gre vocabulary i
Terms
undefined, object
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- iota
- very small quantity. She hadn't an iota of common sense
- invulnerbale
- incapable of injury. Achilles was invulnerable exceptin his heel
- invoke
- call upon; ask for. She invoked her advisor's aid in filling out her finanical aid forms
- invocation
- prayer for help; calling upon as a reference or support. The service of Morning Prayer opens with an invocation during which we ask God to hear our prayers
- inviolable
- secure from corruption. attack, or violation; unassailable Batman considered his oath to keep the people of Gotham City safe inviolable; nothing on earth could make him break this promise
- invincible
- unconquerable. Superman is invincible
- invidious
- designed to create ill will or ency. WE disregarded her invidius remarks because we realized how jealous she was
- inveterate
- deep-rooted; habitual. She is an inveterate smoker and cannot break the habit
- invert
- turn upside down or inside out. When he inverted his body in a hand stand, he felt the blood rush to his head
- inverse
- opposite. There is an inverse raito between the strength of light and its distance
- inveigie
- lead astray; wheedle. She was inveigled into joining the club after an initial reluctance
- inveigh
- denounce; utter censure or invective, shout, yell. He inveighed against the demagoguery of the previous speaker and urged that the audience reject his philsophy as dangerous
- invalidate
- weaken; destroy. The relatives who receied little or nothing sought to invalidate the will by claiming that the deceasd had not been in his right mind when he signed the document
- inured
- accustomed; hardened. She became inured to the Alaskan cold
- inundate
- overwhelm; flood; submerge. This semester I am inundated with work; you should see the piles of paperwork flooding my desk. Until the great dam was built, the waters of the Nile used to inundate the river valley every year
- intrude
- trespass; enter as an uninvited person. She hesitated to intrude on their conversation
- introvert
- one who is introspective; inclined to think ore about oneself. In his poetry, he reveals that he is an introvert by his intense interest in his own problems
- introspective
- look within oneself. Though young Francis of Assisi led a wild and worldly life, even he had introspective moments during which he examined his soul
- intrinsic
- essential; inherent; built-in. Although my grandmother's chian has little intrinsic value, I shall always cherish it for the memories it evokes.
- intrepid
- fearless, brave. For her interpid conduct nursing the wounded dring the war, Florence Nightingale was honored by Queen Victoria.
- intransigence
- refusal of any compromise; stubborness.The negotiating team had not expected such intransigence from the striking workers, who rejected any hint of a compromise
- intractable
- unruly; stubborn; unyielding. Charlie Brown's friend Pigpen was intractable; he absolutely refused to take a bath.
- intimidate
- frighten. Ill learn karate and then those big bullies won't be able to intimdate me anymore
- intimate
- hint. She intimated rather than stated her preferences
- intervene
- come between. When two close friends get into a fight, be careful if you try to intervene; they may join forces and gang up on you.
- interrogate
- question closerly; cross-examine. knwing that the Nazis would interrogate him about his background, the secret agent invented a cover story that would help him meet their questions.
- interregnum
- period between two reigns. Henry VIII desprately sought a male heir because he feared the civil strife that might occur if any prolonged itnerregnum succeeded his death
- interpolate
- insert between. Seh talked so much that I could not interpolate a single remark
- internecine
- mutally destructive. The rising death toll on both sides indicatees the internecine nature of this conflict
- intermittent
- periodic; on and off. The outdoor wedding reception had to be moved indoors to avoid the intermittent showers that fell on and off all afternoon
- interminable
- endless. ALthough his speech lasted for only 20 minutes, it seemed interminable to his bord audience.
- interloper
- intruder. The merchant though of his competitors as interlopers who were stealing away his trade
- interim
- meantime. The company will not consider our proposal until next week; in the interim, let us proceed as we have in the past
- interdict
- prohibit; forbid. Civilized nations must interdict the use of uclear weapons if we expect our society to live
- inter
- bury. They are going to inter the body tomorrow at Broadlawn Cemetry
- intelligentsia
- intellectuals; members of the educated elite (often used derogatorily). She preferred discussions about sports and politics to the literary conversations of the intelligentsia.
- intellect
- higher mental powers. He though college would develop his intellect
- integrity
- uprightness; wholeness. Lincoln, whose personal integrity has inspired millions, fought a civil war to maintain the integrity of the republic, that these United States might remain undivided for all time
- integrate
- make whole; combine; make into one unit. She tried to integrate all their activities into one program
- integral
- complete; necessary for completeness. Physical education is an integral part of our curriculum; a sound mind and a sound body are complementary
- intangible
- not able to be perceived by touch; vague.Though the financial benefits of his Oxford post were meager, Lewis was drawn to it by its intangible rewards; prestige, inteelectual freedom, the fellowhsip of his peers
- insurrection
- rebellion; uprigin. In retrospect, given how badly the British treated the American colonists, the eventual insurrection seem inevitable
- insurmountable
- overwhelming; unbeatable; insuperable. Facing almost insurmountable obstacles, the members of the undergroud maintained their courage and will to resist
- insurgent
- rebellious. Because the insurgent forces had occupied the capital and had gained countrol of the railway lines, several of the war correspondents covering the uprising predicted a rebel victory.
- insuperable
- insurmountable; unbeatable. Though the odds against their survival seemed insuperable, the Apolo 13 astronauts reached earth safely
- insubstantial
- lacking substance; insignificant; trail. His hopes for a career in acting provedinsubstantial; no one would cast hi, even in an insubstantial role
- insubordination
- disobedience; rebelliousness. At the slightest hint of insubordination from the sailors on the BOunuty, Captain Bligh had them flogged; finally, they mutinied
- instigate
- urge; start;provoke. Delighting in making mischief, Sir Toby sets out to instigate a quarrel between Sir Andrew and Cesario
- insouciat
- indifferent; without concern or care. Your insouciant attitude at such a critical moment indicates that you do not understand the gravity of the situation
- insomnia
- wakefulness; inability to sleep. She refused to join us in a midnight cup of coffee because she claimed it gave her insomnia
- insolvent
- bankrupt; lacking money to pay. When rumors that he was insolvent reached his creditors, they began to press him for payment of the money due them
- insolence
- impudent disrespect; haughtiness. How dare yout reat me so rudely! The manager will hear of yourinsolence
- insipid
- lacking in flavor; dull. Flat prose and flat gigner ale are equally insipid; both lack sparkle
- insinuate
- hint; imply; creep in. When you said I looked robust, did you mean to insinuate that I'm getting fat?
- insightful
- discerning; perceptive. Sol thought he was very insightful about uman behavior, but actually he was clueless as to why people acted the way they did
- insidious
- treacherous; stealthy; sly. The fifth column is insidious because it works secretly within our territory for our defeat.
- insensible
- unconscious; unresponsive. Sherry and I are very different; at times when I would be covered with embarrassment, she seems insensible to shame
- insensate
- without feeling. She lay there as insensate as a log.
- inscrutable
- impenertrable; not readily understood; mysterious. Experienced poker players try to keep their expressions inscrutable hiding their reactions to the cards behind a so-called poker face
- insatiable
- not easily satisfied; unqeunchable; greedy. The young writer's thirts for knowledge was insatiable; she was always in the library
- insalubrious
- unwholesome; not healthful. The mosquito-ridden swamp was an insalubrious place, a breeding groud for malarial contagion
- inquisitor
- questioner (especially harsh); investigator. Fearing being grilled ruthlessly by the secret police, Marsha faced her inquisitors with trepidation
- inordinate
- unrestrained; excessive. She had an inordinate fondness for candy, eating two or three boxes in a single day
- inopportune
- untimely; poorly chosen. A rock concert is an inopportune setting for a quiet conversation
- innuendo
- hint; insinuation. I can defend myself against direct accusations; innuendos and oblique attacks on my character are what trouble me.
- innovation
- change; introduction of something new. Although Richard liked to keep up with all the latest technological innovations, he didnt' always abandon tried and true techniques in favor of something new.
- innocuous
- harmless. An occasional glass of wine with dinner is relatively innocuous and should have no ill effect on most peope
- innate
- inborn. Mozart's parents soon recognized young Wolfgang's innate talent for music
- inkling
- hint. This came as a complete surprise to me as I did not have the slightest inkling of your plans.
- injurious
- harmful. Smoking cigarettes can be injurious to your health
- initiate
- begin; originate; receive into a group. The college is about to initiate a program for reducing math anxiety among students
- iniquitous
- wicked; immoral; unrighteous. Whether or not king RIchard III was responsible for the murder of the two young princes in the Tower, it was an iniquitous deed
- inimitable
- matchless; not able to be imitated. We dmire Auden for his inimitable use of language, he is one of a kind.
- inimical
- unfriendly; hostile; harmful; detrimental. I've always been friednly to Martha. Why is she so inimical to me?
- inhibit
- restrain; retard or prevent. Only 2 things inhibited him from taking a punch at Mike Tyson; Tyson's left hook, and Tyson's right jab. The protective undercoating on my car inhibits the formation of rust.
- inherent
- firmly established by nature or habit. Katya's inherent love of justice caused her to champion anyone she considered to be treated unfairly by society.
- ingratiate
- become popular with. He tried to ingratiate himself into her parents' good graces
- ingrate
- ungrateful person. That ingrate Bob sneered at the tie I gave him.
- ingrained
- deeply established; firmly rotted. Try as they would, the missionaires were unable to uproot the ingrained superstitions of the natives.
- ingenuous
- naive and trusting; young; unsophisticated. The woodsman did not realize how ingenuous LIttle REd Riding Hood was until he heard that she had gone off for a walk in the woods with the Big Bad Wolf
- ingenious
- clever; resourceful. Kit admired the ingenious way that her computer keyboard opened up to reveal the built-in CD-ROM below
- infringe
- violate; encroach. I think your machine infringes on my patnet and I intend to sue
- infraction
- violation (of a rule or regulation); breach. When basketball start Dennis Rodman butted heads withthe referee, he committed a clear infraction of NBA rules
- influx
- flowing into. The influx of refugees into the countr has taxed the relief agencies severely
- inflated
- exaggerated; pompous; enlarged (with air or gas). His claims about the new product were inflated; it did not work as well as he had promised.
- infirmity
- weakness. Her greatest infirmity was lack of willpower.
- infinitesimal
- very small. In the 20th C, physicists have made their greatest discoveries about the characteristics of infinitesimal objects like the atoms and its parts
- infilitrate
- pass into or through; penetrate (an organization) sneakily. In order to infiltrate enmy lines at night without being seen, the scouts darkened their faces and wore black coverails
- infidel
- unbeliever. The Saracens made war against the infidels
- infernal
- pertaining to hell; devilish. Batman was baffled; he could think of no way to hinder the Joker's infernal scheme to destroy the city
- infer
- deduce; conclude. From the students' glazed looks, it was easy for me to infer that they were bord out of their minds
- infantile
- childish; infantlike. When will he outgrow such infantile behavior?
- infamous
- notoriously bad. Charles Manson and Jeffrey Dahmer are two examples of infamous killers
- infallible
- unerring. We must remember that none of us is infallible; we all make mistakes.
- inexorable
- relentless; unyielding; unforgiving, cold blood. implacable. After listening to the pleas for clemency, the judge was inexorable and gave the convicted man the maximum punishment allowed by law
- inevitable
- unavoidable. Though death and taxes are both supposedly inevitable, some people avoid paying taxes for years
- inert
- inactive; lacking power to move. "Get up, you lazybones' Tina cried to Tony, who lay in bed inert. inertia N,
- inerrancy
- infallibility. Jane refused to believe in the pope's inerrancy, reasoning: "All human beings are capable of error. The popoe is a human being. There're, the pope is capable of error.
- inequity
- unfairness.
- inept
- lacking skill; unsuited; incompetent. The inept glovemaker was all thums. ineptness N.
- ineluctable
- irresstble; not to be escaped. He felt that his fate was ineluctable and refused to make any attempt to improve his lot
- ineffable
- unutterable; cannot be expressed in speech. Such ineffable joy must be experienced; it cannot be described
- inebriated
- habitually intoxicated; drunk. Abel was inebriated more often than he was sober. Because of his inebriety, he was discharged from his job as a bus driver.
- industrious
- diligent; hard-working. Look bus when the boss walks by your deskl it never hurts to appear industrious. industry N.
- indulgent
- humor; yielding; lenient. Jay's mom was excessively indulgent; she bougth him every computer game on the market. In fact, she indulged Jay so much, she spoiled him rotten