GRE General Set 21
Terms
undefined, object
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- juridical
- of the law and its administration; CF. judicial: of courts of law; CF. judiciary
- occlude
- shut; close; obstruct; Ex. A blood clot ~ed an artery.
- vixen
- female fox; ill-tempered woman; CF. shrew
- grandiloquent
- (of a person or speech) using high sounding or important-sounding language; pompous; bombastic; pompous or extravagant in language, style, or manner, esp. in a way that is intended to impress : a ~ celebration of Spanish glory.
- warble
- (of a bird) sing; babble; N.
- decorum
- propriety; orderliness and good taste in manners; appropriateness of behavior or conduct
- capillary
- having a very fine bore; resembling a hair; fine and slender; Ex. ~ attraction; N: very fine hairlike tube; CF. -rity; 1 Anatomy any of the fine branching blood vessels that form a network between the arterioles and venules.; 2 (also capillary tube) a tube that has an internal diameter of hairlike thinness.
- lank
- long and thin; Ex. ~, gaunt, Abraham Lincoln
- humility
- humbleness of spirit
- slipshod
- slovenly; careless; sloppy; untidy; shabby; Ex. ~ work
- domineer
- rule over tyrannically
- squelch
- produce a splashing sound (when stepping through mud); crush; squash
- flush
- redden; blush; flow suddenly and abundantly; wash out by a rapid brief flow of water; N: reddish tinge; blush; brief rush; rush of strong feeling; Ex. ~ of pride; ADJ: having surfaces in the same plane; even; blushing
- rife
- (of something bad) widespread; abundant; current
- glutinous
- sticky; viscous; gluey
- blighted
- suffering from a disease; destroyed
- inflection
- noun 1 Grammar a change in the form of a word (typically the ending) to express a grammatical function or attribute such as tense, mood, person, number, case, and gender. 2 the modulation of intonation or pitch in the voice : she spoke slowly and without ~ | the variety of his vocal ~s.; 3 chiefly Mathematics a change of curvature from convex to concave at a particular point on a curve.
- codicil
- supplement to the body of a will; later addition to a will; an addition or supplement that explains, modifies, or revokes a will or part of one.
- desperado
- reckless, desperate outlaw
- sunder
- separate; part; CF. asunder
- muse
- ponder at length; N: source of inspiration (esp. of a poet)
- dismember
- cut into small parts; cut (a body) apart limb from limb
- infraction
- violation (of a rule or regulation); breach
- gesticulation
- motion; gesture; V. gesticulate: make gestures (while speaking)
- fructify
- bear fruit; produce fruit
- rendezvous
- meeting place; meeting at a set time or place; V.
- repudiate
- disown; disavow; deny
- importunate
- urging; always demanding; troublesomely urgent or persistent
- dislodge
- remove (forcibly); force out of a position; Ex. ~ the food caught in his throat; CF. lodge
- careen
- lurch; sway from side to side; move with irregular swinging movement; stagger
- tend
- have a tendency; take care of; minister; serve at; apply one's attention; attend
- tarnish
- make or become dull or discolored; N.
- hackneyed
- commonplace; trite
- aberration
- deviation from the normal; mental disorder
- lionize
- treat (a person) as a celebrity
- supernumerary
- person or thing excess of what is necessary; extra; ADJ: additional to the usual or necessary number
- figurine
- small ornamental statuette(very small statue)
- lax
- careless; negligent; not paying enough attention; Ex. ~ service
- hypercritical
- excessively exacting; too critical (without noticing good qualities)
- defalcate
- embezzle
- benediction
- blessing
- solitude
- state of being alone; seclusion; ADJ. -tary: existing or living alone (esp. by choice); remote or secluded; single; sole; Ex. solitary life/inn; Ex. no solitary piece of proof
- bane
- posion; cause of ruin; ADJ. baneful: harmful; poisonous
- turbid
- (of a liquid) having the sediment disturbed; muddy; thick
- unsightly
- ugly; unpleasant to look at
- representational
- (of a style of art) showing things as they actually appear in real life
- abject
- (of a condition) wretched; as low as possible; lacking pride; very humble; showing lack of self-respect; Ex. ~ apology
- admonish
- warn or speak to with gentle disapproval; reprove
- ram
- male sheep; V. strike or drive against with a heavy impact
- incrustation
- hard coating or crust; V. incrust: encrust; cover with a crust
- fancied
- imagined; unreal
- minion
- servile dependent; obsequious follower
- shed
- small roofed structure for storage and shelter; V: pour forth; lose by natural process; repel without allowing penetration; radiate; cast; Ex. ~ tears/light/water/skin/leaves
- clich\'e
- phrase dulled in meaning by repetition; platitude; ADJ. clich\'ed
- tipple
- drink (alcoholic beverages) frequently, usually habitually; N: alcoholic drink
- faculty
- mental or bodily powers; teaching staff
- mace
- ceremonial staff used as a symbol of authority; clublike medieval weapon
- fluted
- having vertical parallel grooves (as in a pillar); V. flute: make long parallel inward curves in; N. flute: long rounded groove incised on the shaft of a column
- barrister
- counselor-at-law or lawyer in the higher court of law; CF. bar
- sonorous
- resonant; producing a full deep sound; producing sound
- ciliated
- having minute hairs; CF. cilium; CF. cilia: eyelash
- refractory
- unmanageable; disobedient and stubborn; Ex. ~ horse
- mesmerize
- hypnotize; N. mesmerism; CF. Franz Mesmer
- invalidate
- weaken; destroy; make invalid; nullify
- culmination
- highest point; climax; V. -nate in: reach the highest point in; end in; Ex. a series of minor clashes -nating in war
- officious
- meddlesome; excessively pushy in offering one's services; overly eager in offering unwanted services or advices; Ex. ~ bellboy
- polemic
- attack or defense of an opinion; controversy or refutation; argument in support of point of view; N. polemics: art of debate or controversy
- paradigm
- model; example that serves as a model; pattern; list of all the inflectional forms of a word
- spare
- give; use; refrain from harming; save from experiencing; exempt; Ex. ~ me 5 minutes; Ex. Take this money and ~ my life; Ex. The emperor was ~ed the onus; ADJ: kept in reserve; free for other use; unoccupied; Ex. ~ time
- fanaticism
- excessive zeal; extreme devotion to a belief or cause; N. fanatic; ADJ. fanatic
- collage
- work of art put together from fragments
- arboretum
- place where different trees and shrubs are studied and exhibited
- subservient
- behaving like a slave; servile; obsequious; subordinate; N. subservience
- subside
- sink to a lower level; settle down; sink to the bottom (as a sediment); descend; grow quiet; become less; moderate; abate
- cower
- shrink quivering as from fear; cringe
- mollycoddle
- pamper; coddle; baby; indulge excessively
- unkempt
- disheveled; uncared for in appearance; not combed; CF. comb
- veneer
- thin surface layer (of good quality wood, glued to a base of inferior material); cover; surface show; facade; V.
- disjunction
- act or state of separation; disunity; CF. disjunctive: expressing a choice between two ideas; CF. conjunction; CF. conjunctive
- prohibitive
- so high as to prohibit purchase or use; tending to prevent the purchase or use of something; prohibiting; inclined to prevent or forbid; Ex. ~ tax
- lot
- object used in making a determination at random; fate; piece of land
- tirade
- long angry denunciatory speech; diatribe; harangue; extended scolding; denunciation
- prattle
- talk idly; babble; N. CF. prate
- libretto
- text of an opera or oratorio; CF. book
- detached
- emotionally removed; free from emotional involvement; calm and objective; physically separate; N. -ment; CF. attachment
- somnambulist
- sleepwalker; V. somnambulate; N. somnambulism
- warrant
- justification; written order that serves as authorization (esp. a judicial writ); Ex. search/death ~; V: justify; guarantee
- pharisaical
- pertaining to the Pharisees, who paid scrupulous attention to tradition; self-righteous; hypocritical
- clapper
- striker (tongue) of a bell
- forfeit
- something surrendered as punishment for a crime or breach of contract; V: lose as a ~; N. -ture
- billowing
- swelling out in waves; surging
- appropriate
- acquire; take possession of for one's own use without permission; set aside for a particular purpose; allocate; CF. mis-
- pine
- long for; yearn; languish from longing or grief; decline
- ambrosia
- food of the gods; something very pleasing to taste or smell : the tea was ~ after the slop I'd been drinking.
- ramshackle
- (of a building or vehicle) poorly constructed; rickety; falling apart
- recount
- narrate or tell (a story); count over again
- maul
- handle roughly; batter; injure by beating; Ex. ~ed by his overexcited fans; N: heavy long-handled hammer
- heedless
- not noticing; disregarding
- vegetate
- live in a monotonous way (without interests or activity); CF. -tion: plants of an area; CF. -rian; CF. vegan
- kindred
- related; belonging to the same group; similar in nature or character; Ex. ~ languages; N: relative; kin; kinship
- limn
- draw; outline; describe; CF. line ?
- generic
- characteristic of an entire class or species; of a genus
- institutionalize
- make into an institution; put or confine in an institution
- convoluted
- coiled around; twisted; involved; complicated; intricate; complex; N. convolution: twist; one of the convex folds of the surface of the brain
- plutocracy
- society ruled by the wealthy
- postmortem
- autopsy; ADJ: occurring after death; of a postmortem
- catalyst
- agent which brings about a chemical change while it remains unaffected and unchanged; CF. catalysis
- restitution
- returning something (lost or stolen) to the rightful owner; reparation; indemnification; compensation for loss, damage, or injury
- allegiance
- loyalty
- sovereignty
- complete independence and self-government (of a country); supremacy of authority; power to govern
- wily
- crafty; cunning; artful; N. wile: deceitful stratagem
- viscid
- adhesive; gluey
- decollete
- (of a dress) having a low-cut neckline; CF. -tage: low neckline (on a dress)
- jocular
- said or done in jest or playfully; marked by joking
- gangrene
- decay of body tissue caused by insufficient blood supply (usually following injury); ADJ. gangrenous
- beset
- harass or trouble from all directions; hem in
- bereft
- deprived of (something valuable); lacking
- doze
- sleep lightly; nap
- ravel
- fall apart into tangles; entangle; un- or untwist
- effectuate
- effect; produce; achieve; Ex. ~ a reconciliation
- salacious
- lascivious; lustful; Ex. ~ monk
- poise
- good judgment with composure; balance; V: place in a carefully balanced position
- stilted
- bombastic; stiffly pompous; Ex. stilted rhetoric; CF. stiff: formal
- endear
- make beloved; Ex. ~ her to everyone; ADJ. dear: loved; cherished; high-priced
- cow
- terrorize; intimidate
- fetid
- (foetid)malodorous; foul; smelling extremely unpleasant : the ~ water of the marsh.
- converse
- opposite; ADJ.
- cordon
- extended line of men or fortifications to prevent access or egress; V.
- snub
- ignore or behave coldly toward; Ex. I made a suggestion but she -ed me; N.
- provenance
- place of origin; origin or source of something; Ex. Gunpowder is of Chinese ~; CF. come
- inimitable
- matchless; not able to be imitated
- civil
- having to do with citizens; not military or religious; courteous and polite; Ex. married in a ~ ceremony; Ex. ~ strife/disorder/law; N. -lity; CF. civic
- navigable
- (of a body of water) wide and deep enough to allow ships to pass through; (of a ship or aircraft) able to be steered
- incense
- enrage; infuriate(make furious); make extremely angry; outrage; N: aromatic substance burned to produce a pleasant odor
- niggardly
- meanly stingy; parsimonious; N. *****rd: stingy person
- revulsion
- sudden strong feeling of disgust; sudden violent change of feeling; negative reaction; Ex. ~ from the scenes of torture
- culvert
- artificial channel for water; drain crossing under a road
- pittance
- small amount (of money); small allowance or wage
- neologism
- new or newly coined word or phrase
- bust
- piece of sculpture showing a person's head, shoulders, and upper chest; V: break up; arrest; Ex. crimebuster
- paucity
- scarcity; dearth
- timbre
- quality of a musical tone produced by a musical instrument (which distinguishes it from others of the same pitch); the character or quality of a musical sound or voice as distinct from its pitch and intensity : trumpet mutes with different ~ | a voice high in pitch but rich in ~.
- ratiocination
- reasoning; act of drawing conclusions from premises; V. -nate: reason logically
- pry
- inquire impertinently (someone else's private affairs); use leverage to raise or open something; prize; N. -ies: tool for -ing
- chalice
- goblet; consecrated cup
- forensic
- suitable to debate or courts of law; of or used in legal proceedings and the tracking of criminals; Ex. ~ science/medicine