G Test Vocab

Overwrought

Agitated; overdone "The lawyer's ________ voice on the phone made her clients worry about the outcome of their case."

Sacrosanct

Extremely scared; beyond criticism "Many people considered Mother Teresa to be ________ and would not tolerate any criticism of her."

Kudos

Fame, glory, or honor "The actress happily accepted ______ from the press for her stunning performance in the film."

Intrepid

Fearless; resolutely courageous "Despite freezing winds, the _______ hiker completed his ascent."

Fecund

Fertile; fruitful; productive "The _______ couple yielded a total of 20 children."

Fetid

Foul-smelling; putrid "The ______ stench from the outhouse caused Francesca to wrinkle her nose in disgust."

Largess

Generous giving (as of money) to other who may seem inferior "She'd always relied on her parents' _______, but after graduation she had to get a job."

Bonhomie

Good-natured geniality; an atmosphere of good cheer "The aspects of her job that Dana loved the most were the flexible hours and the pleasant ________ in the office."

Indolent

Habitually lazy or idle "Her _________ ways got her fired from many jobs."

Salubrious

Healthful "Run-down and sickly, Rita hoped that the fresh mountain air would have a _______ effect on her health."

Spartan

Highly self-disciplined; frugal; austere "When he was in training, the athlete preferred to live in a _______ room, so he could shut out all distractions."

Vernal

Related to spring; fresh "Bea basked in the balmy _______ breezes, happy that winter was coming to an end."

Lapidary

Relating to precious stones or the art of cutting them "Most _______ work today is done with the use of motorized equipment."

Repose

Relaxation; leisure "After working hard everyday in the busy city, Mike finds his ______ on weekends playing golf with friends."

Aggrandize

To increase in power, influence, and reputation "The supervisor sought to _______ himself by claiming that the achievements of his staff were actually his own."

Supplant

To replace (another) by force; to take the place of "The overthrow of the government meant a new leader to _______ the tyrannical former one."

Kindle

To set fire to or ignite; to excite or inspire "With only damp wood to work with, Tilda had great difficulty trying to ______ the campfire."

Advocate

To speak in favor of "The vegetarian ________ a diet containing no meat."

Pare

To trim off excess; to reduce "The cook's hands were sore after she _______ hundreds of potatoes for the banquet."

Credulous

Too trusting; gullible "Although some four-year-olds believe in the Tooth Fairy, only the most ______ nine-year-olds also believe in her."

Legerdemain

Trickery "The little boy thought his ___________ was working on his mother, but she in fact knew about every hidden toy and stolen cookie."

Exigent

Urgent; requiring immediate action "The patient was losing blood so rapidly that it was ______ to stop the bleeding."

Prudence

Wisdom, caution, or restraint "The college student exhibited ________ by obtaining practical experience along with her studies, which greatly strengthened her resume."

Panoply

Impressive array "Her resume indicates a _____ of skills and accomplishments."

Salient

Prominent; of notable significance "His most _______ characteristic is his tendency to dominate every conversation."

Stentorian

Extremely loud "Cullen couldn't hear her speaking over the ________ din of the game on TV."

Boor

A crude person; one lacking manners or taste ""That utter _____ ruined my recital with his constant guffawing!" wailed the pianist."

Gradation

A degree or stage in a process; a variation in color "The paint store offers so many different _______ of red that it's impossible to choose among them."

Calumny

A false and malicious accusation; misrepresentation "The unscrupulous politician used _______ to bring down his opponent in the senatorial race."

Cacophony

A harsh, jarring noise "The junior high orchestra created an almost unbearable ________ as they tried to tune their instruments."

Belfry

A bell tower; the room in which a bell is hung "The town was shocked when a bag of money was found stashed in the old ______ of the church."

Paradox

A contradiction or dilemma "It is a _______ that those most in need of medical attention are often those least able to obtain it."

Curmudgeon

A cranky person, usually an old one "Ernesto was a notorious _________ who snapped at anyone who disturbed him for any reason."

Canard

A lie "That tabloid's feature story about a goat giving birth to a human child was clearly a _______."

Sybarite

A person devoted to pleasure and luxury "A confirmed _______, the nobleman fainted at the thought of having to leave his palace and live in a small cottage."

Epicure

A person with refined tase in food and wine "Niren is an ______ who always throws the most splendid dinner parties."

Elegy

A sorrowful poem or speech "Though the beautiful _____ is about death and loss, it urges its readers to endure this life, and to trust in spirituality."

Articulate

Able to speak clearly and expressively "She is extremely _______ when it comes to expressing her pro-labor views; as a result, unions are among her strongest supporters."

Replete

Abundantly supplied; complete "The gigantic supermarket was _____ with consumer products of every kind."

Invective

Abusive language "A stream of ________ poured from Mrs. Pratt's mouth as she watched the vadals smash her ceramic frog."

Lethargic

Acting in an indifferent or slow, sluggish manner "The clerk was so _______ that, even when business was slow, he always had a long line in front of him."

Pariah

An outcast "Once he betrayed those in his community, he was banished and lived the life of a _______."

Decorum

Appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety "The countess complained that the vulgar peasants lacked the ________ appropriate for a visit to the palace."

Approbation

Approval and praise "The __________ that Jerry Lewis received in France included a medal from the Ministry of Culture."

Sentient

Aware; conscious; able to perceive "The anesthetic didn't work, and I was still ________ when the dentist started drilling!"

Endemic

Belonging to a particular area; inherent "The health department determined that the outbreak was _______ to the small village, so they quarantined the inhabitants before the virus could spread."

Caustic

Biting in wit "Dorothy Parker gained her _______ reputation from her cutting, yet witty, insults."

Pugilism

Boxing "_________ has been defended as a positive outlet for aggressive impulses."

Pathogenic

Causing disease "Bina's research on the origins of _______ microorganisms should help stop the spread of disease."

Investiture

Ceremony conferring authority "At Napoleon's ________, he grabbed the crown from the Pope's hands and placed it on his head himself."

Puerile

Childish, immature, or silly "Olivia's boyfriend's _______ antics are really annoying; sometimes he acts like a five-year-old!"

Explicit

Clearly stated or shown; forthright in expression "The journalist wrote an ______ description of the gruesome murder."

Wily

Clever; deceptive "Yet again, the ______ coyote managed to elude the ranchers who wanted to capture it."

Aesthetic

Concerning the appreciation of beauty "The ______ movement regarded the pursuit of beauty as the only true purpose of art."

Fallow

Dormant; unused "This field should lie ______ for a year so the soil does not become completely depleted."

Efficacy

Effectiveness "The _______ of penicillin was unsurpassed when it was first introduced; the drug completely eliminated all bacterial infections."

Antipathy

Extreme dislike "The ________ between fans of the rival soccer teams made the game even more electrifying to watch."

Lavish

Extremely generous or extravagant; giving unsparingly "She was so _____ with her puppy that it soon became overweight and spoiled."

Querulous

Inclined to complain; irritable "Curtis's complaint letter received prompt attention after the company labeled him a ________ potential troublemaker."

Ardor

Intense and passionate feeling "Bishop's _____ for landscape was evident when he passionately described the beauty of the scenic Hudson Valley."

Pallid

Lacking color or liveliness "The old drugstore's _______ window could not compete with the new megastore's extravagant display next door."

Languid

Lacking energy; indifferent; slow "The _______ cat cleaned its fur, ignoring the vicious, snarling dog chained a few feet away from it."

Sublime

Lofty or grand "The music was so _______ that it transformed the rude surroundings into a special place."

Paragon

Model of excellence or perfection "He is the _______ of what a judge should be: honest, intelligent, hardworking, and just."

Abstemious

Moderate in appetite "Because Alyce is a vegetarian, she was able to eat only an ________ meal at the Texas Steakhouse."

Quiescent

Motionless "Many animals are ______ over the winter months, minimizing activity in order to conserve energy."

Apocryphal

Of questionable authority or authenticity "There is no hard or authoritative evidence to support the _______ tales that link the Roswell, New Mexico, incident to a downed UFO."

Quixotic

Overly idealistic; impractical "The practical Danuta was skeptical of her roommate's _______ plans to build a roller coaster in their yard."

Bombastic

Pompous in speech and manner "Mussolini's speeches were mostly ________; his boasting and outrageous claims had no basis in fact."

Banal

Predictive; cliched; boring "His conversation consisted of ______ phrases like "Have a nice day" or "Another day, another dollar."

Sanguine

Ruddy; cheerfully optimistic A _________ person thinks the glass is half full, whereas a depressed person thinks it's half empty."

Surly

Rude and bad-tempered "When asked to clean the windshield, the _____ gas station attendant tossed a dirty rag at the customer and walked away."

Rustic

Rural "The _______ cabin was an ideal setting for a vacation in the country."

Judicious

Sensible; showing good judgement "The wise and distinguished judged was well known for having a ________ tempermant."

Ingenuous

Showing innocence or childlike simplicity "She was so _______ that her friends feared her innocence and trustfulness would be exploited when she visited the big city."

Sagacious

Shrewd; wise "Owls have a reputation for being _______, perhaps because of their big eyes, which resemble glasses."

Reticent

Silent; reserved "Physically small and verbally _______, Joan Didion often went unnoticed by those she was reporting on."

Anachronism

Something out of place in time "The play was set in the nineteenth century, but was ruined by ________, like the lead actor's digital watch."

Catalyst

Something that brings about a change in something else "The imposition of harsh taxes was the ______ that finally brought on the revolution."

Knell

Sound of a funeral bell; omen of death or failure "When the townspeople heard the _______ from the church belfry, they knew that their mayor had died."

Leery

Suspicious "After being swindled once, Ruth became very _____ of strangers trying to sell things to her."

Acme

The highest point; the summit; the highest level or degree attainable "Just when he reached the _____ of his power, the dictator overthrown."

Burgeon

To grow and flourish "Faulkner neither confirmed nor denied stories about himself, allowing rumor to ______ where it would."

Abase

To humble; to disgrace "My intention was not to ______ the comedian."

Larceny

Theft of property "The crime of stealing a wallet can be categorized as petty _______."

Antagonize

To annoy or provoke to anger "The child discovered that he could ________ the cat by pulling its tail."

Bilk

To cheat; to defraud "When the greedy salesman realized that his customer spoke poor French, he ______ the tourist out of 20 euros."

Arrogate

To claim without justification; to claim for oneself without right "Gretchen watched in astonishment as her boss ______ed the credit for her brilliant work on the project."

Amalgamate

To combine; to mix together "Giant Industries _________ed with Mega Products to form Giant-Mega Products Incorporated."

Propitiate

To conciliate; to appease "Because their gods were angry and vengeful, the Vikings _________ them with many sacrifices"

Enumerate

To count, list, or itemize "Before making his decision, Jacob asked the waiter to _______ the different varieties of ice cream that the restaurant carried."

Amortize

To diminish by installment payments "While college students are notorious for accumulating credit card debt, they are not as well known for ______ing it."

Waver

To fluctuate between choices "If you ________ too long before making a decision about which testing site to register for, you may not get your first choice."

Ingratiate

To gain favor with another by deliberate effort; to seek to please somebody so as to gain an advantage "The new intern tried to ________ herself with the managers so that they might consider her for a future job."

Abdicate

To give up position, right, or power "With the angry mob clamoring outside the palace, the king _______ed his throne and fled."

Alleviate

To make more bearable "Taking aspirin helps to ______ a headache."

Deface

To mar the appearance of; to vandalize "After the wall was torn down, the students began to _______ the statues of Communist leaders of the former Eastern Bloc."

Condone

To overlook, pardon, or disregard "Some theorists believe that failing to prosecute minor crimes is the same as ______ing an air of lawlessness."

Cosset

To pamper; to treat with great care "Marta just loves to ______ her first and only grandchild."

Rococo

Very highly ornamented; relating to an 18th century artistic style of elaborate ornamentation "The ornate furniture in the house reminded Tatiana of the ______ style."