GRE General Vocabulary Set 4

Terms in this set (224)

Dilatory
tending to delay or procrastinate; slow; tardy; intended to cause delay, gain time, or defer decision.
Maintain
to affirm; assert; declare; to support in speech or argument, as a statement or proposition.
Disparate
distinct in kind; essentially different; dissimilar.
Innocuous
not harmful or injurious; harmless; not likely to irritate or offend; inoffensive; not interesting, stimulating, or significant; pallid; insipid.
Bleak
bare, desolate, and often windswept; cold and piercing; raw; without hope or encouragement; depressing; dreary.
Extant
in existence; still existing; not destroyed or lost.
Auspicious
promising success; propitious; opportune; favorable; favored by fortune; prosperous; fortunate.
Ambivalent
having "mixed feelings about someone or something; being unable to choose between two courses of action.
Sedulous
diligent in application or attention; persevering; assiduous; persistently or carefully maintained.
Stem
to stop, check, or restrain; to dam up; stop the flow of.
Blinkered
narrow-minded and subjective; unwilling to understand another viewpoint.
Check
to stop or arrest the motion of suddenly or forcibly; hold in restraint or control; limit; to cause a reduction; diminish.
Checkered
marked by dubious episodes; suspect in character or quality.
Raft
a great quantity; a lot.
Retiring
withdrawing from contact with others; reserved; shy.
Expansive
friendly, open, or talkative; sociable.
Imbibe
to drink, especially a lot of alcohol; to absorb; to intake, as knowledge or information; to assimilate.
Assimilate
to take in and incorporate as one's own; absorb; to bring into conformity with the customs, attitudes, etc., of a group, nation, or the like; adapt or adjust.
Benighted
intellectually or morally ignorant; unenlightened; overtaken by darkness or night.
Flush
a sudden rise of emotion or excitement; glowing freshness or vigor.
Moment
important; significant.
Fell
fierce; cruel; dreadful; savage; destructive; deadly; to knock, strike, shoot, or cut down; cause to fall.
Arch
playfully roguish or mischievous; cunning; crafty; sly.
Rogue
a dishonest person; a vagabond; a playfully mischievous person.
Beg
to take for granted without basis or justification, such as a fact; to fail or refuse to come to grips with; avoid; evade.
Tender
to give, present, or offer; something offered.
Intimate
to indicate or make known indirectly; hint; imply; suggest.
Wanting
lacking or absent; less; minus.
Becoming
suitable; appropriate; proper; that suits or gives a pleasing effect or attractive appearance; any process of change.
Start
to spring, move, or dart suddenly from a position or place.
Fleece
to deprive of money or belongings by fraud, hoax, or the like; swindle.
Telling
having force or effect; effective; striking; indicative of much otherwise unnoticed; revealing.
Wax
to increase in extent, quantity, intensity, power, etc.; to grow or become.
Qualify
to modify or limit in some way; make less strong or positive; to make less violent, severe, or unpleasant; moderate; mitigate.
Demur
to make objection; take exception; object.
Demure
characterized by shyness and modesty; reserved.
Beatific
bestowing bliss, blessings, happiness, or the like.
Peremptory
leaving no opportunity for denial or refusal; bossy; imperative; positive or assertive in speech, manner, etc.
Indignant
feeling, characterized by, or expressing strong displeasure at something considered unjust, offensive, insulting, or base.
Imponderable
not ponderable; that cannot be precisely determined, measured, or evaluated.
Ponderous
of great weight; heavy; massive.; awkward or unwieldy; lumbering or graceless (esp. in movement); dull.
kowtow
to act in an obsequious manner; show servile deference; to touch the forehead to the ground while kneeling, as an act of worship, reverence, apology, etc.
Powwow
a talk, conference, or meeting.
Schadenfreude
satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune.
Amuck
mad with murderous frenzy.
Pundit
a learned person, expert, or authority; a person who makes comments or judgments; critic or commentator.
Inculpated
to charge with fault; blame; accuse; incriminate.
Melee
a confused hand-to-hand fight or struggle among several people; confusion; turmoil; jumble.
Lagniappe
a gratuity or tip; an unexpected benefit.
Picayune
of little value or account; small; trifling.
Mongrel
any cross between different things.
Beget
to cause or create; produce as an effect; to father.
Bequeath
to dispose of by a last will; to hand down; pass on.
Jingo
a person who professes his or her patriotism loudly and excessively; a chauvinist.
Mesmerize
to hypnotize; to compel by fascination; to spellbind.
Spellbound
bound by or as if by a spell; enchanted, entranced, or fascinated.
Hector
a blustering, domineering person; a bully.
Pollyanna
an excessively or blindly optimistic person.
Quip
a clever, sarcastic, or witty remark or comment.
Pyrrhic
A win that cost so much as to not even be worth it; an ancient Greek warlike dance.
Kafkaesque
the absurdity we have to deal with living in a
world of faceless bureaucracies; marked by a senseless, disorienting, often menacing complexity.
Panglossian
characterized by or given to extreme, unwarranted optimism.
Jaundice
a state of feeling in which views are prejudiced or judgment is distorted, as by envy or resentment; yellowing of skin and whiteness of eyes from certain illnesses.
Choleric
extremely irritable or easily angered; irascible.
Curmudgeon
a bad-tempered, difficult, cantankerous person.
Cantankerous
disagreeable to deal with; contentious; peevish.
Misanthrope
a hater of humankind.
Virago
a loud-voiced, ill-tempered, scolding woman; shrew.
Cardinal
of prime importance; chief; principal.
Syncretic
the attempted reconciliation or union of different or opposing principles, practices, or parties.
Parochial
of or pertaining to a parish or parishes; very limited or narrow in scope or outlook; provincial.
Sanctimonious
making a hypocritical show of religious devotion, piety, righteousness, etc. (Holier-than-thou ;)
Embroil
to bring into discord or conflict; involve in contention or strife.
Thrift
economical management; economy; frugality; a wisdom and caution in the spending of money.
Sybarite
a person devoted to luxury and pleasure.
Loath
unwilling; reluctant; disinclined; averse.
Insolvent
having insufficient assets or funds to meet debts and liabilities; bankrupt.
Affluent
having an abundance of wealth, property, or other material goods; prosperous; rich; abundant; flowing freely.
Defray
to pay all or part of the costs, expenses, etc.
Stipend
a periodic payment; fixed or regular pay; salary.
Pittance
a small allowance or sum, as of money for living expenses; a scanty income or remuneration..
Dupe
a person who is easily deceived or fooled; gull; a person who unquestioningly or unwittingly serves a cause or another person; to deceive, esp by trickery.
Mulct
to deprive of something, as by fraud, extortion, etc.; swindle; to punish by fine.
Acme
The highest point; summit; peak.
Apex
the tip, point, or vertex; summit; climax; peak; acme.
Apogee
the highest or most distant point; climax.
Apotheosis
the elevation or exaltation of a person to the rank of a god; the ideal example; epitome; quintessence.
Nadir
the lowest point; point of greatest adversity or despair.
Untoward
unfavorable or unfortunate; improper.
Inauspicious
not auspicious; boding ill; ill-omened; unfavorable.
Auspicious
promising success; propitious; opportune; favorable; favored by fortune; prosperous.
Chide
to express disapproval of; scold; reproach; rebuke.
Underwrite
to bind oneself to contribute a sum of money toward something; to show agreement with or to support; to write under or at the foot of.
Overweening
presumptuously conceited, overconfident, or proud; exaggerated, excessive, or arrogant.
Bellicose
inclined or eager to fight; aggressively hostile; belligerent; pugnacious; warlike; aggressive.
Jingoist
a person who thinks their country should always be at war.
Hawkish
advocating war or a belligerently threatening diplomatic policy; favoring the use or display of force rather than diplomacy to achieve foreign policy goals.
Badger
to pester or harass.
Hound
a mean, despicable person; to pursue or chase relentlessly.
Dog
a despicable man or youth; to pursue relentlessly.
Ferret
to search out, discover, or bring to light; an assiduous searcher; to find by persistent investigation.
Cow
to frighten with threats, violence, etc.; intimidate; overawe.
Loafer
lazy person; idler.
Graft
the acquisition of money, gain, or advantage by dishonest, unfair, or illegal means, especially through the abuse of one's position or influence in politics, business, etc.; a portion of living tissue surgically transplanted from one part of an individual to another, or from one individual to another, for its adhesion and growth.
Palimpsest
a parchment or the like from which writing has been partially or completely erased to make room for another text; anything that has been changed numerous times but
on which traces of former iterations can still be seen.
Iteration
the act of repeating; a repetition.
Serendipity
finding something pleasant or fortunate by accident; good fortune; luck.
Invective
vehement accusation or denunciation, esp of a bitterly abusive or sarcastic kind; abusive language.
Inveigh
to speak with violent or invective language; rail.
Rail
to utter bitter complaint or vehement denunciation.
Inveigle
to entice, lure, or ensnare by flattery or artful talk or inducements.
Screed
a long, especially prolonged, speech or piece of writing (often a diatribe).
Harangue
a scolding or a long or intense verbal attack; diatribe; a long, passionate, and vehement speech.
Amalgam
a mixture or combination.
Catalyst
something that causes activity between two or more persons or forces without itself being affected; something that speeds up or suddenly starts (precipitates) an event.
Slapdash
hasty and careless; offhand.
Heyday
the stage or period of greatest vigor, strength, success, etc.; prime.
Aboveboard
in open sight; honest; without tricks, concealment, or disguise.
Telltale
that reveals or betrays what is not intended to be known.
Avuncular
resembling an uncle; friendly; helpful.
Visage
the face, usually with reference to shape, features, expression, etc.; countenance; aspect; appearance.
Countenance
appearance, especially the look or expression of the face; visage; calm facial expression; composure; approval or favor; encouragement; moral support.
Ingratiate
to establish (oneself) in the favor or good graces of others, especially by deliberate effort.
Cadaverous
of or like a corpse; haggard and thin.
Cadaver
a dead body; a corpse.
Gaunt
extremely thin and bony; haggard and drawn, as from great hunger, weariness, or torture; emaciated; bleak, desolate, or grim, as places or things.
Emaciation
abnormal thinness caused by lack of nutrition or by disease.
Macabre
gruesome and horrifying; ghastly; horrible; grim.
Whirligig
something that whirls or revolves; a giddy or flighty person.
Flighty
irresponsible; slightly delirious; light-headed; mildly crazy; capricious; frivolous.
Febrile
pertaining to or marked by fever; feverish.
Disabuse
to free (a person) from deception or error.
Mettle
courage and fortitude; disposition or temperament.
Amiable
having or showing pleasant, good-natured personal qualities; affable; friendly; sociable; agreeable; willing to accept the wishes, decisions, or suggestions of others.
Affable
pleasantly easy to approach and to talk to; friendly; cordial; warmly polite.
Amicable
characterized by or showing goodwill; friendly; peaceable (between people, tribes, nations, etc.).
Amenable
ready or willing to answer, act, agree, or yield; open to influence, persuasion, or advice; agreeable; submissive; tractable; liable to be called to account; answerable; legally responsible.
Tractable
easily managed or controlled; docile; yielding.
Impetus
a moving force; impulse; stimulus; the momentum of a moving body, especially with reference to the cause of motion.
Imperiled
to put in peril or danger; endanger.
Aberration
the act of deviating from the ordinary, usual, or normal type; mental irregularity or disorder.
Tinge
any slight addition.
Amorphous
lacking definite form; having no specific shape; formless; indeterminate.
Commensurate
corresponding in amount, magnitude, or degree; proportionate; adequate; having a common measure.
Churlish
rude; niggardly; mean; miserly.
Deigning
to think fit or in accordance with one's dignity.
Cogent
compelling belief or assent; forcefully convincing.
Assent
to agree or concur; subscribe to; to give in; yield; concede.
Fractious
readily angered; peevish; irritable; quarrelsome; refractory.
Factious
given to, producing, or characterized by faction.
Factitious
not spontaneous or natural; artificial; contrived; phony.
Dissension
strong disagreement; a contention or quarrel; discord.
Vindictive
disposed or inclined to revenge; vengeful.
Vindicate
to clear, as from an accusation, imputation, suspicion, or the like; to uphold or justify by argument or evidence.
Vicissitude
a change or variation occurring in the course of something; change; mutation; mutability.
Venial
able to be forgiven or pardoned; not seriously wrong, as a sin; excusable; trifling; minor; easily excused or forgiven.
Voracious
craving or consuming large quantities of food; very eager, avid, or unremitting in some activity.
Avid
showing great enthusiasm for or interest in; very keen; extremely desirous.
Excoriate
to denounce or berate severely; flay verbally; to strip off or remove the skin from.
Berate
to scold; rebuke.
Flay
to strip off the skin or outer covering of; to criticize or scold with scathing severity; to deprive or strip of money or property.
Scathing
bitterly severe, as a remark; harmful, injurious, or searing.
Extenuating
serving to make a fault, offense, etc., appear less serious.
Exegesis
critical explanation or interpretation of a text or portion of a text, especially of the Bible.
Miscreant
depraved, villainous, or base.
Insufferable
not to be endured; intolerable; unbearable.
Bleat
to utter the cry of a sheep, goat, or calf or a sound resembling such a cry; foolish, complaining talk; babble; to whine; whimper; prate.
Prate
to talk excessively and pointlessly; babble.
Staid
of settled or sedate character; not flighty or capricious; fixed; settled; permanent.
Aghast
struck with overwhelming shock or amazement; filled with sudden fright or horror.
Summarily
in a prompt or direct manner; immediately; straightaway; precipitately.
Inflammable
capable of being set on fire; combustible; flammable; easily aroused or excited, as to passion or anger; irascible.
Incendiary
used or adapted for setting property on fire; tending to arouse strife, sedition, etc.; inflammatory; tending to inflame the senses.
Strife
vigorous or bitter conflict, discord, or antagonism; a quarrel, struggle, or clash; competition or rivalry.
Sedition
speech, writing, or behavior directed against the peace of a state; an offence that tends to undermine the authority of a state; an incitement to public disorder.
Incite
to stir, encourage, or urge on; stimulate or prompt to action.
Unnerve
to deprive of courage, strength, determination, or confidence; upset.
Roil
to disturb or disquiet; irritate; vex.
Disinterested
unbiased by personal interest or advantage; not influenced by selfish motives; not interested; indifferent.
Undermine
to injure or destroy by insidious activity or imperceptible stages, sometimes tending toward a sudden dramatic effect; attempt to subvert by stealth..
Subvert
to overthrow; to cause the downfall, ruin, or destruction of; to undermine the principles of; corrupt.
Intone
to utter with a particular tone or voice modulation; to recite or chant in monotone.; to give tone or variety of tone to; vocalize.
Ply
to work with or at diligently; employ busily; use; to treat with or apply to (something) repeatedly; to supply with or offer something pressingly to; a thickness or layer.
Espouse
to adopt or give support to.
Limpid
clear, transparent, or pellucid; free from obscurity; lucid; completely calm; without distress or worry; peaceful.
Pellucid
transparent or translucent; extremely clear in style and meaning; limpid.
Betray
to reveal unconsciously (something one would preferably conceal); to be unfaithful in guarding, maintaining, or fulfilling; to reveal or disclose in violation of confidence.
Assail
to attack vigorously or violently; assault; to attack with arguments, criticism, ridicule, abuse, etc.; beset; to undertake with the purpose of mastering; to make an impact on.
Beset
to attack on all sides; assail; harass; to surround; to set or place upon.
Efficacious
capable of having the desired result or effect; effective as a means, measure, remedy, etc.
Forlorn
desolate or dreary; unhappy or miserable, as in feeling, condition, or appearance; lonely and sad; forsaken; expressive of hopelessness; despairing; bereft; destitute.
Bereft
deprived; parted (from); a simple past tense and past participle of bereave.
Bereave
to deprive and make desolate, especially by death; to deprive ruthlessly or by force.
Pine
to yearn deeply; suffer with longing; to fail gradually in health or vitality from grief, regret, or longing.
Remiss
negligent, careless, or slow in performing one's duty, business, etc.; lacking force or energy; languid; sluggish; dilatory.
Restive
impatient of control, restraint, or delay, as persons; restless; uneasy; refractory; stubborn; refusing to go forward; balky.
Repine
to be fretfully discontented; fret; complain.
Remonstrate
to argue in protest or objection.
Defer
to put off (action, consideration, etc.) to a future time; to yield respectfully in judgment or opinion; to submit for decision; refer.
Languid
lacking in vigor or vitality; slack or slow; drooping or flagging from weakness or fatigue; faint; listless; indifferent.
Balky
to stop short, esp suddenly or unexpectedly; jib; to turn away abruptly; recoil; to thwart, check, disappoint, or foil; to avoid deliberately or unintentionally; to refuse to proceed.
Jib
to move restively sidewise or backward instead of forward, as an animal in harness; balk; defer action; procrastinate.
Fret
to feel or express worry, annoyance, discontent, or the like; erosion; corrosion; gnawing.
Foil
a person or thing that gives contrast to another; to prevent the success of; frustrate; balk.
Cede
to yield or formally surrender to another.
Precarious
dependent on circumstances beyond one's control; uncertain; unstable; insecure; exposed to or involving danger; dangerous; perilous; risky.
Posture
the relative disposition of the parts of something; an affected or unnatural attitude; a mental or spiritual attitude.
Underscore
to mark with a line or lines underneath; underline; to stress; emphasize.
Boon
something to be thankful for; blessing; benefit; something that is asked; jolly; jovial; convivial;
Convival
friendly; agreeable; fond of feasting, drinking, and merry company; jovial; festive.
Jovial
endowed with or characterized by a hearty, joyous humor or a spirit of good-fellowship.
Forestall
to prevent, hinder, or thwart by action in advance.
Beholden
obligated; indebted.
Behold
to observe.
Acumen
keen insight; shrewdness.
Enfeeble
to make feeble; weaken.
Misnomer
an error in naming a person or thing.
Aplomb
imperturbable self-possession, poise, or assurance.
Fringe
something regarded as peripheral, marginal, secondary, or extreme in relation to something else.
Denigrate
to treat or represent as lacking in value or importance; belittle; disparage.
Rightist
of or pertaining to conservative or reactionary political views; conservative, traditionalist, or reactionary.
Conservative
disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change.
Engender
to produce, cause, or give rise to; to beget; to procreate.
Procreate
to produce; bring into being.
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