Top GRE Words in Context (B-C)
Terms
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- Cacophony
- Harsh, jarring noise (ex. The junior high orchestra created an almost unbearable _____ as they tried to tune their instruments.)
- Bombastic
- Pompous in speech and manner (ex. The dictator's speeches were mostly _____; his boasting and outrageous claims had no basis in fact.)
- Credulous
- Too trusting; gullible (ex. Although some four-year-olds believe in the Easter Bunny, only the most _____ nine-year olds also believe in him.)
- Chaos
- Great disorder or confusion (ex. In most religious traditions, God created an ordered universe from _____.)
- Bolster
- To support; to prop up (ex. The presence of giant footprints _____ the argument that Sasquatch was in the area.)
- Capricious
- Changing one's mind quickly and often (ex. Queen Elizabeth was quite _____; her courtiers could never be sure which of their number would catch her fancy.)
- Caustic
- Biting in wit (ex. Dorothy Parker gained her reputation for _____ wit from her cutting, yet clever, insults.
- Candid
- Impartial and honest in speech (ex. The observations of a child can be charming since they are _____ and unpretentious.)
- Condone
- To overlook, pardon, or disregard (ex. Some theorists believe that failing to prosecute minor crimes is the same as _____ an air of lawlessness.)
- Banal
- Predictable, clichéd, boring (ex. He used _____ phrases like "Have a nice day", or "Another day, another dollar".)
- Catalyst
- Something that brings about a change in something else (ex. The imposition of harsh taxes was the _____ that finally brought on the revolution.)
- Corroborate
- To provide supporting evidence (ex. Fingerprints _____ the witness's testimony that he saw the defendant in the victim's apartment.)
- Castigate
- To punish or criticize harshly (ex. Americans are amazed at how harshly the authorities in Singapore _____ perpetrators of what would be considered minor crimes in the United States.)
- Crescendo
- Steadily increasing volume or force (ex. The _____of tension became unbearable as Evel Knievel prepared to jump his motor cycle over the school buses.)
- Chicanery
- Deception by means of craft or guile (ex. Dishonest used car salesmen often use _____ to sell their beat-up old cars.)
- Convoluted
- Intricate and complicated (ex. Although many people bought A Brief History of Time, few could follow its _____ ideas and theories.)
- Chauvinist
- Someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs (ex. The attitude that men are inherently superior to women and therefore must be obeyed is common among male _____.)
- Cogent
- Convincing and well reasoned (ex. Swayed by the _____ argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but to acquit the defendant.)