GRE vocab 1

Question 1

belie

Answer 1

v. (of an appearance) fail to give a true notion or impression of (something); disguise or contradict.
v. fail to fulfill or justify (a claim or expectation); betray.

Question 2

quixotic

Answer 2

adj. exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical.

Question 3

calumny

Answer 3

n.the making of false and defamatory statements in order to damage someone’s reputation; slander.

Question 4

derision

Answer 4

n. contemptuous ridicule or mockery.

Question 5

salubrious

Answer 5

adj. health-giving; healthy.

Question 6

opprobrious

Answer 6

adj. (of language) expressing opprobrium.
syn. abusive, vituperative, derogatory, disparaging, denigratory, pejorative, deprecatory, insulting, offensive, defamatory, vitriolic, libelous, venomous;

Question 7

differential

Answer 7

n. a difference between amounts of things.

adj. of, showing, or depending on a difference; differing or varying according to circumstances or relevant factors.

Question 8

gainsay

Answer 8

v. deny or contradict (a fact or statement).

Question 9

diminutive

Answer 9

adj. extremely or unusually small.

n. a smaller or shorter thing, in particular.

Question 10

interloper

Answer 10

n. a person who becomes involved in a place or situation where they are not wanted or are considered not to belong.

Question 11

ebullience

Answer 11

n. the quality of being cheerful and full of energy; exuberance.

Question 12

ignoble

Answer 12

adj. not honorable in character or purpose

adj. of humble origin or social status

Question 13

precarious

Answer 13

adj. not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse.
adj. dependent on chance; uncertain

Question 14

facetious

Answer 14

adj. treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant.

Question 15

morose

Answer 15

adj. sullen and ill-tempered.

Question 16

abash

Answer 16

v. cause to feel embarrassed, disconcerted, or ashamed.

Question 17

nonplussed

Answer 17

adj. (of a person) surprised and confused so much that they are unsure how to react.
adj. (of a person) not disconcerted; unperturbed.

Question 18

dolorous

Answer 18

adj. feeling or expressing great sorrow or distress

Question 19

abstruse

Answer 19

adj. difficult to understand; obscure

Question 20

inimical

Answer 20

adj. tending to obstruct or harm.

Question 21

scanty

Answer 21

adj. small or insufficient in quantity or amount.

Question 22

prosaic

Answer 22

adj. having the style or diction of prose; lacking poetic beauty.
syn. ordinary

Question 23

arcane

Answer 23

adj. understood by few; mysterious or secret.

Question 24

laud

Answer 24

v. praise (a person or their achievements) highly, esp. in a public context.