Princeton Review GRE - Key Terms Group 1

inured (adj)

accustomed to accepting something undesirable

synthesize (verb)

act of combining parts to make a whole (verb form)

precipitate (adj)

acting with excessive haste or impulse

perspicacious (adj)

acutely perceptive; having keen discernment (adj form)

perspicacity (noun)

acutely perceptive; having keen discernment (noun form)

canon (noun)

an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature (noun form)

approbation (noun)

an expression of approval or praise

connoisseur (noun)

an informed and astute judge in matters of taste; expert

ingenuous (adj)

artless, frank and candid; lacking in sophistication

martial (adj)

associated with war and the armed forces

sordid (adj)

characterized by filth, grime, or squalor; foul

lucid (adj)

clear; easily understood

nascent (adj)

coming into being; in early development stages

convoluted (adj)

complex or complicated

solicitous (adj)

concerned and attentive; eager

discordant (adj)

conflicting; dissonant or harsh in sound

perfunctory (adj)

cursory; done without care or interest

audacious (adj)

daring and fearless; recklessly bold (adj form)

audacity (noun)

daringness and fearlessness; reckless boldness (noun form)

aberrant (adj)

deviating from the norm (adj form)

anomalous (adj)

deviating from the normal order, form, or rule; abnormal (adj form)

aberration (noun)

deviation from the norm (noun form)

anomaly (noun)

deviation from the normal order, form, or rule; abnormality (noun form)

ennui (noun)

dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy

alacrity (noun)

eager and enthusiastic willingness

irascible (adj)

easily angered; prone to temperamental outbursts

laudatory (adj)

praised highly (adj form)

reticent (adj)

quiet; reserved; reluctant to express thoughts and feelings

perennial (adj)

recurrent through the year or many years; happening repeatedly

arduous (adj)

strenuous, taxing; requiring significant effort

axiomatic (adj)

taken as a given; possessing self-evident truth (adj form)

axiom (noun)

taken as a given; possessing self-evident truth (noun form)

synthesis (noun)

the combination of parts to make a whole (noun form)

austerity (noun)

without adornment; bare; severely simple; ascetic (noun form)

extemporaneous (adj)

improvised; done without permission

capricious (adj)

inclined to change one's mind impulsively; erratic, unpredictable

torque (noun)

a force that causes rotation

parody (noun)

a humorous imitation intended for ridicule or comic effect, esp in literature and art

neologism (noun)

a new word, expression, or usage; the creation or use of new words or senses

predilection (noun)

a predisposition in favor of something

paean (noun)

a song or hymn of praise and thanksgiving

exculpate (verb)

exonerate; to clear of blame

effrontery (noun)

extreme boldness; presumptuousness

virulent (adj)

extremely harmful or poisonous; bitterly hostile or antagonistic

truculent (adj)

fierce and cruel; eager to fight

canonical (adj)

following or in agreement with accepted traditional standards (adj form)

prescience (noun)

foreknowledge of events; knowing of events prior to their occurring (noun form)

disparate (adj)

fundamentally distinct or dissimilar

magnanimous (adj)

generously noble in mind and heart, esp in forgiving (adj form)

noxious (adj)

harmful, injurious

voracious (adj)

having an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit; ravenous

prescient (adj)

having foreknowledge of events; knowing of events prior to their occurring (adj form)

perfidious (adj)

intentional breach of faith; treacherous (adj form)

perfidy (noun)

intentional breach of faith; treachery (noun form)

filibuster (noun)

intentional obstruction, exp using prolonged speechmaking to delay legislative action

obtuse (adj)

lacking sharpness of intellect; not clear or precise in thought or expression

qualms (noun)

misgivings; reservations; causes for hesitancy

static (adj)

not moving, active, or in motion; at rest

sporadic (adj)

occurring only occasionally, or in scattered instances

mundane (adj)

of the world; typical of or concerned with the ordinary

magnanimity (noun)

the quality of being generously noble in mind and heart, esp in forgiving (noun form)

obviate (verb)

to anticipate and make unnecessary

prattle (verb)

to babble meaninglessly; to talk in an empty and idle manner

stymie (verb)

to block; to thwart

precipitate (verb)

to cause to happen before anticipated or required

censure (verb)

to criticize severely; too officially rebuke

prevaricate (verb)

to deliberately avoid the truth; to mislead

abscond (verb)

to depart clandestinely; to steal off and hide

refute (verb)

to disprove; to successfully argue against

assuage (verb)

to ease or lessen; to appease or pacify

relegate (verb)

to forcibly assign, exp to lower a place or position

fulminate (verb)

to loudly attack or denounce

waver (verb)

to move to and fro; to sway; to be unsettled in opinion

laud (verb)

to praise highly (verb form)

recant (verb)

to retract, exp a previously held belief

stupefy (verb)

to stun, baffle, or amaze

disabuse (verb)

to undeceive; to set right

equivocal (adj)

to use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent (adj form)

equivocate (verb)

to use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent (verb form)

squander (verb)

to waste by spending or using irresponsibly

enervate (verb)

to weaken; to reduce in vitality

chicanery (noun)

trickery or subterfuge

onerous (adj)

troubling; burdensome

veracity (noun)

truthfulness, honesty

exigent (adj)

urgent, pressing; requiring immediate action or attention

nebulous (adj)

vague cloudy; lacking clearly defined form

erudite (adj)

very learned; scholarly (adj form)

erudition (noun)

very learned; scholarly (noun form)

eloquent (adj)

well-spoken, expressive, articulate (noun form: eloquence)

tortuous (adj)

winding, twisting; excessively complicated

austere (adj)

without adornment; bare; severely simple; ascetic (adj form)