Gre Vocab: Common Words 4

Precocious

Mature beyond one’s age, typically in respect to mental abilites, talents, or skills

preeminent

a step above others; distinguished, renowned

prescience

knowledge of events before they happen

presentiment

a feeling or impression that something is about to happen

prevaricate

to use ambiguous language for the purpose of decieving

proclivity

natural inclination

prodigal

wasteful or lavish

prodigious

immense

prodigy

a person, usually a child, having extraordinary talent

profound

deep, significant

prognosticate

to predict something in the future

proliferate

to grow rapidly

propensity

natural inclination

prophetic

ability to predict the future

propitious

presenting favorable conditions

prosaic

commonplace or dull

protean

changeable in shape or form

prudence

cautious wisdom

puerile

childish

pugnacious

quarrelsome or combative

pungent

stinging; sharp in taste or smell

pusillanimous

cowardly, fainthearted

qualms

misgivings; uneasy fears

quibble

minor objection or complaint

quiescence

being quiet or still; inactivity

quintessential

the perfect representation of something

quixotic

idealistic; romantic to a ridiculous degree

recant

to formally withdraw a statement

recidivism

the tendency toward repeated or habitual relapse

recondite

beyond ordinary knowledge or understanding; profound

redress

to set right by compensation or punishment

refutation

an act of disproving a statement or charge

refute

to disprove

repose

the state of being at rest

reprobate

a sinful and depraved person

repudiate

to refuse to have anything to do with

rescind

to repeal revoke or void

resilience

the ability to recover froma asetback

respite

interval of restresti

restive

impationt or stubborn

reticent

reluctant or inclined to silence

reverent

respectful

rhetoric

the art of effective communication

rout

to drive out; stampede

rueful

causing sorrow or pity

ruminate

to chew over and over agiain, to think over, ponder

sagacious

wise

salacious

lustful, sexually indecent

salubrious

healthful

sanction

to approve; in legal circles, a law that enacts a penalty for disobedience or a reward for obedience

sanguine

cheerfully confident;optimistic; bloody, ruddy, or reddish

satiate

to satisfy or fulfill the appetite or desire of

savor

to enjoy fully

scanty

scarce in quantity or amount

secrete

to hide away

security

safety

sedulous

persistent in effort or endeavor

seethe

to be in a state of excitement or agitation

seminal

influencing future developmentsshar

shard

fragmentsh

shirk

to avoids

shoddy

not genuine; inferior

sinuous

curving in and out

skeptic

doubter

skepticism

doubt or disbelief

skittish

lively, restless

slander

defamation

slothful

slow moving, lazy

solecism

a minor mistake in grammar or usage, a breach of good manners

solicitous

worried or concerned; eager to recieve approval from others

sonorous

loud, deep, or resonant, as a sound

soporific

causing sleep

spate

a sudden, almost overwhelming outpouring

specious

seemingly reasonable but incorrect

spendthrift

someone who wastes money

spurious

not genuine

stentorian

extremely loud

stigma

a token of disgrace

stint

a period of time (noun); to be thrifty (verb)

stipulate

to make specific conditions

stoic

lacking in emotional response, expecially with pain or adversity

stolid

dull; impassive

stratify

to form or place in layers

striated

marked with parallel bandss

strut

a pompous walk

sublime

supreme or outstanding; elevated

subterfuge

evasion

supercilious

showing careless contempt; arrogant

superfluous

more than what’s needed

supersede

to replace or supplant

supine

lying on one’s back face upward

sybarite

a person devoted to luxury and pleasure

sycophant

a self-seeking, servile flatterer

tacit

understood

taciturn

stern, silent

tangential

only slightly connected or related

tantamount

equivalent in significance, effect or value

tawdry

showy, in a cheap way

temerity

recklessness

tempestuous

stormy, impassioned