GRE10 Flashcards by janice yap (2024)

static

having no motion; unchanging; lacking development; N. stasis: stable state

seasonal

of a particular season; Ex. seasonal rise in employment

maxim

proverb; truth pithily stated

revulsion

sudden strong feeling of disgust; sudden violent change of feeling; negative reaction; Ex. revulsion from the scenes of torture

venturesome

(of a person) bold; adventurous; daring; (of an action) risky

rarefied

made less dense (of a gas); V. rarefy: make less dense; N. rarefaction

codify

arrange (laws or rules) as a code; classify; N. code: system of words used instead of ordinary writing; collection of laws, rules, established social customs

restive

impatiently restless (induced by external coercion or restriction); restlessly impatient; obstinately resisting control; Ex. restive horses because of wolves; CF. not a general synonym for `restless’

fitful

spasmodic; intermittent; irregular

tarnish

make or become dull or discolored; N.

vilify

slander; speak evil of; N. vilification

serenity

calmness; placidity; ADJ. serene

prate

talk idly; speak foolishly; boast idly

pacify

soothe; make calm or quiet; subdue; bring peace to

taciturn

habitually silent; talking little

brand

trademark; mark burned on the hide of an animal; mark burned into the flesh of criminals; mark of disgrace; V: mark with a brand; give a lasting bad name; stigmatize; Ex. The press branded him a liar.

elated

filled with excited joy and pride; overjoyed; in high spirits; joyful and proud; Ex. elated crowd; V. elate; N. elation

thrall

slave; bondage; slavery; Ex. Her beauty held him in thrall; CF. enthrall

impotent

weak; ineffective; lacking in physical strength or power

seasonable

occurring at the proper time or season; opportune; Ex. seasonable intervention in the dispute

vigil

keeping watch (during normal sleeping hours); Ex. all-night vigil

quaint

odd in an old-fashioned way; odd; old-fashioned; picturesque

stoop

bend forward and down; lower or debase oneself; fall to a lower standard of behavior by doing something; condescend; Ex. stoop to lying

puerile

childish; immature; CF. puer: boy

glow

shine brightly without a flame (as of eyes or metals); show redness and heat (in the face) after hard work or because of strong feelings; N: light produced by a heated body; brilliance of a color

prologue

introduction (to a poem or play)

theocracy

government run by religious leaders

incident

event; event that causes a crisis

mutter

utter (complaining words) indistinctly in low tones

brawny

muscular; having well-developed muscles

eclipse

darken; extinguish; outshine; surpass; cause an eclipse

bellicose

warlike

overt

open to view; public; not secret; CF. covert

industrious

diligent; hard-working; N. industry

equinox

period of equal days and nights; the beginning of spring and autumn; Ex. vernal/autumnal equinox; ADJ. equinoctial

bigot

one who is intolerant (in matters of religion or politics)

grisly

ghastly; horrifying; Ex. grisly remains of the bodies

indigent

poor; destitute

withdrawn

introverted; retiring; remote

judiciary

judicial branch of government

inaugurate

begin formally; install in office; induct into office by a formal ceremony; N. inauguration; ADJ. inaugural

incur

bring upon oneself

preempt

prevent in advance; head off(forestall); forestall by acting first; appropriate for oneself before others; supplant; take the place of; displace; Ex. preempt any attempts; ADJ. preemptive

purported

alleged; claimed; reputed or rumored; Ex. purported Satanists

attrition

rubbing away by friction; gradual decrease in numbers or strength; reduction in the work force without firing employees; wearing away of opposition by means of harassment; Ex. a war of attrition

expedient

suitable (for a particular purpose although not necessarily morally correct); practical; politic(prudent); N: something expedient

edict

decree (especially one issued by a sovereign); official command

knack

special talent; art

portly

stout; corpulent

generality

vague statement; general statement which is not detailed; quality of being general; greater part; most; Ex. generality of people

woe

great sorrow; deep inconsolable grief; affliction; suffering; Ex. financial woes

incredulity

tendency to disbelief

connotation

suggested or implied meaning of an expression; V. connote

malicious

hateful; spiteful; expressing malice; N. malice: desire to harm others; spite

axiom

self-evident truth requiring no proof

fabricate

build; lie; make up (a story) in order to deceive; Ex. fabricate the whole story; CF. fabric: underlying structure; Ex. fabric of society

latent

present but not yet noticeable or active; dormant; hidden; N. latency; CF. potential

adherent

supporter; follower

tarantula

venomous spider

ordination

ceremony conferring holy orders; ceremony of ordaining a priest

slur

slander; insult to one’s character or reputation; V.

pediatrician

physician specializing in children’s diseases; N. pediatrics

furtive

stealthy; quiet and secret (trying to escape notice); sneaky; Ex. furtive glance

cremate

incinerate (a corpse); N. crematory, crematorium

clown

act stupidly; play the fool; N.

docket

program as for trial; book where such entries are made; list of things to be done; agenda; label fixed to a package listing contents or directions; V: describe in a docket

prompt

cause; urge; provoke; provide a cue (for an actor); ADJ: done without delay; done at the right time; punctual; on time; N: reminder or cue

hermetic

sealed by fusion so as to be airtight; airtight

functional

made for practical use only (without decoration); functioning; Ex. functional modern furniture; CF. functionalism

rigid

hard and unbending; stiff and unyielding; fixed in behavior or views; strict; rigorous; Ex. rigid rule

accolade

award of merit; strong praise and approval

rightful

legally correct; Ex. rightful owner

stolid

dull; impassive; showing little emotion when strong feelings are expected

poseur

person who pretends to be sophisticated, elegant, etc., to impress others; person who poses; CF. pose

oust

expel; drive out; force out; N. ouster: ousting

epoch

period of time

manifold

many in number or kind; numerous; varied

vertebrate

having a backbone or spinal column; N: group of animals having a segmented spinal column

vulture

carrion-eating birds

cater

provide food and drink (for); cater to: try to satisfy (desires of a bad kind)

arbiter

person with power to decide a matter in dispute; judge who is in a position ot make influential judgments; Ex. supreme arbiter of fashion in beachware

whelp

young animal (esp. of the dog or cat family); young wolf, dog, tiger, etc.

mutilate

maim; injure lastingly; deprive of a limb or an essential part

hostage

person who is kept as a prisoner by an enemy so that the other side will do what the enemy demands

forlorn

sad and lonely; wretched; desolate

scuffle

struggle confusedly; move off in a confused hurry; N. CF. scuffling twins ?

appraise

estimate value of; N. appraisal

nefarious

very wicked

dinghy

small boat (often ship’s boat)

nutrition

process of nourishing or being nourished; CF. malnutrition

petty

trivial; unimportant; very small; small-minded; petty-minded

saline

salty

lexicographer

compiler of a dictionary; CF. lexicography: work of compiling a dictionary

cession

yielding to another; ceding

augment

increase; add to

luxuriant

abundant; growing healthily and in large amounts; excessively ornate; rich and splendid; fertile; Ex. luxuriant forests/prose; CF. luxurious, luxuriate

primate

group of mammals including humans

coda

concluding section of a musical or literary composition

primogeniture

seniority by birth; state of being the first-born child; right of the eldest child (to inherit the entire property of one or both parents)

deference

courteous regard for another’s wish; courteous yielding to another’s wish or opinion (showing respect); ADJ. deferential; OP. effrontery

orgy

wild drunken revelry; unrestrained indulgence in an activity; Ex. orgy of shopping

exalt

raise in rank or dignity; praise highly; inspire; Ex. exalt the imagination; ADJ. exalted; N. exaltation

feature

distinctive part of the faces (as the eyes or mouth); features: overall appearance of the face; prominent or distinctive quality; prominent article; film; V: make prominent

dilatory

delaying; tending to delay

compost

mixture of decaying organic matter used as fertilizer; V: put or make compost

perpetual

everlasting

allure

entice; attract; tempt

raspy

making a harsh noise; grating; harsh

gentry

people of standing(rank or position); people of good family or high social position; class of people just below nobility

hoard

stockpile; accumulate for future use; N: supply stored for future use

provenance

place of origin; origin or source of something; Ex. Gunpowder is of Chinese provenance; CF. come

unfeigned

genuine; real

incoherent

unintelligible; muddled; unable to express one’s thoughts in an orderly manner; illogical; lacking cohesion; not coherent

amoral

nonmoral; having no understanding of right and wrong

belligerent

quarrelsome

revile

attack with abusive language; vilify(slander)

squash

crush; quash; suppress

contest

dispute; argue about the rightness of; compete for; try to win; Ex. contest the election results; Ex. contest a seat in Parliament; N.

entail

make necessary; require; necessitate; involve; limit the inheritance of (property) to a specified succession of heirs; Ex. entail A on/upon B

atypical

not normal; not typical

delusion

false belief; hallucination; deluding; Ex. delusions of grandeur; Ex. under the delusion that

tantrum

fit of bad temper; fit of petulance; caprice; Ex. The child went into tantrums.

hue

color; aspect; Ex. opinions of every hue

obstinate

stubborn; hard to control or treat; Ex. obstinate cough; N. obstinacy

intuition

immediate insight; power of knowing without reasoning; ADJ. intuitive; V. intuit: know by intuition

penury

extreme poverty; stinginess; ADJ. penurious: very poor; stingy

tenuous

thin; slim; rare

tangible

able to be touched; real; concrete; palpable; possible to realize or understand; Ex. tangible proof

cadet

student at a military school

pluck

courage; V: pull off or out; pull out the hair or feathers of; ADJ. plucky: courageous; brave

caliber

ability; quality; diameter of the inside of a round cylinder; Ex. work of very high caliber

flourish

grow well; prosper; make sweeping gestures; wave; brandish; Ex. The trees flourished in the sun. N: showy movement or gesture; embellishment or ornamentation (esp. in handwriting)

malady

illness

cabal

small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests

harbinger

forerunner (which foreshadows what is to come)

perimeter

outer boundary; length of the outer boundary; circumference

frieze

ornamental horizontal band on a wall

apoplexy

stroke; loss of consciousness caused by too much blood in the brain

portend

foretell; presage; be a sign or warning of; N. portent: sign; omen; forewarning

ludicrous

laughable; ridiculous; trifling

minion

servile dependent; obsequious follower

bacchanalian

drunken

curb

chain or strap used with a bit to restrain a horse; something that checks; V: check; restrain

bump

hit or knock against with force; N.

odium

detestation; quality of being odious; hatefulness; disrepute (resulting from hateful conduct)

feud

bitter prolonged quarrel (usually between two peoples or families); V. CF. Romeo and Juliet; CF. feudal, feudalism

recess

pause; temporary cessation; alcove; secret inner place; Ex. parliament in recess; V. CF. recessive

deprecate

express disapproval of; deplore; protest against; belittle; ADJ. deprecatory

resonant

(of a sound) echoing; resounding(sounding loudly); deep and full in sound; producing resonance; Ex. resonant voice; N. resonance

douse

plunge into water or liquid; dip; immerse; drench; wet throughly; extinguish; throw water over; dowse

demur

object (because of doubts, scruples); raise an objection (showing qualms); hesitate; Ex. demur at the idea of working on Sunday

diorama

life-size, three-dimensional scene from nature or history; three-dimensional scene with modeled figures against a painted background

hew

cut to pieces with ax or sword; chop; N.

creed

system of religious or ethical belief

touchstone

stone used to test the fineness of gold alloys; criterion; standard

vivacious

lively or animated; sprightly

bawdy

indecent; obscene; about sex in a rude funny way; CF. bawd

provender

dry food for livestock; fodder

immune

resistant to; free or exempt from; N. immunity

nominal

in name only; of a name; trifling; (of a sum of money) very small; CF. nominate: propose as a candidate; appoint

maleficient

doing evil; N. maleficience

delta

flat plain of mud or sand between branches of a river

pending

not yet decided or settled; impending; Ex. pending decision; PREP. while awaiting; until; Ex. delay the decision pending his return

gingerly

very carefully; ADJ.

fusion

union; coalition; V. fuse

decelerate

slow down

sibylline

prophetic; oracular; N. sibyl: woman prophet (in the ancient world)

parody

humorous imitation; spoof; takeoff; travesty; V.

blasphemy

irreverence; sacrilege; cursing; bad language about God or holy things; V. blasphem; ADJ. blasphemous; CF. sacrilege

disarray

state of disorder; a disorderly or untidy state; Ex. with her clothes in disarray

inflated

exaggerated; pompous; enlarged (with air or gas)

cadaverous

like a corpse; pale

sledge

large sled drawn by work animals

fathom

comprehend; investigate; determine the depth of; N. unit of measurement for the depth of water

incredulous

withholding belief; skeptical; showing disbelief

hortatory

encouraging; exhortive; marked by exhortation; CF. exhort

dote

be excessively fond of; show signs of mental decline

brooch

ornamental clasp; pin

smug

self-satisfied; complacent

sluggish

lazy; slow; inactive; lethargic; CF. slug: nail with no shell

gibe

mock; make jeering remarks; N: jeering remarks

errant

wandering (esp. in search of adventure); straying from proper moral standards; Ex. knight-errant

precipice

cliff; dangerous position; Ex. on the edge of the precipice

reconnaissance

survey of enemy by soldiers; reconnoitering; V. reconnoiter: make a preliminary inspection of (esp. to gather military information)

aquiline

curved; hooked; of or like an eagle; Ex. aquiline nose

acrimonious

stinging; caustic; bitter in words or manner; N. acrimony: bitter ill-natured animosity in speech or behavior

disconsolate

hopelessly sad (at the loss of something)

agrarian

pertaining to land or its cultivation; Ex. agrarian reform

functionary

official (who performs a particular function)

renegade

deserter; traitor; ADJ.

desperado

reckless, desperate outlaw

corpuscle

red or white cell in the blood

forsake

desert; abandon; renounce

deride

ridicule; treat with contempt; make fun of; OP. respect

phoenix

symbol of immortality or rebirth; Ex. phoenix rising from its ashes

callus

area of thick hard skin

nether

lower; Ex. nether garments/regions

embrace

hug; clasp with the arms; adopt or espouse; accept readily; encircle; include; Ex. embrace the cause/socialism; Ex. all-embracing; CF. brace; CF. bracelet

countenance

approve; support; tolerate; Ex. countenance his rude behavior; N: face; appearance

piquant

pleasantly tart-tasting; spicy; pleasantly stimulating; Ex. piquant situation when my old enemy asked for my help