GRE General Set 25
About this set
Created by:
settinghead on September 24, 2007
Subjects:
Classes:
Log in to favorite or report as inappropriate.
Order by
168 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 septic | of or causing sepsis; putrid; producing putrefaction; N. sepsis: poisoning of part of the body (producing pus) |
| mime | pantomime(act without dialogue); mimicry; mimer; V: mimic; pantomime |
| misogamy | hatred of marriage |
| dais | raised platform for speakers or other important people |
| privy | secret; hidden; not public; made a participant in something secret; Ex. ~ chamber government; Ex. be ~ to a discussion; CF. private |
| docket | program as for trial; book where such entries are made; list of things to be done; agenda; label fixed to a package listing contents or directions; V: describe in a docket |
| stifle | suppress; extinguish; inhibit; smother or suffocate |
| fester | rankle; produce irritation or resentment; (of a cut or wound) generate pus or rot; Ex. His insult festered in my mind for days. |
| avow | declare openly; N. avowal |
| emboss | produce a design in raised relief; decorate with a raised design |
| interim | meantime; Ex. in the interim; ADJ. taking place during an interim; Ex. interim paper |
| fanfare | call by bugles or trumpets; showy display; spectacular public display |
| runic | mysterious; set down in an ancient alphabet; N. rune: one of the letters of an alphabet used by ancient Germanic peoples (cut on stone or wood); magic charm |
| arid | (of land) dry; barren; unproductive |
| pose | assume a particular posture; put forward; present; affect a particular attitude (to impress others); Ex. pose a threat; N. |
| plumb | exactly vertical; N: weight on the end of a line; V: examine very carefully or critically in order to understand; measure depth (by sounding); Ex. ~ the depth of |
| amphitheater | oval building with tiers of seats; CF. arena |
| fulcrum | support on which a lever rests or pivots |
| befuddle | confuse thoroughly |
| heterodox | (of beliefs) against accepted opinion; unorthodox; unconventional |
| germ | earliest form of an organism; seed or bud; something that may develop into something larger or more important; microbe |
| enterprise | willingness to take new ventures; initiative; business organization; plan (that is difficult or daring); Ex. their latest enterprise to sail round the world in a small boat |
| incidence | rate of occurrence; particular occurrence; Ex. high ~ of infant mortality |
| crestfallen | dejected; dispirited |
| imbue | saturate(soak thoroughly); fill; Ex. ~ someone with feelings |
| fleet | fast; rapid; N. ADJ. fleeting: passing quickly; ephemeral |
| ragamuffin | dirty child in torn clothes; person wearing tattered clothes |
| parameter | limit; independent variable; Ex. parameters of the problem; Ex. within the parameters of the budget |
| confidential | spoken or written in secret; trusted with private matters; Ex. ~ secretary |
| quarantine | isolation of a person, place, or ship to prevent spread of infection; V: isolate in quarantine |
| mammoth | gigantic; enormous |
| somnolent | half asleep; drowsy; N. ~lence |
| sage | person celebrated for wisdom; wise person; ADJ: wise |
| sidetrack | switch (a railroad car) to a siding; divert from a main issue; N. CF. siding: short section of railroad track connected by switches with a main track |
| limbo | region near heaven or hell where certain souls are kept; prison (slang); Ex. Purgatory and Limbo |
| prerogative | privilege; unquestionable right; CF. ask before |
| paragon | model of perfection; Ex. ~ of virtue |
| gadfly | animal-biting fly; irritating person |
| artifacts | object made by human beings, either hand-made or mass-produced |
| mirth | merriment; laughter |
| summation | act of finding the total; summing-up; summary (esp. one given by the judge at the end of a trial) |
| gruel | thin liquid porridge |
| forge | counterfeit; reproduce fraudulently; form by heating in a forge and hammering into shape; move with a sudden increase of speed or power; Ex. forged ahead in the last two years; N: furnace where metals are heated |
| crux | essential or main point; Ex. the ~ of the problem; ADJ. crucial: of deciding importance |
| pied | piebald; variegated(many-colored); multicolored |
| balk | stop short, as if faced with an obstacle, and refuse to continue; foil; stop or get in the way of; frustrate |
| indenture | bind as servant or apprentice to master; bind by ~; N: contract binding one party into the service of another for a specified time (as between an apprentice and his master) |
| swagger | walk or behave with an over-confident manner |
| ornate | excessively or elaborately decorated |
| exertion | effort; expenditure of much physical work; V. exert oneself: make a great effort |
| ethnology | study of humankind; study of the different races of human beings; CF. anthropology |
| circumspect | prudent; cautious; acting after careful thought |
| contentious | quarrelsome; controversial; likely to cause arguments |
| pensive | dreamily or deeply thoughtful; sadly thoughtful; thoughtful with a hint of sadness; contemplative; CF. think over |
| presume | take for granted; assume; act overconfidently; take liberties; presume on/upon: take unfair advantage of (someone's kindness or connection); N. -ption |
| decant | pour off gently (wine or liquid) |
| boon | blessing; benefit; something very helpful |
| jibe | change course by swinging a fore-and-aft sail across a following wind : they ~ed, and the boat turned over.; agree; be in harmony with; noun & verb variant spelling of gibe |
| fatalism | belief that events are determined by forces or fates beyond one's control; ADJ. fatalistic; CF. fatal: causing death |
| peroration | conclusion of an oration; perorating; V. perorate: conclude a speech; speak at great length [ from per- 'through' + orare 'speak.'] |
| explicate | explain in detail; interpret; clarify; CF. explicable |
| commiserate | feel or express pity or sympathy for |
| denotation | meaning; distinguishing by name; V. denote: indicate; refer to directly; mean; CF. connotation |
| scowl | frown angrily; N: angry frown |
| sprout | begin to grow; give off shoots or buds; N: new growth on a plant; shoot |
| waif | homeless child or animal; Ex. ~s and strays |
| precinct | division of a city for election or police purposes; precincts: space that surrounds a building; Ex. ~s of the college |
| garnish | decorate; add a ~ to; decorate (food or drink) with small items such as lemon slices; N. |
| congenital | existing at birth |
| dereliction | neglect of duty; abandonment |
| whinny | neigh like a horse; CF. neigh: make the sound which horses make |
| junket | 1 a dish of sweetened and flavored curds of milk, often served with fruit.; trip especially one taken for pleasure by an official at public expense |
| floe | flat mass of floating ice |
| enunciate | announce; proclaim; utter or speak, especially distinctly; pronounce clearly; articulate; Ex. This theory was first ~ed by him. [from Latin enuntiat- 'announced clearly,' from the verb enuntiare, from e- (variant of ex-) 'out' + nuntiare 'announce' (from nuntius 'messenger' ).] |
| therapeutic | curative; N. therapy |
| luscious | pleasing to taste or smell; delicious |
| hew | cut to pieces with ax or sword; chop; N. |
| repulse | reject with rudeness or coldness (an offer or friendship); drive back (an enemy attack); CF. repulse $\neq$ cause repulsion |
| debar | bar; forbid; exclude; Ex. ~ed from jury services |
| trickster | person who cheats people |
| maleficient | doing evil; causing or capable of causing harm or destruction, esp. by supernatural means. N. -ce |
| tenant | one that pays rent to use property owned by another |
| doctrinaire | unable to compromise about points of doctrine; dogmatic; unyielding; marked by inflexible attachment to a doctrine without regard to its practical difficulties |
| hermitage | home of a hermit |
| subpoena | writ(written command issued by a court) summoning a witness to appear in court; V: summon with a ~ |
| stoke | stir up a fire or furnace; feed plentifully |
| predispose | give an inclination toward (in advance); make susceptible to; Ex. ~ people to certain cancer; N. predisposition |
| ludicrous | laughable; ridiculous; trifling |
| impassable | not able to be traveled or crossed |
| court | attempt to gain; seek; woo; risk; behave so as to invite; attempt to gain the favor of by attention; Ex. ~ disaster |
| quiver | case for arrows |
| consanguinity | kinship; relationship by birth |
| potable | suitable for drinking; drinkable [from Latin potare 'to drink.'] |
| crone | hag; ugly old woman |
| gargantuan | huge; enormous; gigantic; CF. the hero of Gargantua and Pantagruel |
| scuttle | sink (a ship) by cutting holes in the hull; scrap; discard; N: small hatch in a ship's deck or hull |
| peregrination | journey; V. peregrinate |
| outstrip | outrun; surpass; outdo |
| engaging | charming; attractive |
| decorous | proper (in behavior, conduct, or appearance) |
| brazen | insolent; without shame; bold; Ex. ~ lie; V: face with bold self-assurance or with unshamed confidence |
| opalescent | iridescent; lustrous; like an opal; N. opalescence |
| leash | restraining rope fastened to the collar of an animal (to control it); Ex. a dog on a ~ |
| drab | dull; lacking color; cheerless ; Ex. drab coat/life |
| matrix | point of origin; array of numbers or algebraic symbols; mold or die; Ex. the ~ of Western civilization |
| pestilential | (pestilent) causing plague; tending to cause death; baneful; N. -ce: fatal epidemic disease (esp. bubonic plague) |
| scion | detached plant shoot used in grafting; descendant |
| restive | impatiently restless (induced by external coercion or restriction); restlessly impatient; obstinately resisting control; Ex. ~ horses because of wolves; CF. not a general synonym for `restless' |
| bolt | door bar; fastening pin or screw; length of fabric; large roll of cloth; V: dash or dart off; fasten (a door); gobble down |
| conveyance | vehicle; transfer; act of conveying; Ex. public ~ |
| ecclesiastic | ecclesiastical; pertaining to the church; N: minister; priest; cleric; clergyman |
| enthrall | capture; enslave; captivate; hold the complete attention of (as if magic); hold spellbound |
| fathomless | too deep to be measured or understood; unfathomable |
| vivacious | lively or animated; sprightly |
| penchant | strong inclination; strong liking (esp. for something that is disapproved of by other people); Ex. ~ for fast cars |
| brindled | tawny or grayish with streaks or spots (of animals) |
| emissary | agent (sent on a mission to represent another); messenger |
| brisk | quick and active; marked by liveliness and vigor |
| gild | cover with a thin layer of gold |
| regatta | boat or yacht race |
| remonstrate | protest; objection; V. ~: say in protest |
| rent | tear made by rending; rip; split |
| scaffold | temporary platform for workers (to work at heights above the ground); bracing framework; platform for execution |
| beleaguer | besiege or attack (with an army); harass; beset |
| browbeat | bully; intimidate |
| marshal | put in order; guide ceremoniously to the correct place; Ex. ~ the children into the museum; N: military officer; official |
| vulpine | like a fox; crafty |
| shirk | avoid (responsibility, work, etc.); malinger |
| fermentation | chemical reaction that splits complex organic compounds; unrest; agitation |
| plume | feather, esp. large or showy one; something that rises into the air (like the shape of a feather); Ex. ~ of smoke; ( plume oneself) chiefly archaic (of a bird) preen itself.; • figurative feel a great sense of self-satisfaction about something : she plumed herself on being cosmopolitan. |
| penumbra | partial shadow (in an eclipse); CF. almost shadow [ from Latin paene 'almost' + umbra 'shadow.'] |
| provender | dry food for livestock; fodder |
| tawdry | cheap and gaudy; Ex. ~ jewelry |
| simper | smirk; smile in a silly way; smile affectedly |
| repose | resting; state of being at rest; calmness; V: lie at rest; relax; put or place; Ex. ~ our hopes in a single man; {2} place something, esp. one's confidence or trust, in : we have never betrayed the trust that you have ~ed in us. |
| perigee | point of moon's orbit when it is nearest the earth; CF. apogee |
| elated | filled with excited joy and pride; overjoyed; in high spirits; joyful and proud; Ex. ~ crowd; V. elate; N. elation |
| morgue | mortuary; place where bodies are kept before burial or cremation |
| burnish | make shiny by rubbing; polish |
| wisp | small bunch (of hair); faint streak (of smoke) |
| calumny | malicious misrepresentation; slander |
| obtrude | push (oneself or one's ideas) forward or intrude; impose (oneself or one's ideas) on others; butt in; stick out or extrude; thrust out; Ex. ~ A on B; ADJ. obtrusive; N. obtrusion; CF. unobtrusive |
| compact | agreement; contract; ADJ: tightly packed; firm; brief; concise; Ex. ~ statement |
| meretricious | flashy; tawdry; attractive on the surface but of no real value; Ex. metericious argument/jewel; CF. prostitute |
| polygamist | one who has more than one spouse at a time; CF. bigamy; CF. polyandry |
| sinewy | (of meat) tough; strong and firm; muscular; N. sinew: tendon; strong cord connecting a muscle to a bone |
| stump | base of a tree trunk left after the rest has been cut down; V: walk in a heavy manner; baffle; puzzle; 1 (usu. be ~ed) (of a question or problem) be too hard for; baffle : education chiefs were ~ed by some of the exam questions.; walk stiffly and noisily : he ~ed away on short thick legs.; travel around (a district) making political speeches |
| promontory | headland |
| cull | pick out from others (to kill the weakest members); reject; select; collect (information); N. |
| induce | persuade; lead to do something; bring about; N. ~ment |
| edify | instruct; correct morally |
| teetotalism | practice of abstaining totally from alcoholic drinks; N. teetotaler;; ADJ. teetotal; CF. T + total |
| extrude | force or push out; thrust out; shape (plastic or metal) by forcing through a die |
| potpourri | heterogeneous mixture; medley; mixture of dried flower petals a pot (to give a pleasant smell to a room) |
| crescendo | increase in the volume or intensity as in a musical passage; climax; CF. crescent |
| adjourn | suspend until a later time; move from one place to another; (of people who are together) go somewhere else, typically for refreshment : they ~ed to a local bar. |
| gingerly | very carefully; ADJ. [ from Latin genitus 'well-born.'] |
| meter | arrangement of words in the form of poetry (by accentual rhythm) |
| pedestrian | ordinary; dull; unimaginative(lacking in imagination); going on foot; Ex. ~ prose; N. |
| irretrievable | impossible to recover or regain; CF. retrieve |
| disputatious | argumentative; fond of argument |
| woe | great sorrow; deep inconsolable grief; affliction; suffering; Ex. financial ~s |
| incubus | burden; very worriying problem; mental care; nightmare; male devil; CF. succubus |
| facetious | joking (often inappropriately); unserious; humorous |
| totter | shake or move unsteadily; sway as if about to fall |
| mortify | humiliate by embarassing excessively; shame; punish the flesh; discipline (one's body) by self-denial; Ex. mortified by her blunder; Ex. mortify the flesh; CF. cause to die |
| whine | complain (in a sad voice); make a high sad sound (as in pain or supplication) |
| cloister | monastery or convent |
First Time Here?
Welcome to Quizlet, a fun, free place to study. Try these flashcards, find others to study, or make your own.