GRE - Magoosh
entrenched
(adj) ____ ideas are so fixed or have existed for so long that they are difficult to be changed; Sexism is deeply entrenched in our society.
disinterested
(adj) free from selfish motive or interest: unbiased a ___ observer
didactic
(adj) intended to teach people a moral lesson; telling people things rather than letting them find out for themselves a ___ drama, overly ___, The didactic teacher-led approach is no longer fashionable.
impertinent
(adj) not showing respect, given to or characterized by insolent rudeness Her ___ interference in a matter which did not concern her. Synonyms rude cheeky insolent disrespectful impolite impertinent discourteous
aesthetic
(adj)An ___ object or a work of art is one that shows great beauty, furniture that is both ___ and functional (I love static since it is beautiful and can create many beautiful objects too.)
wanting
(adj)lacking She is a little ___ in charm.
bucolic
(adj)relating to the countryside ; ___ poetry
apathetic
(adj)showing no interest or energy and unwilling to take action, especially over something important ; Young people today are so ___ about politics.
extant
(adj)still in existence ;___ manuscript ,extinct or ____ species, extant remains of the ancient wall
restive
(adj)unwilling to be controlled or be patient ; The audience was becoming ___ as they waited for the performance to begin.
parochial
(disapproving) showing interest only in a narrow range of matters, especially those that directly affect yourself, your town, or your country; They need to be better informed and less parochial in their thinking.
eschew
(formal) to deliberately avoid or keep away from something; to shun, to avoid He had eschewed politics in favor of a life practicing law.
culminate in
(in/with something) (formal) to end with a particular result, or at a particular point Months of hard work culminated in success.
mutation
(n) the way in which genes change and produce permanent differences,
monopoly
(n)(an organization or group that has) complete control of something, especially an area of business, so that others have no share; is Microsoft a ___?
aesthete
(n)a person who understands and enjoys beauty,
bottleneck
(n)a problem that delays progress, is there anyway of getting around this ___.
assertion
(n)a statement that you strongly believe is true; He was correct in his assertion that the minister had been lying.
acrimony(n) acrimonious(adj)
(n)bitterness or ill feelings between people (adj)involving bad feelings an ___dispute
inexorable
(of a process) that cannot be stopped or changed synonym relentless the inexorable rise of crime
frivolous
(of people or their behavior) silly or amusing, especially when such behavior is not suitable frivolous comments/suggestions Her words seemed utterly frivolous.
fortuitous
(of something that is to your advantage) not planned, happening by chance ; a ___ event.
venerate
(v) to respect deeply somebody/something, especially somebody/something that is considered to be holy or very important; The monk was subsequently venerated as a saint.
qualify
(v)qualify something | qualify what... to add something to a previous statement to make the meaning less strong or less general; I want to qualify what I said earlier—I didn't mean he couldn't do the job, only that he would need supervision.
chortle
(v)to laugh, showing pleasure and satisfaction, often at someone else's bad luck,
vindicate
(v)to prove that what someone said or did was right or true, especially when other people had a different opinion; I have every confidence that this decision will be fully vindicated.
intimate
1. personal 2. special relationship with someone 3.a very good understanding of something. an ___ understanding of the subject (He had a great understanding of his body he ate all the nutritions in time of need.)
amalgam
1.a mixture of multiple things that create a complete whole.+ of 2. Any alloy of mercury specially the one used by dentists.
auspicious
: showing or suggesting that future success is likely ;made an -- beginning (They told us about all the possible failures but we believed our idea was going to be successful.)
impudent
=impertinent ; an ___ request
venal(n) venality(adj)
A ___ person is willing to behave in a way that is not honest or moral in exchange for money; a ___ journalists
dogmatic
If you are dogmatic, you are certain that you are right and that everyone else is wrong. in a ___ and thoughtless manner.
germane
[not usually before noun] germane (to something) (formal) (of ideas, remarks, etc.) connected with something in an important or appropriate way synonym relevant remarks that are germane to the discussion
platitude
a comment or statement that has been made very often before and is therefore not interesting; a political speech full of platitudes and empty promises
curator
a person in charge of a museum, library, etc
lawsuit
a problem taken to a law court by an ordinary person or an organization rather than the police in order to obtain a legal decision, They filed/brought a ___ against the government.
culpability
a state of being guilty; The company refused to accept ___.
glut
a supply of something that is much greater than can be sold or is needed or wanted; synonym surfeit a glut of cheap DVDs on the market
aberration
a temporary change from what is normal or expected the one that is not welcomed; For her, such a low grade on an exam was an aberration.
concede
admit (to a wrongdoing); acknowledge defeat; The government has ___ed the new tax policy is a disaster.
gossamer
any very light delicate material a gown of gossamer silk The ___ of youth's dreams
decorous
behaving politely and in a controlled way; polite and appropriate in a particular social situation; not shocking synonym proper His manner, as ever, was ___.
banal
boring, ordinary, and not original; ___ examples; a banal conversation about the weather
mercurial
changing suddenly and often ; mercurial temperament, mercurial business
querulous
complaining; showing that you are annoyed synonym peevish He complained in a querulous voice about having been woken up.
involved
complicated, and difficult to comprehend a long and ___ story (I went to the lecture and the professor made us so involved in the subject that it got really complicated and difficult.)
gregarious
enjoy being with other people; a___ animal.
dictatorial
expecting unquestioning obedience; characteristic of an absolute ruler ; a __ ruler
mawkish
expressing or sharing emotion in a way that is exaggerated or embarrassing synonym sentimental a mawkish poem
egregious
extremely bad or shocking in an obvious way; an egregious error, an egregious example of political bias
forsake
forsake something (for somebody/something) to stop doing something, or leave something, especially something that you enjoy synonym renounce She forsook the glamour of the city and went to live in the wilds of Scotland.
gainsay
gainsay something (formal) (often used in negative sentences) to say that something is not true; to disagree with or deny something synonym deny Nobody can gainsay his claims.
harangue
harangue somebody; to speak loudly and angrily in a way that criticizes somebody/something or tries to persuade people to do something He walked to the front of the stage and began to harangue the audience.
innocuous
harmless and doesn't produce any ill effects, the thread felt ___
ambiguous
having more than one possible meaning ; an -- reply
commensurate
in a correct and suitable amount compared to something else; a salary that is ___ with skills.
preclude
keep from happening or arising; make impossible; We cannot have a system that precludes people from seeking independent legal advice.
lambaste
lambast(e) somebody/something (formal) to attack or criticize somebody/something very severely, especially in public synonym lay into somebody/something
mitigate
make less severe or harsh; synonym alleviate ___ the inconveniences
exacerbate
make worse ; ___ the pain, ___ the mess
calumny
making of a false statement meant to injure a person's reputation ; receive a ___ denounced his opponent for his defamatory insinuations and calumny
ambivalent
mixed or conflicting emotions about something , feel __ about (Sarah had mixed emotions and she said I am bi valentine and don't know who to go out with.)
cryptic
mysterious and difficult to understand; a ___ message (My best friend is very creepy and she sends me vague messages, which I have to call her and clarify. )
equivocal
not clear and seeming to have two opposing meanings, She gave an ___ response. (The locals were trying to guide us but they all seem to have opposite opinions.)
obscure
not known to many people; an __ island in the pacific
anomalous(adj) anomaly(n)
not normal ; ___ verb different from usual and therefore not satisfactory. Statistical ___ makes it difficult to compare the data
frugal
not spending much money (but spending wisely)
parsimonious
not willing to spend money or give something; she is too ___ to heat the house properly. Synonym; mean
predilection
predilection (for something) (formal) if you have a predilection for something, you like it very much synonym liking, preference
gall
rude behavior showing a lack of respect that is surprising because the person behaving badly is not embarrassed synonym impudence Then they had the gall to complain!
amorphous
shapeless ; ___ silicon ___ non-thought
artful(adj)
showing artistic skill; clever in a cunning way ; -- prose (Her paintings were truly full of art and skill.)
incisive
showing clear thought and good understanding of what is important, and the ability to express this incisive comments/criticism/analysis an incisive mind See related entries: Clever
ingenuous
showing innocent or childlike simplicity and candidness: her ingenuous thirst for experience
deferential
showing respect, She is always extremely ___ towards anyone in authority.
diffident
shy and not confident of your abilities, You shouldn't be so ___ about your achievements, you've done really well.
iconoclast
somebody who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions, an ___ in architecture
locus
the place where something happens or the central area of interest in something being discussed; an area of the Southwest that has been the locus of a number of New Age movements
prescience
the quality of knowing or appearing to know about things before they happen; a man of remarkable business ___
prevaricate
to avoid giving a direct answer to a question in order to hide the truth; Stop prevaricating and come to the point. Synonym beat about/around the bush
censure
to criticize someone formally for something that they have done, ___ by the medical board for revealing her patient's information.
castigate
to criticize someone severely The judge castigated the lawyers for their lack of preparation.
galvanize (into)
to excite or inspire (someone) to action suddenly, ____ people INTO marching
belie
to give a false representation to; misrepresent a tree whose delicate beauty belies its real toughness
maintain
to keep stating that something is true, even though other people do not agree or do not believe it He has always ___ed that he is innocent.
engender
to make people have a particular feeling or make a situation start to exist, Her latest book has ___ed a lot of controversy.
enervate
to make someone feel weak and without energy (a lifetime of working in dreary jobs had enervated his very soul)
chastise
to reprimand harshly The coach chastised the players for their mistakes.
demur
to say that you do not agree with something or that you refuse to do something; At first she demurred, but then finally agreed.
betray
to show an emotion you were trying to hide(emotion) ; -- one's weakness
undermine
to weaken something gradually; Criticism ____ their confidence.
prodigal
too willing to spend money or waste time, energy or materials ; a prodigal administration synonym extravagant
veracious
truthful and honest; He has a reputation for being veracious, so people generally take his word for things
perfidy
unfair treatment of somebody who trusts you; synonym treachery They are guilty of perfidy.
upbraid
upbraid somebody (for something/for doing something) (formal) to criticize somebody or speak angrily to them because you do not approve of something that they have said or done synonym reproach She consistently ___ those in authority who overstepped their limits.
laconic
using very few words to express yourself ; a ___ reply, His laconic comment was, 'Too bad!'
meticulous
very careful and with great attention to every detail; Many hours of ___ preparation have gone into writing the book.
conspicuous
very noticeable or attracting attention, often in a way that is not wanted; Mary's red hair always made her conspicuous at school.
amenable
willing to do or accept something(people) agreeable to being tested(terms) ___ to compromise
audacious
willing to take risks or to do something shocking; an ___ decision/move/plan