GRE TEST
Terms
undefined, object
copy deck
- dupe
-
To deceive; A person who is easily deceived
Bugs Bunny was able to DUPE Elmer Fudd by dressing up as a lady rabbit. - ecletic
-
Selecting from or made up from a variety of sources
Budapest's architecture is an ECLETIC mix of eastern and western sytles. - efficacy
-
Effectiveness
The EFFICACY of penicillin was unsurpassed when it was first introduced; the drug completely eliminated almost all bacterial infections for which it was administered. - elegy
-
A sorrowful poem or speech
Although Thomas Gray's "ELEGY Written in a Country Chuchyard" is about death and loss, it urges its readers to endure this life, and to trust in spirituality. - eloquent
-
Persuasive and moving, especially in speech
The Gettysburg Address is moving not only because of its lofty sentiments but also because of it ELOQUENT words. - emulate
-
To copy; to try to equal or excel
The graduate student sought to EMULATE his professor in every way, copying not only how she taught, but also how she conducted herself outside of class. - enervate
-
To reduce in strength
The guerrillas hoped that a series of surprise attacks would ENERVATE the regular army. - enigma
-
A puzzle; a mystery
Speaking in riddles and dressed in old robes, the artist gained a reputation as something of an ENIGMA - enumerate
-
To count, list, or itemize
Moses returned from the mountain with tablets on which the commandments were ENUMERATED - equivocate
-
To use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead.
When faced with criticism of his policies, the politician EQUIVOCATED and left all parties thinking he agreed with them. - erratic
-
Wandering and unpredictable
The plot seemed predictable until it suddenly took a series of ERRATIC turns that surprised the audience. - esoteric
-
Known or understood by only a few
Only a handful of experts are knowledgeable about the ESOTERIC world of particle physics. - estimable
-
Admirable
Most people consider it ESTIMABLE that Mother Teresa spent her life helping the poor of India. - euphenism
-
Use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one.
The funeral director preferred to use the EUPHENISM "sleeping" instead of the word "dead". - exacerbate
-
To make worse
It is unwise to take aspirin to try to relieve heartburn; instead of providing relief, the drug will only EXACERBATE the problem. - exculpate
-
To clear from blame; prove innocent
The adversarial legal system is intended to convict those who are guilty and to EXCULPATE those who are innocent. - exigent
-
Urgent; Requiring Immediate Action
The patient was losing blood so rapidly that it was EXIGENT to stop the source of the bleeding. - exonerate
-
To clear of blame
The fugitive was EXONERATED when another criminal confessed to committing the crime. - explicit
-
Clearly stated or shown; forthright in expression
The owners of the house left a list of EXPLICIT instructions detailing their house-sitters' duties, including a schedule for watering the house plants. - fanatical
-
Acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme, unquestioned devotion
The stormtroopers were FANATICAL in their devotions to the Emperor, readily sacrificing their lives for him. - Fawn
-
To grovel
The understudy FAWNED over the director in hopes of being cast in the part on a permanent basis. - Florid
-
Excessively decorated or embellished
The palace had been decorated in an excessively FLORID style; every surface had been carved and gilded. - Foment
-
To arouse or incite
The protesters tried to FOMENT feeling against the war through their speeches and demonstrations. - Frugality
-
A tendency to be thrifty or cheap
Scrooge McDuck's FRUGALITY was so great that he acculmulated enough wealth to fill a giant storehouse with money. - Gregarious
-
Outgoing, Sociable
She was so GREGARIOUS that when she found herself alone she felt quite sad. - Guile
-
Deceit or trickery
Since he was not fast enough to catch the roadrunner on foot, the coyote resorted to GUILE in an effort to trap his enemy. - Gullible
-
Easily deceived
The con man pretended to be a bank officer so as to fool GULLIBLE bank customers into giving him their account information. - Homogenous
-
Of a similar kind
The class was fairly HOMOGENOUS, since almost all of the students were senior journalism majors. - Iconoclast
-
One who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions
His lack of regard for traditional beliefs soon established him as an ICONOCLAST - Imperturbable
-
Not capable of being disturbed
The counselor had so much experience dealing with distraught children that she seemed IMPERTURB
ABLE, even when faced with the wildest tantrums. - Impervious
-
Impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected
A good raincoat will be IMPERVIOUS to moisture. - Impetuous
-
Quick to act without thinking
It is not good for an investment broker to be IMPETUOUS, since much thought should be give to all the possible options. - Implacable
-
Unable to be calmed down or made peaceful
His rage at the betrayal was so great that he remained IMPLACABLE for weeks. - Inchoate
-
Not fully formed; disorganized
The ideas expressed in Nietzsche's mature work also appear in an INCHOATE form in his earliest writing. - Inimical
-
Hostile; unfriendly
Even though the children had grown up together they were INIMICAL to each other at school. - Innocuous
-
Harmless
Some snakes are poisonous, but most species are INNOCUOUS and pose no danger to humans. - Insipid
-
Lacking interest or flavor
The critic claimed that the painting was INSIPID, containing no interesting qualities at all. - Inundate
-
To overwhelm; to cover with water
The tidal wave INUNDATED Atlantis, which was lost beneath the water. - Irascible
-
Easily made angry
Attila the Hun's IRASCIBLE and violent nature made all who dealt with him fear for their lives. - Lament
-
To express sorrow; to grieve
The children continued to LAMENT the death of the goldfish weeks after its demise. - Lavish
-
To give unsparingly (Verb);Extremely generous or extravagant (Adjective)
She LAVISHED the puppy with so many treats that it soon became overweight and spoiled. - Lethargic
-
Acting in an indifferent or slow, sluggish manner
The clerk was so LETHARGIC that, even when the store was slow, he always had a long line in front of him. - Luminous
-
Bright, brilliant, glowing
The park was bathed in LUMINOUS sunshine which warmed the bodies and the souls of the visitors. - Malinger
-
To evade responsibility by pretending to be ill
A common way to avoid the draft was by MALINGERING- pretending to be mentally or physically ill so as to avoid being taken by the Army. - Malleable
-
Capable of being shaped
Gold is the most MALLEABLE of precious metals; it can easily be formed into almost any shape. - Metaphor
-
A figure of speech comparing two different things; A symbol
The METAPHOR "a sea of troubles" suggests a lot of troubles by comparing their number to the vastness of the sea. - Meticulous
-
Extremely careful about details
To find all the clues at the crime scene, the investigators METICULOUSLY exmained every inch of the area. - Mitigate
-
To soften; to lessen
A judge may MITIGATE a sentence is she decides that a person committed a crime out of need. - Mollify
-
To calm or make less severe
Their argument was so intense that it was difficult to believe any compromise would MOLLIFY them. - Monotony
-
Lack of variation
The MONOTONY of the sound of the dripping faucet almost drove the research assistant crazy. - Naive
-
Lacking sophistication or experience
Having never traveled before, the hillbillies were more NAIVE than the people they met in Beverly Hills. - Obsequious
-
Overly submissive and eager to please
The OBSEQUIOUS new associate made sure to compliment her supervisor's tie and agree with him on every issue - Obstinate
-
Stubborn, unyielding
The OBSTINATE child could not be made to eat any food that he disliked. - Obviate
-
To prevent; to make unnecessary
The river was shallow enough to wade across at many points, which OBVIATED the need for a bridge. - Occlude
-
To stop up; to prevent the passage of
A shadow is thrown across the Earth's surface during a solar eclipse, when the light from the sun is OCCLUDED by the moon. - Onerous
-
Troublesome and oppressive; burdensome
The assignment was so extensive and difficult to manage that it proved ONEROUS to the team in charge of it. - Opprobium
-
Public disgrace
After the scheme to embezzle the elderly was made public, the treasurer resigned in utter OPPROBIUM. - Paradox
-
A contradiction or dilemma
It is a PARADOX that those most in need of medical attention are often those least able to obtain it. - Perfidious
-
Willing to betray one's trust
The actress's PERFIDIOUS companion revealed all of her intimate secrets to the gossip columnist. - Perfunctory
-
Done in a routine way; indifferent
The machinelike bank teller processed the transaction and gave the waiting customer a PERFUNCTORY smile. - Permeate
-
To Penetrate
This miraculous new cleaning fluid is able to PERMEATE stains and dissolve them in minutes! - Plastic
-
Able to be molded, altered, or bent
The new material was very PLASTIC and could be formed into products of vastly different shape. - Plethora
-
Excess
Assuming that more was better, the defendant offered the judge a PLETHORA of excuses. - Pragmatic
-
Practical as opposed to idealistic
While daydreaming gamblers think they can get rich by frequenting casinos, PRAGMATIC gamblers realize that the odds are heavily stacked against them. - Pristine
-
Fresh and clean; uncorrupted
Since concerted measures had been taken to prevent looting, the archeological site was still PRISTINE when researchers arrived. - Proliferate
-
To increase in number quickly
Although he only kept two guinea pigs initially, they PROLIFERATED to such an extent that he soon had dozens. - Propitiate
-
To conciliate; to appease
The management PROPITIATED the irate union by agreeing to raise wages for its member. - Propriety
-
Correct behavior; obedience to rules and customs
The aristocracy maintained a high level of PROPRIETY, adhering to even the most minor social rules. - Prudence
-
Wisdom, caution, or restraint
The college sutdent exhibited PRUDENCE by obtaining practical experience along with her studies, which greatly strengthened her resume. - Pungent
-
Sharp and irritating to the senses
The smoke from the burning tires was extremely PUNGENT. - Quiescent
-
Motionless
Many animals are QUIESCENT over the winter months, minimizing activity in order to conserve energy. - Rarefy
-
To make thinner or sparser
Since the atmosphere RAREFIES as altitudes increase, the air at the top of very tall mountains is too thin to breathe. - Repudiate
-
To reject the validily of
The old woman's claim that she was Russian royalty was REPUDIATED when DNA test showed she was of no relation to them. - Reticent
-
Silent, reserved
Physically small and RETICENT in her speech, Joan Didion often went unnoticed by those upon whom she was reporting. - Rhetoric
-
Effective writing or speaking
Lincoln's talent for RHETORIC was evident in his beautifully expressed Gettysburg Address. - Satiate
-
To satisfy fully or overindulge
His desire for power was so great that nothing less than complete control of the country could SATIATE it. - Soporific
-
Causing sleep or lethargy
The movie proved to be so SOPORIFIC that soon loud snores were heard throughout the theater. - Specious
-
Deceptively attractive;seemingly plausible but fallacious
The student's SPECIOUS excuse for being late sounded legitimate, but was proved otherwise when his teacher called his home. - Stigma
-
A mark of shame or discredit
In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne was required to wear the letter "A" on her clothes as a public STIGMA for her adultery. - Stolid
-
Unemotional, lacking sensitivity
The prisoner appeared STOLID and unaffected by the judge's harsh sentence. - Sublime
-
Lofty or grand
The music was so SUBLIME that it transformed the erude surroundings into a special place. - Tacit
-
Done without using words
Although not a word had been said, everyone in the room knew that a TACIT agreement had been made about which course of action to take. - Taciturn
-
Silent, not talkative
The clerk's TACITURN nature earned him the nickname "Silent BOb". - Tirade
-
Long, harsh speech or verbal attack
Observers were shocked at the manager's TIRADE over such a minor mistake - Torpor
-
Extreme mental and physical sluggishness
After surgery, the patient experienced TORPOR until the anesthesia wore off. - Transitory
-
Temporary, lasting a brief time
The reporter lived a TRANSITORY life, staying in one place only long enough to cover the current story. - Vacillate
-
To sway physically;to be indecisive
The customer held up the line as he VACILLATED between ordering chocolate chip or rocky road ice cream. - Veracity
-
Filled with truth and accuracy
She had a reputation for VERACITY, so everyone trusted her description of events. - Verbose
-
Wordy
The professor's answer was so VERBOSE that his student forgot what the original question had been - Vex
-
To annoy
The old man who loved his peace and quiet was VEXED by his neighbor's loud music. - Volatile
-
Easily aroused or changeable; lively or explosive
His VOLATILE personality made it difficult to predict his reaction to anything. - Whimsical
-
Acting in a fanciful or capricious manner; unpredictable
The ballet was WHIMSICAL< delighting the children with its imaginative characters and unpredictable sets.