Steve Eckhoff's GRE Vocab Set #4
Terms
undefined, object
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Coterie
Noun [-koh- tuh ree] [koh tuh -ree-] -
An intinmate group of persons with a similar purpose
Angel invited a coterie of fellow stamp enthusiast to a stamp-trading party.
Synonyms: clique; set -
Craven
Adj [-kray- vuhn] -
Lacking courage
The craven lion cringed in the corner of his cage, terrified of the mouse.
Synonyms: faint-hearted; spineless; timid -
Credulous
Adj [-kreh- juh luhs] -
Too trusting; gullible
Though many 4-year-olds believe in the Tooth Fairy, only the most credulous 9-year-olds also believe in her.
Synonym: naive; susceptible; trusting -
Crescendo
Noun [kruh -shehn- doh] -
Steadily increasing in volume or force
The crescendo of tension became unbearable as Evel Knievel prepared to jump his motorcycle over the school buses.
Synonyms: acme; capstone; climax; crest; culmen; culmination; meridian; peak -
Cupidity
Noun [kyoo -pih- dih tee] -
Greed; strong desire
The thief stared at the shining jewels with cupidity in his gleaming eyes.
Synonyms: avarice; covetouness; rapacity -
Curmudgeon
Noun [kuhr -muh- juhn] -
Cranky person, usually old
Ernesto was a notorious curmudgeon who snapped at anyone who disturbed him. -
Debutante
Noun [-dehb- yoo tahnt] -
Young woman making debut in high society
The debutante spent hours dressing for her very first ball, hoping to catch the eye of an eligible bachelor.
Synonyms: lady; maiden -
Declivity
Noun [dih -klih- vih tee] -
downward slope
Because the village was situated on the declivity of a hill, it never flooded.
Synonyms: decline; descent; grade; slant; tilt -
Decorous
Adj [-deh- kuhr uhs] [deh -kohr- uhs] -
Proper, tasteful, socially correct
The countess trained her daughters in the finer points of decorous behavior, hoping they would make a good impression when she presented them at court.
Synonyms:appropriate; courteous; polite -
Decorum
Noun [deh -kohr- uhm] -
Appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety
The countess complained that the vulgar peasants lacked the decorum appropriate for a visit to the palace.
Synonyms: correctness; decency; etiquette; manners; mores; propriety; seemliness -
Deface
Verb [dih -fays-] -
To mar the appearance of, to vandalize
After the wall was torn down, the students began to deface the statues of communist leaders of the former Eastern bloc.
Synonyms: disfigure; impair; spoil -
Deference
Noun -
Respect, courtesy
The respectful young law clerk treated the Supreme Court justice with the utmost deference.
Synonyms: courtesy; homage; honor; obeisance; respect; reverence; veneration -
Deleterious
Adj [dehl ih -teer- ee uhs] -
Subtly or unexpectedly harmful
If only we had known the clocks were defective before putting them on the market, it wouldn't have been quite so deleterious to our reputation.
Synonyms: adverse; inimical; injurious; hurtful -
Demagogue
Noun [-deh- muh gahg] [-deh- muh gawg] -
A leader, rabble-rouser, usually appealing to emotion or prejudice
He began his career as a demagogue, giving fiery speeches at political rallies.
Synonyms: agitator; inciter; instigator -
Demur
Verb [dih -muhr-] -
To express doubts or objections
When scientific authorities claimed that all the planets revolved around the earth, Galileo, with his superior understanding of the situation, was forced to demur.
Synonyms: dissent; expostulate; kick; protest; remonstrate -
Deride
Verb [dih -ried-] -
To speak of or treat with contempt, to mock
The awkward child was often derided by his 'cooler' peers.
Synonyms: gibe; jeer; mock; ridicule -
Desiccate
Verb [-deh- sih kayt] -
To dry out thoroughly
After a few weeks lying in the desert, the cow's carcass became completely desiccated.
Synonyms: dehydrate; dry; parch -
Desultory
Adj [dehs -uhl- tohr ee] [-dehz- uhl tohr ee] -
Jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
Athena had a desultory academic record; she had changed majors 12 times in three years.
Synonyms: erratic; haphazard; indiscriminate; random -
Diaphanous
Adj [die -aaf- uh nuhs] -
Allowing light to show through; delicate
These diaphanous curtains do nothing to block out the sunlight.
Synonyms: gauzy; sheer; tenuous; translucent; transparent -
Diatribe
Noun [-die- uh trieb] -
An abusive, condemnatory speech
The trucker bellowed a diatribe at the driver who had cut him off.
Synonyms: fulmination; harangue; invective -
Dictum
Noun [-dihk- tuhm] -
Authoritative statement
"You have time to lean, you have time to clean," was the dictum our boss made us live by.
Synonyms: adage; apothegm; decree; edict -
Diffident
Adj [-dih- fih dint] -
Lacking self-confidence
Steve was diffident during the job interview because of his nervous nature and lack of experience in the field.
Synonyms: backward; bashful; coy; demure; modest; retiring; self-effacing; shy; timid -
Dilate
Verb [-die- layt] [ die -layt-] -
To make larger, to expand
When you enter a darkened room, the pupils of your eyes dilate so as to let in more light.
Synonyms: amplify; develop; elaborate; enlarge; expand; expatiate -
Dilatory
Adj [-dihl- uh tohr ee] -
Intended to delay, procrastinating
The congressman used dilatory measures to delay the passage of the bill.
Synonyms: sluggish; putting off -
Dilettante
Noun [-dih- luh tahnt] -
Someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
Jerry's friends were such dilettantes they seemed to have new jobs and hobbies every week.
Synonyms: amateur; dabbler; rookie -
Dirge
Noun [duhrj] -
A funeral hymn or mournful speech
Melville wrote the poem "A dirge for james McPherson" for the funeral of a Union general who was killed in 1864
Synonyms: elegy; lament -
Disabuse
Verb [dih suh -byuze-] -
To set right, to free from error
The scientist's observations diabused scholars of the notion that wheat could be turned into gold.
Synonyms: correct; dismiss; undeceive -
Discern
Verb [dihs -uhrn-] -
To perceive, to recognize
It is easy to discern the difference between butter and butter-flavored topping.
Synonyms: Differentiate; discriminate; distinguish -
Disparate
Adj [-dih- spuh ruht] [di -spar- uht] -
Fundamentally different; entirely unlike
Although the twins are physically identical, their personalities are disparate.
Synonyms: different; dissimilar; divergent; diverse; variant; various -
Dissemble
Verb [dihs -sehm- buhl] -
To represent a false appearance, to disguise one's real intentions or character
The villain could dissemble to the police no longer--he admitted the deed and tore up the floor to reveal the stash of stolen money.
Synonyms: camouflage; cloak; feign