Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

GRE - Words I Didn't Know! > March 5, 2016 > Flashcards

March 5, 2016 Flashcards

(50 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

Vacillate

A

<b>verb:</b> alternate or waver between different opinions or actions; be indecisive.

<i>Because I <b>vacillated</b> between teaching and journalism, my major in college was undeclared.</i>

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Contentious

A

<b>adjective:</b> causing or likely to cause an argument; controversial.

<i>A <b>contentious</b> issue that caused a lot of unrest.</i>

<b>adjective:</b> involving heated argument.

<i>The candidate’s stance on abortion will be a <b>contentious</b> topic among voters.</i>

<b>adjective:</b> (of a person) given to arguing or provoking argument.

<i>While my grandfather was adored by many people, quite a few others found him to be a <b>contentious</b> man for always arguing.</i>

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Disputatious

A

<b>adjective:</b> fond of or causing heated arguments.

<i>Since my <b>disputatious</b> neighbors argue loudly at night, the police are frequent visitors to their home.</i>

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Polemical

A

<b>adjective:</b> of, relating to, or involving strongly critical, controversial, or disputatious writing or speech.

<i>The elderly man wrote a <b>polemical</b> essay that was strongly critical of today’s society and dependence on technology.</i>

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Amply

A

<b>adverb:</b> in an ample manner; sufficiently or abundantly

<i>Upon realizing his mistake, he apologized <b>amply</b> for his error.</i>

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Fawning

A

<b>adjective:</b> displaying exaggerated flattery or affection; obsequious.

<i>Professor Lockhart’s students looked at him with <b>fawning</b> adoration.</i>

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Solipsistic

A

<b>adjective:</b> of or characterized by solipsism, or the theory that only the self exists, or can be proved to exist.

<i>An example of <b>solipsistic</b> is a belief that you can only know what you have personally experienced.</i>

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Ineffable

A

<b>adjective:</b> incapable of being expressed or described in words; inexpressible.

<i>After walking into her own surprise birthday party, she experienced an <b>ineffable</b> joy.</i>

<b>adjective:</b> not to be spoken because of its sacredness; unutterable:

<i>The <b>ineffable</b> name of he-who-must-not-be-named.</i>

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Presume

A

<b>verb:</b> to take for granted, assume, or suppose.

<i>I <b>presume</b> you’re tired after your long drive.</i>

<b>verb:</b> to act or proceed with unwarrantable or impertinent boldness.

<i>Don’t <b>presume</b> on their hospitality.</i>

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Plumb

A

<b>verb:</b> to examine closely in order to discover or understand.

<i>The psychologist <b>plumbed</b> the patient’s thoughts to understand why she was feeling depressed.</i>

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Erudite

A

<b>adjective:</b> characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly.

<i>An <b>erudite</b> professor; an erudite commentary.</i>

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Waxing

A

<b>verb:</b> to increase in extent, quantity, intensity, power, etc.

<i>Her studying became <b>waxing</b> as she became more determined to do well on the GRE.</i>

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Byzantine

A

<b>adjective:</b> complex or intricate.

<i>A deal requiring <b>Byzantine</b> financing.</i>

<b>adjective:</b> characterized by elaborate scheming and intrigue, especially for the gaining of political power or favor.

<i>Trump had many <b>Byzantine</b> methods to gain presidential votes by appealing to racists.</i>

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Reclusive

A

<b>adjective:</b> shut off or apart from the world; living in seclusion, often for religious reasons.

<i>Boo Radley was a <b>reclusive</b> man who stayed in his home and did not interact with others outside.</i>

<b>adjective:</b> characterized by seclusion; solitary.

<i>The couple went to a <b>reclusive</b> island for their honeymoon where they could be alone.</i>

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Irascible

A

<b>adjective:</b> easily provoked to anger; very irritable.

<i>We kept our interactions with Darrell short as to not provoke the <b>irascible</b> man.</i>

<b>adjective:</b> characterized or produced by anger.

<i>He gave an <b>irascible</b> response to whatever innocuous statement we said to him.</i>

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Enigma

A

<b>noun:</b> a puzzling or inexplicable occurrence or situation.

<i>Amelia Earhart’s disappearance is an <b>enigma</b> that has given rise to much speculation.</i>

<b>noun:</b> a person of puzzling or contradictory character.

<i>To me he has always been an <b>enigma</b>, one minute completely insensitive, the next moved to tears.</i>

<b>noun:</b> a saying, question, picture, etc., containing a hidden meaning; riddle.

<i>The most common <b>enigmatic</b> question: which came first, the chicken or the egg?</i>

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Demonstrative

A

<b>adjective:</b> characterized by or given to open exhibition or expression of one’s emotions, attitudes, etc., especially of love or affection.

<i>She wished her fiancé were more <b>demonstrative</b> and showed more affection.</i>

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Oblique

A

<b>adjective:</b> neither perpendicular nor parallel to a given line or surface; slanting; sloping.

<i>The Jenga tower became so <b>oblique</b> that it eventually collapsed.</i>

<b>adjective:</b> indirectly stated or expressed; not straightforward.

<i>Sally scored a 1 on her AWA Issue essay because her argument did not have a clear point, making her thesis <b>oblique</b>.</i>

<b>adjective:</b> indirectly aimed at or reached, as ends or results; deviously achieved.

<b>adjective:</b> morally, ethically, or mentally wrong; underhand; perverse.

<i>The gypsies used <b>oblique</b> maneuvers to scam tourists of their money and possessions.</i>

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Eviscerate

A

<b>verb:</b> to remove the entrails from; disembowel:

<i>After he hunted the boar, he <b>eviscerated</b> it of its entrails before roasting it.</i>

<b>verb:</b> to deprive of vital or essential parts.

<i>To de-fund Planned Parenthood clinics <b>eviscerates</b> many women’s access to female healthcare.</i>

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Par

A

<b>noun:</b> an equality in value or standing; a level of equality.

<i>The gains and the losses are on a <b>par</b>.</i>

<b>noun:</b> an average, usual, or normal amount, degree, quality, condition, standard, or the like.

<i>His performance was on <b>par</b> with the standard.</i>

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Emend

Study These Flashcards
A

<b>verb:</b> to edit or change (a text).

<i>Lawmakers had to <b>emend</b> faulty textual areas of the bill so that it was clearer.</i>

<b>verb:</b> to free from faults or errors; correct.

<i>The English teacher <b>emended</b> her personal statement after noticing grammatical errors.</i>

22
Q

Panglossian

Study These Flashcards
A

<b>adjective:</b> characterized by or given to extreme optimism, especially in the face of unrelieved hardship or adversity.

<i>She held a <b>Panglossian</b> attitude despite being caught in the rain without an umbrella, forgetting her lunch at home, and having her car break down.</i>

23
Q

Mordant

Study These Flashcards
A

<b>adjective:</b> sharply caustic or sarcastic, as wit or a speaker; biting.

<i>Johanna from District 7 was known for her <b>mordant</b> and difficult-to-like personality. This made it difficult for Katniss to trust her as an ally.</i>

24
Q

Caustic

Study These Flashcards
A

<b>adjective:</b> severely critical or sarcastic.

<i>The emotionally abusive boyfriend made a <b>caustic</b> remark about the girl’s worth.</i>

25
Smolder
verb: to exist or continue in a suppressed state or without outward demonstration. Though he tried not to show it, his hatred smoldered beneath a forced politeness.
26
Arcane
adjective: known or understood by very few; mysterious; secret; obscure; esoteric. She knew a lot about Sanskrit grammar and other arcane matters.
27
Diminutive
adjective: small; little; tiny. Derek Zoolander criticized the diminutive building model, exclaiming it was a "center for ants!"
28
Highfalutin
adjective: pompous; bombastic; haughty; pretentious. The hipster delivered a highfalutin speech about how he only drinks craft beers over large-scale corporate brews.
29
Esoteric
adjective: understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest; recondite. It was poetry full of esoteric allusions only understood by poetry enthusiasts. adjective: private; secret; confidential. Adele kept her personal, esoteric side away from mass media attention.
30
Jettison
verb: to throw off (something) as an obstacle or burden; discard. He jettisoned his love for music by casting aside his passion for music and throwing out his instruments.
31
Knotty
adjective: involved, intricate, or difficult. She found thisknotty GRE problem took too much time to solve, she decided to skip it.
32
Feverish
adjective: excited, restless, or uncontrolled, as if from fever. Fans exhibited a feverish roar when the Chicago Cubs won the World Series.
33
Queasy
adjective: uneasy or uncomfortable, as feelings, the conscience, etc. Brittany felt queasy when she had to roleplay a recruitment script in front of her P.I. on the spot.
34
Ebb
noun: a flowing backward or away; decline or decay. Her interest in math began to ebb as she started to become bored.
35
Staid
adjective: fixed, settled, or permanent. The phrase "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" may parallel with teaching a staid old man to use Netflix as opposed to using VHS videos.
36
Colorful
adjective: richly eventful or picturesque. A colorful historical period.
37
Insatiable
adjective: not satiable; incapable of being satisfied or appeased. Her insatiable hunger for knowledge caused her to read every book in the library.
38
Eminent
adjective: (person or thing) high in station, rank, or repute; prominent; distinguished. Leonardo's eminent performance for The Revenant gave him his first Oscars win.
39
Garrulous
adjective: excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, especially about trivial matters. The award-winner delivered a garrulous and boring speech.
40
Forlorn
adjective: desolate or dreary; unhappy or miserable, as in feeling, condition, or appearance. She looked forlorn after finding out her twin brother had died.
41
Bumbling
adjective: liable to make awkward blunders.; clumsily incompetent Lucy was a bumbling housewife who was quick to make blunders and messing up all her tasks.
42
Forsake
verb: to quit or leave entirely; abandon; desert. She has forsaken her country for an island in the South Pacific.
43
Equivocation
noun: the use of equivocal or ambiguous expressions, especially in order to mislead or hedge; prevarication.
44
Discernment
noun: the faculty of discerning; discrimination; acuteness of judgment and understanding.
45
Scholarship
noun: learning; knowledge acquired by study; the academic attainments of a scholar.
46
Bravura
noun: a display of daring; brilliant performance. Leondaro di Caprio's scene performance in Django where he cut his hand was a bravura of his daring performance.
47
Virility
noun: the state or quality of being virile; manly character, vigor, or spirit; masculinity.
48
Unwittingly
adjective: inadvertent; unintentional; accidental. She unwittingly helped out the people she hated.
49
Trepidation
noun: trembling or quivering movement; tremor; tremulous fear, alarm, or agitation; perturbation. You can tell she faced trepidation by seeing her shaking hands as she delivered her public speech.
50
Shrift
noun: absolution or remission of sins granted after confession and penance.

GRE - Words I Didn't Know! (1 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions