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GRE > Vocab 2 > Flashcards

Vocab 2 Flashcards

1
Q

Accolade

A

An expression of praise

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1
Q

Abate

A

To lessen in intensity or degree

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2
Q

Adulation

A

Excessive praise, intense adoration

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3
Q

Aesthetic

A

Dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful

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4
Q

Ameliorate

A

To make better or more tolerable

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5
Q

Ascetic

A

One who practices rigid self denial, especially as an act of religious devotion

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6
Q

Avarice

A

Greed, especially for wealth

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7
Q

Burgeon

A

To grow rapidly or flourish

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8
Q

Bucolic

A

Rustic and pastoral, characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants

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9
Q

Cacophony

A

Harsh, jarring, discordant sound, dissonance

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10
Q

Castigation

A

Severe criticism or punishment

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11
Q

Catalyst

A

A substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction without itself changing, a person or thing that causes change

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12
Q

Caustic

A

Burning or stinging, causing corrosion

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13
Q

Chary

A

Wary, cautious, sparing
“Most people are chary of allowing themselves to be photographed”

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14
Q

Cogent

A

Appealing forcibly to the mind or reason, convincing
“They put forward cogent arguments for British citizenship”

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15
Q

Complaisance

A

The willingness to comply with the wishes of others

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16
Q

Contentious

A

Argumentative, quarrelsome, causing controversy or disagreement

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17
Q

Contrite

A

Regretful, penitent, seeking forgiveness

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18
Q

Culpable

A

Deserving blame

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19
Q

Dearth

A

Smallness of quantity or number, scarcity, a lack
“There is a dearth of evidence”

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20
Q

Demur

A

To question or oppose, to show reluctance
“Normally she would have accepted the challenge, but she demurred”

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21
Q

Didactic

A

Intended to teach or instruct

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22
Q

Discretion

A

Cautious reserve in speech, ability to make responsible decisions

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23
Q

Disinterested

A

Free of bias or self interest, impartial, having or feeling no interest in something

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24
Q

Dogmatic

A

Expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or improvable principles, inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true

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25
Q

Ebullience

A

The quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings
“the ebullience of happy children”

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26
Q

Eclectic

A

Composed of elements drawn from various sources, a diverse range of sources

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27
Q

Elegy

A

A mournful poem, especially one lamenting the dead

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28
Q

Emollient

A

Soothing- especially to the skin, making less harsh, mollifying, an agent that softens or smooths the skin

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29
Q

Empirical

A

Based on observation or experiment

30
Q

Enigmatic

A

Mysterious, obscure, difficult to understand

31
Q

Ephemeral

A

Brief, fleeting

32
Q

Esoteric

A

Intended for or understood by a small, specific group

33
Q

Eulogy

A

A speech honoring the dead

34
Q

Exonerate

A

To remove blame

35
Q

Facetious

A

Playful, humorous, flippant, using inappropriate humor

36
Q

Fallacy

A

An invalid or incorrect notion, a mistaken belief

37
Q

Furtive

A

Marked by stealth, covert, surreptitious

38
Q

Gregarious

A

Sociable, outgoing, enjoying the company of other people

39
Q

Harangue

A

To deliver a forceful or angry speech, ranting speech or writing

40
Q

Heretical

A

Violating accepted dogma or convention, believing in or practicing religious heresy

41
Q

Hyperbole

A

An exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech

42
Q

Impecunious

A

Lacking funds, without money
“A titled but impecunious family”

43
Q

Incipient

A

Beginning to come into being or to become apparent
“He could feel incipient anger building up”

44
Q

Inert

A

Unmoving, lethargic, sluggish

45
Q

Innocuous

A

Harmless, causing no damage

46
Q

Intransigent

A

Refusing to compromise
“Her father tried persuasion, but she was intransigent”

47
Q

Inveigle

A

To obtain by deception or flattery

48
Q

Morose

A

Sad, sullen, melancholy

49
Q

Odious

A

Evoking intense aversion or dislike

50
Q

Opaque

A

Impenetrable by light, not reflecting light

51
Q

Oscillation

A

The act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm

52
Q

Penurious

A

Penny pinching, excessively thrifty, ungenerous, mean

53
Q

Pernicious

A

Extremely harmful in a way that is not easily seen or noticed

54
Q

Peruse

A

To examine with great care

55
Q

Pious

A

Extremely reverent or devout, showing strong religious devotion

56
Q

Precursor

A

One that precedes and indicates or announces another

57
Q

Preen

A

To dress up, to primp, to groom oneself with elaborate care

58
Q

Prodigious

A

Abundant in size, force, or extent, extraordinary, remarkably impressive

59
Q

Prolific

A

Producing large volumes or amounts, productive

60
Q

Putrefy

A

To rot, to decay and give off a foul odor

61
Q

Quaff

A

To drink deeply

62
Q

Quiescence

A

Stillness, motionlessness, quality of being at rest

63
Q

Redoubtable

A

Awe inspiring, worthy of honor

64
Q

Sanction

A

Authoritative permission or approval, a penalty intended to enforce compliance, to give permission or authority

65
Q

Satire

A

A literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision

66
Q

Squalid

A

Sordid, wretched and dirty as from neglect

67
Q

Stoic

A

Indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain, steadfast

68
Q

Supplant

A

To take the place of, to supersede

69
Q

Torpid

A

Lethargic, sluggish, dormant

70
Q

Ubiquitous

A

Existing everywhere at the same time, constantly encountered, widespread

71
Q

Urbane

A

Sophisticated, refined, elegant

72
Q

Vilify

A

To defame, to characterize harshly

73
Q

Viscous

A

Thick, sticky

GRE (10 decks)

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