GRE General Set 25
Terms
undefined, object
copy deck
- court
- attempt to gain; seek; woo; risk; behave so as to invite; attempt to gain the favor of by attention; Ex. ~ disaster
- elated
- filled with excited joy and pride; overjoyed; in high spirits; joyful and proud; Ex. ~ crowd; V. elate; N. elation
- fester
- rankle; produce irritation or resentment; (of a cut or wound) generate pus or rot; Ex. His insult festered in my mind for days.
- decant
- pour off gently (wine or liquid)
- maleficient
- doing evil; causing or capable of causing harm or destruction, esp. by supernatural means. N. -ce
- decorous
- proper (in behavior, conduct, or appearance)
- peroration
- conclusion of an oration; perorating; V. perorate: conclude a speech; speak at great length [ from per- 'through' + orare 'speak.']
- obtrude
- push (oneself or one's ideas) forward or intrude; impose (oneself or one's ideas) on others; butt in; stick out or extrude; thrust out; Ex. ~ A on B; ADJ. obtrusive; N. obtrusion; CF. unobtrusive
- tenant
- one that pays rent to use property owned by another
- marshal
- put in order; guide ceremoniously to the correct place; Ex. ~ the children into the museum; N: military officer; official
- gruel
- thin liquid porridge
- meter
- arrangement of words in the form of poetry (by accentual rhythm)
- stump
- base of a tree trunk left after the rest has been cut down; V: walk in a heavy manner; baffle; puzzle; 1 (usu. be ~ed) (of a question or problem) be too hard for; baffle : education chiefs were ~ed by some of the exam questions.; walk stiffly and noisily : he ~ed away on short thick legs.; travel around (a district) making political speeches
- remonstrate
- protest; objection; V. ~: say in protest
- contentious
- quarrelsome; controversial; likely to cause arguments
- enthrall
- capture; enslave; captivate; hold the complete attention of (as if magic); hold spellbound
- gadfly
- animal-biting fly; irritating person
- sinewy
- (of meat) tough; strong and firm; muscular; N. sinew: tendon; strong cord connecting a muscle to a bone
- beleaguer
- besiege or attack (with an army); harass; beset
- woe
- great sorrow; deep inconsolable grief; affliction; suffering; Ex. financial ~s
- opalescent
- iridescent; lustrous; like an opal; N. opalescence
- waif
- homeless child or animal; Ex. ~s and strays
- garnish
- decorate; add a ~ to; decorate (food or drink) with small items such as lemon slices; N.
- fanfare
- call by bugles or trumpets; showy display; spectacular public display
- penumbra
- partial shadow (in an eclipse); CF. almost shadow [ from Latin paene 'almost' + umbra 'shadow.']
- fulcrum
- support on which a lever rests or pivots
- conveyance
- vehicle; transfer; act of conveying; Ex. public ~
- scuttle
- sink (a ship) by cutting holes in the hull; scrap; discard; N: small hatch in a ship's deck or hull
- outstrip
- outrun; surpass; outdo
- enunciate
- announce; proclaim; utter or speak, especially distinctly; pronounce clearly; articulate; Ex. This theory was first ~ed by him. [from Latin enuntiat- 'announced clearly,' from the verb enuntiare, from e- (variant of ex-) 'out' + nuntiare 'announce' (from nuntius 'messenger' ).]
- emissary
- agent (sent on a mission to represent another); messenger
- repose
- resting; state of being at rest; calmness; V: lie at rest; relax; put or place; Ex. ~ our hopes in a single man; {2} place something, esp. one's confidence or trust, in : we have never betrayed the trust that you have ~ed in us.
- denotation
- meaning; distinguishing by name; V. denote: indicate; refer to directly; mean; CF. connotation
- drab
- dull; lacking color; cheerless ; Ex. drab coat/life
- wisp
- small bunch (of hair); faint streak (of smoke)
- scion
- detached plant shoot used in grafting; descendant
- edify
- instruct; correct morally
- browbeat
- bully; intimidate
- hew
- cut to pieces with ax or sword; chop; N.
- mortify
- humiliate by embarassing excessively; shame; punish the flesh; discipline (one's body) by self-denial; Ex. mortified by her blunder; Ex. mortify the flesh; CF. cause to die
- scaffold
- temporary platform for workers (to work at heights above the ground); bracing framework; platform for execution
- heterodox
- (of beliefs) against accepted opinion; unorthodox; unconventional
- pestilential
- (pestilent) causing plague; tending to cause death; baneful; N. -ce: fatal epidemic disease (esp. bubonic plague)
- quiver
- case for arrows
- shirk
- avoid (responsibility, work, etc.); malinger
- septic
- of or causing sepsis; putrid; producing putrefaction; N. sepsis: poisoning of part of the body (producing pus)
- ludicrous
- laughable; ridiculous; trifling
- prerogative
- privilege; unquestionable right; CF. ask before
- forge
- counterfeit; reproduce fraudulently; form by heating in a forge and hammering into shape; move with a sudden increase of speed or power; Ex. forged ahead in the last two years; N: furnace where metals are heated
- plume
- feather, esp. large or showy one; something that rises into the air (like the shape of a feather); Ex. ~ of smoke; ( plume oneself) chiefly archaic (of a bird) preen itself.; • figurative feel a great sense of self-satisfaction about something : she plumed herself on being cosmopolitan.
- enterprise
- willingness to take new ventures; initiative; business organization; plan (that is difficult or daring); Ex. their latest enterprise to sail round the world in a small boat
- quarantine
- isolation of a person, place, or ship to prevent spread of infection; V: isolate in quarantine
- ornate
- excessively or elaborately decorated
- commiserate
- feel or express pity or sympathy for
- whinny
- neigh like a horse; CF. neigh: make the sound which horses make
- docket
- program as for trial; book where such entries are made; list of things to be done; agenda; label fixed to a package listing contents or directions; V: describe in a docket
- potpourri
- heterogeneous mixture; medley; mixture of dried flower petals a pot (to give a pleasant smell to a room)
- pied
- piebald; variegated(many-colored); multicolored
- whine
- complain (in a sad voice); make a high sad sound (as in pain or supplication)
- explicate
- explain in detail; interpret; clarify; CF. explicable
- fermentation
- chemical reaction that splits complex organic compounds; unrest; agitation
- peregrination
- journey; V. peregrinate
- fatalism
- belief that events are determined by forces or fates beyond one's control; ADJ. fatalistic; CF. fatal: causing death
- somnolent
- half asleep; drowsy; N. ~lence
- ragamuffin
- dirty child in torn clothes; person wearing tattered clothes
- morgue
- mortuary; place where bodies are kept before burial or cremation
- therapeutic
- curative; N. therapy
- sage
- person celebrated for wisdom; wise person; ADJ: wise
- amphitheater
- oval building with tiers of seats; CF. arena
- adjourn
- suspend until a later time; move from one place to another; (of people who are together) go somewhere else, typically for refreshment : they ~ed to a local bar.
- polygamist
- one who has more than one spouse at a time; CF. bigamy; CF. polyandry
- emboss
- produce a design in raised relief; decorate with a raised design
- repulse
- reject with rudeness or coldness (an offer or friendship); drive back (an enemy attack); CF. repulse $\neq$ cause repulsion
- brisk
- quick and active; marked by liveliness and vigor
- congenital
- existing at birth
- pose
- assume a particular posture; put forward; present; affect a particular attitude (to impress others); Ex. pose a threat; N.
- incubus
- burden; very worriying problem; mental care; nightmare; male devil; CF. succubus
- trickster
- person who cheats people
- exertion
- effort; expenditure of much physical work; V. exert oneself: make a great effort
- induce
- persuade; lead to do something; bring about; N. ~ment
- interim
- meantime; Ex. in the interim; ADJ. taking place during an interim; Ex. interim paper
- crone
- hag; ugly old woman
- meretricious
- flashy; tawdry; attractive on the surface but of no real value; Ex. metericious argument/jewel; CF. prostitute
- indenture
- bind as servant or apprentice to master; bind by ~; N: contract binding one party into the service of another for a specified time (as between an apprentice and his master)
- calumny
- malicious misrepresentation; slander
- mammoth
- gigantic; enormous
- disputatious
- argumentative; fond of argument
- gild
- cover with a thin layer of gold
- hermitage
- home of a hermit
- privy
- secret; hidden; not public; made a participant in something secret; Ex. ~ chamber government; Ex. be ~ to a discussion; CF. private
- irretrievable
- impossible to recover or regain; CF. retrieve
- limbo
- region near heaven or hell where certain souls are kept; prison (slang); Ex. Purgatory and Limbo
- floe
- flat mass of floating ice
- swagger
- walk or behave with an over-confident manner
- boon
- blessing; benefit; something very helpful
- dais
- raised platform for speakers or other important people
- subpoena
- writ(written command issued by a court) summoning a witness to appear in court; V: summon with a ~
- fathomless
- too deep to be measured or understood; unfathomable
- vivacious
- lively or animated; sprightly
- crux
- essential or main point; Ex. the ~ of the problem; ADJ. crucial: of deciding importance
- imbue
- saturate(soak thoroughly); fill; Ex. ~ someone with feelings
- incidence
- rate of occurrence; particular occurrence; Ex. high ~ of infant mortality
- restive
- impatiently restless (induced by external coercion or restriction); restlessly impatient; obstinately resisting control; Ex. ~ horses because of wolves; CF. not a general synonym for `restless'
- totter
- shake or move unsteadily; sway as if about to fall
- avow
- declare openly; N. avowal
- provender
- dry food for livestock; fodder
- dereliction
- neglect of duty; abandonment
- debar
- bar; forbid; exclude; Ex. ~ed from jury services
- leash
- restraining rope fastened to the collar of an animal (to control it); Ex. a dog on a ~
- potable
- suitable for drinking; drinkable [from Latin potare 'to drink.']
- consanguinity
- kinship; relationship by birth
- tawdry
- cheap and gaudy; Ex. ~ jewelry
- arid
- (of land) dry; barren; unproductive
- balk
- stop short, as if faced with an obstacle, and refuse to continue; foil; stop or get in the way of; frustrate
- pensive
- dreamily or deeply thoughtful; sadly thoughtful; thoughtful with a hint of sadness; contemplative; CF. think over
- befuddle
- confuse thoroughly
- regatta
- boat or yacht race
- burnish
- make shiny by rubbing; polish
- penchant
- strong inclination; strong liking (esp. for something that is disapproved of by other people); Ex. ~ for fast cars
- pedestrian
- ordinary; dull; unimaginative(lacking in imagination); going on foot; Ex. ~ prose; N.
- scowl
- frown angrily; N: angry frown
- precinct
- division of a city for election or police purposes; precincts: space that surrounds a building; Ex. ~s of the college
- vulpine
- like a fox; crafty
- jibe
- change course by swinging a fore-and-aft sail across a following wind : they ~ed, and the boat turned over.; agree; be in harmony with; noun & verb variant spelling of gibe
- teetotalism
- practice of abstaining totally from alcoholic drinks; N. teetotaler;; ADJ. teetotal; CF. T + total
- crescendo
- increase in the volume or intensity as in a musical passage; climax; CF. crescent
- summation
- act of finding the total; summing-up; summary (esp. one given by the judge at the end of a trial)
- simper
- smirk; smile in a silly way; smile affectedly
- gargantuan
- huge; enormous; gigantic; CF. the hero of Gargantua and Pantagruel
- parameter
- limit; independent variable; Ex. parameters of the problem; Ex. within the parameters of the budget
- crestfallen
- dejected; dispirited
- predispose
- give an inclination toward (in advance); make susceptible to; Ex. ~ people to certain cancer; N. predisposition
- luscious
- pleasing to taste or smell; delicious
- confidential
- spoken or written in secret; trusted with private matters; Ex. ~ secretary
- brindled
- tawny or grayish with streaks or spots (of animals)
- presume
- take for granted; assume; act overconfidently; take liberties; presume on/upon: take unfair advantage of (someone's kindness or connection); N. -ption
- runic
- mysterious; set down in an ancient alphabet; N. rune: one of the letters of an alphabet used by ancient Germanic peoples (cut on stone or wood); magic charm
- misogamy
- hatred of marriage
- circumspect
- prudent; cautious; acting after careful thought
- impassable
- not able to be traveled or crossed
- cloister
- monastery or convent
- paragon
- model of perfection; Ex. ~ of virtue
- brazen
- insolent; without shame; bold; Ex. ~ lie; V: face with bold self-assurance or with unshamed confidence
- fleet
- fast; rapid; N. ADJ. fleeting: passing quickly; ephemeral
- gingerly
- very carefully; ADJ. [ from Latin genitus 'well-born.']
- matrix
- point of origin; array of numbers or algebraic symbols; mold or die; Ex. the ~ of Western civilization
- bolt
- door bar; fastening pin or screw; length of fabric; large roll of cloth; V: dash or dart off; fasten (a door); gobble down
- extrude
- force or push out; thrust out; shape (plastic or metal) by forcing through a die
- promontory
- headland
- engaging
- charming; attractive
- germ
- earliest form of an organism; seed or bud; something that may develop into something larger or more important; microbe
- facetious
- joking (often inappropriately); unserious; humorous
- sprout
- begin to grow; give off shoots or buds; N: new growth on a plant; shoot
- ethnology
- study of humankind; study of the different races of human beings; CF. anthropology
- plumb
- exactly vertical; N: weight on the end of a line; V: examine very carefully or critically in order to understand; measure depth (by sounding); Ex. ~ the depth of
- doctrinaire
- unable to compromise about points of doctrine; dogmatic; unyielding; marked by inflexible attachment to a doctrine without regard to its practical difficulties
- cull
- pick out from others (to kill the weakest members); reject; select; collect (information); N.
- stoke
- stir up a fire or furnace; feed plentifully
- compact
- agreement; contract; ADJ: tightly packed; firm; brief; concise; Ex. ~ statement
- stifle
- suppress; extinguish; inhibit; smother or suffocate
- sidetrack
- switch (a railroad car) to a siding; divert from a main issue; N. CF. siding: short section of railroad track connected by switches with a main track
- junket
- 1 a dish of sweetened and flavored curds of milk, often served with fruit.; trip especially one taken for pleasure by an official at public expense
- ecclesiastic
- ecclesiastical; pertaining to the church; N: minister; priest; cleric; clergyman
- mirth
- merriment; laughter
- mime
- pantomime(act without dialogue); mimicry; mimer; V: mimic; pantomime
- artifacts
- object made by human beings, either hand-made or mass-produced
- perigee
- point of moon's orbit when it is nearest the earth; CF. apogee
- rent
- tear made by rending; rip; split