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Pcat Verbal
Vocab words for PCAT
36
Other
Graduate
03/05/2012

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Cards

Term

Abate

Definition

Abate: to reduce in amount, degree or severity

 

"As the hurricane's force abated, the winds dropped and the sea became calm."


Words with Similar Meanings

ebb lapse let up
moderate relent slacken
subside   wane
Term

Aberrant

Definition

Abberant: deviating from what is normal or expected

 

"Since he had been a steady, cheerful worker for many years, his fellow postal workers did not expect his aberrant burst of rage."

 

Related Words

 Aberration: A deviation from what is normal

 

Words with Similar Meanings 

abnormal anomalous deviant
divergent errant irregular
Term

Abscond

Definition

Abscond: to leave secretly

 

"The patron absconded from the restaurant without paying his bill by sneaking out the back door."


Words with Similar Meanings

flee decamp escape
Term

Abstain

Definition

Abstain: to choose not to do something


"During Lent, practicing Catholics abstain from eating meat." 


Words with Similar Meanings

forbear refrain withhold
Term

Abyss

Definition

Abyss: an extremely deep hole


 "The submarine dove into the abyss to chart the previously unseen depths"


 Related Words

Abyssal: Pertaining to great depth

Abysmal: Extremely bad


Words with Similar Meanings

chasm void
Term

Adulterate

Definition

Adulterate: to make impure 


"The restaurateur made his ketchup last longer by adulterating it with water."


Related Words

Unadulterated: Pure

Adultery: An illicit relationship; affair 


Words with Similar Meanings

doctor debase load
Term

Advocate

Definition

Advocate: to speak in favor of 


"The vegetarian advocated a diet containing no meat." 


Related Words

Advocacy: Active support for 


Words with Similar Meanings

back champion support
Term

Aesthetic

Definition

Aesthetic: concerning the appreciation of beauty

 

"The Aesthetic Movement regarded the pursuit of beauty to be the only true purpose of art."


Related Words

Asthete: someone unusually sensitive to beauty

Aestheticism: devoted to beauty

  

Words with Similar Meanings

artistic tasteful

 

Term

Castigate

Definition

Castigate: to punish or criticize harshly 


"Americans are amazed at how harshly the authorities in Singapore castigate perpetrators of what would be only minor crimes in the United States."


Words with Similar Meanings

admonish chastise chide
rebuke reprimand reproach
reprove scold tax
  upbraid
Term

Catalyst

Definition

Catalyst: something that brings about a change in something else


"The imposition of harsh taxes was the catalyst that finally brought on the revolution."  


Related Words

Catalyze: to bring about a change in something else

Term

Caustic

Definition

Caustic: biting in wit 


"Dorothy Parker gained her caustic reputation from her cutting, yet witty, insults."


Words with Similar Meanings

acerbic biting mordant
  trenchant
Term

Chaos

Definition

Chaos: great disorder or confused situation


"In most religious tradtions, God created an ordered universe from a chaotic void."


Related Words

Abyssal: Pertaining to great depth


Words with Similar Meanings

clutter confusion disarrangement
disarray disorder diorderliness
disorganization jumble mess
muddle scramble snarl
topsy-turviness   turmoil
Term

Chauvinist

Definition

Chauvinist: someone prejudiced in favor of a group that he or she belongs to


"The attitude that men must be obeyed since they are inherently superior to women is common among male chauvinists."

 

Words with Similar Meanings 

biased colored one-sided
partial partisan predjudicial
prepossessed   tendentious
Term

Aggrandize

Definition

Aggrandize: to increase in power. influence and reputation.


"The supervisor sought to aggrandize himself by claiming that the achievements of his staff were actually his own."

 

amplify apotheosize augment
dignify elevate enlarge
ennoble exalt glorify
magnify swell uplift
  wax
Term

Alacrity

Definition

Alacrity: speed or quickness.


The restaurant won a reputation for fine service since the wait staff responded to their clients' requests with alacrity."


Words with Similar Meanings

celerity dispatch
haste swiftness
Term

Ambiguous

Definition

Ambiguous: doubtful or uncertain, can be interpreted several ways.


"The directions he gave were so ambiguous that we disagreed on which way to turn. "


Related Words

Ambiguity: Quality of being ambiuious


Words with Similar Meanings

cloudy doubtful dubious
equivocal nebulous indeterminate
obscure unclear vague
Term

Alleviate

Definition

Alleviate: to make more bearable.


"Taking aspirin helps to alleviate a headache."


Words with Similar Meanings

allay assuage comfort
ease lessen lighten
migitage palliate relieve
Term

Amalgamte

Definition

Amalgamate: to combine, to mix together


"Giant Industries amalgamated with Mega Products to form Giant-Mega Products Incorporated."


Related Words

Amalgam : a mixture, especially of two metals.


Words with Similar Meanings

admix blend coalesce combine
commingle commix compound fuse
intermingle intermix merge mingle
  mix unite
Term

Ameliorate

Definition

Ameliorate: to make better; to improve.


"The doctor was able to ameliorate the patient's suffering using pain-killers."


Words with Similar Meanings

amend better improve
pacify   upgrade
Term

Anachronism

Definition

Anachronism: something out of place in time.


'The aged hippie used anachronistic phrases like 'groovy' and 'far out' that had not been popular for years."


Words with Similar Meanings

archaism incongruity
Term

Analogous

Definition

Analogous: similar or alike In some way; equivalent to


"His mother argued that not going to college was analogous to throwing his life away."


Related Words

Analogy: a similarity between things that are otherwise dissimilar.

Analogue: something that is similar in some way to something else


Words with Similar Meanings

alike comparable corresponding
equivalent homogeneous parallel
  similar  
Term

Anomaly

Definition

Anomaly: deviation from what is normal


"Albino animals may display too great an anomaly in their coloring to attract normally colored mates.•


Related Words

Anomalous: Deviating from what is normal


Words with Similar Meanings

aberrant aberration abnormality
deviance deviation irregularity
  preternaturalness  
Term

Antagonize

Definition

Antagonize: to annoy or prevoke; to anger


"The child discovered that he could antagonize the cat by pulling its tail."


Related Words

Antagonistic: Tending to provoke conflict

Antagonist: Someone who fights another


Words with Similar Meanings

clash conflict incite
irritate oppose pester
provoke   vex
Term

Antipathy

Definition

Antipathy: extreme dislike


"The antipathy between the French and the English regularly erupted into open warfare.•


Words with Similar Meanings

abhorrence animosity animus
antagonism aversion dislike
enmity hatred hostility
loathing repellence repugnance
repulsion   revulsion
Term

Apathy

Definition

Apathy: Lack of interest or emotion.


The apathy of voters is so great that less than half the people who are eligible to vote actually bother to do so.•


Words with Similar Meanings

coolness disinterest disregard
impassivity indifference insensibility
lassitude lethargy listlessness
phlegm stolidity unconcern
  unresponsiveness  
Term

Apocryphal

Definition

Apocryphal: of questionable authority or authenticity.


"There is no hard or authoritative evidence to support the apocryphal tales that link the Roswell, New Mexico. incident to a downed U.F.O."


Words with Similar Meanings

disputed doubtful
fictitious fraudulent
Term

Approbation

Definition

Approbation: approval and praise.


"The approbation that Jerry Lewis received in France included a medal from the Ministry of Culture.•


Related Words

Approbate: to authorize.


Words with Similar Meanings

acclaim adulation applause
commendation compliments exalt
extol hail kudos
  praise  
Term

Arbitrary

Definition

Arbitrary: determined by chance or impulse.


"When you lack the information to judge what to do next, you will be forced to make an arbitrary decision."


Words with Similar Meanings

changeable erratic indiscriminate
random   wayward
Term

Arbitrate

Definition

Arbitrate: to judge a dispute between two opposing parties


"Since the couple could not come to agreement, a judge was forced to arbitrate their divorce proceedings."


Related Words

Arbitration: a process by which a conflict is resolved


Arbitrator: a judge


Words with Similar Meanings

adjudge adjudicate decide
determine judge moderate
referee rule
Term

Archaic

Definition

Archaic: ancient, old-fashioned


"Her archaic Commodore computer could not run the latest software."


Related Words

Archaism: an outdated word or phrase.


Words with Similar Meanings

ancient antediluvian antique archaic
bygone dated dowdyfusty
obsolete old-fashioned outdated outmoded
passe prehistoric stale superannuated
superseded vintage
Term

Ardor

Definition

Ardor: intense and passionate feeling


"Bishop's ardor for landscape was evident when he passionately described the beauty of the scenic Hudson Valley"


Related Words

Ardent Expressing ardor; passionate


Words with Similar Meanings

devotion enthusiasm fervidness
fervency fervidity passion
fervor fire zealousness
zeal
Term

Articulate

Definition

Articulate: able to speak clearly and expressively.


"She articulates her pro-labor views so clearty that unions are among her strongest supporters. "


Words with Similar Meanings

eloquent expressive fluent
lucid silver-tongued smooth-spoken
Term

Assuage

Definition
Term

Attenuate

Definition
Term

Audacious

Definition
Term

Austere

Definition
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