GRE Vocabulary Cartoons: F Words

fabricate

(v.) to make, manufacture; to make up, invent

(verb) to make up in order to deceive

facetious

(adj.) humorous, not meant seriously

fallacious

(adj.) based on false or faulty reasoning

Mnemonic:

Fall +acious

Think:

A fallacious argument "falls apart" under scrutiny.

If an argument falls when you examine it, it's fallacious.

Fallacious = False reasoning.

fallible

capable of error

(adj.) capable of making an error

fanatic

(adj.) one who is extremely devoted to a cause or idea

farce

(n.) a play filled with ridiculous or absurd happenings; broad or far-fetched humor; a ridiculous sham

(noun) absurd far-fetched comedy play

fastidious

(adj.) very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail

(adj.) concerned about accuracy

fatuous

(adj.) stupid or foolish in a self-satisfied way

fawning

gaining the favor of another by acting overly kind or by using flattery

(verb) kissing up to, ass kissing

feckless

(adj.) lacking in spirit and strength; ineffective, weak; irresponsible, unreliable

(adj.) worthless

fecund

1. (adj.) fertile, fruitful in offspring or vegetation

2. (adj.) intellectually productive

feign

to pretend

(verb) to fake

felicity

(noun) happiness

ferret

v. to search or drive out

(verb) to bring to light, to uncover

fervor

(noun) passion

festoon

(verb) to decorate

fetid

having a foul odor

(adj.) bad-smelling

fiasco

(n.) the complete collapse or failure of a project

(noun) failure

filial

(adj.) of or like a son or daughter

(adj.) like a son or daughter

Mnemonic: Fill the parents' cup

Think:

A child fills their parents' glass with water, helps them with chores, and takes care of them.

A child showing love and duty to their parents is showing filial devotion.

Filial = Child's love and duty toward parents.

finagle

(verb) to use trickery to get what one wants

finicky

(adj.) Difficult to please

(adj.) picky

Mnemonic: Fin + City

Imagine a city where only fish are allowed.

Every fish is incredibly picky:

• "This water is too warm."

• "These rocks aren't smooth enough."

• "I only eat this one type of seaweed."

The entire Fin City is full of fussy, hard-to-please fish.

Fin City → Finicky → Picky/Fussy

Even stronger version

Imagine the Mayor of Fin City is a fish who inspects everything:

• "This coral is the wrong color."

• "These bubbles are too big."

• "The water isn't exactly 24°C."

Everyone says:

"The fish from Fin City is so finicky!"

fitful

(adj.) irregular, intermittent

flagrant

(adj.) extremely bad, glaring; scandalous, notorious

fleeting

(adj.) short-lived

flippant

(adj.) lacking in seriousness; disrespectful, saucy

(adj.) lacking respect or seriousness

flouted

(verb) openly disregard (a rule, law or convention).

(verb) treated without respect

florid

(adj.) highly colored, reddish; excessively ornate, showy

(adj.) overly decorated; reddish

flotsam

(noun) floating debris

flounder

to thrash about in a clumsy or ineffective way

(verb) to act clumsily or ineffectively

flourish

(verb) to thrive, to grow well

(verb) to thrive

fluctuate

(verb) To change continually; to move up and down

flummoxed

(adj.) confused

foible

(noun) a minor weakness in character

foment

stir up; incite; instigate; promote the growth of (something evil or unpleasant)

(verb) to encourage the growth of (something evil or unpleasant)

forage

to search for food or provisions

1. (verb) to search for food

2. (noun) food

3. (noun) a search

forbearance

(noun) patience

foreground

(verb) to highlight

forestall

(verb) to prevent; delay

formidable

inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large, powerful, intense, or capable

(adj.) worthy, respectable

fortitude

(noun) courage in facing difficulties

fortuitous

(adj.) lucky

fracas

a noisy quarrel or brawl

(noun) a noisy brawl

fractious

(adj.) tending to be troublesome; unruly, quarrelsome, contrary; unpredictable

(adj.) quarrelsome

fraternize

(verb) to be friendly with

frenetic

(adj.) wildly excited or active

froward

stubbornly contrary; obstinately disobedient

(adj.) stubbornly disobedient

frugal

(adj.) thrifty; economical in money matters

(adj.) inclined to save money

fruition

the attainment or completion of something desired

(noun) a production result

fudge

(verb) to fake or falsify

fulsome

(adj.) so excessive as to be disgusting

(adj.) abundant, sometimes disgustingly so

funereal

sad; solemn; suitable for a funeral

(adj.) sad; like a funeral

furor

an uproar; a state of great anger or excitement

(noun) an outburst of rage or excitement

(noun) public uproar

Mnemonic : Fur + OR

Imagine:

A person wears a fur coat, and OR (suddenly) everyone starts shouting in protest because it's made from real animal fur.

The public outrage that follows is furor.

Furor = Public uproar or outrage.

furtive

(adj.) done by stealth

(adj.) secret, stealthy, sneaky