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Bert GRE Prio-Noun
GRE Vocab Nouns only - Priority Words
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| cynosure [n] | (1) an object that serves as a focal point of attention and admiration (2) something that serves to guide |
| 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 |
| epigram [n] | (1) a short, witty poem expressing a single thought or observation (2) a concise, clever, often paradoxical statement |
| nebbish [n] | a person regarded as weak-willed or timid |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| concupiscence [n] | a strong desire, especially sexual desire; lust |
| acedia [n] | spiritual torpor and apathy; ennui |
| amphigory [n] | a nonsensical piece of writing, usually in verse |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| auscultation [n] | the act of listening |
| bel esprit [n] | a cultivated, highly intelligent person |
| brio [n] | vigor; vivacity |
| cadastre (ter) [n] | a public record, survey, or map of the value, extend, and ownership of land as a basis of taxation |
| caitiff [n] | a despicable coward; a wretch |
| capriccio [n] | (1) a prank; a caper (2) a whim |
| 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 |
| commination [n] | a formal denunciation |
| 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 |
| crapulence [n] | sickness caused by excessive eating or drinking |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| fascicle or fascicule [n] | (1) a small bundle (2) one of the parts of a book published in separate sections |
| fleer [n] | a taunting, scoffing, or derisive look or gibe |
| fugleman [n] | a leader, especially a political leader |
| gallimaufry [n] | a jumble; a hodgepodge |
| gammon [n] | misleading or nonsensical talk; humbug |
| gasconade [n] | boastfulness; bravado |
| guerdon [n] | a reward; requital |
| hebetude [n] | dullness of mind; mental lethargy |
| helot [n] | a person in servitude; a serf |
| hypocorism [n] | a name of endearment; a pet name |
| klatch or klatsch [n] | a casual social gathering, usually for conversation |
| malversation [n] | misconduct in public office |
| meiosis [n] | rhetorical understatement |
| mephitis [n] | an offensive smell; a stench |
| moiety [n] | a half |
| mountebank [n] | a flamboyant charlatan |
| Myrmidon [n] | a faithful follower who carries out orders without question |
| nescience [n] | (1) absence of knowledge or awareness; ignorance (2) agnosticism |
| nimiety [n] | superfluity; excess |
| obsequies [n] | funeral rites or ceremonies |
| orison [n] | a prayer |
| 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 |
| philippic [n] | a verbal denunciation characterized by harsh, often insulting language; a tirade |
| pleonasm [n] | the use of more words than are required to express an idea; redundancy |
| propinquity [n] | (1) proximity; nearness (2) kinship |
| 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 |
| sine qua non [n] | an essential element or condition |
| soupçon [n] | a very small amount; a trace |
| sprachgefühl [n] | a feeling for language; an ear for the idiomatically correct or appropriate |
| sybarite [n] | a person devoted to pleasure and luxury; a voluptuary |
| velleity [n] | (1) volition at its lowest level (2) a mere wish or inclination |
| 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 |
| Weltschmerz [n] | sadness over the evils of the world, especially as an expression of romantic pessimism |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| homiletics [n] | the art of preaching |
Created by:
cberteau
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