GRE - Manhattan Essential Word List - L1

Question 1

Abate

Answer 1

(v) Reduce, Diminish, become less in amount or intensity;

Question 2

Activism

Answer 2

The practice of pursuing political or other goals through vigorous action, often including protests and demonstrations

Question 3

Alacrity

Answer 3

Cheerful or Speedy willingness

Question 4

Apocryphal

Answer 4

Of questionable authenticity; false

Question 5

Audacious

Answer 5

Very bold or brave, often in a rude or reckless way

Question 6

Bogus

Answer 6

Fake, fraudulent

Question 7

Canonical

Answer 7

Authorized, recognized; pertaining to the canon, or body of accepted rules, standards or artistic works

Question 8

Clinch

Answer 8

Make final or settle conclusively; to fasten or hold together

Question 9

Condone

Answer 9

Overlook, tolerate, regard as harmless

Question 10

Converge

Answer 10

Move towards one another or towards a point; unite

Question 11

Counterproductive

Answer 11

Defeating the purpose; preventing the intended goal

Question 12

Debase

Answer 12

Degrade; lower in quality, value, rank, etc.; lower in moral quality

Question 13

Denigrate

Answer 13

Belittle, attack the reputation of

Question 14

Din

Answer 14

Loud, confused noise, esp. for a long period of time

Question 15

Dispassionate

Answer 15

Unbiased, not having a selfish or personal motivation; calm, lacking emotion

Question 16

Divest

Answer 16

Deprive or strip of a rank, title, etc., or of clothing or gear; to sell off holdings (ant: invest)

Question 17

Efficacy

Answer 17

the quality of being able to produce the intended effect

Question 18

Emulate

Answer 18

Copy in an attempt to equal or be better than

Question 19

Erudite

Answer 19

Scholarly, knowledgeable; possessing deep, often systematic, knowledge

Question 20

Exponent

Answer 20

Person who expounds or explains; champion, advocate, or representative

Question 21

Figurative

Answer 21

Metaphorical, base don figures of speech; containing many figures of speech (as fancy sounding writing); relayed to portraying human or animal figures

Question 22

Futile

Answer 22

Producing no useful result, ineffective, trivial or unimportant

Question 23

Gregarious

Answer 23

Social, pertaining to a flock or crowd

Question 24

Homogenous

Answer 24

Of the same kind; uniform throughout

Question 25

Implode

Answer 25

Burst inward

Question 26

Indeterminate

Answer 26

Not fixed or determined, indefinite; vague

Question 27

Intrinsic

Answer 27

Belonging to the essential nature of a thing

Question 28

Lampoon

Answer 28

A harsh satire (n); ridicule or satirize (v)

Question 29

Libertine

Answer 29

Morally or sexually unrestrained personl freethinker (regarding religion)

Question 30

Mercurial

Answer 30

Quickly and unpredictable changing moods; fickle, flighty

Question 31

Naive

Answer 31

Simple and unsophisticated, unsuspecting, lacking worldly experience and critical judgement

Question 32

Obsolete

Answer 32

Out of date, no longer in use

Question 33

Orthodox

Answer 33

adhering to a traditional, established faith, or to anything customary or commonly accepted

Question 34

Pathological

Answer 34

Relating to or caused be disease; relating to compulsive bad behavior

Question 35

Philanthropy

Answer 35

Efforts to improve the well-being of humankind, generally through giving money

Question 36

Ponderous

Answer 36

Heavy, bulky and unwieldy; dull. labored

Question 37

Presumptuous

Answer 37

Too bold of forward; going beyond that which is proper

Question 38

Prohibitive

Answer 38

Tending to forbid something, or serving to prevent

Question 39

Qualified

Answer 39

Modified, limited, conditional on something else

Question 40

Render

Answer 40

Give, submit, surrender; translate declare

Question 41

Reticent

Answer 41

Not talking much; private (of a person), restrained, reserved

Question 42

Sanction

Answer 42

Permission or approval, something that gives support or authority to something else (n); to allow, confirm, ratify (v); OR a legal action by one or more countries against anther country to get it to comply (n); to place sanctions or penalties on (v)

Question 43

Sentient

Answer 43

Conscious; experiencing sensation or perceiving with the senses

Question 44

Spartan

Answer 44

Very disciplined and stern; frugal, living simply; austere; suggestive or the ancient Spartans

Question 45

Static

Answer 45

Fixed, not moving or changing, lacking vitality

Question 46

Supersede

Answer 46

Replace, take the position of, cause to be disregarded as void or obsolete

Question 47

Temparence

Answer 47

Moderation, self-control, esp. regarding alcohol or other desires or pleasures; total abstinence from alcohol

Question 48

Trite

Answer 48

Lacking freshness and originality, lacking effectiveness due to overuse, cliche

Question 49

Veracity

Answer 49

Truthfulness, accuracy; habitual adherence to the truth

Question 50

Whimsical

Answer 50

Marked or motivated by whims (odd, fanciful ideas); erratic, unpredictable