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GRE_4
GRE
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| acerbic (adj) | having a sour or bitter taste or character ; sharp, biting |
| aggrandize (v) | to increase in intensity, power, influence, or prestige |
| alchemy (n) | a medieval science aimed at the transmutation of metals, esp. base metals into gold |
| alchemist (n) | one who practices alchemy |
| amenable (adj) | agreeable; responsive to suggestion |
| anachronism (n) | something or someone out of place in terms of historical or chronological context |
| astringent (n) | having a tightening effect on living tissue; harsh sever; something with a tightening effect on tissue |
| contiguous (adj) | sharing a border; touching; adjacent |
| convention (n) | a generally agreed-upon practice or attitude |
| credulous (adj); credulity (n) | tending to believe too readily; gullible |
| cynicism (n); cynical (adj) | an attitude or quality of belief that all people are motivated by selfishness |
| decorum (n); decorous (adj) | polite or appropriate conduct or behavior |
| derision (n); derisive (adj); deride (v) | scorn, ridicule, contemptuous treatment |
| desiccate (n) | to dry out or dehydrate; to make dry or dull |
| dilettante (n) | one with an amateurish or superficial interest in the arts or a branch of knowledge |
| disparage (v) | to slight or belittle |
| divulge (v) | to disclose something secret |
| fawn (v) | to flatter or praise excessively |
| flout (v) | to show contempt for, as in a rule or convention |
| garrulous (adj) | pointlessly talkative; talking too much |
| glib (adj) | marked by ease or informality; nonchalant; lacking in depth; superficial |
| hubris (n) | overbearing presumption or pride; arrogance |
| imminent (adj) | about to happen; impending |
| immutable (adj) | not capable of change |
| impetuous (adj) | hastily or rashly energetic; impulsive and vehement |
| indifferent (adj) | having no interest or concern; showing no bias or prejudice |
| inimical (adj) | damaging; harmful; injurious |
| intractable (adj) | not easily manage or directed; stubborn; obstinate |
| intrepid (adj) | steadfast and courageous |
| laconic (adj) | using few words; terse |
| maverick (n) | an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party |
| mercurial (adj) | characterized by rapid and unpredictable change in mood |
| mollify (v) | to calm or soothe; to reduce in emotional intensity |
| neophyte (n) | a recent convert; a beginner; novice |
| obfuscate (v) | to deliberately obscure; to make confusing |
| obstinate (adj) | stubborn; hard-headed; uncompromising |
| ostentatious (adj) | characterized by or given to pretentious display; showy |
| pervade (v); pervasive (adj) | to permeate throughout |
| phlegmatic (adj) | calm; sluggish; unemotional |
| plethora (n) | an overabundance; a surplus |
| pragmatic (adj) | practical rather than idealistic |
| presumptuous (adj) | overstepping due bounds (as of propriety or courtesy; taking liberties) |
| pristine (adj) | pure; uncorrupted; clean |
| probity (n) | adherence to highest principles; complete and confirmed integrity; uprightness |
| proclivity (n) | a natural predisposition or inclination |
| profligate (adj); profligacy (n) | excessively wasteful; recklessly extravagant |
| propensity (n) | a natural inclination or tendency; penchant |
| prosaic (adj) | dull; lacking in spirit or imagination |
| pungent (adj) | characterized by a strong, sharp smell or taste |
| quixotic (adj) | foolishly impractical; marked by lofty romantic ideals |
| quotidian (adj) | occurring or recurring daily; commonplace |
| rarefy (v) | to make or become thin, less dense, to refine |
| recondite (adj) | hidden; concealed; difficult to understand; obscure |
| refulgent (adj) | radiant; shiny; brilliant |
| renege (v) | to fail to honor a commitment; to go back on a promise |
| sedulous (adj) | diligent; persistent; hard-working |
| shard (n) | a piece of broken pottery or glass |
| soporific (adj) | causing drowsiness; tending to induce sleep |
| sparse (adj) | thin; not dense; arranged at widely spaced intervals |
| spendthrift (n) | one who spends money wastefully |
| subtle (adj) | not obvious; elusive; difficult to discern |
| tacit (adj) | implied; not explicitly stated |
| terse (adj) | brief and concise in wording |
| tout (v) | to publicly praise or promote |
| trenchant (adj) | sharply perceptive; keen; penetrating |
| unfeigned (adj) | genuine; not false or hypocritical |
| untenable (adj) | indefensible; not viable; uninhabitable |
| vacillate (v) | to waver indecisively between one course of action or opinion and another |
| variegated (adj) | multicolored; characterized by a variety of patches of different color |
| vexation (n); vex (n) | annoyance; irritation |
| vigilant (adj); vigilance (n) | alertly watchful |
| vituperate (v) | to use harsh condemnatory language; to abuse or censure severely or abusively; to berate |
| volatile (adj) | readily changing to a vapor; changeable; fickle; explosive |