GRE6 Flashcards
1
Q
EMBARRASS
A
abash, chagrin, compunction,, contrition, diffidence, expiate, foible, gaucherie, rue.
2
Q
abash
A
to destroy the self-confidence, poise, or self-possession of; disconcert; make ashamed or embarrassed EMBARRASS:
He said nothing but looked abashed.
3
Q
chagrin
A
a feeling of vexation, marked by disappointment or humiliation EMBARRASS:
To his parents’ chagrin, he had no intention of becoming a lawyer.
4
Q
compunction
A
a feeling of uneasiness or anxiety of the conscience caused by regret for doing wrong or causing pain; contrition; remorse, when you feel slightly guilty for something you have done or might do EMBARRASS:
I wouldn’t have any compunction about telling him to leave.
5
Q
contrition
A
sincere penitence or remorse EMBARRASS:
a contrite apology/expression.
6
Q
foible
A
a weak point, failing, minor flaw EMBARRASS:
Married couples must learn to accept each other’s little foibles.
7
Q
gaucherie
A
a socially awkward or tactless act EMBARRASS:
She was wearing cubic zircons with a silk moiré Givenchy ballgown, and he was mortified by the gross gaucherie of which she was unaware.
8
Q
NAG
A
admonish, cavil, belabor, enjoin, exhort, harangue, hector, martinet, remonstrate, reproof.
9
Q
admonish
A
to urge to a duty; remind NAG:
to admonish them about their obligations.
10
Q
cavil
A
to raise irritating and trivial objections; find fault with unnecessarily (usually followed by at or about ) to make unreasonable complaints, especially about things that are not important NAG:
He finds something to cavil at in everything I say.
The one cavil I have about the book is that it is written as a diary.
11
Q
belabor
A
to explain, worry about, or work at (something) repeatedly or more than is necessary, to assail persistently NAG:
He kept belaboring the point long after we had agreed.
12
Q
hector
A
a blustering, domineering person; a bully NAG:
He had a loud, hectoring manner.
13
Q
martinet
A
a strict disciplinarian, authoritarian, bully, despot NAG
14
Q
PREDICT
A
augur, auspice, fey, harbinger, portentous, precursor, pressage, prescient, prognosticate
15
Q
augur
A
to divine or predict, as from omens; prognosticate, foreshadow PREDICT:
The company’s sales figures for the first six months augur well for the rest of the year.
16
Q
auspice
A
Often, auspices. a favorable sign or propitious circumstance, a divination or prognostication, with the protection of PREDICT:
Financial aid is being provided to the country under the auspices of the International Monetary Fund.
17
Q
fey
A
mysterious and strange, or trying to appear like this PREDICT:
He dismissed her later poems as fey and frivolous.
18
Q
harbinger
A
anything that foreshadows a future event; omen; sign PREDICT:
Frost is a harbinger of winter.
19
Q
precuror
A
an indication of the approach of something or someone, forerunner, predecessor PREDICT:
Infection with HIV is a precursor to AIDS.
20
Q
presage
A
something that portends or foreshadows a future event; an omen, prognostic, or warning indication PREDICT:
But still the economy is not showing signs of any of the excesses that normally presage a recession.
21
Q
prescient
A
knowledge of things or events before they exist or happen; having foresight PREDICT:
The prescient economist was one of the few to see the financial collapse coming.
the prescience of her remarks
22
Q
prognosticate
A
to forecast or PREDICT:
23
Q
LUCK
A
adventitious, amulet, auspicious, fortuitous, kismet, optimum, portentous,
24
Q
adventitious
A
not expected or planned LUCK:
an adventitious event/situation
25
amulet
an object worn because it is believed to protect against evil, disease or unhappiness LUCK:
26
auspicious
promising success; propitious; opportune; favorable LUCK:
| an auspicious occasion.
27
fortuitous
lucky, happening by chance PREDICT:
| fortunate: a series of fortuitous events that advanced her career.
28
kismet
fate; destiny LUCK:
| It was simply kismet; they were meant to be together.
29
propitious
presenting favorable conditions; favorable LUCK: propitious weather.
30
serendipity
good fortune; luck LUCK:
| The scientist's discovery was a real case of serendipity.
31
talisman
any amulet or charm LUCK:
32
HARSH-SOOUNDING
cacophony, din, dissonant, raucous, strident,
33
PLEASANT-SOUNDING
euphonious, harmonious, melodious, sonorous
34
sonorous
having a deep pleasant sound:
| a sonorous voice
35
abdicate
to give up power, relinquish:
| The people of the state do not wish to abdicate their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them.
36
abject
utterly hopeless, miserable, humiliating, or wretched:
| abject poverty.
37
averse
having a strong feeling of opposition, antipathy, repugnance, ; opposed:
He is not averse to having a drink now and then.
38
ambidextrous
able to use both hands equally well:
| an ambidextrous surgeon.
39
preamble
an introductory statement; preface:
| The Declaration of Independence had a preamble when it was first written.
40
animadversion
an unfavorable or censorious comment:
| to make animadversions on someone's conduct.
41
animosity
enmity that tends to display itself in action:
| a deep-seated animosity between two sisters; animosity against one's neighbor.
42
equanimity
mental or emotional stability or composure, especially under tension or strain; calmness; equilibrium:
Her equanimity during the ominous trial was astonishing to her husband and family.
43
unanimity
a consensus or undivided opinion, agreed by everyone:
The jury was unanimous in finding him guilty.
The unanimity of the delegates was obvious on the first ballot.
44
anticlimax
letdown/disappointment in thought or emotion:
| After so much preparation, the party was a bit of an anticlimax.
45
subaqueous
existing or situated under water; underwater
46
embellish
to beautify by or as if by ornamentation; ornament; adorn:
| In a seemingly paradoxical fashion, a new technology was used to embellish nature.
47
bellicose
inclined or eager to fight; aggressively hostile; belligerent; pugnacious:
The general made some bellicose statements about his country's military strength.
48
benefactor
donor:
| Every Christmas, the students on scholarships send thank-you cards to their benefactors.
49
biped
a two-footed animal.
50
bifurcate
to divide into two parts:
| A sample of water was taken from the point where the river bifurcates.
51
debonair
courteous, gracious, and having a sophisticated charm:
| a debonair gentleman.
52
bursar/bursary
a treasurer or business officer, especially of a college or university/ the treasury of a monastery.
53
desiccate/Parch
to dry thoroughly; dry up:
| Trees lose their leaves so that they don't desiccate.
54
malleable
capable of being extended or shaped by hammering or by pressure from rollers, adaptable or tractable:
the malleable mind of a child.
55
ABATE
ebb, lapse, let up, moderate, relent, slacken, subside, wane.
56
lapse
become void; fall back into previous pattern:
57
slacken
ABATE to make or become less active, vigorous, intense, etc:
| Economic growth is slackening.
58
subside
ABATE to sink to a low or lower level:
| The violence seems to be subsiding at last.
59
abscond
to leave secretly:
| The thieves intended to abscond with several of the museum's most valuable paintings but failed.'
60
abyss
Extremely deep hole:
| She stood facing the abyss, uncertain whether to turn towards life or to take a final step into the darkness.
61
apotheosize
aggrandize, apotheose, deify, dignify, elevate, ennoble, glorify, idealize, idolize, laud, put on a pedestal, worship:
She is attracted to the idea of violent social disruption but doesn't apotheosize killing for its own sake.
62
exalt
to raise in rank, honor, power, character, quality, etc.; elevate:
He was exalted to the position of president.
63
swell
to increase in size:
| One side of his face had swollen up where he'd been stung.
64
commingle/intermingle/mingle
to mix or mingle together; combine AMALGAMATE:
| The schools regularly commingled funds between accounts.
65
fuse
to combine or blend by melting together; melt AMALGAMATE:
66
nebulous
vague, obscure, ambiguous:
| She has a few nebulous ideas about what she might like to do in the future, but nothing definite.
67
preternatural
out of the ordinary course of nature; exceptional or abnormal:
preternatural powers.
68
incite
to stir, encourage, or urge on; stimulate or prompt to action:
to incite a crowd to riot.
69
pester
to bother persistently with petty annoyances; trouble:
| Don't pester me with your trivial problems.
70
arbitrate
to decide as arbitrator or arbiter; determine:
| to arbitrate a dispute.
71
adjudge
to declare or pronounce formally:
| In October 1990, Mirchandani was adjudged bankrupt.
72
adjudicate
to pronounce or decree by judicial sentence:
| Occasionally, he has to adjudicate on a pensions matter.
73
bygone
past; gone by; earlier; former:
| The faded OLD photograph brought memories of bygone days.
74
fusty
OLD having a stale smell; moldy; musty:
fusty rooms that were in need of a good airing.
old-fashioned or out-of-date, as architecture, furnishings, or the like:
They still live in that fusty, gingerbread house.
75
antediluvian
very OLD, old-fashioned, or out of date; antiquated; primitive:
antediluvian ideas.
76
outmoded
OLD gone out of style; no longer fashionable:
| outmoded styles.
77
stale
OLD not fresh, musty; stagnant, having lost novelty or interest; hackneyed; trite:
a stale joke.
Cake goes stale quickly if it's not covered.
78
dowdy
OLD not stylish; drab; old-fashioned:
| Why do you always wear those dowdy old dresses?
79
passe
OLD old-fashioned:
| Wines from that region were quite popular for a while, but now they're rather passé.
80
devitalize
WEAKEN diminish, debilitate, enervate,
81
unnerve
upset, intimidate, agitate, bewilder:
| he angry look in his eyes unnerved me a lot.
82
dilute
WEAKEN make thinner:
| You need to dilute this before you drink it.
83
rarefy
to make rare or rarer; make less dense: to rarefy a gas to make more refined, spiritual, or exalted:
84
plucky
AUDACIOUS having or showing pluck or courage; brave:
| The drowning swimmer was rescued by a plucky schoolboy.
85
valorous
AUDACIOUS having valor; courageous; valiant; brave:
| The valorous act of the solider in battle earned him great respect.
86
gallant
AUDACIOUS brave, splendid, spirited, noble-minded, or chivalrous:
a gallant knight; a gallant rescue attempt.
87
stout
AUDACIOUS bold, brave, or dauntless, ALSO fat:
| a short, stout man
88
undaunted/dauntless
AUDACIOUS undiminished in courage or valor; not giving way to fear; intrepid: Although outnumbered, he was undaunted.
89
venturesome/venturous
AUDACIOUS having or showing a disposition to undertake risky or dangerous activities; daring:
a venturesome investor; a venturesome explorer.
90
mettlesome
AUDACIOUS spirited; courageous, brave, bold:
| Here she mounts some a mettlesome horse and trains him with d wonderful skill and boldness.
91
valiant
AUDACIOUS boldly courageous; brave; stout-hearted:
| a valiant soldier.
92
palpable
very obvious:
| There was a palpable sense of tension in the crowd.
93
inundate
to overwhelm:
| Laura was inundated with flowers, cards, and other gifts.
94
contemptuous
showing or expressing contempt or disdain; scornful:
| The look she gave him was contemptuous
95
tranquil
quit and peaceful:
| a tranquil garden
96
BANAL
bromidic, shopworn, threadbare, jejune, vapid
97
bromidic
BANAL trite
98
shopworn
BANAL trite; hackneyed:
| Because of the nature of his effort, Gormley necessarily repeats some shopworn tales.
99
threadbare
BANAL meager, scanty, or poor: a threadbare emotional life.
| hackneyed; trite; ineffectively stale: threadbare arguments.
100
vapid
BANALwithout liveliness or spirit; dull or tedious: a vapid party; vapid conversation.
101
BOLSTER
prop, underpin
102
prop
BOLSTER Support,
to prop an old fence;
to prop up an unpopular government.
103
underpin
BOLSTER to prop up or support from below; strengthen:
| He presented the figures to underpin his argument.
104
BOMBASTIC
bloated, declamatory, fustian, grandiose, magniloquent, orotund,
105
fustian
BOMBASTIC inflated or turgid language in writing or speaking:
Fustian can't disguise the author's meager plot.
106
grandiose
BOMBASTIC more complicated or elaborate than necessary; overblown:
a grandiose scheme.
107
magniloquent
speaking or expressed in a lofty or grandiose style; pompous; bombastic; boastful:
It was difficult to listen to the magniloquent speaker especially after finding out that the gift was rescinded.
108
CACOPHONY
chaos, clamor, din, noise, discord,
109
clamor
CACOPHONY a loud uproar, as from a crowd of people:
| the clamor of the crowd at the gates.
110
chide
to express disapproval of; scold; reproach:
| The principal chided the children for their thoughtless pranks.
111
CHAOS
clutter, jumble, muddle, snarl, turmoil
112
turmoil
CHAOS turbulence, disorder, uproar:
| The whole region is in turmoil.
113
CHICANERY
conniving, deviousness, pettifoggery,
114
conniving
CHICANERY To cooperate secretly in wrongdoing:
| They connived to take over the business.
115
devious
CHICANERY departing from the most direct way; circuitous; indirect:
a devious course.
116
pettifog
CHICANERY to practice chicanery of any sort:
117
CONDONE
overlook, pardon, disregard
118
CRESCENDO
steadily increasing in volume or force:
| the crescendo of tension became unbearable.
119
obeisance
deference or homage: The nobles gave obeisance to the new king.
120
parch
to make extremely, excessively, or completely dry, as heat, sun, and wind do.
121
fulmination
DIATRIBE a violent denunciation or censure:
| a sermon that was one long fulmination.
122
jeremiad
DIATRIBE a prolonged lamentation or mournful complaint Tirade:
Unable to control himself at his dog’s funeral, Tim delivered a jeremiad (unparalleled in pet mourning circles) decrying the world’s foremost injustices
123
omniscient
having or seeming to have unlimited knowledge:
| an omniscient narrator.
124
laggard
inclined to waste time and lag behind:
| But the company is saddled with an awful public image as the perennial laggard.
125
tardy
late; behind time; not on time: How tardy were you today?
126
dabbler
DILETTANTE to work at anything in an irregular or superficial manner:
to dabble in literature.
127
cloak
something that covers or conceals; disguise; DISSEMBLE pretense:
He conducts his affairs under a cloak of secrecy.
128
counterfeit
DISSEMBLE made in imitation so as to be passed off fraudulently or deceptively as genuine; not genuine; forged:
counterfeit dollar bills.
129
masquerade
DISSEMBLE disguise:
| She's just a teacher masquerading as an academic.
130
strife
vigorous or bitter conflict, discord, or antagonism:
| to be at strife.
131
magisterial
DOGMATIC imperious; domineering:
| a magisterial tone of command.
132
humbug
DUPE something intended to delude or deceive:
| the usual political humbug
133
beget
ENGENDER to procreate or generate to cause; produce as an effect:
a belief that power begets power.
134
conundrum
ENGIMA anything that puzzles:
| It may be the biggest, but it is far from the only temporal conundrum.
135
tabulate
ENUMERATE to put or arrange in a tabular, systematic, or condensed form; formulate tabularly.
136
fleet
EPHEMERAL passing swiftly; vanishing quickly; transient; transitory:
fleeting beauty; a fleeting glance.
137
foment
to arouse, incite, provoke:
| The song was banned on the grounds that it might foment racial tension.
138
instigate
FOMENT to cause by incitement:
| to instigate a quarrel.
139
effusive
GARRULOUS emotionally excessive; overly demonstrative:
Eruptive behavior has varied from vigorous explosions, accompanied by tephra falls and pyroclastic flows, to effusive lava flows.
140
amorphous
having no fixed form or shape, lacking definite form; having no specific shape; formless:
an amorphous mass of jelly
141
ornery
stubborn:
| I can't do a thing with that ornery mule.
142
bewail
to express deep sorrow for; lament:
| a little child bewailing the loss of her dog.
143
shirk
MALINGER to evade work, duty, etc: to shirk your duties/responsibilities
144
ductile
malleable, pliant:
| Ductile iron pipe shall comply with the requirements listed in this specification section.
145
drone
a person who lives on the labor of others; parasitic loafer:
146
preclude
to prevent the presence, existence, or occurrence of; make impossible:
The insufficiency of the evidence precludes a conviction
147
barricade
to obstruct or block with a barricade:
| barricading the streets to prevent an attack.
148
formidable
causing fear, apprehension, or dread:
a formidable opponent.
onerous, cumbersome:
a formidable task
149
plethora
overabundance; excess: a plethora of advice and a paucity of assistance.
150
perjure
The judge warned the witness not to perjure herself:
| give false testimony
151
decorum
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc:
| Attorneys and parties should conduct themselves with decorum and manners.
152
standoffish
somewhat aloof or reserved; cold and unfriendly:
| The kitty could be called adorable, if a little standoffish.
153
gorge
```
a small canyon.
a gluttonous meal.
something that is swallowed; contents of the stomach.
an obstructing mass: an ice gorge.
to eat or swallow greedily
```
154
narcotic
SOPORIFIC anything that exercises a soothing or numbing effect or influence:
Television is a narcotic for many people.
155
slumberous
SOPORIFIC sleepy; heavy with drowsiness, as the eyelids.
| causing or inducing sleep.
156
somnolent
SOPORIFIC tending to cause sleep:
| a somnolent summer's afternoon
157
blemish
STIGMA to destroy or diminish the perfection of:
| The book is blemished by those long, ineffective descriptions.
158
blot
STIGMA a blemish on a person's character or reputation:
| He had been haunted by a blot on his past.
159
sublime
extremely good, beautiful, or enjoyable:
| the music was so sublime that it transformed the rude audience into accepting.
160
august
SUBLIME inspiring reverence or admiration; of supreme dignity or grandeur; majestic:
an august performance of a religious drama.
161
exasperate
VEX to irritate or provoke to a high degree; annoy extremely:
He was exasperated by the senseless delays.
162
irk
VEX to irritate, annoy, or exasperate:
| It irked him to wait in line.
163
chafe
VEX to irritate; annoy: The dripping of the faucet chafed her nerves.
164
nettle
VEX to irritate, annoy, or provoke:
| He was nettled by her manner.
