

v. to try to make something seem less important than it really is

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23
Q

neophyte

A

n. a person who has recently started an activity; a person who has recently changed to a new religion; a person who has recently become a priest or recently entered a religious order
Word Origin

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24
Q

monolithic

A

adj. used to describe large single vertical blocks of stone, especially ones that were shaped into a column by people living in ancient times, and that may have had some religious meaning;
(often disapproving) used to describe single, very large organizations that are very slow to change and not interested in individual people

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25
Q

haphazard

A

adj. with no particular order or plan; not organized well

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26
Q

sagacious

A

adj. showing good judgement and understanding

27
Q

incommensurable

A

incommensurable (with something) if two things are incommensurable, they are so completely different from each other that they cannot be compared

28
Q

comity

A

n. an association of nations or organizations that brings benefits to each one

29
Q

loquacious

A

talking a lot

30
Q

perfidious

A

that cannot be trusted

31
Q

pastiche

A

n. [countable, uncountable] a work of art, piece of writing, etc. that is created by deliberately copying the style of somebody/something else

32
Q

parody

A

n. [countable, uncountable] a piece of writing, music, acting, etc. that deliberately copies the style of somebody/something in order to be humorous

33
Q

clandestine

A

adj. done secretly or kept secret

34
Q

vapid

A

not showing interest or intelligence

35
Q

banal

A

very ordinary and containing nothing that is interesting or important

36
Q

discretionary

A

decided according to the judgement of a person in authority about what is necessary in each particular situation; not decided by rules

37
Q

limpid

A

(of liquids, etc.) clear

38
Q

pellucid

A

extremely clear

39
Q

panacea

A

panacea (for something) something that will solve all the problems of a particular situation

40
Q

sycophancy

A

behaviour that praises important or powerful people too much and in a way that is not sincere, especially in order to get something from them

41
Q

wherewithal

A

the wherewithal (to do something) the money, things or skill that you need in order to be able to do something

42
Q

panache

A

the quality of being able to do things in a lively and confident way that other people find attractive

43
Q

lull

A

lull (in something) a quiet period between times of activity

44
Q

acerbic

A

(of a person or what they say) critical in a direct and rather cruel way

45
Q

seditious

A

intended to encourage people to oppose a government

46
Q

restive

A

unable to stay still, or unwilling to be controlled, especially because you feel bored or not satisfied

47
Q

snag

A

(informal) a problem or difficulty, especially one that is small, hidden or unexpected

48
Q

hitch

A

a problem or difficulty that causes a short delay

49
Q

diminutive

A

very small

50
Q

paucity

A

a small amount of something; less than enough of something

51
Q

proselytize

A

to try to persuade other people to accept your beliefs, especially about religion or politics

52
Q

transience

A

the fact that something continues for only a short time

53
Q

aver

A

to state clearly and strongly that something is true

54
Q

clique

A

a small group of people who spend their time together and do not allow others to join them

55
Q

insouciance

A

the state of not being worried about anything

56
Q

abstemious

A

not allowing yourself to have much food or alcohol, or to do things that are fun

57
Q

lugubrious

A

sad and serious

58
Q

tepid

A

slightly warm, sometimes in a way that is not pleasant;

not enthusiastic

59
Q

gainsay

A

gainsay something to say that something is not true; to disagree with or deny something

60
Q

mitigate

A

mitigate something to make something less harmful, serious, etc.

61
Q

extirpate

A

extirpate something to destroy or get rid of something that is bad or not wanted

62
Q

garrulous

A

talking a lot, especially about unimportant things

63
Q

ballyhoo

A

unnecessary noise and excitement

GRE Special words (2 decks)

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