GRE General Set 24
Terms
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- persevere
- continue steadily in spite of difficulties
- ebullient
- showing excitement; overflowing with enthusiasm; boiling; N. ebullience; N. ebullition: state of boiling
- willowy
- flexible; pliant; slender; CF. ~
- finicky
- too particular; fussy; difficult to please; too concerned with unimportant details or quality; Ex. ~ about her food
- environ
- enclose; surround; N. ~s: surrounding area (as of a city)
- arrhythmic
- lacking rhythm or regularity; N. arrhythmia
- doddering
- shaky; infirm from old age; V. dodder
- efface
- rub out; remove the surface of
- modulate
- tone down in intensity; change the intensity or tone of; regulate; change from one musical key to another; Ex. ~ from E to G
- patina
- green crust on old bronze works or copper; tone slowly taken by varnished painting
- lascivious
- lustful
- wrest
- obtain by pulling violently; pull away; take by violence; Ex. ~ victory from their grasp
- apologist
- one who writes in defense of a cause or institution; N. apologia
- rolling
- (of land) rising and falling in long gentle slopes; happening continuously by stages; Ex. ~ devolution of power to local governments
- instigate
- start; urge; provoke; incite; Ex. ~ a search/quarrel
- patriarch
- father and ruler of a family or tribe
- venerate
- revere; treat with great respect
- germinal
- pertaining to a germ; creative; Ex. ~ idea
- quagmire
- bog; marsh; soft, wet, boggy land; predicament; complex or dangerous situation from which it is difficult to free oneself
- continence
- self-restraint; sexual chastity; sexual abstinence; voluntary control over bladder and bowel functions; ADJ. continent
- idyll
- short poem idealizing rural life; simple happy period of life (in the country); scene from such a time; Ex. idyll of two young lovers
- turncoat
- traitor
- humus
- substance or rich soil formed by decaying vegetable matter; CF. soil
- militate
- work against; Ex. ~ against the chances of promotion; CF. serve as a soldier
- vicarious
- experienced as if one were taking part in the experience of another; done by a deputy for other people; acting as a substitute; Ex. ~ thrill at the movies; Ex. the ~ sufferings of Christ
- hubris
- arrogance; excessive self-conceit
- parity
- equality; close resemblance; CF. disparate
- unassailable
- not open to attack; impregnable; not subject to question
- spat
- squabble; minor dispute; minor quarrel
- discriminate
- distinguish; make distinctions on the basis of preference
- recumbent
- reclining; lying down completely or in part
- strew
- spread randomly; sprinkle; scatter; Ex. flower girl ~ing rose petals
- Machiavellian
- crafty; double-dealing; of the political doctrine of Machiavelli, which holds that craft and deceit are justified in pursuing political power
- recant
- disclaim or disavow; retract a previous statement; openly confess error; Ex. ~ one's faith/a statement
- celerity
- speed; rapidity
- mason
- one who builds or works with stone or brick; N. ~ry: work of a ~; stonework or brickwork
- contortions
- twistings; distortions; V. contort: twist violently out of shape; CF. contortionist
- trample
- step heavily with the feet; crush under the feet
- confidant
- (confidante) trusted friend (to whom one tells one's secret)
- aberrant
- abnormal or deviant
- doff
- take off; OP. don
- wiggle
- wriggle; move from side to side with irregular twisting motions
- menagerie
- collection of wild animals on exhibition; zoo
- garner
- gather; store up; amass
- divulge
- reveal; make known (private or sensitive information) : I am too much of a gentleman to ~ her age.
- steadfast
- steadily loyal; unswerving; steady
- paste
- smooth viscous mixture as of flour(powder made by crushing grain) and water (used as an adhesive); V: cause to adhere by applying ~
- limpid
- crystal clear
- grudging
- unwilling; reluctant; stingy(giving reluctantly)
- corpuscle
- red or white cell in the blood
- regiment
- military unit; V: subject to strict order; Ex. ~ed society
- pontifical
- pertaining to a bishop or pope; pompous or pretentious; CF. pontiff: pope; bishop
- vituperative
- abusive; scolding; V. vituperate: berate; scold; rail against abusively
- fissure
- crevice; crack
- cadaver
- corpse; dead human body
- sallow
- (of the skin) yellowish and unhealthy-looking; sickly in color; Ex. ~ complexion due to jaundice
- virtuoso
- highly skilled artist (esp. in music); Ex. piano ~
- upright
- (sitting or standing) straight up; honest; moral
- plaster
- paste that hardens to a smooth solid and is used for coating walls; V.
- pertinacious
- holding tenaciously to an action; stubborn; persistent
- shunt
- move (a railway train) from one track to another; turn aside; divert; sidetrack; Ex. ~ traffic around an accident; N.
- recess
- pause; temporary cessation; alcove; secret inner place; Ex. parliament in ~; V. CF. ~ive
- fiend
- evil spirit; devil
- aplomb
- poise; composure in difficult situations; assurance; self-confidence
- repeal
- revoke; annul
- reverberate
- echo repeatedly; resound; Ex. The thunder ~d across the valley.
- pulsate
- throb; beat regularly; vibrate regularly
- bedraggle
- wet thoroughly; ADJ. ~d: draggled
- apocalyptic
- prophetic; pertaining to revelations especially of disaster; N. apocalypse
- incontrovertible
- indisputable; impossible to dispute; not open to question; unquestionable
- dispense
- distribute; prepare and give out (medicines); N. ~ation: ~ing; religious system; official exemption from an obligation or a rule
- draw
- choosing of a lot or card
- boisterous
- violent; rough; noisy
- churlish
- boorish; rude; N. churl: boor; yahoo
- abrasive
- rubbing away; tending to grind down; (of a substance or material) capable of polishing or cleaning a hard surface by rubbing or grinding.
- bacchanal
- noisy party with a lot of drinking
- lucre
- money; profit; Ex. filthy ~
- mash
- crush into ~; convert into ~; N: mixture of ground grain and nutrients fed to livestock and fowl
- assay
- analyze (to discover what materials are present); evaluate (soil or ore)
- corrugated
- wrinkled; ridged
- levity
- lack of seriousness or steadiness; frivolity; lightness of manner
- errant
- wandering (esp. in search of adventure); straying from proper moral standards; Ex. knight-~
- rationale
- fundamental reason or principle (on which a system or principle is based); fundamental reason or justification; grounds for an action
- pique
- irritation; resentment from wounded pride (eg. loss in a contest); V: provoke; arouse; annoy; cause to feel resentment; Ex. ~ her curiosity
- detraction
- slandering; aspersion; detracting; CF. detractor
- pert
- (esp. of a girl or young woman) impertinent; forward; trim; jaunty; Ex. ~ young miss/hat
- bereavement
- state of being deprived of something valuable or beloved; state of being bereaved or bereft
- lode
- metal-bearing vein(long deposit of an ore)
- brackish
- somewhat saline
- wince
- move back suddenly; shrink back; flinch; Ex. She ~d as she touched the cold body.
- mercurial
- capricious; quick and changing; fickle; containing the element mercury; Ex. ~ temper; CF. mood
- upshot
- outcome; final result
- ken
- range of knowledge; Ex. beyond one's ~
- jollity
- gaiety; cheerfulness; ADJ. jolly: merry; gay
- grapple
- wrestle; come to grips with; take hold of and struggle with; Ex. ~ with the burglar
- chary
- cautious; unwilling to take risks; sparing or restrained about giving; OP. bold
- motif
- theme; recurrent thematic element in a musical or literary work; single or repeated pattern; figure
- demotic
- of or pertaining to the people
- wrangle
- quarrel noisily; obtain through arguing; herd cattle; N.
- infest
- inhabit in numbers large enough to be harmful; Ex. Mice ~ed the house; Ex. shark-~ed waters
- mannered
- affected; not natural; Ex. ~ way of speech
- dispassionate
- calm; impartial; not influenced by personal feelings
- mayhem
- injury to body; crime of willfully maiming or crippling a person; violent disorder; Ex. ~ in the zoo; CF. maim
- perpetrate
- commit an offense; do (something wrong)
- prescience
- ability to foretell the future; knowledge of actions before they occur; ADJ. prescient
- disaffected
- disloyal; lacking loyality; V. disaffect: cause to lose affection or loyalty
- disingenuous
- not naive; not candid; sophisticated; worldly wise; OP. ingenuous
- sensuous
- giving pleasure to the senses; pertaining to the physical senses; operating through the senses; ~ feeling of soft velvet on the skin
- sluice
- artificial channel for directing or controlling the flow of water (with a gate to regulate the flow)
- meander
- wind or turn in its course; follow a winding or turning course; move aimlessly and idly
- inert
- inactive; lacking power to move; unable to move or act; Ex. chemically ~; N. ~ia: state of being ~; force which keeps a thing in the position or state
- tyro
- beginner; novice
- guy
- cable or chain attached to something that needs to be braced or steadied; CF. ~ide
- inanimate
- lifeless; not animate
- wispy
- thin; slight; barely discernible
- eerie
- weird; causing fear because strange
- loll
- lounge about
- sepulcher
- tomb; V: place in a ~; ADJ. sepulchral
- probity
- uprightness; honesty; incorruptibility
- astute
- wise; shrewd; keen; seeing quickly something that is to one's advantage
- armada
- fleet of warships
- gamut
- entire range
- renege
- break a promise; deny; go back on; Ex. ~ on the contract/paying off the debt
- callow
- youthful; immature; inexperienced
- fetish
- (fetich) object believed to have spiritual powers; object of excessive attention or reverence; CF. fetishism
- cloying
- distasteful (because excessive); excessively sweet or sentimental; V. cloy: become unpleasant through too much sweetness or excess
- vortex
- whirlwind; whirlpool; center of turbulence; predicament into which one is inexorably plunged
- mischance
- ill luck
- subaltern
- subordinate
- withstand
- stand up against; resist successfully
- plumber
- one who installs and repairs pipes and plumbing(pipes)
- fete
- honor at a festival; celebrate or honor with a feast; N. (outdoor) festival or feast; CF. feast; honor or entertain (someone) lavishly : she was an instant celebrity, ~ by the media.
- stamp
- step on heavily (so as to crush or extinguish); put an end to; imprint or impress with a mark, design, or seal; shape with a die; characterize; Ex. machine ~ing out car bodies; Ex. newspaper ~ing him as a liar; N. ~ing; implement used to ~; impression ~ed; mark; Ex. Her remarks bear the ~ of truth.
- matriculate
- enroll (in college or graduate school); CF. matrix
- luxuriant
- abundant; growing healthily and in large amounts; excessively ornate; rich and splendid; fertile; Ex. ~ forests/prose; CF. luxurious, luxuriate
- tether
- tie (an animal) with a rope or ~; N: rope or chain to which an animal is tied; limit of one's endurance; Ex. the end of one's ~
- contrive
- invent or fabricate in a clever way (by improvisation); manage; Ex. ~ to attract his attention
- narcissist
- conceited person; N. narcissism; CF. narcissus
- effrontery
- rudeness without any sense of shame; shameless boldness; presumptousness; nerve; cheek
- incoherent
- unintelligible; muddled; unable to express one's thoughts in an orderly manner; illogical; lacking cohesion; not coherent
- Elysium
- place or condition of bliss
- turbulence
- state of violent agitation; ADJ. turbulent: violently agitated or disturbed
- willful
- wilful; intentional; headstrong
- dirge
- funeral song; slow mournful piece of music (sung over a dead person)
- carnivorous
- meat-eating; N. carnivore; CF. herbivore
- effulgent
- shining brightly; brilliant
- exhale
- breathe out; OP. inhale
- cantankerous
- ill-humored; irritable
- browse
- graze; feed on growing grass; skim or glance at casually
- marginal
- of a margin; barely within a limit; Ex. ~ effect/writing ability
- liability
- drawback; handicap; debts; obligation; responsibility; condition of being liable; ADJ. liable: likely; responsible (for paying)
- truculence
- aggressiveness; ferocity; ADJ. truculent: aggressive; pugnacious; fierce
- wheedle
- deceive, persuade, or obtain by flattery; cajole; coax; Ex. ~ a promise out of her
- arduous
- hard; strenuous; Ex. ~ work
- scruple
- hesitate for ethical reasons; fret about; Ex. She did not ~ to read his diary; N: uneasy feeling arising from conscience; conscience
- fulsome
- disgustingly excessive; offensively flattering; Ex. ~ praise/expressions of admire
- scourge
- lash; whip (formerly used for punishment); source of severe punishment; V: whip; afflict
- dermatologist
- one who studies the skin and its diseases
- effigy
- dummy; likeness of a person made of wood, paper, or stone; Ex. burn an ~ of the President
- chasten
- discipline; punish in order to correct; CF. castigate
- exalt
- raise in rank or dignity; praise highly; inspire; Ex. ~ the imagination; ADJ. ~ed; N. ~ation
- lithe
- flexible; supple; CF. limber
- venial
- (of a fault or sin) forgivable; trivial
- anoint
- consecrate; put oil on (in a religious ceremony)
- chase
- ornament a metal surface by indenting; follow rapidly to catch
- sylvan
- pertaining to the woods or the country
- propensity
- natural inclination
- patrimony
- property inherited from a father
- halting
- hesitant; faltering; not fluent; Ex. ~ steps/voice; V. halt: proceed or act with uncertainty; falter; hesitate; waver; stop
- jug
- pitcher; container for holding liquids
- vicissitude
- a change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant : her husband's sharp ~ of fortune.; change (esp. from good to bad); change of fortune; CF. the last emperor of China
- plait
- braid; interwine; interweave strands or lengths of; make by weaving strands together; Ex. ~ed hair; N: braided length as of hair o fabric; CF. pigtail, ponytail
- brawn
- human muscle; muscular strength; sturdiness
- osseous
- made of bone; bony
- cartographer
- map-maker
- flail
- beat with or as if with a ~; move wildly; thresh grain by hand; strike or slap; toss about; N: threshing tool consisting of a stick swinging from the end of a long handle
- defer
- give in respectfully; submit; delay till later; exempt temporarily; N. ~ment; CF. show respect, comply with, courteous
- recline
- lie down
- practicable
- feasible
- disburse
- pay out (as from a fund); N. ~ment; CF. purse
- adjutant
- staff officer assisting the commander; assistant
- hummock
- small hill; hillock
- mantle
- loose sleeveless outer garment; cloak; something that covers or envelops; the layer of the earth between the crust and the core
- knotty
- intricate; difficult; tangled; CF. knot
- roil
- make liquids murky by stirring up sediment; disturb
- carping
- petty criticism; fault-finding; fretful complaining; quibble
- debauch
- corrupt morally; seduce from virtue; N. ~ery: wild behavior (with sex and alcohol)
- pejorative
- (of a word or phrase) suggesting that someone is of little value; negative in connotation; having a belittling effect; Ex. Many women now considers ``housewife'' a ~ expression, because it patronized them.
- comprehensive
- broad; including a lot or everything; thorough; inclusive
- untenable
- (of a position, esp. in an argument) indefensible; not able to be maintained
- declivity
- downward slope
- vicar
- parish priest; representative
- amity
- friendship; peaceful relationship as between nations
- subsidiary
- serving to assist; subordinate; secondary; of a subsidy; N.
- galaxy
- large isolated system of stars, such as the Milky Way; collection of brilliant personalities
- bromide
- platitude; chemical compound used to calm excitement
- subsistence
- existence; means of subsisting; means of support; livelihood; V. subsist: exist; maintain life (at a meager level)
- swill
- drink greedily
- rake
- angle of a slope; V: slant from the perpendicular
- precipitant
- something that causes a substance in a chemical solution to separate out in solid form; 침전제; OP. solvent