GRE Vocab 3- Kaplan

Question 1

presumptuous

Answer 1

failing to observe the limits of what is permitted or appropriate (too bold); arrogant
“I hope I won’t be considered PRESUMPTUOUS if I offer some advice”

Question 2

lugubrious

Answer 2

sad or mournful

“After his wife left him, he walked around in a LUGUBRIOUS condition for months”

Question 3

fatuous

Answer 3

stupid; silly

“My brother was FATUOUS for sprinting across the wet kitchen floor”

Question 4

caustic

Answer 4

sarcastic in a scathing and bitter way

“Because my uncle was a mean man, he took pleasure in making CAUSTIC statements to people”

Question 5

luminary

Answer 5

a person who inspires or influences others

“Because Dr. Swanson is a LUMINARY in the medical profession, he recently had a surgical procedure named after him”

Question 6

hackneyed

Answer 6

lacking significance through having been overused; unoriginal and trite
“Too often used by young girls, the word ‘like’ has become HACKNEYED”

Question 7

denigrate

Answer 7

to criticize unfairly; disparage

“Bullies often DENIGRATE others to hide their own feelings of worthlessness”

Question 8

admonitory

Answer 8

conveying a warning

“The teacher’s voice had an ADMONITORY tone as she told the students to stop talking or lose recess”

Question 9

expound

Answer 9

to present or explain systematically and in detail

“During his graduation speech, Thad will EXPOUND his hopes and prayers for his graduating class”

Question 10

unscrupulous

Answer 10

having or showing no moral principles; not honest or fair

“The UNSCRUPULOUS drug company lied about the benefits of its new drug”

Question 11

assiduous

Answer 11

showing great care and perseverance; diligent

“The meticulous maid was ASSIDUOUS when cleaning her mistress’s floors with a toothbrush”

Question 12

hegemony

Answer 12

leadership or dominance over a certain area

“The president of the company has HEGEMONY over his employees”

Question 13

circumscribe

Answer 13

restrict within limits

“When my husband drinks too much, I hide his car keys to CIRCUMSCRIBE his capacity to drive”

Question 14

subversive

Answer 14

seeking to destroy the power of an established system or institution
“The group published a SUBVERSIVE magazine that contained nothing but negative articles about the current government”

Question 15

winsome

Answer 15

attractive or appealing in appearance or character

“Even though the model is in her forties, she still uses her WINSOME looks to grace the covers of teen magazines”

Question 16

gauche

Answer 16

lacking ease or grace

“His GAUCHE table manners make me cringe, especially when he tries to talk with his mouth full”

Question 17

munificent

Answer 17

very generous

“The wealthy actor always gives the members of his staff MUNIFICENT appreciation gifts”

Question 18

precipitous

Answer 18

done suddenly and without careful consideration

“Because Richard never thinks about the consequences of his PRECIPITOUS actions, he often ends up in jail.”

Question 19

intrepid

Answer 19

fearless

“The INTREPID adventurer climbed the rocky mountain without fear”

Question 20

arcane

Answer 20

understood by few; mysterious or secret

“Because it is no longer taught in schools, people are concerned that cursive writing will become ARCANE”

Question 21

inveterate

Answer 21

habitual; long-established and unlikely to change

“He is an INVETERATE smoker and has told his family and friends that there is no way he will ever quit”

Question 22

pernicious

Answer 22

exceedingly harmful

“Because she hates me, my neighbor is always spreading PERNICIOUS lies about me”

Question 23

scrupulous

Answer 23

diligent, thorough, and extremely attentive to details; very concerned to avoid doing wrong
“Because Shannon is a SCRUPULOUS editor, she never misses errors when she proofreads a document”

Question 24

pedestrian

Answer 24

lacking inspiration or excitement; dull

“A large number of people fell asleep during the PEDESTRIAN play”

Question 25

myriad

Answer 25

a countless or extremely great number | "If you are going to New York City for your vacation, you will find MYRIAD attractions you can visit"

Question 26

maverick

Answer 26

an unorthodox or independent-minded person | "The MAVERICK politician promised to leave behind the ways of the old guard and bring change to the government"

Question 27

dilatory

Answer 27

slow to act; delaying "Because I was running late to the meeting, I asked my assistant to behave in a DILATORY manner so I would have time to arrive"

Question 28

craven

Answer 28

cowardly "When the company went bankrupt, the CRAVEN CEO quickly flew out of the country to avoid having to answer to his former employees"

Question 29

harried

Answer 29

persistently harassed "With a team of new hires to train, Martha was constantly HARRIED with little questions and could not focus on her projects"

Question 30

maladroit

Answer 30

clumsy | "The nervous boy was MALADROIT and stuttered over his words as he invited the girl to the dance"

Question 31

timorous

Answer 31

fearful, nervous, suffering from lack of confidence | "The TIMOROUS kitten would not come out from under the bed"

Question 32

edifying

Answer 32

providing moral or intellectual instruction | "The pastor’s sermon was spiritually EDIFYING as it was used to teach the congregation about the perils of sin"

Question 33

imprudent

Answer 33

quick to act without thoughts of the consequences; rash; unwise "Phil’s IMPRUDENT turn on the highway caused a six-car accident"

Question 34

duress

Answer 34

compulsory force or threat "The judge overturned the case because the defendant’s attorney proved that his client’s confession had been given under DURESS"

Question 35

pejorative

Answer 35

expressing contempt or disapproval | "Even though I had a good explanation for my lateness, my employer still described my conduct in a PEJORATIVE way"

Question 36

sullen

Answer 36

bad-tempered and sulky; gloomy | "After being dumped by her boyfriend, Ellen was SULLEN for days"

Question 37

ignominious

Answer 37

very embarrassing; shameful or disgraceful | "When the boxer got knocked out in the first round, everyone knew it was the beginning of an IGNOMINIOUS defeat for him"

Question 38

reproach

Answer 38

to express criticism or disapproval "At first, Sarah was going to yell at the boy, but she didn't want to REPROACH him for telling the truth about the situation"

Question 39

polemic

Answer 39

a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something | "The political candidate posted a POLEMIC on his blog that mocked his rival’s lack of community service"

Question 40

ingenuous

Answer 40

innocent; naive | "My INGENUOUS six-year-old sister still believes there is an Easter bunny."

Question 41

indolence

Answer 41

avoidance of activity or exertion; laziness | "The sloth is known for his INDOLENCE since he spends twenty hours a day lounging in the trees"

Question 42

salacious

Answer 42

conveying inappropriate interest in sexual matters | "The SALACIOUS content of some popular novels has led parents to demand that they be removed from school libraries"

Question 43

recalcitrant

Answer 43

having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline; stubborn "Despite being offered treats by his parents, the little boy was still RECALCITRANT about doing his homework"

Question 44

punitive

Answer 44

inflicting or intended as punishment "The purpose of the PUNITIVE lawsuit’s community service ruling is to forever remind the drunk driver of the cost of his actions"

Question 45

inculcate

Answer 45

to instill | "In order to INCULCATE a love of reading, the teacher encourages her students to read different types of literature"

Question 46

demure

Answer 46

reserved, modest, and shy | "My sister is too outgoing for anyone to ever accuse her of being DEMURE"

Question 47

indignant

Answer 47

angry because of unfair treatment | "The woman was INDIGNANT about the way she had been treated by the rude clerk"

Question 48

remiss

Answer 48

lacking care or attention to duty; negligent | "If I let you go without food, I would be REMISS in my responsibilities as a parent"

Question 49

spendthrift

Answer 49

a person who spends money in an extravagant, irresponsible way "Because the lottery winner was a SPENDTHRIFT, he spent his winnings in less than a year"

Question 50

miser

Answer 50

a person who hoards wealth and spends as little money as possible "My uncle is a MISER who complains about having to pay for anything"

Question 51

disquietude

Answer 51

a state of uneasiness or anxiety | "The little boy listened in DISQUIETUDE as his parents argued in the kitchen"

Question 52

precipitate

Answer 52

``` to cause (something) to happen quickly or suddenly "Drinking in excess will PRECIPITATE liver disease" ```

Question 53

alacrity

Answer 53

brisk and cheerful readiness | "The eager student attacked all school work with a rarely seen ALACRITY"

Question 54

pithy

Answer 54

concise; brief, to the point | "The title of your book should be PITHY and unforgettable"

Question 55

providential

Answer 55

occurring at a favorable time; opportune | "It was PROVIDENTIAL that I moved out of the way before being struck by the oncoming vehicle"

Question 56

fractious

Answer 56

irritable and quarrelsome | "The inexperienced teacher found the FRACTIOUS students difficult to control"

Question 57

disparate

Answer 57

essentially different in kind; not allowing comparison | "Because there was so much DISPARATE information on the topic, the research process took longer than expected"

Question 58

equivocate

Answer 58

to avoid giving a clear or direct answer to a question | "When things are not going Margie’s way, she will often twist the truth and EQUIVOCATE to put things in her favor"

Question 59

tumultuous

Answer 59

excited, confused, or disorderly | "During the recent riots, the crowd was TUMULTUOUS and went berserk as the police arrested their leader"

Question 60

acumen

Answer 60

the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions | "John’s business ACUMEN, along with his computer skills, made him an asset to the software company"

Question 61

flout

Answer 61

to openly disregard

Question 62

proclivity

Answer 62

tending to do something regularly

Question 63

abounds

Answer 63

abundant

Question 64

derisive

Answer 64

expressing contempt or ridicule

Question 65

phlegmatic

Answer 65

calm, unemotional

Question 66

demur

Answer 66

to hesitate or object

Question 67

artless

Answer 67

lacking experience, plain, naive

Question 68

bucolic

Answer 68

rustic, countryside

Question 69

canonized

Answer 69

think highly of, glorified

Question 70

polemical

Answer 70

critical, hostile

Question 71

profundity

Answer 71

deep insight

Question 72

punctilious

Answer 72

meticulous, detailed

Question 73

pedant

Answer 73

concerned with minor details

Question 74

imperious

Answer 74

authoritative, commanding

Question 75

aloof

Answer 75

cool and distant

Question 76

subvert

Answer 76

to undermine the power and authority of

Question 77

droll

Answer 77

funny

Question 78

panache

Answer 78

flamboyant confidence of style or manner

Question 79

frivolous

Answer 79

carefree, not serious

Question 80

humdrum

Answer 80

dull, monotonous