gre vocab mountain

austere

• (of a person) strict and stern in character

• (of living conditions) lacking luxury; extremely harsh

capricious

having varying moods; fickle

congenial

(of a person) likable and friendly, often due to shared interests

(of a thing) enjoyable because it aligns with one's tendencies

conspicuous

easily noticed; obvious

usher's yeah -- in the club looking so conspicuous (easily noticed). REMEMBER inconspicuous

cursory

lacking effort; without care

I cursed myself and was sorry after I didn't notice the huge dent in my new car (I only gave a cursory glance at the dealership)

didactic

meant for teaching; educational, sometimes in a condescending manner

flout

break a rule without guilt

insipid

without flavor; lacking energy

misanthropic

having a distaste for humans and society

obsequious

excessively submissive to authority

a kiss ass; slaves were expected to be obsequious people; samuel l jackson in d'jango

proclivity

a fondness or liking for something

puerile

immature and childish

before puberty -- pure/innocent like a child

quixotic

excessively visionary; unfeasible (idealistic)

exotic but further -- out of this world; unrealistic; impractical

spendthrift

someone who spends money recklessly

taciturn

of few words; speaking little (take ur turn)

alacrity

eagerness to do something

electricity -- excitement

ameliorate

improve a bad feeling or bad situation

amenable

(of a person) receptive to change; open

audacious

bold; unafraid of risks; rude

avaricious

greedy; always wanting more

banal

unoriginal and dull; lacking creativity

calumny

slander and defamation

column calamity (tabloids)

castigate

scold someone harshly (speech)

caustic

(of speech) hostile and bitter, mordant

toxic, corrosive

construe

understand something wrong

contrite

feeling regretful or guilty; rueful

covet

strongly desire; yearn for

craven

lacking bravery; weak-kneed

demur

hesitate or object; express doubt

desiccate

dry out; remove all moisture; desert-cate

ingenuous

naive and lacking experience

abate

decrease in intensity; lessen

rebate — abate price

abjure

strongly reject (an idea); forgo

renounce

antipathy

profound hostility or hatred

arcane

esoteric, enigmatic, comprehended by very few people; secret; recondite

artless

naive; inexperienced

ingenuous, callow

plain and simple

ascetic

austere

(of a lifestyle) very strict and lacking luxury

assuage

decrease a negative feeling

mitigate

fulfill a desire

bucolic

associated with tranquil rural life

censure

strongly criticize or disapprove

condemn chastise castigate

chicanery

using deception to attain a certain goal

duplicity subterfuge

coalesce

bring elements together; unite

merge

cogent

clear compelling

desultory

unplanned; without enthusiasm

diffident

reserved or shy; without confidence

dilatory

slow and unhurried; meant to stall

dilly dally

equivocate

speak evasively or dishonestly; avoid taking a stance

prodigal

carelessly wasteful; extravagant

a person who is excessively wasteful

approbation

appreciation toward someone

disparate

different or contrasting

enervate

sap the energy out of someone; fatigue

ephemeral

extremely shortlasting

fervid

excessively energetic or eager

garrulous

tending to talk too much; wordy

incendiary

provocative; causing conflict

inimical

damaging; hostile in manner or tone

intimate

subtly suggest or imply

insinuate

paradigmatic

representing the standard example

pedantic

overly concerned with (minor) details

placid

calm; free from activity or irritation

lake placid

polemical

giving a strong, controversial opinion

precipitate

cause to happen

done quickly or suddenly

profundity

great wisdome or intellegence; sagacity, percipience, acuity, prudent

prudent

wise in decision-making

punctilious

highly concerned with details or manners

pedantic, scrupulous

recondite

obscure and difficult to understand

arcane, esoteric, enigmatic

scrupulous

careful with details

possessing moral integrity

vacillate

go back and forth with one's view

aloof

not warm or friendly; impersonal

standoffish

clangor

a disturbingly loud noise

diminutive

exceptionally small in size or stature

discernible

able to be recognized or understood

enigmatic

hard to understand; mysterious

recondite, arcane, esoteric

fanciful

highly imaginative; unrealistic

quixotic

frivolous

lacking in seriousness or importance; silly

imperious

having an arrogant or domineering manner

impertinent

disrespectful or inappropriate

irrelevant or unrelated to something

lax

not diligent or careful; casual

panached

a stylish and confident manner

plodding

moving slowly or laboriously

prosaic

straightforward; unoriginal; unimaginative

restive

demonstrating difficulty in staying still

utterly

completely and without exception

affectation

a pretense or show meant to impress others

dissemble

hide or misrepresent one's true feelings or beliefs

dogged

demonstrating tenacity and an unwillingness to give up

engender

produce or stimulate the development of something

illicite, induce

pertinacious

stubbornly holding onto a belief or course of action

probity

the characteristic of having strong ethical standards

scrupulous

specious

seemingly reasonable but actually wrong

misleading fallacious

spurious

not genuine; bogus

timorous

displaying nervousness; lacking confidence

diffident timid

tortuous

marked by numerous twists or turns

overly complicated and long

undulating winding sinuous convoluted

tractable

easily managed or controlled (amenable)

easy to solve or handle

think retractible

transient

not lasting, enduring, or permanent; transitory

venal

open to bribery or corruption

dearth

lack of something in a particular area

birth deart

indefatigable

highly determined; resistent to tiring out

indolent

habitually lazy; averse to activity

lackadaisical

intransigent

refusing to compromise; stubborn