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Bert GRE Vocab-Noun
GRE Vocab Nouns only
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| effrontery [n] | extreme boldness; presumptuousness |
| approbation [n] | (1) an expression of warm approval; praise (2) official approval |
| ennui [n] | listlessness and dissatisfaction resulting from lack of interest; boredom |
| exigency [n] | (1) the state or quality of requiring much effort or immediate action (2) a pressing or urgent situation (3) urgent requirement; pressing need |
| paean [n] | (1) a song of joyful praise or exultation (2) a fervent expression of joy or praise |
| perfidy [n] | deliberate breach of faith; calculated violation of trust; treachery |
| arriviste [n] | (1) a person who has recently attained high position or great power but not general acceptance or respect; an upstart (2) a social climber |
| brisance [n] | the shattering effect of the sudden release of energy in an explosion |
| bromide [n] | (1) a commonplace remark or notion; a platitude (2) a tiresome person; a bore |
| cynosure [n] | (1) an object that serves as a focal point of attention and admiration (2) something that serves to guide |
| desuetude [n] | a state of disuse or inactivity |
| epithet [n] | (1) a term used to characterize a person or thing (2) a term used as a descriptive substitute ro the name or title of a person (3) an abusive or contemptuous word or phrase |
| farrago [n] | an assortment or a medley; a conglomeration |
| humbug [n] | (1) something intended to deceive; a hoax or fraud (2) a person who claims to be other than what he or she is; an imposter (3) nonsense; rubbish (4) pretense; deception |
| jeremiad [n] | a literary work or speech expressing a bitter lament or a righteous prophecy of doom |
| epigram [n] | (1) a short, witty poem expressing a single thought or observation (2) a concise, clever, often paradoxical statement |
| pathos [n] | (1) a quality, as of an experience or a work of art, that arouses feelings of pity, sympathy, tenderness, or sorrow (2) the feeling so aroused |
| nebbish [n] | a person regarded as weak-willed or timid |
| subvention [n] | (1) provision of help, aid, or support (2) an endowment or subsidy; a grant of financial aid |
| clerihew [n] | a humorous verse, usually consisting of two unmatched rhyming couplets, about a person whose name generally serves as one of the rhymes |
| badinage [n] | light, playful banter |
| ambit [n] | (1) an external boundary; a circuit (2) sphere or scope |
| persiflage [n] | (1) light good-natured talk; banter (2) light or frivolous manner of discussing a subject |
| casuistry [n] | (1) specious or excessively subtle reasoning intending to rationalize or mislead (2) the determination of right and wrong in questions of conduct or conscience by analyzing cases that illustrate general ethical codes |
| defeasance [n] | (1) a rendering void; an annulment (2) the voiding of a contract or deed (3) a clause within a contract or deed providing for annulment |
| tyro [n] | a beginner in learning something |
| amanuensis [n] | one who is employed to take dictation or to copy manuscript |
| panegyric [n] | (1) a formal eulogistic composition intended as a public compliment (2) elaborate praise or laudation; an encomium |
| exegesis [n] | critical explanation or analysis, especially of a text |
| aphorism [n] | (1) a tersely phrased statement of a truth or opinion; an adage (2) a brief statement of a principle |
| effulgence [n] | a brilliant radiance |
| pabulum [n] | (1) a substance that gives nourishment; food (2) insipid intellectual nourishment |
| predilection [n] | a partiality or disposition in favor of something; a preference |
| miasma [n] | (1) a noxious atmosphere or influence (2) a poisonous atmosphere (3) a thick vaporous atmosphere or emanation |
| apotheosis [n] | (1) exaltation to divine rank or stature; deification (2) elevation to a preeminent or transcendent position; glorification |
| syllogism [n] | (1) reasoning from the general to the specific (2) a subtle or specious piece of reasoning |
| periphrasis [n] | the use of, or a, circumlocuation |
| valetudinarian [n] | (1) a sickly or weak person, especially one who is constantly and morbidly concerned with his or her health (2) chronically ailing; sickly |
| nostrum [n] | (1) a quack remedy (2) a favorite but untested remedy for problems or evils |
| bathos [n] | (1) an abrupt, unintended transition in style from the exalted to the commonplace (2) an anticlimax (3) insincere or grossly sentimental pathos (4) banality; triteness |
| emolument [n] | payment for an office or employment; compensation |
| perdition [n] | (1) loss of the soul; eternal damnation (2) hell |
| solecism [n] | (1) a non-standard usage or grammatical construction (2) a violation of etiquette (3) an impropriety, mistake, or incongruity |
| ebullition [n] | (1) the state or process of boiling (2) a sudden, violent outpouring, as of emotion |
| obloquy [n] | (1) abusively detractive language or utterance; calumny (2) the condition of disgrace suffered as a result of abuse or vilification; ill repute |
| disinterest [n] | (1) freedom from selfish bias or self-interest; impartiality (2) lack of interest; indifference |
| concupiscence [n] | a strong desire, especially sexual desire; lust |
| accouchement [n] | a confinement during childbirth; a lying-in |
| acedia [n] | spiritual torpor and apathy; ennui |
| afflatus [n] | a strong creative impulse, especially as a result of divine inspiration |
| agitprop [n] | political propaganda, especially favoring communism and disseminated through literature, drama, art, or music |
| agon [n] | (1) a conflict, especially between the protagonist and antagonist in a work of literature (2) a test of will; a conflict |
| ague [n] | a chill or fit of shivering |
| amour-proper [n] | respect for oneself; self-esteem |
| amphigory [n] | a nonsensical piece of writing, usually in verse |
| anabasis [n] | an advance; an expedition |
| analects [n] | selections from or parts of a literary work or group of works. Often used as a title. Used only in plural form. |
| anastrophe [n] | inversion of the normal syntactic order of works; for example "Matter too soft a lasting mark to bear." |
| anomie [n] | (1) social instability caused by erosion of standards and values (2) alienation and purposelessness experienced by a person or a class as a result of a lack of standards, values, or ideals |
| antinomy [n] | contradiction or opposition, especially between two laws or rules; a paradox |
| apercu [n] | (1) a discerning perception; an insight (2) a short outline or summary; a synopsis |
| apophasis [n] | allusion to something by denying that it will be mentioned |
| apothegm or apophthegm [n] | a terse, witty, instructive saying; a maxim |
| appanage [n] | (1) a source of revenue, such as land, given by a sovereign for the maintenance of a member of the ruling family (2) something extra offered to or claimed by a party as due; a perquisite |
| atelier [n] | a workshop or studio, especially for an artist or designer |
| Aunt Sally [n] | an object of criticism or contention, especially one that is set up to invite criticism or be easily refuted |
| auscultation [n] | the act of listening |
| autochthon [n] | one of the earliest known inhabitants of a place; an aborigine |
| bagatelle [n] | (1) an unimportant or insignificant thing; a trifle (2) a short, light piece of verse or music |
| bantling [n] | a young child |
| bel esprit [n] | a cultivated, highly intelligent person |
| belles letters pl [n] | (1) literature regarded for its aesthetic value rather than its didactic or informative content (2) light, stylish writings, usually on literary or intellectual subjects |
| blackguard [n] | (1) a thoroughly unprincipled person; a scoundrel (2) a foul-mouthed person |
| Boswell [n] | a devoted admirer, student, and recorder of another's words and deeds |
| bounder [n] | an ill-bred, unscrupulous man; a cad |
| brace [n] | a pair of like things |
| brio [n] | vigor; vivacity |
| burlesque [n] | a ludicrous or mocking imitation; a travesty |
| cabotage [n] | (1) trade or navigation in coastal waters (2) the exclusive right of a country to operate the air traffic within its territory |
| cadastre (ter) [n] | a public record, survey, or map of the value, extend, and ownership of land as a basis of taxation |
| caducity [n] | (1) the frailty of old age; senility (2) the quality or state of being perishable; impermanence |
| caitiff [n] | a despicable coward; a wretch |
| capriccio [n] | (1) a prank; a caper (2) a whim |
| Cassandra [n] | one that utters unheeded prophecies |
| catamite [n] | a boy who has a sexual relationship with a man |
| champaign [n] | a stretch of level and open country; a plain |
| chanteuse [n] | a woman singer, especially a nightclub singer |
| charrette [n] | a final, intensive effort to finish a project, especially an architectural design project, before a deadline. |
| chrestomathy [n] | (1) a selection of literary passages, usually by one author (2) an anthology used in studying a language |
| cineaste [n] | (1) a film or movie enthusiast (2) a person involved in filmmaking |
| claque [n] | (1) a group of persons hired to applaud at a performance (2) a group of fawning admirers |
| coffle [n] | a group of animals, prisoners, or slaves chained together in a line |
| cognomen [n] | (1) a family name; a surname (2) a name, especially a descriptive nickname or epithet acquired through usage over a period of time |
| coil [n] | a disturbance; a fuss |
| collop [n] | (1) a small portion of food or a slice, especially of meat (2) a roll of fat flesh |
| commination [n] | a formal denunciation |
| Comstockery [n] | censorship of literature and other forms of expression and communication because of perceived immorality or obscenity |
| confrere [n] | a fellow member of a fraternity or profession; a colleague |
| congeries [n] | a collection; an aggregation |
| conspectus [n] | a general survey of a subject; a synopsis |
| contretemps [n] | an unforeseen event that disrupts the normal course of things; an inopportune occurrence |
| contumacy [n] | obstinate or contemptuous resistance to authority; stubborn rebelliousness |
| coquette [n] | a woman who makes teasing sexual or romantic overtures; a flirt |
| counterpane [n] | a cover for a bed; a bedspread |
| crapulence [n] | sickness caused by excessive eating or drinking |
| cri de coeur [n] | an impassioned outcry, as of entreaty or protest |
| crotchet [n] | an odd, whimsical, or stubborn notion |
| cui bono [n] | utility, advantage, or self-interest considered as the determinant of value or motivation |
| cunctation [n] | procrastination; delay |
| cupidity [n] | excessive desire, especially for wealth; covetousness or avarice |
| demimonde [n] | (1) a class of women kept by wealthy lovers or protectors (2) women prostitutes considered as a group |
| demirep [n] | a person of doubtful reputation or respectability |
| dolce vita [n] | a luxurious, self-indulgent way of life |
| doss [n] | a crude or makeshift bed |
| durance [n] | confinement or restraint by force; imprisonment |
| dyad [n] | two individuals or units regarded as a pair |
| dysphemism [n] | the substitution of a disagreeable, offensive, or disparaging expression for an agreeable or inoffensive one |
| efflorescence [n] | (1) a gradual process of unfolding or developing (2) the highest point; the culmination |
| embonpoint [n] | the condition of being plump; stoutness |
| encomium [n] | (1) warm, glowing praise (2) a formal expression of praise; a tribute |
| epigone [n] | a second-rate imitator or follower, especially of an artist or a philosopher |
| exordium [n] | a beginning or introductory part, especially of a speech or treatise |
| famulus [n] | a private secretary or other close attendant |
| fardel [n] | a pack; a bundle |
| fascicle or fascicule [n] | (1) a small bundle (2) one of the parts of a book published in separate sections |
| filigree [n] | delicate and intricate ornamental work made from gold, silver, or other fine twisted wire |
| fleer [n] | a taunting, scoffing, or derisive look or gibe |
| fugleman [n] | a leader, especially a political leader |
| funambulist [n] | one who performs on a tightrope or a slack rope |
| gadfly [n] | a persistent irritating critic; a nuisance |
| gallimaufry [n] | a jumble; a hodgepodge |
| gammon [n] | misleading or nonsensical talk; humbug |
| gasconade [n] | boastfulness; bravado |
| gest or geste [n] | a notable adventure or exploit |
| grandiloquence [n] | pompous or bombastic speech or expression |
| guerdon [n] | a reward; requital |
| gull [n] | a person who is easily tricked or cheated; a dupe |
| gyre [n] | a circular or spiral form; a vortex |
| harridan [n] | a woman regarded as scolding and vicious |
| hebetude [n] | dullness of mind; mental lethargy |
| helot [n] | a person in servitude; a serf |
| henotheism [n] | belief in one god without denying the existence of other gods |
| hypocorism [n] | a name of endearment; a pet name |
| inamorata [n] | a woman with whom one is in love or has an intimate relationship |
| ingénue [n] | a naïve girl or young woman |
| iniquity [n] | gross immorality or injustice; wickedness |
| irredentist [n] | one who advocates the recovery of territory culturally or historically related to one's nation but now subject to a foreign government |
| klatch or klatsch [n] | a casual social gathering, usually for conversation |
| koan [n] | a puzzling, often paradoxical statement or story, used in Zen Buddhism |
| lacuna [n] | an empty space or a missing part; a gap |
| lassitude [n] | a state or feeling of weariness, diminished energy, or listlessness |
| lickspittle [n] | a fawning underling; a toady |
| lustrum [n] | a period of five years |
| malversation [n] | misconduct in public office |
| meiosis [n] | rhetorical understatement |
| mephitis [n] | an offensive smell; a stench |
| mésalliance [n] | a marriage with a person of inferior social position |
| métier [n] | an occupation, a trade, or a profession |
| midden [n] | a dunghill or refuse heap |
| mittimus [n] | an official order to send somebody to prison |
| modus vivendi [n] | (1) a manner of living; a way of life (2) a temporary agreement pending a final settlement |
| moiety [n] | a half |
| moue [n] | a small grimace; a pout |
| mountebank [n] | a flamboyant charlatan |
| mufti [n] | civilian dress, especially when worn by one who normally wears a uniform |
| muliebrity [n] | (1) the state of being a woman (2) femininity |
| muse [n] | (1) a guiding spirit (2) a source of inspiration |
| Myrmidon [n] | a faithful follower who carries out orders without question |
| ne plus ultra [n] | the highest point, as of excellence or achievement; the ultimate |
| nescience [n] | (1) absence of knowledge or awareness; ignorance (2) agnosticism |
| nimiety [n] | superfluity; excess |
| nonage [n] | the period during which one is legally underage |
| nonce [n] | the present or particular occasion |
| nous [n] | good sense; shrewdness |
| obsequies [n] | funeral rites or ceremonies |
| omphalos [n] | a central part; a focal point |
| opprobrium [n] | disgrace arising from exceedingly shameful conduct; ignominy |
| ordure [n] | (1) excrement; dung (2) something morally offensive; filth |
| orison [n] | a prayer |
| paralogism [n] | a fallacious or illogical argument or conclusion |
| paraph [n] | a flourish made after or below a signature |
| parturition [n] | the act or process of giving birth; childbirth |
| parvenu [n] | a person who has suddenly risen to a higher social and economic class and has not yet gained social acceptance by others in that class |
| pasticcio [n] | a work or style produced by borrowing fragments, ingredients, or motifs from various sources; a potpourri |
| pastiche [n] | a dramatic, literary, or musical piece openly imitating the previous works of other artists, often with satirical intent |
| paterfamilias [n] | a man who is the head of a household or the father of a family |
| peccadillo [n] | a small sin or fault |
| pelf [n] | wealth or riches, especially when dishonestly acquired |
| pettifogger [n] | a petty, quibbling, unscrupulous lawyer |
| philippic [n] | a verbal denunciation characterized by harsh, often insulting language; a tirade |
| pied-à-terre [n] | a secondary or temporary place of lodging |
| pleonasm [n] | the use of more words than are required to express an idea; redundancy |
| poltroon [n] | a base coward |
| popinjay [n] | a vain, talkative person |
| proem [n] | an introduction; a preface |
| propinquity [n] | (1) proximity; nearness (2) kinship |
| psephology [n] | the study of political elections |
| puissance [n] | power; might |
| purlieu [n] | (1) an outlying or neighboring area (2) a place that one frequents |
| quean [n] | a woman regarded as being disreputable, especially a prostitute |
| quidnunc [n] | a nosy person; a busybody |
| rebus [n] | a representation of words in the form of pictures or symbols, often presented as a puzzle |
| recrement [n] | waste matter; dross |
| reductio ad absurdum [n] | disproof of a proposition by showing that it leads to absurd or untenable conclusions |
| revanche [n] | (1) the act of retaliating; revenge (2) a political policy intended to regain lost territory or standing |
| rodomontade [n] | pretentious boasting or bragging; bluster |
| sang-froid [n] | coolness and composure, especially in trying circumstances |
| savoir-faire [n] | the ability to say or do the right or graceful thing |
| sciolism [n] | a pretentious attitude of scholarship; superficial knowledgeability |
| screed [n] | a long monotonous speech or piece of writing |
| sedition [n] | insurrection; rebellion |
| self-abnegation [n] | the setting aside of self-interest for the sake of others or for a belief or principle |
| seraglio [n] | (1) a large harem (2) a sultan's palace |
| sine qua non [n] | an essential element or condition |
| slattern [n] | an untidy, dirty woman |
| sobriquet [n] | (1) an affectionate or humorous nickname (2) an assumed name |
| solon [n] | (1) a wise lawgiver (2) a legislator |
| somnambulism [n] | sleepwalking; the act or an instance of walking or performing another activity associated with wakefulness while asleep or in a sleeplike state |
| sophist [n] | one skilled in elaborate and devious argumentation |
| sororicide [n] | the killing of one's sister |
| soupçon [n] | a very small amount; a trace |
| specie [n] | coined money; coin |
| sprachgefühl [n] | a feeling for language; an ear for the idiomatically correct or appropriate |
| susurration [n] | a soft, whispering, or rustling sound; a murmur |
| sybarite [n] | a person devoted to pleasure and luxury; a voluptuary |
| tabula rasa [n] | the mind before it receives the impressions gained from experience |
| tatterdemalion [n] | a person wearing ragged or tattered clothing; a ragamuffin |
| tautology [n] | needless repetition of the same sense in different words; redundancy |
| termagant [n] | a quarrelsome, scolding woman; a shrew |
| treacle [n] | cloying speech or sentiment |
| trope [n] | a figure of speech using words in a nonliteral way, such as a metaphor |
| turpitude [n] | (1) depravity; baseness (2) a base act |
| usufruct [n] | the right to use and enjoy the profits and advantages of something belonging to another as long as the property is not damaged or altered in any way |
| velleity [n] | (1) volition at its lowest level (2) a mere wish or inclination |
| verisimilitude [n] | (1) the quality of appearing to be true or real (2) something that has the appearance of being true or real |
| viand [n] | (1) an item of food (2) a very choice or delicious dish |
| vicissitude [n] | (1) a change or variation (2) one of the sudden or unexpected changes or shifts often encountered in one's life, activities, or surroundings |
| virago [n] | (1) a woman regarded as noisy, scolding, or domineering (2) a large, strong, courageous woman |
| virtu [n] | a knowledge or love of or taste for fine objects of art |
| vivandière [n] | a woman who accompanies troops to sell them food, supplies, and liquor |
| Weltschmerz [n] | sadness over the evils of the world, especially as an expression of romantic pessimism |
| wiseacre [n] | a person regarded as being disagreeably egotistical and self-assured |
| younker [n] | (1) a young man (2) a child |
| Zeitgeist [n] | the spirit of the time; the taste and outlook characteristic of a period or generation |
| festschrift [n] | a volume of learned articles or essays by colleagues and admirers, serving as a tribute or memorial especially to a scholar |
| Weltanschauung [n] | worldview |
| saturnalia [n] | a celebration marked by unrestrained revelry and often licentiousness; an orgy |
| iconoclast [n] | one who attacks and seeks to overthrow traditional or popular ideas or institutions |
| glossolalia [n] | fabricated and non-meaningful speech, especially associated with a trance state or certain syndromes |
| dilettante [n] | (1) a dabbler in an art or a field of knowledge (2) a lover of the fine arts; a connoisseur |
| highbinder [n] | a corrupt politician |
| katzenjammer [n] | (1) a loud, discordant noise (2) a hangover (3) a state of depression or bewilderment |
| roorback [n] | a false or slanderous story used for political advantage |
| teleology [n] | (1) the study of design or purpose in natural phenomena (2) the use of ultimate purpose or design as a means of explaining phenomena |
| monocoque [n] | A metal structure, such as an aircraft, in which the skin absorbs all or most of the stresses to which the body is subjected |
| olio [n] | (1) a heavily spiced stew of meat, vegetables, and chickpeas (2) a mixture or medley; a hodgepodge (3) a collection of various artistic or literary works or musical pieces; a miscellany |
| gorget [n] | (1) a piece of armor protecting the throat (2) an ornamental collar (3) a band or patch of distinctive color on the throat of an animal, especially an area of brightly colored feathers on the throat of a bird |
| borax [n] | cheap merchandise, especially tasteless furnishings |
| ganef or ganof or gonif [n] | a thief, scoundrel, or rascal |
| pachuco [n] | a Mexican-American youth or teenager, especially one who dresses in flamboyant clothes and belongs to a neighborhood gang |
| peonage [n] | a system by which debtors are bound in servitude to their creditors until their debts are paid |
Created by:
cberteau
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