GRE prep

prudence

(n.) cautious, circumspect (After losing a fortune in a stock market crash, my father vowed to practice greater prudence in future investments.)

eschew

deliberately avoid using, to shun

conciliate

To overcome the distrust or animosity of; appease, to renew a friendship

reconcile

(v.) to restore to friendship; to settle; to resign, to return to harmony

capricious

Impulsive and unpredictable. Given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior

esoteric

(adj.) intended for or understood by only a select few, private, secret

dilatory

(adj.) tending to delay or procrastinate, not prompt; intended to delay or postpone

mollify

(v.) to soften, make gentle, pacify; to calm, allay (as an emotion), assuage, appease, placate; to reduce in intensity

denigrate

criticize unfairly; disparage (v.) to belittle, diminish the opinion of (The company decided that its advertisements would no longer denigrate the company's competitors.)

covet

greatly desired (v) to desire something belonging to another

resent

to feel angry or bitter at something

grandiose

(adj.) on a magnificent or exaggerated scale, grand in an impressive or stately way; absurdly exaggerated; extravagantly

sporadic

(adj.) occurring at irregular intervals, having no set plan or order

vacillate

To sway physically; to be indecisive (v.) to swing indecisively from one idea or course of action to another; to waver weakly in mind or will

pragmatic

Dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations practical, as opposed to idealistic

perpetrate

To commit, as a crime or other antisocial act

contemplate

to look at or think about carefully; to consider as a possibility

attune

to bring into harmony to cause (a person, company, etc.) to have a better understanding of what is needed or wanted by a particular person or group

lexicographer

n. a person who writes or compiles dictionaries

deliberation

long and careful consideration or discussion

favela

a slum community in a Brazilian city

rasher

A thin slice of bacon

dilapidation

The condition of being run-down or in need of repairs

lucubration

(n.) laborious study or thought, especially at night; the result of such work, meditation

enamor

(v.) to fill with love, fascinate, usually used in passive form followed by "of" or "with"

enchant

(v.) to please greatly; to charm, put under a magic spell

truculent

(adj.) fierce and cruel; aggressive; deadly, destructive; scathingly harsh, ready to fight

impediment

(n.) a physical defect; a hindrance, obstacle

cacophony

A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds, tremendous noise, disharmonious sound

circumvent

(v.) to get around, To circle AROUND and therefore bypass; to avoid by artful maneuvering

palled

becoming boring or uninteresting

voluptuous

full of, characterized by, or ministering to indulgence in luxury, pleasure, and sensuous enjoyment; directed toward or concerned with sensuous enjoyment or sensual pleasure.

surreptitious

(adj.) stealthy, secret, intended to escape observation; made or accomplished by fraud

inimical

(adj.) hostile, enemylike (adj.) tending to cause harm or obstruct developments; being oppositional or adverse

persistent

refusing to give up or let go; preserving obstinately.

pertinacious

(adj.) stubbornly persistent (Harry's parents were frustrated with his pertinacious insistence that a monster lived in his closet. Then they opened the closet door and were eaten.)

apathetic

(adj.) lacking concern, emotion; indifferent

traversty

A false or distorted representation a grotesque or shameful imitation; a mockery; a perversion

perversion

corruption; turning from right to wrong (n.) the alteration of something from its original course, meaning, or state to a distortion or corruption of what was first intended.

beckon

to signal or summon, as by nodding or waving

extemporaneous

Done without preparation (esp. of a speech), or with some preparation but no notes; improvised, done on the spur of the moment

impromptu

(adj., adv.) without preparation, offhand, suddenly or hastily done; (n.) an extemporaneous composition or remark; a minimal piece suggestive of improvisation

reprobate

(n) a depraved, vicious, or unprincipled person, scoundrel; (adj.) wicked, corrupt, or unprincipled; (v.) to disapprove of, condemnexpress or feel disapproval of.

loquacious

(adj.) talkative, wordy; fond of talking

pulverize

(v.) to ground or pound to a powder or dust; to destroy or overcome (as though by smashing into fragments)

insouciance

nonchalance or a lack of concern

acclaim

(n.) high praise (Greg's excellent poem won the acclaim of his friends.) accolade (n.) high praise, special distinction (Everyone offered accolades to Sam after he won the Noble Prize.)

oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.

retrospective

(adj, n) looking to the past or backward; applying to the past, retroactive (adj); an art exhibit of an artist's work over a long period of time (n)

tirade

(n.) a long, angry speech, usually very critical

panacea

(n.) a remedy for all ills; cure-all; an answer to all problems

panache

(n.) a confident and stylish manner, dash; a strikingly elaborate or colorful display

paean

a song or hymn of praise and thanksgiving

elegy

a poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead.

harried

adj: troubled persistently especially with petty annoyance feeling strained as a result of having demands persistently made on one; harassed

besiege

surround with armed forces; harass (with requests); annoy continually Attack, overwhelm, crowd in on or surround

fete

A party or festival, especially one held out of doors. to honor or entertain (someone) lavishly

hobble

verb: to hold back the progress of something. "Bad weather has hobbled rescue efforts.

hamstring

cripple (a person or animal) by cutting their hamstrings.

dither

Act indecisively (verb); a state of fear or trembling excitement to be indecisive

prevarication

a false or deliberate misstatement; lie. the act of not telling the truth by not directly answering a question

ubiquitous

(adj) existing everywhere at the same time

disconcerting

upsetting, frustrating, distracting

boosterish

supporting or promoting something enthusiastically, and often uncritically.

jingoism

belligerent support of one's country

belligerent

(adj.) given to fighting, warlike; combative, aggressive; (n.) one at war, one engaged in war Hostile, Aggressive, Quarrelsome

insipid

lacking interest or flavor, boring

affable

(adj.) courteous and pleasant, sociable, easy to speak to friendly

churlish

(adj.) lacking politeness or good manners; lacking sensitivity; difficult to work with or deal with; rude

wane

(v.) to lose size, strength, or power to decrease in size, dwindle

fiasco

a complete, ridiculous failure, debacle, a major disaster

predilection

A preference or special liking for something; a bias in favor of something

odium

(n.) hatred, contempt; disgrace or infamy resulting from hateful conduct

probity

(n.) virtue, integrity integrity, strong moral principle

benevolence

kindness, generosity, charity

precocity

manifesting or characterized by unusually early development or maturity, especially in mental aptitude

parsimony

(n.) frugality, stinginess (Many relatives believed that my aunt's wealth resulted from her parsimony.)

ignoble

having low moral standards; not noble in character; mean

semblence

the outward appearance or apparent form of something, especially when the reality is different

deleterious

(adj.) harmful destructive, detrimental

commandeer

take (private property) for military use without needing permission or giving payment; draft for military purposes

appropriate

(v.) to take, make use of (The government appropriated the farmer's land without justification.)

extradite

deport from one country back to the home country

interdict

to forbid or stop the activities or entry of prohibition; an order forbidding something to be done

censure

Strong disapproval or official reprimand (n); to issue such disapproval or reprimand (v)

timorous

(adj.) timid, fearful timid by nature or revealing fear and nervousnes

timid

hesitant; lacking in courage or boldness

cow

(v.) to crouch or shrink away from in fear or shame

reticent

(adj) not talking much; private (of a person), restrained, reserved

turgid

(adj.) swollen, bloated, filled to excess; overdecorated or excessive in language

intractable

Stubborn (adj.) difficult to manipulate, unmanageable

aberrant

deviating from what is normal or expected

poised

(adj., part.) balanced, suspended; calm, controlled; ready for action

lacklustre

Lacking in vitality, force, or conviction; uninspired or uninspiring, dull, uninspiring, likeless

decorous

Behaving with propriety and good taste; polite

astute

(adj.) shrewd, crafty, showing practical wisdom

antiquated

(adj.) old, out of date (That antiquated car has none of the features, like power windows and steering, that make modern cars so great.)

punctilious

(adj.) very careful and exact, attentive to fine points of etiquette or propriety, Paying strict attention to detail; extremely careful

acrimony

(n.) bitterness, discord (Though they vowed that no girl would ever come between them, Biff and Trevor could not keep acrimony from overwhelming their friendship after they both fell in love with the lovely Teresa.), angry

benignant

kindly and benevolent, favorable, beneficial