gre Flashcards
Abash
Embarrass
Grace was abashed by all the fuss her family made about her birthday.
Abandon
Total lack of inhibition.
The normally conservative executive danced with abandon at the party.
Abject
Miserable, pithy
The peasants live in abject poverty.
Ablution
Act of cleansing
You’d better shorten your morning ablutions or you’ll be late for school.
Abnegation
Self-denial
The religion encourages its followers to practice abnegation periodically.
Abysmal
Very bad
Amanda’s performance on the test was so abysmal that she dropped the subject.
Accede
To express approval; agree
If I accede to your request for a favor, the other emotes will be angry with me.
Accost
To approach and speak to someone
She doesn’t like being accosted by strangers on the street.
Accrue
To accumulate, grow by additions.
Compound interest helps your savings to accrue quickly.
Acquiesce
To agree without protesting
The people acquiesced to the dictators demands.
Acrimonious (adj). Disposed to bitterness and animosity.
The dispute was acrimonious.
Acuity
Sharpness
Some people are born with excellent visual acuity.
Adduce
To cite as an example as a means of proof
The lawyer adduced his client’s good standing in the community as evidence of her good character.
Adherent
Follower
A debate broke out between groups of the religious leader’s adherents with different views.
Ad hoc
For the present moment only.
An ad hoc committee was formed by the school to investigate the growing problem of student lateness to class.
Adjudicate
To study and settle a dispute
The chief umpire was called in to adjudicate the dispute during the baseball game.
Ad nauseum
To a disgusting or ridiculous degree
The issue has been debated ad nauseum.
Adventitious
Added from without , not native , coming from outside, random, coincidental, unplanned.
The architect confirmed that the house was Colonial, without adventitious later additions.
Aegis
Protection; sponsorship ; shield
Negotiations are being conducted under the aegis of the United Nations.
Aerial
Having to do with the air
Aerial warfare was a major factor in determining the outcome of World War II.
Affected .adj.
Pretentious; phony
Affinity
Fondness, likeness; similarity
Afflatus
Creative impulse; divine inspiration
The novelist at the writing workshop says that it is better to start writing than to wait for divine affiliates because that may never arrive
Affront
Personal offense, insult
The president of the company regards the criticism of his employees as an affront.
A fortiori
For a still stronger reason (adv)
Aggrieve
To afflict ; to distress
Albedo
The proportion of incident radiation reflected by the surface
Fresh snow has a very high albedo.
Aligned
Precisely adjusted ; committed to one side.
During the Cold War many countries were aligned to either the Soviet Union or the U.S.
Allay
To lessen, ease, or soothe.
The call from her friend allayed the mother’s fear about her daughter’s safety.
Alliteration
Repetition of the beginning sounds of sounds
The phrase “the great and the good” uses alliteration.
Allure
The power to entice by charm
Vickie bought a new dress to add to her allure.
Allusion
Indirect reference
His allusion to an eArlier character in his work was understood by readers familiar with his earlier books.
Alluvial
Relating to alluvium, that is, sediment that is deposited by flowing water
Farmers like the area’s rich alluvial soil.
Aloof
Detached, indifferent
The new student remained aloof from he other students.
Alter ego
A second half; a perfect substitute or deputy
The president’s chief adviser advisor acts as his alter ego during his absence
Ambrosia
Something delicious; the food of the gods.
To some people raw oysters are ambrosia
Amendable
Agreeable, cooperative,; suited
I am amendable to your plan to start a new school.
Amiable
Friendly and agreeable; good-natured.
We met some amiable people in the train and had a pleasant conversation.
Amorphous
Lacking definite form.
My ideas tend to be amorphous until I write them down.
Anathema
Ban, curse , something shunned
Guys who don’t shower regularly are anathema to most girls.
Ancillary
Accessory, subordinate
The armed forces have many ancillary units that support the main fighting forces.
Angst
Feeling of anxiety or apprehension
The counselor dismissed the students anxiety as “ teenage angst.”
Animadvert
To comment critically
The travel writer animadverts against nearly every country he visits.
Animism.
The belief in the existence of individual spirits that inhabit natural objects.
Native American religion is sometimes wrongly dismissed as “simple animism .”
Anomie
Alienation and purposelessness as a result of a lack of values or ideals
The premise of the sociological study is that anomie is the underlying cause of crime.
Antedate
Precede in time
The invention of the automobile ante dates the invention of the airplane.
Antiquated
Too old to be fashionable ; outmoded
The tenant asked his landlord to modernize the apartments antiquated electrical system.
Antithetical
Contrasting ; opposite
Our views are so antithetical h feel that we should simply agree to disagree.
Aphelion
Point in a planets orbit further from the sun
At aphelion, Pluto is so far from the sun that it is barely in the solar system.
Aplomb
Self-confident assurance
Movie audiences admire how James Bond keeps his aplomb in every situation.
Apocalyptic
Portending devastation or doom
Many religions contain beliefs in a period of the time marked by apocalyptic events.
Apologia
A formal defense or justification.
Critics see his work as an apologia for elitism.
Apothegm
Terse, witty saying
Most people have heard the apothem from Romeo and Juliet….
Apotheosis
Glorification ; glorified ideal.
The hero was regarded as the apotheosis of courage.
Appellation
Name
Rulers often assign themselves appellations such as as “The great”,,,,
Apperception
Conscious perception with full awareness; the process of understanding by which newly observed qualities of an object are related to past experience
Apprise
To inform.
The president asked to be apprised of the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
A priori
From a general law to a particular instance; valid independently of observation ; formed or conceived beforehand.
The judge reminded the jury not to reach any a priori conclusions about the guilt or innocence of the accused.
Apt
Precisely suited
An apt quotation can improve a piece of writing.
Aptitude
A natural or acquired talent or ability; intelligence
Aptitude for mathematics is to a significant degree inherited.
Arable
Suitable for cultivation
Countries such as Japan and South Korea are handicapped by not having much arable land.
Arcana (N); Aracane (adj).
Secret, obscure ; known only to a few
For most of us the arcane workings of a computer are invisible.
Ardent
Passionate, enthusiastic, fervent.
Charlie is a devoted Yankee fan, while his wife is equally ardent Res Sox fan.
Argot
A specialist vocabulary used by a group
Arraign
Indictment
The defendant was arraigned on a charge of fraud.
Artifice
Stratagem; trickery; ingenious or artful device.
James used clever artifice to defeat his opponent in the chess game.
Artisan
A skilled manual worker; a crafts person
The artisan formed a co-operative to sell their work.
Ascribable
Attributable to
The motives a person ascribes to others often tells a lot about his or her own motives.
Askew
Crooked; titled
We realized that a break-in had occurred when we noticed several things askew.
Asperity
Severity; irritability; harshness of manner.
The accused person asked the witness with some asperity why she was lying.
Aspersion
Slander, false rumor
Negative political campaigns cast aspersions on opponents , hoping that voters find them believable.
Assay
To subject a substance to chemical analysis to determine the strength and quality of its components; to examine by trial or experiment
The ore was sent to the lab to be assayed
Assent
To express agreement
I assented to my wife’s plan to enlarge the guest room.
Assert
To declare to be true; maintain
If you assert an opinion, you should be prepared to back it up with logical argument.
Assignation
Appointment for lovers’ meeting
The couple chose Lover’s Lane for their assignation.
Assonance
Resemblance of sound
Here’s an example of assonance from a poem by WB Yeats “that dolphin-torn, that gong-tormented sea,”
Asylum.
Place for refuge or shelter
Atavism
In biology, the reappearance of a characteristic in an organism after several generations of absence
Au courant
Up to date; I formed on current affairs
Auspices (n).
Protection; support; patronage.
The class is conducted under the auspices of the university
Auspicious (adj)
Promising.
Hindus believe that certain times of the day are more auspicious than others.
Austere(adj)
Stern; unadorned
The writer concentrated best on austere surroundings.
Austerity
Sterness; condition of having no adornment.
The president asked the nation to endure a period of economic austerity.
Autocracy
Government by a single person who has unlimited power
Autocratic
Dictatorship
Auxiliary
Supplementary
Avant-garde
Relating to a group active on the invention of new techniques.
Aver
To declare to be true
Aversion
Intense dislike
An aversion to snakes is universal in human beings.
Avert
To turn away; prevent.
To avert a heading collision, the driver swerved off the road.
Avow
To state openly.
The position he now avows contradicts his earlier statements on the issue.
Avuncular
Like an uncle, benevolent and tolerant
Awry
Crooked ; askew
Axiomatic (adj).
Taken for granted
The principle that every person has rights is regarded as axiomatic by most people.
Bacchanalian
Pertaining to riotous of druken festivity
Balk
To refuse
Ballad
Folk song, narrative poem
Bane
Something causing death or destruction
Bard
Poet
Baroque
Highly ornate
The hotel where I stayed in Paris was too baroque for my taste.
Bastion
Fortification.
Many people regard Australia as a bastion of Democracy.
Bawdy
Obscene
Belabor
To insist repeatedly. Harp on. Argue or elaborate a subject in excessive detail
Attack/assault someone physically or verbally
The English teacher be labored the point that students must write in full sentences.
Belated
Late
I sent my wife a belated birthday card.
Beleaguer
To harass
To lay siege
Belie
To misrepresent
Bellicosity
The condition of being warlike or aggressive
Beneficent
Kindly, doing good
Benighted
Unenlightened, usually due to a lack of opportunity
The poor benighted country had little success in its efforts to develop
Bequeath
To hand down.
Bestial
Beastly.
Bête noir
Something especially dreaded or hated
Betoken
To indicate. Signify.
A wedding ring be tokens the Union of two people in marriage.
Bicameral
Composed of two legislative branches.
Biomass
The amount of living matter in a unit area of a habitat; plant materials and animal waste used especially as a source of fuel.
Blandishments
Flattery, persuasion, cajole, blarney
The retired couple could not resist the blandishments of the glossy travel brochure.
Blase.
Bored because of frequent indulgence; unconcerned.
Bleak
Cheerless; unlikely to be favorable
People with little education often face a bleak future.
Bonanza
A large amount
Boon
A thing that is helpful and beneficial.
Summer vacation is an extra week - what a boon!
Boorish
Rude; insensitive
Bourgeois adj
Bourgeoisie. Noun.
Adj. typical of the middle class
Brahmanism.
Brahmin
Hinduism religious belief.
A member of a cultural and social elite.
Brazen
Bold; shameless
Brigand
Outlaw
Broach
To mention for the first time
Jason decided to broach the subject of marriage to his girlfriend.
Bromide
Trite
Bucolic
Characteristic of the countryside ; rustic; pastoral.
Bulwark
Something serving as a defense
US forces in South Korea are bulwarks against invasions by North Korea.
Burly
Brawny; husky.
The burly bouncer threw Billy out of the club for starting a fight
Bustle
Commotion.
Raised on a farm, Jim isn’t used to the bustle of s big city.
Cabal
Small group of people United; a secret political clique
Cachet
Superior status ; prestige
Dr Lee thinks that the cachet of a Lexus Is worth the expense.
Calamitous
Disastrous, catastrophic.
Scientists believe that the effect of pollution on the environment will be calamitous.
Callous
Thick skinned, insensitive.
Callow.
Immature inexperience
Calumny
False and malicious accusation, slander.
The politician used calumny to tarnish his opponents reputation.
Canny
Intelligent
Cant
Insincere talk; language of a particular group.
After the editor removed the cant from the senators speech, little was left.
Canvas
To examine thoroughly; conduct a poll.
Captious
Fault finding; intended to entrap, as in argument.
The lawyer objected to the prosecutor’s Captious questioning of the witness
Carnal
Of the flesh
Carte Blanche
Unrestricted power
The recording studio gave the rock band carte Blanche to create the best record they could.
Cartography.
Science of making maps.
Caste
Any of hereditary social classes of India.
Casuistry.
False or excessively subtly reasoning.
The judge accused the lawyer of casuistry when she offered ten meaning s of the word “is.”
Cataclysm
A violent upheaval that causes great destruction and change.
Categorical
Absolute, without exception
Catharsis
Purification, cleansing
Caucus
Smaller group within an organization
Causality. (N)
Cause and effect relationship.
Cause célèbre
Any controversy that attracts great public attention.
Cavort
To frolic.
The young couple cavorted on the beach all afternoon.
Cede
To surrender possession of something.
This court ruling means he will have to cede his house to the person who sued him.
Censorious
Very critical.
The investigating committee’s report was censorious, condemning government inaction on the environment.
Censure
To blame ; criticize.
Certitude
Assurance , certainly.
According to some philosophers, certitude is never possible because our knowledge of the world is limited.
Cessation
Halt.
The cessation of work at the construction site brought welcome relief from the noise.
Chagrin
Shame , embarrassment.
Yo his charging , John realized he had forgotten to say thank you to the man that saved his life.
Chalice
Cup
Charlatan
Fake
Chaste
Not having experienced sexual
Chastise
To punish, scold.
Cherubic
Sweet, innocent, resembling an angel.
Chide
To scold.
Choleric.
Short tempered.
Chromatic
Relating to color
Churlish
Rude, boorish
The hotel guest apologized for his churlish behavior.
Cipher
Secret code
Circumlocution
Indirect way of saying something.
Circumscription
The act of limiting or confining
The participants agree to a circumscription of the scope of the debate.
Circumspect.
Cautious , wary.
Hillary has adopted a circumspect approach after agreeing with every proposal without a protest.
Citadel.
Fortress
Civil
Polite, relating to citizens.
Clairvoyant
Able to predict the future , psychic
Clamber.
To climb by crawling.
Clandestine
Secretive
Clemency
Leniency
Clique
A small, exclusive group.
Unable to gain admission to any of the cliques in school, Richard decided to start hi own clique.
Cloister
To confine, seclude.
Coalition
An alliance
Coda
Concluding part of a literary or musical composition. Something that summarizes or concludes.
Codification.
Systematization.
Codify
To systematize
Coercion.
Use of force
Coerce verb.
To persuade someone to do something by using threats or force.
Cognomen
A surname , a nickname.
Collateral.
Adj. accompanying or concomitant
During the war. Collateral damage to civilian areas is sometimes difficult to avoid.
Colloquy
Dialogue, conversation.
Collide
To make a secret agreement for deceitful purposes
Commensurate
Proportional
Punishment should be commensurate with the crime.
Commiseration
Expression of pity.
Immediately after the disaster rescue workers had little time for commiseration.
Commodious
Spacious roomy.
Commodity
Something that can be turned into commercial advantage.
Commune
To be very sensitive and receptive to something.
Communicable
Transmittable
Compendium.
A brief, comprehensive summary
The history professor gave the class a compendium of European history she had written.
Compliant
Yielding.
The legislature was compliant , giving into all of the presidents demands.
Complicity
Partnership in wrongdoing.
The suspect denied complicity in the crime.
Compulsive
Obsessive
Concoct
To invent
Concomitant
Existing concurrently
The increase in poverty led to a concomitant increase in crime.
Concord
Harmony, agreement.
After so much bitter dispute, the senators were happy to discuss an issue on which there was concord.
Concordance
Noun. Agreement, concord
Concur
To agree
A majority of the committee concurs with the proposal.
Condescend
To bestow courtesy with a superior air.
The queen condescended to allow commoners to visit the palace.
Conduit
A pipe or channel for conveying fluids; conveyor of information.
The embassy is a conduit got confidential information about the country.
Conflagration.
Big fire
Confluence
Meeting place , meeting of two streams.
Our plan is to paddle our canoes to the confluence of this stream and Otter Creek.
Conformity
Harmony, agreement.
Confound.
To baffle , perplex, mix up.
The weaker hitter on the team confounded everyone by going on a 30 game hitting streak.
Congenial
Adj Similar on tastes and habits ; friendly suited for
The congenial host greeted us at the door.
Congenital.
Existing or before birth
No one trusts Jim because he had a reputation as a congenital liar.
Congress
Formal meeting
Conjugal
Pertaining to marriage agreement
Connivance
Act of conspiring or scheming.
The crime could only have been committed with the connivance of employees of the country.
Consanguinity
Relationship by blood or by a common ancestor, close connection.
Conscript.
A person compulsorily enrolled for service.
Modern nations sometimes enroll men as conscripts in the army if there aren’t enough volunteers available.
Consecrate
To declare sacred
He church was consecrated by the bishop.
Consensus
General agreement.
Consign
To entrust , commit irrevocably.
My wife consigned my five year old sweatshirt to the garbage.
Consonance
Something consistent with; in agreement with something else
Our actions should have consonance with our values.
Consonant
Consistent with, in agreement with.
Ideally, our actions are consonant with our values.
Consortium.
An association formed for joint venture
The three companies formed a consortium to build the new place.
Construe
To explain of interpret
Contagion
A contagious disease
Contemptuous
Manifestation or fleeting contempt; scornful
The novelist is contemptuous of the work of other writers.
Context
Circumstances of an event
Contiguous.
Touching ; neighboring; connecting without a break.
The U.S. And Canada are contiguous countries.
Continence
Self control
Continence is a virtue that he aspires to
Contract verb.
To compress or shrink ; affected by
The economy contracted two percent last year.
Contravene.
To contradict , deny , act of contrary to; violate.
Anyone who contravenes school regulations will be punished.
Contrivance
Something invented or fabricated.
The time machine is a contrivance that is popular in science fiction.
Contrived
Artificial , not spontaneous.
The plot of this novel is rather contrived.
Conviviality
Sociable state or condition
Everyone praised the conviviality of the hosts.
Coquette
Woman who flirts.
Corollary
A proposition that follows logically from one already proven ; a natural consequence
The mathematician proved the corollary of the theorem.
Corporal
Relating to the body
Corporal punishment has been outlawed on many countries.
Corporeal
Concerned with the body; tangible, material.
The scholar concerned mainly with the life of the mind, had little interest in corporeal concerns.
Corpulence
Condition of being excessively fat.
Corpus
A large collection of writing on a specific subject or of a specific kind.
Corrugated
Wrinkled; ridged
The roofs of the houses are made of corrugated metal.
Coterminous
Having common boundaries ; contiguous; coexisting in scope or time
In a democracy the interest of the people should be conterminous with those of the state.
Countenance
Facial expression.
Countenance verb
To favor, support
The principal countenanced greater involvement of the student council I. Running the school.
Countermand
To annul, cancel
Countervailing
Counteracting
The three branches of the U.S. Federal government are designed to act as countervailing centers of the power.
Coup
A brilliantly excused stratagem ; coup d’ etat
Winning the contract to supply jet fighters to the Air Force was a coup for the company.
Coup de grace
A finishing bowl ; a decisive stroke
The general delivered the coup de grace , killing the enemy commander.
Coup d’état
The sudden overthrow of a government by a group of people in positions of authority.
Coven.
Group of witches.
Covet
To desire something owed by another
Coy.
Shy and flirtatious.
Crass
Crude, unrefined.
Credo
Statement of belief or principle ; creed
The party issued its credo.
Creed
Statement of belief or principle.
The new church outlined its creed
Cryptic
Puzzling
Cursory
Done with little attention to detail.
Mechanics only had time for s cursory inspection of the aircraft.
Curt
Abrupt
Cynosure
Object of common interest ; guide.
A person or thing that attracts a lot of attention or interest.
The builders turned that eyesore of a dilapidated building into a cynosure.
Dais
Raised platform for guests of honor
Dearth
Scarcity
There is a dearth of girls wanting to try out for the basketball team.
Debacle
A crushing defeat
A great disaster
Debauchery
Corruption.
Debunk
Discredit
Deciduous
Falling off or shedding at a particular season or stage of growth.
Mrs miller’s yard has amid of deciduous and evergreen trees.
Deconstructionism.
A philosophical moment and theory of literacy criticism that holds words only refer to other words and tries to demonstrate that statements about a text undermine heir own meaning.
Decry
To condemn openly.
Denounce , condemn, criticize, censure, vilify, attack, pillory, lambaste, revile
De facto
In fact, actual, existing whether rightfully or not.
Deft
Skillful
A deft piece of footwork.
Defunct adj.
No longer existing.
Deification. Noun.
The act of making or regarding as a god
Delegate
Verb. To give powers to others.
Delineation.
Representation, depiction.
The artist’s exquisite delineation of costume and jewelry
The action of indicating the exact position of a border or boundary
Deluge
A great flood; something that overwhelms.
The movie star received a deluge of mail.
Demarcation.
Establishing lots; limits or boundaries ,
Demotic
Pertaining to the people.
Denizen
An inhabitant; a regular visitor.
An inhabitant or occupant of a particular place
Contrary to popular belief , the denizens of New York City are generally friendly and helpful.
Denude
To make bare.
Denunciation.
Public condemnation.
Deplore
To regret , disapprove of.
The university president gave a speech deploring declining standards in education.
Depose
To remove fro high position.
The king was deposed in the revolution.
Depraved adj
Corrupted; wicked
The movie was condemned as being depraved
Deprecate
To belittle , disparage.
The patriot deprecated every country on the world except his own.
Depredation
Noun. Damage or loss
China is undergoing great environmental deprecation.
De rigueur
Required by fashion or custom.
In the 1960s miniskirts were de rigueur.
Derision.
Ridicule.
Joe’s ambition to become a Major League Baseball player is treated with derision by his friends.
Derivative.
Unoriginal.
The critics dismissed the new novel as derivative and dull.
Descry
To catch sight of something.
The bird watcher descried an eagle high in the sky.
Despondent.
Feeling discouraged
Hal refused to let his poor test score make him despondent.
Desuetude
State of disuse
The house has fallen into desuetude.
Deus ex machina.
Any artificial method of solving a difficulty , an improbable element introduced in a story to resolve a situation.
Critics complain that the mystery writer unnecessarily used a dry ex machina in her story.
Deviant.
Differing from the norm or the accepted social standards.
Psychologists vary on what they consider to be deviant behavior.
Devise
Think up, plan, invent.
The class devised an April Fool’s Day trick to play on their teacher.
Dialectic
Arriving at the truth by the exchange of logical arguments
Ideally, a debate is a dialectic.
Dictate
Guiding principle.
Following the dictates of her conscience, Rebecca refused to take part in the protest.
Diction
Choice of words.
Disaffected
Discontented adj.
The new party leader pledged to reach out to disaffected members of the party
Disarm.
To overcome or allay suspicion , win the confidence of
We were disarmed by our new boss’s easygoing nature.
Disaffected
Discontented
The new party leader pledged to reach out to disaffected members of the party.
Discount
To disregard
The judge ordered the jury to discount the witness’s comment.
Discreet
Having good sense and behavior
An ambassador normally shod be discreet.
Discrete adj
Constituting a separate thing; distinct
Discretion. Noun
Quality of showing self restraint in speech or action; circumspection; freedom to act on one’s own.
The teacher left it to the student’so discretion how long he should make his research paper.
Disdain
Scorn or contempt.
Disheveled adj.
Untidy , unkept.
They were disheveled after their two-week expedition.
Disinclination
Unwillingness
The employee politely expressed a disinclination to complete his job on time.
Disinterested adj
Unprejudiced, objective.
The novelist strived to present a disinterested view of modern society.
Dispassionate
Impartial, unaffected by emotion
The teacher was careful to be dispassionate in awarding final grades to her students.
Disjointed
Lacking order or coherence; dislocated
The police officer gradually pieced together the drunk’s disjointed account of the incident.
Disreputable
Lacking respectability.
The disreputable agent tricked the young writer into paying him a lot of money.
Dissension
Difference of opinion.
There is so much dissension in the committee that no agreement can be reached.
Dissent
To disagree
One justicr dissented from the Supreme Court ‘s ruling.
Dissident.
Disagreeing. Adj.
Dissolution
Disintegration , debauchery.
Most religions teach that the dissolution of the body at death does not mean the extinction of the individual’s spiritual self.
Divest.
To strip, deprive, rid
The court divested the company of its overseas assets.
Divine
To foretell
Fortune tellers claim to be able to divine the future.
Divulge
To reveal ; make known a secret
The chef refused to divulge her secret recipe.
Domicile
Home
Dowager
An elderly woman of high social station
The dowager is a well known patron of the arts in St. Louis.
Doyen
A man who is the senior member of s group
Professor Parker is regarded as the doyen of marine biologists.
Draconian
Extremely severe
Dubious
Doubtful.
Beth won the dubious distinction of “Most UnderachievingStudent.”
Dudgeon
A feeling of offense or resentment
The president is on high dudgeon over Congress’s refusal to pass the bill.
Duplicitous
Deceptive, dishonest
Steve is not above being duplicitous to get what he wants.
Duress
Threat of force of intimidation
The confession was obtained under duress
Ecumenical
Universal; concerned with promoting unity among churches or religions.
The ecumenical group is holding a meeting of representatives of six churches to discuss common beliefs.
Edict
A decree issued by an authority having the force of law; formal command.
The military government is issued an edict saying that no one could leave the country.
Edifice
Building; elaborate conceptual structure
Banks are often impressive edifices.
Efface
To erase.
The date on the coin had been effaced.
Effete
Depleted of vitality; overrefined, decadent
The professor was accused of being an effete snob.
Efficacious
Efficient, effective
Effusion.
Liquid or other matter poured forth; an unrestrained outpouring of feeling. Noun.
Effusive.
Expressing emotion freely. Adj.
Egalitarianism
Characterized by belief I. Equal rights for all people
Egalitarianism is an important American value.
Egregious. Adj. n
Very bad
Elixir
A substance believed to have tax power to cure ills
Many people consider aspirin to be elixir for many ills.
Elysian.
Blissful; delightful.
The poet’s Elysian vision enthralled a generation of readers.
Eloquent
Effective speech.
Emanate noun.
To issue forth.
Steam emanated from the radiator.
Embroil.
To involve in
Don’t embroil me in your dispute.
Emend
To correct
The editor emended the error in the manuscript.
Eminence grise
A person who exercises power or influence without holding an official position
Many people regard a distinguished retired professor , Dr Chambliss, as the college’s eminence grise.
Emigre
A person who has left a native country , especially for political reasons.
Emotive
Adj.
appealing to or expressing emotion
Emotive language often makes it difficult to discuss an issue rationally.
Empathy
Putting oneself in another’s place; sympathy.
Encumber
To hinder , burden.
The business is encumbered with heavy debts.
Enfant terrible
One whose unusual behavior or ideas disturbs others.
Enrapture
To fill with delight
Ensconced
Settled comfortably
Entail
To involve as a necessary result.
Achievement usually entails hard work.
Epic
Relating to a long narrative poem in elevated language
Epithelial
Relating to the epithelium , membranous tissue composed of one or more compact layers of cells that covers most internal and external surfaces of the body, including its organs.
Epithet
A word of phrase characterizing a person or thing.
Epochal
Of a particular period of history , especially one considered important
Eponym
Person from whose name something is derived
The mythological figure Romulus is the eponym for Rome.
Equine
Relating to horses
Equitable
Just and impartial
Errant
Mistaken,
Behaving wrongly
Traveling in search of adventure.
Straying from the proper course
The safety officer destroyed the errant rocket by remote control.
Esprit de corps
Team spirit
Essay
To make an attempt , subject to a test,
The director asked the grumpy actor to essay a smile
Essentialism
The practice of regarding something as having innate existence or universal validity rather than being social, ideological, o intellectual construct , a philosophical theory ascribing ultimate reality to essence embodied in a thing perceptible to the senses.
Esteem.
To value, respect.
Eviscerate
To disembowel, take away a vital part
The dictator ordered the prisoner to be eviscerated
Execrable
Detestable , abhorrent the judge sentenced the man to life imprisonment for his execrable crime.
Exegesis.
Critical interpretation or explanation
The Bible scholar wrote an exegesis of the Gospel of Luke.
Exemplar
Example worth imitating
Shakespeare’s work has been an exemplar for writers for hundreds of years.
Exemplify verb
To show by example
The principle urged the seniors to exemplify good conduct for the younger students.
Exercise
To absorb the attention of , upset.
The math problem has exercised my mind all day.
Exigency
Crisis, urgent requirements.
The civil defense team is prepared for all exigencies.
Exogenous
Adj. originating externally
Carcinogens are exogenous factors.
Exorcise
To expel evil spirits, free from bad influences
Expedient adj.
Suitable, relating to self serving methods.
Expository
Explanatory
Expostulation.
Scolding, reproof
Expound.
To elaborate ,
The professor expounded on his theory
Expunge
To cancel, remove
Extant
Adj.
In Existence, not lost.
The college library has all of the extant writing of Willa Cather
Extort
To obtain something by threat
Jim extorted money from the old man.
Extraneous
Adj
Not essential
Eliminate extraneous info from your report.
Exude
To give off
Exult
To rejoice
Facilitate
To make less difficult
Adequate rest facilitates learning
Facility
Ability.
I have limited facility in mathematics.
Faction
A group of people forming a minority within a larger group
A vocal faction is against the proposal
Faculty
Ability, power
The ability to reason is one of our greatest faculties.
Fait accompli
noun
Something done about which of is too late to argue.
The CEO presented the merger to the board ax a fair accompli.
Fallacious
False
Fallacy
Inpcorrect idea
Farcical
Absurd, ridiculous
Fastidious
Very fussy, concerns with detail.
Fatalism.
Belief that events are determined by forces beyond one’s control
The theme of fatalism reoccurs in the works of that novelist.
Fauna
Animals of a period
Faux pas
Social blunder
Fealty
Loyalty owed by a vassal to his feudal lord
The ing is generous to subjects as long as they edge fealty to him.
Feckless
Adj
Ineffective ; irresponsible
The police department was criticized for its feckless attempts to catch the embezzler.
Feign
To pretend.
Fiat
Arbitrary order, authorization
The king issued a fiat banning the use of fireworks in celebrations.
Fiefdom
Estate of a feudal lord, something over which a dominant person or group has control
The principal runs the school like his fiefdom.
Fitful
Starting and stopping
I had a fitful sleep last night.
Fledgling
Beginner, novice
Flippant
Disrespectfully light- hearted
Joes flippant attitude always got him into trouble with his teachers.
Flora.
Plants of a region or era
Florid
Ruddy, reddish, flowery
Flounder
To waver , falter , struggle
God weak student floundered in the advanced class
Flux
A continuous flowing.
Foible
Minor weakness
Noun.
Foolhardy
Rash, heedless
Foreboding
Sense of evil to come
Forensic
Relating to law of debates
Forte
A persons strongest point.
Founder
Verb
To sink, fail, collapse
The ship foundered In the storm.
Frieze
Ornamental band on a wall.
Furor
General commotion
Disorder
Frenzy.
Gaffe
Social blunder
Gambit
A stratagem or ploy
Genial
Adj
Having a pleasant or friendly disposition
Gentry
People of standing ; class of class people just below nobility.
Geomorphic
Relating to the study of the evolution and configuration of landforms.
Geriatric
Related to the aged or the aging process
Gestalt
related to the patterns of elements so unified that properties cannot be derived from the sum of it’s parts.
Gesticulate
To motion of gesture
Gloaming
Twilight, dusk
Gnomic
Expressed in short, pithy saying.
Goad
Urge on
The class goaded the teacher into telling them the date of her wedding.
Grouse
To complain
Stop grousing about having too much work
Hamlet
Small village
Hamper
To obstruct
To slow the movement, progress , or action of someone or something.
Harbinger
Precursor , sign of something to come
The fall in the stock market is a harbinger of economic decline.
Hardy
Robust , vigorous
The plant is hardy enough to withstand the desert heat.
Heathen
Pagan ; uncivilized and irreligious
Hector
To bully , torment
Heedful
Paying close attention; mindful.
Visitors should be Heedful of the dangers of a big city.
Hellenism
The crime and civilization of Ancient Greece. N
Hemorrhage
Heavy bleeding
Hermeneutic
Examining, interpreting
This two literal critics disagree on which of the two approaches is best hermeneutic approach
Heterodox
Unorthodox, not wisely accepted
The newspaper likes to publish letters expressing heterodox views.
Heuristics adj
Helping to learn
Hinterland
The remote or less developed parts of a country
Histrionics
Exaggerated emotional behavior calculated for effect ; theatrical arts or performances
Critics panned the actor’s performance as mere histrionics.
Hoary
Adj. Very old. ; whitish
Hobson’s choice
A double bind ; that is , a situation in which a person must choose between alternatives that are equally unsatisfactory
Hoi polloi
The common people
Homily
Sermon , tedious moralization
Host
noun
A great number
