GRE Vocab
Plastic "The new material was very PLASTIC and could be formed into products of vastly different shapes."
Adaptable, pliant, ductile, malleable
Eloquent "The Gettysburg Address is moving not only because of its lofty sentiments but also because of its ELOQUENT words."
Articulate, meaningful, expressive, significant, fluent, smooth-spoken
Chicanery "Dishonest used car salespeople often use CHICANERY to sell their beat-up old cars."
Artifice, deception, pettifoggery, sophistry, conniving, deviousness, shadiness, subterfuge, craftiness, misrepresentation, sneakiness, underhandedness
Guile "Since he was not fast enough to catch the roadrunner on foot, the coyote resorted to GUILE in an effort to trap his enemy."
Artifice, duplicity, chicanery, connivery
Aesthetic "Followers of the AESTHETIC Movement regarded the pursuit of beauty as the only true purpose of art."
Artistic, tasteful
Dilate "When you enter a darkened room, the pupils of your eyes DILATE to let in more light."
Amplify, enlarge, develop, expand, elaborate, expatiate
Metaphor "The METAPHOR 'a sea of troubles' suggests a lot of troubles by comparing their number to the vastness of the sea."
Analogy, comparison
Archaic "Her ARCHAIC Commodore computer could not run the latest software."
Ancient, bygone, fusty, outdated, prehistoric, superseded, antediluvian, dated, obsolete, outmoded, stale, vintage, antique, dowdy, old-fashioned, passe, superannuated
Antipathy "The ANTIPATHY between the French and the English regularly erupted into open warfare."
Animosity, aversion, repellence, animus, enmity, antagonism, hostility
Vex "The old man who loved his peace and quiet was VEXED by his neighbor's loud music."
Annoy, exasperate, peeve, bother, irk, provoke, chafe, nettle
Exacerbate "It is unwise to take aspirin to try to relieve heartburn; instead of providing relief the drug will only EXACERBATE the problem."
Annoy, irritate, aggravate, provoke, intensify
Paradox "It is a PARADOX that those most in need of medical attention are often those least able to obtain it."
Anomaly, irony
Perfunctory "The machine like bank teller processed the transaction and gave the waiting customer a PERFUNCTORY smile."
Apathetic, automatic, mechanical
Lethargic "The clerk was so LETHARGIC that, even when the store was slow, he always had a long line in front of him."
Apathetic, listless, lackadaisical, torpid, languid
Stolid "The prisoner appeared STOLID and unaffected by the judge's harsh sentence."
Apathetic, phlegmatic, impassive, stoical, indifferent, unconcerned
Torpor "After surgery, the patient experienced TORPOR until the anesthesia wore off."
Apathy, languor
Emulate "The graduate student sought to EMULATE his professor in every way, copying not only how she taught, but also how she conducted herself outside of class."
Ape, imitate, simulate
Paragon "She is the PARAGON of what a judge should be: honest, intelligent, hardworking, and just."
Apotheosis, standard, ideal, quintessence
Placate "The burglar tried to PLACATE the snarling dog by saying, 'Nice doggy,' and offering it a treat."
Appease, conciliate, mollify
Mollify "Their argument was so intense that it was difficult to believe any compromise would MOLLIFY them."
Appease, pacify, assuage, conciliate
Propitiate "The management PROPITIATED the irate union by agreeing to raise wages for its members."
Appease, pacify, conciliate, placate, mollify
Capricious "Queen Elizabeth I was quite CAPRICIOUS; her courtiers could never be sure which of their number would watch her fancy."
Arbitrary, erratic, mercurial, willful, chance, fickle, random, changeable, inconstant, whimsical
Anachronism "The aged hippie used ANACHRONISTIC phrases like 'groovy' and 'far out' that had not been popular for year."
Archaism, incongruity
Zeal "She brought her typical ZEAL to the project, sparking enthusiasm in the other team members."
Ardency, passion, fervor, fire
Onerous "The assignment was so extensive and difficult to manage that it proved ONEROUS to the team in charge of it."
Arduous, cumbersome, formidable, oppressive, trying, backbreaking, difficult, hard, rigorous, burdensome, exacting, laborious, taxing
Naive "Having never traveled before, the hillbillies were more NAIVE than the people they met in Beverly Hills."
Artless, ingenuous, credulous, simple, guileless, unaffected
Innocuous "Some snakes are poisonous, but most species are INNOCUOUS and pose no danger to humans."
Benign, harmless, inoffensive
Lavish "She LAVISHED the puppy with so many treats that it soon became overweight and spoiled."
Bestow, exuberant, prodigal, confer, luxuriant, profuse, extravagant, opulent, superabundant
Lament "The children continued to LAMENT the death of the goldfish weeks after its demise."
Bewail, mourn, deplore, grieve
Eulogy "His best friend gave the EULOGY, outlining his many achievements and talents."
Commend, extol, laud
Obsequious "The OBSEQUIOUS new associate made sure to compliment her supervisor's tie and agree with him on every issue."
Compliant, subservient, deferential, servile
Imperturbable "The counselor had so much experience dealing with distraught children that she seemed IMPERTURBABLE, even when faced with the wildest tantrums."
Composed, serene, dispassionate, stoical, impassive
Repudiate "The old woman's claim that she was Russian royalty was REPUDIATED when DNA tests showed she was of no relation to them."
Deny, disown, disavow, renounce, disclaim
Frugality "Scrooge McDuck's FRUGALITY was so great that he accumulated enough wealth to fill a giant storehouse with money."
Economical, sparing, parsimony, prudence
Loquacious "She was naturally LOQUACIOUS, which was a problem in situations in which listening was more important than talking."
Effusive, garrulous, verbose
Garrulous "The GARRULOUS parakeet distracted its owner with its continuous talking."
Effusive, loquacious
Dirge "Melville wrote the poem 'A DIRGE for James McPherson' for the funeral of a Union general who was killed in 1864."
Elegy, lament
Rhetoric "Lincoln's talent for RHETORIC was evident in his beautifully expressed Gettysburg Address."
Eloquence, oratory
Articulate "She is such an ARTICULATE defender of labor that unions are among her strongest supporters."
Eloquent, lucid, expressive, silver-tongued, fluent, smooth-spoken
Disabuse "Galileo's observations DISABUSED scholars of the notion that the sun revolved around the Earth."
correct, undeceive
Disparate "Although the twins appear to be identical physically, their personalities are DISPARATE."
different, diverse, dissimilar, variant, divergent, various
Opaque "The heavy buildup of dirt and grime on the windows almost made them OPAQUE."
Obscure
Chauvinist "The attitude that men are inherently superior to women and therefore must be obeyed is common among male CHAUVINISTS."
Partisan
Misanthrope "The character Scrooge in 'A Christmas Carol' is such a MISANTHROPE that even the sight of children singing makes him angry."
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Pedant "The graduate instructors' tedious and excessive commentary on the subject soon gained her a reputation as a PEDANT."
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Anomaly "Albino animals may display too great an ANOMALY in their coloring to attract normally colored mates."
Aberrance, deviance, preternaturalness, aberration, deviation, abnormality, irregularity
Precipitate "Upon learning that the couple married after knowing each other only two months, friends and family members expected such a PRECIPITATE marriage to end in divorce."
Abrupt, hurried, impulsive, reckless, hasty, ill-considered, prompt, sudden, headlong, impetuous, rash
Exonerate "The fugitive was EXONERATED when another criminal confessed to committing the crime."
Absolve, exculpate, acquit, vindicate, clear
Exculpate "The adversarial legal system is intended to convict those who are guilty and to EXCULPATE those who are innocent."
Absolve, exonerate, acquit, vindicate, clear
Esoteric "Only a handful of experts are knowledgeable about the ESOTERIC world of particle physics."
Abstruse, arcane, obscure
Laud "Parades and fireworks were staged to LAUD the success of the rebels."
Acclaim, compliment, hail, applaud, exalt, praise, commend, extol
Catalyst "The imposition of harsh taxes was the CATALYST that finally brought on the revolution."
Acerbic, trenchant, biting, mordant
Pungent "The smoke from the burning tires was extremely PUNGENT."
Acrid, poignant, caustic, stinging, piquant
Dissemble "The villain could DISSEMBLE to the police no longer- he admitted the deed and tore up the floor to reveal the body of the old man."
Act, cloak, cover up, fake, masquerade, put on, affect, counterfeit, disguise, feign, pose, sham, assume, camouflage, dissimulate, mask, pretend, simulate
Malleable "Gold is the most MALLEABLE of precious metals; it can easily be formed into almost any shape."
Adaptable, pliable, ductile, pliant, plastic
Arbitrate "Since the couple could not come to agreement, a judge was forced to ARBITRATE their divorce proceedings."
Adjudge, determine, referee, adjudicate, judge, rule, decide, moderate
Estimable "Most people consider it ESTIMABLE that Mother Teresa spent her life helping the poor of India."
Admirable, honorable, commendable, laudable, creditable, meritorious, praiseworthy, worthy, respectable, venerable
Amalgamate "Giant industries AMALGAMATED with Mega Products to form Giant-Mega Products Incorporated."
Admix, commingle, fuse, merge, blend, commix, intermingle, mingle, combine, compound, intermix, mix
Castigate "Americans are amazed at how harshly the authorities in Singapore CASTIGATE perpetrators of what would be considered minor crimes in the United States."
Admonish, rebuke, reprove, upbraid, chastise, reprimand, scold, chide, reproach, tax
Venerate "In a traditional Confucian society, the young VENERATE their elders, deferring to the elders' wisdom and experience."
Adore, revere, honor, idolize
Audacious "'And you, your majesty, may kiss my bum!' replied the AUDACIOUS peasant."
Adventuresome, bold, daring, fearless, heroic, plucky, unafraid, valorous, aggressive, brave, dauntless, gallant, intrepid, stout, undaunted, venturesome, assertive, courageous, doughty, game, mettlesome, stouthearted, valiant, venturous
Inimical "Even though a cease-fire had been in place for months, the two sides were still INIMICAL to each other."
Adverse, recalcitrant, antagonistic, dissident
Gregarious "She was so GREGARIOUS that when she found herself alone she felt quite sad."
Affable, sociable, communicative, congenial
Foment "The protestors tried to FOMENT feeling against the war through their speeches and demonstrations."
Agitate, instigate, impassion, kindle, inflame
Desultory "Diane had a DESULTORY academic record; she had changed majors 12 times in three years."
Aimless, haphazard, purposeless, unconsidered, disconnected, indiscriminate, random, unplanned, erratic, objectless, stray
Analogous "In a famous argument for the existence of God, the universe is ANALOGOUS to a mechanical timepiece, the creation of a divinely intelligent 'clockmaker.'"
Alike, equivalent, similar, comparable, homogeneous, corresponding, parallel
Assuage "Like many people, Philip Larkin used alcohol to ASSUAGE his sense of meaninglessness and despair."
Allay, comfort, lighten, pacify, propitiate, sweeten, alleviate, conciliate, mitigate, palliate, relieve, appease, ease, mollify, placate, soothe
Alleviate "Taking aspirin helps to ALLEVIATE a headache."
Allay, ease, mitigate, assuage, lessen, palliate, comfort, lighten, relieve
Mitigate "A judge may MITIGATE a sentence if she decides that a person committed a crime out of need."
Allay, ease, mollify, alleviate, lighten, palliate, assuage, moderate, temper
Philanthropy "New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art owes much of its collection to the PHILANTHROPY of private collectors who willed their estates to the museum."
Altruism, humanitarianism
Dilettante "Jerry's friends were such DILETTANTES that they seemed to have new jobs and hobbies every week."
Amateur, tyro, dabbler, superficial
Equivocate "When faced with criticism of his policies, the politician EQUIVOCATED and left all parties thinking he agreed with them."
Ambiguous, evasive, waffling
Ameliorate "The doctor was able to AMELIORATE the patient's suffering using painkillers."
Amend, pacify, better, upgrade, improve
Inchoate "The ideas expressed in Nietzsche's mature work also appear in an INCHOATE form in his earliest writing."
Amorphous, unorganized, incoherent, incomplete
Aggrandize "The supervisor sought to AGGRANDIZE himself by claiming that the achievements of his staff were actually his own."
Amplify, dignify, ennoble, magnify, wax, apotheosize, elevate, exalt, swell, augment, enlarge, glorify, uplift
Ingenuous "She was so INGENUOUS that her friends feared that her innocence and trustfulness would be exploited when she visited the big city."
Artless, naive, guileless, simple, innocent, unaffected
Prudence "The college student exhibited PRUDENCE by obtaining practical experience along with her studies, which greatly strengthened her resume."
Astuteness, frugality, thrift, circumspection, judiciousness, discretion, providence
Rarefy "Since the atmosphere RAREFIES as altitudes increase, the air at the top of very tall mountains is too thin to breathe."
Attenuate, thin
Sublime "The music was so SUBLIME that it transformed the rude surroundings into a special place."
August, grand, noble, superb, exalted, magnificent, regal, glorious, majestic, resplendent
Corroborate "Fingerprints CORROBORATED the witness's testimony that he saw the defendant in the victim's apartment."
Authenticate, buttress, validate, back, confirm, verify, bear out, substantiate
Dogmatic "The dictator was DOGMATIC- he, and only he, was right."
Authoritarian, doctrinaire, magisterial, peremptory, bossy, domineering, masterful, dictatorial, imperious, overbearing
Advocate "The vegetarian ADVOCATED a diet containing no meat."
Back, champion, support
Diffident "Steve's DIFFIDENT manner during the job interview stemmed from his nervous nature and lack of experience in the field."
Backward, demure, self-effacing, bashful, modest, shy, coy, retiring, timid
Insipid "The critic claimed that the painting was INSIPID, containing no interesting qualities at all."
Banal, stale, bland, vapid, dull
Florid "The palace had been decorated in a FLORID style; every surface had been carved and gilded."
Baroque, ornate, elaborate, ostentatious, flamboyant, rococo
Occlude "A shadow is thrown across the Earth's surface during a solar eclipse, when the light from the sun is OCCLUDED by the moon."
Barricade, obstruct, block, close
Engender "His fear and hatred of clowns was ENGENDERED when he witnessed the death of his father at the hands of a clown."
Beget, proliferate, generate, reproduce, procreate, spawn
Dupe "Bugs Bunny was able to DUPE Elmer Fudd by dressing up as a lady rabbit."
Beguile, cozen, betray, deceive, bluff, delude, fool, mislead, hoodwink, take in, humbug, trick
Banal "He used BANAL phrases like 'Have a nice day,' or 'Another day, another dollar.'"
Bland, commonplace, innocuous, musty, quotidian, stereotypic, tired, worn-out, bromidic, fatuous, insipid, platitudinous, shopworn, threadbare, trite, cliched, hackneyed, jejune, prosaic, stale, timeworn, vapid
Austere "The lack of decoration makes Zen temples seem AUSTERE to the untrained eye."
Bleak, hard, dour, harsh, grim, severe
Stigma "In 'The Scarlet Letter,' Hester Prynne was required to wear the letter 'A' on her clothes as a public STIGMA for her adultery."
Blemish, stain, blot, taint, opprobrium
Bombastic "Mussolini's speeches were mostly BOMBASTIC; his boasting and outrageous claims had no basis in fact."
Bloated, grandiloquent, magniloquent, rhetorical, declamatory, grandiose, orotund, self-important, fustian, high-flown, pretentious
Fawn "The understudy FAWNED over the director in hopes of being cast in the part on a permanent basis."
Bootlick, toady, grovel, pander
Bolster "The presence of giant footprints BOLSTERED the argument that Sasquatch was in the area."
Brace, support, uphold, buttress, sustain, prop, underpin
Proliferate "Although he only kept two guinea pigs initially, they PROLIFERATED to such an extent that he soon had dozens."
Breed, propagate, multiply, reproduce, procreate, spawn
Eclectic "Budapest's architecture is an ECLECTIC mix of eastern and western styles."
Broad, Catholic, selective
Fervid "The fans of Maria Callas were particularly FERVID, doing anything to catch a glimpse of the great opera singer."
Burning, vehement, impassioned, zealous, passionate
Convoluted "Although many people bought A Brief History of Time, few could follow its CONVOLUTED ideas and theories."
Byzantine, intricate, perplexing, complex, knotty, tangled, elaborate, labyrinthine
Explicit "The owners of the house left a list of EXPLICIT instructions detailing their house sitter's duties, including a schedule for watering the house plants."
Candid, unequivocal, frank, straightforward
Veracity "She had a reputation for VERACITY, so everyone trusted her description of events."
Candor, probity, exactitude, fidelity
Irascible "Attila the Hun's IRASCIBLE and violent nature made all who dealt with him fear for their lives."
Cantankerous, testy, irritable, ornery
Whimsical "The ballet was WHIMSICAL, delighting the children with its imaginative characters and unpredictable sets."
Capricious, frivolous, erratic, flippant
Volatile "His VOLATILE personality made it difficult to predict his reaction to anything."
Capricious, inconsistent, temperamental, erratic, inconstant, fickle, mercurial
Erratic "The plot seemed predictable until it suddenly took a series of ERRATIC turns and surprised the audience."
Capricious, whimsical, inconstant, irresolute
Enumerate "Moses returned from the mountain with tablets on which the commandments were ENUMERATED."
Catalog, index, tabulate
Discern "It is easy to DISCERN the difference between butter and butter-flavored topping."
Catch, differentiate, espy, separate, tell, descry, discriminate, glimpse, spot, detect, distinguish, know, spy
Cacophony "The junior high orchestra created an almost unbearable CACOPHONY as they tried to tune their instruments."
Chaos, discord, clamor, disharmony, din, noise
Abyss "The submarine dove into the ABYSS to chart the previously unseen depths."
Chasm, void
Euphemism "The funeral director preferred to use the EUPHEMISM "sleeping" instead of the word 'dead'."
Circumlocution, whitewash
Dissonance "Cognitive DISSONANCE is the inner conflict produced when long-standing beliefs are contradicted by new evidence."
Clash, dissension, friction, contention, dissent, strife, discord, dissidence, variance
Antagonize "The child discovered that he could ANTAGONIZE the cat by pulling its tail."
Clash, irritate, provoke, conflict, oppose, vex, incite, pester
Lucid "The explanations were written in a simple and LUCID manner so that students were immediately able to apply what they learned."
Clear, intelligible, coherent, limpid, explicit
Ambiguous "The directions he gave were so AMBIGUOUS that we disagreed on which way to turn."
Cloudy, equivocal, obscure, doubtful, indeterminate, unclear, dubious, nebulous, vague
Satiate "His desire for power was so great that nothing less than complete control of the country could SATIATE it."
Cloy, surfeit, glut
Chaos "In most religious traditions, God created an ordered universe from CHAOS."
Clutter, disarray, disorganization, muddle, topsy-turviness, confusion, disorder, jumble, scramble, turmoil, disarrangement, disorderliness, mess, snarl
Laconic "She was a LACONIC poet who built her reputation on using words as sparingly as possible."
Concise, taciturn, curt, terse, pithy
Meticulous "To find all the clues at the crime scene, the investigators METICULOUSLY examined every inch of the area."
Conscientious, precise, scrupulous
Homogenous "The class was fairly HOMOGENOUS, since almost all of the students were senior journalism majors."
Consistent, unvarying, standardized, uniform
Ostentation "The OSTENTATION of the Sun King's court is evident in the lavish decoration and luxuriousness of his palace at Versailles."
Conspicuousness, showiness, flashiness, pretentiousness
Enigma "Speaking in riddles and dressed in old robes, the artist gained a reputation as something of an ENIGMA."
Conundrum, perplexity
Cogent "Swayed by the COGENT argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but to acquit the defendant."
Convincing, sound, persuasive, telling, solid, valid
Reticent "Physically small and RETICENT in her speech, Joan Didion often went unnoticed by those upon whom she was reporting."
Cool, standoffish, introverted, taciturn, laconic, undemonstrative
Apathy "The APATHY of voters is so great that less than half the people who are eligible to vote actually bother to do so."
Coolness, impassivity, lassitude, phlegm, unresponsiveness, disinterest, indifference, lethargy, stolidity, disregard, insensibility, listlessness, unconcern
Decorum "The countess complained that the vulgar peasants lacked the DECORUM appropriate for a visit to the palace."
Correctness, manners, seemliness, decency, mores, etiquette, propriety
Deference "The respectful young law clerk treated the Supreme Court justice with the utmost DEFERENCE."
Courtesy, obeisance, veneration, homage, respect, honor, reverence
Gullible "The con man pretended to be a bank officer so as to fool GULLIBLE bank customers into giving him their account information."
Credulous, exploitable, naive
Dogma "Linus's central DOGMA was that children who believed in the Great Pumpkin would be rewarded."
Creed, tenet, doctrine, teaching
Exigent "The patient was losing blood so rapidly that it was EXIGENT to stop the source of the bleeding."
Critical, urgent, imperative, needed
Attenuate "The Bill of Rights ATTENUATED the traditional power of government to change laws at will."
Debilitate, enervate, sap, undo, weaken, devitalize, enfeeble, thin, unnerve, dilute, rarefy, undermine, water
Enervate "The guerrillas hoped that a series of surprise attacks would ENERVATE the regular army."
Debilitate, weaken, enfeeble, sap
Propriety "The aristocracy maintained a high level of PROPRIETY, adhering to even the most minor social rules."
Decency, seemliness, decorum, modesty
Desiccate "After a few weeks of lying on the desert's baking sands, the cow's carcass became completely DESICCATED."
Dehydrate, dry, parch
Inundate "The tidal wave INUNDATED Atlantis, which was lost beneath the water."
Deluge, flood, drown, submerge, engulf
Ardor "Bishop's ARDOR for landscape was evident when he passionately described the beauty of the scenic Hudson Valley."
Devotion, fervidity, fire, zealousness, enthusiasm, fervidness, passion, fervency, fervor, zeal
Tirade "Observers were shocked at the manager's TIRADE over such a minor mistake."
Diatribe, obloquy, fulmination, revilement, harangue, vilification
Candid "The observations of a child can be charming since they are CANDID and unpretentious."
Direct, honest, straight, forthright, open, straightforward, frank, sincere, undisguised
Elegy "Although Thomas Grays' 'ELEGY Written in a Country Churchyard' is about death and loss, it urges its readers to endure this life and to trust in spirituality."
Dirge, lament
Opprobrium "After the scheme to embezzle from the elderly was made public, the treasurer resigned in utter OPPROBRIUM"
Discredit, disrepute, obloquy, disgrace, ignominy, shame, dishonor, infamy
Perfidious "The actress's PERFIDIOUS companion revealed all of her intimate secrets to the gossip columnist."
Disloyal, treacherous, faithless, traitorous
Waver "If you WAVER too long before making a decision about which testing site to register for, you may not get your first choice."
Dither, oscillate, falter, vacillate, fluctuate
Vacillate "The customer held up the line as he VACILLATED between ordering chocolate chip or rocky road ice cream."
Dither, oscillate, falter, waver, fluctuate
Adulterate "The restauranteur made his ketchup last longer by ADULTERATING it with water"
Doctor
Quiescent "Many animals are QUIESCENT over the winter months, minimizing activity in order to conserve energy."
Dormant, latent
Dilatory "The congressman used DILATORY measures to delay the passage of the bill."
Dragging, lagging, slow-going, flagging, slow, slow-paced, laggard, slow-footed, tardy
Monotony "The MONOTONY of the sound of the dripping faucet almost drove the research assistant crazy."
Drone, tedium
Efficacy "The EFFICACY of penicillin was unsurpassed when it was first introduced; the drug completely eliminated almost all bacterial infections for which it was administered."
Dynamism, force, proficiency, effectiveness, power, strength, efficiency, productiveness, vigor
Abate "As the hurricane's force ABATED, the winds dropped and the sea became calm.
Ebb, moderate, subside, lapse, relent, wane, let up, slacken
Transitory "The reporter lived a TRANSITORY life, staying in one place only long enough to cover the current story."
Ephemeral, impermanent, evanescent, momentary, fleeting
Prevaricate "Rather than admit that he had overslept again, the employee PREVARICATED and claimed that heavy traffic had prevented him from arriving at work on time."
Equivocate, lie, perjure
Ephemeral "The lives of mayflies seem EPHEMERAL to us, since the flies' average life span is a matter of hours."
Evanescent, transient, fleeting, momentary
Condone "Some theorists believe that failing to prosecute minor crimes is the same as CONDONING an air of lawlessness."
Exculpate, remit, excuse, pardon
Prodigal "The PRODIGAL son quickly wasted all of his inheritance on a lavish lifestyle devoted to pleasure."
Extravagant, spendthrift, lavish, wasteful, profligate
Fanatical "The stormtroopers were FANATICAL in their devotion to the Emperor, readily sacrificing their lives for him."
Extremist, zealous, fiery, frenzied
Abscond "The patron ABSCONDED from the restaurant without paying his bill by sneaking out the back door."
Flee, decamp, escape
Abstain "During Lent, practicing Catholics abstain from eating meat."
Forbear, refrain, withhold
Obviate "The river was shallow enough to wade across at many points, which OBVIATED the need for a bridge."
Forestall, preclude, prohibit
Diatribe "The trucker bellowed a DIATRIBE at the driver who had cut him off."
Fulmination, jeremiad, tirade, harangue, malediction, invective, obloquy
Deride "The awkward child was often DERIDED by his 'cooler' peers."
Gibe, ridicule, taunt, jeer, scoff, mock, sneer
Plethora "Assuming that more was better, the defendant offered the judge a PLETHORA of excuses."
Glut, surfeit, overabundance, superfluity
Soporific "The movie proved to be so SOPORIFIC that soon loud snores were heard throughout the theater."
Hypnotic, somnolent, narcotic, slumberous
Specious "The student's SPECIOUS excuse for being late sounded legitimate, but was proved otherwise when his teacher called his home ."
Illusory, spurious, ostensible, sophistical, plausible
Permeate "This miraculous new cleaning fluid is able to PERMEATE stains and dissolve them in minutes!"
Imbue, infuse, suffuse
Intransigent "The professor was INTRANSIGENT on the deadline, insisting that everyone turn the assignment in at the same time."
Implacable, obdurate, rigid, unyielding, inexorable, obstinate, unbending, irreconcilable, remorseless, unrelenting
Tacit "Although not a word had been said, everyone in the room knew that a TACIT agreement had been made about which course of action to take."
Implicit, unsaid, implied, unuttered, undeclared
Impetuous "It is not good for an investment broker to be IMPETUOUS, because much thought should be given to all the possible options."
Impulsive, reckless, precipitate, spontaneous, rash
Luminous "The park was bathed in LUMINOUS sunshine, which warmed the bodies and the souls of the visitors."
Incandescent, radiant, lucent, resplendent, lustrous
Implacable "His rage at the betrayal was so great that he remained IMPLACABLE for weeks."
Inexorable, relentless, unrelenting, intransigent, remorseless, irreconcilable, unforgiving
Obdurate "The president was completely OBDURATE on the issue, and no amount of persuasion would change his mind."
Inflexible, tenacious, intransigent, unyielding, recalcitrant
Pristine "Since concerted measures had been taken to prevent looting, the archeological site was still PRISTINE when researchers arrived."
Innocent, undamaged
Obstinate "The OBSTINATE child could not be made to eat any food that he disliked."
Intransigent, pertinacious, mulish, stubborn, persistent, tenacious
Taciturn "The clerk's TACITURN nature earned him the nickname 'Silent Bob.'"
Laconic, reticent
Verbose "The professor's answer was so VERBOSE that his student forgot what the original question had been."
Long-winded, superfluous, loquacious, prolix
Iconoclast "His lack of regard for traditional beliefs soon established him as an ICONOCLAST."
Maverick, revolutionary, nonconformist, rebel
Credulous "Although some 4-year-olds believe in the Easter Bunny, only the most CREDULOUS 9-year-olds also believe in him."
Naive, susceptible, trusting
Pragmatic "While daydreaming gamblers think they can get rich by frequenting casinos, PRAGMATIC gamblers realize that the odds are heavily stacked against them."
Rational, realistic
Impervious "A good raincoat is IMPERVIOUS to moisture."
Resistant, impregnable
Erudite "The annual meeting of philosophy professors was a gathering of the most ERUDITE, well-published individuals in the field."
Scholastic, learned, wise
Malinger "A common way to avoid the draft was by MALINGERING- pretending to be mentally or physically ill so as to avoid being taken by the Army."
Shirk, slack