|
GRE VOCABULARY
|
aberration
|
anomaly, deviation
from standard,
irregularity, atypical
|
|
abrogate
|
do
away with
|
|
abstemious
|
sparing,
moderate (in eating, drinking)
|
|
abstruse
|
(recondite) concealed,
deep, difficult
to comprehend
|
|
accolade
|
award,
honor, high praise
|
|
accretion
|
accumulation,
enlargement, growth
|
|
adroitly
|
skillfully
|
|
adulate
|
admire
excessively/slavishly, flatter
|
|
alacrity
|
eagerness,
readiness
|
|
alias
|
assumed
|
|
allocate
|
distribute,
designate
|
|
allusion
|
indirect reference
to something else,
hint (in literature)
|
|
ameliorate
|
improve
|
|
amenable
|
agreeable
|
|
arbiter
|
one
who arbitrates/decides, judge
|
|
ardor
|
fervor,
enthusiasm
|
|
assuage
|
lessen
the intensity of something
|
|
audacious
|
bold,
fearless
|
|
audacity
|
(impertinence)
boldness, reckless
daring
|
|
auspicious
|
(propitious)
prosperous, favorable
|
|
aver
|
prove
truth of, state it is true
|
|
badger
|
harass/annoy
continuously, bait
|
|
baleful
|
hurtful,
malignant, sorrowful
|
|
beget
|
bring
into being, cause to exist
|
|
beneficent
|
kind,
doing good
|
|
bereave
|
deprive,
leave desolate (through death)
|
|
brazenly
|
boldly
|
|
brook
|
tolerate
|
|
burnish
|
polish
|
|
cacophony
|
harsh
sounding mixture of sounds
|
|
cajole
|
deceptively persuade
someone to do
something he/she declines to
|
|
candid
|
(candor) free from
prejudice/bias/malice, honest, fair
|
|
capricious
|
unpredictable,
momentarily changeable
|
|
chary
|
cautious
|
|
circumlocution
|
indirect expression,
use of
wordy/evasive language
|
|
coda
|
distinct passage
concluding a
composition
|
|
cogent
|
powerful
|
|
cognizant
|
perceptive,
observant
|
|
compliant
|
yielding,
submissive
|
|
composure
|
ease
|
|
conciliatory
|
peace
making
|
|
conjoin
|
join
together
|
|
conjure
|
summon,
bring into being as if by magic
|
|
connoisseur
|
expert
(in art, taste)
|
|
consensus
|
unanimity, near
unanimity, complete
accord in opinion
|
|
contentious
|
argumentative
|
|
conundrum
|
puzzle,
riddle
|
|
corroborate
|
confirm,
back up with evidence
|
|
cower
|
shrink
|
|
debacle
|
violent, sudden
breakdown/overthrow
|
|
debauchery
|
intemperance,
wild living
|
|
decorous
|
in
good taste, proper
|
|
deleterious
(baleful)
|
harmful,
menacing
|
|
despondent
|
desperate,
hopeless
|
|
dire
|
disastrous, horrible,
ill-omened,
extreme
|
|
dirge
|
chant/song of sorrow/mourning,
rites
for the dead
|
|
disavow
|
deny
|
|
discourse
|
formal
discussion
|
|
disparage
|
detract
|
|
disparaging
|
depreciatory,
derogatory, detraction
|
|
dispassionate
|
passionless,
impartial, neutral
|
|
divergent
|
differing,
deviating
|
|
doggerel
|
loose,
unskillful verse
|
|
dogma
(doctrine)
|
authoritative
tenet, established opinion
|
|
dubious
|
doubtful,
questionable
|
|
eclectic
|
drawn
from many sources
|
|
edict
|
decree,
mandate, law, writ, command
|
|
edifice
|
structure,
building
|
|
effluvium
|
escaping
gas, noxious vapors
|
|
emaciation
|
waste
away, become thin/weak
|
|
emanate
|
originate
from
|
|
emollient
|
balm,
salve, softening, soothing
|
|
enigma
|
problem,
puzzle, mystery
|
|
enmity
(animosity)
|
antagonism,
hatred, antipathy
|
|
epicure
|
one
interested in fine foods
|
|
epithet
|
descriptive
|
|
equivocal
|
ambiguous,
intentionally confusing
|
|
erratic
(eccentric, fitful)
|
inconsistent, unpredictable,
aimless,
spasmodic, unusual, capricious
|
|
erudite
|
scholarly,
deeply learned
|
|
escrow
|
legal agreement
handled by 3rd party
until conditions fulfilled
|
|
euphemism
|
use of nice words
in place of distasteful
ones
|
|
evanescent
|
vanishing,
fading, scarcely perceptible
|
|
exigent
|
urgent
|
|
exonerate
|
completely
free from blame
|
|
exorbitant
|
extravagant,
immoderate
|
|
exploit
|
milk,
drain, exhaust
|
|
exposition
(explication)
|
setting
forth meaning, explanation
|
|
extol
|
celebrate,
glorify [antonym - lambaste]
|
|
extricate
|
loosen,
release [antonym - intricate]
|
|
exuberant
|
extremely joyful,
vigorous, profuse in
growth
|
|
facetious
|
humorous,
joking
|
|
faddish
(fad)
|
passing
(fashion, craze)
|
|
fallow
|
left
unplanted, idle
|
|
feckless
|
careless
|
|
feeble
|
weak,
inefficient
|
|
fester
|
blister,
inflame, cancer
|
|
fickle
|
deceitful,
inconstant
|
|
fission
|
splitting
into parts
|
|
fissure
|
narrow
slit, crack, cleft
|
|
flag
|
weaken,
slow down
|
|
flippant
|
shallow,
disrespectful
|
|
flout
|
disregard
because of disrespect
|
|
flux
|
substance
aiding fusion
|
|
foolhardy
|
careless,
hasty
|
|
forbear
|
refrain
from, abstain
|
|
frenetic
|
frantic,
frenzied
|
|
frivolous
|
flimsy,
trivial, lacking seriousness
|
|
frugal
(thrifty)
|
economical
|
|
fulminate
|
strike, send forth
invectives, akin to
lightning
|
|
fulsome
|
disgusting,
morally offensive
|
|
fumble
|
handle
clumsily, fail to catch
|
|
gainsay
|
deny,
speak against
|
|
garish
(gaudy)
|
flashy,
excessively colorful
|
|
garner
|
gather,
collect
|
|
garrulous
(loquacious)
|
extremely
talkative, wordy
|
|
gavel
(mallet)
|
wooden
hammer
|
|
genial
|
helpful,
cheerful, pleasant
|
|
genre
|
distinctive category/class
(especially in
literature)
|
|
goad
|
urge
forcefully, to prod
|
|
gouge
|
chisel
with curved blade
|
|
gouging
|
force
out
|
|
guile
|
deceit,
cheating
|
|
hapless
|
unlucky
|
|
hold
|
place
where cargo is kept
|
|
hone
|
sharpen
|
|
imperturbable
|
calm
|
|
impervious
|
impermeable
|
|
implement
|
carry
out
|
|
improvident
(lavish)
|
wasteful,
careless
|
|
impudent
|
bold,
impertinent, discourteous
|
|
impugn
|
attack, especially
the truth/integrity of
something
|
|
impute
|
ascribe
to, refer to, attribution
|
|
inchoate
|
unformed,
just beginning
|
|
incursion
|
hostile
invasion
|
|
indifference
|
detachment,
lack of interest/concern
|
|
indignant
|
angry
(as result of unfairness)
|
|
indulgent
|
lenient,
yielding to desire
|
|
ineluctable
|
inevitable,
unavoidable
|
|
inept
|
clumsy,
incompetent
|
|
infatuation
|
love [antonym - odium]
|
|
ingenuous
|
free
from deceit/disguise
|
|
insolvent
|
unable
to pay one's bills
|
|
intrinsic
|
inherent
|
|
invective
|
insulting/abusive
speech
|
|
laconic
|
using few words
(to the point of
rudeness)
|
|
lambaste
|
scold,
beat [antonym - extol]
|
|
laudatory
(approbative)
|
applausive,
approving
|
|
lax
|
slack,
careless, negligent, not strict
|
|
levee
|
embankment to prevent
overflowing
of river
|
|
lode
|
a
vein, ore imbedded in a rock fissure
|
|
loquacious
(garrulous)
|
extremely
talkative/wordy
|
|
maverick
(rebel)
|
nonconformist
|
|
mellifluous
|
sweetly
flowing
|
|
minatory
|
threatening
|
|
misanthrope
|
one
who hates people
|
|
mitigated
|
softened
|
|
mitis
|
soft
|
|
munificent
(lavish)
|
very
generous
|
|
neophyte
|
beginner
|
|
noisome
|
bad-smelling
|
|
obdurate
(intractable)
|
stubborn,
inflexible
|
|
odium
|
hate,
disgust [antonym - infatuation]
|
|
offense
|
wrongdoing
|
|
oscillate
(fluctuate)
|
swing
back and forth
|
|
ossify
|
harden,
turn to bone, become rigid
|
|
ostentatious
|
conspicuous,
showing off
|
|
palliate
|
excuse,
cause to seem less serious
|
|
palpable
|
touchable,
obvious
|
|
panegyric
|
lofty
praise
|
|
partisan
|
who
supports a particular idea ...
|
|
peccadillo
|
slight
fault
|
|
pedagogue
|
pedantic/dogmatic
person, teacher
|
|
penchant
|
inclination
|
|
penchant
|
strong
liking/leaning
|
|
petulant
|
ill-tempered,
rude, cranky
|
|
piquant
|
spicy,
pleasantly pungent
|
|
placate
(propitiate)
|
conciliate, pacify,
appease, calm,
soothe
|
|
placid
|
calm,
peaceful
|
|
plumb
|
measure
the depth of
|
|
polemic
|
powerful argument
in refutation of
something
|
|
pragmatic
|
practical
|
|
precarious
|
uncertain,
dangerous
|
|
precipice
|
very steep, overhanging
place,
hazardous situation
|
|
precipitate
|
cause
to happen abruptly
|
|
presumptuous
|
arrogant
|
|
prevarication
|
lie
|
|
pristine
|
pure,
uncorrupted, unspoiled
|
|
probity
|
integrity,
honesty
|
|
prodigy
|
extraordinary
|
|
promulgate
(proclaim)
|
declare,
put in force/law
|
|
propinquity
|
kinship,
nearness
|
|
propitiate
(placate)
|
conciliate, pacify,
appease, calm,
soothe
|
|
proscription
|
restriction/ban/restraint
imposed
|
|
proselytize
|
convert,
recruit converts
|
|
pundit
|
expert
|
|
pungent
|
sharp/biting
to taste/smell
|
|
qualify
|
modify,
restrict
|
|
rampart
|
fortification,
defense
|
|
ravenous
|
very eager/greedy
for
food/gratification/satisfaction
|
|
reciprocal
|
mutual, shared,
interchangeable (but
not in math!)
|
|
recondite
(abstruse)
|
obscure, concealed,
deep, difficult to
comprehend
|
|
rectitude
|
righteousness,
moral integrity
|
|
reprobate
|
depraved, wicked,
corrupt,
degenerate, vicious
|
|
repugnant
|
offensive,
distasteful
|
|
resolute
(intransigent)
|
determined,
unyielding
|
|
reticent
(tacit)
|
quiet, dumb, reserved,
silent,
reluctant
|
|
ribald
|
indecent,
coarse
|
|
rivet
|
attract
and hold attention
|
|
sagacious
|
wise
(from experience)
|
|
salubrious
|
promoting
good health
|
|
sanction
|
ratify,
confirm, authorize, approve
|
|
saturnine
|
gloomy/sullen/dismal
in temperament
|
|
savor
|
relish,
enjoy
|
|
sedulous
|
zealous, persevering
[antonym -
careless]
|
|
serene
|
tranquil,
clear, untroubled, calm
|
|
sinuous
|
winding,
intricate
|
|
spendthrift
|
wasteful,
extravagant
|
|
spurious
|
bogus,
false
|
|
squalid
|
filthy,
repulsive, wretched, degraded
|
|
subjugate
|
enslave,
subdue, dominate
|
|
substantive
|
solid,
substantial
|
|
succinct
|
concise,
precisely expressed
|
|
sullen
|
gloomy,
dismal
|
|
superficial
|
shallow, unimportant,
external,
without profundity
|
|
superfluous
|
extra,
unnecessary
|
|
surreptitious
|
secret,
sneaky
|
|
tacit
|
implicit,
understood
|
|
taunt
|
insult,
ridicule
|
|
temerity
(audacity)
|
recklessness,
foolish boldness
|
|
tiff
|
argument
|
|
timbre
|
quality of sound
independent of
pitch/loudness
|
|
tout
|
give
a tip
|
|
transitory
|
temporary
|
|
trepidation
|
fear,
nervousness
|
|
truculent
|
savage,
fierce
|
|
turbid
|
muddy,
foul with sediments
|
|
turpitude
(depravity)
|
shameful
wickedness
|
|
untoward
(awkward)
|
unfavorable,
unruly
|
|
usurer
|
money
lender charging high interest
|
|
vacuous
|
stupid
|
|
veracity
|
truthfulness
|
|
vex
|
annoy,
pester, confuse
|
|
vindicate
|
clear
from blame/suspicion
|
|
viscid
|
sticky,
viscous
|
|
viscous
|
thick
and sticky
|
|
visionary
|
dreamer (with impractical
goals/ideas
about future)
|
|
vituperation
(malediction)
|
abusive
language
|
|
welter
(turmoil)
|
confused
mass
|
|
xenophobe
|
one
who hates strangers
|
|
Word
|
Part of
Speech
|
Definitions,
Other Forms, and Examples
|
|
aberrant
|
adj.
|
deviating
from normal or correct.
|
|
abscond
|
v.
|
to
leave secretly and hide, often to avoid the law.
|
|
advocate
|
v.,
n.
|
to speak, plead,
or argue for a cause, or in another’s
behalf. (n) -- one who advocates.
|
|
aggrandize
|
v.
|
to
make greater, to increase, thus, to exaggerate.
|
|
amalgamate
|
v.
|
to
unite or mix. (n) -- amalgamation.
|
|
ambiguous
|
adj.
|
vague;
subject to more than one interpretation
|
|
ambrosial
|
adj.
|
extremely pleasing
to the senses, divine (as related to
the gods) or delicious (n: ambrosia)
|
|
anachronism
|
n.
|
a person or artifact
appearing after its own time or out
of chronological order (adj: anachronistic)
|
|
anomalous
|
adj.
|
peculiar;
unique, contrary to the norm (n: anomaly)
|
|
antediluvian
|
adj.
|
ancient;
outmoded; (literally,before the flood)
|
|
antipathy
|
n.
|
hostility
toward, objection, or aversion to
|
|
arbitrate
|
v.
|
to
settle a dispute by impulse (n: arbitration)
|
|
assuage
|
v.
|
to
make less severe; to appease or satisfy
|
|
attenuate
|
v.
|
weaken
(adj: attenuated)
|
|
audacious
|
adj.
|
extremely bold;
fearless, especially said of human
behavior (n: audacity)
|
|
aver
|
v.
|
to
declare
|
|
banal
|
adj.
|
commonplace
or trite (n: banality)
|
|
barefaced
|
adj.
|
unconcealed,
shameless, or brazen
|
|
blandishment
|
n.
|
speech or action
intended to coax someone into doing
something
|
|
bombast
|
n.
|
pompous
speech (adj: bombastic)
|
|
breach
|
n.,
v.
|
a lapse, gap or
break, as in a fortress wall. To break
or break through.ex: Unfortunately, the club members
never forgot his breach of ettiquette.
|
|
burgeon
|
v.,
n.
|
to grow or flourish;
a bud or new growth (adj:
burgeoning )
|
|
buttress
|
v.,
n.
|
to
support. a support
|
|
cadge
|
v.
|
to
get something by taking advantage of someone
|
|
caprice
|
n.
|
impulse
(adj: capricious)
|
|
castigate
|
v.
|
to
chastise or criticize severely
|
|
catalyst
|
n.
|
an
agent of change (adj: catalytic; v. catalyze)
|
|
caustic
|
adj.
|
capable of dissolving
by chemical action; highly critical:
"His caustic remarks spoiled the mood of the party."
|
|
chicanery
|
n.
|
deception
by trickery
|
|
complaisant
|
adj.
|
willingly compliant
or accepting of the status quo (n:
complaisance)
|
|
conflagration
|
n.
|
a
great fire
|
|
corporeal
|
adj.
|
of or having to
do with material, as opposed to
spiritual; tangible. (In older writings, coeporeal could
be a synonym for corporal. This usage is no longer
common)
|
|
corporal
|
adj.
|
of the body: "corporal
punishment." a non-
commissioned officer ranked between a sergeant and a
private.
|
|
corroborate
|
v.
|
to strengthen or
support: "The witness corroborted his
story." (n: corroboration)
|
|
craven
|
adj.,
n.
|
cowardly;
a coward
|
|
culpable
|
adj.
|
deserving
of blame (n: culpability)
|
|
dearth
|
n.
|
lack, scarcity:
"The prosecutor complained about the
dearth of concrete evidence against the suspect."
|
|
deference
|
n.
|
submission or courteous
yielding: "He held his tongue in
deference to his father." (n: deferential. v. defer)
|
|
depict
|
v.
|
to
show, create a picture of.
|
|
deprecation
|
n.
|
belittlement.
(v. deprecate)
|
|
depredation
|
n.
|
the act of preying
upon or plundering: "The
depredations of the invaders demoralized the
population."
|
|
descry
|
v.
|
to
make clear, to say
|
|
desiccate
|
v.
|
to
dry out thoroughly (adj: desiccated)
|
|
diatribe
|
n.
|
a
bitter abusive denunciation.
|
|
diffident
|
adj.
|
lacking
self-confidence, modest (n: diffidence)
|
|
disabuse
|
adj.
|
to free a person
from falsehood or error: "We had to
disabuse her of the notion that she was invited."
|
|
disparaging
|
adj.
|
belittling
(n: disparagement. v. disparage)
|
|
dispassionate
|
adj.
|
calm;
objective; unbiased
|
|
dissemble
|
v.
|
to
conceal one's real motive, to feign
|
|
dogged
|
adj.
|
stubborn or determined:
"Her dogged pursuit of the
degree eventually paid off."
|
|
dogmatic
|
adj.
|
relying upon doctrine
or dogma, as opposed to
evidence
|
|
eclectic
|
adj.
|
selecting or employing
individual elements from a
variety of sources: "Many modern decorators prefer an
eclectic style." (n: eclecticism)
|
|
efficacy
|
n.
|
effectiveness;
capability to produce a desired effect
|
|
effluent
|
adj.,
n
|
the quality of
flowing out. something that flows out,
such as a stream from a river (n: effluence)
|
|
emollient
|
adj.,
n.
|
softening;
something that softens
|
|
emulate
|
v.
|
to
strive to equal or excel (n: emulation)
|
|
encomium
|
n.
|
a
formal eulogy or speech of praise
|
|
endemic
|
adj.
|
prevalent in or
native to a certain region, locality, or
people: "The disease was endemic to the region." Don't
confuse this word with epidemic.
|
|
enervate
|
v.
|
to weaken or destroy
the strength or vitality of: "The
heatenervated everyone." (adj: enervating)
|
|
engender
|
v.
|
to give rise to,
to propagate, to cause: "His slip of the
toungue engendered much laughter."
|
|
enigma
|
n.
|
puzzle; mystery:
"Math is an enigma to me." (adj:
enigmatic)
|
|
ephemeral
|
adj.
|
lasting
for only a brief time, fleeting (n: ephemera)
|
|
equivocal
|
adj.
|
ambiguous; unclear;
subject to more than one
interpretation -- often intentionally so: "Republicans
complained that Bill Clinton's answers were equivocal."
(v. equivocate)
|
|
erudite
|
adj.
|
scholarly; displaying
deep intensive learning. (n:
erudition)
|
|
esoteric
|
adj.
|
intended for or
understood by only a few: "The
esoteric discussion confused some people." (n:
esoterica)
|
|
eulogy
|
n.
|
a
spoken or written tribute to the deceased (v. eulogize)
|
|
exacerbate
|
v.
|
to increase the
bitterness or violence of; to aggravate:
"The decision to fortify the border exacerbated
tensions."
|
|
exculpate
|
v.
|
to demonstrate
or prove to be blameless: "The
evidence tended to exculpate the defendant."(adj:
exculpatory)
|
|
exorbitant
|
adj.
|
exceeding customary
or normal limits, esp. in quantity
or price: "The cab fare was exorbitant."
|
|
explicit
|
adj.
|
fully
and clearly expressed
|
|
extant
|
adj.
|
in existence, still
existing: The only extant representative
of that species."
|
|
fathom
|
n.,
v.
|
a measure of length
(six feet) used in nautical settings.
to penetrate to the depths of something in order to
understand it: "I couldn't fathom her reasoning on that
issue."
|
|
fawn
|
v.
|
to seek favor or
attention; to act subserviantly (n, adj:
fawning)
|
|
feign
|
v.
|
to give false appearance
or impression: "He feigned
illness to avoid going to school." (adj: feigned)
|
|
fervid,
fervent
|
adj.
|
highly emotional;
hot: "The partisans displayed a
fervent patriotism." (n: fervor)
|
|
fledgling
|
n.,
adj.
|
a
baby bird; an inexperienced person; inexperienced.
|
|
florid
|
adj.
|
flushed with a
rosy color, as in complexion; very ornate
and flowery: "florid prose."
|
|
floundering
|
adj.
|
struggling:
"We tried to save the floundering business."
|
|
garrulous
|
adj.
|
verbose; talkative;
rambling: "We tried to avoid our
garrulous neighbor."
|
|
gossamer
|
n.,
adj.
|
fine cobweb on
foliage; fine gauzy fabric; very fine:
"She wore a gossamer robe."
|
|
guile
|
n.
|
skillful deceit:
"He was well known for his guile." (v.
bequile; adj: beguiling. Note, however, that these two
words have an additional meaning: to charm (v.) or
charming (adj:), while the word guile does not generally
have any such positive connotations)
|
|
guileless
|
adj.
|
honest;
straightforward (n: guilelessness)
|
|
hapless
|
adj.
|
unfortunate
|
|
headlong
|
adj.,
adv.
|
headfirst; impulsive;
hasty. impulsively; hastily; without
forethought: "They rushed headlong into marriage."
|
|
homogenous
|
adj.
|
similar in nature
or kind; uniform: "a homogeneous
society."
|
|
iconoclast
|
n.
|
one who attacks
traditional ideas or institutions or one
who destroys sacred images (adj: iconoclastic)
|
|
impecunious
|
adj.
|
penniless;
poor
|
|
imperious
|
adj.
|
commanding
|
|
implication
|
n.
|
insinuation
or connotation (v. implicate)
|
|
imply
|
v.
|
to suggest indirectly;
to entail: "She implied she didn't
believe his story." (n: implication)
|
|
improvidence
|
n.
|
an absence of foresight;
a failure to provide for future
needs or events: "Their improvidence resulted in the
loss of their home."
|
|
inchoate
|
adj.
|
in an initial or
early stage; incomplete; disorganized:
"The act of writing forces one to clarify incohate
thoughts."
|
|
incorrigible
|
adj.
|
not capable of
being corrected: "The school board
finally decided the James was incorrigible and expelled
him from school."
|
|
indelible
|
adj.
|
permanent; unerasable;
strong: "The Queen made an
indelible impression on her subjects."
|
|
ineffible
|
adj.
|
undescribable;
inexpressible in words; unspeakable
|
|
infer
|
v.
|
to deduce: "New
genetic evidence led some zoologists
to infer that the red wolf is actually a hybrid of the
coyote and the gray wolf."
|
|
ingenious
|
adj.
|
clever: "She
developed an ingenious method for testing
her hypothesis."(n: ingenuity)
|
|
ingenuous
|
adj.
|
unsophisticated;
artless; straightforward; candid:
"Wilson's ingenuous response to the controversial
calmed the suspicious listeners."
|
|
inhibit
|
v.
|
to hold back, prohibit,
forbid, or restrain (n: inhibition,
adj: inhibited)
|
|
innocuous
|
adj.
|
harmless; having
no adverse affect; not likely to
provoke strong emotion
|
|
insensible
|
adj.
|
numb; unconscious:
"Wayne was rendered insensible
by a blow to the head." unfeeling; insensitive: "They
were insensibile to the suffering of others.:
|
|
insipid
|
adj.
|
lacking
zest or excitement; dull
|
|
insular
|
adj.
|
of or pertaining
to an island, thus, excessively exclusive:
"Newcomers found it difficult to make friends in the
insular community."
|
|
intransigent
|
adj.
|
stubborn; immovable;
unwilling to change: "She was so
intransigent we finally gave up trying to convince her."
(n: intransigence)
|
|
irascible
|
adj.
|
prone
to outbursts of temper, easily angered
|
|
laconic
|
adj.
|
using
few words; terse: "a laconic reply."
|
|
latent
|
adj.
|
present
or potential but not evident or active (n: latency)
|
|
laudable
|
adj.
|
praiseworthy;
commendable (v. laud)
|
|
leviathan
|
n.
|
giant
whale, therefore, something very large
|
|
loquacious
|
adj.
|
talkative
|
|
lucid
|
adj.
|
clear; translucent:
"He made a lucid argument to
support his theory."
|
|
lugubrious
|
adj.
|
weighty, mournful,
or gloomy, especially to an
excessive degree: "Jake's lugubrious monologues
depressed his friends."
|
|
magnanimity
|
n.
|
generosity
and nobility. (adj: magnanimous)
|
|
malevolent
|
adj.
|
malicious; evil;
having or showing ill will: "Some early
American colonists saw the wilderness as malevolent
and sought to control it."
|
|
misanthrope
|
n.
|
one who hates people:
"He was a true misanthrope and
hated even himself."
|
|
misnomer
|
n.
|
incorrect
name or word for something
|
|
misogynist
|
n.
|
one
who hates women
|
|
mitigate
|
v.
|
to make less forceful;
to become more moderate; to
make less harsh or undesirable: "He was trying to
mitigate the damage he had done." (n: mitigation)
|
|
nefarious
|
adj.
|
wicked,
evil: "a nefarious plot."
|
|
noisome
|
adj.
|
harmful, offensive,
destructive: "The noisome odor of
the dump carried for miles."
|
|
obdurate
|
adj.
|
hardened
against influence or feeling; intractable.
|
|
obviate
|
v.
|
to prevent by anticipatory
measures; to make
unnecessary:
|
|
occlude
|
v.
|
to
close or shut off; to obstruct (n: occlusion)
|
|
opaque
|
adj.
|
not transparent
or transluscent; dense; difficult to
comprehend, as inopaque reasoning
|
|
ossified
|
adj.
|
turned to bone;
hardened like bone; Inflexible: "The
ossified culture failed to adapt to new economic
conditions and died out."
|
|
panegyric
|
n.
|
a
writing or speech in praise of a person or thing
|
|
peccadillo
|
n.
|
a
small sin or fault
|
|
pedantic
|
adj.
|
showing a narrow
concern for rules or formal book
learning; making an excessive display of one's own
learning: "We quickly tired of his pedantic
conversation." (n: pedant, pedantry).
|
|
perfidious
|
adj.
|
deliberately
treacherous; dishonest (n: perfidy)
|
|
petulant
|
adj.
|
easily or frequently
annoyed, especially over trivial
matters; childishly irritable
|
|
philanthropy
|
n.
|
tendency or action
for the benefit of others, as in
donating money or property to a charitible organization
|
|
phlegmatic
|
adj.
|
not
easily excited; cool; sluggish
|
|
placate
|
v.
|
to calm or reduce
anger by making concessions: "The
professor tried to placate his students by postponing
the exam."
|
|
plastic
|
adj.
|
related to being
shaped or molded; capable of being
molded. (n: plasticity n: plastic)
|
|
plethora
|
n.
|
excessively large
quantity; overabundance: "We
received a p lethora of applications for the position."
|
|
ponderous
|
adj.
|
heavy; massive;
awkward; dull: "A ponderous book is
better than a sleeping pill."
|
|
pragmatic
|
adj.
|
concerned with
facts; practical, as opposed to highly
principled or traditional: "His pragmatic approach often
offended idealists." (n: pragmatism)
|
|
precipice
|
n.
|
cliff with a vertical
or nearly vertical face; a dangerous
place from which one is likely to fall; metaphorically, a
very risky circumstance
|
|
precipitate
|
v.,
n.
|
to fall; to fall
downward suddenly and dramatically; to
bring about or hasten the occurrence of something:
"Old World diseases precipitated a massive decline in
the American Indian population."
|
|
precursor
|
n.
|
something (or someone)
that precedes another: "The
assasination of the Archduke was a precursor to the
war."
|
|
prevaricate
|
v.
|
to stray away from
or evade the truth: "When we
asked him what his intentions were, he
prevaricated."(n: prevarication; prevaricator)
|
|
prodigal
|
adj.
|
rashly wasteful:
"Americans' prodigal devotion to the
automobile is unique."
|
|
propitiate
|
v.
|
to conciliate;
to appease: "They made sacrifices to
propitiate angry gods."
|
|
Pulchritudinous
|
adj.
|
beautiful
(n: pulchritude)
|
|
pusillanimous
|
adj.
|
cowardly, timid,
or irreselute; petty: "The pusillanimous
leader soon lost the respect of his people."
|
|
quiescence
|
n.
|
inactivity;
stillness; dormancy (adj: quiescent)
|
|
rarefy
|
v.
|
to make or become
thin; to purify or refine (n:
rarefaction, adj: rarefied)
|
|
reproof
|
n.
|
the
act of censuring, scolding, or rebuking. (v. reprove).
|
|
rescind
|
v.
|
to
repeal or annul
|
|
sagacious
|
adj.
|
having a sharp
or powerful intellect or discernment. (n:
sagacity).
|
|
sanguine
|
adj.
|
cheerful; confident:
"Her sanguine attitude put everyone
at ease."(Sangfroid (noun) is a related French word
meaning unflappibility. Literally, it means cold blood)
|
|
sate
|
v.
|
to
satisfy fully or to excess
|
|
saturnine
|
adj.
|
having
a gloomy or morose temperament
|
|
savant
|
n.
|
a
very knowledgable person; a genious
|
|
sedulous
|
adj.
|
diligent; persevering;
persistent: "Her sedulous devotion
to overcoming her background impressed many." (n:
sedulity; sedulousness; adv. sedulously)
|
|
specious
|
adj.
|
seemingly true
but really false; deceptively convincing
or attractive: "Her argument, though specious, was
readily accepted by many."
|
|
superficial
|
adj.
|
only covering the
surface: "A superficial treatment of
the topic was all they wanted."
|
|
tacit
|
adj.
|
unspoken: "Katie
and carmella had a tacit agreement
that they would not mention the dented fender to their
parents."
|
|
taciturn
|
adj.
|
habitually
untalkative or silent (n: taciturnity)
|
|
temperate
|
adj.
|
exercising moderation
and self-denial; calm or mild (n:
temperance)
|
|
tirade
(diatribe)
|
n.
|
an
angry speech: "His tirade had gone on long enough."
|
|
tortuous
|
adj.
|
twisted; excessively
complicated: "Despite public
complaints, tax laws and forms have become
increasingly tortuous." Note: Don't confuse this with
torturous.
|
|
tractable
|
adj.
|
ability to be easily
managed or controlled: "Her mother
wished she were more tractable." (n: tractibility)
|
|
turpitude
|
n.
|
depravity; baseness:
"Mr. Castor was fired for moral
turpitude."
|
|
tyro
|
n.
|
beginner; person
lacking experience in a specific
endeavor: "They easily took advantage of the tyro."
|
|
vacuous
|
adj.
|
empty; without
contents; without ideas or intelligence::
"She flashed a vacuous smile."
|
|
venerate
|
v.
|
great respect or
reverence: "The Chinese traditionally
venerated their ancestors; ancestor worship is merely a
popular misnomer for this tradition." (n: veneration, adj:
venerable)
|
|
verbose
|
adj.
|
wordy: "The
instructor asked her verbose student
make her paper more concise." (n: verbosity)
|
|
vex
|
v.
|
to annoy; to bother;
to perplex; to puzzle; to debate at
length: "Franklin vexed his brother with his
controversial writings."
|
|
viscous
|
adj.
|
slow moving; highly
resistant to flow: "Heintz
commercials imply that their catsup is more viscous
than others'." (n: viscosity)
|
|
volatile
|
adj.
|
explosive;
fickle (n: volatility).
|
|
voracious
|
adj.
|
craving or devouring
large quantities of food, drink, or
other things. She is a voracious reader.
|
|
waver
|
v.
|
to
hesitate or to tremble
|
|
wretched
|
adj.
|
extremely
pitiful or unfortunate (n: wretch)
|
|
zeal
|
n.
|
enthusiastic devotion
to a cause, ideal, or goal (n:
zealot; zealoutry. adj: zealous)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1. readin'
