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GRE Vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| lucubration | intense study |
| refractory | rebellious |
| lugubrious | sad or dismal sounding |
| prolix | wordy (too many words) |
| indigent | poor |
| polemical | controversial (at the poles) |
| belie | disguise or betray |
| prodigal | wastefully extravagent |
| profligate | same as prodigal, dissolute |
| pellucid | translucent |
| prosaic | prose-like, the opposite of poetry, commonplace, unromantic |
| hackneyed | overused, trite, cliché |
| restive | restless (unless talking about horses) |
| vociferous | vehement or clamorous |
| circumscribed | restricted, limited |
| diffidence | modesty, shyness |
| pulchritude | beauty |
| encomium | speech of praise |
| panegyric | speech of praise |
| paean | song of praise |
| plaudits | praise |
| prate | prattle |
| demur | object, be reluctant |
| phlegmatic | unemotional, stolidly clam |
| stolid | calm |
| indolent | lazy |
| torpid | lethargic |
| tumid | swollen or pompous |
| bilious | bad-tempered |
| chauvinism | exaggerated or aggressive patriotism or support for one’s own group |
| jingoism | extreme patriotism |
| impecunious | poor (having little or no money) |
| penurious | extremely poor (penury = poverty) |
| laconic | concise, using few words |
| grouse | complain |
| attenuate | reduce |
| synoptic | involving summary (as in synopsis) |
| ignominious | shameful, disgraceful |
| chary | wary |
| ingenuous | innocent, naïve (as in ingenue) |
| circumspect | risk-averse, cautious (as in ‘looking around’) |
| staid | sedate, respectable and unadventurous |
| prevaricate | be evasive |
| jetsam | unwanted material |
| abjure | renounce |
| repudiate | refuse to accept, deny the truth or validity of |
| hermetic | complete, airtight, insulated, esoteric |
| disaffected | dissatisfied with the people in authority |
| inalienable | can't be taken away |
| turbid | cloudy, opaque |
| turgid | swollen, distended, pompous, tumid |
| fastidious | very attentive to detail, clean |
| gainsay | deny, contradict, oppose, naysay |
| sedition | action/speech inciting rebellion |
| nugatory | futile, of no importance or value |
| obviate | remove the need for, prevent, avoid |
| preempt | take action in advance |
| quondam | formerly |
| contravene | conflict with, violate a law or rule |
| malinger | fake illness to get out of work |
| abattoir | slaughterhouse |
| maverick | unconventional or independent-minded person |
| levy (vs. levee) | tax |
| scintilla | tiny trace or spark |
| sapient | wise |
| fugacious | fleeting, ephemeral |
| evanescent | fleeting, ephemeral |
| eleemosynary | charitable |
| provident | thinking about the future, timely |
| arrogate | take something without justification (like appropriate something with arrogance) |
| dilate (2nd meaning) | speak at length (go on and on, expand, expound) |
| expatiate | speak or write at length, in detail |
| continence | self-restraint, ability to control oneself |
| equivocate | use ambiguous language to avoid the truth |
| dither | be indecisive |
| tergiversate | change sides, equivocate |
| myrmidon | hired gun, ruffian |
| obsequious | obedient, servile (a toady) |
| truckle | (v.) behave obsequiously |
| spartan | indifferent to luxury, basic, not luxurious |
| declivity | downward slope |
| declination | formal refusal |
| acclivity | upward slope |
| dissolution | debauchery, or the dissolving of something |
| licentious | promiscuous, or taking license, i.e. liberties, disregarding the rules |
| anodyne | painkiller, OR something that's inoffensive, maybe 'boring but safe' |
| perfervid | intense, impassioned |
| intransigent | unwilling to change one's views, entrenched |
| obdurate | stubborn, intractable |
| obstreperous | noisy, difficult to control, rowdy |
| penury | poverty |
| hector | to bully |
| inchoate | developing, just begun, incipient |
| scurrilous | insulting, damaging to someone's reputation |
| apostate | abandoning religious faith or principle (or person who abandons their faith) |
| quietus | death, release from life |
| sinecure | a job with little work required but high status/benefits |
| interregnum | pause, esp. between governments or regimes |
| potlatch | opulent party/ceremony, esp. to display wealth |
| rota | a shared job (rotation) |
| otiose | serving no practical purpose or result, impractical, pointless |
| calumny | slander |
| approbation | approval, praise |
| exigent | pressing, demanding |
| precipitate | (v.) cause to happen suddenly; (adj.) happening suddenly or without careful consideration |
| pertinacious | holding fast, persistent, persevering, tenacious |
| sedulous | showing dedication and diligence |
| multifarious | many and of various types |
| repugnate | fight against, oppose |
| temperance | self-restraint, moderation, abstinance |
| didactic | intended to teach, esp. in a moralizing or patronizing way |
| iconoclast | person who attacks cherished beliefs (literally, icon-breaker) |
| dogmatic | claiming something is incontrovertibly true |
| sartorial | related to clothes or tailoring |
| quixotic | exceedingly idealistic, unrealistic, impractical |
| practicable | useful, put into practice successfully (does not mean practical) |
| probity | strong moral principles, honesty, decency |
| disapprobation | strong disapproval |
| inimical | unfriendly, hostile, harmful |
| saturnine | slow and gloomy |
| saturnalia | wild revelry |
Created by:
rebeccakraut
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