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GRE General Set 32

Terms

undefined, object
copy deck
juggernaut
irresistible crushing force; overwhelming advancing force that crushes everything in its path
vent
small opening; outlet (as of fumes or a gas); Ex. He gave ~ to his anger by kicking the chair.
vertebrate
having a backbone or spinal column; N: group of animals having a segmented spinal column
pulpit
raised platform used in preaching (in a church)
unanimity
complete agreement; ADJ. unanimous
passe
old-fashioned; past the prime
jabber
chatter rapidly or unintelligibly
asunder
into parts; apart; V. sunder
miserly
stingy; mean
stygian
unpleasantly dark; gloomy; hellish; deathly; CF. Styx: the chief river in the subterranean land of the dead
monochromatic
having only one color
squash
crush; quash; suppress
mitigate
appease; moderate; make or become less in force or intensity
seedy
run-down; decrepit; disreputable; having many ~s; Ex. ~ downtown hotel
impervious
impenetrable; incapable of being damaged or distressed; incapable of being affected (in one's opinions); Ex. ~ to water/criticism
hydrophobia
fear of water; rabies
lumen
unit of light energy (one candle's worth)
yeoman
man or farmer owning small estate; middle-class farmer
expertise
specialized knowledge (in a particular field); expert skill
scotch
stamp out(put an end to); thwart; hinder; Ex. ~ the rumor; CF. cut
dilatory
delaying; tending to delay
tan
convert (hide) into leather; make brown by exposure to the sun; 2 [ trans. ] convert (animal skin) into leather by soaking in a liquid containing tannic acid, or by the use of other chemicals.; 3 [ trans. ] informal dated beat (someone) repeatedly, esp. as a punishment : "If Mickey touches a fishing net, I'll ~ his hide !"
expatriate
exile; someone who has withdrawn from his native land; V: exile; banish; leave one's country
miscreant
wretch; wrongdoer; villain; Ex. kindness to the ~; CF. believe
sublime
causing deep feelings of wonder, joy, respect, etc.; exalted; noble and uplifting; utter
inexorable
relentless; unyielding; implacable; not capable of being changed by entreaty or efforts; Ex. ~ price rises
adage
wise saying; proverb
tedium
boredom; weariness; ADJ. tedious
implicit
understood but not stated; implied; unquestioning and complete; Ex. ~ trust
sedentary
requiring sitting; done while sitting; not moving from one place to another; settled; Ex. ~ job/population
grimace
facial distortion to show feeling such as pain, disgust, etc; V.
conceit
vanity or self-love; too high opinion of one's own value; extravagant metaphor (in poetry)
psychosis
mental disorder; ADJ. N. psychotic
interloper
intruder; one who interferes
agog
highly excited; intensely curious
thesis
opinion put forward and supported by reasoned arguments
insalubrious
unwholesome; not healthful; Ex. ~ place
cede
yield (title or territory) to (esp. after losing a war); surrender formally; N. cession
minutiae
petty or trivial details; CF. ~
tart
sharp to the taste; acid-tasting; caustic; sarcastic; Ex. ~ apple/reply
flux
flowing; series of changes; fluctuation; Ex. in a state of ~
splice
join together end to end to make one continuous length; fasten together; unite; Ex. ~ two strips of tape; N.
meddlesome
interfering; V. meddle: interfere
mincing
affectedly dainty(delicate); V. mince: cut (esp. meat) into very small pieces; walk with exaggerated primness; walk in an unnatural way, taking little short steps; Ex. The actor minced across the stage; CF. mincemeat; CF. mincer
anthropomorphic
having human form or characteristics
fiat
command; arbitrary order; Ex. presidential ~; CF. let it be done
impassioned
(of speech) filled with passion; fervent
optometrist
one who fits glasses to remedy visual defects
symbiosis
interdependent relationship (between groups, species) often mutually beneficial; ADJ. symbiotic; CF. together + life
nondescript
undistinctive; ordinary; ordinary-looking; Ex. ~ fellow in a crowd
crave
desire; want intensely
surrogate
substitute; person or thing used in place of another; Ex. ~ mother; ADJ.
maladroit
clumsy; not skillful; awkward; bungling
vise
vice; tool for holding work in place; clamping device
gorge
stuff oneself (with food); glut; CF. ~ous: dazzlingly beautiful
audit
examination of accounts of a business; official examination; V.
diurnal
daily; occurring during the daytime
mire
entangle; stick in swampy ground; stick or sink in ~; N: bog; deep mud; Ex. sucked deeper into the ~
languid
lacking energy or vitality; weary; sluggish; listless
infirmity
weakness
concomitant
naturally accompanying or associated : she loved travel, with all its concomitant worries | concomitant with his obsession with dirt was a desire for order.; that which accompanies; Ex. Deafnes is a frequent concommitant of old age; ADJ: existing or happening together with something else
perpetuate
make perpetual; make something last for a long time; preserve from extinction; N. perpetuity
incredulous
withholding belief; skeptical; showing disbelief
rectify
set right; correct; CF. rect-: right
sever
separate; cut off (a part) from a whole; break up (a relationship); N. ~ance; CF. ~ance pay: extra pay given an employee upon leaving a position
hoary
white with age
anguish
acute pain; extreme suffering
frolic
play and jump about happily; frisk; Ex. ~king young lambs
remediable
reparable
skimp
provide or use scantily; live very economically; Ex. ~ on necessities; ADJ. ~y: inadequate in amount; scanty; stingy; niggardly
squalor
condition of being squalid; filth; degradation; dirty neglected state; a state of being extremely dirty and unpleasant, esp. as a result of poverty or neglect : they lived in ~ and disease. ADJ. squalid: dirty; sordid; morally repulsive; Ex. squalid story
peruse
read through with care; N. ~al
lurid
wild; sensational; graphic; gruesome; horrible; Ex. ~ details of the murder
skinflint
miser; stingy person
savant
scholar; learned person; CF. savoir: know
litotes
understatement for emphasis; Ex. ``not bad(=pretty good)''
condone
overlook; forgive; give tacit approval; excuse; we cannot ~ such dreadful behavior disregard, accept, allow, let pass, turn a blind eye to, overlook, forget; forgive, pardon, excuse, let go. antonym condemn.
equipoise
balance; balancing force; equilibrium
glitter
shine brightly with flashing points of light; Ex. ~ing diamond ring; N: sparkling light; attractiveness; glamor; Ex. ~ of the sun on the waves
revoke
cancel; retract; CF. irrevocable
pass off
present falsely; represent falsely to be; 2. Be completed or carried out, take place, as in The meeting ~ without incident.
eddy
swirling current of water, air, etc.; V.
grouch
bad-tempered complaint; person who keeps complaining; V: complain; grumble
hortatory
encouraging; exhortive; marked by exhortation; CF. exhort
wade
walk through a substance, such as water, that impedes movement
fraught
filled (with something unpleasant); full; Ex. ~ with danger and difficulties; CF. freight
propriety
fitness; quality of being proper; correct conduct; conformity to prevailing customs and usages; CF. ~or, ~ary
motility
ability to move spontaneously; ADJ. motile: moving spontaneously
replica
copy
partisan
one-sided; prejudiced; committed to a party (with dislike of any others); N: strong supporter of a party; guerrilla
omnivorous
eating both plant and animal food; devouring everything
obsidian
black volcanic rock
vacillate
waver (in opinion); fluctuate; sway to and fro; N. ~ion
epitaph
inscription in memory of a dead person (as on a tombstone)
imposture
assuming a false identity; masquerade; CF. impostor
doggerel
poor verse
cascade
small waterfall; 2 a process whereby something, typically information or knowledge, is successively passed on : [as adj. ] the greater the number of people who are well briefed, the wider the ~ effect.
purgatory
place of spiritual expiation; temporary state or place in which the souls must expiate their sins; his internship was purgatory torment, torture, misery, suffering, affliction, anguish, agony, woe, hell; an ordeal, a nightmare. antonym paradise.
puissant
powerful; strong; potent; N. puissance: power
dissipate
squander; waste foolishly; scatter
carcinogenic
causing cancer; N. carcinogen
slag
glassy residue from smelting metal; dross; waste matter
prognosticate
predict (according to present indications); foretell or prophesy (an event in the future) : the economists were ~ing financial Armageddon. See note at predict .
irate
angry; CF. ire: anger; wrath
arroyo
gully; narrow channel formed by rainwater
construe
explain; interpret; Ex. ~ her silence as meaning that she agreed; CF. mis~
sleazy
shabby and dirty; flimsy; insubstantial; Ex. ~ back-street hotel/fabric
suckle
give or take milk at the breast or udder
cadet
student at a military school
cameo
shell or jewel carved in relief; star's special appearance in a minor role in a film
low
moo; make the sound of a cow
delusion
false belief; hallucination; deluding; Ex. ~s of grandeur; Ex. under the ~ that
application
diligent attention; diligence; V. apply oneself
effective
effectual; producing a strong response; striking; in operation; in effect; Ex. ~ speech/photograph
whit
small amount; smallest speck; Ex. not a ~ of
reprimand
reprove severely; rebuke; N.
pachyderm
thick-skinned animal
dissent
disagree
jumble
mix in a confused way
rationalize
make rational; devise false reasons for (one's behavior); offer an excuse; give a plausible reason for an action in place of a true, less admirable ones; N. ~ation
apparent
evident; easily seen or understood; appearing as such; Ex. ~ improvement
bivouac
temporary encampment; camp without tents; V.
indigent
poor; destitute
spruce
neat and trim in appearance; smart; Ex. Be ~ for your job interview; V.
martinet
strict disciplinarian; person who demands total obedience to rules and orders; CF. Jean Martinet
nadir
lowest point; point on the celestial sphere diametrically opposite the zenith
medium
element that is a creature's natural environment; nutrient setting in which microorganisms are cultivated; appropriate occupation or means of expression; channel of communication; compromise; middle position between extremes; intervening substance through which something else is transmitted
penance
self-imposed punishment for sin; Ex. do ~ for one's sins; CF. penitent
niggle
spend too much time on minor points (esp. when finding fault); find fault; Ex. ~ over details; ADJ. ~ing
jaunt
trip; short journey
emblazon
ornament richly (a shield or flag); N. ~ment; conspicuously inscribe or display (a design) on something : T-shirts ~ed with the names of baseball teams.; • depict (a heraldic device) : the Cardinal's coat of arms is emblazoned on the door panel.
uninhibited
having no inhibitions; free in behavior and feelings
surge
powerful movement of or like a wave; V.
bulwark
strong wall built for defense; earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends
solemnity
seriousness; gravity
centigrade
denoting a widely used temperature scale (basically same as Celsius)
shrewd
clever; astute
luxuriate
take pleasure in great comfort
concord
harmony; accord
shoot
new growth from a plant
sensitization
process of being made sensitive or acutely responsive to an external agent or substance; V. sensitize: make or become sensitive
vanguard
forerunners; foremost position of an army; advance forces; foremost position in a trend or movement; CF. rearguard
implement
put into effect; enforce; carry out; supply with tools; Ex. ~ the plan/suggestion; noun a tool, utensil, or other piece of equipment, esp. as used for a particular purpose : agricultural ~s. See note at tool .
urchin
mischievous child (usually a boy); CF. ~: hedgehog; CF. porcupine: pig with spikes ?; CF. sea ~
hue and cry
outcry; loud cry or clamor; strong protest; Ex. ~ against the new rule
unwieldy
awkward (to carry or move); cumbersome; unmanageable
inept
unsuited; inappropriate; lacking skill; incompetent; CF. inapt: (of statements or ideas) inappropriate
strut
pompous walk; V: walk in a self-important manner
petrify
turn to stone; cause to become stonelike; stun or paralyze
pastiche
imitation of another's style in musical composition or in writing; work of art openly imitating the works of other artists; an artistic work in a style that imitates that of another work, artist, or period : the operetta is a ~ of 18th century styles | the songs amount to much more than blatant ~.
frolicsome
prankish; gay; playful; merry; frisky
arcade
a covered passageway usually lined with shops
insurgent
rebellious; N.
emetic
substance causing vomiting; ADJ.• informal nauseating or revolting : that ~ music in department stores.
vestige
trace; remains; Ex. ~s of some ancient religion; a trace of something that is disappearing or no longer exists : the last ~s of colonialism. See note at trace.; • [usu. with negative ] the smallest amount (used to emphasize the absence of something) : he waited patiently, but without a ~ of sympathy.
recuperate
recover; return to health; regain; Ex. ~ losses

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