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Themed Lists - Compound Words

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Benighted (adj.)

If the sky darkens, and becomes night, it is, unsurprisingly, benighted. However, if a people are benighted (this word is usually reserved for the collective), that group falls in a state of ignorance. This latter definition is more common. Far from being a period of utter benightedness, The Medieval Ages produced some inestimable works of theological speculation.

Beatific (adj.) vs. Beautiful (adj.)

A beatific person is one who radiates bliss. This person is so happy, they almost seem blessed and holy (think of a saint, or the Buddha). As for beautiful, well you may be beatific if you are beautiful, or you may be totally unhappy. The two words are totally unrelated. Marred by the ravages of time, the idols were hardly beautiful, yet each seemed to emanate a beatific aura that not even 500 years could diminish.

Aberration (n.)

A deviation from what is normal or expected: this word is tinged with a negative connotation. For instance, in psychology there is a subset of behavior known as aberrant behavior. So, basically, if you're narcissistic, psychotic, or just plain old cuckoo, you are demonstrating aberrant behavior. Aberrations in climate have become the norm: rarely a week goes by without some meteorological phenomenon makes headlines.

Diatribe (n.)

A diatribe is a strong verbal attack against someone or something. The victim of a diatribe is typically some organization, whether it be the FDA, the government, or, in this case, Wall Street. It is understood that the person unleashing the diatribe is angry. Steve's mom launched into a diatribe during the PTA meeting, contending that the school was little more than a daycare in which students stare at the wall and teachers stare at the chalkboard.

Ferret (v.)

A ferret is a tiny weasel, one that moves so quickly that it is used to catch rabbits. Apparently it has a knack for digging our long-eared friend out of their burrows. Unlike some of the verbs above, the verb form of ferret aptly fits the animal—to ferret means to search for something persistently. Usually the verb is coupled with a preposition as in, "ferret something out" or "ferret around". Ever the resourceful lexicographer, Fenton was able to ferret out the word origin of highly obscure GRE words.

Anathema (n.)

A few hundred years ago, many ran afoul of the church, and excommunications (and worse) were typical reprisals. If such was the case, the Pope actually uttered a formal curse against a person. This curse was called the anathema. Today this word, in addition to a broader scope, has taken a twist. If something is anathema, he, she, or it is the source of somebody's hate. The verb form of the word, anathematize, still carries the old meaning of to curse. Hundreds of years ago, Galileo was anathema to the church; today the church is anathema to some on the left side of the political spectrum.

Hound (v.)

A hound usually rears its head in movies in which the bad guy is on the lam. Or I take that back—the hound usually drops its head to the ground, sniffing out the bad guy as he crosses treacherous terrain. Unsurprisingly, the verb form of hound is to pursue relentlessly. An implacable foe of corruption, Eliot Ness hounded out graft in all forms—he even helped nab Al Capone.

Palimpsest (n.)

A long time ago, even before the days when email was popular, people wrote on scrolls. Apparently papyrus wasn't affordable so scribes reused the same scroll over again, writing on top of what had gone before. By extension, any writing material that has been written on numerous times, so that the vague traces of previous writing can be seen, is a palimpsest. A poorly erased chalkboard, the manically edited essays of my high school days. More broadly speaking, a palimpsest can refer to anything that has been changed numerous times but on which traces of former iterations can still be seen. The downtown was a palimpsest of the city's checkered past: a new Starbucks had opened up next to an abandoned, shuttered building, and a freshly asphalted road was inches away from a pothole large enough to swallow a house pet.

platitude

A shallow, overused statement; cliche

Pittance (n.)

A small amount of money, pittance carries with it a negative connotation: a pittance is inadequate and will do little to take care of one's costs. Vinny's uncle beamed smugly about how he'd offered his nephew fifty dollars for his Harvard tuition; even twice the amount would have been a mere pittance.

Candid (adj.)

A straightforward and honest look at something is a candid one. Many great photographers have created enduring work because they turned their respective lens on what is real. Whether these photos are from the Dust Bowl, the Vietnam War, or the Arab Winter, they move us because they reveal how people felt at a certain moment. A person can also be candid if they are being honest and straightforward with you. Even with a perfect stranger, Charles was always candid and would rarely hold anything back.

Tirade (n.)

A tirade is an angry speech, one that suggests the person giving the tirade has become a little too angry, and should probably dismount the soapbox. In terms of political change, a tirade oftentimes does little more than make the person speaking red in the face.

Factitious (adj.)

A tricky word, to say the least. When I preface a word by saying it's tricky, you can bet that the word's definition is not what you would expect. Factitious is no exception, in that it does not relate to fact. Indeed, factitious is almost the opposite of fact. Factitious means artificial, not natural. A laugh can be factitious. A gesture. Your alacrity on the first day of a new job. Factitious can also be used literally to refer to something artificial. The houseplant that never needs watering, for instance. A good synonym for factitious—and a word people use frequently—is phony. The defendant's story was largely factitious and did not accord with eyewitness testimonies.

Heyday (n.)

About two of the most ordinary words I can think of, and how someone who is generally apathetic might greet the morning. Put them together, and you get something far more exciting. Heyday is the pinnacle, or top, of a person, time period or career. During the heyday of Prohibition, bootlegging had become such a lucrative business that many who had been opposed to the 18th Amendment began to fear it would be repealed.

ascetic

Abstinent or austere in lifestyle (adj); a person who leads an austere and simple life without material pleasures, esp. someone who does this for religious reasons

Acrimony (n.)

Acrimony means bitterness and ill will. Don't forget the adjective form, acrimonious, which describes relationships filled with bitterness and ill will. The acrimonious dispute between the president and vice-president sent an unequivocal signal to voters: the health of the current administration was imperiled.

Ambiguous (adj.)

Ambiguous means open to more than one interpretation. Let's say I have two friends, Bob and Paul. If I tell you that he is coming to my house today, then that is ambiguous. Who do I mean? Paul or Bob? The coach told his team, "Move towards that side of the field"; because he did not point, his directions were ambiguous, and the team had no idea to which side he was referring.

Amenable (adj.)

Amenable means easily persuaded. If someone is cooperative and goes along with the program, so to speak, that person is amenable. Amenable can also be used in the medical sense: if a disease is amenable to treatment, that disease can be treated. Even though she did not like bad weather, Shirley was generally amenable and decided to accompany her brother to the picinc.

Amiable (adj.)

Amiable means friendly. It is very similar to amicable, another common GRE word. Amicable, however, does not refer to a person the way that amiable does, but rather refers to relationships between people. You'll notice that amicable is, therefore, the opposite of acrimonious (see below). Amy's name was very apt: she was so amiable that she was twice voted class president.

Amalgam (n.)

An amalgam, in the chemistry sense, is an alloy made of mercury and some other metal (formerly used, before the health scare, as part of our dental fillings). Generally speaking, an amalgam is a mixture of two or more things. The band's music was an amalgam of hip-hop and jazz.

Eponyms

An eponym is any word that is derived from a person's name. English is one of the most promiscuous languages, absorbing languages as unrelated as Sanskrit and Finnish into its bulging lexicon. By extension, I'd also warn against relying on Latin/Greek roots to figure out what unfamiliar words mean. Thwarting a root-based approach even more is the fact that English not only takes from any language it stumbles across, but that it blithely appropriates a person's name, trimming a few letters here and there (adding the Latin -ian, or -esque for true mongrel effect), and then begets a Franken-word that would confound the most seasoned etymologist. Adapting a name in such a fashion results in an eponym. What makes eponyms fascinating—and even more random—is that just about anyone can bequeath the world his or her name: a fictional anti-hero who thought windmills were dragons; a jingoistic veteran of Napoleon's army; an author with a penchant for absurdity, and an aversion to bureaucracy. Of course, for GRE purposes we do not need to know that a jeroboam is a massive wine bottle named for an ancient Israeli king (who apparently was quite the wino). So I have culled from a list of eponyms those that may actually show up test day.

Anomalous (adj.)

Anomalous means not normal, out of the ordinary, and is simply the adjective—and scarier looking—form of anomaly, which is a noun. Anomalous can be used in cases to describe something that is not typical, like an unusually cold California spring. According to those who do not believe in climate change, the extreme weather over the last five years is simply anomalous—average temps should return to average, they believe.

Becoming (adj.)

Another secondary meaning that changes parts of speech, becoming an adjective. If something is becoming, it is appropriate, and matches nicely. Her dress was becoming and made her look even more beautiful.

Laconic (adj.)

Another word that sounds different from what it means. A person is described as laconic when he/she says very few words. I'm usually reminded of John Wayne, the quintessential cowboy, who, with a gravely intonation, muttered few words at a time. As this allusion betrays my age more than anything else, think of Christian Bale in Batman—the laconic caped crusader. While Martha always swooned over the hunky, laconic types in romantic comedies, her boyfriends inevitably were very talkative—and not very hunky.

iconoclast

Attacker of cherished beliefs or institutions

Attenuate (v.)

Attenuate means to weaken (in terms of intensity), to taper off/become thinner. Attenuate can refer to both abstract and tangible things. Her animosity towards Bob attenuated over the years, and she even went so far as to invite him to her party. The stick is attenuated at one end to allow the villagers to forage for ants.

arbitrary

Based entirely on one's discretion; capricious, unreasonable, or having no basis

decorous

Behaving with propriety and good taste; polite

denigrate

Belittle, attack the reputation of

Sanguine (adj.)

But not all is bad in the world of bodily humors. Meet sanguine, from the Latin sanguineus, which comes from blood. Not that most of us would consider blood a humor, but according to Galen, blood, along with bile/choler, was one of the four bodily humors. And while this bloody association doesn't bode well for the definition of sanguine, surprisingly, sanguine means to be cheerful, optimistic. How did this ever come to be? Well, when we are happy the blood rushes to our cheeks turning them red (yes, this seems to me about as valid as yellow meaning prejudice—not that green with envy makes any sense). While sanguine has a positive definition, the word sanguinary—note the sang- root—means a carnage or bloodbath. Yes, I know English can be a confusing language. But, if you learn these high-frequency GRE words, you will have something to be sanguine about! With the prospect of having to learn 3,000 words during the course of the summer, Paul was anything but sanguine.

Kafkaesque (adj.)

By day, Franz Kafka filed papers at an insurance office, and by night churned out dark novels, which suggested that the quotidian world of the office was actually far more sinister. Mainly, his novels were known for the absurd predicaments of their main characters (who often went by nothing more than a single initial). Today, we have the word Kafkaesque, that refers to the absurdity we have to deal with living in a world of faceless bureaucracies. So next time you are put on hold for three hours and then volleyed back in forth between a dozen monotone-voice employees, think to yourself, hey this is Kafkaesque. The process of applying for a passport was so Kafkaesque that Charles ultimately decided not to take a vacation.

mollify

Calm or soothe (an angry person); lesson or soften

Calumny (n.)

Calumny is the making of a false statement meant to injure a person's reputation. With the presidential primaries well under way, the air is thick with calumny, and the mud already waist-high.

soporific

Causing sleep, sleepy, drowsy (adj); something that causes sleep (noun)

idiosyncrasy

Characteristic or habit peculiar to an individual; peculiar quality, quirk

winsome

Charming, engaging, esp. in a sweet and innocent way

Chary (adj.)

Chary rhymes with wary, and it also means to be cautious. They are also synonyms. Jack was wary of GRE words that looked similar, because they usually had different definitions; not so with chary, a word that he began to use interchangeably with wary.

Supercilious (adj.)

Cilia are small, thick hairs. One area on our bodies that contains cilia is our eyebrows. Supercilious is derived from the rising of these brows. Of course a word that means raising one's eyebrows would probably have limited use. It's what the raising of eyebrows connotes. Apparently, to be supercilious is to be haughty and disdainful. That is, when we look down at someone in a demeaning way, we might be tempted to lift our brows. Nelly felt the Quiz Bowl director acted superciliously towards the underclassmen; really, she fumed, must he act so preternaturally omniscient each time he intones some obscure fact—as though everybody knows that Mt. Aconcagua is the highest peak in South America.

Beg (v.)

Commonly, when we think of begging, we think of money, or a favor. But, one can also beg a question, and that's where things start to get complicated. To beg a question can mean to evade a question, invite an obvious question, or, and this is where it starts to get really tricky, to ask a question that in itself makes unwarranted assumptions. For instance, let's say you are not really sure if you are going to take the GRE. If somebody asks you when you are going to take the GRE, then that person is assuming you are going to take the GRE. That is, they are begging the question. If you avoid giving a direct answer, then you are also begging the question (albeit in a different sense). Which finally begs the question, how did this whole question begging business get so complicated in the first place? By assuming that Charlie was headed to college—which he was not—Maggie begged the question when she asked him to which school he was headed in the Fall.

aesthetic

Concerning the appreciation of beauty or good taste, pertaining to the science of what is beautiful (adj); a sense of beauty and taste of a particular time and place (noun)

confound

Confuse, frustrate; mix up or make worse

fallacious

Containing a fallacy, or mistake in logic; logically unsound; deceptive

Contentious (adj.)

If you are contentious, you like to fight with words. If you know somebody who is always trying to pick an argument about something, no matter how trivial, that person is contentious. She became increasingly contentious, misconstruing even an innocuous statement as a hostile one.

Contentious (adj.)

Contentious has two meanings: controversial (in terms of an issue); inclined to arguing (in terms of a person). This word does not mean content. It comes from contend, which means to argue. Be chary (see below) of this word. As soon as the discussion turns to politics, Uncle Hank becomes highly contentious, vehemently disagreeing with those who endorse the same positions.

belie (v.)

Contradict or misrepresent This is ETS's number one favorite word for harder questions. Period. If ETS needs to make a Text Completion or Sentence Equivalence questions difficult, all it needs to do is throw in belie. The key to answering a text completion question that uses belie is to know how the word functions in context. Let's take a look below: Her surface calm belied her roiling emotions. The effortless fluidity with which the pianist's fingers moved belied the countless hours he had practiced. Her upbeat attitude during the group project belied her inherent pessimism towards any collective endeavor. In each case, note how the outward appearance does not match up with the reality. That contradiction is the essence of belie.

castigate

Criticize severely; punish in order to correct

quotidian

Daily; everyday, ordinary

gainsay

Declare false, deny; oppose

Inflammable (adj.)

Depending on the circumstances, this can be a very important word. That is, if you read that something is inflammable, that means it can easily light on fire. The opposite would be nonflammable. Strangely enough, inflammable is the same as flammable in the sense that it describes anything that can light on fire. Inflammable—but not flammable—can mean extremely controversial, incendiary. It only takes one person to leave an inflammable comment on an Internet thread for that thread to blow up into pages upon pages of reader indignation.

derivative

Derived from something else; not original

antithetical

Directly opposed, opposite; involving antithesis (the rhetorical act of placing two phrases opposite one another for contrast, as in love me or hate me)

perfidious

Disloyal, treacherous, violating one's trust

underscore

Emphasize (or literally, to underline text)

Equivocal (adj.) Equivocal does not mean equal. It means vague, undecided.

Equivocal, especially in its more common form equivocate, has a negative connotation. If a politician is equivocating, he/she is not answering a question directly, but is beating around the bush. In the academic GRE sense, if a phenomenon is open to multiple interpretations it is equivocal. Whether we can glean an artist's unconscious urges through his or her art remains equivocal - that we can ever even really tap into another person's hidden motives remains in doubt.

travesty

Exaggerated, debased, or grotesque imitation

prodigious

Extraordinarily large, impressive, etc.

egregious (adj.)

Extraordinary or conspicuously bad; glaring. 'Greg' is the Latin root for flock. At one point, egregious meant standing out of the flock in a positive way. This definition went out of vogue sometime in the 16th century, after which time egregious was used ironically. Thus for the last five hundred years, 'egregious' meant *standing out in a bad way*. In sports, an *egregious foul* would be called on a player who slugged another player (not including hockey, of course). The dictator's abuse of human rights was so egregious that many world leaders asked that he be tried in an international court for genocide

Thoroughgoing (adj.)

If something is thorough it is complete. Therefore, thorough isn't too far from the meaning of thoroughgoing, which means absolute. As a thoroughgoing bibliophile, one who had turned his house into a veritable library, he shocked his friends when he bought a Kindle.

propitious

Favorable, giving good signs for the future, likely to work out; kind or forgiving

Mesmerize (v.)

Franz Mesmer, an Austrian physician prominent the turn of the 19th century, was renowned for hypnotizing people. His method included kneeling near a patient, touching his/her knees and looking into the person's eyes (I'm curious if he ever proposed to one of his clients). Today, we have the word mesmerize, which doesn't necessarily mean to hypnotize (though it could), but is used figuratively and means to hold spellbound. The plot and the characters were so well developed that many viewers were mesmerized, unable to move their eyes from the screen for even a single second.

Bellicose (adj.)

From the Latin root bell-, which means war, we get bellicose. Someone who is bellicose is warlike, and inclined to quarrel. The word is similar to belligerent, which also employs the bell- root. Known for their bellicose ways, the Spartans were once the most feared people from Peloponnesus to Persia.

Mercurial (adj.)

From the element mercury, which has no fixed form and constantly changes, we have the word mercurial. Mercurial refers to personality; anyone who unpredictably changes his or her mood is mercurial. This is a very common GRE word, so make sure you learn it. Martha Argerich's mercurial nature is perfectly matched with playing Chopin: she'll toss off, with aplomb, effervescent passages, before moments later plumbing the depths of her soul to give voice to bars of music steeped in the utmost melancholy. Themed Lists

largess

Generosity, the giving of money or gifts (esp. with the implication that the giver is a bit superior to the recipient)

munificent

Generous, giving liberally

concede

Give in, admit, yield; acknowledge reluctantly; grant or give up (such as giving up land after losing war)

querulous

Given to complaining, grumbling

fortuitous

Happening by chance; lucky

innocuous (adj.)

Harmless, inoffensive. Something innocuous is harmless and doesn't produce any ill effects.* Many germs are innocuous. As are most bug bites. Even television, in small doses, is typically innocuous*. Innocuous can also mean inoffensive. *An innocuous question is unlikely to upset anyone.* Everyone found Nancy's banter innocuous—except for Mike, who felt like she was intentionally picking on him.

resurgent

Having a revival, renewing, rising or surging again

prescient

Having foreknowledge or foresight, seeing the future

magnanimous

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

Choleric (adj.)

Hippocrates, along with the Roman physician Galen, believed that the body was filled with humors, or fluids. The balance of these humors led to certain moods. If a person had too much black bile he (usually not she) would be said to be choleric, or highly irascible (choleric was more Galen's nomenclature, as Hippocrates stuck to bilious, a synonym for choleric). While a brilliant lecturer, Mr. Dawson came across as choleric and unapproachable—very rarely did students come to his office hours.

Histrionic (adj.) vs. History (n.)

Histrionic is totally unrelated to history. It comes from the Latin for actor. To be histrionic is not to have a penchant for bad Pacino or Brando imitations, but to be overly theatrical. Though she received a B- on the test, she had such a histrionic outburst that one would have thought that she'd been handed a death sentence.

abstain

Hold back, refrain (especially from something bad or unhealthy) ; decline to vote

inimical

Hostile, adverse, harmful

Sedulous (adj.)

I am not quite sure why students can never seem to remember the definition of this word. Perhaps the sed- reminds them of sitting and being idle (like in sedentary). To be sedulous, however, is to be anything but idle. If you are sedulously studying for the GRE, you are studying diligently and carefully—making flashcards, writing down important words and formulas, and, of course, checking out the Magoosh blog every day. An avid numismatist, Harold sedulously amassed a collection of coins from over 100 countries—an endeavor that took over fifteen years, and to five continents.

Aboveboard (adj.)

I guess whatever is below the board is deceptive, because aboveboard means open an honest. It usually refers to government officials who are honest. The mayor, despite his avuncular visage plastered about the city, was hardly aboveboard - some concluded that it was his ingratiating smile that allowed him to engage in corrupt behavior and get away with it.

Melee (n.)

I learned melee early in my life, because I had the peculiar misfortune of having a surname that rhymes with it. While none of this schoolyard teasing resulted in any melees, melee is an important word and means a wild, confusing fight or struggle. Oh, and it comes from French (rhyming similarities aside, my last name is not derived from French). Let's see if I can weave all the French-related words into one coherent sentence: Despite the scornful stares from entrenched aristocrats, the parvenu walked blithely about the palace grounds, maintaining his sangfroid and demurring to enter into the melees that the snobbish were so fond of baiting arrivistes into. Oui!

Goosebumps (n.)

I would never have considered this a vocabulary word (let alone a GRE word), until, that is, the New GRE PowerPrep test included a Text Completion in which goosebumps was the answer. Goosebumps describe that sensation on our skin when we become frightened. You know, those sudden pimple-like bumps that suddenly appear when you are watching the first half of a horror movie (the last part of horror movies are typically cheesy, once they show the monster). Well, this is now a good word to remember for the GRE, lest you want to get goosebumps test day. Some people believe that goosebumps result when a ghost brushes up against you.

Telltale (adj.)

If I tell a tale, I am telling a story, one that is usually a fib. Telltale, however, simply means revealing. The many telltale signs of chronic smoking include yellow teeth, and a persistent, hacking cough.

Apotheosis (n.)

If a person (or a thing) has reached such a point as to be god-like, then that person has reached an apotheosis. As difficult as it is to imagine, the apotheosis of Mark Zuckerberg's career, many believe, is yet to come.

Desecrate (v.)

If a person willfully violates or destroys any sacred place, he (or she) is said to desecrate it. Tombs, graves, churches, shrines and the like can all be victims of desecrations. One, however, cannot desecrate a person, regardless of how holy that person may be. The felon had desecrated the holy site, and was on the church's Top 10 Anathema list.

Macabre (adj.)

If a story, film, or, for that matter, any description is filled with gruesome details about death and horror, we say that it is macabre. Edgar Allen Poe was considered the master of the macabre; his stories vividly describe the moment leading up to—and often those moments after—a grisly death.

Profuse (adj.)

If something literally pours out in abundance we say it is profuse. This pouring out is usually figurative. A person who apologies ceaselessly does so profusely. Perhaps a little more vividly, certain men who fail to button up their shirts completely let the world - perhaps not unwittingly - know of their profuse chest hairs (which, on their part, should necessitate a profuse apology). During mile 20 of the Hawaii Marathon, Dwayne was sweating so profusely that he stopped to take off his shirt, and ran the remaining six miles clad in nothing more than skimpy shorts.

Mellifluous (adj.)

If something sounds as sweet as honey, it is mellifluous. The voices of Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Holiday, and even that of Bill Clinton are mellifluous (listen to the way our former President was able to, through turns of locution and his southern drawl, to imbue the mundane with a sense of pleading urgency). Of course, what sounds mellifluous is a matter of opinion. As long as it's not Justin Bieber. Chelsea's grandmother thought Franz Schubert's music to be the most mellifluous ever written; Chelsea demurred, and to her grandmother's chagrin, would blast Rihanna on the home stereo speakers.

aesthetic

(adj.) concerning the appreciation of beauty

ambiguous

(adj.) doubtful or uncertain; can be interpreted several ways

analogous

(adj.) similar or alike in some way; equivalent to

anomaly

(n.) deviation from what is normal

anachronism

(n.) something out of place in time

abstain

(v.) to choose not to do something

amalgamate

(v.) to combine; to mix together

ameliorate

(v.) to improve, make better, correct a flaw or shortcoming

aggrandize

(v.) to increase in power, influence, and reputation

arbitrate

(v.) to judge a dispute between two opposing parties

abscond

(v.) to leave secretly

adulterate

(v.) to make impure

alleviate

(v.) to make more bearable

Byzantine (adj.)

Okay, I cheated a little on this one. Byzant was not a medieval philosopher (nor an industrious ant). The word byzantine is not derived from a person's name, but from Byzantium, an ancient city that was part of the Byzantine Empire (the word can also refer to the empire itself). Specifically, Byzantium was known for the intricate patterns adorning its architecture. Bulbous domed turrets were emblazoned with ornate latticing (think of the towers on a Russia church). The modern usage of byzantine refers not to architecture per se, but to anything that is extremely intricate and complex. It actually carries a negative connotation. Getting a driver's license is not simply a matter of taking a test; the regulations and procedures are so byzantine that many have found themselves at the mercy of the DMV.

Hodgepodge (n.)

Okay, I'm not really sure what a hodge is, or for that matter, a podge. But if you put them together, you get hodgepodge, a word that means a confusing mixture or jumble. Long after his heyday as Germany's pre-eminent visionary philosopher, Nietzsche began to populate his writing with a hodgepodge of aphorisms.

Defenestrate (v.)

Okay, fine...there is slim chance that this word will pop up on the GRE, but it is one of my favorite words. It's a comical way of saying to throw someone out of a window, which in a sense is comical, as there is nothing comical about getting thrown out of a window. These days defenestrate is really nothing more than a linguistic curiosity, yet there was a time, long ago, when windows had neither panes nor glass. Think of a medieval castle. Apparently, defenestration happened enough that someone thought up a word for it. (To see a defenestration, check out the movie Braveheart, which shows the tyrannical King Edward I defenestrating a hapless lad). Defenestration is rare in these days of sealed windows.

Avarice (n.)

One of the seven deadly sins, avarice means greed. Of note, this word doesn't necessarily mean greed for food but usually pertains to possessions or wealth. The Spanish conquistadors were known for their avarice, plundering Incan land and stealing Incan gold.

Slapdash (adj.)

One word conjures up a relatively violent action, the other what one typically does if they want to escape a dangerous situation. Put them together and you get, voila, a word meaning careless. That's right—slapdash means hastily put together. The office building had been constructed in a slapdash manner, so it did not surprise officials when, during a small earthquake, a large crack emerged on the façade of the building.

Paucity (n.)

Paucity is a lack of something. In honor of paucity, this entry will have a paucity of words. There is a paucity of jobs hiring today that require menial skills, since most jobs have either been automated or outsourced.

Equivocate (v.)

People tend to think that equivocate has to do with equal. It actually means to speak vaguely, usually with the intention to mislead or deceive. More generally, equivocal can mean ambiguous. The related word unequivocal can also be confusing. To state something unequivocally is to state it in such a way that there is no room for doubt. The findings of the study were equivocal—the two researchers had divergent opinions on what the results signified.

sanction

Permission or approval, something that gives support or authority to something else(noun); to allow, confirm, ratify (verb); OR a legal action by one or more countries against another country to get it to comply (noun); to place sanctions or penalties on (verb)

dilettante

Person who takes up an art or activity for amusement only or in a superficial way

bucolic

Pertaining to shepherds; suggesting a peaceful and pleasant view of rural life

Peruse (v.)

Peruse means to read very carefully. Unfortunately, the colloquial usage not only ignores this definition, but goes so far as to flip this definition on its head. In light conversatoin, peruse means to read over quickly. The GRE constitutes anything but light conversation, so make sure to remember that peruse means to read over carefully (perusing the first part of this paragraph helps!). Instead of perusing important documents, people all too often rush to the bottom of the page and plaster their signature at the bottom.

Picayune (adj.)

Picayune would make for a good 2,000-dollar jeopardy clue, one which would probably read something like this: "Don't trifle with us—this word comes from Cajun country via France and refers to a 19th century coin of little value." "What is picayune?" would be the correct answer (thanks, Alex!). Derived from Cajun via Provencal France, picayune refers not only to a coin but also to an amount that is trifling or meager. It can also refer to a person who is petty. Therefore, if I'm being picayune, I'm fussing over some trivial point. English teachers are notorious for being picayune; however, the English language is so nuanced and sophisticated that often such teachers are not being contrary but are only adhering to the rules.

juxtapose

Place side by side (either physically or in a metaphorical way, such as to make a comparison)

Ponderous (adj.) vs. Imponderable (adj./n.)

Ponder means to think over. So, ponderous must mean thinking. However, this is not the case. Ponderous is derived from 'pondus', which means weight (think of a pound). So, to be ponderous means to be weighed-down, and to move slowly and in a labored fashion. Imponderable is not the opposite of ponderous. It actually relates to thinking. An imponderable is something that is impossible to estimate, fathom or figure out. Say a child was to ask, "How long would it take driving in a car to go from one end of the universe to the other?" Unless you have a really big calculator—and a very fast car—the answer to this question would be imponderable.

ostentatious

Pretentious, boastful showiness

Curmudgeon (n.)

Probably one of my favorite GRE words—it's great for describing certain folk and it's fun to say. A curmudgeon is a grouchy, surly person, one who is always sulking as they grumble about something or another. Uncle Mike was the family curmudgeon so on Thanksgiving he was plied with copious amounts of wine so that he would finely lose the grouchy demeanor and break into a faint smile.

engender

Produce, give rise to, cause to exist; procreate

eminent

Prominent, distinguished, of high rank

Prosaic (adj.)

Prosaic conjures up a beautiful mosaic for some. So if somebody or something is prosaic, it must surely be good. Once again the GRE confounds expectations. Prosaic means *dull and lacking imagination*. It can be used to describe plans, life, language, or just about anything inanimate that has become dull (it is not used to describe people). A good mnemonic: prose is the opposite of poetry. And where poetry, ideally, bursts force with imagination, prose (think of text-book writing), lacks imagination. Hence, prose-aic. Unlike the talented artists in his workshop, Paul had no such bent for the visual medium, so when it was time for him to make a stained glass painting, he ended up with a prosaic mosaic.

refute

Prove to be false

Pugnacious (adj.)

Pugnacious means having an inclination to fight and be combative. A useful mnemonic is a pug dog—you know, those really small dogs that always try to attack you while releasing a fusillade of yaps. Nobody wanted to work with Dexter lest he or she become embroiled in some spat; even those who did their best to avoid Dexter eventually had to deal with his pugnacity.

mercurial

Quickly and unpredictably changing moods; fickle, flighty

intransigent

Refusing to compromise, inflexible, having extreme attitudes

repudiate

Reject, cast off, deny that something has authority

rustic

Relating to country life, unsophisticated; primitive, made of rough wood (adj); rural or uncultured person (noun)

inexorable

Relentless, unyielding; not moved by pleading

germane

Relevant and appropriate, on-topic

Remiss (adj.)

Remiss does not mean to miss again. It means to be negligent in one's duty. For some reason, students of mine have always had difficulty remembering this word. Sometimes I chide them, "Don't be remiss as vocabulary scholars by forgetting the word remiss." While arguably clever, this admonishment isn't usually as efficacious as I'd hope it would be. (So don't be remiss!). Remiss in his duty to keep the school functioning efficiently, the principle was relieved of his position after only three months.

Restive (adj.)

Restive sounds like rest. It's actually the opposite, and means restless. Though most of the 're-' words are common, restive is definitely the re- word you are most likely to see test day. It can be used to describe both people and groups of people. The crowd grew restive as the comedian's opening jokes fell flat.

venerate

Revere, regard with deep respect and awe

Schadenfreude (n.)

Schadenfreude is one of those words that at first glance may seem gratuitous. After all, do we really need a word that literally translates from the German as harm-joy? Unfortunately, a twisted quirk of human nature is that we can sometimes take joy in the suffering of others. Luckily, German has provided us a word to use if we ever see someone cackling sardonically at the suffering of others. From his warm apartment window, Stanley reveled in schadenfreude as he laughed at the figures below, huddled together in the arctic chill.

Screed (n.)

Screed takes on a more negative connotation, and suggests an abusive rant that has since become tedious and hackneyed. Currently, the Occupy movements have hardly devolved into screeds, and may even intensify, if protestors feel their various demands have not been met. However, if the protest fizzles out months from now, except for the lone dude in the park, gesticulating at a passel of pigeons ...well, he is very likely launching into a screed. Joey had difficulty hanging out with his former best friend Perry, who, during his entire cup of coffee, would enumerate all of the government's deficiencies, only to break ranks and launch into some screed against big business.

discrete

Separate, distinct, detached, existing as individual parts

obsequious

Servile, very compliant, fawning

austere

Severe in manner or appearance; very self-disciplined, ascetic; without luxury or ease; sober or serious

demur Demur (v.) vs. Demure (adj.)

Show reluctance or object, especially for moral reasons. To demur is a verb meaning to object or show reluctance. Wallace dislike the cold, so he demurred when his friends suggested they going skiing in the Alps. To be demure is to be modest and shy. This word is typically used to describe a woman, so don't call a man demure, as they will surely demur.

hackneyed

So commonplace as to be stale; not fresh or original

gregarious

Sociable, pertaining to a flock or crowd

Apostasy (n.)

Some believers turn against their faith and renounce it. We call this act apostasy, and those who commit it, apostates. Today the word carries a slightly broader connotation in that it can apply to politics as well. An apostate of the Republican Party, Sheldon has yet to become affiliated with any party but dubs himself a "literal independent."

Churlish (adj.)

Someone who is churlish lacks manners or refinement. A churlish person lacks tact and civility is often outright rude. The manager was unnecessarily churlish to his subordinates, rarely deigning to say hello, but always quick with a sartorial jab if someone happened to be wearing anything even slightly unbecoming.

Cogent (adj.)

Something that's cogent is clear and persuasive. His essay writing, while full of clever turns of phrases, lacks cogency: the examples he uses to support his points are at times irrelevant and, in one instance, downright ludicrous.

Turpitude (n.)

Sometimes lechery and its synonymous friends are just too soft when describing certain acts of malfeasance. At the far ends of the political spectrum, where outrage is felt most keenly, people feel the need to invoke far harsher vocabulary when condemning naughty behavior. One such word is turpitude, which gained prominence in the late 90's (Google will fill in the blanks). A synonym for depravity, turpitude is only reserved for those acts deemed to be downright wicked and immoral. During his reign, Caligula indulged in unspeakable sexual practices, so it not surprising that he will forever be remembered for his turpitude.

Tendentious (adj.)

If you are likely to espouse a controversial view, you are being tendentious. A good synonym for tendentious is biased, though if you are biased you aren't necessarily leaning towards a view that is controversial. Because political mudslinging has become a staple of the 24-hour media cycle, most of us, despite proclamations to the contrary, are tendentious on many of today's pressing issues.

Bilious (adj.)

Speaking of nasty stuff in the body, bilious comes from bile—you know, that yellow stuff in your liver that every once in a while makes a very unwelcome gustatory appearance. To be filled with bile, however, doesn't mean to have a bad taste in your mouth. According to Hippocrates, he of the bodily humors, if we are filled with too much bile, we are angry. Therefore, to be bilious is to be constantly irritable and ready to bite somebody's head off. Rex was bilious all morning, and his face would only take on a look of contentedness when he'd had his morning cup of coffee.

Hedge (n./v.)

If you are really into horticulture—which is a fancy word for gardening—you'll know hedges are shrubs, or small bushes that have been neatly trimmed. If you know your finance, then you've probably heard of hedge funds (where brokers make their money betting against the market). Hedge can also be used in a verb sense. If you hedge your bets, you play safely. If you hedge a statement, you limit or qualify that statement. Finally, hedge can also mean to avoid making a direct statement, as in equivocating. When asked why he had decided to buy millions of shares at the very moment the tech companies stock soared, the CEO hedged, mentioning something vague about gut instinct.

Gregarious (adj.)

If you are sociable, you are talkative, right? Well, not exactly. To be gregarious is to be likely to socialize with others. A good synonym is flocking, like what birds do. But, just as birds do not talk to one another outside of a Pixar flick, people can hang out with each other and not necessarily have to chat. Therefore, do not confuse gregarious with garrulous, which means talkative. Often we think that great leaders are those who are gregarious, always in the middle of a large group of people; yet, as Mahatma Gandhi and many others have shown us, leaders can often be introverted.

Fleece (v.)

If you are thinking Mary Had a Little Lamb (...fleece as white as snow), you have been fleeced by a secondary meaning. To fleece is to deceive. Many have been fleeced by Internet scams and have never received their money back.

Unconscionable (adj.)

If you are thinking of being knocked over the head and lying in a pool of blood on the sidewalk, you have the wrong word (not to mention a vivid imagination). In this case, the correct word is unconscious. If an act is so horrible and deplorable that it makes everyone around aghast, then that action is unconscionable. Unconscionable can also mean something that is in excess of what is deemed tolerable. This second definition doesn't have the unethical smear of the first definition. The lawyer's demands were unconscionable, and rather than pay an exorbitant sum or submit himself to any other inconveniences, the man decided to find a new lawyer.

Thrifty (adj.)

If you are thrifty you spend money wisely. Be careful not to confuse thrifty with spendthrift, which is below. He was economical, spending his money thriftily and on items considered essential.

Underwrite (v.)

If you are writing below the margins of a paper you are not underwriting—you are simply writing below the margins of a piece of paper. Underwrite means to support financially. The latest symphony broadcast was made possible with the underwriting from various Arts & Humanities associations.

Blinkered (adj.)

If you blink a lot you are likely to miss something. Indeed, your view would be very limited. Extending this meaning, we get the definition of blinkered: means to have a limited outlook or understanding. The true etymology of the word actually comes from the blinkers that are put on racing horses to prevent them from becoming distracted. In gambling, the addict is easily blinkered by past successes and/or past failures, forgetting that the outcome of any one game is independent of the games that preceded it.

Hector (v.)

If you remember reading Homer's Iliad, you may remember Hector, a muscular, daunting force (some of you may more vividly recall Eric Bana from the movie Troy). As people were intimidated around Hector, it makes sense that the word hector means to bully or intimidate. The boss's hectoring manner put off many employees, some of whom quit as soon as they found new jobs.

Venality (n.)

If you've ever heard of a government taking bribes, well, that is an example of venality. To be venal is to be corrupt. Of late, charges of venality tend to be few, though such charges simply don't make the same headlines as scandals of the lecherous kind. If our legal system becomes plagued with venality, then the very notion of justice is imperiled.

Prevaricate (v.)

If you've ever seen a politician caught in a lie (never!), and that person is trying to wiggle their way out of a pointed question, he (or she) is prevaricating. Not that a U.S. president would ever prevaricate by talking about the household pet when confronted with charges of venality (I'm alluding to Richard Nixon and his dog Checkers). Bobby learned not to prevaricate when his teacher asked him where his homework was; by giving a straightforward answer, he would avoid invoking the teacher's wrath.

restive

Impatient or uneasy under the control of another; resisting being controlled

Impertinent (adj.)

Impertinent can actually be the opposite of pertinent, but this definition is seldom used. Most of the time, impertinent means not showing the proper respect. You can think of it this way - if somebody's behavior is not pertinent to the given social context, e.g. an occasion calling for formality, then you can think of that person as being impertinent. The definition usually only applies if a person is being rude where respect is expected, and not staid where frivolity is apt. Dexter, distraught over losing his pet dachshund, Madeline, found the police officer's questions impertinent—after all, he thought, did she have to pry into such details as to what Madeline's favorite snack was?

(In)solvent (adj.))

In chemistry, a solvent is any substance able to breakdown or dissolve another substance. Outside the lab, to be solvent is to be able to pay off one's debts. To be insolvent, on the other hand, is not to be able to pay off one's debts. Many once-great athletes have become insolvent, as they are unable to pay off their debts or hold down jobs that would potentially free them from debt.

Catalyst (n.)

In chemistry, when one substance speeds up a chemical reaction, that substance is said to be a catalyst. Broadly speaking, anything that speeds up (or precipitates) an event is a catalyst. Rosa Park's refusal to give up her bus seat acted as a catalyst for the Civil Right's Movement, setting into motion historic changes for African-Americans.

Indigent (adj.) vs. Indigenous (adj.) vs. Indignant (adj.)

Indigent word means poor, having very little means. In the so-called Third World, many are indigent and only a privileged few have the wherewithal to enjoy material luxuries. Indigenous means relating to a certain area. Plants and animals are often indigenous, as are people. The flora and fauna indigenous to Australia are notably different from those indigenous to the U.S—one look at a duckbill platypus and you know you're not dealing with an opossum. Imagine you are waiting in line to order your morning coffee. Right as you are about to ask for a nice steaming cup, someone cuts in front of you and places an order for six people. How would you feel? Indignant. Indignant means to feel anger over a perceived injustice. And you don't want to be indignant the day of the test, when ETS just happens to pick that one word you always end up confusing with another word.

construe

Interpret or translate

Stipend (n.)

Is a regular allowance, usually for a student (yes, it seems that many of these money matters are related to students!). Of course stipends aren't just limited to students; governments provide stipends to a number of different people. He was hoping for a monthly allowance loan from the government, but after no such stipend was forthcoming he realized he would have to seek other means of defraying his college tuition.

Defray (v.)

Is to help pay the cost of, either in part of full. Often times when students go off to college, they hope that tuition (which is always becoming steeper these days) will be defrayed by any of a number of means: scholarships, parents, burgeoning stock portfolio, or even generous relatives. In order for Sean to attend the prestigious college his magnanimous uncle helped defray the excessive tuition with a monthly infusion of cash.

Vicarious (adj.) vs. Vicissitude (n.)

Isn't travel great? You get to experience other cultures, and see the world. Well, actually, sometimes traveling can be more stressful than a rush-hour commute—lost luggage, stolen items, and inclement weather are just a few of the many woes that can beset the traveler. So, why not stay at home and watch the travel channel? With just one flick of the wrist, you can journey to the distant lands of Machu Picchu or Angkor Wat. Such travel, in which you enjoy something through another person's experiences—in this case the host of the travel show—is to live vicariously. The contexts, of course, can vary widely. Maybe your best friend has told you all about his or her graduate school experiences via weekly blog posts. Now you, too, feel that you've gone through grad school. That's living vicariously. A vicissitude is any change in one's circumstances, usually for the worse. That is, life is full of ups and down that are beyond our control. Those are vicissitudes. Speaking of, traveling—especially any of those quit-your-job six-week jaunts through Europe—is full of vicissitudes, so again, sometimes it's better to stay at home and tune into the travel station (as long as the remote control doesn't go traveling off somewhere).

Imbroglio (n.)

It may sound like an exotic vegetable or a pungent pasta dish, but it's neither. Imbroglio comes to us via mid-18th century Italian and has nothing to do with the kitchen. Instead it is related to the verb embroil and describes a confusing, and potentially embarrassing, situation. The chef cook-off featured one gourmand who had the unfortunate distinction of mixing the wrong broths, creating an imbroglio that viewers will not soon forget.

Jaundice (adj./n.)

Jaundice is a condition of the liver that has the side effect of turning the skin yellow. The second definition—and the one you have to know for the GRE—may seem completely unrelated: to be biased against as a result of envy or prejudice. In the 17th Century, being yellow, apparently, was associated with having prejudice. Hence, we have the second definition of the word jaundice. It is important to note that yellow now, at least colloquially, means to be cowardly. This definition does not relate to jaundice. Shelly was jaundiced towards Olivia; though the two had once been best friends, Olivia had become class president, prom queen, and, to make matters worse, the girlfriend of the one boy Shelly liked.

Jingoist (adj.)

Jingoism is what happens when bellicosity meets patriotism, and both drink too much whiskey. A person who thinks their country should always be at war is a jingoist. The word is similar to hawkish, a word that means favoring conflict over compromise. In the days leading up to war, a nation typically breaks up into the two opposing camps: doves, who do their best to avoid war, and jingoists, who are only too eager to wave national flags from their vehicles and vehemently denounce those who do not do the same.

Junta (n.)

Junta means to join and comes via Portugal and Spain. But this joining was in no way peaceful. Whenever military groups joined forces to usurp the existing regime, they would form a military junta. Today, junta can refer to the aggressive takeover by a group. As dangerous of a threat as North Korea is, some analysts believe that were a junta suddenly to gain power, it could be even more unpredictable and bellicose than the current leadership.

Intimate (adj./v.)

Just as tender doesn't relate to two people in love, neither does intimate, at least in the GRE sense. The secondary meaning for intimate is to suggest something subtly. At first Manfred's teachers intimated to his parents that he was not suited to skip a grade; when his parents protested, teachers explicitly told them that, notwithstanding the boy's precocity, he was simply too immature to jump to the 6th grade.

Pyrrhic (adj.)

King Pyrrhus had the unfortunate luck of going up against the Romans. Some would say that he was actually lucky in that he actually defeated the Romans in the Battle of Asculum. Pyrrhic was perhaps more ambivalent, quipping, "One more such victory will undo me." So any win that comes at so great a cost that it is not even worth it is a pyrrhic victory. George W. Bush's win in the 2000 election was in many ways a pyrrhic victory: the circumstances of his win alienated close to half of America.

diffident

Lacking confidence, shy

trite

Lacking freshness and originality, lacking effectiveness due to overuse, cliche

Lascivious (adj.)

Lascivious, like lecherous, prurient, and libidinous, all refer to perversion. In terms of linking these words to the world of politics...well, given the sordid events that surface every few months, I don't think I need to elaborate. Jerry's coworkers were confused as to why Jerry thought that the word mango carried lascivious connotations; when he tried to explain, they only became more perplexed.

ephemeral

Lasting only a short time, fleeting

Pollyannaish (adj.)

Like Hector, Pollyannaish comes from fiction. However, in this case we are dealing with a relatively recent work, that of Eleanor Porter who came up with a character named Pollyanna. Pollyanna was extremely optimistic and so it is no surprise that Pollyannaish means extremely optimistic. Even in the midst of a lousy sales quarter, Debbie remained Pollyannaish, never losing her shrill voice and wide smile, even when prospective customers hung up on her.

Affable (adj.)

Likeable, easy to talk to: affable is similar to amiable. The differences are subtle, and as far as the GRE is concerned, you can treat them as the same word. Like amiable, this word is great to use to describe people we know. After all, everyone knows an affable person. For all his surface affability, Marco was remarkably glum when he wasn't around other people.

Imbibe (v.)

Literally, to imbibe is to drink, usually copiously. Figuratively, imbibe can refer to an intake of knowledge or information. Plato imbibed Socrates' teachings to such an extent that he was able to write volumes of work that he directly attributed, sometimes word for word, to Socrates.

harangue (n./v.)

Long, intense verbal attack, esp. when delivered publicly. Harangue can be either a noun or a verb. It is a synonym of tirade and diatribe. Lest someone harangue you for botched phonetics, the pronunciation of this word can be a bit tricky. Harangue rhymes with twang, rang, and, for the dessert inclined, meringue. Tired of his parents haranguing him about his laziness and lack of initiative, Tyler finally moved out of home at the age of thirty-five.

exacerbate

Make worse (more violent, severe), inflame; irritate or embitter (a person)

Malfeasance (n.)

Malfeasance is wrongdoing, usually by a public official. Oftentimes, you hear the term corporate malfeasance—this type of wrongdoing occurs when somebody in the business world is up to no good. Typically, though, malfeasance is used in the context of politics. And, not to sound too cynical, but one usually doesn't have to look much further than one's local news to find example of malfeasance—political or corporate. Not even the mayor's trademark pearly-toothed grin could save him from charges of malfeasance: while in power, he'd been running an illegal gambling rink in the room behind his office.

calumny

Malicious lie intended to hurt someone's reputation; the act of telling such lies

Dog (v.)

Man's best friend, right? Well, as long as it's not in verb form. To dog means to pursue relentlessly, and is thus a synonym of hound. Throughout his life, he was dogged by insecurities that inhibited personal growth.

Chauvinist (n.)

Many have heard this word, and some may even have a visceral reaction to it. However, this word is actually misused. A chauvinist is not a male who chugs beers, watches too much football, and demeans women. That would be a male chauvinist. So what is a chauvinist, unadorned by any adjective? Well, Nicolas Chauvin, a one-time recruit in Napoleon's army, used to go about town, thumping his chest about how great France was. In its modern day incantation, chauvinism can also mean anyone who thinks that their group is better than anybody else's group. You can have male chauvinists, political party chauvinists, and even female chauvinists. The chauvinist lives on both sides of the political spectrum, outright shunning anybody whose ideas are not consistent with his own.

Jejune (adj.)

Many people like this word for the simple reason that it's fun to say. After all, how often do we get to see the summery month of June in a word? All this niftiness aside, the definition of jejune (sadly) is a letdown. To be jejune is to be dull, insipid and lacking flavor. No, it can't be, you think. But yes, jejune, our delightful word, means something that literally means lackluster. But it gets even worse for poor jejune: it is derived from the first part of the large intestine, the jejunum, where food is digested. Now jejune does not only mean boring, it also conjures up images we'd rather leave in the dark. Finally, jejune has a second definition. Jejune, though, is yet again a victim of bad PR. To be jejune (secondary definition) means to be childish and immature. Now that I'm done lamenting jejune's debased status, I'm going to have a jejune fit.

Extant (adj.)

Many think this word means extinct. Extant is actually the opposite of extinct. A great mnemonic is to put the word 'is' between the 'x' and the 't' in extant. This gives you existant (don't mind the misspelling). Despite many bookstores closing, experts predict that some form of book dealing will still be extant generations from now.

Maudlin (adj.)

Mary Magdalene was the most important female disciple of Jesus. After Jesus had been crucified, she wept at his tomb. From this outward outpouring of emotion, we today have the word maudlin. Whereas Mary's weeping was noble, maudlin has taken on a negative connotation. A person who is maudlin cries in public for no good reason, and is oftentimes times used to describe one who's tried to finish a jeroboam alone, and now must share with the stranger sitting next to them all of his deepest feelings. Just as those who were alive during the 70's are mortified that they once cavorted about in bell-bottoms, many who lived during the 80's are now aghast at the maudlin pop songs they used to enjoy—really, just what exactly is a total eclipse of the heart?

Animosity (n.)

Meaning Intense hostility, animosity should be reserved for extreme cases. That is, if you really loathe someone, and that person feels the same way, then you can say animosity exists between the two of you. A related word, and a synonym, is animus (though animus can also mean motivation, as in impetus). The governor's animosity toward his rival was only inflamed when the latter spread false lies regarding the governor's first term.

Wax (n./v.)

Melting wax will only lead you astray. The secondary meaning for wax is to increase. The opposite of wax is to wane. Both words are used to describe the moon: a waxing moon becomes larger and larger each night until it becomes a full moon, at which point it becomes small and smaller each night and becomes a waning moon. Her enthusiasm for the diva's new album only waxed with each song; by the end of the album, it was her favorite CD yet.

admonish

Mildly scorn; caution, advise, or remind to do something

Enervate (v.)

Most people think enervate means to energize. It actually means to sap the energy from. John preferred to avoid equatorial countries; the intense sun would always leave him enervated after he'd spent the day sightseeing.

Disinterested (adj.)

Much as the addition of belie is a difficult vocabulary word that tends to make a question harder, the addition of disinterested into a text completion can make it a difficult question. Why? Everybody assumes that disinterested means not interested. While this is acceptable colloquially, the GRE, as you've probably come to learn by now, is anything but colloquial. The definition of disinterested is unbiased, neutral. The potential juror knew the defendant, and therefore could not serve on the jury, which must consist only of disinterested members.

Pugnacious (adj.)

Much like a pug dog, which aggressively yaps at anything near it, a person who is pugnacious likes to aggressively argue about everything. Verbally combative is another good way to describe pugnacious. The comedian told one flat joke after another, and when the audience started booing, he pugnaciously spat back at them, "Hey, you think this is easy - why don't you buffoons give it a shot?"

Powwow (n./v.)

No, it's not kowtow's cousin. This word sprung from American soil, namely the Algonquin tribe of North America. A powwow was quite a hootenanny of a time and involved a big party of dancing and dining between tribes. Strangely, today's meaning is a lot more subdued, and far less fun. Any informal discussion or colloquy is regarded as a powwow. You and your co-worker can have a mid-afternoon powwow over coffee. A political leader can have a powwow with his cronies (I'm presuming they'd favor cigars over coffee). Before the team takes the field, the coach always calls for a powwow so that he can make sure all the players are mentally in the right place.

Gerrymander (v.)

No, this word does not pertain to a large salamander named Gerry - though I suppose it could. Gerrymander is actually far more interesting than that. Elbridge Gerry was the vice president of James Madison, the 4th president of the United States. Elbridge had an interesting idea. To get elected a president had to win a certain number of districts. So Elbridge came up with the following plan: if he partitioned a city in a certain way he could ensure that the president would win the majority of the votes from that district. The end result was a city that was split up into the oddest arrangement of districts. And can you guess what a map of the city, gerrymandered, looked like? Yep, a salamander. Today the use of gerrymander hasn't changed too much, and refers to the manipulation of boundaries to favor a certain group. Years ago, savvy politicians had gerrymandered the city center to ensure their re-election.

vociferous

Noisily crying out, as in protest

Protean (adj.)

Nope, I have not spelled protein incorrectly (don't worry—carbohydrates will not show up next on the list!). Protean is an eponym derived from the Greek god Proteus, who could change into shape or forms at will. To be protean, however, does not mean you wow party guests by shifting into various kinds of lawn furniture. The consummate adaptability implied by the word is used to describe a person's ability. So an actor, musician, or writer who is very versatile is protean. Peter Sellers was truly a protean actor—in Doctor Strangelove he played three very different roles: a jingoist general, a sedate President and a deranged scientist.

Kowtow (v.)

Nope, kowtow is not a giant truck for pulling bovines, but rather a word that comes from the imperial courts of China. When a person kowtowed to the emperor, or any eminent mandarin for that matter, he or she knelt and touched the ground with his or her forehead. Such a gesture was intended to show respect and submission. Today, kowtow has a negative connotation and implies that a person is acting in a subservient or sycophantic manner. Paul kowtowed to his boss so often the boss herself soon became nauseated by his sycophancy.

implacable

Not able to be appeased, calmed, or satisfied

apathy

Not caring; absence of feeling; lack of interest or concern

ambiguous

Not clear, hard to understand, open to having several meanings or interpretations

recondite

Not easily understood, hidden, dealing with an obscure topic

ignoble

Not noble; having mean, base, low motives; low quality

taciturn

Not talking much, reserved; silent, holding back in conversation

reticent

Not talking much; private (of a person), retrained, reserved

Martinet (n.)

Not to be confused with a doll dangled on strings (that's a marionette), a martinet is a person who is a strict disciplinarian. Think of a drill sergeant who barks an order and a platoon of cadets jump to attention—the slightest misstep and its toilet duty. If anything, the martinet is the one holding the strings This military example is no coincidence; martinet is an eponym, meaning a word derived from a person's name. The guilty party in this case is the 17th Century French drillmaster Jean Martinet. The job seemed perfect to Rebecca, until she found out that her boss was a total martinet; after each project the boss would come by to scrutinize—and inevitably criticize—every little detail of the work Rebecca had done.

opaque

Not translucent; not allowing light, heat, etc. to pass through; dark, dull, unclear or stupid

sporadic

Occasional, happening irregularly or in scattered locations

Zeitgeist (n.)

Okay, German is by no means a distant tongue, or for that matter, an exotic one. Zeitgeist, however, doesn't look anything like your typical English word. Translated literally from German, zeitgeist means "time-ghost". In terms of an actual definition, zeitgeist means spirit of the times. Each decade has its own zeitgeist—the 1990's was a prosperous time in which the promise of the American Dream never seemed more palpable. The zeitgeist of the 2000's was a curious admixture of fear and frivolity; when we were not anxious over the state of the economy and the world, we escaped into reality T.V. shows, either those on popular networks or the ones we would create ourselves on YouTube.

Expansive (adj.)

The common definition of expansive is extensive, wide-ranging. The lesser known definition is communicative, and prone to talking in a sociable manner. After a few sips of cognac, the octogenarian shed his irascible demeanor and became expansive, speaking fondly of the "good old days".

Saturnine (adj.)

The etymology of this curious word can be traced to two sources: alchemy and astrology. For alchemists, Saturn was related to the chemical lead. When a person has severe lead poisoning, he or she takes on a very gloomy and morose disposition. Astrologists, on the other hand, believed that the planet Saturn was gloomy and morose. Usually, we would be loath to attribute human characteristics to large floating rocks, but remember—these were astrologists. Either way you look at it, to be saturnine is to be morose. Deprived of sunlight, humans become saturnine; that's why in very northerly territories people are encouraged to sit under an extremely powerful lamp, lest they become morose.

Checkered (adj.)

The meaning of checkered is completely unrelated to the meaning of check, so be sure to know the difference between the two. A checkered past is one that is marked by disreputable happenings. One by one, the presidential candidates dropped out of the race, their respective checkered pasts—from embezzlement to infidelity—sabotaging their campaigns.

Apogee (n.)

The point at which the moon is farthest from the earth is known as the apogee. In terms of accomplishment or achievement, this word can refer to the highest point or culmination of something. The apogee of the Viennese style of music, Mozart's music continues to mesmerize audiences well into the 21st century.

Prodigal (adj.)

The provenance of this word—like many GRE words—is the Bible. One of Jesus' most famous parables, the story is of a young man who squanders his father's wealth and returns home destitute. His father forgives him, but to posterity he will forever be remembered as the prodigal son. To be prodigal is to squander or waste wealth (it doesn't necessarily have to be familial wealth). This word should not be confused with prodigious, which means vast or immense. Successful professional athletes who do not fall prey to prodigality seem to be the exception—most live decadent lives.

commensurate (adj)

The same in size, extent, etc. equivalent; proportional. To be commensurate to is to be in proportion or corresponding in degree or amount The definition of this word tends to be a little unwieldy, regardless of the source. Therefore, it is a word that screams to be understood in context (for this very reason, the GRE loves commensurate, because they know that those who just devour flashcards will not understand how the word works in a sentences). Speaking of a sentence... The convicted felon's life sentence was commensurate to the heinousness of his crime.

Sartorial (adj.)

The sartorius muscle is found on your legs and crosses from the back, near the hamstring, all the way to the base of the quadriceps, at the front of the leg. The name sartorius was derived from the Latin for tailor. You may ask what a leg muscle has to do with a person who stitches clothes? Well, whenever a tailor was at work, he/she would cross his or her legs. In order to do so, a tailor must employ a special leg muscle, the sartorius. Today, sartorial does not relate directly to the muscle or tailor, but rather to the way we dress (makes sense considering tailors work with clothes). Monte was astute at navigating the world of finance; sartorially, however, he was found wanting—he typically would attempt to complemented his beige tie with a gray suit and white pants.

Maintain (v.)

The second definition of this word—and one the new GRE favors—is to* assert. One can maintain their innocence*. A scientist can maintain that a recent finding supports her theory. The latter context is the one you'll encounter on the GRE. The scientist maintained that the extinction of dinosaurs was most likely brought about by a drastic change in climate.

Start (v.)

The secondary meaning for start is somewhat similar to the common meaning. To start is to suddenly move or dart in a particular direction. Just think of the word startle. All alone in the mansion, Henrietta started when she heard a sound.

Invective (n.)

The verb form of invective, at least in a loose sense, is inveigh. This word popped up a lot on the old GRE, because it was easily confused with inveigle, which means to coax. Both words are still good to know for the New GRE. Invective is used to describe harsh, critical language. The Internet has unleashed the invectives in many of us; many people post stinging criticism on the comments section underneath newspaper articles or YouTube videos.

Impecunious (adj.)

The word pecuniary means relating to money. Impecunious, on the other hand, means not having any money. Pecunious, now mainly obsolete, means—as you can probably guess—wealthy. In extremely trying times, even the moderately wealthy, after a few turns of ill-fortune, can become impecunious.

Precipitate (adj./n./v.)

There aren't too many words in the English language that, without any change in spelling, can be a noun, verb, or an adjective. Precipitate, one such word, conjures up the image of technicians in lab coats, mixing test tubes. The precipitate is part of the solution left inside a test tube (or any other container used in labs these days). This definition, though, is not important for the GRE. The verb and adjective definitions, however, are. To be precipitate is to be hasty or rash. To precipitate something, such as a government precipitating a crisis, means to make something happen suddenly. Instead of conducting a thorough investigation after the city hall break-in, the governor acted precipitately, accusing his staff of aiding and abetting the criminals.

Vindictive (adj.) vs. Vindicate (v.)

These words look very similar, so their definitions must be somewhat related. Right? Actually, the two words are very different. To be vindictive means to have a very strong desire for revenge. As for vindicate, it means to prove oneself right. What, exactly, does this mean? Say you claim to your friends that you will score at the 95th percentile on the verbal. They doubt your claim, and lightly tease you on your lofty and seemingly unattainable goal. Now, it's up to you to prove that you can do it. If you score at the 95th percentile on test day, then you've vindicated yourself: you've proven that your original claim was correct. If you score way below that...well, then you may want to avoid your friends for some time.

Veracious (adj.) vs. Voracious (adj.)

These words not only deviate by only one letter, but they also sound very similar. As for their definitions, you definitely do not want to confuse them. Veracious means truthful; voracious means hungry, either literally or figuratively. Steven was a voracious reader, sometimes finishing two novels in the same day.

Expurgate (v.) vs. Expunge (v.)

They both mean to remove, but in different ways. To expurgate means to remove objectionable material. If you've ever watched a rated-R film that has been adapted for prime time, you'll probably note that all those F-words—factitious, facetious, and fatuous—have been removed. That's expurgation (think of the "beep"). To expunge simply means to wipe out or remove any trace off. Many people who commit petty crimes have those crimes expunged from their records, given that person doesn't decide to start running every other red light. So, if you've been a good driver over the last 10 years, then that one incident when 85 became the new 65...well, that's probably been expunged from your record.

Insufferable (adj.)

Think of somebody, or something, that you simply can't tolerate. That thing is insufferable. A person bleating into their cell phones on a crowded bus is insufferable. So is a person who only talks about him or herself, and usually in the most flattering vein possible. Depending on the person, certain television shows or genres can be insufferable. This word is derived from the second definition of suffer, which means to put up with, or tolerate. Chester always tried to find some area in which he excelled above others; unsurprisingly, his co-workers found him insufferable and chose to exclude him from daily luncheons out.

Contentious (adj.)

This GRE word does not mean content, as in feeling happy. It comes from the word *contend, which means to argue*. If you are *contentious, you like to argue*. Contentious is a very common GRE word, so unless you want me to become contentious, memorize it now! Since old grandpa Harry became very contentious during the summer when only reruns were on T.V., the grandkids learned to hide from him at every opportunity.

Syncretic (adj.)

This is a difficult word, and not one that would go on any top 1000 words you have to know for the GRE. But for those with a robust vocabulary, pay heed: if a I concoct a new religion and decide to take bits and pieces from other religions—I don a cardinal's robe, shave my head a la Buddha, and disseminate glossy pamphlets about the coming apocalypse—I have created a syncretic religion, one that combines elements of different religions. You can probably see where this is going with the GRE definition—which tends to offer a little more latitude. Syncretic—more generally speaking—can refer to any amalgam of different schools of thought. Jerry the shrink takes a syncretic approach to psychotherapy: he mixes the Gestalt school with some Jung and a healthy (or unhealthy, depending on your view) dose of Freud.

Parvenu (n.)

This is a person who has recently acquired wealth, and has therefore risen in class. Parvenu has a derogatory connotation, meaning that if you win the lottery and someone calls you a parvenu they are not trying to be flattering. The theater was full of parvenus who each thought that they were flanked by aristocrats.

Sybarite (n.)

This is a person who indulges in luxury. And though the word doesn't directly relate to wealth, most of the times a sybarite has to be wealthy (though even the relatively penurious amongst us can live the life of a sybarite, if he or she isn't loath to run up several credit cards.) Despite the fact that he'd maxed out fifteen credit cards, Max was still a sybarite at heart: when the feds found him, he was at a $1,000 an hour spa in Manhattan, getting a facial.

Penurious (adj.)

This is a synonym for impecunious. Penurious also can be a synonym for miserly, so this word can be a little tricky. Whenever you have a word with two meanings, even if those meanings are closely related, make sure to come up with example sentences for both, so you don't forget one of the definitions. (I've done so below). Truly penurious, Mary had nothing more than a jar full of pennies. Sarah chose to be penurious and drive a beat-up VW, though with her wealth she could have easily afforded an Italian sports car.

Phantasmagorical (adj.)

This is a terrifying word, just from the standpoint of pronunciation: [fan-taz-muh-gawr-ik-al]. The definition is equally frightening: a series of images that seem as though they are out of a dream, whether those images are real or in one's head. Those suffering from malaria fall into a feverish sleep, their world a whirligig of phantasmagoria; if they recover, they are unsure of what actually took place and what was simply a product of their febrile imaginations.

Sanctimonious (adj.)

This is a tricky word, and thus you can bet it's one of GRE's favorites. Sanctimonious does not mean filled with sanctity or holiness. Instead it refers to that quality that can overcome someone who feels that they are holier (read: morally superior) to everybody else. Colloquially, we hear the term holier-than-thou. That is a very apt way to describe the attitude of a sanctimonious person. Even during the quiet sanctity of evening prayer, she held her chin high, a sanctimonious sneer forming on her face as she eyed those who were attending church for the first time.

Iconoclast (n.)

This is an interesting word. The definition that relates to the church is clearly negative, i.e. an iconoclast is one who destroys religious images. Basically, this definition applies to the deranged drunk who goes around desecrating icons of the Virgin Mary. The applicability of this definition to GRE is clearly suspect. The second definition, however, happens to be one of the GRE's top 100 words. An iconoclast—more broadly speaking—is somebody who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions. This use of the word is not necessarily negative: According to some scholars, art during the 19th century had stagnated into works aimed to please fusty art academies; it took the iconoclasm of Vincent Van Gogh to inject fresh life into the effete world of painting.

Malapropism (n.)

This is definitely one of my favorite eponyms. While the provenance is nowhere nearly as interesting as those of other eponyms, the word perfectly describes a lapse that any of us is capable of making, especially those studying for the GRE. Ms. Malaprop was a character in a play The Rivals by the largely forgotten George Sheridan. She was known for mixing up similar sounding words, usually to comic effect. Indeed, she would utter the words with complete aplomb that those listening were unsure if she'd even mixed up words in the first place. Her favorite Spanish dance was the flamingo (note: the dance in question is the flamenco; a flamingo is a salmon-colored bird known both for its elegance and tackiness). GRE malapropisms aren't quite so silly as Ms. Malaprop mixing up a bird and a Spanish dance, but I'll do my best. See if you can spot the GRE malapropisms below. The graffiti artist was indicated for defecating the church with gang signs. Picasso was a protein artist, able to mix elements of African art with the oven guard.

Miserly (adj.) vs. Frugal (adj.)

This is one of the most commonly confused pairs. These words, despite popular opinion, are not the same. Frugal has a positive connotation, i.e. you spend money wisely, and miserly has a negative connotation, i.e. you pinch every penny. Monte was no miser, but was simply frugal, wisely spending the little that he earned.

Qualify (v.)

This is perhaps the most commonly confused secondary meaning, and one that is very important to know for the GRE. To qualify is to limit, and is usually used in the context of a statement or an opinion. I love San Francisco. I love San Francisco, but it is always windy. The first statement shows my unqualified love for San Francisco. In the second statement I qualify, or limit, my love for San Francisco. In the context of the GRE, the concept of qualification is usually found in the Reading Comprehension passage. For example, an author usually expresses qualified approval or some qualified opinion in the passage. As you may have noticed, the authors of reading comprehension passages never feel 100% about something. They always think in a nuanced fashion. Therefore, they are unlikely to be gung-ho or downright contemptuous. That is, they qualify, or limit, their praise/approval/disapproval.

Serendipity (n.)

This morning I wasn't looking for this article, but there it was—a pleasant find. That's an example of serendipity: finding something pleasant that you weren't even looking for. The Internet is full of serendipity, since something you weren't looking for in the first place often falls into your lap. Though if such compulsive buying becomes a habit, it may cease to be serendipitous. The invention of the 3M Post It Note was serendipitous, because the scientist who had come up with the idea was looking for a strong adhesive; the weak adhesive he came up with was perfect for holding a piece of paper in place but making it very easy for someone to pull the paper free.

Mulct (v.)

This strange looking word also means to swindle or defraud someone. (Though the swindling doesn't always have to relate to money.) Mulct can also mean to fine someone. The so-called magical diet cure simply ended up mulcting Maria out of hundreds of dollars, but not hundreds of pounds.

Parochial (adj.)

This word comes from parish, a small ecclesiastical district, usually located in the country. Parochial still has this meaning, i.e. relating to a church parish, but we are far more concerned with the negative connotation that has emerged from the rather sedate original version. To be parochial is to be narrow-minded in one's view. The idea is if you are hanging out in the country, you tend to be a little cut off from things. The pejorative form—at least to my knowledge—is not a knock at religion. Jasmine was sad to admit it, but her fledgling relationship with Jacob did not work out because his culinary tastes were simply too parochial; "After all," she quipped on her blog, "he considered Chef Boyrdee ethnic food."

Reprobate (n.)

This word comes from reprove, a popular GRE word, which means (nope, not to prove again) to express disapproval of. A reprobate is a noun and is the recipient of the disapproval. Reprobate is a mildly humorous word, meaning that you would use it to describe some no good soul, but one you have a fondness for. Those old reprobates drinking all day down by the river -they are not going to amount to much.

Diabolical (adj.)

This word comes from the Latin and Greek for devil (for those speak Spanish, you may notice that the word is very similar to diablo). To be diabolical is to be extremely wicked like the devil. The conspirators, willing to dispatch anyone who stood in their way, hatched a diabolical plan to take over the city.

Unnerve (v.)

This word does not mean to make less nervous, but its opposite. If you unnerve a person, you disconcert him or her to the point he or she is likely to fail. At one time unnerved by math problems, she began avidly "Magoosh-ing", and soon became adept at even combinations and permutations questions.

Limpid (adj.)

This word does not relate to limp, it relates to clarity in terms of expression. Limpid is typically used to describe writing or music. Her limpid prose made even the most recondite subjects accessible to all.

Virago (n.)

This word has a real cool origin - the vir- comes from the Latin man. Virago, however, was coined during the medieval period to describe heroic female warriors. Today virago does not have such a noble connotation - it describes an ill-tempered and sometimes violent woman. If you've ever had an old lady scream at you for no good reason, then you've had an encounter with a virago. Poor Billy was the victim of the virago's invective—she railed at him for a good 30-minutes about how he is the scum of the earth for speaking loudly on his cellphone in public.

Nabob (n.)

This word is fun to say. It definitely wouldn't be fun to see on the GRE, if you didn't know what it meant. So let's make sure that doesn't happen. A nabob is a wealthy, influential person. This word also comes from Hindi, and was originally used by Indians to describe a wealthy British person living in India. While it is not as common as pundit and pariah, nabob applies to many living here in the U.S., though I don't think it a good idea to call Donald Trump a nabob to his face. The nabobs can be seen, heads a bobbing, driving by in their Italian sports cars, listening to techno.

Vituperation (n.)

This word is fun to say. Vituperating someone is neither fun for the 'vituperater' nor the 'vituperatee.' When you vituperate somebody, or something, you violently launch into an invective or tirade. Spit shoots from your mouth, froth forming at your lips. Understandably, vituperate is only used in extreme cases. Jason had dealt with disciplinarians before, but nothing prepared him for the first week of boot camp, as drill sergeants would vituperate him for forgetting to double knot the laces on his boots. Vocab from the Lab

Cupidity (n.)

This word is similar to avarice in that it means greedy. But the word is even more relevant to this post in that it means greed for money. Surprising, right? We think of Cupid the flying cherub, firing his arrow away and making Romeos and Juliets out of us. To avoid any confusion, imagine Cupid flying around shooting arrows into people's wallets/purses and then swooping in and taking the loot. Oh what cupidity! Some people that amassing as much wealth as possible is the meaning to life—yet they often realize that cupidity brings anything but happiness.

Arriviste (n.)

This word is similar to parvenu (though arriviste connotes more ruthless ambition). It came into the language much more recently, circa 1900. The city center was aflutter with arrivistes who each tried to outdo one another with their ostentatious sports cars and chic evening dress.

Spendthrift (n.)

This word is the opposite of thrifty. If you are a spendthrift, you buy as though consumerism were going out of style. This one is perhaps easy to remember; it does, after all, have the word 'spend' in it. Weekly trips to Vegas and five-star restaurants on Tuesday evenings, Megan was a spendthrift whose prodigality would inevitably catch up with her.

Execrate (v.)

This word just sounds awful. The good news is the meaning of execrate is consistent with the way it sounds. To execrate somebody is to curse and hiss at them. For instance a certain American basketball player left his team of many years so he could make more money with another team. Fans of the original team execrated the player for his perfidy and, what they claim, were his mercenary motives. Interestingly, the adjective form of execrate is the relatively common GRE word execrable. If something is execrable, it is so awful that it is worthy of our hissing. Though the new sitcom did decently in the ratings, Nelson railed against the show, saying that it was nothing more than execrable pastiche of tired cliché's and canned laughter.

Lagniappe (n.)

This word looks like it got jumbled up while I was typing. Believe it or not, lagniappe is not the result of errant fingers on my part, but comes to us from Louisiana. In Cajun country, in the 19th Century, a lagniappe was any unexpected gift. By no means a common GRE word—indeed, I doubt you'll ever see it on the test—but if lagniappe happens to show up on the test, then consider it an unexpected gift. The islanders thought that the seafarers had brought them a lagniappe when the latter presented them with gold coins; little did the islanders know that their days of bartering were numbered.

Sententious (adj.)

This word looks like it would relate to a sentence. If you know the GRE, you will know this is probably not the case, as the GRE is likely to subvert people's gut reactions. Sententious means to be moralizing, usually in a pompous sense. The old man, casting his nose up in the air at the group of adolescents, intoned sententiously, "Youth is wasted on the young."

Pariah (n.)

This word means an outcast. It comes from Hindi, one of the most prominent languages spoken in India. While India is on the other side of the world (at least from where I'm sitting), it should come as no surprise that we have acquired words from Hindi. After all, the British (remember, the people who "invented" English) colonized India and greatly influenced her for more than a century. The influence went both ways, as we now have words like pundit, meaning an expert in a particular area. And any pundit on geography and linguistics can tell you that another common language spoken in India is English. The once eminent scientist, upon being inculpated for fudging his data, has become a pariah in the research community.

Profligate (adj./n.)

This word means spending recklessly almost to the point of immorality. This word often pops up in politics, when some charge that government is spending wastefully. Profligate is also a person known for his or her profligacy. Most lottery winners go from being conservative, frugal types to outright profligates who blow millions on fast cars, lavish homes, and giant yachts.

Dupe (n./v.)

This word means to trick or swindle. This word can function as a verb or as a noun. A dupe is a person who is easily swindled. The charlatan mistook the crowd for a bunch of dupes, but the crowd was quickly on to him and decried his bald-faced attempt to bilk them.

Exegesis (n.)

This word refers to a critical interpretation of a scholarly work. If you think that definition is intimidating, the adjective form is exegetical. The Bible is fertile ground for exegesis—over the past five centuries there have been as many interpretations as there are pages in a Gideon.

Auspicious (adj.)

This word sounds very sinister, but actually means the opposite of sinister. If an occasion is auspicious, it is favorable. The opposite, inauspicious, is also common on the GRE. It means unfavorable. Despite an auspicious beginning, Mike's road trip became a series of mishaps, and he was soon stranded and penniless, leaning against his wrecked automobile.

Errant (adj.) vs. Arrant (adj.) vs. Errand (n.) vs. Err (v.)

To be errant is to be wandering, not sticking to a circumscribed path. It can also connote deviating from accepted behavior or standards. Unlike his peers, who spent their hours studying in the library, Matthew preferred errant walks through the university campus to help his brain function. Arrant means complete and utter. It usually modifies a noun with a negative connotation, e.g. liar, fool, etc. An arrant fool, Lawrence surprised nobody when he lost all his money in a pyramid scheme that was every bit as transparent as it was corrupt. An errand is a small chore. Maria carried out her errands with dispatch, completing most before noon. To err is (surprise!) to make an error. He erred in thinking that errant and arrant were synonyms.

Embroiled (adj.)

To become caught up in a scandal is to become embroiled in it. In the last couple of months, a few well-known politicians (again, not naming any names) have become embroiled in scandals. From the verb embroiled, we get the noun imbroglio, which is an embarrassing, confusing situation. These days we are never short of a D.C. imbroglio—a welcome phenomenon for those who, having barely finished feasting on the sordid details of one scandal, can sink their teeth into a fresh one.

Betray (v.)

To betray means to go against one's country or friends. Right? Well, yes, but not always. Especially on the GRE. To betray means to reveal or make known something, usually unintentionally. Let's try a Text Completion question: As we age, our political leanings tend to become less _______; the once dyed-in-wool conservative can betray liberal leanings, and the staunch progressive may suddenly embrace conservative policies. (A) pronounced (B) obscured (C) contrived (D) earnest (E) diplomatic In this case betray means reveal. As we age our political biases become less obvious/extreme (my own words). Which word is the closest? (A) pronounced.

Castigate (v.)

To castigate someone is to reprimand harshly. This word is very similar to chastise. They even have the same etymology (word history). Drill sergeants are known to castigate new recruits so mercilessly that the latter often break down during their first week in training.

Check (n./v.)

To check is to limit, and it is a word usually used to modify the growth of something. When government abuses are not kept in check, that government is likely to become autocratic.

Check (n./v.)

To check something is to stop its growth (similar to stem but with more of a focus on growth than flow). If something is left unchecked, then it grows freely. Deserted for six months, the property began to look more like a jungle and less like a residence—weeds grew unchecked in the front yard.

Conciliate (v.)

To conciliate is to make peace with. His opponents believed his gesture to be conciliatory, yet as soon as they put down their weapons, he unsheathed a hidden sword.

Corroborate (v.)

To corroborate something is to confirm or lend support to (usually an idea or claim). Her claim that frog populations were falling precipitously in Central America was corroborated by locals, who reported that many species of frogs had seemingly vanished overnight.

Disabuse (v.)

To disabuse is not the opposite of abuse (which would be a strange word to have an opposite for in the first place). To disabuse is to persuade somebody that his/her belief is not valid. Often, disabuse goes together with the word notion: As a child, I was quickly disabused of the notion that Santa Claus was a rotund benefactor of infinite largess—one night I saw my mother diligently wrapping presents and storing them under our Christmas tree.

Exhort (v.)

To exhort means to strongly urge on, encourage. The encouragement is for a positive action. So a mentor figure will exhort you to make the most of your life, whereas the miscreant will cajole you into doing something you'll regret. Nelson's parents exhorted him to study medicine, urging him to choose a respectable profession; intransigent, Nelson left home to become a graffiti artist.

Inundate (v.)

To inundate is a synonym for to deluge, which means to flood. Figuratively, to be inundated means to be overwhelmed by too many people or things. The newsroom was inundated with false reports that only made it more difficult for the newscasters to provide an objective account of the bank robbery.

Juggernaut (n.)

To many, this word was forever immortalized in X-Men 2, when one of the main characters, Juggernaut, ran through walls, pulverizing them. This power to knock over and destroy anything in one's path can also be traced to the original juggernaut, a word that comes to us via Hindi. A juggernaut was a large temple vehicle—and when I mean large, I mean humongous—under which followers of Krishna would supposedly throw themselves. Today, the word juggernaut doesn't necessarily include any grisly sacrifices, but refers to any large force that cannot be stopped. Napoleon was considered a juggernaut, until he decided to invade Russia in winter; within weeks his once seemingly indomitable army was decimated by cold and famine.

Stem (v.)

To stem means to hold back or limit the flow or growth of something. You can stem bleeding, and you can stem the tide—or at least attempt to do so. However, do not stem the flow of vocabulary coursing through your brains. Make sure to use GRE words whenever you can. To stem the tide of applications, the prestigious Ivy requires that each applicant score at least 330 on the Revised GRE.

Excoriate (v.)

To yell at someone is one thing; to excoriate them is a whole other. A martinet of a boss whom you've once again upset; a drill sergeant berating a feckless, smirking recruit; now we are closer. So to criticize really, really harshly is to excoriate. Interestingly, the second definition of the word is to tear one's skin from his/her body. To verbally excoriate, figuratively speaking, is to rip off a person's skin. Entrusted with the prototype to his company's latest smartphone, Larry, during a late night karaoke bout, let the prototype slip into the hands of a rival company—the next day Larry was excoriated, and then fired.

Undermine (v.)

Undermine is common in all sections of the GRE, not just difficult sections. It can pop up in reading comprehension answer choices just as commonly as text completion questions. Undermine means to weaken and is usually paired with an abstract term, such as authority. It can also have the connotation of slowly or insidiously eroding (insidious mean subtly harmful). The student undermined the teacher's authority by questioning the teacher's judgment on numerous occasions.

Erratic (adj.)

Unpredictable, often wildly so, erratic is reserved for pretty extreme cases. An athlete who scores the winning point one game, and then botches numerous opportunities is known for his or her erratic play. The stock market is notoriously erratic, as is sleep, especially if your stocks aren't doing well. Erratic can also mean strange and unconventional. Someone may be known for their erratic behavior. Regardless of which meaning you are employing, you should not be erratic in your GRE prep. It came as no surprise to pundits that the President's attempt at re-election floundered; even during his term, support for his policies was erratic, with an approval rating jumping anywhere from 30 to 60 percent.

Upbraid (v.)

Upon seeing this word, you may imagine a hair stylist busily braiding patrons' hair. Upbraid, however, relates neither to up nor braiding. It means to scold or berate, a meaning it shares with many other words: reprimand, reproach, chide, and castigate. Bob took a risk walking into the "Students Barbershop"—in the end he had to upbraid the apparently hung over barber for giving him and uneven bowl cut.

laconic

Using few words, concise

Artless (adj.) vs. Artful (adj.) vs. Artifice (n.)

Van Gogh, Picasso, Monet...surely they relate to the second word, and definitely not the first, which would be reserved for people like me who reached their artistic apotheosis with the drawing of stick-figures. Well, as far as the GRE is concerned, neither word relates to art (both in the lower case and upper case sense). To be artful means to be cunning and wily. To have artifice is to be artful. Perhaps you've read Dickens, and remember The Artful Dodger. The titular artful dodger did not have a penchant for watercolors, but was instead a devious, wily lad. This trait, presumably, allowed him to dodge tricky situations. If somebody is artless, on the other hand, that person is innocent, guileless. It should come as little surprise, then, that the literary canon is absent an artless dodger, as he would be too innocent and naive to dodge much of anything. Finally, artful and artless can refer back to the original usage of art. Therefore, Picasso is artful and I am artless. However, the GRE rarely, if ever, tests these definitions.

Veracity (n.)

Veracity sounds a lot like voracity. Whereas many know *voracity means full of hunger*, whether for food or knowledge (the adjective form voracious is more common), few know veracity. Unfortunately, many confuse the two on the test. *Veracity means truthful*. Veracious, the adjective form of veracity, sounds a lot like voracious. So be careful. After years of political scandals, the congressman was hardly known for his veracity; yet despite this distrust, he was voted into yet another term.

audacious

Very bold or brave, often in a rude or reckless way; extremely original

pernicious

Very harmful or destructive, deadly

exacting

Very severe in making demands; requiring precise attention

Chastise (v.)

Very similar to castigate, it also means to reprimand harshly. Though chastised for his wanton abuse of the pantry, Lawrence shrugged off his mother's harsh words, and continued to plow through jars of cookies and boxes of donuts.

Propitiate (v.)

Want to make an angry person less angry? Well, then you attempt to placate or appease. Or, if you like really big GRE words, you propitiate them. The two sons, plying their angry father with cheesy neckties for Christmas, were hardly able to propitiate him - the father already had a drawer full of ones he had never worn before or ever planned to.

prodigal

Wasteful, extravagant; giving abundantly, lavish

vacillate

Waver in one's mind or opinions, be indecisive

Involved (adj.)

We are involved in many things, from studying to socializing. For something to be involved, as far as the GRE is concerned, means it is complicated, and difficult to comprehend. The physics lecture became so involved that the undergraduate's eyes glazed over.

Catholic (adj.)

We have many associations with Catholicism: cardinals at mass, nuns wielding crucifixes at frothing demons. Thus, it is somewhat surprising that a second definition of catholic—and the one that will be tested on the GRE—means universal. Or perhaps not too surprising, considering that Catholicism has a universal reach and, more importantly, the Catholic Church conducts mass in Latin. Catholic comes from the Late Latin catholicus, which means, as you can probably guess, universal. Catholic also implies wide-ranging or all-embracing. Jonah's friends said that Jonah's taste in music was eclectic; Jonah was quick to point out that not only was his taste eclectic but it was also catholic: he enjoyed music from countries as far-flung as Mali and Mongolia.

Quisling (n.)

We've all heard of the Nazis. Some of you may have even heard of the Vichy government, which was a puppet regime set up by the Nazis in France during WWII. Few of us, however, know that Germany also tried to turn Norway into a puppet regime. In order for Germany to take over Norway, it needed an inside man, a Norwegian who would sell his country out for the Nazis. This man was Viktor Quisling. For arrant perfidy, he has been awarded the eponym quisling, which means traitor. History looks unfavorably upon quislings; indeed they are accorded about the same fondness as Nero—he who watched his city burn down while playing the violin.

undermine

Weaken, cause to collapse by diffing away at the foundation (of a building or an argument); injure or attack in a secretive or underhanded way

Overweening (adj.)

What exactly does it mean to 'ween'? To go out on Halloween, perhaps? Making an overweening person one who takes a little bit too zealously to candy collecting and wakes up the next morning with a sugar hangover? The answer of course is none of the above. To be overweening is to be presumptuously arrogant. What exactly does that mean? Say the aforementioned trick-o-treater grabs three times as much candy as everyone else, because he assumes he is entitled to as much candy as he wants. He would be overweening. Which would make him overweening while Halloweening (okay, I'll stop before my humor becomes overweening!*). *Overweening can also refer to ideas/opinions/appetites that are excessive or immoderate. Mark was so convinced of his basketball skills that in his overweening pride he could not fathom that his name was not on the varsity list; he walked up to the basketball coach and told her she had forgotten to add his name.

Flush (adj.)

What word means to turn red (especially in the face), to send down the toilet, to be in abundance, and to drive out of hiding? Yep, it's flush, which has all four of these totally unrelated definitions. The GRE Reading Comprehension passage is flush with difficult words, words that you may have learned only yesterday.

Base (adj.)

When the definition of this word came into existence, there were some obvious biases against the lower classes (assuming that lexicographers were not lower class). It was assumed that those from the base, or the lowest, class were without any moral principles. They were contemptible and ignoble. Hence, we have this second definition of base (the word has since dropped any connotations of lower class). She was not so base as to begrudge the beggar the unwanted crumbs from her dinner plate.

Mettlesome (adj.)

When you poke your nose in somebody else's business, you are being meddlesome. If you are mettlesome, on the other hand, you are filled with mettle (no, not the hard stuff). Mettle means courage or valor. A soldier on the battlefield is mettlesome when he runs into enemy fire to save a comrade. For its raid on the Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Seal Team Six has become, for many Americans, the embodiment of mettle.

Immaterial (adj.)

While immaterial can describe a ghost, phantom, or run-of-the mill ectoplasm, immaterial primarily means not relevant. The judge found the defendant's comments immaterial to the trial, and summarily dismissed him from the witness stand.

Contrite (adj.)

Word roots are often misleading. This word does not mean with triteness (con- meaning with). *To be contrite is to be remorseful*. Though he stole his little sister's licorice stick with malevolent glee, Chucky soon became contrite when his sister wouldn't stop crying.

Venal (adj.) vs. Venial (adj.)

You definitely do not want to confuse these two. To call someone venal is to say they are corrupt, and likely to accept bribes. To be venial actually doesn't refer to a person but rather a sin or an offense. A venial offense is one that is minor and pardonable. His traffic violations ran the gamut from the venial to the egregious—on one occasion he simply did not come to a complete stop; another time he tried to escape across state lines at speeds in excess of 140 mph.

Ingenuous (adj.)

You may think you've heard someone exclaim, what an ingenuous plan! But, it's actually an ingenious plan. To be ingenuous is to be naïve and innocent. So, if you are likely to go along with a devious plan, whether or not it is ingenious, you are ingenuous. Two-years in college in Manhattan had changed Jenna from an ingenuous girl from the suburbs to a jaded urbanite, unlikely to fall for any ruse, regardless of how elaborate.

Misanthrope (n.)

You thought a curmudgeon was bad? A misanthrope—or hater of mankind—walks down the street spewing vitriol at all those who walk by. College campuses are famous for misanthropes, those disheveled types who haunt coffee shops, muttering balefully as students pass by. Some say they are homeless; others that they didn't get tenure. Regardless, steer clear of the misanthrope. Hamilton had been deceived so many times in his life that he hid behind the gruff exterior of a misanthrope, lambasting perfect strangers for no apparent reason.

Remonstrate (v.)

You've probably guessed already that this does not mean to demonstrate again. To remonstrate means to make objections while pleading. The mothers of the kidnapped victims remonstrated to the rogue government to release their children, claiming that the detention violated human rights.

constituent

a citizen who is represented in a government by officials for whom he or she votes; an abstract part of something

myriad

a large indefinite number

frugality

a tendency to be thrifty or cheap

plastic

able to be molded, altered, or bent

whimsical

acting in a fanciful or capricious manner; unpredictable

lethargic

acting in an indifferent or slow, sluggish manner

derelict

adjective: (of a person) not doing one's duties The teacher was derelict in her duties because she hadn't graded a single student paper in three weeks. noun: (of a building) abandoned At one time the waterfront factories were busy and productive, but now they stand derelict and will be torn down.

glib

adjective: (of a person) speaking with ease but without sincerity I have found that the more glib the salesman, the worse the product.

internecine

adjective: (of conflict) within a group or organization The guerilla group, which had become so powerful as to own the state police, was finally destroyed by an internecine conflict.

discursive

adjective: (of e.g. speech and writing) tending to depart from the main point Many readers find it tough to read Moby Dick since the author is discursive, often cutting the action short to spend 20 pages on the history of a whale.

turgid

adjective: (of language) pompous and tedious The amount of GRE vocabulary he used increased with his years--by the time he was 60, his novels were so turgid that even his diehard fans refused to read them.

lucid

adjective: (of language) transparently clear; easily understandable Though Walters writes about physics and time travel, his writing is always lucid, so readers with little scientific training can understand difficult concepts.

plodding

adjective: (of movement) slow and laborious Charlie may seem to run at a plodding pace, but he is an ultramarathoner, meaning he runs distances of up to 100 miles, and can run for ten hours at a stretch.

unruly

adjective: (of persons) noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline; unwilling to submit to authority Walk in to any preschool and I am sure that you will find an unruly and chaotic scene—unless it's nap time.

untenable

adjective: (of theories etc) incapable of being defended or justified With the combination of Kepler's brilliant theories and Galileo's telescopic observations, the old geocentric theory became untenable to most of the educated people in Europe.

inclement

adjective: (of weather) unpleasant, stormy After a week of inclement weather, we finally are able to go outside and enjoy the sun. adjective: used of persons or behavior; showing no mercy Marcus Aurelius, though a fair man, was inclement to Christians during his reign, persecuting them violently.

detrimental

adjective: (sometimes followed by "to") causing harm or injury Many know that smoking is detrimental to your health, but processed sugar in large quantities is equally bad.

ignominious

adjective: (used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame Since the politician preached ethics and morality, his texting of revealing photographs was ignominious, bringing shame on both himself and his party.

complicit

adjective: Associated with or participating in an activity, especially one of a questionable nature. While the grand jury cleared the senator of all criminal charges, in the public mind he was still complicit in the corruption.

pristine

adjective: Unspoiled, untouched (usu. of nature) The glacial lake was pristine and we filled our canteens to drink deeply. adjective: Immaculately clean and unused Drill sergeants are known for demanding pristine cabinets, uniforms, and beds, and often make new recruits clean and clean and clean until they meet the expected high standards.

candid

adjective: a straightforward and honest look at something Even with a perfect stranger, Charles was always candid and would rarely hold anything back.

derisive

adjective: abusing vocally; expressing contempt or ridicule I was surprised by her derisive tone; usually, she is sweet, soft spoken, and congenial.

palatable

adjective: acceptable to the taste or mind MIkey didn't partake much in his friends' conversations, but found their presence palatable.

perspicacious

adjective: acutely insightful and wise Many modern observers regard Eisenhower as perspicacious, particularly in his accurate prediction of the growth of the military.

genial

adjective: agreeable, conducive to comfort Betty is a genial young woman: everyone she meets is put at ease by her elegance and grace.

hoary

adjective: ancient Most workout gurus are young, fit people, whereas most yoga gurus are hoary men with long white beards.

becoming

adjective: appropriate, and matches nicely Her dress was becoming and made her look even more beautiful.

facile

adjective: arrived at without due care or effort; lacking depth Many news shows provide facile explanations to complex politics, so I prefer to read the in-depth reporting of The New York Times.

overweening

adjective: arrogant; presumptuous Mark was so convinced of his basketball skills that in his overweening pride he could not fathom that his name was not on the varsity list; he walked up to the basketball coach and told her she had forgotten to add his name.

factitious

adjective: artificial; not natural The defendant's story was largely factitious and did not accord with eyewitness testimonies

tempestuous

adjective: as if driven by turbulent or conflicting emotions; highly energetic and wildly changing or fluctuating Chuck and Kathy had always been stable and agreeable people on their own, but when they got involved, it was a tempestuous relationship.

evasive

adjective: avoiding or escaping from difficulty or danger or commitment His responses were clearly evasive; he obviously did not want to take on any responsibility or any new work. adjective: deliberately vague or ambiguous Every time I call the bank, I receive the same evasive answers about our mortgage and never get a clear response.

economical

adjective: avoiding waste, efficient Journalists favor an economical style of writing, in which no unnecessary words are used and every sentence is as short as possible.

specious

adjective: based on pretense; deceptively pleasing Almost every image on TV is specious and not to be trusted. adjective: plausible but false He made a career out of specious arguments and fictional lab results, but lost his job and reputation when his lies were exposed by an article in The New York Times.

obtain

adjective: be valid, applicable, or true The custom of waiting your turn in line does not obtain in some countries, in which many people try to rush to front of the line at the same time.

chivalrous

adjective: being attentive to women like an ideal knight Marco's chivalrous ways, like opening doors and pulling out chairs, was much appreciated by his date.

coterminous

adjective: being of equal extent or scope or duration The border of the state is coterminous with geographic limits on travel; the east and north are surrounded by a nearly uncrossable river and the south by a desert.

moribund

adjective: being on the point of death; declining rapidly losing all momentum in progress Whether you like it or not, jazz as a genre is moribund at best, possibly already dead.

mordant

adjective: biting and caustic in thought, manner, or style While Phil frequently made mordant remarks about company policy overall, he always was considerably gentler in discussing any person in particular.

beatific

adjective: blissfully happy Often we imagine all monks to wear the beatific smile of the Buddha, but, like any of us, a monk can have a bad day and not look very happy.

peremptory

adjective: bossy and domineering My sister used to peremptorily tell me to do the dishes, a chore I would either do perfunctorily or avoid doing altogether.

doughty

adjective: brave; bold; courageous I enjoy films in which a doughty group comes together to battle a force of evil.

crestfallen

adjective: brought low in spirit I asked Maria on a date and she refused without a moment's thought; I was crestfallen.

serene

adjective: calm and peaceful I'd never seen him so serene; usually, he was a knot of stress and anxiety from hours of trading on the stock exchange.

malleable

adjective: capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out The clay became malleable and easy to work with after a little water was added. adjective: easily influenced My little brother is so malleable that I can convince him to sneak cookies from the cupboard for me.

provident

adjective: careful in regard to your own interests; providing carefully for the future In a move that hardly could be described as provident, Bert spend his entire savings on a luxurious cruise, knowing that other bills would come due a couple months later.

discreet

adjective: careful to protect one's speech or actions in order to avoid offense or gain an advantage The professor thought that he was discreet, subtly wiping the stain off of his shirt, but as soon as he stepped off the podium a member of the audience pointed out the large ketchup stain.

slapdash

adjective: carelessly and hastily put together The office building had been constructed in a slapdash manner, so it did not surprise officials when, during a small earthquake, a large crack emerged on the façade of the building.

nettlesome

adjective: causing irritation or annoyance Maria found her coworkers cell phone nettlesome, because every few minutes it would buzz to life with another text message.

chary

adjective: cautious, suspiciously reluctant to do something Having received three speeding tickets in the last two months, Jack was chary of driving at all above the speed limit, even on a straight stretch of highway that looked empty for miles ahead.

autocratic

adjective: characteristic of an absolute ruler or absolute rule; having absolute sovereignty The last true autocratic country is certainly North Korea; nowhere does a leader exercise the absolute control over all aspects of a people the way that Kim Jong-un does. adjective: offensively self-assured or given to exercising usually unwarranted power The manager was finally fired for his autocratic leadership, which often bordered on rude and offensive.

diligent

adjective: characterized by care and perseverance in carrying out tasks Michael was a diligent gardener, never leaving a leaf on the ground and regularly watering each plant.

staid

adjective: characterized by dignity and propriety Frank came from a staid environment, so he was shocked that his college roommate sold narcotics.

forthright

adjective: characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion I did not expect the insurance agent to give us any straight answers, but I was pleasent surprised by how forthright he was.

industrious

adjective: characterized by hard work and perseverance Pete was an industrious student, completing every assignment thoroughly and on time.

jocular

adjective: characterized by jokes and good humor My uncle was always in a jocular mood at family gatherings, messing up people's hair and telling knock-knock jokes to anyone who would listen.

ethereal

adjective: characterized by lightness and insubstantiality Because she dances with an ethereal style, ballet critics have called her Madame Butterfly.

trenchant

adjective: characterized by or full of force and vigor; having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought, expression, or intellect Jill presented a rather superficial treatment of sales in Asia, but her trenchant analysis of sales in Europe inspired a number of insights into how to proceed in that market.

impetuous

adjective: characterized by undue haste and lack of thought or deliberation Herbert is rarely impetuous, but on the spur of the moment, he spent thousands of dollars on a motorcycle today.

sanguine

adjective: cheerful; optimistic With the prospect of having to learn 3,000 words during the course of the summer, Paul was anything but sanguine.

limpid

adjective: clarity in terms of expression Her limpid prose made even the most recondite subjects accessible to all.

cogent

adjective: clear and persuasive A cogent argument will change the minds of even the most skeptical audience.

facetious

adjective: cleverly amusing in tone Facetious behavior will not be tolerated during sex eduation class; it's time for all of you to treat these matters like mature adults.

impending

adjective: close in time; about to occur The impending doom of our world has been a discussed and debated for 2000 years—maybe even longer.

maladroit

adjective: clumsy As a child she was quite maladroit, but as an adult, she has become an adept dancer.

nonchalant

adjective: coming across as cooly uninterested The twenty-somethings at the coffee shop always irked Sheldon, especially the way in which they acted nonchalantly towards everything, not even caring when Sheldon once spilled his mocha on them.

expansive

adjective: communicative, and prone to talking in a sociable manner After a few sips of cognac, the octogenarian shed his irascible demeanor and became expansive, speaking fondly of the "good old days".

arrant

adjective: complete and wholly (usually modifying a noun with negative connotation) An arrant fool, Lawrence surprised nobody when he lost all his money in a pyramid scheme that was every bit as transparent as it was corrupt.

replete

adjective: completely stocked or furnished with something Only weeks after the hurricane made landfall, the local supermarket shelves were replete with goods, so quick was the disaster relief response.

cosmopolitan

adjective: comprising many cultures; global in reach and outlook There are few cities in the world as diverse and cosmopolitan as New York.

pithy

adjective: concise and full of meaning I enjoy reading the Daodejing for its pithy and insightful prose; it always gives me something to think about.

esoteric

adjective: confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle Map collecting is an esoteric hobby to most, but to geography geeks it is a highly enjoyable pasttime.

complacent

adjective: contented to a fault with oneself or one's actions After the water polo team won their sixth championship, they became complacent and didn't even make it to the playoffs the next year. He had become complacent after years of success.

illicit

adjective: contrary to or forbidden by law Though Al Capone was engaged in many illicit activities, he was finally arrested for income tax evasion, a relatively minor offense.

unprepossessing

adjective: creating an unfavorable or neutral first impression World leaders coming to meet Gandhi would expect a towering sage, and often would be surprised by the unprepossessing little man dressed only in a loincloth and shawl.

inimitable

adjective: defying imitation; matchless Mozart's music follows a clear pattern that, anyone could imitate, but his music gives an overall sense of effortlessness that is inimitable.

arduous

adjective: demanding considerable mental effort and skill; testing powers of endurance In order to deal with the arduous cross-country journey, truck drivers often survive on a string of caffeinated drinks, staying awake for up to 30 hours at a time.

stringent

adjective: demanding strict attention to rules and procedures Most of the students disliked the teacher because of his stringent homework policy, but many students would later thank him for demanding so much from them.

stalwart

adjective: dependable; inured to fatigue or hardships Despite all the criticism directed at the President during this scandal, Lisa has remained his stalwart supporter.

scintillating

adjective: describes someone who is brilliant and lively Richard Feynman was renowned for his scintillating lectures—the arcana of quantum physics was made lucid as he wrote animatedly on the chalkboard.

convivial

adjective: describing a lively atmosphere The wedding reception was convivial; friends who hadn't seen each other for ages drank and ate together before heading to the dance floor.

pyrrhic

adjective: describing a victory that comes at such a great cost that the victory is not worthwhile George W. Bush's win in the 2000 election was in many ways a pyrrhic victory: the circumstances of his win alienated half of the U.S. population.

concomitant

adjective: describing an event or situation that happens at the same time as or in connection with another Concomitant with his desire for nature was a desire for the culture and energy of a big city.

estimable

adjective: deserving of esteem and respect After serving thirty years, in which he selflessly served the community, Judge Harper was one of the more estimable people in town.

creditable

adjective: deserving of praise but not that amazing Critics agreed the movie was creditable, but few gave it more than three out of five stars.

capricious

adjective: determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason Nearly every month our capricious CEO had a new plan to turn the company around, and none of them worked because we never gave them the time they needed to succeed.

vacuous

adjective: devoid of intelligence, matter, or significance To the journalist's pointed question, the senator gave a vacuous response, mixing a few of his overall campaign slogans with platitudes and completely avoiding the controversial subject of the question.

cumbersome

adjective: difficult to handle or use especially because of size or weight Only ten years ago, being an avid reader and a traveler meant carrying a cumbersome backpack stuffed with books--these days we need only an e-reader.

sardonic

adjective: disdainfully or ironically humorous; scornful and mocking A stand-up comedian walks a fine line when making jokes about members of the audience; such fun and joking can quickly become sardonic and cutting.

preemptive

adjective: done before someone else can do it Just as Martha was about to take the only cookie left on the table, Noah preemptively swiped it.

sedulous

adjective: done diligently and carefully An avid numismatist, Harold sedulously amassed a collection of coins from over 100 countries—an endeavor that took over fifteen years, and to five continents.

humdrum

adjective: dull and lacking excitement Having grown up in a humdrum suburb, Jacob relished life in New York City after moving.

prosaic

adjective: dull and lacking imagination Unlike the talented artists in his workshop, Paul had no such bent for the visual medium, so when it was time for him to make a stained glass painting, he ended up with a prosaic mosaic.

insipid

adjective: dull and uninteresting The movie director was known for hiring beautiful actors in order to deflect attention away from the insipid scripts he would typically use.

jejune

adjective: dull; lacking flavor Although many top chefs have secured culinary foam's popularity in haute cuisine, Waters criticizes it for being jejune and unfilling. adjective: immature; childish Her boss further cemented his reuptation for being jejune after throwing a fit when the water cooler wasn't refilled.

pugnacious

adjective: eager to fight or argue; verbally combative The comedian told one flat joke after another, and when the audience started booing, he pugnaciously spat back at them, "Hey, you think this is easy - why don't you buffoons give it a shot?"

venial

adjective: easily excused or forgiven; pardonable His traffic violations ran the gamut from the venial to the egregious—on one occasion he simply did not come to a complete stop; another time he tried to escape across state lines at speeds in excess of 140 mph.

docile

adjective: easily handled or managed; willing to be taught or led or supervised or directed Barnyard animals are considerably more docile than the wild animals.

peevish

adjective: easily irritated or annoyed Our office manager is peevish, so the rest of us tip-toe around him, hoping not to set off another one of his fits.

sentimental

adjective: effusively or insincerely emotional, especially in art, music, and literature I don't like romanticism for the same reason I don't like melodramatic acting and soap operas—overly sentimental.

cadaverous

adjective: emaciated; gaunt Some actors take challenging roles in which they have to lose so much weight that they appear cadaverous.

edifying

adjective: enlightening or uplifting so as to encourage intellectual or moral improvement I recently read an article in the Times about whether good literature is edifying or not; specifically, does reading more make a person more moral.

hagiographic

adjective: excessively flattering toward someone's life or work Most accounts of Tiger Woods life were hagiographic, until, that is, his affairs made headlines.

presumptuous

adjective: excessively forward Many felt that Barney was presumptuous in moving into the large office before the management even made any official announcement of his promotion.

derogative

adjective: expressed as worthless or in negative terms Never before have we seen a debate between two political candidates that was so derogative and filthy.

pejorative

adjective: expressing disapproval (usu. refers to a term) Most psychologists object to the pejorative term "shrink", believing that they expand the human mind, not limit it.

approbatory

adjective: expressing praise or approval Although it might not be her best work, Hunter's new novel has received generally approbatory reviews.

elegiac

adjective: expressing sorrow Few can listen to the elegiac opening bars of the Moonlight sonata without feeling the urge to cry.

snide

adjective: expressive of contempt; derogatory or mocking in an indirect way The chairman interpreted Taylor's question about promotions as a snide remark, but in all innocence Taylor was trying to figure out the company's process.

abysmal

adjective: extremely bad Coach Ramsey took his newest player off the field after watching a few painful minutes of her abysmal performance.

inflammable

adjective: extremely controversial, incendiary It only takes one person to leave an inflammable comment on an Internet thread for that thread to blow up into pages upon pages of reader indignation.

Pollyannaish

adjective: extremely optimistic Even in the midst of a lousy sales quarter, Debbie remained Pollyannaish, never losing her shrill voice and wide smile, even when prospective customers hung up on her.

excruciating

adjective: extremely painful After the boulder rolled a couple of feet, pinning my friend's arm, he experienced excruciating pain.

equitable

adjective: fair to all parties as dictated by reason and conscience The equitable distribution of ice cream to a group of 5 year olds will ensure little to no fighting—at least until the ice cream is gone.

indignant

adjective: feeling anger over a perceived injustice When the cyclist swerved into traffic, it forced the driver to brake and elicited an indignant shout of "Hey, punk, watch where you're going!"

vicarious

adjective: felt or undergone as if one were taking part in the experience or feelings of another The advent of twitter is a celebrity stalker's dream, as he or she can—through hundreds of intimate "tweets"—vicariously live the life of a famous person.

mettlesome

adjective: filled with courage or valor For its raid on the Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Seal Team Six has become, for many Americans, the embodiment of mettle.

doleful

adjective: filled with or evoking sadness No event is more doleful than the passing of my mother; she was a shining star in my life, and it brings me great sadness to think that she is now gone.

precarious

adjective: fraught with danger People smoke to relax and forget their cares, but ironically, in terms of health risks, smoking is far more precarious than either mountain-climbing or skydiving.

impartial

adjective: free from undue bias or preconceived opinions The judge was not impartial since he had been bribed by the witness's family.

unimpeachable

adjective: free of guilt; not subject to blame; beyond doubt or reproach After his long and unimpeachable service to the company, Sharat felt that a gold watch was a slap in the face rather than an honor.

jovial

adjective: full of or showing high-spirited merriment The political candidate and his supporters were jovial once it was clear that she had won.

cavalier

adjective: given to haughty disregard of others Percy dismissed the issue with a cavalier wave of his hand.

demonstrative

adjective: given to or marked by the open expression of emotion When Sally told James that she wanted to break up with him, she expected he would react demonstratively, but he quietly nodded his head and left without saying a word.

patent

adjective: glaringly obvious Since the book had been through no fewer than six proof runs, the staff was shocked to see such a patent spelling mistake remaining, right in the middle of the front cover!

exorbitant

adjective: greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation Shelley made one exorbitant purchase after another, buying new clothes and taking vacations even though she earned a limited salary.

inadvertent

adjective: happening by chance or unexpectedly or unintentionally Although Prohibition was rooted in noble ideals, the inadvertent and costly consequences of making alcohol illegal in the U.S. led its the repeal.

deleterious

adjective: harmful to living things The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was deleterious to the fishing industry in the southern states.

vitriolic

adjective: harsh or corrosive in tone While the teacher was more moderate in her criticism of the other student's papers, she was vitriolic toward Peter's paper, casting every flaw in the harshest light.

precipitate

adjective: hasty or rash Instead of conducting a thorough investigation after the city hall break-in, the governor acted precipitately, accusing his staff of aiding and abetting the criminals. verb: to cause to happen The government's mishandling the hurricane's aftermath precipitated a widespread outbreak of looting and other criminal activity.

supercilious

adjective: haughty and disdainful; looking down on others Nelly felt the Quiz Bowl director acted superciliously towards the underclassmen; really, she fumed, must he act so preternaturally omniscient each time he intones some obscure fact—as though everybody knows that Mt. Aconcagua is the highest peak in South America.

bleak

adjective: having a depressing or gloomy outlook Unremitting overcast skies tend to lead people to create bleak literature and lugubrious music — compare England's band Radiohead to any band from Southern California.

debonair

adjective: having a sophisticated charm James Bond is known for his good looks, high tech gadgets, and debonair manner.

piquant

adjective: having an agreeably pungent taste The chef, with a mere flick of the salt shaker, turned the bland tomato soup into a piquant meal.

noisome

adjective: having an extremely bad smell Each August, when the winds moved in a south easterly direction, the garbage dump would spread noisome vapors through the small town.

malodorous

adjective: having an unpleasant smell Some thermally active fountains spew sulfur fumes--the air around them is sometimes so malodorous that many have to plug their noses.

sagacious

adjective: having good judgement and acute insight Steve Jobs is surely one of the most sagacious CEOs, making Apple the most recognizable and valuable companies in the world.

stolid

adjective: having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited Elephants may appear stolid to casual observers, but they actually have passionate emotional lives.

consummate

adjective: having or revealing supreme mastery or skill Tyler was the consummate musician: he was able to play the guitar, harmonica, and the drum at the same time. verb: to make perfect and complete in every respect The restoration of the ancient church was only consummated after a twenty years of labor.

imperious

adjective: having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy Children are imperious with each other before they learn that earning someone's respect is better than demanding.

erudite

adjective: having or showing profound knowledge Before the Internet, the library was typically were you would find erudite readers.

pertinent

adjective: having precise or logical relevance to the matter at hand While the salaries of the players might draw attention in the media, such monetary figures are not pertinent to the question of who plays the best on the field.

convoluted

adjective: highly complex or intricate Instead of solving the math problem in three simple steps, Kumar used a convoluted solution requiring fifteen steps.

vaunted

adjective: highly or widely praised or boasted about For years, they had heard of New York City's vaunted skyline, and when they finally saw it, the spectacular cityscape did not disappoint them in the least.

percipient

adjective: highly perceptive Even the most percipient editor will make an occasional error when proofreading.

eccentric

adjective: highly unconventional or usual (usually describes a person) Mozart was well-known for his eccentricities, often speaking words backward to confuse those around him.

ribald

adjective: humorously vulgar The speaker was famous for his ribald humor, but the high school principal asked him to keep the talk G-rated when he spoke to the student body.

halcyon

adjective: idyllically calm and peaceful; suggesting happy tranquillity; marked by peace and prosperity The first decade after WWI was a halcyon period in America with new-found wealth and rapidly improving technology.

boorish

adjective: ill-mannered and coarse or contemptible in behavior or appearance Bukowski was known for being a boorish drunk and alienating close friends and family.

morose

adjective: ill-tempered and not inclined to talk; gloomy After Stanley found out he was no longer able to go on vacation with his friends, he sat in his room morosely.

phantasmagorical

adjective: illusive; unreal Those suffering from malaria fall into a feverish sleep, their world a whirligig of phantasmagoria; if they recover, they are unsure of what actually took place and what was simply a product of their febrile imaginations.

impregnable

adjective: immune to attack; incapable of being tampered with As a child, Amy would build pillow castles and pretend they were impregnable fotresses.

unassailable

adjective: immune to attack; without flaws Professor Williams is so self-assured as to seem arrogant, presenting each and every opinion as an unassailable fact.

ineluctable

adjective: impossible to avoid or evade: For those who smoke cigarettes for years, a major health crisis brought on by smoking is ineluctable.

irrefutable

adjective: impossible to deny or disprove The existence of life on earth is irrefutable; the existence of intelligent life on earth is still hotly debated.

imponderable

adjective: impossible to estimate or figure out According to many lawmakers, the huge variety of factors affecting society make devising an efficient healthcare system an imponderable task.

embryonic

adjective: in an early stage of development The Board of Directors is hoping to launch a new product soon, but planning for the Z7 is in an embryonic stages.

dilapidated

adjective: in terrible condition The main house has been restored but the gazebo is still dilapidated and unuseable.

infelicitous

adjective: inappropriate During the executive meeting, the marketing director continued to make infelicitous comments about the CEO's gambling habit.

byzantine

adjective: intricate and complex Getting a driver's license is not simply a matter of taking a test; the regulations and procedures are so byzantine that many have found themselves at the mercy of the Department of Motor Vehicles.

benign

adjective: kind I remember my grandfather's face was wrinkled, benign, and calm. adjective: (medicine) not dangerous to health; not recurrent or progressive The tumor located in your ear lobe seems to be benign and should not cause you any trouble.

lethargic

adjective: lacking energy Nothing can make a person more lethargic than a big turkey dinner.

anemic

adjective: lacking energy and vigor After three straight shows, the lead actress gave an anemic performance the fourth night, barely speaking loudly enough for those in the back rows to hear.

churlish

adjective: lacking manners or refinement The manager was unnecessarily churlish to his subordinates, rarely deigning to say hello, but always quick with a sartorial jab if someone happened to be wearing anything even slightly mismatching.

impecunious

adjective: lacking money; poor In extremely trying times, even the moderately wealthy, after a few turns of ill-fortune, can become impecunious.

penurious

adjective: lacking money; poor Truly penurious, Mary had nothing more than a jar full of pennies. adjective: miserly Warren Buffett, famous multi-billionaire, still drives a cheap sedan, not because he is penurious, but because luxury cars are gaudy and impractical.

appreciable

adjective: large enough to be noticed (usu. refers to an amount) There is an appreciable difference between those who say they can get the job done and those who actually get the job done.

transitory

adjective: lasting a very short time If we lived forever and life was not transitory, do you think we would appreciate life less or more?

transient

adjective: lasting a very short time The unpredictable and transient nature of deja vu makes it a very difficult phenomenon to study properly.

perennial

adjective: lasting an indefinitely long time; eternal; everlasting Even at the old-timers games, Stan Musial would get the loudest cheer: he was a perennial favorite of the fans there.

lascivious

adjective: lecherous; sexually perverted Lolita is a challenging novel for many, not necessarily because of the elevated prose style but because of the depravity of the main character, Humbert Humbert, who, as an old, lascivious man, falls in love with a girl.

fickle

adjective: liable to sudden unpredictable change, esp. in affections or attachments She was so fickle in her politics, it was hard to pinpoint her beliefs; one week she would embrace a side, and the next week she would denounce it.

affable

adjective: likeable; easy to talk to For all his surface affability, Marco was remarkably glum when he wasn't around other people.

contentious

adjective: likely to argue Since old grandpa Harry became very contentious during the summer when only reruns were on T.V., the grandkids learned to hide from him at every opportunity.

invidious

adjective: likely to cause resentment At a time when many others in the office were about to be laid off, many considered Cheryl's fine clothes that day an invidious display.

tendentious

adjective: likely to lean towards a controversial view Because political mudslinging has become a staple of the 24-hour media cycle, most of us, despite protestations to the contrary, are tendentious on many of today's pressing issues.

antic

adjective: ludicrously odd The clown's antic act was too extreme for the youngest children, who left the room in tears.

sanctimonious

adjective: making a show of being pious; holier-than-thou Even during the quiet sanctity of evening prayer, she held her chin high, a sanctimonious sneer forming on her face as she eyed those who were attending church for the first time.

conducive

adjective: making a situation or outcome more likely to happen Studying in a quiet room is conducive to learning; studying in a noisy environment makes learning more difficult.

extenuating

adjective: making less guilty or more forgivable The jury was hardly moved by the man's plea that his loneliness was an extenuating factor in his crime of dognapping a prized pooch.

rakish

adjective: marked by a carefree unconventionality or disreputableness As soon as he arrived in the city, the rakish young man bought some drugs and headed straight for the seedy parts of town.

raffish

adjective: marked by a carefree unconventionality or disreputableness The men found him raffish, but the women adored his smart clothes and casual attitude.

elaborate

adjective: marked by complexity and richness of detail Thomas, on returning from Morocco, replaced his dirty gray carpet with an elaborate one he'd brought back with him. verb: explain in more detail Most high school physics teachers find themselves elaborating the same point over and over again, since many concepts confuse students.

plucky

adjective: marked by courage and determination Some scouts initially doubted Pedroia because of his short stature, but he is a plucky player, surprising everyone with his boundless energy and fierce determination.

foolhardy

adjective: marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences The police regularly face dangerous situations, so for a police officer not to wear his bullet-proof vest is foolhardy.

rash

adjective: marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences; imprudently incurring risk Although Bruce was able to make the delivery in time with a nightime motorcycle ride in the rain, Susan criticized his actions as rash.

ornate

adjective: marked by elaborate rhetoric and elaborated with decorative details The ornate Victorian and Edwardian homes spread throughout San Francisco are my favorite part of the city.

smug

adjective: marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction When Phil was dating the model, he had a smug attitude that annoyed his buddies.

malfeasance

adjective: misconduct or wrongdoing (especially by a public official) Not even the mayor's trademark pearly-toothed grin could save him from charges of malfeasance: while in power, he'd been running an illegal gambling rink in the room behind his office.

inviolate

adjective: must be kept sacred While the literary critic subjected most of the classics to the harshest reviews, he regarded Cervantes as inviolate, and had nothing but praise for him.

endemic

adjective: native; originating where it is found Irish cuisine makes great use of potatoes, but ironically, the potato is not endemic to Ireland.

incontrovertible

adjective: necessarily or demonstrably true; impossible to deny or disprove Unless you can provide incontrovertible evidence, I will remain skeptical.

incumbent

adjective: necessary (for someone) as a duty or responsibility Middle managers at times make important decisions, but real responsibility for the financial well-being of the corporation is ultimately incumbent on the CEO.

inviolable

adjective: never to be broken, infringed, or dishonored Too many the grass at Wimbledon is inviolable and only greater tennis players are able to enjoy a game there.

obstreperous

adjective: noisily and stubbornly defiant; willfully difficult to control When the teacher asked the obstreperous student simply to bus his tray, the student threw the entire tray on the floor, shouted an epithet, and walked out.

unviable

adjective: not able to work, survive, or succeed (also spelled inviable). The plan was obviously unviable considering that it lead to complete environmental destruction in the river valley.

impervious

adjective: not admitting of passage or capable of being affected I am not impervious to your insults; they cause me great pain.

untrammeled

adjective: not confined or limited The whole notion of living untrammeled inspired the American Revolution and was enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

placid

adjective: not easily irritated Doug is normally placid, so we were all shocked to see him yelling at the television when the Mets lost the game.

unflappable

adjective: not easily perturbed or excited or upset; marked by extreme calm and composure The house shook and the ground quaked, but my dad was unflappable and comforted the family.

improvident

adjective: not given careful consideration Marty was improvident, never putting money aside for the future but spending it on decorating the interior of his home.

indecorous

adjective: not in keeping with accepted standards of what is right or proper in polite society Eating with elbows on the table is considered indecorous in refined circles.

unseemly

adjective: not in keeping with accepted standards of what is right or proper in polite society He acted in an unseemly manner, insulting the hostess and then speaking ill of her deceased husband.

uncompromising

adjective: not making concessions The relationship between Bart and Hilda ultimately failed because they were both so uncompromising, never wanting to change their opinions.

ersatz

adjective: not real or genuine; phony The car dealer's ersatz laughter was immediately followed by a price quote, one that Shelley found highly inflated.

disingenuous

adjective: not straightforward; giving a false appearance of frankness Many adults think that they can lie to children, but kids are smart and know when people are disingenuous.

oblique

adjective: not straightforward; indirect Herbert never explicitly revealed anything negative about Tom's past, but at times he would obliquely suggest that Tom was not as innocent as he seemed.

imprudent

adjective: not wise Hitler, like Napoleon, made the imprudent move of invading Russia in winter, suffering even more casualties than Napoleon had.

catholic

adjective: of broad scope; universal Jonah's friends said that Jonah's taste in music was eclectic; Jonah was quick to point out that not only was his taste eclectic but it was also catholic: he enjoyed music from countries as far-flung as Mali and Mongolia.

puerile

adjective: of or characteristic of a child; displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity Helen enjoyed blowing soap bubbles, but Jim regarded this as puerile, totally unworthy of a woman with a Ph.D.

cardinal

adjective: of primary importance; fundamental Most cultures consider gambling a cardinal sin and thus have outlawed its practice.

magisterial

adjective: offensively self-assured or given to exercising unwarranted power Though she was only a third grade teacher, Ms. Martinet was magisterial in dealing with her class, lording over them like a queen.

antiquated

adjective: old-fashioned; belonging to an earlier period in time Aunt Betty had antiquated notions about marriage, believing that a man should court a woman for at least a year before receiving a kiss.

portentous

adjective: ominously prophetic When the captain and more than half the officers were sick on the very first night of the voyage, many of the passengers felt this was portentous, but the rest of the voyage continued without any problems.

checkered

adjective: one that is marked by disreputable happenings One by one, the presidential candidates dropped out of the race, their respective checkered pasts— from embezzlement to infidelity—sabotaging their campaigns.

inchoate

adjective: only partly in existence; imperfectly formed Inchoate ideas about the relation of humans to other animals had been discussed since the Middle Ages but the modern theory really began with Darwin.

aboveboard

adjective: open and honest The mayor, despite his avuncular face plastered about the city, was hardly aboveboard - some concluded that it was his ingratiating smile that allowed him to engage in corrupt behavior and get away with it.

moot

adjective: open to argument or debate; undecidable in a meaningless or irrelevant way Since the Board just terminated Steve as the CEO, what the finance committe might have thought of his proposed marketing plan for next year is now a moot point.

leery

adjective: openly distrustful and unwilling to confide Without checking his references and talking to previous employers, I am leery of hiring the candidate.

indigenous

adjective: originating in a certain area The plants and animals indigenous to Australia are notably different from those indigenous to the U.S—one look at a duckbill platypus and you know you're not dealing with an opossum.

fastidious

adjective: overly concerned with details; fussy Whitney is fastidious about her shoes, arranging them on a shelf in a specific order, each pair evenly spaced.

maudlin

adjective: overly emotional and sad Just as those who were alive during the 70's are mortified that they once cavorted about in bellbottoms, many who lived during the 80's are now aghast at the maudlin pop songs they used to enjoy—really, just what exactly is a total eclipse of the heart?

craven

adjective: pathetically cowardly Though the man could have at least alerted the police, he crouched cravenly in the corner as the old woman was mugged.

carping

adjective: persistently petty and unjustified criticism What seemed like incessant nagging and carping about my behavior from my mother turned out to be wise and useful advice that has served me well.

profuse

adjective: plentiful; pouring out in abundance During mile 20 of the Hawaii Marathon, Dwayne was sweating so profusely that he stopped to take off his shirt, and ran the remaining six miles wearing nothing more than skimpy shorts.

destitute

adjective: poor enough to need help from others Jean Valjean, is at first destitute, but through the grace of a priest, he makes something of his life. adjective: completely wanting or lacking (usually "destitute of") Now that the mine is closed, the town is destitute of any economic activity.

indigent

adjective: poor; having very little In the so-called Third World, many are indigent and only a privileged few have the resources to enjoy material luxuries. noun: a poor or needy person The indigents, huddled under the overpass, tried to start a small bonfire in the hope of staying warm.

puissant

adjective: powerful Over the years of service, and quite to his surprise, he became a puissant advisor to the community.

factious

adjective: produced by, or characterized by internal dissension The controversial bill proved factious, as dissension even within parties resulted

efficacious

adjective: producing the intended result Since Maggie's cough syrup, which had expired five years back, was no longer efficacious, she coughed through the night.

choleric

adjective: prone to outbursts of temper; easily angered While a brilliant lecturer, Mr. Dawson came across as choleric and unapproachable—very rarely did students come to his office hours.

irascible

adjective: quickly aroused to anger If Arthur's dog is not fed adequately, he becames highly irascible, even growling at his own shadow.

protean

adjective: readily taking on different roles; versatile Peter Sellers was truly a protean actor—in Doctor Strangelove he played three very different roles: a jingoist general, a sedate President and a deranged scientist.

sartorial

adjective: related to fashion or clothes Monte was astute at navigating the world of finance; sartorially, however, he was found wanting—he typically would attempt to complement his beige tie with a gray suit and white pants.

pecuniary

adjective: relating to or involving money The defendent was found guilty and had to serve a period of community service as well as pay pecuniary damages to the client.

pastoral

adjective: relating to the countryside in a pleasant sense Those who imagine America's countryside as a pastoral region are often disappointed to learn that much of rural U.S. is filled with cornfields extending as far as the eye can see.

mundane

adjective: repetitive and boring; not spiritual Nancy found doing dishes a thorougly mundane task, although Peter found a kind of Zen pleasure in the chore. adjective: relating to the ordinary world Though we think of the pope as someone always dealing in holy matters, he is also concerned with mundane events, such as deciding when to set his alarm each morning.

obstinate

adjective: resistant to guidance or discipline; stubbornly persistent The coach suggested improvements Sarah might make on the balance beam, but she remained obstinate, unwilling to modify any of the habits that made her successful in the past.

telltale

adjective: revealing The many telltale signs of chronic smoking include yellow teeth, and a persistent, hacking cough.

contemptuous

adjective: scornful, looking down at others with a sneering attitude Always on the forefront of fashion, Vanessa looked contemptuously at anyone wearing dated clothing.

complaisant

adjective: showing a cheerful willingness to do favors for others On her first day at the job, Annie was complaisant, fulfilling every request of her new employee and anticipating future requests.

urbane

adjective: showing a high degree of refinement and the assurance that comes from wide social experience Because of his service as an intelligence officer and his refined tastes, W. Somerset Maugham became the inspiration for the urbane and sophistcate spy James Bond.

solicitous

adjective: showing hovering attentiveness Our neighbors are constantly knocking on our door to make sure we are ok, and I don't know how to ask them to stop being so solicitous about our health.

flippant

adjective: showing inappropriate levity Although Sam was trying to honor Mark's sense of humor, many found it quite flippant that he wore a comic nose and glasses mask to Mark's funeral.

phlegmatic

adjective: showing little emotion Arnold is truly noble, remaining reserved until an issue of significance arises, but Walter is simply phlegmatic: he doesn't have the energy or inclination to care about anything.

dolorous

adjective: showing sorrow Chopin's ballades are filled with sharp changes in moods--a dolorous melody can give way to a lighthearted tempo.

lachrymose

adjective: showing sorrow Lachrymose and depressed, Alexei Alexandrovich walked two miles home in the rain after learning that his wife was having an affair.

empathetic

adjective: showing understanding and ready comprehension of other peoples' states and emotions Most discrimination and hatred is based on a lack of empathetic awareness of people that have the same aspirations and fears.

telling

adjective: significant and revealing of another factor Her unbecoming dress was very telling when it came to her sense of fashion.

obtuse

adjective: slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity; lacking in insight or discernment Jackson was the most obtuse member of the team: the manager's subtle ironies were always lost on him.

mellifluous

adjective: smooth and sweet-sounding Chelsea's grandmother thought Franz Schubert's music to be the most mellifluous ever written; Chelsea demurred, and to her grandmother's chagrin, would blast Rihanna on the home stereo speakers.

philistine

adjective: smug and ignorant towards artistic and cultural values Jane considered Al completely philistine, because he talked almost exclusive about video games; she was entirely unaware of how well read he really was.

colossal

adjective: so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe Few appreciate the colossal scale of the sun: if hollow, it could contain a million Earths.

archaic

adjective: so old as to appear to belong to a different period Hoping to sound intelligent, Mary spoke in archaic English that was right out of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice--needless to say, she didn't have many friends.

aphoristic

adjective: something that is a concise and instructive of a general truth or principle Sometimes I can't stand Nathan because he tries to impress everyone by being aphoristic, but he just states the obvious.

thrifty

adjective: spending money wisely He was economical, spending his money thriftily and on items considered essential.

surreptitious

adjective: stealty, taking pains not to be caught or detected Since his mom was a light sleeper, Timmy had to tiptoe surreptitiously through the entire house, careful to not make the floors creak, until he at last was able to enjoy his plunder: a box of chocolate chip cookies.

besotted

adjective: strongly affectionate towards Even though her father did not approve, Juliet became besotted with the young Romeo. adjective: very drunk Never before have I seen my mom so besotted, and honestly, I hope it's the last time she drinks so much.

obdurate

adjective: stubbornly persistent in changing an opinion or action No number of pleas and bribes would get him to change his obdurate attitude.

robust

adjective: sturdy and strong in form, constitution, or construction Chris preferred bland and mild beers, but Bhavin preferred a beer with more robust flavor.

macabre

adjective: suggesting the horror of death and decay; gruesome Edgar Allen Poe was considered the master of the macabre; his stories vividly describe the moment leading up to—and often those moments after—a grisly death.

martial

adjective: suggesting war or military life Americans tend to remember Abraham Lincoln as kindly and wise, not at all martial, despite the fact that he was involved in the fiercest war America has even fought.

appurtenant

adjective: supply added support In hiking Mt. Everest, sherpas are appurtenant, helping climbers both carry gear and navigate treacherous paths.

tawdry

adjective: tastelessly showy; cheap and shoddy Carol expected to find New York City magical, the way so many movies had portrayed it, but she was surprised how often tawdry displays took the place of genuine elegance.

evanescent

adjective: tending to vanish like vapor The storm flashed into existence above us and lasted only a short time—an evanescent turbulence of wind and cloud.

fell

adjective: terribly evil For fans of the Harry Potter series, the fell Lord Voldemort, who terrorized poor Harry for seven lengthy installments, has finally been vanquished by the forces of good—unless, that is, JK Rowling decides to come out of retirement.

base

adjective: the lowest, class were without any moral principles She was not so base as to begrudge the beggar the unwanted crumbs from her dinner plate.

baleful

adjective: threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments Movies often use storms or rain clouds as a baleful omen of evil events that will soon befall the main character.

timorous

adjective: timid by nature or revealing fear and nervousness Since this was her first time debating on stage and before an audience, Di's voice was timorous and quiet for the first 10 minutes.

jaundice

adjective: to be biased against due to envy or prejudice Shelly was jaundiced towards Olivia; though the two had once been best friends, Olivia had become class president, prom queen, and, to make matters worse, the girlfriend of the one boy Shelly liked.

arch

adjective: to be deliberately teasing The baroness was arch, making playful asides to the townspeople; yet because they couldn't pick up on her dry humor, they thought her supercilious.

diabolical

adjective: to be extremely wicked like the devil The conspirators, willing to dispatch anyone who stood in their way, hatched a diabolical plan to take over the city.

flush

adjective: to be in abundance The exam's passage is flush with difficult words, words that you may have learned only yesterday.

sententious

adjective: to be moralizing, usually in a pompous sense The old man, casting his nose up in the air at the group of adolescents, intoned sententiously, "Youth is wasted on the young."

remiss

adjective: to be negligent in one's duty Remiss in his duty to keep the school functioning efficiently, the principle was relieved of his position after only three months.

contrite

adjective: to be remorseful Though he stole his little sister's licorice stick with malevolent glee, Chucky soon became contrite when his sister wouldn't stop crying.

retiring

adjective: to be shy, and to be inclined to retract from company Nelson was always the first to leave soirees—rather than mill about with "fashionable" folk, he was retiring, and preferred the solitude of his garret.

errant

adjective: to be wandering; not sticking to a circumscribed path Unlike his peers, who spent their hours studying in the library, Matthew preferred errant walks through the university campus.

vituperate

adjective: to criticize harshly; to berate Jason had dealt with disciplinarians before, but nothing prepared him for the first week of boot camp, as drill sergeants vituperated him for petty oversights such as forgetting to double knot the laces on his boots.

blinkered

adjective: to have a limited outlook or understanding In gambling, the addict is easily blinkered by past successes and/or past failures, forgetting that the outcome of any one game is independent of the games that preceded it.

vindictive

adjective: to have a very strong desire for revenge Though the other girl had only lightly poked fun of Vanessa's choice in attire, Vanessa was so vindictive that she waited for an entire semester to get the perfect revenge.

ineffable

adjective: too sacred to be uttered; defying expression or description While art critics can occasionally pinpoint a work's greatness, much of why a piece captures our imaginations is completely ineffable.

pellucid

adjective: transparently clear; easily understandable The professor had a remarkable ability make even the most difficult concepts seem pellucid.

picayune

adjective: trifling or petty (a person) English teachers are notorious for being picayune; however, the English language is so nuanced and sophisticated that often such teachers are not being contrary but are only adhering to the rules.

disparate

adjective: two things are fundamentally different With the advent of machines capable of looking inside the brain, fields as disparate as religion and biology have been brought together by scientists trying to understand what happens in the brain when people have a religious experience.

insolvent

adjective: unable to pay one's bills; bankrupt With credit card bills skyrocketing, a shockingly large number of Americans are truly insolvent.

dispassionate

adjective: unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice A good scientist should be dispassionate, focusing purely on what the evidence says, without personal attachment.

irresolute

adjective: uncertain how to act or proceed He stood irresolute at the split in the trail, not sure which route would lead back to the camp.

unforthcoming

adjective: uncooperative, not willing to give up information The teacher demanded to know who broke the window while he was out of the room, but the students understandably were unforthcoming.

provisional

adjective: under terms not final or fully worked out or agreed upon Until the corporate office hands down a definitive decision on use of the extra offices, we will share their use in a provisional arrangement.

untoward

adjective: unfavorable; inconvenient Some professors find teaching untoward as having to prepare for lectures and conduct office hours prevents them from focusing on their research.

bereft

adjective: unhappy in love; suffering from unrequited love After 64 years of marriage, William was bereft after the death of his wife. adjective: sorrowful through loss or deprivation "You are not bereft if you haven't played on your Xbox in the past week," his mother said.

desiccated

adjective: uninteresting, lacking vitality Few novelists over 80 are able to produce anything more than desiccated works--boring shadows of former books.

incessant

adjective: uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing I don't mind small children in brief doses, but I think the incessant exposure that their parents have to them would quickly wear me down.

erratic

adjective: unpredictable; strange and unconventional It came as no surprise to pundits that the President's attempt at re-election floundered; even during his term, support for his policies was erratic, with an approval rating jumping anywhere from 30 to 60 percent.

unconscionable

adjective: unreasonable; unscrupulous; excessive The lawyer's demands were so unconscionable that rather than pay an exorbitant sum or submit himself to any other inconveniences, the defendant decided to find a new lawyer.

spartan

adjective: unsparing and uncompromising in discipline or judgment; practicing great self-denial After losing everything in a fire, Tim decided to live in spartan conditions, sleeping on the floor and owning as little furniture as a possible.

taxing

adjective: use to the limit; exhaust The hike to the summit of Mt. Whitney was so taxing that I could barely speak or stand up.

unstinting

adjective: very generous Helen is unstinting with her time, often spending hours at the house of a sick friend.

voracious

adjective: very hungry; approaching an activity with gusto Steven was a voracious reader, sometimes finishing two novels in the same day.

splenetic

adjective: very irritable Ever since the car accident, Frank has been unable to walk without a cane, and so he has become splenetic and unpleasant to be around.

thoroughgoing

adjective: very thorough; complete As a thoroughgoing bibliophile, one who had turned his house into a veritable library, he shocked his friends when he bought a Kindle.

bellicose

adjective: warlike; inclined to quarrel Known for their bellicose ways, the Spartans were once the most feared people from Peloponnesus to Persia.

dilatory

adjective: wasting time Lawyers use dilatory tactics so that it takes years before the case is actually decided.

affluent

adjective: wealthy The center of the city had sadly become a pit of penury, while, only five miles away, multi-million dollar homes spoke of affluence.

ponderous

adjective: weighed-down; moving slowly Laden with 20 kilograms of college text books, the freshman moved ponderously across the campus.

cohesive

adjective: well integrated, forming a united whole A well-written, cohesive essay will keep on topic at all times, never losing sight of the main argument.

illustrious

adjective: widely known and esteemed; having or conferring glory Einstein was possibly the most illustrious scientist in recent history.

quixotic

adjective: wildly idealistic; impractical For every thousand startups with quixotic plans to be the next big name in e-commerce, only a handful ever become profitable.

malevolent

adjective: wishing or appearing to wish evil to others; arising from intense ill will or hatred Villians are known for their malevolent nature, oftentimes inflicting cruetly on others just for enjoyment.

wanton

adjective: without check or limitation; showing no moral restraints to one's anger, desire, or appetites Due to wanton behavior and crude language, the drunk man was thrown out of the bar and asked to never return.

artless

adjective: without cunning or deceit Despite the president's seemingly artless speeches, he was a skilled and ruthless negotiator.

impeccable

adjective: without fault or error He was impeccably dressed in the latest fashion without a single crease or stain.

inarticulate

adjective: without or deprived of the use of speech or words Although a brilliant economist, Professor Black was completely inarticulate, a terrible lecturer.

evenhanded

adjective: without partiality Teachers often have trouble being evenhanded to all of their varied students.

commendable

adjective: worthy of high praise The efforts of the firefighters running into the burning building were commendable.

callow

adjective: young and inexperienced Both Los Angeles and New York are known for callow out-of-towners hoping to make it big.

fledgling

adjective: young and inexperienced; describing any new participant in some activity Murray has years of experience in family practice, but he is just a fledgling in surgery.

brusquely

adverb: in a blunt, direct manner Not one for social pleasantries, the Chief of Staff would brusquely ask his subordinates anything he wanted, even coffee.

amuck

adverb: in a frenzied or uncontrolled state Wherever the bowl haircut teen-idol went, his legions of screaming fans ran through the streets amuck, hoping for a glance at his boyish face.

askance

adverb: with a look of suspicion or disapproval The old couple looked askance on the teenagers seated next to them, whispering to each other, "They've got rings through their noses and purple hair!"

Meretricious

alluring by a show of flashy or vulgar attractions; tawdry. based on pretense, deception, or insincerity. pertaining to or characteristic of a prostitute.

accolade

an award or praise granted as a special honor

glut

an excessive supply; supply with an excess of

decorum

appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety

forthcoming

available when required or as promised; at ease in talking to others

acrimony

bitterness and ill will

malleable

capable of being shaped

soporific

causing sleep or lethargy

capricious

changing one's mind quickly and often

belligerent

characteristic of one eager to fight

provincial

characteristic of the a limited perspective; not fashionable or sophisticated

scrupulous

characterized by extreme care and great effort; having a sense of right and wrong; principled

equivocal

confusing or ambiguous

subsume

contain or include; consider (an instance of something) as part of a general rule or principle

cogent

convincing and well reasoned

propriety

correct behavior; obedience to rules and customs

lambast

criticize severely or angrily

implausible

describing a statement that is not believable

dogmatic

dictatorial in one's opinions

abstruse

difficult to understand; incomprehensible

disaffected

discontented as toward authority

perfunctory

done in a routine way; indifferent

precipitous

done with very great haste and without due deliberation

tacit

done without using words

volatile

easily aroused or changeable; lively or explosive

gullible

easily deceived

petulant

easily irritated or annoyed

irascible

easily made angry

amenable

easily persuaded

rhetoric

effective writing or speaking

artful

exhibiting artistic skill; clever in a cunning way

staunch

firm and dependable especially in loyalty

entrenched

fixed firmly or securely

chaos

great disorder or confusion

cacophony

harsh, jarring noise

incisive

having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions

haughty

having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy

dogmatic

highly opinionated, not accepting that your belief may not be correct

inimical

hostile, unfriendly

impervious

impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected

opaque

impossible to see through; preventing the passage of light

impudent

improperly forward or bold

subversive

in opposition to a civil authority or government

irrevocable

incapable of being retracted or revoked

prolific

intellectually productive

ardor

intense and passionate feeling

fervid

intensely emotional; feverish

convoluted

intricate and complicated

desultory

jumping from one thing another; disconnected

preclude

keep from happening or arising; make impossible

esoteric

known or understood by only a few

monotony

lack of variation

wanting (adj)

lacking Wanting means lacking. So, if your knowledge of secondary meanings is wanting, this eBook is a perfect place to start learning. She did not find her vocabulary wanting, yet there were so many GRE vocabulary words that inevitably she did not know a few.

insipid

lacking interest or flavor

bumbling

lacking physical movement skills, especially with the hands

diffident

lacking self-confidence

naive

lacking sophistication or experience

ephemeral

lasting a short time

prodigal

lavish; wasteful

erudite

learned, scholarly, bookish

sublime

lofty or grand

tirade

long, harsh speech or verbal attack

reconcile

make (one thing) compatible with (another)

elucidate

make clearer and easier to understand

obscure

make unclear; known by only a few

pedantic

marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects

vehement

marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions

haphazard

marked by great carelessness; dependent upon or characterized by chance

forlorn

marked by or showing hopelessness

paragon

model of excellence or perfection

tempered

moderated in effect温和的

parochial

narrowly restricted in scope or outlook

imperturbable

not capable of being disturbed

frivolous

not serious in content or attitude or behavior

hodgepodge

noun: a confusing mixture or jumble Those in attendance represented a hodgepodge of the city's denizens: chimney sweepers could be seen sitting elbow to elbow with stockbrokers.

despot

noun: a cruel and oppressive dictator The Emperor Claudius was regarded as a fair-minded leader; his successor, Nero, was an absolute despot.

anathema

noun: a detested person; the source of somebody's hate Hundreds of years ago, Galileo was anathema to the church; today the church is anathema to some on the left side of the political spectrum.

malady

noun: a disease or sickness The town was struck by a malady throughout the winter that left most people sick in bed for two weeks.

umbrage

noun: a feeling of anger caused by being offended Since he was so in love with her, he took umbrage at her comments, even though she had only meant to gently tease him.

presentiment

noun: a feeling of evil to come On the night that Lincoln would be fatally shot, his wife had a presentiment about going to Ford's Theater, but Lincoln persuaded her that everything would be fine.

euphoria

noun: a feeling of great (usually exaggerated) elation The euphoria of winning her first gold medal in the 100 meter dash overwhelmed Shelly-Ann Fraser and she wept tears of immense joy.

charlatan

noun: a flamboyant deceiver; one who attracts customers with tricks or jokes You may call him a "motivational speaker," but I call him a charlatan--he doesn't have any idea what he's really talking about.

panegyric

noun: a formal expression of praise Dave asked Andrew to do just a simple toast, but Andrew launched into a full panegyric, enumerating a complete list of Dave's achievements and admirable qualities.

curmudgeon

noun: a grouchy, surly person Since Uncle Mike was the family curmudgeon, each Thanksgiving he was plied with copious amounts of wine, in the hope that she would become less grouchy.

misanthrope

noun: a hater of mankind Hamilton had been deceived so many times in his life that he hid behind the gruff exterior of a misanthrope, lambasting perfect strangers for no apparent reason.

raft

noun: a large number of something Despite a raft of city ordinances passed by an overzealous council, noise pollution continued unabated in the megalopolis.

dissolution

noun: a living full of debauchery and indulgence in sensual pleasure Many Roman emporers were known for their dissolution, indulging in unspeakable desires of the flesh.

miscreant

noun: a person who breaks the law "Come back you miscreant!" yelled the woman who just had her purse stolen.

sybarite

noun: a person who indulges in luxury Despite the fact that he'd maxed out fifteen credit cards, Max was still a sybarite at heart: when the police found him, he was at a $1,000 an hour spa in Manhattan, getting a facial treatment.

reprobate

noun: a person who is disapproved of Those old reprobates drinking all day down by the river-they are not going to amount to much.

proponent

noun: a person who pleads for a cause or propounds an idea Ironically, the leading proponent of Flat-Earth Theory flies all over the world in an effort to win more adherents.

jingoist

noun: a person who thinks that their country should be at war In the days leading up to war, a nation typically breaks up into the two opposing camps: doves, who do their best to avoid war, and jingoists, who are only too eager to wave national flags from their vehicles and vehemently denounce those who do not do the same.

perquisite

noun: a right reserved exclusively by a particular person or group (especially a hereditary or official right) Even as the dishwasher at the French restaurant, Josh quickly learned that he had the perquisite of being able to eat terrific food for half the price diners would pay.

inkling

noun: a slight suggestion or vague understanding Lynne speaks four Romance languages, but she doesn't have an inkling about how East Asian languages are structured.

pittance

noun: a small amount (of money) Vinny's uncle beamed smugly about how he'd offered his nephew fifty dollars for his Harvard tuition; even twice the amount would have been a mere pittance.

modicum

noun: a small or moderate or token amount If my sister had even a modicum of sense, she wouldn't be engaged to that barbarian.

solecism

noun: a socially awkward or tactless act Mother Anna was always on guard against any solecism from her children and scolded them immediately if any of them talked out of place in public.

enmity

noun: a state of deep-seated ill-will Charles rude remark toward Sarah yesterday was due to his illness, not due to any real enmity toward Sarah.

flux

noun: a state of uncertainty about what should be done (usually following some important event) Ever since Elvira resigned as the head of marketing, everything about our sales strategy has been in a state of flux.

prognostication

noun: a statement made about the future When the Senator was asked about where the negotiations would lead, he said that any guess he could make would be an unreliable prognostication.

martinet

noun: a strict disciplinarian The job seemed perfect to Rebecca, until she found out that her boss was a total martinet; after each project the boss would come by to scrutinize—and inevitably criticize—every little detail of the work Rebecca had done.

diatribe

noun: a strong verbal attack against a person or institution Steve's mom launched into a diatribe during the PTA meeting, contending that the school was little more than a daycare in which students stare at the wall and teachers stare at the chalkboard.

polemic

noun: a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something. The professor launched into a polemic, claiming that Freudian theory was a pack of lies that absolutely destroyed European literary theory.

nuance

noun: a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude Because of the nuances involved in this case, I hired an outside consultant to advice us and help.

epiphany

noun: a sudden revelation or moment of insight Gary one day had an epiphany that he was a people person; he prompty quit his factory job and began working as a salesman.

recapitulation

noun: a summary (think of recap) Every point of the professors lesson was so clear that the students felt his concluding recapitulation was not necessary.

quisling

noun: a traitor History looks unfavorably upon quislings; indeed they are accorded about the same fondness as Nero—he who watched his city burn down while playing the violin.

bromide

noun: a trite or obvious remark Instead of sharing his umbrella, the cheeky stranger offered Martha the following bromide: "Looks like it's raining."

conflagration

noun: a very intense and uncontrolled fire In the summer months, conflagrations are not uncommon in the southwest, do to the heat and lack of rain.

epigram

noun: a witty saying My favorite epigram from Mark Twain is "A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn no other way."

quip

noun: a witty saying or remark In one of the most famous quips about classical music, Mark Twain said: "Wagner's music is better than it sounds."

invective

noun: abusive or denunciatory language The Internet has unleashed the invectives in many of us; many people post stinging criticism on the comments section underneath newspaper articles or YouTube videos.

vitriol

noun: abusive or venomous language used to express blame or bitter deep-seated ill will His vitriol spewed forth from a deep-seated racisim that consumed his whole life.

collusion

noun: agreement on a secret plot Many have argued that Lee Harvey Oswald, JFK's assassin, was in collusion with other criminals; others maintain that Oswald was a lone gunman.

cornucopia

noun: an abundant supply of something good The International Food Expo was a cornucopia of culinary delights: gourmet foods from every continent were under one roof.

screed

noun: an abusive rant (often tedious) Joey had difficulty hanging out with his former best friend Perry, who, during his entire cup of coffee, enumerated all of the government's deficiencies--only to break ranks and launch into some screed against big business.

enormity

noun: an act of extreme wickedness The enormity of Pol Pot's regime is hard to capture in words--within months hundreds of thousands of Cambodians lost their lives.

bastardization

noun: an act that debases or corrupts The movie World War Z is a complete bastardization of the book with little more in common than zombies and a title.

junta

noun: an aggressive takeover by a group (usually military) As dangerous of a threat as North Korea is, some analysts believe that were a junta suddenly to gain power, it could be even more unpredictable and bellicose than the current leadership

row

noun: an angry dispute The Prime Minister looked very foolish after his row with the foreign dignitary was caught on video and posted on youtube.

tirade

noun: an angry speech In terms of political change, a tirade oftentimes does little more than make the person speaking red in the face.

presumption

noun: an assumption that is taken for granted When Mr. Baker found out the family car was gone, he acted under the presumption that his rebellious son had taken the car, calling his son's phone and yelling at him; only later did Mr. Baker realize that Mrs. Baker had simply gone out to get her nails done. noun: audacious (even arrogant) behavior that you have no right to The new neighbor quickly gained a reptuation for her presumption; she had invited herself to several of the neighbors homes, often stopping over at inopportune times and asking for a drink.

alacrity

noun: an eager willingness to do something The first three weeks at his new job, Mark worked with such alacrity that upper management knew it would be giving him a promotion.

surfeit

noun: an excessive amount of something There was no such thing as a surfeit of shopping for Nancy--she could stay at the outlet stores from opening to closing time.

antipathy

noun: an intense feeling of dislike or aversion Maria had an antipathy for tour groups, often bolting to the other side of the museum as soon as she saw a chaperone leading a group of wide-eyed tourists.

sinecure

noun: an office that involves minimal duties The position of Research Director is a sinecure: the job entails almost no responsibilities, nor does the person in that position have to answer to anyone.

pariah

noun: an outcast The once eminent scientist, upon being found guilty of faking his data, has become a pariah in the research community.

semblance

noun: an outward or token appearance or form that is deliberately misleading While the banker maintained a semblance of respectability in public, those who knew him well were familiar with his many crimes.

reservation

noun: an unstated doubt that prevents you from accepting something wholeheartedly I was initially excited by the idea of a trip to Washington, D.C. but now that I have read about the high crime statistics there, I have some reservations.

litany

noun: any long and tedious account of something Mr. Rogers spoke to a Senate committee and did not give a litany of reasons to keep funding the program, but instead, appealed to the basic human decency of all present.

empiricism

noun: any method that derives knowledge from experience, used in experimental science as a way to gain insight and knowledge Empiricism does not always lead to knowledge; an experience or experiment may raise more questions than it answers.

credence

noun: belief in something He placed no credence in psychics, claiming that they offered no special powers beyond the ability to make people part with their money.

prolixity

noun: boring verbosity I loved my grandfather dearly, but his prolixity would put me to sleep, regardless of the topic.

sangfroid

noun: calmness or poise in difficult situations The hostage negotiator exhibited a sangfroid that oftentimes was more menacing than the sword at his throat, or the gun at his head.

vicissitude

noun: change in one's circumstances, usually for the worse Even great rulers have their vicissitudes—massive kingdoms have diminished overnight, and once beloved kings have faced the scorn of angry masses.

duress

noun: compulsory force or threat The witness said he signed the contract under duress and argued that the court should cancel the agreement.

tact

noun: consideration in dealing with others and avoiding giving offense In a tremendous display of tact, Shelly was able to maintain a strong friendship with Marcia, even though Marcia's husband, Frank, confessed to finding Shelley more attractive than Marcia.

graft

noun: corruption, usually through bribery In countries with rampant graft, getting a driver's license can require no more than paying an official.

veneer

noun: covering consisting of a thin superficial layer that hides the underlying substance Mark Twain referred to the Victorian Period in America as the "Gilded Age", implying the ample moral corruption that lay beneath a mere veneer of respectability.

artifice

noun: cunning tricks used to deceive others The mayoral candidates both spent much of the campaign accusing each other of artifices designed to mislead the voting public.

duplicity

noun: deceitfulness, pretending to want one thing but interested in something else A life of espionage is one of duplicity: an agent must pretend to be a totally different person than who she or he actually is.

truculence

noun: defiant aggressiveness When the boss confronted Aaron about his earlier remarks, Aaron responded with utter truculence, simply throwing a glass of water in the boss' face and walking away.

turpitude

noun: depravity; a depraved act During his reign, Caligula indulged in unspeakable sexual practices, so it not surprising that he will forever be remembered for his turpitude.

decimation

noun: destroying or killing a large part of the population The decimation after atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki is incomprehensible.

dispatch

noun: dispose of rapidly and without delay and efficiently She finished her thesis with dispatch, amazing her advisors who couldn't believe she hadn't written 60 scholarly pages so quickly. verb: the property of being prompt and efficient As soon as the angry peasants stormed the castle, they caught the king and swiftly dispatched him.

apotheosis

noun: exaltation to divine status; the highest point of development As difficult as it is to imagine, the apotheosis of Mark Zuckerberg's career, many believe, is yet to come.

chauvinism

noun: fanatical patriotism; belief that one's group/cause is superior to all other groups/causes Vegetarians argue that man is chauvinistic in his belief that animals do not consciously feel the pain we humans do.

temerity

noun: fearless daring No child has the temerity to go in the rundown house at the end of the street and see if it is haunted.

aplomb

noun: great coolness and composure under strain Nancy acted with aplomb during dangerous situations--she once calmly climbed up an oak tree to save a cat.

avarice

noun: greed (one of the seven deadly sins) The Spanish conquistadors were known for their avarice, plundering Incan land and stealing Incan gold.

cupidity

noun: greed for money Some believe people that amassing as much wealth as possible is the meaning to life—yet they often realize that cupidity brings anything but happiness.

asperity

noun: harshness of manner The editor was known for his asperity, often sending severe letters of rejection to amateur writers.

panacea

noun: hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases; a universal solution While the company credit card has made most large purchases easier, it is no panacea: some smaller basic transactions still must be conducted in cash.

inequity

noun: injustice by virtue of not conforming with rules or standards After decades of racial inequity, the "separate but equal" doctrine was successfully overturned.

probity

noun: integrity, strong moral principles The ideal politician would have the probity to lead, but reality gravely falls short of the ideal of morally upright leaders.

animosity

noun: intense hostility The governor's animosity toward his rival was only inflamed when the latter spread false lies regarding the governor's first term.

schadenfreude

noun: joy from watching the suffering of others From his warm apartment window, Stanley reveled in schadenfreude as he laughed at the figures below, huddled together in the arctic chill.

discord

noun: lack of agreement or harmony Despite all their talented players, the team was filled with discord--some players refused to talk to others--and lost most of their games.

insouciance

noun: lack of concern Surprisingly, Hank had become a high-powered CEO; his high school friends remembered him as "Hanky Panky", who shrugged off each failed class with insouciance.

clemency

noun: leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice In the final moments of the trial, during his closing speech, Phillips was nearly begging the judge for clemency.

paragon

noun: model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no equal Even with the rise of Kobe Bryant, many still believe that Michael Jordon is the paragon for basketball players. noun: an ideal instance; a perfect embodiment of a concept Some say that Athens was the paragon of democracy, but these people often forget that slaves and women were still not allowed to vote.

recrimination

noun: mutual accusations The two brothers sat and cried, pointing fingers and making elaborate recriminations of the other's guilt.

gumption

noun: resourcefulness and determination Wallace Stegner lamented the lack of gumption in the U.S. during the sixties, claiming that no young person knew the value of work.

moment

noun: significant and important value Despite the initial hullabaloo, the play was of no great moment in Hampton's writing career, and within a few years the public quickly forgot his foray into theater arts.

tyro

noun: someone new to a field or activity All great writers, athletes, and artists were tyros at one time—unknown, clumsy, and unskilled with much to learn.

malingerer

noun: someone shirking their duty by pretending to be sick or incapacitated At one time, our country was full of hardworking respectful people, but now it seems that everyone is a malingerer with little inclination to work.

firebrand

noun: someone who deliberately creates trouble Freddie is a firebrand: every time he walks into the office, he winds up at the center of heated argument.

maverick

noun: someone who exhibits great independence in thought and action Officer Kelly was a maverick, rarely following police protocols or adopting the conventions for speech common among his fellow officers.

desideratum

noun: something desired as a necessity The desideratum of the environmental group is that motorists should rely on carpooling.

chimera

noun: something desired or wished for but is only an illusion and impossible to achieve Many believe that a world free of war is a chimera—a dream that ignores humanity's violent tendancies.

subterfuge

noun: something intended to misrepresent the true nature of an activity Finally deciding to abandon all subterfuge, Arthur revealed to Cindy everything about his secret affair over the past two years.

palimpsest

noun: something that has been changed numerous times but on which traces of former iterations can still be seen The downtown was a palimpsest of the city's checkered past: a new Starbucks had opened up next to an abandoned, shuttered building, and a freshly asphalted road was inches away from a pothole large enough to swallow a small dog.

anachronism

noun: something that is inappropriate for the given time period (usually something old). Dressed in 15th century clothing each day, Edward was a walking anachronism.

anomaly

noun: something that is not normal, standard, or expected After finding an anomaly in the data, she knew that she would have to conduct her experiment again.

constraint

noun: something that limits or restricts He found pop music a constraint on his ability to learn and preferred to listen to classical musical while studying.

anodyne

noun: something that soothes or relieves pain Muzak, which is played in department stores, is intended to be an anodyne, but is often so cheesy and over-the-top that customers become irritated. adjective: inoffensive Wilbur enjoyed a spicy Mexican breakfast, but Jill prefered a far more anodyne meal in the mornings.

exemplar

noun: something to be imitated Lena's homework is on the wall because it is an exemplar of clean, neat, and thoughtful work.

tribulation

noun: something, especially an event, that causes difficulty and suffering As of 2013, nearly 1.5 million Syrians have fled their country hoping to escape the tribulations of a civil war tearing their country to pieces.

celerity

noun: speed, rapidity We aim to respond to customers' questions with celerity and accuracy, with no longer than a 24 hour wait time.

zeitgeist

noun: spirit of the times Each decade has its own zeitgeist—the 1990's was a prosperous time in which the promise of the American Dream never seemed more palpable.

quandary

noun: state of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavorable options Steve certainly is in a quandary: if he doesn't call Elaine, she will blame him for everything, but if he does call her, the evidence of where he currently is could cost him his job.

chagrin

noun: strong feelings of embarrassment Much to the the timid writer's chagrin, the audience chanted his name until he came back on the stage. verb: cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of She never cared what others said about her appearance but was chagrined by the smallest comment from her mother.

credulity

noun: tendency to believe readily Virginia's wide-eyed credulity as a five-year old was replaced by suspicion after she learned that Santa Claus didn't really exist.

resignation

noun: the acceptance of something unpleasant that can't be avoided Since Jack could not think of a convincing reason why he had to miss the seminar, he attended it with a sense of resignation.

verisimilitude

noun: the appearance of truth All bad novels are bad for numerous reasons; all good novels are good for their verisimilitude of reality, placing the readers in a world that resembles the one they know.

malapropism

noun: the confusion of a word with another word that sounds similar Whenever I looked glum, my mother would offer to share "an amusing antidote" with me—an endearing malapropism of "anecdote" that never failed to cheer me up.

contrition

noun: the feeling of remorse or guilt that comes from doing something bad Those who show contrition during their prison terms--especially when under review by a parole board--often get shortened sentences.

denouement

noun: the final resolution of the many strands of a literary or dramatic work; the outcome of a complex sequence of events At the denouement of the movie, all questions were answered, and the true identity of the robber was revealed.

pinnacle

noun: the highest point At its pinnacle, the Roman Empire extended across most of the landmass of Eurasia, a feat not paralleled to the rise of the British Empire in the 18th and 19th century.

apex

noun: the highest point The Ivy League is considered the apex of the secondary education system.

apogee

noun: the highest point The apogee of the Viennese style of music, Mozart's music continues to mesmerize audiences well into the 21st century.

acme

noun: the highest point of achievement The new Cessna airplanes will be the acme of comfort, offering reclining seats and ample legroom.

zenith

noun: the highest point; culmination At the zenith of his artistic career, Elvis was outselling any other artist on the charts.

serendipity

noun: the instance in which an accidental, fortunate discovery is made By pure serendipity, Sarah discovered, at a flea market in Peoria, a matching earring to replace the one that fell down the storm drain back home.

nadir

noun: the lowest point For many pop music fans, the rap and alternative-rock dominated 90s were the nadir of musical expression.

pith

noun: the most essential part of something When Cynthia hears a speaker presenting a complex argument, she is always able to discard the irrelevant details and extract the pith of what the speaker is trying to convey.

eponym

noun: the name derived from a person (real or imaginary); the person for whom something is named Alexandria, Egypt is an eponym because it is named after Alexander the Great.

summit

noun: the peak or highest point After hiking for two days, the climbers finally reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. noun: a meeting of high-level leaders Since climate change policy has been mired in congressional fighting, this summit should help set the goals for president's next term.

heyday

noun: the pinnacle or top of a time period or career During the heyday of Prohibition, bootlegging had become such a lucrative business that many who had been opposed to the 18th Amendment began to fear it would be repealed.

ingenuity

noun: the power of creative imagination Daedalus was famous for his ingenuity; he was able to fashion his son Icarus with a pair of wings, using wax to hold them together.

profusion

noun: the property of being extremely abundant When Maria reported that she had been visited by Jesus Christ and had proof, a profusion of reporters and journalists descended on the town.

variance

noun: the quality of being different The cynic quipped, "There is not much variance in politicians; they all seem to lie".

exiguity

noun: the quality of being meager After two months at sea, the exiguity of the ship's supplies forced them to search for fresh water and food.

altruism

noun: the quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others Albert Schweitzer spent most of his life doing missionary work as a doctor in Africa, seeking no reward, apparently motivated only by altruism.

rapprochement

noun: the reestablishing of cordial relations Although Ann hoped that her mother and her aunt would have a rapprochement, each one's bitter accusations against the other made any reconciliation unlikely.

primacy

noun: the state of being first in importance The primacy of Apple Computers is not guaranteed, as seen in the recent lawsuits and weak growth.

ascendancy

noun: the state that exists when one person or group has power over another The ascendancy of the Carlsbad water polo team is clear—they have a decade of championships behind them.

mendacity

noun: the tendency to be untruthful I can forgive her for her mendacity but only because she is a child and is seeing what she can get away with.

diminutive

noun: to indicate smallness He prefers to be called a diminutive of his name: "Bill" instead of "John William." adjective: very small When he put on his father's suit and shoes, his appearance was that of a diminutive youth.

capitulate

noun: to surrender (usually under agreed conditions) Paul, losing 19-0 in a ping-pong match against his nimble friend, basically capitulated when he played the last two points with his eyes closed.

inanity

noun: total lack of meaning or ideas Bill's poem was nothing more than a list of impressive sounding words, so there was no point in trying to take meaning from the inanity.

qualm

noun: uneasiness about the fitness of an action While he could articulate no clear reason why Harkner's plan would fail, he neverless felt qualms about committing any resources to it.

travail

noun: use of physical or mental energy; hard work; agony or anguish While they experienced nothing but travails in refinishing the kitchen, they completed the master bedroom in less than a weekend.

opulence

noun: wealth as evidenced by sumptuous living Russian oligarchs are famous for their opulence, living in fancy homes and dining on expensive cavier.

homogenous

of a similiar kind

apocryphal

of questionable authenticity; false

eloquent

persuasive and moving, especially in speech

eclectic

selecting from or made up from a variety of sources

admonitory

serving to warn; expressing reproof or reproach especially as a corrective

austere

severe or stern in appearance; undecorated

amorphous (adj.)

shapeless. Amorphous means shapeless. Morph- comes from the Latin for shape. The root a-, as in atypical, means not or without. Therefore, if something is amorphous, it lacks shape. His study plan for the GRE was at best amorphous; he would do questions from random pages in any one of seven test prep books.

pundent

sharp and irritating to the senses

ingenuous

showing innocence or childlike simplicity

deferential

showing respect

taciturn

silent, not talkative

reticent

silent, reserved

negligible

so small as to be meaningless; insignificant

chauvinist

someone prejudice in favor of a group to which he or she belongs

pundit

someone who has been admitted to membership in a scholarly field

dilettante

someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic

eulogy

speech in praise of someone

vilify

spread negative information about

crescendo

steadily increasing volume or force

tenacious

stubbornly unyielding

gauche

tactless, lacking social grace, awkward, crude

transitory

temporary, lasting a brief time

venality

the condition of being susceptible to bribes or corruption

gall

the trait of being rude and impertinent; feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will

indifference

the trait of seeming not to care

vex

to annoy

foment

to arouse or incite

maintain

to assert

mollify

to calm or make less severe

chortle

to chuckle, laugh merrily

exculpate

to clear from blame; prove innocent

vindicate

to clear of accusation, blame, suspicion, or doubt with supporting arguments or proof

exonerate

to clear of blame

eradicate

to completely destroy

propitiate

to conciliate; to appease

emulate

to copy; to try to equal or excel

enumerate

to count, list, or itemize

dupe

to deceive; a person who is easily deceived

desiccate

to dry out thoroughly

malinger

to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill

galvanize

to excite or inspire (someone) to action Need to strengthen steel by giving it a final coat? Or, perhaps you need to motivate somebody? Well, in both cases, you would literally be galvanizing. Figuratively, to galvanize is to excite to action or spur on. At mile 23 of his first marathon, Kyle had all but given up, until he noticed his friends and family holding a banner that read, "Go Kyle"; galvanized, he broke into a gallop, finishing the last three miles in less than 20 minutes.

lament

to express sorrow; to grieve

waver

to fluctuate between choices

prevaricate

to lie or deviate from the truth

dilate

to make larger; to expand

assuage

to make something unpleasant less severe

rarefy

to make thinner or sparser

condone

to overlook, pardon, or disregard

inundate

to overwhelm; to cover with water

permeate

to penetrate

discern

to perceive; to recognize

dissemble

to present a false appearance; to disguise one's real intentions or character

obviate

to prevent; to make unnecessary

contrive

to pull off a plan or scheme, usually through skill or trickery

castigate

to punish or criticize harshly

attenuate

to reduce in force or degree; to weaken

enervate

to reduce in strength

repudiate

to reject the validity of

chastise

to reprimand harshly

venerate

to respect deeply

betray

to reveal or make known something, usually unintentionally

satiate

to satisfy fully or overindulge

disabuse

to set right; to free from error

mitigate

to soften; to lessen

placate

to soothe or pacify

deride

to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock

implacable

unable to be calmed down or made peaceful

intransigent

uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled

eke

verb: To live off meager resources, to scrape by Stranded in a cabin over the winter, Terry was able to eke out an existence on canned food.

differentiate

verb: be a distinctive feature, attribute, or trait (sometimes in positive sense) Mozart's long melodic lines differentiate his compositions from other works of late 18th century music. verb: evolve so as to lead to a new species or develop in a way most suited to the environment Animals on Madagascar differentiated from other similar animal species due to many years of isolation on the island.

belittle

verb: lessen the importance, dignity, or reputation of A good teacher will never belittle his students, but will instead empower them.

hamstrung

verb: made ineffective or powerless The FBI has made so many restriction on the local police that they are absolutely hamstrung, unable to accomplish anything.

bristle

verb: react in an offended or angry manner As we discussed the painting, I noticed the artitst's wife bristling at our criticisms, ready to defend her husband's work.

degrade

verb: reduce in worth or character, usually verbally Jesse had mockingly pointed out all of Nancy's faults in front of their friends, publicly degrading the poor girl.

truncate

verb: reduce the length of something The soccer game was truncated when the monsoon rain began to fall.

debase

verb: reduce the quality or value of something The third-rate script so debased the film that not even the flawless acting could save it from being a flop.

snub

verb: refuse to acknowledge; reject outright and bluntly Wheeler was completely qualified for the committee, but the board snubbed him, choosing an obviously lesser qualified candidate instead.

balk

verb: refuse to comply犹豫，退缩，阻碍，妨碍 The students were willing to clean up the broken glass, but when the teacher asked them to mop the entire floor, they balked, citing reasons why they needed to leave.

lampoon

verb: ridicule with satire Mark Twain understood that lampooning a bad idea with humor was the most effective criticism.

recrudesce

verb: to break out or happen again After years of gamblers anonymous, Tony thought he'd broken his compulsive slot machine playing, but it took only one trip to the Atlantic City for a full recrudescence--he lost $5k on the one armed bandit.

corroborate

verb: to confirm or lend support to (usually an idea or claim) Her claim that frog populations were falling precipitously in Central America was corroborated by locals, who reported that many species of frogs had seemingly vanished overnight.

excoriate

verb: to criticize very harshly Entrusted with the prototype to his company's latest smartphone, Larry, during a late night karaoke bout, let the prototype slip into the hands of a rival company—the next day Larry was excoriated, and then fired.

execrate

verb: to curse and hiss at Though the new sitcom did decently in the ratings, Nelson railed against the show, saying that it was nothing more than an execrable pastiche of tired cliché's and canned laughter.

fleece

verb: to deceive Many people have been fleeced by Internet scams and never received their money back.

reproach

verb: to express criticism towards At first, Sarah was going to yell at the boy, but she didn't want to reproach him for telling the truth about the situation.

champion

verb: to fight for a cause Martin Luther King Jr. championed civil rights fiercely throughout his short life.

inundate

verb: to flood or overwhelm The newsroom was inundated with false reports that only made it more difficult for the newscasters to provide an objective account of the bank robbery.

indict

verb: to formally charge or accuse of wrong-doing The bankrobber was indicted on several major charges, including possession of a firearm.

disabuse

verb: to persuade somebody that his/her belief is not valid As a child, I was quickly disabused of the notion that Santa Claus was a rotund benefactor of infinite largess—one night I saw my mother diligently wrapping presents and storing them under our Christmas tree.

chastise

verb: to reprimand harshly Though chastised for eating the snacks for the party, Lawrence shrugged off his mother's harsh words, and continued to plow through jars of cookies and boxes of donuts.

equivocate

verb: to speak vaguely, usually with the intention to mislead or deceive After Sharon brought the car home an hour after her curfew, she equivocated when her parents pointedly asked her where she had been.

mesmerize

verb: to spellbind or enthrall The plot and the characters were so well developed that many viewers were mesmerized, unable to move their eyes from the screen for even a single second.

exhort

verb: to strongly urge on; encourage Nelson's parents exhorted him to study medicine, urging him to choose a respectable profession; intransigent, Nelson left home to become a graffiti artist.

start

verb: to suddenly move in a particular direction All alone in the mansion, Henrietta started when she heard a sound.

underwrite

verb: to support financially The latest symphony broadcast was made possible with underwriting from the Carnegie Endowment.

dupe

verb: to trick or swindle Once again a get-rich-fast Internt scheme had duped Harold into submitting a $5,000 check to a sham operation. noun: a person who is easily tricked or swindled The charlatan mistook the crowd for a bunch of dupes, but the crowd was quickly on to him and decried his bald-faced attempt to bilk them.

meander

verb: to wander aimlessly A casual observer might have thought that Peter was meandering through the city, but that day he was actually seeking out those places where he and his long lost love had once visited.

attenuate

verb: to weaken (in terms of intensity); to taper off/become thinner. Her animosity towards Bob attenuated over the years, and she even went so far as to invite him to her party.

desecrate

verb: to willfully violate or destroy a sacred place After desecrating the pharaoh's tomb, the archaeologist soon fell victim to a horrible illness.

pine

verb: to yearn for Standing forlornly by the window, she pined for her lost love.

patronize

verb: treat condescendingly She says she genuinely wanted to help me, but instead she patronized me, constantly pointing out how I was inferior to her.

deride

verb: treat or speak of with contempt The nun derided the students for trying to sneak insects and worms into the classroom.

cosseted

verb: treat with excessive indulgence The king and queen cosseted the young prince, giving him a prized miniature pony for his fifth birthday.

fawn

verb: try to gain favor by extreme flattery The media fawned over the handsome new CEO, praising his impeccable sense of style instead of asking more pointed questions.

avert

verb: turn away Afraid to see the aftermath of the car crash, I averted my eyes as we drove by. verb: ward off or prevent The struggling videogame company put all of its finances into one final, desperate project to avert bankrupcy.

deter

verb: turn away from by persuasion His mother tried to deter him from joing the army, but he was too intoxicated with the idea of war to listen. verb: try to prevent; show opposition to The government's primary job should invlove deterring paths to war, not finding ways to start them.

nonplussed

verb: unsure how to act or respond Shirley was totally nonplussed when the angry motorist cut her off and then stuck his finger out the window.

goad

verb: urge on with unpleasant comments Doug did not want to enter the race, but Jim, through a steady stream of taunts, goaded him into signing up for it.

maunder

verb: wander aimlessly Max liked to maunder down by the seaside and pick up whatever sea shells he would stumble upon. verb: speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly After drinking two expressos each, the animated couple would maunder loudly, annoying the other patrons in the coffee shop.

Zenith (n.), Summit (n.), Acme (n.), Pinnacle (n.) and Apex (n.)

Strangely, English has five words that mean the top of a mountain (perhaps our first lexicographers were avid alpinists). Spirited hiking, however, is only the half of it. Typically, you will encounter these words in a figurative sense: At the zenith of his artistic career, Elvis was outselling any other artist on the charts. The Ivy League is considered the apex of the education system. At its pinnacle, the Roman Empire extended across most of the landmass of Eurasia, a feat not paralleled to the rise of the British Empire in the 18th and 19th century.

circumscribe

Strictly limit a role, range of activity, or area; in math, to be constructed around so as to touch as many points as possible

censure Censure (v.) vs. Censor (v.)

Strong disapproval or official reprimand (noun), to issue such disapproval or reprimand (verb) Speaking of beeping out the F-word, we have a synonym for expurgate: censor. Censure, the much more common GRE word, has nothing to do with removing objectionable words and/or material. However, if you decide to start dropping the F-bomb in public—and I don't mean facetious—then you can easily expect someone to censure you. To censure someone is to express strong disapproval of that person.

refractory

Stubbornly disobedient, hard to manage

Ambivalent (adj.)

Students often believe that to be ambivalent towards something is to be indifferent. The truth is almost the opposite. See, when you are ambivalent you have mixed or conflicting emotions about something. Imagine somebody asked you what it was like studying for the GRE. Sam was ambivalent about studying for the GRE because it ate up a lot of her time, yet he learned many words and improved at reading comprehension.

Retiring (adj.)

Sure, many dream of the day when they can retire (preferably to some palatial estate with a beachfront view). The second definition does not necessarily apply to most. To be retiring is to be shy, and to be inclined to retract from company. Nelson was always the first to leave soirees—rather than mill about with "fashionable" folk, he was retiring, and preferred the solitude of his garret.

supplant

Take the place of, displace, especially through sneaky tactics

meticulous

Taking extreme care in regards to details; precise, fussy

garrulous

Talkative, wordy, rambling

Tender (v.)

Tender is a verb, and it does not mean to behave tenderly. When you tender something, you offer it up. For instance, when you tender your resignation, you hand in a piece of paper saying that you are resigning. The government was loath to tender more money in the fear that it might set off inflation.

Alacrity (n.)

The GRE has a predilection for words that don't really sound like what they mean. Alacrity is no exception. Many think the word has a negative connotation. Alacrity, however, means an eager willingness to do something. So imagine the first day at a job that you've worked really hard to get. How are you going to complete the tasks assigned to you? With alacrity, of course. An interesting correlation: the more alacritous (adjective form) you are when you're learning GRE vocabulary, the better you will do. The first three weeks at his new job, Mark worked with such alacrity that upper management knew they would be giving him a promotion.

apathy

(n.) a lack of feeling, emotion, or interest

antipathy

(n.) a strong dislike, hostile feeling

antagonize

(v.) to annoy or provoke to anger

rescind

Annul, repeal make void

denote

Be a name or symbol for

treacherous

Betraying trust, not faithful or trustworthy; not dependable; dangerous or deceptive

exonerate

Clear from blame or accusation; free from a responsibility

ameliorate

Improve; make better or more bearable

foment

Incite, instigate, stir up, promote the growth of; apply medicated liquid to a body part

didactic

Intended to instruct; teaching, or teaching a moral lesson

arcane

Known or understood by only a few; obscure, secret

delineate

Mark the outline of; sketch; describe in detail

pedestrian

Ordinary, dull, commonplace

prevaricate

Stray from the truth, mislead, lie

Repine (v.)

The verb pine means to yearn for. Like remiss, however, the addition of the prefix re- does not signify again. To repine means to complain or fret over something. Note: the verb pine can also mean to waste away. Standing forlornly by the window, she repined for her lost love.

tortuous

Twisting, winding, complex; devious, not straightforward

unequivocal

Unambiguous, clear, absolute; having only one possible meaning

enervate

Weaken, tire

perfunctory

adjective: done routinely and with little interest or care The short film examines modern perfunctory cleaning rituals such as washing dishes, doing laundry and tooth-brushing.

complementary

adjective: enhancing each other's qualities (for two things or more). The head waiter was careful to tell the amateur diners that red wine was complementary with beef, each bringing out subtle taste notes in the other.

benighted

adjective: fallen into a state of ignorance Far from being a period of utter benightedness, The Medieval Ages produced some great works of theological speculation.

amiable

adjective: friendly Amy's name was very apt: she was so amiable that she was twice voted class president.

unprecedented

adjective: having never been done or known before; novel When America first created its national parks, the idea of setting aside the most beautiful land in a country was unprecedented in the history of mankind.

fecund

adjective: intellectually productive The artist had entered a fecund period, producing three masterpieces in the span of two months.

feckless

adjective: lazy and irresponsible Two years after graduation, Charlie still lived with his parents and had no job, becoming more feckless with each passing day.

furtive

adjective: marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed While at work, George and his boss Regina felt the need to be as furtive as possible about their romantic relationship.

genteel

adjective: marked by refinement in taste and manners A live string quartet would provide a more genteel air to the wedding than would a folk singer.

harried

adjective: troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances With a team of new hires to train, Martha was constantly harried with little questions and could not focus on her projects.

estimable

admirable

audacity

aggressive boldness in social situations

caustic

biting in wit

luminous

bright, brilliant, glowing

plethora

excess

ostracize

exclude from a community or group

veracity

filled with truth and accurary

obdurate

hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion

frustrate

hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of

dilatory

intended to delay

quiescent

motionless

cryptic

mysterious or vague, usually intentionally

inchoate

not fully formed; disorganized

jargon

noun: a characteristic language of a particular group To those with little training in medicine, the jargon of doctors can be very difficult to understand.

ploy

noun: a clever plan to turn a situation to one's advantage Dennis arranged an elaborate ploy, involving 14 different people lying for him in different situations, so that it could appear that he was meeting Mary completely by chance at the wedding reception.

egotist

noun: a conceited and self-centered person An egotist, Natasha had few friends because of her inability to talk about anything except her dream of becoming the next American Idol.

imbroglio

noun: a confusing and potentially embarrassing situation The chef cook-off featured one gourmand who had the unfortunate distinction of mixing the wrong broths, creating an imbroglio that diners would not soon forget.

canard

noun: a deliberately misleading fabrication The public will always be fooled by the media's canards.

banality

noun: a trite or obvious remark Herbert regarded the minister's remark as a mere banality until Sharon pointed out profound implications to the seemingly obvious words.

redress

noun: an act of making something right Barry forgot his wife's birthday two years in a row, and was only able to redress his oversight by surprising his wife with a trip to Tahiti.

virago

noun: an ill-tempered or violent woman Poor Billy was the victim of the virago's invective—she railed at him for a good 30-minutes about how he is the scum of the earth for speaking loudly on his cellphone in public.

intimation

noun: an indirect suggestion At first the hostess tried intimation, praising the benefits of cutlery; when Cecil continued eating with his hands, the hostess told him to use a fork at dinner.

powwow

noun: an informal meeting or discussion Before the team takes the field, the coach always calls for a powwow so that he can make sure all the players are mentally in the right place.

exegesis

noun: critical explanation or analysis, especially of a text The Bible is fertile ground for exegesis—over the past five centuries there have been as many interpretations as there are pages in the Old Testament.

spendthrift

noun: one who spends money extravagantly Taking weekly trips to Vegas, Megan was a spendthrift whose excesses eventually caught up to her.

hauteur

noun: overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner toward inferiors As soon as she won the lottery, Alice begin displaying a hauteur to her friends, calling them dirty-clothed peasants behind their backs.

copious

plentiful, bountiful

pragmatic

practical as opposed to idealistic

exalt

praise or glorify

decorum

propriety in manners and conduct

opprobrium

public disgrace

adamant

refusing to change one's mind

credulous

too trusting; gullible

stolid

unemotional; lacking sensitivity

err

verb: to make an error He erred in thinking that "indigent" and "indignant" were synonyms.

erratic

wandering and unpredicable

Factious (adj.)

Factions result when a large group splinters into smaller ones. Anything that causes factions is factious. Factious is typically not used to describe people. The controversial bill proved factious, as dissension even within parties resulted.

intrepid

Fearless, brave, enduring in the face of adversity

Feckless (adj.)

Feck, probably for its phonetic similarity to another word, has been dropped from the language. That or the lexicographers have become feckless, which means that they lacked the drive or initiative to include feck in the dictionary. Feckless means lazy and irresponsible. So, don't get feckless and drop the -less, lest somebody totally misinterprets you. In which case, you'll have to do a fair amount of propitiating. By the way, I'm feckless—I won't include an example sentence (oops, I just walked into a contradiction).

reverent

Feeling or expressing very deep respect and awe

upbraid

Find fault with, criticize or scold severely

panache

Flair, style, swagger; a flamboyant or grand way of acting

Badger (v.)

For those who have not lived in the U.S., this animal may be as exotic as the lemur is for the rest of us. A badger is basically a weasel on steroids—you wouldn't want to upset one. Curiously, the verb badger doesn't carry any menacing connotation. To badger simply means to pester repeatedly. Perhaps a buzzing fly comes to mind, however the verb 'fly' was already taken. Badgered by his parents to find a job, the 30-year-old loafer instead joined a gang of itinerant musicians.

Mercurial (adj.)

For those who have since forgotten this slippery word, to be mercurial means to change constantly in terms of personality or mood. Typically, we say a mercurial person is moody and unpredictable. When you think of actual mercury—you know, that strange liquid inside thermometers, not the planet—it too is slippery and constantly changing (do not put this to the test—mercury is highly toxic). This poisonous quality, though, did not make it into the definition of mercurial. Someone who is mercurial is just moody. The fact that Ella's moods were as mercurial as the weather was problematic for her relationships—it didn't help that she lived in Chicago.

Panglossian (adj.)

Interestingly, there is another eponym for literature that has a very similar meaning: Panglossian. Derived from Dr. Pangloss from Voltaire's Candide, Panglossian carries a negative connotation, implying blind optimism. Despite the fact that his country had been marred by a protracted civil war, Victor remained ever Panglossian, claiming that his homeland was living through a Golden Age.

articulate

able to speak clearly and expressively

aberrant

abnormal, deviant

fanatical

acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme, unquestioned devotion

expound

add details or explanation; clarify the meaning; state in depth

obstinate

stubborn, unyielding

pedant

someone who shows off learning

engender

to produce, cause, or bring about

ingratiate

Make an effort to gain favor with

mitigate

Make less severe; lesson or moderate (damage, grief, pain, etc.)

culpability

a state of guilt

catalyst

something that brings about a change in something else

corroborate

to provide supporting evidence

laud

to give praise; to glorify

lavish

to give unsparingly (v.); extremely generous or extravagant (adj.)

fawn

to grovel

proliferate

to increase in number quickly

temperance

Moderation, self-control, esp. regarding alcohol or other desires or pleasures; total abstinence from alcohol

Venerate (v.) vs. Enervate (v.)

Okay, fine, this one is deviating from the agenda a little. Still, despite not starting with a 'v', enervate actually contains all the letters found in venerate, only scrambled. As for their meanings, these two words are anything but similar. To venerate someone is to respect that person deeply. To enervate, on the other hand, is to sap that person of energy. Dave found the professor's lecture so enervating that not even a potent cup of joe could keep his eyes from drooping. The professor, despite his soporific lectures, was venerated amongst his colleagues, publishing more papers yearly than all of his peers combined.

Affluent (adj.)

To be affluent is to be wealthy. This word usually describes countries, neighborhoods, or groups of people. The center of the city had sadly become a pit of penury, while, only five miles away, multi-million dollar homes spoke of affluence.

stigma

a mark of shame or discredit

amalgam

a mixture of multiple things

misanthrope

a person who dislikes others

heretic

a person who holds unorthodox opinions in any field (not merely religion)

sycophant

a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage

precocious

characterized by or characteristic of exceptionally early development or maturity (especially in mental aptitude)

gossamer

characterized by unusual lightness and delicacy

philanthropy

charity; a desire or effort to promote goodness

lucid

clear and easily understood

explicit

clearly stated or shown; forthright in expression

circumvent

cleverly find a way out of one's duties or obligations

derive

come from; be connected by a relationship of blood, for example; reason by deduction; establish by deduction

guile

deceit or trickery

chicanery

deception by means of craft or guile

specious

deceptively attractive; seemingly plausible but fallacious

efficacy

effectiveness

poignant

emotionally touching

ostentation

excessive showiness

florid

excessively decorated or embellished

avaricious

excessively greedy

dictatorial

expecting unquestioning obedience; characteristic of an absolute ruler

torpor

extreme mental and physical sluggishness

meticulous

extremely careful about details

parsimonious

extremely frugal; miserly

ravenous

extremely hungry; devouring or craving food in great quantities

auspicious

favorable, the opposite of sinister

audacious

fearless and daring

iconoclast

one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions

aesthete

one who professes great sensitivity to the beauty of art and nature

gregarious

outgoing, sociable

mawkish

overly sentimental to the point that it is disgusting

obsequious

overly submissive and eager to please

zeal

passion, excitement

guileless

free of deceit

pristine

fresh and clean; uncorrupted

jubilant

full of high-spirited delight because of triumph or success

disparate

fundamentally different; entirely unlike

spurious

plausible but false

bombastic

pompous in speech and manner

banal

predictable, cliched, boring

impetuous

quick to act without thinking

deference

respect, courtesy

insolent

rude and arrogant

exacerbate

to make worse

misattribute

verb: To erroneously attribute; to falsely ascribe; used especially of authorship. I made a mistake; I misattributed "Crime and Punishment" to Leo Tolstoy when it was actually written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

candid

impartial and honest in speech

incorrigible

impervious to correction by punishment

importuned

verb: beg persistently and urgently After weeks of importuning the star to meet for a five-minute interview, the journalist finally got what she wanted.

flounder

verb: behave awkwardly; have difficulties Sylvia has excelled at advanced calculus, but ironically, when she has deal with taxes, she flounders.

elicit

verb: call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses) Just smiling--even if you are depressed--can elicit feelings of pleasure and happiness.

Cognate

(adj) - related by birth, of same parentage or descent - linguistics: descended from same language - allied or similar in nature (n) a person or thing cognate with another ("the English word 'cold' is a cognate of German 'kalt'")

qualify

(adj) to be legally competent or capable; (noun) to make less severe; to limit (a statement)

archaic

(adj.) ancient; old-fashioned

abyss

(n.) an extremely deep hole

abate

(v.) to reduce in amount, degree, or severity

advocate

(v.) to speak in favor of

By the Letter - Vicious Pairs of V's

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High-Difficulty Words - Re- Doesn't Always Mean Again

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Most Common GRE Words - Top 10 GRE Words of 2012

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Parsimonious (adj.)

A synonym with miserly and stingy. Parsimonious is GRE-speak for extremely frugal. Like miserly, this word has a negative connotation. Even with millions in his bank account, Fred was so parsimonious that he followed a diet consisting of nothing more than bread and canned soup.

Moment (n.)

A moment is a point in time. We all know that definition. If something is of moment, it is significant and important (think of the word momentous). Despite the initial hullabaloo, the play was of no great moment in Hampton's writing career, and, within a few years, the public quickly forgot his foray into theater arts.

Truculent (adj.)

A person who is truculent has a fierce, savage nature. As I drive a smaller car, I often find trucks—from the 18-wheeler to the 4×4—to be quite truck-ulent when they drive. A silly mnemonic, but next time you are cut off by a truck, instead of giving the proverbial middle-finger, you can just mutter, what a truculent fellow. Standing in line for six hours, she became progressively truculent, yelling at DMV employees and elbowing other people waiting in line.

Raft (n.)

A raft is an inflatable boat. It can also mean a large number of something. I know—it doesn't really make much sense. But here's a good mnemonic: imagine a large number of rafts and you have a raft of rafts. Despite a raft of city ordinances passed by an overzealous council, noise pollution continued unabated in the megalopolis.

profligate

Completely and shamelessly immoral, or extremely wasteful

burgeon

Grow or flourish rapidly; put forth buds or shoots (of a plant)

hegemony

Domination, authority; influence by one country over others socially, culturally, economically, etc.

Quixotic (adj.)

Don Quixote is perhaps one of the most well-known characters in all of literature. I suppose there is something heartbreaking yet comical at a man past his prime who believes he is on some great mission to save the world. In fact, Don Quixote was so far off his rocker that he thought windmills were dragons. As a word that means somebody who mistakes windmills for dragons would have a severely limited application, quixotic has taken the broader meaning of someone who is wildly idealistic. It is one thing to want to help end world hunger; it is another to think you can do so on your own. The latter would be deemed quixotic. For every thousand startups with quixotic plans to be the next big thing in e-commerce, only a handful ever become profitable.

Fleece (v.)

Don't feel sheepish if you thought this word only pertained to the coat of an ovine. As a verb fleece means to swindle or dupe. The Internet is filled with get-rich-quick schemes that intend only to fleece the Pollyannaish and unsuspecting.

languid

Drooping from exhaustion, sluggish, slow; lacking in spirit

tractable

Easily controlled or managed, docile; easily shaped or molded

voluble

Easily fluent in regards to speech

frugal

Economical, thrifty, not wasteful with money; inexpensive

rudimentary

Elementary, relating to the basic; undeveloped, primitive

Perfunctory (adj.) vs. Preemptive (adj.) vs. Peremptory (adj.)

Ever done dishes before? As far as daily experiences go, this one represents the nadir for most. As a result, when we do dishes, we do them in a routine way. We are hardly inspired. To do something in such a manner is to be perfunctory. The word also carries with it the connotation of carelessness. That is, if you do something in which you are merely going through the motions, you are probably not doing your best (as far as my perfunctory dish-cleaning goes, my wife can attest to this). To act before someone else does is to act preemptively. Just as Martha was about to take the only cookie left on the table, Noah preemptively swiped it. Preemptive is often times heard in a political context. A country that strikes before another country can do so is launching a preemptive strike. If you are peremptory you are bossy and domineering. My sister used to peremptorily tell me to do the dishes, a chore I would either do perfunctorily or avoid doing altogether.

jingoism

Excessive, loud patriotism and aggressive, warlike foreign policy

Extenuating (adj.)

Extenuating means making less guilty or more forgivable. The phrase "extenuating circumstances" is common courtroom lingo. Say somebody broke into a drugstore to steal some expensive medication. Later we learn that medication was for that person's wife, who was dying of some disease that only the medication could cure. Most of us, presumably, would be more likely to forgive the man. Why? Because of the extenuating factor of his wife's disease. The jury was hardly moved by the man's plea that his loneliness was an extenuating factor in his crime of dognapping a prized pooch.

ingenuous

Genuine, sincere, not holding back; naive

Bleak (adj.)

If one has a very depressing take on life, we say that person has a bleak outlook. Landscapes can be bleak (Siberia in April, the Texas of No Country for Old Men), and writers, too (Dostoevsky, Orwell). Unremitting overcast skies tend to lead people to create bleak literature and lugubrious music—compare England's band Radiohead to any band from Southern California.

Fractious (adj.)

If someone is fractious, he/she is irritable and is likely to cause disruption. We rarely invite my fractious Uncle over for dinner; he always complains about the food, and usually launches into a tirade on some touchy subject.

Cadaverous (adj.)

If someone is so skinny or emaciated that they look like a dead person, then that person is cadaverous. This word comes from cadaver, which is a corpse. Besides emaciated, a good synonym for cadaverous is gaunt. Some actors take challenging roles in which they have to lose so much weight that they appear cadaverous.

Scintillating (adj.)

If something gives off sparks, such as when photons collide, it is said to scintillate. Figuratively, scintillating describes someone who is brilliant and lively (imagine Einstein's brain giving off sparks). Richard Feynman was renowned for his scintillating lectures—the arcana of quantum physics was made lucid as he wrote animatedly on the chalkboard.

Telling (adj.)

If something is telling, it is significant and revealing of another factor. If a person's alibi has a telling detail, often that one little detail can support—or unravel!—the person's alibi. Her unbecoming dress was very telling when it came to her sense of fashion.

Disparate (adj.)

If two things are fundamentally different, they are disparate. For instance, verbal skills and math skills are disparate, and as such are usually tested separately—the GRE being no exception. With the advent of machines capable of looking inside the brain, fields as disparate as religion and biology have been brought together, as scientists try to understand what happens in the brain when people have a religious experience.

Insolvent (adj.)

If you are insolvent you can't pay your bills. Oftentimes people use the term bankrupt. If you are solvent, on the other hand, you have paid off all your debts. With credit card bills skyrocketing, surprisingly few are truly solvent.

Fell (adj.)

Imagine an evil person who cuts down trees, and then falls himself. Well, that image is capturing three different definitions of fell—to cut down a tree, the past tense of fall (we all know that) and evil. Yes, I know, fell can't possibly mean evil...but the English language is a wacky one. Fell indeed means terribly evil. Now watch out for that tree! For fans of the Harry Potter series, the fell Lord Voldemort, who terrorized poor Harry for seven lengthy installments, has finally been vanquished by the forces of good—unless, that is, JK Rowling decides to come out of retirement.

banal

Lacking freshness and originality; cliché

myopic

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

incongruous

Out of place, inappropriate, not harmonious

pragmatic

Practical; dealing with actual facts and reality

predilection

Preference, tendency or favorability towards

culminate

Reach the highest point or final stage

Sangfroid (n.)

Sangfroid literally means cold-blooded. It is defined as calmness and poise, especially in trying situations. The hostage negotiator exhibited a sangfroid that oftentimes was more menacing than the sword at his throat or the gun at his head.

eclectic

Selecting the best of everything or from many diverse sources

eschew

Shun, avoid, abstain from

torpor

Sluggishness, lethargy, or apathy; a period of inactivity

acerbic

Sour; harsh or severe

Cow (v.)

The verb form of cow always tickles me, as I imagine the cow to be one of the more placid creatures. Despite such bovine equanimity, to cow means to use intimidation to make someone give in. In the 'cheesy' mnemonic department, imagine a cow on steroids (as most tend to be these days) telling you to 'moo'-ve out of the way. Pretty intimidating, huh? Do not be cowed by a 3,000-word vocabulary list: turn that list into a deck of flashcards!

Prevaricate (v.) vs. Variance (n.)

To prevaricate is to speak in an evasive way. Prevaricate does not mean to vary before; indeed, it is totally unrelated to variance, which simply means the quality of varying. A good synonym for prevaricate is equivocate. And that's no lie. The cynic quipped, "There is not much variance in politicians; they all seem to prevaricate".

Amuck (adv.)

To run amuck (also spelled amok) is to run about frenzied. While this word comes to us via Malay, you don't have to live on the Malaysian peninsula to witness people running amuck. Wherever the bowl-cut teen-idol went, his legions of screaming fans ran through the streets amuck, hoping for a glance of his boyish face.

itinerant

Traveling from place to place, esp. as part of a job

lionize

Treat like a celebrity

disinterested

Unbiased, impartial; not interested

ambivalent

Uncertain; unable to decide, or wanting to do two contradictory things at once

immutable

Unchangeable

Cardinal (adj.)

When it comes time to elect the pope who gets together? The cardinals, of course. And when you're watching baseball in St. Louis, and the players all have red birds on their uniforms, which team are you seeing? The Cardinals, of course. And when you are on the GRE and you see the word cardinal? Well it has nothing to do with birds, baseball or popes. Cardinal means of primary importance, fundamental. That makes sense when you think of the cardinals in the church—after all they do elect the pope. The bird happens to be the same color as the cardinals' robes. As for what St. Louis has to do with cardinals, I have no clue. As if you needed any more associations - the expression, "cardinal sin", retains the GRE definition of the word, and means primary. It does not refer to naughty churchmen. Most cultures consider gambling a cardinal sin and thus have outlawed its practice.

Nadir (n.)

With all these people reaching the top of the career, isn't there a word that refers to the bottom or lowest point of a person's career? The answer is, well, of course. Meet nadir. Nadir doesn't have to refer to just a career, but can be the lowest point. Mike had walked in cold to the new GRE and was not surprised afterwards that he'd hit a standardized test nadir. After he dedicated himself to GRE prep with the same vigor that Sir Edmund Hillary first scaled the summit of Mt. Everest, Mike scored near perfect—the apogee of his academic career.

laudable

Worthy of praise

Arch (adj.)

You have arches in architecture, or at a well-known fast-food restaurant. You can arch your back, or a bow. Arches are even a part of your foot. But, did you know that to be arch is to be deliberately teasing, as in, "he shrugged off her insults because he knew she was only being arch"? Finally, arch- as a root means chief or principal, as in archbishop. The baroness was arch, making playful asides to the townspeople; yet because they couldn't pick up on her dry humor, they thought her supercilious.

Untoward (adj.)

You may think that untoward has something to do with a direction. But untoward does not mean disinclined to walk eastwards. Untoward is an adjective meaning not favorable, inconvenient. A popular GRE synonym for untoward is inauspicious. Some professors find teaching untoward as having to prepare for lectures and conduct office hours prevents them from focusing on attaining tenure.

paradox

a contradiction or dilemma

aberration

a deviation from what is normal or expected

metaphor

a figure of speech comparing two different things; a symbol

dogma

a firmly held opinion, often a religious belief

dirge

a funeral hymn or mournful speech

contingent

a gathering of persons representative of some larger group; possible but not certain to occur

dissonance

a harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds

enigma

a puzzle; a mystery

elegy

a sorrowful poem or speech

unpropitious

adjective: (of a circumstance) with little chance of success With only a bottle of water and a sandwich, the hikers faced an unpropitious task: ascending a huge mountain that took most two days to climb.

whimsical

adjective: determined by impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason Adults look to kids and envy their whimsical nature at times, wishing that they could act without reason and play without limitation.

elusive

adjective: difficult to capture or difficult to remember Many first time skydivers say that describing the act of falling from the sky is elusive.

lugubrious

adjective: excessively mournful At the funeral, lugubrious songs filled the small church.

truculent

adjective: having a fierce, savage nature Standing in line for six hours, she became progressively truculent, yelling at DMV employees and elbowing other people waiting in line.

surly

adjective: inclined to anger or bad feelings with overtones of menace Every morning, Bhavin was a surly unhappy person, but once he ate breakfast, he became loving, laughing, and a joy to be around.

redoubtable

adjective: inspiring fear or awe On television basketball players don't look that tall, but when you stand in front of a seven-foot tall NBA player, he is truly redoubtable.

insufferable

adjective: intolerable, difficult to endure Chester always tried to find some area in which he excelled above others; unsurprisingly, his co-workers found him insufferable and chose to exclude him from daily luncheons out.

officious

adjective: intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner The professor had trouble concentrating on her new theorem, because her officious secretary would barge in frequently reminding her of some trivial detail involving departmental paperwork.

embroiled

adjective: involved in argument or contention These days we are never short of a D.C. politician embroiled in scandal—a welcome phenomenon for those who, having barely finished feasting on the sordid details of one imbroglio, can sink their teeth into a fresh one.

sordid

adjective: involving ignoble actions and motives; arousing moral distaste and contempt; foul and run-down and repulsive The nightly news simply announced that the senator had had an affair, but the tabloid published all the sordid details of the interaction.

cerebral

adjective: involving intelligence rather than emotions or instinct A cerebral analysis of most pop music finds it to be simple and childish, but that ignores the point--the music's effect on the listener.

fractious

adjective: irritable and is likely to cause disruption We rarely invite my fractious Uncle over for dinner; he always complains about the food, and usually launches into a tirade on some touchy subject.

bilious

adjective: irritable; always angry Rex was bilious all morning, and his face would only take on a look of contentedness when he'd had his morning cup of coffee.

ebullient

adjective: joyously unrestrained Can you blame him for his ebullient mood? He just graduated from medical school.

meteoric

adjective: like a meteor in speed or brilliance or transience The early spectacular successes propelled the pitcher to meteoric stardom, but a terribly injury tragically cut short his career.

steadfast

adjective: marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable A good captain needs to be steadfast, continuing to hold the wheel and stay the course even during the most violent storm.

effervescent

adjective: marked by high spirits or excitement After the sales result, the manager was in an effervescent mood, letting several employees leave work early that day.

punctilious

adjective: marked by precise accordance with details The colonel was so punctilious about enforcing regulations that men fell compelled to polish even the soles of their shoes.

saturnine

adjective: morose or gloomy Deprived of sunlight, humans become saturnine; that's why in very northerly territories people are encouraged to sit under an extremely powerful lamp, lest they become morose.

grandiloquent

adjective: puffed up with vanity The dictator was known for his grandiloquent speeches, puffing his chest out and using big, important-sounding words.

self-effacing

adjective: reluctant to draw attention to yourself The most admirable teachers and respected leaders are those who are self-effacing, directing attention and praise to their students and workers.

sullen

adjective: showing a brooding ill humor Herbert took board games too seriously, often appearing sullen after losing.

obliging

adjective: showing a cheerful willingness to do favors for others Even after all his success, I found him to be accommodating and obliging, sharing with me his "secret tips" on how to gain wealth and make friends.

muted

adjective: softened, subdued Helen preferred muted earth colors, such as green and brown, to the bright pinks and red her sister liked.

uncanny

adjective: suggesting the operation of supernatural influences; surpassing the ordinary or normal Reggie has an uncanny ability to connect with animals: feral cats will readily approach him, and sometimes even wild birds will land on his finger.

histrionic

adjective: to be overly theatrical Though she received a B- on the test, she had such a histrionic outburst that one would have thought that she'd been handed a death sentence.

peripatetic

adjective: traveling by foot Jim always preferred a peripatetic approach to discovering a city: he felt that he could see so many more details while walking.

veritable

adjective: truthfully, without a doubt Frank is a veritable life-saver -- last year, on two different occasions, he revived people using CPR.

loath

adjective: unwillingness to do something contrary to your custom (usually followed by 'to') I was loath to leave the concert before my favorite band finished playing.

assiduously

adverb: with care and persistence The top college football program recruits new talent assiduously, only choosing those who were the top in their county.

diatribe

an abusive, condemnatory speech

impertinent

being disrespectful; improperly forward or bold

tantamount

being essentially equal to something

involved

complicated, and difficult to comprehend

iconoclastic

defying tradition or convention

inveterate

habitual

inscrutable

not easily understood; unfathomable

anomalous

not normal

foible

noun: a behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual When their new roommate sat staring at an oak tree for an hour, Marcia thought it indicated a mental problem, but Jeff assured her it was a harmless foible.

conundrum

noun: a difficult problem Computers have helped solve some of the mathematical conundrums which have puzzled man for many centuries.

juggernaut

noun: a force that cannot be stopped Napoleon was considered a juggernaut until he decided to invade Russia in winter; after which, his once indomitable army was decimated by cold and famine.

boon

noun: a desirable state Modern technology has been a boon to the travel industry. adjective: very close and convivial He was a boon companion to many, and will be sadly missed.

gambit

noun: a manuveur or risk in a game or conversation, designed to secure an advantage Randy played a gambit, telling his boss that he would leave at the end of the week if he didn't get a raise.

mendicant

noun: a pauper who lives by begging Tolstoy was an aristocrat, but he strove to understand the Christianity of the Russian peasants by wandering among them as a mendicant.

respite

noun: a pause from doing something (as work) Every afternoon, the small company has a respite in which workers play foosball or board games.

savvy

noun: a perceptive understanding Although a great CEO, he did not have the political savvy to win the election. verb: get the meaning of something The student savvies the meaning of astrophysics with little effort. adjective: well-informed or perceptive With his savvy business partner, the company was able to turn a profit within a year.

raconteur

noun: a person skilled in telling anecdotes Jude is entertaining, but he is no raconteur: beyond the handful of amusing stories he has memorized, he has absolutely no spontaneous story-telling ability.

chauvinist

noun: a person who believes in the superiority of their group The chauvinist lives on both sides of the political spectrum, outright shunning anybody whose ideas are not consistent with his own.

misogynist

noun: a person who dislikes women in particular Many have accused Hemingway of being a quiet misogynist, but recently unearthed letters argue against this belief.

miser

noun: a person who doesn't like to spend money (because they are greedy) Monte was no miser, but was simply frugal, wisely spending the little that he earned.

apostate

noun: a person who has abandoned a religious faith or cause An apostate of the Republican Party, Sheldon has yet to become affiliated with any party and dubs himself an independent.

arriviste

noun: a person who has recently reached a position of power; a social climber The city center was aflutter with arrivistes who each tried to outdo one another with their ostentatious sports cars and chic evening dress.

parvenu

noun: a person who has suddenly become wealthy, but not socially accepted as part of a higher class The theater was full of parvenus who each thought that they were surrounded by true aristocrats.

corollary

noun: a practical consequence that follows naturally A corollary of Hurricane Sandy, which ravaged the east coast of the U.S., is a push to build higher sea walls to protect against future hurricanes.

atavism

noun: a reappearance of an earlier characteristic; throwback Much of the modern art movement was an atavism to a style of art found only in small villages through Africa and South America.

simulacrum

noun: a representation of a person (especially in the form of sculpture) The Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center showcases a simulacrum of all the present and approved buildings in the city of Shanghai. noun: a bad imitation The early days of computer graphics made real people into a simalacrum that now seems comical.

reprisal

noun: a retaliatory action against an enemy in wartime The Old Testament doctrine of an eye for an eye is not the kind of retaliation practiced in war; rather, an arm, a leg, and both ears are the reprisal for the smallest scratch.

aphorism

noun: a short instructive saying about a general truth Nietzsche was known for using aphorisms, sometimes encapsulating a complex philosophical thought in a mere sentence.

maxim

noun: a short saying expressing a general truth Johnson initially suggests that the secret to business can be summarized in a single maxim but then requires a 300-page book to explain exactly what he means.

apothegm

noun: a short, pithy instructive saying Winston Churchill is famous for many apothegms, but this might be his most famous: "It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried."

smattering

noun: a slight or superficial understanding of a subject; a small amount of something I know only a smattering of German, but Helen is able to read German newspapers and converse with natives.

gaffe

noun: a socially awkward or tactless act In a famous gaffe, Vice President Quayle attempted to correct the spelling of a grade school student, only to find that the child was correct.

tumult

noun: a state of chaos, noise and confusion Riots broke out just in front of our apartment building, and the tumult continued late into the night.

broadside

noun: a strong verbal attack Political broadsides are usually strongest in the weeks leading up to a national election.

melee

noun: a wild, confusing fight or struggle After enduring daily taunts about my name, I became enraged and pummeled the schoolyard bully and his sycophantic friends in a brutal melee.

cataclysm

noun: an event resulting in great loss and misfortune The introduction of smallpox was a cataclysm for Native Americans, killing off more than half of their population.

precedent

noun: an example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time The principal explained that even though one student had done modelling work outside of school, the outfits that student wore in those photographs in no way established a precedent for what could be worn at school dances.

dispensation

noun: an exemption from a rule or obligation Since her father is a billionaire, she is given dispensation from many of the school's policies.

effrontery

noun: audacious (even arrogant) behavior that you have no right to The skateboarders acted with effrontery, skating through the church grounds and spray-painting signs warning trespassers.

apprehension

noun: fearful expectation Test day can be one of pure apprehension, as many students worry about their test scores.

raillery

noun: light teasing The new recruit was not bothered by the raillery, finding most of it light-hearted and good-natured.

hubris

noun: overbearing pride or presumption Bill Clinton was criticized for his hubris, since he believed he could get away with anything once in the White House.

candidness

noun: the quality of being honest and straightforward in attitude and speech Although I was unhappy that the relationship ended, I appreciated her candidness about why she was ready to move on from the relationship.

artlessness

noun: the quality of innocence I, personally, found the artlessness of her speech charming.

superfluous

serving no useful purpose; more than is needed, desired, or required

loquacious

talkative

garrulous

tending to talk a lot

extant

the opposite of extinct

espouse

to adopt or support an idea or cause

occlude

to stop up; to prevent the passage of

intimate

to suggest something subtly

bolster

to support; to prop up

vacillate

to sway physically; to be indecisive

precipitate

to throw violently or bring about abruptly; lacking deliberation

equivocate

to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead

onerous

troublesome and oppressive; burdensome

veracious

truthful

brazen

unrestrained by convention or propriety

exigent

urgent; requiring immediate action

euphemism

use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one

laconic

using few words

countermand

verb: a contrary command cancelling or reversing a previous command By the time the colonel countermanded his soldiers not to land in enemy territory, a few helicopters had already touched down amid heavy gunfire.

finagle

verb: achieve something by means of trickery or devious methods Steven was able to finagle one of the last seats on the train by convincing the conductor that his torn stub was actually a valid ticket.

tout

verb: advertize in strongly positive terms; show off At the conference, the CEO touted the extraordinary success of his company's Research & Development division.

relegate

verb: assign to a lower position When Dexter was unable to fulfill his basic duties, instead of firing him, the boss relegated him to kitchen cleanup.

posit

verb: assume as fact Initially, Einstein posited a repulsive force to balance Gravity, but then rejected that idea as a blunder.

impugn

verb: attack as false or wrong Though many initially tried to impugn Darwin's theory, in scientific circles today, the is idea taken as truth.

assail

verb: attack in speech or writing In the weekly paper, the editor assailed the governor for wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars in public projects that quickly failed.

enamor

verb: attraction or feeling of love She is completely enamored with Justin Bieber, and goes to all his concerts on the East coast.

impute

verb: attribute (responsibility or fault) to something He imputed his subpar performance on the test to a combination of stress and poor sleep.

ascribe

verb: attribute or credit to History ascribes The Odyssey and The Illiad to Homer, but scholars now debate whether he was a historical figure or a fictitious name.

impede

verb: be a hindrance or obstacle to Since the police sergeant had to train the pair of new hires, progress in his own case was impeded.

flummox

verb: be a mystery or bewildering to Mary's behavoir completely flummoxes me: I never have any idea what her motivations might be.

browbeat

verb: be bossy towards; discourage or frighten with threats or a domineering manner During the interrogation, the suspect was browbeaten into signing a false confession.

exemplify

verb: be characteristic of Lincoln exemplified the best of not only America, but also the potential greatness that exists within each person. verb: clarify by giving an example of Please present some case studies that exemplify the results that you claim in your paper.

prevail

verb: be widespread in a particular area at a particular time; be current: During the labor negotiations, an air of hostility prevailed in the office. verb: prove superior Before the cricket match, Australia was heavily favored, but India prevailed.

languish

verb: become feeble Stranded in the wilderness for four days, the hiker languished, eating protein bars and nuts.

rile

verb: cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations Dan is usually calm and balanced, but it takes only one intense glare from Sabrina to rile him.

stultify

verb: cause one, through routine, to lose energy and enthusiasm As an undergraduate Mark felt stultified by classes outside his area of study; only in grad school, in which he could focus solely on literary analysis, did he regain his scholarly edge.

placate

verb: cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of I was able to placate the angry mob of students by promising to bring cookies on Monday.

disseminate

verb: cause to become widely known Before the effects of anaethesia were disseminated, patients had to experience the full pain of a surgery.

perpetuate

verb: cause to continue If you do not let him do things for himself, you are merely perpetuating bad habits that will be even harder to break in the future.

crystallize

verb: cause to take on a definite and clear shape Only after fifteen minutes of brainstorming did Samantha's ideas for the essay crystallize.

transmute

verb: change or alter in form, appearance, or nature One of the goals of alchemy was to find the substance or process that would transmute lead into gold.

glean

verb: collect information bit by bit Herb has given us no formal statement about his background, but from various hints, I have gleaned that he grew up in difficult circumstances.

vanquish

verb: come out better in a competition, race, or conflict For years, Argentina would dominate in World Cup qualifying matches, only to be vanquished by one of the European countries during the late stages of the tournament.

proscribe

verb: command against My doctor proscribes that I not eat donuts with chocolate sauce and hamburger patties for breakfast.

vie

verb: compete for something While the other teams in the division actively vie for the championship, this team seems content simply to go through the motions of playing.

dissemble

verb: conceal one's true motives, usually through deceit To get close to the senator, the assassin dissembled his intentions, convincing many people that he was a reporter for a well-known newspaper.

consecrate

verb: to make holy or set apart for a high purpose At the church of Notre Dame in France, the new High Altar was consecrated in 1182.

proselytize

verb: convert to another religion, philosophy, or perspective Lisa loves her Mac but says little about it; by contrast, Jake will proselytize, interrogating anyone with an Android about why she didn't purchase an iPhone.

implicate

verb: convey a meaning; imply By saying that some of the guests were uncomfortable, the manager implicated to the hotel staff that it needed to be more dilligent. verb: to indicate in wrongdoing, usually a crime The crime boss was implicated for a long list of crimes, ranging from murder to disturbing the peace.

rebuke

verb: criticize severely or angrily; censure The police chief rebuked the two officers whose irresponsible decisions almost led to the deaths of seven innocent by-standers.

besmirch

verb: damage the good name and reputation of someone The prince's distasteful choice of words besmirched not only his own name, but the reputation of the entire royal family.

lacerate

verb: deeply hurt the feelings of; distress The teacher was fired for lacerating a student who wrote a poor essay.

disenfranchise

verb: deprive of voting rights The U.S. Constitution disenfranchised women until 1920 when they were given the right to vote.

enumerate

verb: determine the number or amount of The survey enumerates the number of happy workers and the number of unhappy workers. verb: specify individually, one by one I sat and listened as she enumerated all of the things she did not like about the past three months.

perturb

verb: disturb in mind or cause to be worried or alarmed Now that Henry is recovering from a major illnesses, he no longer lets the little trivialities, such as late mail, perturb him.

deign

verb: do something that one considers to be below one's dignity The master of the house never deigned to answer questions from the servants.

quail

verb: draw back, as with fear or pain Craig always claimed to be a fearless outdoorsman, but when the thunderstorm engulfed the valley, he quailed at the thought of leaving the safety of his cabin.

extrapolate

verb: draw from specific cases for more general cases By extrapolating from the data on the past three months, we can predict a 5% increase in traffic to our website.

flag

verb: droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness; become less intense After the three crushing defeats in the last three games, the team's enthusiasm began to flag.

resolve

verb: reach a conclusion after a discussion or deliberation After much thought, Ted resolved not to travel abroad this summer because he didn't have much money in his bank account.

adjudicate

verb: to serve as a judge in a competition; to arrive at a judgment or conclusion Only those with the most refined palates were able to adjudicate during the barbeque competition.

bowdlerize

verb: edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate To recieve an R rating, the entire movie was bowdlerized because it contained so much violence and grotesque subject matter.

machinate

verb: engage in plotting or enter into a conspiracy, swear together The rebels met at night in an abandoned barn to machinate.

augment

verb: enlarge or increase; improve Ideally, the restaurant's augmented menu will expand its clientele and increase its profits.

hail

verb: enthusiastically acclaim or celebrate something Many college superstar athletes are hailed as the next big thing, but then flop at the professional level.

elude

verb: escape understanding Even a basic understanding of physics can elude most high schools students.

banish

verb: expel from a community, residence, or location; drive away The most difficult part of the fast was banishing thoughts of food.

debunk

verb: expose as false ideas and claims, especially while ridiculing Richard Dawkins tries to debunk religious belief, but his ridicule tends to push people away from his points rather than convince them.

bemoan

verb: express discontent or a stong regret While the CFO carefully explained all the reasons for the cuts in benefits, after the meeting employees bemoaned the cuts as further evidence that management was against them.

decry

verb: express strong disapproval of The entire audience erupted in shouts and curses, decrying the penalty card issued by the referee.

objurgate

verb: express strong disapproval of The manager spent an hour objurgating the employee in the hopes that he would not make these mistakes again.

renege

verb: fail to fulfill a promise or obligation We will no longer work with that vendor since it has reneged on nearly every agreement.

dovetail

verb: fit together tightly, as if by means of a interlocking joint Although Darwin's evolution and Mendel's genetics were developed in isolation from one another, they dovetail each other very well.

abjure

verb: formally reject or give up (as a belief) While the church believed that Galileo abjured the heliocentric theory under threat of torture, he later wrote a book clearly supporting the theory.

coalesce

verb: fuse or cause to grow together Over time, the various tribes coalesced into a single common culture with one universal language.

entice

verb: get someone to do something through (often false or exaggerated) promises Harold enticed his wife, Maude, to go on a vacation to Hawaii, with promises of luaus on the beach and all-you-can-eat seafood buffets.

delegate

verb: give an assignment to (a person) Since the senior manager had to go on many international business trips, she was forced to delegate many of her responsibilities to two lower-level managers.

enjoin

verb: give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority The government agency enjoined the chemical company to clean up the hazardous dump it had created over the years.

rankle

verb: gnaw into; make resentful or angry His constant whistling would rankle her, sometimes causing her to leave in a huff.

besiege

verb: harass, as with questions or requests; cause to feel distressed or worried After discovering a priceless artifact in her backyard, Jane was besieged by phone calls, emails, and reporters all trying to buy, hold or see the rare piece of history.

thwart

verb: hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of I wanted to spend a week in New York this autumn, but the high costs of travel and lodging thwarted my plans.

stymie

verb: hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of The engineers found their plans stymied at every turn and were ultimately able to make almost no progress on the project.

encumber

verb: hold back The costume encumbered all my movements and caused me to sweat profusely.

enthrall

verb: hold spellbound She was so enthralled by the movie that she never heard people screaming, "Fire! Fire!" in the neighboring theater.

misconstrue

verb: interpret in the wrong way The politician never trusted journalists because he though that they misconstrue his words and misrepresent his positions.

irk

verb: irritate or vex My little sister has a way of irking and annoying me like no other person.

guffaw

verb: laugh boisterously Whenever the jester fell to the ground in mock pain, the king guffawed, exposing his yellow, fang-like teeth.

tarnish

verb: make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically Pete Rose was one of the best baseball players of his generation, but his involvement with gambling on baseball games has tarnished his image in the eyes of many.

incense

verb: make furious When Herb bought football tickets for a game on the day of their wedding anniversary, Jill was incensed.

embellish

verb: make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.; make more beautiful McCartney would write relatively straightforward lyrics, and Lennon would embellish them with puns and poetic images.

compound

verb: make more intense, stronger, or more marked Her headache was compounded by the construction crew outside, which had six jackhammers going at the same time.

rarefied

verb: make more subtle or refined Jack's vulgar jokes were not so successful in the rarefied enviroment of college professors.

ossify

verb: make rigid and set into a conventional pattern Even as a young man, Bob had some bias against poor people, but during his years in social services, his bad opinions ossified into unshiftable views.

assuage

verb: make something intense less severe Her fear that the new college would be filled with unknown faces was assuaged when she recognized her childhood friend standing in line.

buttress

verb: make stronger or defensible China's economy has been buttressed by a global demand for the electronic parts the country manufactures.

conflate

verb: mix together different elements or concepts In her recent book, the author conflates several genres--the detective story, the teen thriller, and the vampire romance--to create a memorable read.

tender

verb: offer up something formally The government was loath to tender more money in the fear that it might set off inflation.

appease

verb: pacify by acceding to the demands of Neville Chamberlain, the British prime minister during WWII, tried to appease Hitler and in doing so sent a clear message: you can walk all over us.

devolve

verb: pass on or delegate to another The company was full of managers known for devolving tasks to lower management, but never doing much work themselves. verb: grow worse (usually "devolve into") The dialogue between the two academics devolved into a downright bitter argument.

spurn

verb: reject with contempt She spurned all his flattery and proposals, and so he walked off embarrassed and sad.

antedate

verb: precede in time Harry was so unknowledgable that he was unaware the Egyptian pharaohs antedated the American Revolution.

afford

verb: provide with an opportunity The summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro affords a panoramic view that encompasses both Tanzania and Kenya.

retract

verb: pull inward or towards a center; formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure Email is wonderfully efficient, but once something awkward or damaging has been sent, there is no way to retract it.

brook

verb: put up with something or somebody unpleasant 容忍 While she was at the chalkboard, the teacher did not brook any form of talking--even a tiny peep resulted in afternoon detention.

cede

verb: relinquish possession or control over Eventually, all parents must cede control of their growing childrens' educations and allow their offspring some autonomy.

buck

verb: resist The profits at our firm bucked the general downturn that affected the real estate industry.

abrogate

verb: revoke formally As part of the agreement between the labor union and the company, the workers abrogated their right to strike for four years in exchange for better health insurance.

pillory

verb: ridicule or expose to public scorn After the candidate confessed, the press of the opposing party took the opportunity to pillory him, printing editorials with the most blatantly exaggerated accusations.

arrogate

verb: seize and control without authority Arriving at the small town, the outlaw arrogated the privileges of a lord, asking the frightened citizens to provide food, drink, and entertainment.

grovel

verb: show submission or fear Every time Susan comes to the office, Frank grovels as if she were about to fire.

palaver

verb: speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly During the rain delay, many who had come to see the game palavered, probably hoping that idle chatter would make the time go by faster.

squander

verb: spend thoughtlessly; waste time, money, or an opportunity Fearing his money would be squandered by his family, he gave all of it to charity when he died.

dissipate

verb: squander or spend money frivolously The recent graduates dissipated their earnings on trips to Las Vegas and cruises in Mexico. verb: to disperse or scatter Kathleen's perfume was overwhelming in the cramped apartment, but once we stepped outside the smell dissipated and we could breathe once again.

promulgate

verb: state or announce The President wanted to promulgate the success of the treaty negotiations, but he had to wait until Congress formally approved the agreement.

emulate

verb: strive to equal or match, especially by imitating; compete with successfully To really become fluent in a new language, emulate the speech patterns and intonation of people who speak the language.

bolster

verb: support and strengthen The case for the suspect's innocence was bolstered considerably by the fact that neither fingerprints nor DNA were found at the scene.

squelch

verb: suppress or crush completely After the dictator consolidated his power, he took steps to squelch all criticism, often arresting any journalist who said anything that could be interpreted as negative about his regime.

preempt

verb: take the place of or have precedence over A governmental warning about an imminent terrorist attack would preempt ordinary network programming on television.

conniving

verb: taking part in immoral and unethical plots The queen was so conniving that, with the help of the prince, she tried to overthrow the king.

pontificate

verb: talk in a dogmatic and pompous manner The vice-president would often pontificate about economic theory, as if no one else in the room were qualified to speak on the topic.

bridle

verb: the act of restraining power or action or limiting excess New curfew laws have bridled people's tendency to go out at night. verb: anger or take offense The hostess bridled at the tactless dinner guests who insisted on eating before everybody had gotten their food.

deliberate

verb: think about carefully; weigh the pros and cons of an issue Emergency situations such as this call for immediate action and leave no room to deliberate over options.

behooves

verb: to be one's duty or obligation The teacher looked down at the student and said, "It would behoove you to be in class on time and complete your homework, so that you don't repeat freshman English for a third straight year."

kowtow

verb: to bow or act in a subservient manner Paul kowtowed to his boss so often the boss herself became nauseated by his sycophancy.

hector

verb: to bully or intimidate The boss's hectoring manner put off many employees, some of whom quit as soon as they found new jobs.

fete

verb: to celebrate a person After World War II, war heroes were feted at first but quickly forgotten.

hoodwink

verb: to deceive or trick someone Someone tried to hoodwink Marty with an email telling him that his uncle had just passed away, and to collect the inheritance he should send his credit card information.

mulct

verb: to defraud or swindle The so-called magical diet cure simply ended up mulcting Maria out of hundreds of dollars, but did nothing for her weight.

imbibe

verb: to drink or absorb as if drinking Plato imbibed Socrates' teachings to such an extent that he was able to write volumes of work that he directly attributed, sometimes word for word, to Socrates.

expunge

verb: to eliminate completely When I turned 18, all of the shoplifting and jaywalking charges were expunged from my criminal record.

immure

verb: to enclose, usually in walls The modern supermarket experience makes many feel claustrophobic, as they are immured in walls upon walls of products.

begrudge

verb: to envy someone for possessing or enjoying something Sitting all alone in his room, Harvey begrudged the happiness of the other children playing outside his window. verb: to give reluctantly We never begrudge money spent on ourselves.

beg

verb: to evade or dodge (a question) By assuming that Charlie was headed to college—which he was not—Maggie begged the question when she asked him to which school he was headed in the Fall.

censor

verb: to examine and remove objectionable material Every fall, high school English teachers are inundated by requests to censor their curriculum by removing The Catcher in the Rye and Scarlet Letter from their reading lists.

appropriate

verb: to give or take something by force The government appropriated land that was occupied by squatters, sending them scurrying for another place to live. verb: to allocate The committe appropriated the funds to its various members.

wax

verb: to gradually increase in size or intensity Her enthusiasm for the diva's new album only waxed with each song; by the end of the album, it was her favorite CD yet.

defray

verb: to help pay the cost of, either in part of full In order for Sean to attend the prestigious college, his generous uncle helped defray the excessive tuition with a monthly donation.

stem

verb: to hold back or limit the flow or growth of something To stem the tide of applications, the prestigious Ivy requires that each applicant score at least 330 on the Revised GRE.

hobble

verb: to hold back the progress of something Bad weather has hobbled rescue efforts, making it difficult for crews to find bodies in the wreckage.

demean

verb: to insult; to cause someone to lose dignity or respect At first the soccer players bantered back and forth, but as soon as one of the players became demeaning, calling the other's mother a water buffalo, the ref whipped out a red card.

cow

verb: to intimidate Do not be cowed by a 3,000-word vocabulary list: turn that list into a deck of flashcards!

exasperate

verb: to irritate intensely As a child, I exasperated my mother with strings of never-ending questions.

check

verb: to limit (usually modifying the growth of something) Deserted for six months, the property began to look more like a jungle and less like a residence—weeds grew unchecked in the front yard noun: the condition of being held back or limited When government abuses are not kept in check, that government is likely to become autocratic.

hedge

verb: to limit or qualify a statement; to avoid making a direct statement When asked why he had decided to buy millions of shares at the very moment the tech companies stock soared, the CEO hedged, mentioning something vague about gut instinct.

inure

verb: to make accustomed to something unpleasant Three years of Manhattan living has inured her to the sound of wailing sirens; she could probably sleep through the apocalypse.

unnerve

verb: to make nervous or upset At one time unnerved by math problems, she began avidly "Magoosh-ing", and soon became adept at even combinations and permutations questions.

remonstrate

verb: to make objections while pleading The mothers of the kidnapped victims remonstrated to the rogue government to release their children, claiming that the detention violated human rights.

conciliate

verb: to make peace with His opponents believed his gesture to be conciliatory, yet as soon as they put down their weapons, he unsheathed a hidden sword.

gerrymander

verb: to manipulate voting districts in order to favor a particular political party Years ago, savvy politicians had gerrymandered the city center to ensure their re-election.

badger

verb: to pester Badgered by his parents to find a job, the 30-year-old loafer instead joined a gang of itinerant musicians.

propitiate

verb: to placate or appease The two sons, plying their angry father with cheesy neckties for Christmas, were hardly able to propitiate him - the father already had a drawer full of ones he had never worn before or ever planned to.

hound

verb: to pursue relentlessly An implacable foe of corruption, Eliot Ness hounded out graft in all forms—he even helped nab Al Capone.

dog

verb: to pursue relentlessly; to hound Throughout his life, he was dogged by insecurities that inhibited personal growth.

peruse

verb: to read very carefully Instead of perusing important documents, people all too often rush to the bottom of the page and plaster their signatures at the bottom.

expurgate

verb: to remove objectionable material The censor expurgated every reference to sex and drugs, converting the rapper's raunchy flow into a series of bleeps.

ferret

verb: to search for something persistently Ever the resourceful lexicographer, Fenton was able to ferret out the word origin of highly obscure words.

perfidious

willing to betray one's trust

prudence

wisdom, caution, restraint

blatant

without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious

conspicuous

without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious

unscrupulous

without scruples or principles

verbose

wordy

insidious

working in a subtle but destructive way