Val's GRE Words
Terms
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- partisan
- a strong supporter of a party, cause, or person
- insular
- ignorant of or uninterested in cultures, ideas, or peoples outside one's own experience
- cosmopolitan
- amiliar with and at ease in many different countries and cultures
- petulant
- (of a person or their manner) childishly sulky or bad-tempered
- plucky
- having or showing determined courage in the face of difficulties
- verbosity
- using or expressed in more words than are needed
- perfidy
- deceitfulness; untrustworthiness
- futility
- incapable of producing any useful result; pointless
- indolent
- wanting to avoid activity or exertion; lazy
- umbrage
- offense or annoyance
- diffident
- modest or shy because of a lack of self-confidence
- exigent
- pressing, demanding
- apocryphal
- (of a story or statement) of doubtful authenticity, although widely circulated as being true
- endemic
- (of a disease or condition) regularly found among particular people or in a certain area
- inure
- (usu. be inured to) accustom (someone) to something, esp. something unpleasant
- benediction
- the utterance or bestowing of a blessing, esp. at the end of a religious service
- rejoinder
- a reply, esp. a sharp or witty one : she would have made some cutting rejoinder but none came to mind
- proclivity
- a tendency to choose or do something regularly; an inclination or predisposition toward a particular thing
- scintilla
- a tiny trace or spark of a specified quality or feeling : a scintilla of doubt
- opprobrium
- harsh criticism or censure : his films and the critical opprobrium they have generated
- noisome
- having an extremely offensive smell : noisome vapors from the smoldering waste
- multifarious
- many and of various types : multifarious activities. ⬢ having many varied parts or aspects : a vast multifarious organization
- maudlin
- self-pityingly or tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness : the drink made her maudlin | a maudlin ballad
- vacillate
- alternate or waver between different opinions or actions; be indecisive
- antipathy
- a deep feeling of dislike; aversion
- cacophony
- a harsh, discordant mixture of words
- deride
- express contempt for, ridicule
- dissonance
- lack of harmony among musical notes; a tension or clash resulting from the combination of two disharmonious or unsuitable elements
- enervate
- cause(someone) to feel drained of energy or vitality; weaken
- garrulous
- excessively talkative, esp. on trivial matters
- ingenuous
- (of a person or action)innocent or unsuspecting
- malleable
- (of a metal or other material) able to be hammered or pressed permanently out of shape without breaking or cracking
- misanthrope
- a person to dislikes humankind and avoids human society
- obdurate
- stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or course of action
- ostentation
- pretentious and vulgar display, esp. of wealth and luxury, intended to impress or attract notice
- paradox
- a statement or proposition that, despite sound (or apparently sound) reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory
- prevaricate
- speak or act in an invasive way
- venerate
- regard with great respect; revere
- philanthropic
- (of a person or organization) seeking to promote the welfare of others, esp. by donating money to good causes; generous and benevolent
- furtive
- attempting to avoid notice or attention, typically because of guilt or a belief that discovery would lead to trouble; secretive
- provident
- making or an indicative of timely preparation for the future
- portentous
- done in a pompously or overly solemn manner so as to impress
- syllogism
- an instance of a form of reasoning in which a conclusion is drawn (whether validly or not) from two given or assumed propositions (premises), each of which shares a term with the conclusion, and shares a common or middle term not present in the conclusion
- circumlocution
- the use of many words where fewer would do, esp. in a deliberate attempt to be vague or evasive
- axiom
- a statement or proposition that is regarded as being established, accepted, or self-evidently true
- rapt
- completely fascinated by what one is seeing or hearing
- derisive
- expressing contempt or ridicule
- pliant
- pliable
- estimable
- worthy of great respect
- cogitate
- think deeply about something, meditate or reflect
- fervent
- having or displaying a passionate intensity
- striated
- marked with striae
- striae
- a linear mark, slight ridge, or groove on a surface, often one of a number of similar parallel features
- placid
- (of a person or animal) not easily upset or excited
- sardonic
- grimly mocking or cynical : Starkey attempted a sardonic smile
- specious
- superficially plausible, but actually wrong : a specious argument. ⬢ misleading in appearance, esp. misleadingly attractive : the music trade gives Golden Oldies a specious appearance of novelty
- ossify
- turn into bone or bony tissue : these tracheal cartilages may ossify
- quiesicant
- in a state or period of inactivity or dormancy : strikes were headed by groups of workers who had previously been quiescent
- cosset
- care for and protect in an overindulgent way : all her life she'd been cosseted by her family
- taciturn
- (of a person) reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little.
- cupidity
- greed for money or possessions
- hegemony
- leadership or dominance, esp. by one country or social group over others : Germany was united under Prussian hegemony after 1871
- intredpid
- fearless; adventurous (often used for rhetorical or humorous effect) : our intrepid reporter
- A
- A
- pragmatic
- dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations
- loquacious
- talkative
- ephemeral
- lasting a very short time
- vapid
- offering nothing that is stimulating or challenging
- stolid
- calm, dependable, and showing little or no emotion
- variegated
- marked by variety
- banal
- so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring
- phlegmatic
- having an unemotional and stolidly calm disposition
- enigmatic
- difficult to interpret to understand, mysterious
- lassitude
- a state of physical or mental weariness, lack of energy
- impropriety
- a failure to observe standards or show due honesty or modesty
- ignominy
- public shame or disgrace
- degeneracy
- an immoral or corrupt person
- disrepute
- the state of being held in low esteem by the public
- deleterious
- causing harm or damage
- quixotic
- exceedingly idealistic, unrealistic and impractical
- metacognition
- awareness and understanding of one's own thought process
- sentient
- able to perceive or feel things
- bipedal
- animal using two legs for walking
- penury
- extreme poverty, destitution
- munificence
- a gift or sum of money larger or more generous than usual
- paucity
- the presence of something only in small or insufficient quantities or amounts, scarcity
- unsullied
- not spoiled or made impure
- vitiated
- spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of
- militarism
- the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests
- martyrdom
- the death or suffering of a martr
- tribulation
- a cause of great trouble or suffering
- misogyny
- the hatred of women by men
- repugnant
- extremely distasteful, unacceptable
- largess
- generosity in bestowing gifts or money on others
- disparities
- a great difference
- sullied
- damage the purity or integrity of something
- besieged
- surround with armed forces in order to capture or force surrender
- circumspect
- wary and unwilling to take risks
- laudable
- deserving praise and commendation
- reprehensible
- deserving censure or condemnation
- censure
- express severe disapproval of, typically in a formal statement
- amorphous
- without clearly defined shape or form
- quotidian
- of or occurring every day; daily
- regressive
- returning to a former or less developed state
- prattle
- talk at length in foolish or inconsequential way
- assuage
- make less intense
- allay
- diminish or put at rest
- ballistics
- the science of projectiles and firearms
- eugenics
- the science of improving a human population by controlled breeding to increase the occurrence of desirable heritable characteristics
- hidebound
- unwilling or unable to change because of tradition or convention
- efficacy
- the ability to produce a desired or intended result
- chary
- cautious;wary
- deft
- neatly skillful and quick in one's movements
- enrapture
- to give intense pleasure or joy to
- consecrate
- make or declare something sacred
- acrid
- having an irritatingly strong taste or smell; angry and bitter
- surly
- bad-tempered and unfriendly
- affectation
- behavior, speech, or writing that is artificial and designed to impress
- artlessness
- without effort or pretentiousness; natural and simple
- decimation
- kill, destroy, or remove a large percentage of
- effrontery
- insolent or impertinent behavior
- imprecation
- a spoken curse
- impugn
- dispute the truth, validity, or honesty of
- turgid
- swollen and distended or congested
- garbled
- reproduce (a message, sound, or transmission) in a confused and distorted way
- clamorous
- loud and confused noise, esp. that of people shouting vehemently
- pithy
- concise and forcefully expressive
- inebriate
- make drunk, intoxicate
- brevity
- concise and exact use of words in writing or speech
- equanimity
- mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, esp. in a difficult situation
- frivolity
- not having any serious purpose or value
- belied
- fail to give a true notion or impression of
- covetous
- having or showing a great desire to possess something
- paragon
- a person or thing regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality
- dogma
- a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true
- obstinacy
- stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or chosen course of action, despite attempts to persuade one to do so
- laudation
- praise, commendation
- blandishments
- a flattering or pleasing statement or action used to persuade someone gently to do something
- batter
- strike repeatedly with hard blows; pound heavily and insistently
- expurgate
- remove matter thought to be objectionable or unsuitable from
- intransigent
- unwilling or refusing to change one's views or to agree about something
- ineluctable
- unable to be resisted or avoided
- modality
- a particular mode in which something exists or is experienced or expressed. ⬢ a particular method or procedure
- anomaly
- something that deviates from what is standard, normal or expected
- Aridity
- Having little or no rain
- Berated
- Scold or criticize angrily
- Zeal
- A great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective
- Tedium
- The state of being tedious
- Ineffectual
- Not producing any or desired affect
- Vitriol
- Cruel and bitter criticism
- Reticence
- Not revealing one’s thoughts or feelings readily
- Trepidation
- A feeling of fear or agitation about something that may happen
- Ambivalent
- Having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone
- Chastened
- Having restraining or moderating effect on
- Jettison
- Abandon or discard
- Ploddingly
- Slow-moving and unexciting
- Permissive
- Allowing or characterized by great or excessive freedom of behavior
- Puritanical
- Practicing or affecting strict religious or moral behavior
- Disenchanted
- Free from illusion; disappointment
- Espouse
- Adopt or support
- Postulating
- suggest or assume the existence, fact, or truth of (something) as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or belief
- Infinitesimal
- Extremely small, an indefinitely small quantity
- Manifests
- Clear or obvious to the mind or eye
- Heretical
- a person believing in or practicing religious heresy
- Impudence
- Not showing due respect for another person
- Insolence
- Showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect
- Eminence
- fame or recognized superiority, esp. within a particular sphere or profession
- indolence
- wanting to avoid activity or exertion, lazy
- travail
- painful or laborious effect
- eclectic
- deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources
- profundity
- deep insight, great depth of knowledge or thought
- pejoratives
- expressing contempt or disapproval
- anachronisms
- a thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists, esp. a thing that is conspicuously old-fashioned
- pomposity
- affectedly and irritatingly grand, solemn, or self-important
- disparagement
- regard or represent as being of little worth
- unassailable
- unable to be attacked, questioned or defeated
- insubstantial
- lacking in strength and solidity
- candor
- the quality of being open and honest in expression; frankness
- piqued
- a feeling of irritation or resentment resulting from a slight, esp. to one’s pride
- vindicated
- show or prove to be right, reasonable, or justified
- enigma
- a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand
- equivocal
- open to more than one interpretation, uncertain
- erudite
- having or showing great knowledge or learning
- fervid
- intensely enthusiastic or passionate, esp. to an excessive degree
- lucid
- expressed clearly, easy to understand
- opaque
- not able to be seen through, not transparent
- placate
- make someone less angry or hostile
- precipitate
- cause (an event or situation, typically one that is bad or undesirable) to happen suddenly, unexpectedly, or prematurely
- prodigal
- spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant
- abstain
- restrain oneself from doing or enjoying something
- adulterate
- render something poorer in quality by adding it to another substance, typically an inferior one
- apathy
- lack of interest, enthusiasm or concern
- audacious
- showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks
- capricious
- given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior
- corroborate
- confirm or give support to
- desiccate
- remove the moisture from(esp. food), typically to preserve it; lacking interest in
- engender
- cause or give rise to (a feeling, situation, or condition)