PowerScore GRE Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards for the GRE exam.

restive

nervous; restless; impatient with authority

reticent

inclined to keep quiet and private

revere

to regard with respect and awe

reviler

a person who uses abusive language

rhapsodize

to talk with great enthusiasm

rhetoric

skill in using language to persuade; empty talk

ribald

vulgar

rococo

ornate style in language, music, etc.

sacrosanct

sacred; not to be criticized or violated

sagacious

acutely insightful and wise

sage

a person who is very wise

salient

easily observable; prominent

salubrious

healthy; wholesome

sanctimonious

being hypocritically religious or righteous

sanguine

confidently optimistic and cheerful

sardonic

characterized by bitter mocking

satiate

to fill to satisfaction

schism

division of a group into opposing factions

scintillating

brilliantly clever or flashy and exciting

scoff

to laugh at and show open disrespect

scrupulous

abiding by morals or strict rules

sedition

instigation of rebellion

sedulous

marked by care and persistent effort

sentient

experiencing sense perception and consciousness

seraphic

of an angel or celestial being

sibilant

having a hissing sound

sinecure

a paid job with little work

slake

to relieve thirst, hunger, desire, etc.; to make less intense

sobriquet

a nickname

solecism

an error, especially in grammar

solicitous

anxious, eager, or worried

solvent

able to meet financial obligations

somnolent

sleepy or drowsy

sonorous

full and loud and deep, as a sound

sophistry

a false argument meant to trick someone

soporific

tending to make sleepy or drowsy

Spartan

strict; simple; serious

specious

1. plausible but false 2. deceptively pleasing

sportive

playful

spurious

false; not legitimate

squalid

filthy and repulsive

stasis

state of inaction or lack of progress

stentorian

very loud

stevedore

a laborer who loads and unloads vessels in a port

stifle

to stop or hold back

stigma

a mark of disgrace

stoic

free from emotion; unmoved

stolid

unemotional; unmoved

stricture

a criticism

stultify

to make one appear foolish, stupid, or useless

stymie

to stump or hinder

sublime

of high value; supreme

subterfuge

something intended to deceive

subtle

difficult to detect

subversive

supporting the overthrowing of a government

succinct

expressed in few words; concise

sully

to make dirty or unpure

supercilious

arrogantly disdainful

superfluous

having more than needed or wanted; excessive

supplant

to replace or take the place of

surfeit

surplus; extra

surly

bad tempered or rude

surreptitious

stealthy and secret

sybarite

a person devoted to luxury

symbiosis

a mutually beneficial relationship

sycophant

a person who flatters others in order to gain personal favor; a brown-noser

syncopated

to cut short; to accent beats that are not usually accented

tacit

unspoken and implied

taciturn

silent; not willing to talk

tawdry

gaudy and cheap

temerity

fearless daring

temperate

moderate; not extreme

tenacious

unyielding; stubborn

toady

a person who flatters others in order to gain personal favor; a brown-noser

tome

a long, heavy book

torpid

sluggish; lacking energy

transient

passing quickly or staying briefly

treacly

overly sweet or sentimental

trenchant

keen, cutting, or energetic

trite

repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse

truculence

brutal cruelty and aggressiveness

truncated

shortened by cutting off a part

turgid

pompous or swollen

turpitude

vile, shameful behavior

tyro

a beginner

ubiquitous

existing everywhere at once; omnipresent

umbrage

offense; displeasure

unctuous

unpleasantly and excessively suave

untenable

impossible to defend

upbraid

to criticize severely

usury

the practice of lending money at an extremely high interest rate

vacillate

to waver or move back and forth

vainglorious

feeling excessive self-importance or pride for one’s own accomplishments

venerated

highly respected

veracity

honesty; truthfulness

verbose

using or containing too many words

verdant

green with color or green with inexperience

verisimilitude

the appearance of truth; the quality of seeming to be true

vestige

a small trace

vicissitude

a change or variation