reverse common words - 3

Question 1

adjective: working in a subtle but destructive way

• Plaque is insidious: we cannot see it, but each day it eats away at our enamel, causing cavities and other dental problems.
• High blood pressure is an insidious condition which has few symptoms.

Answer 1

insidious

Question 2

verb: make something bad better

“Three Cups of Tea” tells the story of western man who hopes to ameliorate poverty and the lack of education in Afghanistan.

Answer 2

ameliorate

Question 3

noun: an absurd presentation of something; a mockery

What I expected to be an intelligent, nuanced historical documentary turned out to be a poorly-produced travesty of the form.

Answer 3

travesty

Question 4

noun: fanatical patriotism

North Korea maintains intense control over its population through a combination of jingoism and cult of personality.

Answer 4

jingoism

Question 5

adjective: tending to betray

Even though Jesse James was an outlaw, his killer, Robert Ford, is remembered more for his treacherous actions than for eliminating a criminal and murderer.

adjective: dangerously unstable and unpredictable

The bridge built from twine and vine is treacherous to walk across, and so I think I will stay put right here.

Answer 5

treacherous

Question 6

verb: place side by side for contrast

• The appeal of her paintings comes from a classical style which is juxtaposed with modern themes.
• The exhibition juxtaposes Picasso’s early drawings with some of his later works.

Answer 6

juxtapose

Question 7

adjective: characterized by or characteristic of exceptionally early development or maturity (especially in mental aptitude)

Though only seven years old, she was a precocious chess prodigy, able to beat players twice her age.

Answer 7

precocious

Question 8

adjective: unusual or different from what is around or from what is generally happening:

• The new computer looked incongruous in the dark book-filled library.
  seem incongruous
• It seems incongruous to have a woman as the editor of a men’s magazine.

Answer 8

incongruous

Question 9

adjective: being essentially equal to something

In many situations, remaining silent is tantamount to admitting guilt, so speak to prove your innocence.

Answer 9

tantamount

Question 10

adjective: discontented as toward authority

After watching his superior take rations from the soldiers, he quickly became disaffected and rebelled.

Answer 10

disaffected

Question 11

adjective: having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy

The haughty manager didn’t believe that any of his subordinates could ever have an insight as brilliant as his own.

Answer 11

haughty

Question 12

verb: make clearer and easier to understand

Youtube is great place to learn just about anything–an expert elucidates finer points so that even a complete novice can learn.

Answer 12

elucidate

Question 13

verb: take the place or move into the position of

For many, a cell phone has supplanted a traditional phone; in fact, most 20-somethings don’t even have a traditional phone anymore.

Answer 13

supplant

Question 14

adjective: stubbornly resistant to authority or control

Used to studious high school students, Martha was unprepared for the refractory Kindergarteners who neither sat still nor listened to a single word she said.

Answer 14

refractory

Question 15

noun: an absence of emotion or enthusiasm

Widespread apathy among voters led to a very small turnout on election day.

Answer 15

apathy

Question 16

verb: to make someone who is angry less angry; placate

In the morning, Janine was unable to mollify Harry, if he happened to become angry, unless he’d had his cup of coffee.

Answer 16

mollify

Question 17

noun: distinctive and showy elegance

Jim, with his typical panache, came to the wedding reception with a top hat and cane.

Answer 17

panache

Question 18

adjective: found in the ordinary course of events

Phil gets so involved thinking about Aristotle’s arguments that he totally forgets quotidian concerns, such as exercising and eating regularly.

Answer 18

quotidian

Question 19

adjective: so small as to be meaningless; insignificant

The GRE tests cumulative knowledge, so if you cram the night before it is, at best, likely to only have a negligible impact on your score.

Answer 19

negligible

Question 20

adjective: not able to be changed

Taxes are one of the immutable laws of the land, so there is no use arguing about paying them.

Answer 20

immutable

Question 21

adjective: firm and dependable especially in loyalty

No longer a staunch supporter of the movement, Todd now will openly question whether its goals are worthwhile.

Answer 21

staunch

Question 22

verb: describe in detail

After a brief summary of proper swimming technique, the coach delineated the specifics of each stroke, spending 30 minutes alone on the backstroke.

Answer 22

delineate

Question 23

adjective: stubbornly unyielding

Even the most tenacious advocates for gun ownership must admit some of the dangers that firearms present.

Answer 23

tenacious

Question 24

verb: be a sign or indication of; have as a meaning

Even if the text is not visible, the red octagon denotes “stop” to all motorists in America.

Answer 24

denote

Question 25

verb: cleverly find a way out of one's duties or obligations One way of circumventing the GRE is to apply to a grad school that does not require GRE scores.

Answer 25

circumvent

Question 26

verb: 1) to pull off a plan or scheme, usually through skill or trickery 2) to invent and/or make a device or other object in a clever and possibly unusual way: - Despite a low GPA, he contrived to get into college, going so far as to write his own glowing letters of recommendation. - Do you think you could contrive something for hanging my clothes on until the new closet is ready?

Answer 26

contrive

Question 27

adjective: admitting of no doubt or misunderstanding; having only one meaning or interpretation and leading to only one conclusion The President's first statement on the subject was vague and open to competing interpretations, so when he spoke to Congress about the same subject later, he was careful to make his position completely unequivocal.

Answer 27

unequivocal

Question 28

adjective: marked by or showing hopelessness After her third pet dog died, Marcia was simply forlorn: this time even the possibility of buying a new dog no longer held any joy.

Answer 28

forlorn

Question 29

verb: come from; be connected by a relationship of blood, for example Many words in the English language are derived from Latin, including the word "derive." verb: reason by deduction; establish by deduction From the multiple set of footprints in the living room, the investigator derived an important clue: Sheila was not alone in the room at the time of the murder.

Answer 29

derive

Question 30

adjective: traveling from place to place to work Doctors used to be itinerant, traveling between patients' homes. noun: a person who travels from one place to another, usually to work - He lived as an itinerant, earning or begging his bread as he went.

Answer 30

itinerant

Question 31

adjective: comprised of a variety of styles Malala was known for her eclectic tastes in music, one moment dancing to disco the next "air conducting" along to Beethoven's 9th symphony.

Answer 31

eclectic

Question 32

adjective: being in the earliest stages of development; being or involving basic facts or principles I would love to be able to present a fully polished proposal to the board, but right now, our plans for the product are still in the most rudimentary stages.

Answer 32

rudimentary

Question 33

adjective: lasting a very short time The lifespan of a mayfly is ephemeral, lasting from a few hours to a couple of days.

Answer 33

ephemeral

Question 34

adjective: not original but drawing strongly on something already in existence, especially in reference to a creative product (e.g. music, writing, poetry etc.). Because the movies were utterly derivative of other popular movies, they did well at the box office.

Answer 34

derivative

Question 35

verb: contain or include - The rogue wave quickly subsumed the pier and boardwalk, destroying everything in its path. - Soldiers from many different countries have been subsumed into the United Nations peace-keeping force. verb: consider (an instance of something) as part of a general rule or principle Don Quixote of La Mancha subsumes all other modern novels, demonstrating modern literary devices and predating even the idea of a postmodern, metanarrative.

Answer 35

subsume

Question 36

adjective: full of high-spirited delight because of triumph or success My hardwork paid off, and I was jubilant to receive a perfect score on the GRE.

Answer 36

jubilant

Question 37

verb: hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of I thought I would finish writing the paper by lunchtime, but a number of urgent interruptions served to frustrate my plan. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study verb: to make someone feel annoyed or less confident because they cannot achieve what they want:

Answer 37

frustrate

Question 38

noun: a person who holds unorthodox opinions in any field (not merely religion) Though everybody at the gym told Mikey to do cardio before weights, Mikey was a heretic and always did the reverse.

Answer 38

heretic

Question 39

adjective: of a belief that is based on faulty reasoning - The widespread belief that Inuit have forty different words for "snow" has been considered fallacious, based on a single report by Anthropologist Franz Boas. - His argument is based on fallacious reasoning.

Answer 39

fallacious

Question 40

adjective: excessively greedy Since avaricious desire is similar to gluttony or lust--sins of excess--it was listed as one of the seven deadly sins by the Catholic church.

Answer 40

avaricious

Question 41

verb: spread negative information about Todd was noble after the divorce, choosing to say only complimentary things about Barbara, but Barbara did not hesitate to vilify Todd.

Answer 41

vilify

Question 42

adjective: standing above others in quality or position Shakespeare is an eminent author in the English language, but I find his writing uninteresting and melodramatic.

Answer 42

eminent

Question 43

adjective: not inclined towards physical exertion or effort; slow and relaxed As the sun beat down and the temperature climbed higher, we spent a languid week lying around the house.

Answer 43

languid

Question 44

adjective: plausible but false When listening to a politician speak, it is hard to distinguish the spurious claims from the authentic ones.

Answer 44

spurious

Question 45

adjective: wishing to fight or argue Tom said that he was arguing the matter purely for philosophical reasons, but his belligerent tone indicated an underlying anger about the issue.

Answer 45

belligerent

Question 46

adjective: noble and generous in spirit, especially towards a rival or someone less powerful He was a great sportsman: in defeat he was complimentary and in victory he was magnanimous.

Answer 46

magnanimous

Question 47

adjective: marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions While the other employees responded to the bad news in a measured way, Andrew responded in a vehement manner, tipping over his desk and shouting at the top of his lungs.

Answer 47

vehement

Question 48

verb: choose not to consume or take part in (particularly something enjoyable) Considered a health nut, Jessica abstained from anything containing sugar--even chocolate.

Answer 48

abstain

Question 49

adjective: free of deceit At first I thought my niece was guileless, but I then found myself buying her ice cream every time we passed a shop.

Answer 49

guileless

Question 50

adjective: practicing self-denial His ascetic life is the main reason he inspired so many followers, especially since he gave up wealth and power to live in poverty. noun: one who practices great self-denial Historically, ascetics like Gandhi are often considered wise men partially because of their restraint.

Answer 50

ascetic