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Barron's GRE Verbal Workbook > H > Flashcards

H Flashcards

(68 cards)

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1
Q

habitat

A

n. dwelling place; the area in which an organism lives

The bears’ habitat is being threatened by development.

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2
Q

hackneyed

A

adj. worn out by overuse

The politician used the same hackneyed phrases in every speech.

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3
Q

halcyon

A

adj. calm and peaceful; happy; golden; prosperous

On the eve of the battle the soldier’s mind took him back to the halcyon years before the war.

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4
Q

hallowed

A

adj. holy; sacred

The couple walked through the hallowed battlefield, remembering their son who had died there.

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5
Q

hamlet

A

n. small village

The president was born in a hamlet in Indiana.

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6
Q

hamper

A

v. to obstruct

Economic development has been hampered by a poorly educated work force.

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7
Q

haphazard

A

adj. unplanned, happening by change

The job was done in a haphazard way.

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8
Q

hapless

A

adj. unfortunate, having bad luck

The hapless soldiers were killed by a powerful explosion.

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9
Q

harangue

A

n. long pompous speech; tirade

The old senator launched into a harangue about the good old days.

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10
Q

harbinger

A

n. precursor, sign of something to come

The fall in the stock market is a harbinger of economic decline.

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11
Q

hardy

A

adj. robust, vigorous

The plant is hardy enough to withstand the desert heat.

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12
Q

harrowing

A

adj. extremely distressing, terrifying

We had a harrowing journey by train along the mountainside.

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13
Q

haughty

A

adj. arrogant and condescending

Few of the employees like the haughty manager.

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14
Q

havoc

A

n. widespread destruction; chaos

The explosion caused havoc in the city.

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15
Q

headstrong

A

adj. reckless; insisting on the one’s own way

The mother had her hands full with her headstrong toddler.

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16
Q

heathen

A

adj. pagan; uncivilized and irreligious

The missionary preaches to the heathen people.

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17
Q

hector

A

v. to bully; torment

The bully hectored the boy until the boy began to cry.

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18
Q

hedonism

A

n. pursuit of pleasure as a goal

Brad lived a life of hedonism.

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19
Q

heedful

A

adj. paying close attention; mindful

Visitors should be heedful of the dangers of a big city.

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20
Q

hegemony

A

n. leadership, domination, usually by a country

No one challenges the country’s hegemony in the region.

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21
Q

heinous

A

adj. shocking, wicked, terrible

The heinous crime shocked the town.

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22
Q

Hellenism

A

n. the culture and civilization of ancient Greece

Hellenism had a great influence on all the civilizations in the Mediterranean region.

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23
Q

hemorrhage

A

n. heavy bleeding

Doctors used stitches to stop the hemorrhage.

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24
Q

Herculean

A

adj. calling for great strength or courage

The historian started on the Herculean task of writing a comprehensive history of the world.

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25
heresy
n., opinion contrary to popular belief The church condemned the belief as heresy.
26
heretical
adj. opposed to a established religious teaching The heretical beliefs were condemned by the Church.
27
hermaphrodism
n. a condition in animals and humans in which male and female reproductive organs and secondary sexual characteristics are present in the same individual The word "hermaphrodism" originates from the name of the Greek minor deity, Hermaphroditus.
28
hermeneutic
adj. explaining; interpreting The two literary critics disagree on which of the two approaches is the best hermeneutic approach.
29
hermetic
adj. tightly sealed; magical ]The scholar is studying the hermetic tradition associated with the Egyptian pyramids.
30
heterodox
adj. unorthodox, not widely accepted The newspaper likes to publish letters expressing heterodox views.
31
heterogeneous
adj. composed of unlike parts, different, diverse The school believes in heterogeneous grouping of students.
32
heuristic
adj. helping to learn The science teacher uses models of organic compounds as a heuristic device.
33
hiatus
n. break, interruption, vacation There was a hiatus in the signal, and then it resumed.
34
hidebound
adj. excessively rigid; dry and stiff The students complain that the principal is so hidebound that she won't consider any of their new ideas.
35
hierarchy
n. a series arranged by rank or grade Some people enjoy the challenge of climbing the company hierarchy.
36
hieroglyphics
n. a system of writing in which pictorial symbols represent meaning or sounds; writing or symbols that are difficult to decipher For many years scholars believed that Egyptian hieroglyphics did not represent phonetic characters.
37
hindsight
n. perception of events after they happen In hindsight I should not have bought the stock.
38
hinterland
n. the remote or less developed parts of a country Early American settlers clung to the East coast, leaving the hinterland largely unexplored.
39
hirsute
adj. covered with hair Scientists believe early man was hirsute.
40
histrionics
n. exaggerated emotional behavior calculated for effect; theatrical arts or performances Critics panned the actor's performance as mere histrionics.
41
hoary
adj. very old; whitish or gray from age The hoary poet read the poem he had written as a young man.
42
Hobson's choice
n. a double bind; that is, a situation in which a person must choose between alternatives that are equally unsatisfactory henry Ford famously offered customers Hobson's choice in selecting what color Model-T they wanted: Any color as long as it's black.
43
hoi polloi
n. the common people The billionaire told his son not to mix with the hoi polloi.
44
holistic
adj. emphasizing importance of the whole and interdependence of its parts Only a holistic approach can solve this complex problem.
45
holocaust
n. widespread destruction, usually by fire The bombing caused a holocaust in the city.
46
homage
n. public honor and respect On George Washington's birthday we pay homage to "the father of our nation."
47
homeostasis
n. automatic maintenance by n organism of normal temperature, chemical balance, etc., within itself Various processes help the body to maintain tissue homeostasis.
48
homily
n. sermon; tedious moralizing The minister has the habit of writing his weekly homily on Wednesday morning.
49
homogeneous
adj. composed of identical parts; uniform in composition Our group is homogeneous in terms of age.
50
homogenize
v. to make uniform in composition Many countries are afraid that globalization will homogenize culture.
51
homonym
n. word identical in pronunciation and spelling but different in meaning The word "bear" and the word "bear" are homonyms.
52
hone
v. to sharpen The young writer honed her skills by writing an hour every day.
53
host
n. a great number The bankruptcy of the large company presented the town with a host of problems.
54
hubris
n. overbearing pride; arrogance Hubris and greed contributed to his downfall.
55
humane
adj. merciful, kindly Many people advocate the humane treatment of animals.
56
humanist
n. one who believes in humanism, a system of ideas and values relating to human beings, emphasizing their value and de-emphasizing belief in God The debate was between a Christian and a humanist.
57
husband
v. to farm, manage carefully and thriftily The expedition husbanded their supplies.
58
hybrid
n. something of mixed origin or composition The new vehicle is a hybrid -- part car and part helicopter.
59
hydrological
adj. concerned with water, especially its effects on the Earth Life on Earth is dependent on the hydrological cycle.
60
hyperbole
n. purposeful exaggeration for effect The sports writer uses hyperbole regularly.
61
hyperbolic
adj. relating to purposeful exaggeration for effect The sports writer likes to use hyperbolic language.
62
hyperventilate
v. to breathe abnormally fast The patient was hyperventilating.
63
hypochondria
n. unfounded belief that one is often ill The doctor suspected that her patient was suffering from hypochondria.
64
hypocritical
adj. pretending to be virtuous; deceiving His teacher scolded him for his hypocritical behavior.
65
hypostatize
v. to ascribe physical existence to The human mind seems to have a tendency to hypostatize the self.
66
hypothermia
n. abnormally low body temperature The survivors of the avalanche were treated for hypothermia.
67
hypothesis
n. unproved theory; provisional explanation of facts The scientist is trying to support his hypothesis with evidence.
68
hypothetical
adj. based on assumptions or hypotheses The existence of life on other planets is only hypothetical.

Barron's GRE Verbal Workbook (26 decks)

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