GRE Vocab Flashcards
(271 cards)
dissonance
noun – a lack of harmony or agreement
“The school board’s meeting lasted for hours due to the length debate fueled by dissonance among opinions.”
malinger
verb – to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill
“A common way to avoid the draft was by malingering – pretending to be mentally or physically ill so as to avoid being enlisted by the army.”
dilate
verb – to make larger; to expand
“When you enter a darkened room, the pupils of your eyes dilate to let in more light.”
minuscule
adjective - extremely small; tiny
“A minuscule fragment of DNA”
ample
adjective - generous or more than adequate in size, scope, or capacity; generously sufficient to satisfy a requirement or need.
“There was room for an ample garden.”
myriad
adjective - countless or extremely great in number.
“the myriad lights of the city”
noun - a countless or extremely great number.
“networks connecting a myriad of computers”
multitudinous
adjective - very numerous; consisting of or containing many individuals or elements.
“the tinkling of multitudinous bells from the herd”
“the multitudinous array of chemical substances that exist in the natural world”
inhibited
adjective - unable to act in a relaxed and natural way because of self-consciousness or mental restraint.
“I could never appear nude, I’m far too inhibited”
unassuming
adjective - as in meek. not having or showing any feelings of superiority, self-assertiveness, or showiness
“he’s very unassuming and never talks about his success”
affable
adjective - pleasantly easy to approach and to talk to; friendly; cordial; warmly polite
“I admired his affable charm and winning smile”
shabby
adjective - in poor condition through long or hard use or lack of care.
“a conscript in a shabby uniform saluted the car”
stumpe
verb - (of a question or problem) be too hard for, baffle; walk stiffly and noisily.
“education chiefs were stumped by some of the exam questions”
“he stumped away on short thick legs”
melange
noun - a mixture; a medley; patchwork.
“a melange of tender vegetables and herbs”
jumble
noun - an untidy collection or pile of things.
“the books were in a chaotic jumble”
satiate / sate
verb - satisfy to the full.
“he folded up his newspaper, his curiosity satiated”
belabor
verb - argue or elaborate (a subject) in excessive detail; attack or assault (someone) physically or verbally.
“critics thought they belabored the obvious”
“Tyndale seized every opportunity to belabor the Roman Church”
assiduous
adjective - showing great care and perseverance.
“she was assiduous in pointing out every feature”
germane
adjective - relevant to a subject under consideration.
“that is not germane to our theme”
allay
verb - diminish or put at rest (fear, suspicion, or worry); relieve or alleviate (pain or hunger).
“the report attempted to educate the public and allay fears”
“some stale figs partly allayed our hunger”
outlaw / fugitive
noun - a person who has broken the law, especially one who remains at large or is a fugitive.
frumpy
adjective - drab, old-fashioned, and unattractive; not in accord with or not following current fashion.
“It matters if she’s doing it in a frumpy dress and nasty straw wedges.”
grimness
noun - something unpleasant, depressing, or not enjoyable.
“His film traces the evolution of the celebrated Manchester band, while depicting the grimness of Seventies Britain”.
resolved
adjective - firmly determined to do something.
“Constance was resolved not to cry”
baffle
verb - totally bewilder or perplex; restrain or regulate (a fluid, sound, etc.).
“an unexplained occurrence that baffled everyone”
“to baffle the noise further, I pad the gunwales”