GRE vocabulary 2 (confusingly similar words)

jettison

discard, cast off throw items overboard in order to lighten a ship in an emergency

like throwing something out of a jet

Jingoism

Excessive, loud patriotism and aggressive, warlike foreign policy

jocular

Joking or given to joking all the time; jolly, playful

knell

The sound made by a bell for a funeral, or any sad sound or signal of a failure, death, ending, etc. (noun); to make such a sound (verb)

like kneel and bell

lachrymose

Tearful, mournful

like lacrimosa

laconic

Using few words, concise

la iconic

lampoon

A harsh satire (noun); ridicule or satirize (verb)

languid

Drooping from exhaustion, sluggish, slow; lacking in spirit

lassitude

Tiredness, weariness; lazy indifference

like lazy-tude or lax-itude

latent

Potential; existing but not visible or active

legerdemain

Slight-of-hand (magic as performed by a magician); trickery or deception

levy

Collect tax from, wage war on, or enlist for military service; (verb); act of collecting tax or amount owed, or the drafting of troops into military service (noun)

libertine

Morally or sxually unrestrained person; freethinker (regarding religion)

licentious

Sexually unrestrained; immoral; ignoring the rules

like lick-centious??

limpid

Clear, transparent; writing that is easy to understand

lympha (water)

lissome

Flexible, supple, agile

like lysosome

listless

Spiritless, lacking interest or energy

unable to make to-do lists

lugubrious

Mournful, gloomy (sometimes in an exaggerated way)

lurid

Gruesome or excessively vivid; sensational, shocking, unrestrained

like lucid but its getting “rid” of a body

machination

Crafty schemes or plots

like machine-izing everything in today’s world

maelstrom

Violent whirlpool; any chaotic, turbulent situation

“may” “storm”

magnanimous

High-minded, noble, lofty; generous in forgiving others, free of resentment

like magnificent

magnate

Very important or influential person, esp. in business

like magnet or magnificent … nate?

malinger

Pretend to be sick, esp. to get out of work, duties, etc

my mal (bad) is lingering

mar

Damage, spoil, ruin

martinet

Person who adheres to rules extremely closely; strict disciplinarian

(The word martinet comes from Jean Martinet, a strict 17th-century French army officer and inspector general under King Louis XIV)

maudlin

Excessively sentimental, showing sadness or some other emotion in a foolish or silly way

like m (awwwwwww) dlin

mendicant

Beggar, or religious follower who lives by begging

mercurial

Quickly and unpredictably changing moods; fickle, flighty

like when “mercury” is in retrograde

meretricious

Attractive in a vulgar or flashy way, tawdry; deceptive

“mere trick”ious

milieu

Environment, atmosphere; the environmental setting in which something happens or develops

mired

Stuck, entangled (in something, like a swamp or muddy area), soiled

mi red!

mirth

Jollity, merriment; amusement or laughter

mur hr hr hr (weird laugh)

missive

Letter, written message

easy to “miss”

modicum

A little bit or limited quantity

yk what… mod(erate) - cm

mores

Customs, manners, or morals of a particular group

the “more” to this group

morose

Gloomy, sullen

like morbid rose

multifarious

Diverse, having a lot of variety

myopic

Near-sighted; lacking long-term thinking, short-sighted

my optic…

nadir

Lowest point

“nahhh here”

neologism

New word or phrase (or a new meaning applied to an existing word or phrase)

neo (new) logic

neophyte

Beginner, novice; person newly converted to a religion

obdurate

Stubborn, hardhearted, hardened in wrongdoing

obstacle duration

oblique

Slanting or sloping; indirect, misleading, or evasive

like acting oblivious

obsequious

Servile, very compliant, fawning

“obse”ssion

obstinate

Stubborn or hard to control

like opp of abstain

obviate

Prevent, eliminate, or make unnecessary

occlude

Stop up, close, shut in or shut off

like exclude but kind of occult

officious

Excessively eager in giving unwanted advice or intruding where one is not wanted; meddlesome, pushy

like officials or school office

orotund