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20. 317 - 327
GRE Vocabulary Words
Term | Definition |
---|---|
explicit | direct, clear, fully revealed; clearly depicting sex or nudity. |
exponent | person who expounds or explains; champion, advocate, or representative. |
extraneous | irrelevant; foreign, coming from without, not belonging. |
fanatical | excessively devoted, enthusiastic, or zealous in an uncritical way. |
fanciful | whimsical, capricious; imaginary; freely imaginative rather than based on reason or reality. |
fathom | measure the depth of (usually of water) as with a sounding line; penetrate and discover the meaning of , understand. |
feasible | possible; logical or likely; suitable. |
figurative | metaphorical, based on figures of speech; containing many figures of speech (as fancy-sounding writing); related to portraying human or animal figures, as opposed to abstract objects. |
fleeting | passing quickly, transitory. |
foreshadow | indicate or suggest beforehand, presage. |
forfeit | surrender or lose as a result of an error, crime, or failure to fulfill an obligation. |
fortify | strengthen, invigorate, encourage. |
fringe | on the margin, periphery; the people in a group who hold the most extreme views. |
gawky | physically awkward (especially of a tall, skinny person, often used to describe teenagers). |
gist | main idea, essence. |
goosebumps | the "bumps" created by hairs standing up on the skin in response to cold, fear, etc. |
gradation | a progression, a process taking place gradually, in stages; one of the stages. |
hardy | bold, brave, capable of withstanding hardship, fatigue, cold, etc. |
haven | harbor or port; refuge, safe place. |
hearken | listen, pay attention to. |
heterogeneous | different in type, incongruous; composed of different types of elements. |
hierarchy | a ranked series; a classification of people according to rank, ability, etc.; a ruling body. |
hodgepodge | mixture of different kinds of things, jumble. |
idiosyncrasy | characteristic or habit peculiar to an individual; peculiar quality, quirk. |
illiberality | narrow-mindedness, bigotry; strictness or lack of generosity. |
impair | make worse, weaken. |
impartial | unbiased, fair. |
implication | act of implying or that which is implied; close connection, especially in an incriminating way. |
inasmuch | in like manner, considering that (contraction of "in as much," generally followed by "as"). |
incendiary | setting on fire, pertaining to arson; arousing strife, rebellion, etc.; "inflaming" the senses. |
incentive | something that encourages greater action or effort, such as a reward. |
inform | inspire, animate; give substance, essence, or context to; be the characteristic quality of. |
ingrained | deep-rooted, forming part of the very essence; worked into the fiber. |
intelligible | able to be understood, clear. |
intrinsic | belonging to the essential nature of a thing. |
jargon | vocabulary specific to a group or occupation; convoluted or unintelligible language. |
judicious | using good judgment; unwise sensible. |
juncture | critical point in time, such a a crisis or a time when a decision is necessary; a place where two things are joined together. |
keen | sharp, piercing; very perceptive or mentally sharp; intense (of a feeling). |
lackluster | not shiny; dull, mediocre; lacking brilliance or vitality. |
lament | mourn; express grief, sorrow, or regret; an expression of grief, especially as a song or poem. |
lampoon | a harsh satire; ridicule or satirize. |
landmark | object (such as a building) that stands out and can be used to navigate by; a very important place, event, etc. |
languid | drooping from exhaustion, sluggish, slow; lacking in spirit. |
lavish | abundant or giving in abundance; marked by excess; give very generously. |
layperson | a person who is not a member of the clergy or not a member of a particular profession (such as medicine law,etc.). |
levy | collect tax from, wage war on, or enlist for military service; act of collecting tax or amount owed, or the drafting to troops into military service. |
likewise | also, in addition to; similarly, in the same way. |
lull | soothe or cause to fall asleep (as in a lullaby); quiet down; make to feel secure, sometimes falsely; a period of calm or quiet. |
makeshift | a temporary, often improvised, substitute; improvised for temporary use. |
keen | sharp, piercing; very perceptive or mentally sharp; intense (of a feeling). |
lackluster | not shiny; dull, mediocre; lacking brilliance or vitality. |
lament | mourn; express grief, sorrow, or regret; an expression of grief, especially as a song or poem. |
lampoon | a harsh satire; ridicule or satirize. |
landmark | object (such as a building) that stands out an can be used to navigate by; a very important place, event, etc. |
languid | drooping from exhaustion, sluggish, slow; lacking in spirit. |
lavish | abundant or giving in abundance; marked by excess; give very generously. |
layperson | a person who is not a member of the clergy or not a member of a particular profession (such as medicine, law, etc.). |
levy | collect tax from, wage war on, or enlist for military service; act of collecting tax or amount owed, or the drafting of troops into military service. |
likewise | also, in addition to, similarly, in the same way. |
lull | soothe or cause to fall asleep (as in a lullaby); quiet down; make to feel secure, sometimes falsely; a period of calm or quiet. |
makeshift | a temporary, often improvised, substitute; improvised for temporary use. |
metamorphosis | a complete change or transformation (in biology, a change such as a caterpillar becoming a pupa and then a butterfly). |
modest | humble; simple rather than showy; decent (especially "covering up" in terms of dress); small, limited. |
monotony | sameness or repetitiousness to the point of being boring; lack of variation, uniformity, especially repetition in sound. |
moreover | besides; in addition to what was just stated. |
mores | customs, manners, or morals of a particular group. |
naïve | simple and unsophisticated, unsuspecting, lacking worldly experience and critical judgement. |
net | remaining after expenses or other factors have been deducted; ultimate; to bring in as profit, or to catch as in a net. |
nevertheless or nonetheless | however, even so despite that. |
notoriety | ill fame; the state of being well-known for a disgraceful reason. |
novel | new, fresh, original. |
nuance | a subtle difference in tone, meaning, expression, etc. |
objective | factual, related to reality or physical objects; not influenced by emotions, unbiased. |
obsolete | out of date, no longer in use. |
offhand | casual, informal; done without preparation or forethought; rude in a short way, brusque. |
offset | counteract, compensate for; a counterbalance. |
opaque | not translucent; not allowing light, heat, etc., to pass through; dark, dull, unclear, or stupid. |
optimal or optimum | best, most desirable or favorable. |
orthodox | adhering to a traditional, established faith, or to anything customary or commonly accepted. |
outstrip | surpass, exceed; be larger or better than; leave behind. |
overshadow | cast a shadow over, darken; dominate, make to seem less important. |
paradox | contradiction, or seeming contradiction that is actually true. |
partial | biased, prejudiced, favoring one over others; having a special liking for something or someone (usually partial to). |
patent | obvious, apparent, plan to see; a letter from a government guaranteeing an inventor the rights to his or her invention. |
pathological | relating to or caused by disease; relating to compulsive bad behavior. |
patronizing | condescending, having a superior manner, treating as an inferior. |
peripheral | relating to or making up an outer boundary or region; not of primary importance, fringe. |
philanthropy | efforts to improve the well-being of humankind, generally through giving money. |