GRE Vocabulary Cartoons: B Words

badger

(verb) to pester, nag, annoy persistently

(verb) to annoy

baleful

(adj.) threatening harm; menacing

banal

(adj.) so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring

(adj.) unoriginal

Base

(adj.) low; mean

(adj.) lacking principles; morally wrong

Battery

(n.) - an assault or an array of similar things intended for use together

(noun) a large group of similar things

bauble

(noun) a small, inexpensive trinket

(noun) a small inexpensive piece of jewelry or toy

baying

(v) to shout or cry out loudly, often in anger

(verb) shouting

beatific

(adj.) blissfully happy

(adj.) extremely happy

beatify

to sanctify; to bless; to ascribe a virtue to

(verb) to bless; to make happy

becalm

(verb) to make calm or still; keep motionless by lack of wind

(verb) to calm someone down

bedlam

(noun) a state of uproar and confusion

beguile

(verb) To deceive; to charm; to enchant

(verb) To trick

behemoth

(n.) a creature of enormous size, power, or appearance

(noun) something huge

beleaguered

troubled with many problems

(adj.) in a very difficult situation

belied

(verb) contradicted

belittle

(verb) to make seem less important

bellicose

(adjective) eager to fight

syn: aggressive, combative, belligerent

Mneminic:
Bell (war) + cose (close)

bemoan

(verb) to express grief over something

Beneficence

Doing good or causing good to be done; kindly action

(noun) the quality of being kind and charitable

(noun) charitable

benign

(adj.) harmless

bereft

(adj.) deprived of; made unhappy through a loss

(adj.) deprived of

beseech

(verb) to beg

bifurcate

to divide into two parts

(verb) split in two

bilious

(adj.) bad tempered

blase

(adj.) indifferent, bored as a result of having enjoyed many pleasures; apathetic

blithe

cheerful, lighthearted; casual, unconcerned

(adj.) lighthearted

bloviated

(verb) was wordy/windy when speaking

(verb) being wordy/windy when speaking

(verb) wordy speaking

bludgeon

(verb) to hit forcefully

bonhomie

(noun) Friendliness, open and simple good heartedness

(noun) Friendliness

boon

a gift or blessing

(noun) a benefit

boor

crude person, one lacking manners or taste

(noun) a bad-mannered person

bowdlerize

(v.) to remove material considered offensive (from a book, play, film, etc.)

(verb) to cut all the offensive parts of a book

bravado

false bravery; a boastful display of courage

(noun) a false show of bravery

brazen

(adj.) shameless

(adj.) shamelessly bold

brevity

briefness; short duration

(noun) shortness of duration

Bromide

a cliche or tired saying

(noun) cliche

brusque

(adj.) abrupt, blunt, with no formalities

(adj.) abrupt

bucolic

pertaining to the countryside; rural; rustic

(adj.) rural

bugbear

something causing fear

(noun) something to fear

bulwark

(n.) a strong defense or protection, a solid wall-like structure for defense; (v.) to provide such defense or protection

(noun) a defensive wall

bumptious

offensively self-assertive; excessively and arrogantly self-confident

(adj.) assertive in a loud, arrogant way

(adj.) self-asserting

bungle

(v.) to act or work clumsily and awkwardly; to ruin something through clumsiness

(v.) to screw up

Mnemonic: jungle (if you end up in a jungle then you are screwed up)

buoyant

(adj.) happy and confident

(adj.) happy

burdensome

(adj.) causing difficulty or worry

(adj.) difficult

(adj.) oppressive

burgeoning

expanding or growing rapidly

(adj.) growing

(adj.) increasing

buttress

(noun) a support

bygone

(adj, n) past, former (adj); that which is in the past (usually plural noun)

(adj.) past

Byzantine

extremely intricate or complicated in structure.

(adj.) complicated