Barron's essential words for the GRE (set 6 of 8)
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Created by:
geniory on July 29, 2012
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Set copied from davidgl1986
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100 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 miscellany | mixture of writtings on various subjects |
| miscreant | villain; criminal |
| misogynist | one who hates women |
| mitigate | alleviate; to become less severe |
| mnemonic | realated to memory; assisting memory |
| modicum | limited quantity |
| mollify | to soothe |
| monolithic | solid and uniform; constituing a single, unified whole |
| morose | ill-humored; sullen |
| motley | many colored; made up of many parts |
| multifarious | diverse |
| mundane | worldy as opposed to spiritual; concerned with the ordinary |
| necromancy | black magic |
| negate | to cancel out; nullify |
| neologism | new word or expression |
| neophyte | novice; beginner |
| nexus | a means of connection; a center |
| nonplussed | bewildered |
| nostalgia | sentimental longing for a past time |
| nostrum | medicine or remedy of doubtful effectiveness |
| nugatory | trifling; invalid |
| obdurate | stubborn |
| obsequious | overly submissive |
| obsequy | funeral ceremony |
| obviate | to make unnecessary; to anticipate and prevent |
| occlude | to shut; block |
| occult | relating to practices connected with supernatural phenomena |
| odyssey | a long, adventurous voyage; a quest |
| officious | too helful; meddlesome |
| olfactory | concerning the sense of smell |
| oligarchy | form of government in which power belongs to only a few leaders |
| onerous | burdensome |
| onomatopeia | formation or use of words that imitate sounds of the actions they refer to |
| opprobium | public disgrace; contempt |
| ornithologist | scientist who studies birds |
| oscillate | to move back and forth |
| ostentatious | showy; pretentious |
| overweening | presumptuous; arrogant |
| paean | song of joy or triumph; a fervent expression of joy |
| paleonthology | study of past geological eras through fossil remains |
| pallid | lacking color or liveliness |
| panegyric | elaborate praise; formal hymn of praise |
| paragon | model of perfection or excellence |
| partisan | one-sided; committed to a party, group or cause |
| pathological | departing from normal condition |
| patois | jargon; a regional dialect |
| paucity | scarcity |
| pedantic | showing off learning |
| pellucid | transparent; easily understood |
| penchant | inclination |
| penury | extreme poverty |
| peregrination | wandering from place to place |
| peremptory | imperative; leaving no choice |
| perennial | present throughout the years; persistent |
| perfidious | faithless; disloyal; untrustworthy |
| perfunctory | superficial; performed really as a duty |
| perigee | point in an orbit that is closest to the earth |
| permeable | penetrable |
| perturb | to disturb greatly; make uneasy or anxious |
| pervasive | spread throughout every part |
| petulant | rude; peevish |
| phlegmatic | unemotional; calm in temperament |
| phoenix | anything that is restored after suffering great destruction |
| physiognomy | facial features |
| piety | devoutness |
| piquant | pleasantly pungent; attractive |
| pique | fleeting feeling or hurt pride |
| placate | soothe; pacify |
| placid | calm |
| plaintive | melancholy; mournful |
| plasticity | pliability; condition of being able to be shaped or formed |
| platitude | stale; overused expression |
| platonic | spiritual; theoretical |
| plethora | excess; overabundance |
| plumb | to examine deeply; determine the depth |
| plummet | to fall; plunge |
| plutocracy | society ruled by the wealthy |
| porous | full of holes; permeable to liquids |
| poseur | poerson who affects an attitude to impress others |
| pragmatic | practical |
| prate | to talk idly; chatter |
| prattle | meaningless, foolish talk |
| preamble | preliminary statement |
| precarious | uncertain |
| precept | principle; law |
| precipitate | to cause to happen; throw down from a height |
| precipitate | rash; hasty; sudden; done without deliberation |
| precursor | forerunner; predecessor |
| preempt | to supersede; appropiate for oneself |
| prehensile | capable of grasping |
| premonition | forewarning; presentiment |
| presage | to foretell; indicate in advance |
| presumptuous | rude; improperly bold |
| preternatural | supernatural; beyond the normal use of nature |
| prevaricate | to quibble; evade the truth |
| primordial | original; existing from the beginning |
| pristine | untouched; uncorrupted |
| probity | honesty; high-mindness |
| problematic | posing a problem; doubtful |
| prodigal | wasteful; extravagant; lavish |
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