GRE Words 3
Terms
undefined, object
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- n symbiosis
- interdependent relationship (between groups, species) often mutually beneficial; ADJ. symbiotic; CF. together + life
- n penumbra
- partial shadow (in an eclipse); CF. almost shadow
- n pestle
- tool for mashing or grinding substances in a hard bowl or mortar
- n somber
- dark; gloomy; melancholy; depressing; CF. shadow
- s horoscope
- diagram of the positions of stars at a given moment (eg. of a person's birth) used by astrologers
- n sardonic
- scornfully mocking; disdainful; sarcastic; cynical; Ex. sardonic smile
- n upbraid
- reprimand; severely scold
- n raconteur
- story-teller; one who tells stories with wit and skill
- n verisimilar
- having the appearance of truth or reality; probable or likely to be true; plausible
- n supererogatory
- superfluous; more than needed or demanded
- n rancor
- long-lasting hatred; bitterness; Ex. negotiation without rancor; ADJ. rancorous
- vaunted
- boasted; bragged; highly publicized; V. vaunt: boast; brag
- n plaudit
- praise; enthusiastic approval; round(succession or series) of applause; polyglot speaking several languages; multilingual; Ex. polyglot person/society; N.
- paucity
- scarcity; dearth
- n protean
- able to take on many forms; versatile; CF. Proteus: sea god to change his shape at will
- supercilious
- haughty; arrogant; condescending; patronizing; CF. eyebrow, cilium
- pique
- irritation; resentment from wounded pride (eg. loss in a contest); V: provoke; arouse; annoy; cause to feel resentment; Ex. pique her curiosity
- n panegyric
- formal praise; encomium; Ex. I don't deserve such panegyrics.
- n sibylline
- prophetic; oracular; N. sibyl: woman prophet (in the ancient world)
- n surfeit
- satiate; feed or supply to excess; stuff; indulge to excess in anything; n swarthy (of a skin or complexion) dark; dusky; Ex. swarthy Italian ?
- n parquet
- floor made of wood strips inlaid in a mosaic like matter; CF. strip: long narrow piece
- n prevaricate
- lie; hide the truth (by equivocating)
- n prate
- talk idly; speak foolishly; boast idly
- n sundry
- miscellaneous; various; several; N. sundries: small miscellaneous items
- n vegetate
- live in a monotonous way (without interests or activity); CF. vegetation: plants of an area; CF. vegetarian; CF. vegan
- n titular
- of a title; in name only; nominal; having the title of an office without the obligations; Ex. titular head of the company
- n stricture
- severe and adverse criticism; critical comments; limit or restriction
- n pugnacity
- combativeness; disposition to fight; ADJ. pugnacious: (of people) belligerent; combative in nature
- pertinacious
- holding tenaciously to an action; stubborn; persistent
- transmute
- transform; change; convert to something different
- n sidereal
- relating to stars; Ex. sidereal day
- n propitiate
- appease; conciliate; make peaceful; ADJ. propitiatory
- n tensile
- capable of being stretched; of tension; Ex. tensile rubber
- somatic
- pertaining to the body; bodily; physical
- n supine
- lying on back; passive; inactive; Ex. The defeated pugilist lay supine; Ex. supine acceptance of the decision
- n sunder
- separate; part; CF. asunder
- pecuniary
- pertaining to money
- n umbrage
- resentment; anger; sense of injury or insult; Ex. take umbrage at his rudeness
- n somnolent
- half asleep; drowsy; N. somnolence
- n propinquity
- nearness (in space or relationship); proximity; kinship
- n stygian
- unpleasantly dark; gloomy; hellish; deathly; CF. Styx: the chief river in the subterranean land of the dead
- n quisling
- traitor who aids invaders; CF. Vidkun Quisling
- n pundit
- authority on a subject; expert; learned person
- n prolixity
- tedious wordiness; verbosity; ADJ. prolix: wordy; verbose; diffuse
- punctilious
- minutely attentive (perhaps too much so) to fine points; stressing niceties of conduct or form; N. punctilio, punctiliousness: careful attention payed to every small exact detail
- n simian
- monkeylike; N: ape or monkey
- n piquant
- pleasantly tart-tasting; spicy; pleasantly stimulating; Ex. piquant situation when my old enemy asked for my help
- n welter
- confusion; turmoil; confused mass; bewildering jumble; Ex. welter of data
- n scintilla
- trace; minute amount; shred; least bit; Ex. There is not a scintilla of truth; CF. spark
- n pusillanimous
- cowardly; lacking courage; fainthearted
- n suffuse
- spread through or over (with a color or liquid); charge; Ex. A blush suffused her cheeks.
- remunerative
- (of work) compensating; rewarding; profitable; well-paid; V. remunerate: n repast meal; feast; banquet
- n stipple
- paint or draw with dots or short strokes
- n sybarite
- lover of luxury; person devoted to pleasure and luxury; CF. Sybaris: an ancient Greek city in Italy
- n subterfuge
- stratagem(deceptive scheme); pretense; evasion; Ex. resort to a harmless subterfuge
- sanguine
- optimistic; cheerful; hopeful; of the color of blood; red
- n ragamuffin
- dirty child in torn clothes; person wearing tattered clothes
- n virulent
- (of a disease or poison) extremely harmful or poisonous; (of a feeling) hostile; bitter; N. virulence; CF. virus; CF. venom
- n poultice
- soothing application applied to sore and inflamed portions of the body
- n spoonerism
- accidental transposition of sounds in successive words; Ex. ``Let me sew you to your sheet'' for ``Let me show you to your seat''; CF. William Spooner
- n solder
- repair or make whole by using a metal alloy; N: metal alloy (usually tin and lead) used in the molten state to join metallic parts
- n sagacious
- wise; perceptive; shrewd; having insight; N. sagacity
- s variegate
- change the appearance of (by marking with different colors)
- n progeny
- children; offspring; descendants
- n vise
- vice; tool for holding work in place; clamping device
- pastoral
- rural; of rural life; idyllic; of a pastor
- s pucker
- gather into wrinkles or folds; N: wrinkle or fold
- n visage
- face; appearance
- n sonorous
- resonant; producing a full deep sound; producing sound
- n querulous
- given to complaining; complaining; fretful; whining
- n unguent
- ointment
- n victuals
- food; provisions; V. victual: provide with food
- n solecism
- nonstandard grammatical construction; construction that is flagrantly
- remonstrate
- protest; objection; V. remonstrate: say in protest
- n vitreous
- of glass; pertaining to or resembling glass; V. vitrify: change into glass; CF. petrify
- n puissant
- powerful; strong; potent; N. puissance: power
- s penology
- study of prison management and criminal rehabilitation
- n rebus
- representation of words in the form of pictures or symbols; puzzle in which pictures or letters stand for words; Ex. ``R U 18'' is a rebus for ``Are you 18''.
- n variegated
- (esp. of a flower or leaf) many-colored
- n testator
- maker of a will; CF. testatrix
- n seethe
- be violently disturbed; boil; (of a liquid) move about wildly as if boiling; Ex. The nation was seething with discontent.
- s Shangri-la
- imaginary remote paradise on earth; CF. Lost Horizon
- n seine
- seine net; net for catching fish
- n petulant
- touchy; peevish; ill-tempered
- parry
- ward off a blow; deflect; Ex. He parried the unwelcome question very skillfully; s parsimony stinginess; excessive frugality; ADJ. parsimonious
- n patois
- local or provincial dialect
- n tonsure
- shaving of the head especially by person entering religious orders; V.
- n swathe
- swath; wrap around; bandage; Ex. one's head swathed in bandages
- n propitious
- favorable; auspicious; advantageous; fortunate; Ex. propitious day/sign
- tactile
- pertaining to the organs or sense of touch
- n peroration
- conclusion of an oration; perorating; V. perorate: conclude a speech; perspicacious (of someone) having insight; penetrating; astute
- n roseate
- rosy; optimistic; Ex. roseate views
- n taciturn
- habitually silent; talking little
- n roil
- make liquids murky by stirring up sediment; disturb
- n vicissitude
- change (esp. from good to bad); change of fortune; CF. the last emperor of China
- n prurient
- having or causing lustful desires and thoughts; arousing immoderate sexual desire
- n rostrum
- raised platform for speech-making; pulpit
- n sartorial
- pertaining to tailors or tailoring; Ex. a man of great sartorial elegance; CF. sartor: tailor
- n suavity
- urbanity; polish; ADJ. suave: smooth and courteous
- viscous
- (of a liquid) thick and sticky; gluey; viscid; CF. consistency
- n quiescent
- dormant; temporarily inactive; at rest; N. quiescence
- n quixotic
- idealistic but impractical; CF. Don Quixote
- s phalanx
- formation of infantry carrying overlapping shields and long spears; group of men packed together (for attack or defense)
- pungent
- stinging; acrid; sharp in taste or smell; (of speech or writing) caustic; N. pungency
- n stodgy
- dull; stuffy; boringly conservative; Ex. stodgy book
- sycophant
- servile flatterer; bootlicker; yes man; ADJ. sycophantic
- somnambulist
- sleepwalker; V. somnambulate; N. somnambulism
- perspicuity
- clearness of expression; freedom from ambiguity
- n wastrel
- waster; profligate
- perfidious
- treacherous; disloyal; N. perfidy: treachery
- paramour
- illicit lover
- n ventral
- abdominal
- ravel
- fall apart into tangles; entangle; unravel or untwist
- n prosaic
- lacking in imagination; dull and unimaginative; matter-of-fact(concerned with facts, not imagination or feelings); factual; CF. prose
- n truculence
- aggressiveness; ferocity; ADJ. truculent: aggressive; pugnacious; fierce
- n proscenium
- part of stage in front of curtain; front arch of a stage
- n physiognomy
- face (as showing the character and the mind); art of judging human character from facial features
- n saturnine
- morose; gloomy; Ex. Do not be misled by his saturnine countenance.
- n palimpsest
- parchment or piece of writing material used for second time after original writing has been erased
- prey
- target of a hunt; victim; V: hunt and eat as prey; victimize; Ex. Cats prey on mice.
- n pellucid
- transparent; limpid(crystal clear); clear in meaning; easy to understand
- n piebald
- of different colors; mottled; spotted in different colors (esp. in black and white); Ex. piebald horse; CF. pie+bald
- pugilist
- boxer; CF. pugilism: boxing
- n stentorian
- (of the voice) extremely loud; CF. Stentor: a loud herald in the Iliad
- syllogism
- logical formula consisting of a major premise, a minor premise and a conclusion; deceptive or specious argument
- n vagary
- capricious happening; caprice; whim; CF. wander
- n piscatorial
- pertaining to fishing; CF. Pisces
- uniformity
- sameness; monotony; ADJ. uniform: the same all over
- n patrician
- noble; aristocratic; N: person of high rank; aristocrat; CF. member of the governing classes in ancient Rome; CF. plebian
- penury
- extreme poverty; stinginess; ADJ. penurious: very poor; stingy
- n venial
- (of a fault or sin) forgivable; trivial
- n pulmonary
- pertaining to the lungs
- n tessellated
- mosaic; inlaid; Ex. tessellated pattern
- n potentate
- monarch; sovereign
- n repine
- fret; complain; be annoyed; Ex. repine over the undone work
- n sinecure
- well-paid position with little responsibility; CF. sine cure: without n skulduggery(skullduggery) dishonest behavior or action; Ex. skulduggery in the election
- n septic
- of or causing sepsis; putrid; producing putrefaction; N. sepsis: poisoning of part of the body (producing pus)
- n pulchritude
- beauty; comeliness; ADJ. pulchritudinous
- n vitriolic
- causing sharp pain to the mind; caustic; corrosive; sarcastic; of vitriol; n vulpine like a fox; crafty
- n ribald
- marked by vulgar lewd humor; wanton; profane; N. ribaldry: ribald language or joke
- n waif
- homeless child or animal; Ex. waifs and strays
- stratagem
- deceptive scheme; clever trick
- n patina
- green crust on old bronze works or copper; tone slowly taken by varnished paintings varnish paint used to coat a surface with a glossy film; glossy coating produced by using this substance; Ex. nail varnish; V.
- soliloquy
- talking to oneself (esp. in a play); CF. monologue: soliloquy; long speech by one person (often monopolizing a conversation)
- n verisimilitude
- appearance of truth; quality of appearing to be true or real; likelihood; Ex. verisimilitude of her performance as Lady Macbeth
- perspicuous
- (of something) plainly expressed; easy to understand; Ex. perspicuous comments
- n untoward
- unexpected and adverse; unfortunate or unlucky; Ex. untoward encounter
- propulsive
- driving forward; N. propulsion
- n sluice
- artificial channel for directing or controlling the flow of water (with a gate to regulate the flow)
- n scad
- a great quantity; Ex. scads of clothes
- n pastiche
- imitation of another's style in musical composition or in writing; work of art openly imitating the works of other artists
- n uxorious
- excessively submissive or devoted to one's wife; CF. uxor: wife
- n viscid
- adhesive; gluey
- n superannuated
- retired or disqualified because of age; outmoded; obsolete
- progenitor
- ancestor
- n prosody
- art of versification; study of the metrical structure of verse
- n unwonted
- unaccustomed; unusual; Ex. He arrived with unwonted punctuality.
- n raiment
- clothing; garments; Ex. I have no raiment fit to wear.
- n 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)
- n putative
- supposed; reputed; generally regarded as such; Ex. putative father of the child
- n urbane
- suave; refined in manner; elegant
- n veracious
- (of a person) truthful
- n supernumerary
- person or thing excess of what is necessary; extra; ADJ: additional to the usual or necessary number
- n titter
- nervous giggle; nervous laugh; V.
- n tertiary
- third in order or rank
- s recreant
- disloyal; cowardly; N: disloyal and cowardly person
- n vainglorious
- boastful; excessively conceited; N. vainglory: great vanity
- pachyderm
- thick-skinned animal
- vertigo
- severe dizziness; giddiness
- n scintillate
- sparkle; flash; be animated; be full of life; Ex. scintillating conversation
- n pore
- study industriously; ponder; scrutinize; Ex. pore over the book; N.
- n turpitude
- depravity; baseness; Ex. moral turpitude
- n quotidian
- daily; commonplace; customary; Ex. quotidian routine
- n recalcitrant
- disobedient or resisting authority even after being punished; obstinately stubborn; determined to resist authority; unruly; Ex. recalcitrant child
- n rarefied
- made less dense (of a gas); V. rarefy: make less dense; N. rarefaction
- partial
- incomplete; favoring one side over another; having a liking for something
- n verdigris
- green coating or patina on copper which has been exposed to the weather
- sedentary
- requiring sitting; done while sitting; not moving from one place to another; settled; Ex. sedentary job/population
- n sylvan
- pertaining to the woods or the country
- n regale
- entertain
- n staid
- serious and sedate; sober; Ex. staid during the funeral ceremony
- s parvenu
- upstart; newly rich person