GRE PART 1
etiolated
adj. (especially of plants) developed without chlorophyll by being deprived of light
effervescent
adj. (of a liquid) giving off bubbles; marked by high spirits or excitement; used of wines and waters; charged naturally or artificially with carbon dioxide
newfangled
adj. (of a new kind or fashion) gratuitously new
rampant
adj. (of a plant) having a lush and unchecked growth; unrestrained and violent
discursive
adj. (of e.g. speech and writing) tending to depart from the main point or cover a wide range of subjects; proceeding to a conclusion by reason or argument rather than intuition
turbid
adj. (of especially liquids) clouded as with sediment
calamitous
adj. (of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin
uncultivated
adj. (of land or fields) not prepared for raising crops; characteristic of a person who is not cultivated or does not have intellectual tastes; (of persons) lacking art or knowledge
motile
adj. (of spores or microorganisms) capable of movement; noun one whose prevailing mental imagery takes the form of inner feelings of action
tremulous
adj. (of the voice) quivering as from weakness or fear
susceptible
adj. (often followed by `of' or `to') yielding readily to or capable of; easily impressed emotionally
detrimental
adj. (sometimes followed by `to') causing harm or injury
sere
adj. (used especially of vegetation) having lost all moisture
conversant
adj. (usually followed by `with') well informed about or knowing thoroughly
turgid
adj. abnormally distended especially by fluids or gas; ostentatiously lofty in style
toothsome
adj. acceptable to the taste or mind; having strong sexual appeal; extremely pleasing to the sense of taste
sapient
adj. acutely insightful and wise
demure
adj. affectedly modest or shy especially in a playful or provocative way
credible
adj. appearing to merit belief or acceptance; capable of being believed; a common but incorrect usage where `credulous' would be appropriate
risible
adj. arousing or provoking laughter
stilted
adj. artificially formal
cunning
adj. attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness; showing inventiveness and skill; marked by skill in deception; noun crafty artfulness (especially in deception); shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in deception
scotch
adj. avoiding waste; of or relating to or characteristic of Scotland or its people or culture or its English dialect or Gaelic language; noun whiskey distilled in Scotland; especially whiskey made from malted barley in a pot still; a slight surface cut (especially a notch that is made to keep a tally); verb make a small cut or score into; hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of
conjectural
adj. based primarily on surmise rather than adequate evidence
pivotal
adj. being of crucial importance
coterminous
adj. being of equal extent or scope or duration
divine
adj. being of such surpassing excellence as to suggest inspiration by the gods; emanating from God; being or having the nature of a god; appropriate to or befitting a god; devoted to or in the service or worship of a deity; resulting from divine providence; noun terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God; a clergyman or other person in religious orders; verb search by divining, as if with a rod; perceive intuitively or through some inexplicable perceptive powers
vernacular
adj. being or characteristic of or appropriate to everyday language; noun the everyday speech of the people (as distinguished from literary language); a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves)
strident
adj. being sharply insistent on being heard; unpleasantly loud and harsh; of speech sounds produced by forcing air through a constricted passage (as `f', `s', `z', or `th' in both `thin' and `then'); conspicuously and offensively loud; given to vehement outcry
cynical
adj. believing the worst of human nature and motives; having a sneering disbelief in e.g. selflessness of others
objective
adj. belonging to immediate experience of actual things or events; undistorted by emotion or personal bias; based on observable phenomena; emphasizing or expressing things as perceived without distortion of personal feelings, insertion of fictional matter, or interpretation; serving as or indicating the object of a verb or of certain prepositions and used for certain other purposes; noun the lens or system of lenses in a telescope or microscope that is nearest the object being viewed; the goal intended to be attained (and which is believed to be attainable)
sectarian
adj. belonging to or characteristic of a sect; of or relating to or characteristic of a sect or sects; noun a member of a sect
wry
adj. bent to one side; humorously sarcastic or mocking
inestimable
adj. beyond calculation or measure
ludicrous
adj. broadly or extravagantly humorous; resembling farce; incongruous; inviting ridicule
crestfallen
adj. brought low in spirit
deliberate
adj. by conscious design or purpose; marked by careful consideration or reflection; with care and dignity; produced or marked by conscious design or premeditation; carefully thought out in advance; verb discuss the pros and cons of an issue; think about carefully; weigh
objectionable
adj. causing disapproval or protest; liable to objection or debate; used of something one might take exception to
disquieting
adj. causing mental discomfort
slatternly
adj. characteristic of or befitting a slut or slattern; used especially of women
worldly
adj. characteristic of or devoted to the temporal world; concerned with secular rather than sacred matters; very sophisticated especially because of surfeit; versed in the ways of the world
distaff
adj. characteristic of or peculiar to a woman; noun the staff on which wool or flax is wound before spinning; the sphere of work by women
earnest
adj. characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions; not distracted by anything unrelated to the goal; earnest; noun something of value given by one person to another to bind a contract
totalitarian
adj. characterized by a government in which the political authority exercises absolute and centralized control; of or relating to the principles of totalitarianism according to which the state regulates every realm of life; noun an adherent of totalitarian principles or totalitarian government
diligent
adj. characterized by care and perseverance in carrying out tasks; quietly and steadily persevering especially in detail or exactness
dissident
adj. characterized by departure from accepted beliefs or standards; disagreeing, especially with a majority; noun a person who dissents from some established policy
conscientious
adj. characterized by extreme care and great effort; guided by or in accordance with conscience or sense of right and wrong
anesthetic
adj. characterized by insensibility; noun a drug that causes temporary loss of bodily sensations
jocose
adj. characterized by jokes and good humor
ironic
adj. characterized by often poignant difference or incongruity between what is expected and what actually is; humorously sarcastic or mocking
utopian
adj. characterized by or aspiring to impracticable perfection; of or pertaining to or resembling a utopia; of or pertaining to or resembling a utopia; noun an idealistic (but usually impractical) social reformer