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GRE Vocab - 3 > M > Flashcards

M Flashcards

1
Q

macabre

A

gruesome; grisly (Eg: The city morgue is a macabre spot for the uninitiated. )

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2
Q

mace

A

ceremonial staff; clublike medieval weapon (Eg: The Grand Marshal of the parade raised his mace to signal that it was time for the procession to begin. )

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3
Q

macerate

A

soften by soaking in liquid; waste away (Eg: The strawberries had been soaking in the champagn for so long that they had begun to macerate: they )

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4
Q

machiavellian

A

crafty; double-dealing (Eg: I do not think he will be a good embassador because he is not accustomed to the machiavellian )

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5
Q

machinations

A

schemes (Eg: I can see through your wily machinations. )

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6
Q

maculated

A

spotted; stained (Eg: Instead of writing that Gorbachev had a birthmark on his forehead- the pompous young poet sang of the )

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7
Q

madrigal

A

pastoral song (Eg: His program of folk songs included several madrigals which he sang to the accompaniment of a lute. )

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8
Q

maelstrom

A

whirlpool (Eg: The canoe was tossed about in the maelstrom. )

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9
Q

magisterial

A

authoritative; imperious (Eg: The learned doctor laid down the law to his patient in a magisterial tone of voice. )

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10
Q

magnanimity

A

generosity (Eg: Noted for his magnanimity- philanthropist Eugene Lang donated millions to charity. )

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11
Q

magnate

A

person of prominence or influence (Eg: The steel magnate decided to devote more time to city politics. )

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12
Q

magniloquent

A

boastful- pompous (Eg: In their stories of the trial- the reporters ridiculed the magniloquent speeches of the defense attorney. )

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13
Q

magnitude

A

greatness; extent (Eg: It is difficult to comprehend the magnitude of his crime. )

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14
Q

maim

A

mutilate; injure (Eg: The hospital could not take care of all who had been mangled or maimed in the railroad accident. )

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15
Q

maladroit

A

clumsy; bungling (Eg: In his usual maladroit way- he managed to upset the cart and spill the food. )

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16
Q

malaise

A

uneasiness; distress (Eg: She felt a sudden vague malaise when she heard sounds at the door. )

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17
Q

malapropism

A

comic misuse of a word (Eg: When Mrs. Malaprop criticizes Lydia for being ‘‘as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of the Nile-‘’ she )

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18
Q

malcontent

A

person dissatisfied with existing state of affairs (Eg: He was one of the few malcontents in the Congress; he constantly voiced his objections to the Presidential )

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19
Q

malediction

A

curse (Eg: The witch uttered maledictions against her captors. )

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20
Q

malefactor

A

criminal (Eg: We must try to bring these malefactors to justice. )

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21
Q

malevolent

A

wishing evil (Eg: We must thwart his malevolent schemes. )

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22
Q

malfeasance

A

wrongdoing (Eg: The authorities did not discover the campaign manager’s malfeasance until after he had spent most of the )

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23
Q

malicious

A

dictated by hatred or spite (Eg: The malicious neighbor spread the gossip. )

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24
Q

malign

A

speak evil of; defame (Eg: Because of her hatred of the family- she maligns all who are friendly to them. )

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25
Q

malignant

A

having an evil influence; virulent (Eg: This is a malignant disease; we must have to use drastic measures to stop its spread. )

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26
Q

malingerer

A

one who feigns illness to escape duty (Eg: The captain ordered the sergeant to punish all malingerers and force them to work. )

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27
Q

malleable

A

capable of being shaped by pounding (Eg: Gold is a malleable metal. )

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28
Q

malodorous

A

foul-smelling (Eg: The component heap was most malodorous in summer. )

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29
Q

mammal

A

vertebrate animal whose female suckles its young (Eg: Many people regard the whale as a fish and do not realize that it is a mammal. )

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30
Q

mammoth

A

gigantic (Eg: The mammoth corporations of the twentieth century are a mixed blessing )

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31
Q

manacle

A

restrain; handcuff (Eg: The police immediately manacled the prisoner so he could not escape. )

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32
Q

mandate

A

order; charge (Eg: In his inaugural address- the President stated that he had a mandate from the people to seek an end to )

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33
Q

mandatory

A

obligatory (Eg: These instructions are mandatory; any violation will be severely punished. )

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34
Q

mangy

A

shabby; wretched (Eg: We finally thew out the mangy rug that the dog had destroyed. )

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35
Q

maniacal

A

raving mad (Eg: His maniacal laughter frightened us. )

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36
Q

manifest

A

understandable; clear (Eg: His evil intentions were manifest and yet we could not stop him. )

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37
Q

manifestation

A

outward demonstration; indication (Eg: Mozart’s early attraction to the harsichord was the first manifestation of his pronounced musical bent. )

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38
Q

manifesto

A

declaration; statement of policy (Eg: The Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels proclaimed the principles of modern communism. )

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39
Q

manifold

A

numerous; varied (Eg: I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate your manifold kindnesses. )

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40
Q

manipulate

A

operate with the hands; control or change by artful means (Eg: How do you manipulate these puppets? )

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41
Q

mannered

A

affected; not natural (Eg: Attempting to copy the style of his wealthy neighbors- Gatsby adopted a mannered- artificial way of )

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42
Q

manumit

A

emancipate; free from bondage (Eg: Enlightened slave owners were willing to manumit their slaves and thus put an end to the evil slavery in the )

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43
Q

marital

A

pertaining to marriage (Eg: After the publication of his book on marital affairs- he was often consulted by married people on the verge )

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44
Q

maritime

A

bordering on the sea; nautical (Eg: The maritime Provinces depend on the sea for their wealth. )

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45
Q

marked

A

noticeable; targeted for vengeance (Eg: He walked with a marked limp- a souvenir of an old IRA attack. As British ambassador- he knew he was a )

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46
Q

marred

A

damaged; disfigured (Eg: She had to refinish the marred surface of the table. )

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47
Q

marshal

A

put in order (Eg: At a debate tournament- extemporaneous speakers have only a minute or two to marshal their thoughts )

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48
Q

marsupial

A

one of a family of mammals that nurse their offspring in a pouch (Eg: The most common marsupial in North America is the opposum. )

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49
Q

martial

A

warlike (Eg: The sound of marital music was always inspiring to the young poet. )

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50
Q

martinet

A

strict disciplinarian (Eg: The commanding officer was a martinet who observed each regulation to the ltter. )

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51
Q

masochist

A

person who enjoys his own pain (Eg: The masochist begs- ‘‘Hit me.’’ The sadist smiles and says- ‘‘I won’t.’’ )

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52
Q

masticate

A

chew (Eg: We must masticate our food carefully and slowly in order to avoid digestive disorders. )

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53
Q

materialism

A

preoccupation with physical comforts and things (Eg: By its nature- materialism is opposed to idealism- for where the materialist emphasizes the needs of the )

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54
Q

maternal

A

motherly (Eg: )

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55
Q

matriarch

A

woman who rules a family or larger social group (Eg: The matriarch ruled her gypsy tribe with a firm hand. )

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56
Q

martrix

A

point of origin; array of numbers or algebraic symbols; mold or die (Eg: Some historians claim the Nile Valley was the matrix of the Western civilization. )

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57
Q

maudlin

A

effusively sentimental (Eg: I do not like such maudlin pictures. I call them tearjerkers. )

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58
Q

maul

A

handle roughly (Eg: The rock star was mauled by his overexcited fans. )

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59
Q

mausoleum

A

monumental tomb (Eg: His body was placed in the family mausolem. )

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60
Q

mauve

A

pale purple (Eg: The mauve tint in the lilac bush was another indication that spring had finally arrived. )

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61
Q

maverick

A

rebel; nonconformist (Eg: To the masculine literary establishment- George Sand with her insistence on wearing trousers and smoking )

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62
Q

mawkish

A

sickening; insipid (Eg: Your mawkish sighs fill me with disgust. )

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63
Q

maxim

A

proverb; a truth pithily stated (Eg: Aesop’s fables illustrate moral maxims. )

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64
Q

mayhem

A

injury to the body (Eg: The riot was marked not only by mayhem- with its attendant loss of life and limb- but also by arson and )

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65
Q

meager

A

scanty; inadequate (Eg: His salary was far too meager for him to afford to buy a new car. )

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66
Q

mealymouthed

A

indirect speech; hypocritical; evasive (Eg: Rather than tell Jill directly what he disliked- Jack made a few mealymouthed comments and tried to change )

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67
Q

meander

A

to wind or turn in its course (Eg: It is difficult to sail up this stream because of the way it meanders through the countryside. )

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68
Q

meddlesome

A

interfering (Eg: He felt his marriage was suffering because of his meddlesome mother-in-law. )

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69
Q

mediate

A

settle a dispute through the services of an outsider (Eg: Let us mediate out differences rather than engage in a costly strike. )

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70
Q

mediocre

A

ordinary; commonplace (Eg: We were disappointed because he gave a rather mediocre performance in this role. )

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71
Q

meditation

A

reflection; thought (Eg: She reached her decision only after much meditation. )

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72
Q

medley

A

mixture (Eg: The band played a medley of Gershwin tunes. )

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73
Q

meek

A

submissive; patient and long-suffering (Eg: Mr. Barrett never expected his meek daughter would dare to defy him by eloping with her suitor. )

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74
Q

megalomania

A

mania for doing grandiose things (Eg: Developers who spend millions trying to build the world’s tallest skyscraper suffer from megalomania. )

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75
Q

melee

A

fight (Eg: The captain tried to ascertain the cause of the melee that had broken out among the crew members. )

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76
Q

mellifluous

A

flowing smoothly; smooth (Eg: Italian is a mellifluous language. )

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77
Q

memento

A

token; reminder (Eg: Take this book as a memento of your visit. )

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78
Q

memorialize

A

commemorate (Eg: Let us memorialize his great contribution by dedicating this library in his honor. )

79
Q

mendacious

A

lying; false (Eg: He was pathological liar- and his friends learned to discount his mendacious stories. )

80
Q

mendicant

A

beggar (Eg: From the moment we left the ship- we were surrounded by mendicants and peddlers. )

81
Q

menial

A

suitable for sevants; low (Eg: I cannot understand why a person of your ability and talent should engage in such menial activities. )

82
Q

mentor

A

counselor; teacher (Eg: During this very trying period- she could not have had a better mentor- for the teacher was sympathetic )

83
Q

mercantile

A

concerning trade (Eg: I am more interested in the opportunites available in the mercantile field than I am in those in the legal )

84
Q

mercenary

A

motivated solely by money or gain (Eg: ‘‘I’m not in this war because I get my kicks waving flags-‘’ said the mercenary soldier. ‘‘I’m in it for the )

85
Q

mercurial

A

fickle; changing (Eg: He was of a mercurial temperament and therefore unpredictable. )

86
Q

meretricious

A

flashy; tawdry; falsely attractive (Eg: Her jewels were inexpensive but not meretricious. )

87
Q

merger

A

combination (of two business corporations) (Eg: When the firm’s president married the director of financial planning- the office joke was that it wasn’t a )

88
Q

mesmerize

A

hypnotize (Eg: The incessant drone seemed to mesmerize him and place him in a trance. )

89
Q

metallurgical

A

pertaining to the art of removing metals from ores (Eg: During the course of his metallurgical research- the scientist developed a steel alloy of tremendous )

90
Q

metamorphosis

A

change of form (Eg: The metamorphosis of caterpillar to butterfly is typical of many such changes in animal life. )

91
Q

metaphor

A

implied comparison (Eg: ‘‘He soared like an eagle’’ is an example of a simile; ‘‘He is an eagle in flight-‘’ is a metaphor. )

92
Q

metaphysical

A

pertaining to speculative philosophy (Eg: The modern poets have gone back to the fanciful poems of the metaphysical poets of the seventeenth )

93
Q

mete

A

measure; distribute (Eg: He tried to be impartial in his efforts to mete out justice. )

94
Q

meteoric

A

swift; momentarily brilliant (Eg: We all wondered at his meteoric rise to fame. )

95
Q

methodical

A

systematic (Eg: An accountant must be methodical and maintain order among his financial records. )

96
Q

meticulous

A

excessively careful (Eg: He was meticulous in checking his accounts and never made mistakes. )

97
Q

metropolis

A

large city (Eg: Every evening this terminal is filled with the thousands of commuters who are going from this metropolis )

98
Q

mettle

A

courage; spirit (Eg: When challenged by the other horses in the race- the thoroughbred proved its mettle by its determination )

99
Q

miasma

A

swamp gas; heavy- vaporous atmosphere- often emanating from decaying matter; pervasive (Eg: corrupting influence )

100
Q

microcosm

A

small world (Eg: In the microcosm of our rural village- we find illustrations of all the evils that beset the universe. )

101
Q

migrant

A

changing its habitat; wandering (Eg: These migrant birds return every spring. )

102
Q

migratory

A

wandering (Eg: The return of the migratory birds to the northern sections of this country is a harbinger of spring. )

103
Q

milieu

A

environment; means of expression (Eg: His milieu is watercolors- although he has produced excellent oil paintings and lithographs. )

104
Q

militant

A

combative; bellicose (Eg: Althoughat this time he was advocating a policy of neutrality- one could usually find him adopting a more )

105
Q

militate

A

work against (Eg: Your record of lateness and absence will militate against your chances of promotion. )

106
Q

millenium

A

thousand-year period; period of happiness and prosperity (Eg: I do not expect the milennium to come during my lifetime. )

107
Q

mimicry

A

imitation (Eg: Her gift for mimicry was so great that her friends said that she should be in the theater. )

108
Q

minatory

A

menacing; threatening (Eg: Jabbing a minatory forefinger at Dorothy- the Wicked Witch cried- ‘‘I’ll get you- and your little dog- too!’’ )

109
Q

mincing

A

affectedly dainty (Eg: Yum-Yum walked across the stage with mincing steps. )

110
Q

minion

A

a servile dependent (Eg: He was always accompanied by several of his minions because he enjoyed their subservience and flattery. )

111
Q

minuscule

A

extremely small (Eg: Why should I involve myself with a project with so minuscule a chance for success? )

112
Q

minute

A

extremely small (Eg: The twins resembled one another closely; only minute differences set them apart. )

113
Q

minutiae

A

petty details (Eg: She would have liked to ignore the minutiae of daily living. )

114
Q

mirage

A

unreal reflection; optical illusion (Eg: The lost prospector was fooled by a mirage in the desert. )

115
Q

mire

A

entangle; stick in swampy ground (Eg: Their rear wheels became mired in mud. )

116
Q

mirth

A

merriment; laughter (Eg: Sober Malvolio found Sir Toby’s mirth improper. )

117
Q

misadventure

A

mischance; ill luck (Eg: The young explorer met death by misadventure. )

118
Q

misanthrope

A

one who hates mankind (Eg: We thought the hermit was a miantrope because he shunned our society. )

119
Q

misapprehension

A

error; misunderstanding (Eg: To avoid msapprehension- I am going to ask all of you to repeat the instructions I have given. )

120
Q

miscellany

A

mixture of writings on various subjects (Eg: This is an interesting miscellany of nineteenth-century prose and poetry. )

121
Q

mischance

A

ill luck (Eg: By mischance- he lost his week’s salary. )

122
Q

misconstrue

A

interpret incorrectly; misjudge (Eg: She took the passage seriously rather than humourously because she misconstrued the author’s ironic tone. )

123
Q

miscreant

A

wretch; villain (Eg: His kindness to the miscreant amazed all of us who had expected to hear severe punishment pronounced. )

124
Q

misdemeanor

A

minor crime (Eg: The culprit pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor rather than face trial for a felony. )

125
Q

miserly

A

stingy; mean (Eg: The miserly old man hoarded his coins not out of prudence but out of greed. )

126
Q

misgivings

A

doubts (Eg: Hamlet described his misgivings to Horatio but decided to fence with Laertes despite his foreboding of )

127
Q

mishap

A

accident (Eg: With a little care you could have avoided this mishap. )

128
Q

misnomer

A

wrong name; incorrect designation (Eg: His tyrannical conduct proved to all that his nickname- King Eric the Just- was a misnomer. )

129
Q

misogamy

A

hatred of marriage (Eg: He remained a bachelor not because of misogamy but because of ill fate: his fiancee died before the )

130
Q

misogynist

A

hater of women (Eg: She accused him of being a misogynist because he had been a bachelor all his life. )

131
Q

missile

A

object to be thrown or projected (Eg: Scientists are experimenting with guided missiles. )

132
Q

missive

A

letter (Eg: The ambassador received a missive from the Secretary of State. )

133
Q

mite

A

very small object or creature; small coin (Eg: Gnats are annoying mites that sing. )

134
Q

mitigate

A

appease (Eg: Nothing he did could mitigate her wrath; she was unforgiving. )

135
Q

mnemonic

A

pertaining to memory (Eg: He used mnemonic tricks to master new words. )

136
Q

mobile

A

movable; not fixed (Eg: The mobile blood bank operated by the Red Cross visited our neighborhood today. )

137
Q

mode

A

prevailing style (Eg: She was not used to their lavish mode of living. )

138
Q

modicum

A

limited quantity (Eg: Although his story is based on a modicum of truth- most of the events he describes are fictitious. )

139
Q

modish

A

fashionable (Eg: She always discarded all garments that were no longer modish. )

140
Q

modulation

A

toning down; changing from one key to another (Eg: When we she spoke- it was with quiet modulation of voice. )

141
Q

mogul

A

powerful person (Eg: The oil moguls made great profits when the price of gasoline rose. )

142
Q

molecule

A

the smallest particle (one or more atoms) of a substance that has all the properties of that (Eg: substance )

143
Q

mollify

A

soothe (Eg: We tried to mollify the hysterical child by promising her many gifts. )

144
Q

mollycoddle

A

pamper; indulge excessively (Eg: Don’t mollycoddle the boy- Maud! You’ll spoil him. )

145
Q

molt

A

shed or cast off hair or feathers (Eg: The male robin molted in the spring. )

146
Q

molten

A

melted (Eg: The city of Pompeii was destroyed by volcanic ash rather than by molten lava flowing from Mount )

147
Q

momentous

A

very important (Eg: On this momentous occasion- we must be very solemn. )

148
Q

momentum

A

quantity of motion of a moving body; impetus (Eg: The car lost momentum as it tried to ascend the steep hill. )

149
Q

monarchy

A

government under a single hereditary ruler with varying degrees of power (Eg: England today remains a monarchy. )

150
Q

monastic

A

related to monks (Eg: Wanting to live a religious life- he took his monastic vows. )

151
Q

monetary

A

pertaining to money (Eg: Jane held the family purse strings: she made all monetary decisions affecting the household. )

152
Q

monochromatic

A

having only one color (Eg: Most people who are color blind actually can distinguish several colors; some- however- have a truly )

153
Q

monolithic

A

solidly uniform; unyielding (Eg: Knowing the importance of appearing resolute- the patriots sought to present a monolithic front. )

154
Q

monotheism

A

belief in one God (Eg: Abraham was the first to proclaim his belief in monotheism. )

155
Q

monotony

A

sameness leading to boredom (Eg: He took a clerical job- but soon grew to hate the monotony of his daily routine. )

156
Q

monumental

A

massive (Eg: Writing a dictionary is a monumental task. )

157
Q

moodiness

A

fits of depression or gloom (Eg: We could not discover the cause of her recurrent moodiness. )

158
Q

moratorium

A

legal delay of payment (Eg: If we declare a moratorium and delay collection of debts for six months- I am sure the farmers will be able )

159
Q

morbid

A

given to unwholesome thought; gloomy (Eg: These morbid speculations are dangerous; we must lighten our spirits by emphasizing more pleasant )

160
Q

mordant

A

biting; sarcastic; stinging (Eg: Actors feared the critic’s mordant pen. )

161
Q

mores

A

customs (Eg: The mores of Mexico are those of Spain with some modifications. )

162
Q

moribund

A

at the point of death (Eg: The doctors called the family to the bedside of the moribund patient. )

163
Q

morose

A

ill-humored; sullen (Eg: When we first meet Hamlet- we find him morose and depressed. )

164
Q

mortician

A

undertaker (Eg: The mortician prepared the corpse for burial. )

165
Q

mortify

A

humiliate; punish the flesh (Eg: She was so mortified by her blunder that she ran to her room in tears. )

166
Q

mosaic

A

picture made of smell- colorful inlaid tiles (Eg: The mayor compared the ciry to a beautiful mosaic made up of people of every race and religion on earth. )

167
Q

mote

A

small speck (Eg: The tiniest mote in the eye is very painful. )

168
Q

motif

A

theme (Eg: This simple motif runs throughout the score. )

169
Q

motility

A

ability to move spontaneously (Eg: Certain organisms exhibit remarkable motility; motile spores- for example- may travel for miles before )

170
Q

motley

A

parti-colored; mixed (Eg: The captain had gathered a motley crew to sail the vessel. )

171
Q

mottled

A

spotted (Eg: When he blushed- his face took on a mottled hue. )

172
Q

mountebank

A

charlatan; boastful pretender (Eg: The patent medicine man was a mountebank. )

173
Q

muddle

A

confuse; mix up (Eg: His thoughts were muddled and chaotic. )

174
Q

muggy

A

warm and damp (Eg: August in New York City is often muggy. )

175
Q

mulct

A

defraud a person of something (Eg: The lawyer was accused of trying to mulct the boy of his legacy. )

176
Q

multifarious

A

varied; greatly diversified (Eg: A career woman and mother- she was constantly busy with the multifarious activities of her daily life. )

177
Q

multiform

A

having many forms (Eg: Snowflakes are multiform but always hexagonal. )

178
Q

multilingual

A

having many languages (Eg: Because they are bordered by so many countries- the Swiss people are multilingual. )

179
Q

multiplicity

A

state of being numerous (Eg: He was appalled by the multuplicity of details he had to complete before setting out on his mission. )

180
Q

mundane

A

worldly as opposed to spiritual (Eg: He was concerned only with mundane matters- especially the daily stock market quotations. )

181
Q

munificent

A

very generous (Eg: The munificent gift was presented to the bride by her rich uncle. )

182
Q

murkiness

A

darkness; gloom (Eg: The murkiness and fog of the waterfront that evening depressed me. )

183
Q

muse

A

ponder (Eg: For a moment he mused about the beauty of the scene- but his thought soon changed as he recalled his )

184
Q

musky

A

having the odor of musk (Eg: She left a trace of musky perfume behind her. )

185
Q

muster

A

gather; assemble (Eg: Washington mustered his forces at Trenton. )

186
Q

musty

A

stale; spoiled by age (Eg: The attic was dark and musty. )

187
Q

mutable

A

changing in form; fickle (Eg: His opinion were mutable and easily influenced by anyone who had any powers of persuasion. )

188
Q

muted

A

silent; muffled; toned down (Eg: In the funeral parlor- the mourners’ voices had a muted quality. )

189
Q

mutilate

A

maim (Eg: The torturer threatened to mutilate his victim. )

190
Q

mutinous

A

unruly; rebellious (Eg: The captain had to use force to quiet his mutinous crew. )

191
Q

myopic

A

nearsighted (Eg: In thinking only of your present needs and ignoring the future- you are being rather myopic. )

192
Q

myriad

A

very large number (Eg: myriads of mosquitoes from the swamps invaded our village every twilight. )

193
Q

mutter

A

murmur or grumble (Eg: The child muttered at the doll. )

194
Q

millinery

A

person who makes or sells women’s hats (Eg: The millinery displayed fashionable hats in the street where many women passed by. )

GRE Vocab - 3 (5 decks)

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