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GRE Test Prep 1
Group 1
44
Language - English
Graduate
07/27/2010

Additional Language - English Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Abscond
Definition

Verb:

To depart clandestinely; to steal off and hide

 

The cashier absconded with the money

Term
arduous
Definition

adjective:

strenuous; taxing; requiring significant effort

 

a life of arduous toil 

Term
audacious
Definition

adjective:

daring and fearless; recklessly bold

 

an audacious mountain climber

Term
austere
Definition

adjective:

without adornment; bare; severely simple; ascetic

 

an austere style of writing

Term
axiomatic
Definition

taken as given; possessing self-evident truth

 

an axiomatic truth

Term
canonical 
Definition

adjective:

following or in agreement with accepted, traditional standards

 

canonical works

Term
capricious
Definition

adjective:

inclined to change one's mind impulsively 

 

He's such a capricious boss I never know how he'll react

Term
censure
Definition

verb:

to criticize severely; to officially rebuke

 

Thenewspapers were unanimous in their censure of the taxproposal.

Term
eloquent
Definition

adjective:

well-spoken; expressive; articulate

 

an eloquent orator

Term
ennui
Definition

noun:

dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy

 

 The endless lecture produced anunbearable ennui.

Term
extemporaneous
Definition

adjective:

improvised; done without preparation

 

an extemporaneous speech

Term
filibuster
Definition
intentional obstruction, esp. using prolonged speech-making to delay legislative action
Term
fulminate
Definition

verb:

loudly attack or denounce

 

The minister fulminated against legalized vice.

Term
laud
Definition

verb:

to praise highly

 

The student did so well in class, I had to laud her for her efforts. 

Term
lucid
Definition

adjective:

clear; easily understood

 

a lucid moment in his madness

Term
martial
Definition

adjective:

associated with war and the armed forces

 

The ancient Romanswere a martial people.

Term
mundane
Definition

 

adjective:

of the world; typical of or concerned with the ordinary

 

mundane affairs

 

Term
nascent
Definition

 

adjective:

coming into being; in early developmental stages

 

the nascent republic.

 

Term
nebulous
Definition

 

adjective:

vague; cloudy lacking clearly defined form

 

a nebulous recollectionof the meeting; a nebulous distinction 

between pride andconceit.

 

Term
neologism
Definition

noun:

a new word, expression, or usage; the creation or use of new words or senses

 

I assume this is more of a problem with regard to artificially coined neologisms than with words from the spoken language

Term
noxious
Definition

 

adjective:

 

harmful; injurious

 

 noxiousfumes.

Term
obtuse
Definition

adjective:

lacking sharpness or intellect; not clear or precise in thought or expression

 

Only the hopelessly naïve or willfully obtuse can believe that these were the real motives for the war.

 

Term
paean
Definition

noun:

a song or hymn of praise and thanksgiving

 

He is also aware that the play is more than a simple paean of romantic love

Term
parody
Definition

noun:

a humorous imitation intended for ridicule or comic effect, esp. in literature and art

 

We really enjoyed the actor who did the hilarious parody songs!

Term
perfidy
Definition

noun:

intentional breach of faith; treachery

 

The king was so shocked at Jason's perfidy that he had him beheaded

Term
perspicacious
Definition

 

adjective:

acutely perceptive; having keen discernment

 

to exhibit perspicacious judgment.

 

Term
prattle 
Definition

verb:

to babble meaninglessly; to talk in an empty and idle manner

 

the prattle of children.

Term
precipitate (verb)
Definition

to cause or happen before anticipated or required

 

a precipitate marriage.

Term
predilection
Definition

noun:

a disposition in favor of something; preference

 

a predilection for Bach.

Term
prescience
Definition

noun:

foreknowledge of events; knowing of events prior to their occuring

 

Brown had the prescience to realize that the public places greater trust in bankers to look after their money, than politicians.

Term
qualms
Definition

noun:

misgivings; reservations; causes of hesitancy

 

He has no qualms about lying.

Term
refute
Definition

verb:

to disprove; to successfully argue against

 

When a scientific theory is refuted by scientists, the community accepts that and tries to find another, better theory.

Term
relegate
Definition

verb:

to forcibly assign, esp. to a lower place or position

 

He has been relegated to a post at the fringes of thediplomatic service.

Term
reticent
Definition

adjective:

quiet; reserved; reluctant to express thoughts and feelings

 

Radical change is something that most businesses have been reticent to do

Term
sordid
Definition

 

adjective:

characterized by filth, grime, or squalor; foul

 

 sordid methods.

 

Term
squander
Definition

verb:

to waste by spending or using irresponsibly 

 

A squandering of public money that maybe the District Auditor should look into.

Term
static
Definition

 

adjective:

not moving, active, or in motion; at rest

 

 a static relationship.

 

Term
stupefy
Definition

verb:

to stun, baffle or amaze

 

He was so stupefied he sat there with his manhood hanging out.

Term
stymie
Definition

verb:

to block; thwart

 

The two-tier system is likely to cause confusion and may stymie development

Term
synthesis
Definition

noun:

the combination of parts to make a whole

 

Vitamin C is required for the synthesis of collagen, an important structural component of blood vessels, tendons, .. .

Term
torque
Definition

noun:

a force that causes rotation

 

The secret to traction is the combination of usable torque and a good rear suspension set-up.

Term
virulent
Definition

 

adjective:

extremely harmful or poisonous; bitterly hostile or antagonistic

 

 a virulent insect bite.

 

Term
voracious
Definition

 

adjective:

having an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit; ravenous

 

voracious readers

 

Term
waver
Definition

verb:

to move to and fro; to sway; to be unsettled

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