Flashcards: Princeton Review GRE Hit Parade
All 310 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 abscond | depart secretly and hide |
| adversity | hardship |
| aggravate | to worsen or intensify |
| arduous | strenuous, taxing |
| belie | to give a false impression of' |
| bombast | self-important or pompous writing or speech |
| cacophony | harsh, jarring, discordant sound |
| castigation | severe criticism or punishment |
| censure | to criticize severely to officially rebuke |
| chicanery | trickery or subterfuge |
| coercive | serving or intended to compel by force or authority |
| condemn | to blame or denounce |
| conspire | to secretly work together with the intent to commit a wrong or illegal act |
| covert | hidden, clandestine |
| cower | shrink in fear, cringe |
| craven | contemptibly fainthearted, lacking any courage |
| denigrate | to blacken; to belittle; to sully defame disparage |
| denounce | to publicly condemn or criticize |
| derision | scorn; ridicule; contemptuous treatment |
| diatribe | a harsh denunciation |
| discomfit | to defeat; to put down |
| disingenuous | insincere; lacking in honesty |
| dissemble | to disguise or conceal |
| exacerbate | to make worse or more severe |
| fraud | deliberate deceit with the goal of gaining an unlawful advantage |
| furtive | marked by stealth, covert, surreptitious |
| garrulous | pointlessly talkative; talking too much |
| harangue | to deliver a pompous speech or tirade |
| impudent | saucy; impertinent |
| inopportune | ill-timed; unsuitable; inappropriate |
| irascible | easily angered |
| malevolent | having or showing often viscious ill-will ,spite, hatred |
| martial | associated with war and the armed forces |
| misanthrope | one who hates all other humans |
| morose | sad, sullen |
| obdurate | unyielding; hardhearted |
| obsequious | exhibiting a fawning attentiveness |
| obstinate | stubborn; hardheaded |
| onerous | troubling burdensome |
| opprobrium | disgrace; contempt; scorn |
| pedantic | the parading of learning; excessive attention to minutiae and formal rules |
| perjury | the purposeful giving of false or misleading testimony while under oath |
| provoke | to incite anger, resentment or exasperation |
| recalcitrant | obstinately defiant of authority; difficult to manage |
| secrete | to ensconce, conceal, or stow |
| specious | seeming true, but actually being fallacious; misleadingly attractive |
| spurious | lacking authenticity or validity; false; counterfeit |
| squander | to waste by spending or using irresponsibly |
| tirade | a long and extremely critical speech; a harsh denunciation |
| vexation | annoyance or irritation |
| amalgamate | to combine several elements into a whole |
| assuage | to ease or lessen; to appease or pacify |
| bolster | to provide support or reinforcement |
| burgeon | to grow rapidly or flourish |
| buttress | a support or prop, often an external prop used to bolster a wall |
| capricious | inclined to change one's mind impulsively; erratic; unpredictable |
| catalyst | a person or thing that causes change |
| caustic | burning or stinging; causing corrosion |
| centrifuge | a machine that spins very swiftly about a central axis, and, using centrifugal force, separates disparate substances |
| converge | to tend toward the same spot or outcome; inclining to join at an intersecting point |
| conversion | the act or process of transforming to another form, state or product |
| corrosion | act or process of causing deterioration; a wearing away esp of metals |
| decibel | unit used in measuring the intensity of a sound |
| desiccate | to dry out or dehydrate to make dry or dull |
| distill | to purify or concentrate through a process of vaporization |
| divest | to remove or strip esp clothing |
| enervate | to weaken; to reduce in vitality |
| ephemeral | brief; fleeting |
| eradicate | to remove completely; to annihilate; to pull out by the roots |
| expel | to force out; to discharge |
| extend | to lengthen or stretch out |
| facilitate | to aid by making easier |
| implode | to abruptly and violently collapse inward |
| inchoate | in an initial stage; not fully formed |
| infuse | to imbue; to pour in; to introduce; to instill |
| intransigent | refusing to compromise |
| inundate | to flood or overwhelm |
| invigoration | the quality of being energized or filled with liveliness |
| lackluster | dull; lacking vitality or luminosity |
| lethargic | lacking energy; sluggish or sleepy |
| luminous | characterized by brightness and the emission of light |
| obviate | to anticipate and make unnecessary |
| pervasive | having the tendency to permeate or spread throughout |
| placate | to appease; to calm by making concessions |
| plod | to trudge; to move slowly and heavily |
| plummet | to plunge or drop straight down |
| precipitate | acting with excessive haste or impulse |
| precursor | one that precedes and indicates or announces another |
| proliferate | to grow or increase swiftly and abundantly |
| propagate | to cause to spread, multiply or reproduce |
| prune | to cut back or clip branches or other parts of a plant, esp parts that are dead |
| rarefy | to make or become thin, less dense; to refine |
| rectify | to make right or fix; correct |
| retard | to slow delay or hamper |
| saturate | to fill until there is no further capacity for absorbance; to soak |
| sever | to remove or separate by cutting off |
| stimulant | an invigorating substance that excites mental or physical activity |
| synthesis | the combination of parts to make a whole |
| tentative | not definite; uncertain; experimental |
| vigor | active bodily or mental strength or energy; force |
| viscous | thick; sticky |
| vital | essential for or relating to life; necessary |
| volatile | readily changing to a vapor; changeable; fickle; explosive |
| waver | to move to and fro; to sway; to be unsettled in decision |
| aberrant | deviating from the norm |
| ambiguous | unclear; open to more than one potential meaning |
| anachronistic | belonging to another time; removed from natural chronological context |
| anomalous | abnormal; deviating from the common or general type |
| anomaly | deviation from the normal order, form, or rule |
| archaic | outdated; associated with an earlier, perhaps more primitive time |
| ascetic | one who practices rigid self-denial esp in religious devotion |
| banal | lacking originality |
| brilliance | extreme brightness; possessing luminosity or genius |
| camouflage | a means of disguising people or things to make them blend in with their surroundings |
| commensurate | matching; corresponding or proportionate in degree, size, or amount |
| conspicuous | easily visible; obvious |
| derivative | unoriginal; obtained from another source |
| deviance | state or quality of differing from the accepted norm; abnormality |
| deviation | departure or wandering away from the accepted standard |
| discrete | distinct; individual |
| diffuse | dispersed or scattered; not centralized |
| digress | to stray from the point; to go off on a tangent |
| discordant | conflicting; dissonant or harsh in sound |
| disinterest | lack of bias or involvement; impartiality; (ed) uninvolved; free from self-interest |
| dispersed | spread out or scattered |
| distention | the state or act of extending or being swollen out of shape |
| eccentric | departing from norms or convention |
| eclectic | culled from many sources |
| emulate | to imitate with the goal of rivaling or surpassing |
| enigmatic | mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand |
| esoteric | intended for or understood by a small, specific group |
| flamboyant | ostentatious or showy; flashy |
| florid | flowery; ruddy; ornate |
| heretical | unorthodox; iconoclastic; dissenting from established dogma |
| hierarchy | a system in which individuals or things are ranked in a particular order |
| homogeneous | made up of elements that are similar in nature or kind; uniform |
| iconoclastic | attacking cherished beliefs; heretical; heterodox |
| idiosyncrasy | a quirk particular to a group or individual |
| imperturbable | marked by extreme calm, impassivity, and steadiness |
| innocuous | harmless; causing no damage |
| marginal | relating to or at an edge or boundary; minimal |
| maverick | an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party |
| mitigate | to make or become less severe or intense; to moderate |
| monotonous | dull and without variety; tedious |
| mundane | of the world; typical of or concerned w/the ordinary |
| ostracism | the act of casting out or excluding an individual from a society or group; banishment |
| perennial | recurrent through the year or many years; happening repeatedly |
| recluse | one who avoids social contact and lives in seclusion |
| scarce | rare and insufficient |
| sporadic | occurring only occasionally, or in a scattered instances |
| superfluous | exceeding what is sufficient or necessary |
| symmetry | the quality of being evenly balanced |
| tangential | only touching briefly upon the topic at hand; irrelevant |
| temper | to moderate or soothe |
| temperate | moderate; marked by restraint and lack of extremes |
| admonish | to reprove; to express warning or disapproval |
| advocate | to champion or support; to argue in favor of |
| anthology | a collection of lierary works by various authors |
| apprise | to give notice to; to inform |
| approbation | an expression of approval or praise |
| articulate | well-spoken; coherent |
| aver | to state as a fact; to confirm or support |
| brevity | shortness or briefness, esp. in time |
| candor | honesty; frankness; sincerity |
| circumspect | discreet; prudent; careful |
| cogent | appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing |
| corroborate | to confirm; to provide additional support; verify |
| diffident | reserved, shy, or unassuming; lacking in self-confidence |
| disabuse | to undeceive to set right |
| discourse | lecture or discussion; conversation |
| discretion | cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions |
| dissertation | a long and formal written thesis or treatise, usually written by a doctoral candidate to meet a degree requirement |
| elegy | a mournful poem, esp one lamenting the dead |
| eloquent | well-spoken; expressive; articulate |
| enumerate | to list or count off individually |
| equivocate | to use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent |
| eulogy | a speech honoring the dead |
| euphemism | a mild replacement for a harsher or more offensive term |
| exculpate | exonerate; to clear of blame |
| extemporaneous | improvised; done without preparation |
| fawn | to flatter or praise excessively |
| glib | marked by ease or informality; nonchalant; lacking in depth; superficial |
| goad | to prod or drive forward; to urge on; incite |
| implicit | implied but no directly stated; tacit |
| impose | to compel or require; to push one's views or authority upon others |
| inquisitive | questioning; curious |
| laconic | using few words; terse |
| laud | to praise highly |
| loquacious | extremely talkative |
| lucid | clear; easily understood |
| mollify | to calm or soothe; to reduce in emotional intesity |
| parody | a humorous imitation intended for ridicule or comic effect, esp. in literature and art |
| pertinent | relevant; germane |
| platitude | a superficial remark, esp. one offered as meaningful |
| propitiate | to appease; to conciliate |
| rescind | to invalidate; to repeal to retract |
| rhetoric | the art or study of effect use of language for communication and persuasion |
| sanction | authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance |
| shrill | loud and high-pitched; screeching |
| soliloquy | a speech made to oneself; a monologue |
| stanza | a group of two or more verses or lines that make up a division in a poem and correspond in rhyme, meter, and length |
| subtle | not obvious; elusive, difficult to discern |
| succinct | brief and concise |
| tacit | implied; not explicitly stated |
| taciturn | not talkative; reserved |
| tact | discerning and sensitive use of speech; diplomacy |
| tout | to publicly praise or promote |
| validity | soundness or truthfulness |
| veracity | truthfulness; honesty |
| wheedle | to coax; persuade, often through the use of flattery or smooth talk |
| anesthetic | a substance that causes insensibility and removes pain |
| antipathy | aversion; dislike |
| arbitrary | subject to chance or individual whim; without definite reason |
| aversion | an intense feeling of dislike or disgust |
| banal | lacking originality; commonplace |
| bent | an inclination or tendency |
| compensation | payment given for services rendered or for loss |
| compliant | yielding or submissive; amenable |
| condone | to approve tacitly by overlooking or excusing; to allow or forgive |
| convention | a generally agreed-upon practice or attitude |
| correspond | to exist in agreement or conformity; harmonize |
| defer | yield; submit; bow |
| dogma | doctrine or set of religious principles |
| ensure | to guarantee or make certain |
| equivocal | ambiguous; doubtful or uncertain |
| extraneous | not vital or pertinent; irrelevant |
| fortuitous | happening by fortunate accident or chance |
| frugality | thriftiness; economy; prudence in financial matters |
| illusory | deceptive; based upon a false belief or impression |
| indifferent | having no interest or concern; showing no bias or prejudice |
| insipid | without taste or flavor; lacking in spirits; bland |
| inured | accustomed to accepting something undesirable |
| miser | an individual who lives poorly in order to hoard money; a person who is stingy |
| nonplused | baffled; in a quandry; at a loss for what to say or do |
| penchant | strong inclination; liking |
| penury | poverty; destitution |
| plethora | an overabundance; a surplus |
| preempt | to replace; to supersede; to appropriate |
| presumption | the act of making an assumption or taking something for granted |
| prodigal | recklessly wasteful; extravagant; profuse; lavish |
| prone | naturally inclined; tending; likely |
| propensity | a natural inclination or tendency; penchant |
| qualms | misgivings; reservations; causes for hesitancy |
| quiescence | stillness; motionless; quality of being at rest |
| reconciliation | the act of reestablishing harmony or friendly interactions |
| repudiate | to refuse to have anything to do with; to disown |
| restitution | the act of returning something to its proper owner, or of compensating the owner for the loss of such an item; reparation |
| savor | to enjoy in a thorough manner; to relish; to fully appreciate |
| serenity | tranquility; peacefulness |
| solvent | able to meet financial obligations; able to dissolve another substance |
| stint | to restrain; to be sparing or frugal |
| subjective | not objective; based upon internal perceptions rather than upon unprejudiced fact |
| superfluous | exceeding what is sufficient or necessary |
| tranquil | peaceful; calm |
| tranquility | calmness; serenity; peacefulness |
| trivial | unimportant; lacking value |
| veneration | extreme respect and reverence; worship |
| audacious | daring and fearless; recklessly bold |
| authoritarian | characterized by a preference for complete obedience to authority; domineering |
| beneficent | charitable and kind in action |
| blithe | carefree; merry |
| brittle | apt to break or crack due to a lack of elasticity; fragile |
| burnish | to polish; to rub to a shine |
| calibrate | to inspect, determine, or correct the graduations of an instrument by comparing it to a standard |
| camouflage | a means of disguising people or things to make them blend in with their surroundings |
| connoisseur | an informed and astute judge in matters of taste; expert |
| consternation | dismay; startling, distressing fear or shock that results in complete confusion |
| convoluted | complex or complicated |
| cultivation | the act of preparing or working land in order to grow crops |
| cultured | possessing education, refinement and taste; polished |
| cunning | shrewdness and craftiness; slyness |
| cynicism | an attitude or quality of belief that all people are motivated by selfishness |
| deference | a courteous and respectful yielding to the will of another |
| dogmatic | stubbornly opinionated |
| effrontery | boldness; impudence; arrogance |
| endemic | restricted or peculiar to a particular region; indigenous |
| epitome | embodiment; quintessence |
| erudite | very learned; scholarly |
| extravagance | lavishness; an unnecessary or unrestrained spend esp. of funds |
| facetious | playful humorous |
| fatuous | silly inanely foolish |
| fidelity | faithfulness; loyalty |
| implacable | not capable of being appeased or significantly changed |
| ingenuity | cleverness or inventiveness |
| intemperance | excessive indulgence of appetite or passion, esp. in regard to alcohol; lack of constraint |
| intrepid | steadfast and courageous |
| magnanimity | the quality of being generously noble in the mind and heart, esp in forgiving |
| membrane | a thin, flexible film of tissue that covers or lines an organ |
| meticulous | characterized by extreme care and precision; attentive to detail |
| perfunctory | cursory; done without care or interest |
| plasticity | pliability; malleability; flexibility |
| porous | full of tiny openings able to absorb fluid or gas; permeable |
| pragmatic | practical rather than idealistic |
| presumptuous | assuming an unauthorized right or responsibility; overly forward and arrogant |
| pristine | pure; uncorrupted; clean |
| probity | adherence to the highest principles; uprightness |
| prodigious | abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary |
| prudent | wise and careful; showing good judgment |
| rigidity | the quality or state of being unyielding or stiff |
| slight | small; lacking substance in degree, amount, or size |
| solicitous | concerned and attentive; eager |
| somber | dark and depressing; mournful |
| superficial | lacking depth; existing on or near the surface |
| synthetic | man-made; artificial; relating to or involving the combination of parts to make a whole |
| tortuous | winding; twisting; excessively complicated |
| tractable | docile; obedience; easily led |
| treacherous | lacking faithfulness or loyalty; traitorous; unstable |
| unfeigned | genuine; not false or hypocritical |
| unfettered | not tied down; unrestrained |
| warranted | called for; authorized; justified |
Set Champions
Scatter Champion
13.6 secs by nitishapopat
Space Race Champion
67,390 points by nitishapopat
Speller Champion
97.8% correct by crescendothree