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GRE Vocabulary MAC
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Histrionic | - Overly theatric or melodramatic - Of or concerning actors and acting - Exaggerated dramatic behavior designed to attract attention Synonyms: theatric, scenic, dramatic, stagy, scenical Example: Ryan can be histrionic when things don't go his way |
| Pugnacious | - Eager or quick to argue, quarrel, or fight - Having the appearance of a willing fighter Synonyms: Truculent, combative, bellicose, quarrelsome Example: The pugnacious dog showed its teeth to the scrawny cat. |
| Magnanimous | - Generous or forgiving; especially toward a rival or someone less powerful than himself Synonyms: Generous, large-hearted, high-minded, noble-minded Example: Ghandi proved himself to be a magnanimous man when he sought to get rid of the Undesirables. |
| Prosaic | - Having the style or diction of prose; lacking poetic beauty - Commonplace, unromantic Synonyms: prosy, pedestrian, matter of fact, prose Example: Mrs. Yoder could put an entire class to sleep with her prosaic speech. |
| Prose | - Written or spoken language in it's ordinary form - Talk tediously |
| Impetuous | - Acting or done quickly without thought or care; impulsive - Moving forcefully or rapidly Sn: heady, violent, rash, vehement, hasty, impulsive Ex: I was impetuous when I broke up with Chris. Ex: The Atlantic Ocean was impetuous during Hurricane |
| Spurious | - Not being what it purports to be; false or fake - (of a line of reasoning) Apparently but not actually valid Syn: False, sham, counterfeit, mock, bogus, phony Ex: Perez Hilton often provides spurious information to his readers |
| Soporific | ADJ - tending to induce drowsiness or sleep Syn: drowsy, somniferous, sleepy, narcotic, slumberous Noun: A drug or other agent of this kind Syn: Narcotic, hypnotic, drug |
| Empirical | - Based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic Syn: Empiric, experiential, experimental Example: In the field of Speech Language Pathology, empirical evidence is often standard. |
| Commensurate | - Equal in measure or extent; in proportion Syn: Proportional, proportionate, commensurable, adequate Example: The is a commensurate amount of lemonade and iced tea in Arnold Palmer |
| Austere | - Severe or strict in manner, attitude, or appearance - ( of living conditions) Having no comforts or luxuries, harsh or ascetic Syn: Severe, stern, strict, rigorous, stringent, rigid Example: Dr. Reed seems to be an austere woman, esp. in class. |
| Puritanical | - Practicing or affecting strict religious or moral behavior |
| Injunction | - Authoritative warning or order Syn: order, command, dictate, behest, dictation, bidding Example: I gave an injunction to Chris as he was playing with fire that he might hurt himself. |
| Juggernaut | - A huge, powerful, overwhelming force or institution Example: The Nazi's were juggernauts during WWII. |
| Desultory | - Lacking a plan, purpose, or entusiasm - (of conversation) Going from one subject to another in a halfhearted way; unfocused Syn: incoherent, disconnected, disjointed, rambling Ex: Emily is desultory when she talks and will hold up a conversatio |
| Esoteric | - Known only to a specialized group of people Syn: Occult, private, mystic Example: Pokemon is an esoteric franchise and is known only to people like Eric |
| Dilatory | - Slow to act - Intended to cause delay Syn: Slow, tardy, sluggish Example: It is a dilatory procedure trying to get my pupils to dilate. |
| Polemic | - A strong verbal or written attack on someone or something - The art or practice of engaging in controversial debate or dipute. Syn: controversy, polemics, argument, dispute Example: Jessie used Formspring to host a polemic against me |
| Tenuous | - Very weak or slight - Very slender or fine, insubstantial Syn: thin, slender, slight, weak, flimsy, delicate, fine Example: I have a tenuous grasp on the vocab I have learned for the GRE. |
| Efficacious | - Successful in producing a desired or intended result; effective Syn: Effective, effectual, efficient, operative, potent Example: Hopefully having John as a tutor will prove to be efficacious in the Quantitative sections of the GRE. |
| Alacrity | - Eager, willingness to do something - Brisk and cheerful readiness Syn: readiness, willingness, eagerness Example: I will enter grad school with alacrity; provided I can get in! |
| Veracity | - Conformity to facts; accuracy - Habitual truthfulness Syn: truthfulness, truth, verity Example: I admire Chris' veracity and I aspire to be like him. Example: I watch Fox 5 News because of the veracity of their stories. |
| Voracity | - Excessive desire to eat - Full of hunger syn: edacity Example: I am voracious when I get upset. |
| Paucity | - The presence of something only in small or insufficient quantities or amounts; scarcity - lack of something Syn: scarcity, shortage, dearth, lack, want, deficiency Example: For a town with many dogs, Paw City sure had a paucity of paw prints. |
| Contrite | - Feeling or expressing remorse or penitence; affected by guilt Syn: Repentant, penitent, remorseful, regretful |
| Laconic | - (of a person, speech, or style of writing) Using very few words Syn: terse, concise, brief, succinct, short, curt Example: Katie Evoy can be laconic when she talks about herself, making it difficult for people to truly get to know her |
| Gregarious | - (of a person) Fond of company; sociable - (of animals) Living in flocks or loosely organized communities Syn: sociable, social, companionable |
| Egregious | - Outstandingly bad or remarkably good - Shocking Syn: outrageous Example: My gregarious friend Stacey was so egregious at conversation that she was often made fun of. |
| Innocuous | - Not harmful or offensive Syn: Innoxious, harmless, inoffensive, innocent Example: Most mosquito bites are innocuous, unless the mosquito contains malaria. |
| Decimate | - Kill, destroy, or remove a large percentage of - Drastically reduce the strength or effectiveness of something - To cause great destruction or harm Ex. The Boston Marathon bombing was supposed to decimate the people at the finish line. |
| Delineated | - Describe or portray something precisely - Indicate the exact position of a (border or boundary) Syn: specify, define, delimit, limn, outline, trace Ex: JMU should delineate to the student body the changes that are going to be made in the future |
| Halycon | - Denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful - Calm and peaceful Syn: Quiet, calm, placid, tranquil, still, peaceful Ex. Her halcyon expression left us to infer that she had received good news. |
| Fatuous | - Silly and pointless Syn: Foolish, goofy, witless, idiotic Ex. Eric is often fatuous, even when trying to have a serious conversation. |
| Inverterate | - Having a particular habit, activity, or interest that is long estab lished and unlikely to change - long established and unlikely to change Syn: confirmed, ingrained, deep-seated Ex. Most people have the inveterate habit of brushing their tee |
| Scotched | - decisively put an end to - Cut or score the skin or surface of Ex. After finishing the semester I scotched the papers I had collected from my classes |
| Germane | - Being at once relevant and appropriate; fitting Syn: Relevant - When Emily began talking the once germane conversation fell into a desultory style. |
| Salubrious | - Health-giving, healthy - (of a place) pleasant, not run-down Syn: Healthy, wholesome, healthful, salutary, sound Ex. The sunny weather today was not only innocuous but salubrious too. |
| Extraneous | - Irrelevant or unrelated to the subject being dealt with - Of external origin Syn: Strange, foreign, alien, outside, intrinsic Ex. Dr. J's extraneous rant on stuttering was not germane to the lecture about the brain. |
| Superfluous | - Unnecessary esp through being more than enough - Exceeding what is sufficient Syn: Redundant, unnecessary, needless, odd surplus Ex. There was a superfluous amount of spoons at the party but a paucity of forks. |
| Frangible | - Fragile, brittle - Readily or easily broken Syn: breakable, frail, tender, friable Ex. The Lego rocket ship I constructed was very frangible, causing me to give the injunction not to touch it. |
| Deficient | - Not having enough of a specified quality or ingredient - Insufficient or inadequate Syn: Incomplete, fragmental, half, partial Ex. There was a deficient amount of pencils at the test center. |
| Juvenescence | - The state of being youthful or growing young (noun) |
| Perquisite | - A thing regarded as a special right or privilege enjoyed as a result of one's position - Something held or claimed as an exclusive right or possession Syn: Perk, tip Ex. Even if I don't like the waiter, I always give a perquisite. |
| Bane | - A cause of great distress or annoyance - Something, typically poison that causes death Syn: Poison, venom, ruin, perdition, curse Ex. When people eat chips in the library it is a bane to my studying |
| Conflagration | - An extensive fire that destroys a great deal of land or property Syn: Fire, blaze Ex. The conflagration in AZ decimated 19 firefighters. |
| Misanthropic | - Marked by hatred or contempt for humankind Syn: Cynical Ex. The misanthropic teen who shot at children in Newtown, CT should rot in hell. |
| Hedonistic | Hedonic - of, relating to, or characterized by pleasure ex. The hedonistic man only partakes in activities that bring him joy. |
| Nefarious | - Wicked or criminal Syn: Villainous, vile, infamous, mean, evil Ex. Although Gru is nefarious in appearance, his personality is actually very sweet. |
| Feckless | - (of a person) lacking in efficiency or vitality - Unthinking and irresponsible - Weak, ineffective Syn: powerless, helpless, ineffective Ex. The feckless attempt to eat an entire pie by himself left the boy's stomach in severe pain. |
| Nugatory | - Of no value or importance - Useless, futile Syn: trifling, trivial, futile, insignificant, vain Ex. Although the scientist thought he discovered the cure to cancer, his study was found to be nugatory based on lack of empirical evidence. |
| Mendacious | - Not telling the truth, lying Syn: Lying, false untrue, untruthful, double-tongued Ex. The mendacious Perez Hilton provides readers with spurious information at the expense of celebrities. |
| Appellation | - A name or title - The action of giving a name to a person or thing Syn: name, designation, denomination, title, appellative |
| Unwittingly | - Not knowing, unaware - Not intended Ex. The Ibe's were unwitting of Precious's pregnancy for a long time. |
| Nebulous | - In the form of a cloud or haze; hazy - (of an idea) unclear, vague or ill-defined Syn: Vague, hazy, misty, dim, foggy, obscure Ex. President Obama is often nebulous when addressing the country on issues of importance. |
| Inscrutable | - Impossible to understand or interpret, impenetrable, mysterious Syn: Enigmatic, incomprehensible Ex. Joseph's speech is inscrutable to most people and is a major source of frustration. |
| Squalid | - Extremely dirty and unpleasant, esp. as a result of poverty or neglect - Showing a contemptible lack of moral standards Syn: sordid, filthy, foul, unclean, mucky, nasty, grimy Ex. The Ryan's house is squalid and unorganized. |
| Transient | -(ADJ) Lasting only for a short time; impermanent - (ADJ) Passing quickly into and out of existence - (N) A person who is staying or working in a place for only a short time Syn: Transitory, passing, fleeting, temporary, momentary |
| Sullied | - To make soiled or tarnished; defiled - To make dirty Ex. The sullied quality of the Ryan's home was egregious. |
| Specious | - Superficially plausible but actually wrong - Misleading in appearance Ex. Most infomercials are specious in that they seem legitimate, but under close inspection they are a sham. |
| Mephitic | - Foul-smelling, noxious. Synonyms - Stinking, smelly, noisome. |
| Feigned | - Fictitious - Not genuine or real Ex. Rachel showed a feigned interest in the conversation and was secretly playing games on her phone |
| Abstruse | - Difficult to comprehend Syn: obscure, recondite, deep, profound Ex. I find math to be very abstruse and pointless. |
| Argot | - An often more or less secret vocabulary and idiom peculiar to a particular group. Ec. The argot and jargon of computers is often esoteric to engineers. |
| Vituperation | - Bitter and abusive language Syn: Abuse, invective, scolding Ex. President Obama receives much vituperation everyday for his decisions or lack thereof. |
| Ubiquitous | - Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time - Constantly encountered; widespread Syn: omnipresent Ex. Word is ubiquitous in the computer field, being seen on almost every computer. |
| Equanimity | |
| Iconoclastic | |
| Portent | |
| Digress | |
| Eulogistically | |
| Extempore | |
| Reticently | |
| Protracted | |
| Attenuated | |
| Abridged | |
| Partisan | |
| Erudite | |
| Arcane | |
| Palatable | |
| Discerning | |
| Dubious | |
| Deleterious | |
| Loquacious | |
| Exiguous | |
| Wayward | |
| Garrulous | |
| Recalcitrant | |
| Conciliatory | |
| Levity | |
| Bonhomie | |
| Fealty |
Created by:
curtisma
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