Cracking the GRE 2006: Hit Parade 2
Terms
undefined, object
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- abate
- to lessen in intensity or deree (v.)
- accolade
- an expression of praise (n.)
- adulation
- excessive praise; intense adoration (n.)
- aesthetic
- dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful (adj.)
- ameliorate
- to make better or more tolerable (v.)
- ascetic
- one who practices rigid self-denial, esp. as an act of religious devotion (n.)
- avarice
- greed, esp. for wealth (n.)
- axiom
- a universally recognized principle (n.)
- burgeon
- to grow rapidly or flourish (v.)
- bucolic
- rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants (adj.)
- cacophony
- harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance (n.)
- canon
- an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature (n.)
- castigation
- severe criticism or punishment (n.)
- catalyst
- a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction without itself changing; a person or thing that causes change (n.)
- caustic
- burning or stinging; causing corrosion (adj.)
- chary
- wary; cautious; sparing (adj.)
- cogent
- appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing (adj.)
- complaisance
- the willingness to comply with the wishes of others (n.)
- contentious
- argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement (adj.)
- contrite
- regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness (adj.)
- culpable
- deserving blame (adj.)
- dearth
- smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack (n.)
- demur
- to question or oppose (v.)
- didactic
- intended to teach or instruct (adj.)
- discretion
- cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions (n.)
- disinterested
- free of bias or self-interest, impartial (adj.)
- dogmatic
- expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or improvable principles (adj.)
- ebullience
- the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings (adj.)
- eclectic
- composed of elements drawn from various sources (adj.)
- elegy
- a mournful poem, esp. one lamenting the dead (n.)
- empirical
- based on observation or experiment (adj.)
- enigmatic
- mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand (adj.)
- ephemeral
- brief; fleeting (adj.)
- esoteric
- intended for or understood by a small, specific group (adj.)
- eulogy
- a speech honoring the dead (n.)
- exonerate
- to remove blame (v.)
- facetious
- playful, humorous (adj.)
- fallacy
- an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief (n.)
- furtive
- marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious (adj.)
- gregarious
- sociable; outgoing ; enjoying the company of other people (adj.)
- harangue
- to deliver a pompous speech or tirade; a long, pompous speech (v/n.)
- heretical
- violating accepted dogma or convention (adj.)
- hyperbole
- an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech (n.)
- impecunious
- lacking funds; without money (adj.)
- incipient
- beginning to come into being or to become apparent (adj.)
- inert
- unmoving; lethargic; sluggish (adj.)
- innocuous
- harmless; causing no damage (adj.)
- intransigent
- refusing to compromise (adj.)
- inveigle
- to obtain by deception or flattery (v.)
- morose
- sad; sullen; melancholy (adj.)
- odious
- evoking intense aversion or dislike (adj.)
- opaque
- impenetrable by light; not reflecting light (adj.)
- oscillation
- the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm (n.)
- penurious
- penny-pinching; excessively thrify; ungenerous (adj.)
- pernicious
- extremely harmful; potentially causing death (adj.)
- peruse
- to examine with great care (v.)
- pious
- extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion (adj.)
- precursor
- one that precedes and indicates or announces another (n.)
- preen
- to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care (v.)
- prodigious
- abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary (adj.)
- prolific
- producing large volumes or amounts; productive (adj.)
- putrefy
- to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor (v.)
- quaff
- to drink deeply (v.)
- quiescence
- stillness; motionless; quality of being at rest (n.)
- redoubtable
- awe-inspiring; worthy of honor (adj.)
- sanction
- authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance; to give permission or authority to (n/v.)
- satire
- a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision (n.)
- squalid
- sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect (adj.)
- stoic
- indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast (adj.)
- supplant
- to take the place of; supersede (v.)
- torpid
- lethargic; sluggish; dormant (adj.)
- ubiquitous
- existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; wide-spread (adj.)
- urbane
- sophisticated; refined; elegant (adj.)
- vilify
- to defame; to characterize harshly (v.)
- viscous
- thick; sticky (adj.)