GRE Vocab Set 2

lassitude (n) Context Clue - "drowsy lassitude" Own Clue - "As lassitude crept in on us after out hike, we decided to lie down."

Definition: a condition of weariness or debility; lack of energy Synonym: languor; weariness; fatigue; lethargy Antonym: feeling of vigor; vitality; drive Complete the Sentence: "After a massage and a long soak in the hot tub, I surrendered to my growing ________ and lay down for a nap."

quiescent (adj) Context Clue - "quiescent and still" Own Clue - "The wind's quiescence made the leaves rattling halt."

Definition: at rest; still; temporarily inactive Synonym: dormant; quiet; motionless Antonym: active; activated Complete the Sentence: "After the devastating eruption, fear of Mount Etna was great: people did not return to cultivate its rich hillside land until the volcano had been ________ for two years."

iconoclastic (adj) Context Clue - "rebellious and iconoclastic" Own Clue - "To some fans, the Packers losing to the Bears is an iconoclastic event."

Definition: attacking cherished traditions Synonym: nonconformist; rebellious; dissident Antonym: conformist; conventional Complete the Sentence: "Deeply ________, Jean Genet deliberately set out to shock conventional theatergoers with his radical plays."

stint (v) Context Clue - "stinting on food" Own Clue - "My diet required a stinting on food."

Definition: be frugal; set limits; be thrifty; be sparing Synonym: restrict; scrimp Antonym: squander; fritter away; spend lavishly Complete the Sentence: "Spare no expense," the bride's father said, refusing to _______ on the wedding arrangements."

onerous (adj) Context Clue - "an onerous burden" Own Clue - "The will to study for the GRE seemed onerous in late July."

Definition: burdensome; heavy Synonym: oppressive Antonym: light; easy Complete the Sentence: "The mathematical genius Carl Friedrich Gauss found the sort of calculation involved in computing the orbits of the planets far less _________ that most people would; to him, such numerical problems seemed easy."

idyllic (adj) Context Clue - "an idyllic island honeymoon" Own Clue - "There is merit in regarding the best life as an idyllic life."

Definition: charmingly carefree and simple Synonym: unspoiled; serene; pastoral Antonym: tense; stressful; turbulent; filled with commotion Complete the Sentence: "Far from the hustle and bustle of the city, she led an __________ existent in her rural retreat."

illusory (adj) Context Clue - "an attractive but illusory promise" Own Clue - "The mirage of the desert made an illusory oasis in the distance."

Definition: deceptive; false Synonym: misleading; unreal Antonym: real; actual; genuine Complete the Sentence: "Unfortunately, the costs of running the lemonade stand were so high that Tom's profits proved ___________."

opprobrium (n) Context Clue - "scorn and opprobrium" Own Clue - "The knight felt opprobrium when the crowd boo'd at his loss in the joust."

Definition: disgrace cause by shameful behavior; state of dishonor Synonym: ignominy; obloquy Antonym: celebrity; good repute; state of honor Complete the Sentence: "The Republican party has turned the once-honored name of "liberal" to a term of __________."

perfidious (adj) Context Clue - "perfidious Judas" Own Clue - "Cheating is a perfidious act between two lovers and their respective companions."

Definition: disloyal; treacherous; faithless Synonym: deceitful; traitorous Antonym: loyal; faithful; trustworthy Complete the Sentence: "When Caesar realized that Brutus had betrayed him, he reproached his ______ friend."

penury (n) Context Clue - "reduced to penury" Own Clue - "The penury man jingled his coin cup on the side of the street."

Definition: extreme poverty Synonym: destitution; indigence; pennilessness; impecuniousness Antonym: wealth; prosperity; affluence Complete the Sentence: "When his pension fund failed, George feared that he would end his days in abject ______."

propriety (n) Context Clue - "a sense of propriety" Own Clue - "The proprietary table setting was used, where our fork was on the left and knife was on the right."

Definition: fitness; appropriateness; correctness of behavior; conformity to conventional standards Synonym: decorum; seemliness; decency Antonym: unfitness; unsuitability; inappropriateness; unseemliness; impropriety Complete the Sentence: "Miss Manners councils her readers so that they may behave with ________ in any social situation and not embarrass themselves."

loquacious (adj) Context Clue - "loquacious Uber driver" Word Parts Clue: Loqu- means speech Own Clue - "Paul's loquacious antics typically keeps us waiting on him while trying to leave Waunabowl."

Definition: full of excessive talk Synonym: talkative; voluble; garrulous; gabby; long-winded Antonym: taciturn; reticent; laconic; terse Complete the Sentence: "Though our daughter barely says a word to us these days, put cellphone in her hand and you'' see how _______ she can be."

lachrymose (adj) Context Clue - "weepy and lachrymose" Own Clue - "Just about all drama or romance movies are lachrymose experiences for Amanda."

Definition: given to tears or weeping Synonym: tearful; weeping; sorrowful; melancholy; dolorous Antonym: cheerful; blithe; buoyant; jolly; joyful Complete the Sentence: "On his deathbed, Jean Valjean tells Cosette and Marius not to weep for him he wants them to be happy, not __________."

morose (adj) Context Clue - "morose and depressed" Own Clue - "My morose teammate made us all wonder if we were capable of winning the game."

Definition: having a sullen and gloomy disposition Synonym: melancholy; detective Antonym: cheerful; merry; jovial; happy Complete the Sentence: "Forced to take eary retirement, Juan acted ______ for months; then, all of a sudden, he shook off his gloom and was his usual cheerful self."

dissemble (v) Context Clue - "dissembling and prevaricating" Own Clue - "The dissembled voice sounded like the president and gave orders as such."

Definition: hide behind a false appearance; conceal one's motives Synonym: dissimulate; mislead; feign Antonym: behave honestly; be sincere Complete the Sentence: "Bond realized that only way he could fool his captors was to __________, to pretend he was still unconscious."

insensible (adj) Context Clue - "insensible to pain" Own Clue - "The teen felt insensible after being bullied so much."

Definition: incapable of feeling; unresponsive Synonym: emotionless; unfeeling; unaware Antonym: conscious; keenly aware; capable of feeling; sensible Complete the Sentence: "Sherry and I are very different at time when I would be covered with embarrassment, she seems ________ to shame."

idiosyncrasy (n) Context Clue - "peculiar idiosyncrasy" Own Clue - "One of my dog's idiosyncrasies was how it often stood like a human."

Definition: individual trait, usually odd in nature Synonym: eccentricity; quirk; foible Antonym: normal behavior Complete the Sentence: "One of Richard Nixon's little ___________ was his like of ketchup on cottage cheese."

daunt (v) Context Clue - "Nothing can daunt the Fearless Four!" Own Clue - "The daunting task shook us before we could even start."

Definition: intimidate; put off Synonym: frighten; dishearten; deter Antonym: embolden; hearten; encourage Complete the Sentence: "Although he thought the amount of work left to do might _____ her, she refused to become discourage and resolutely settled down to the job."

diffidence (n) Context Clue - "natural diffidence and reserve" Own Clue - "My diffidence for flying a helicopter deters me from even trying."

Definition: lack of self-confidence Synonym: timidity; shyness; self-doubt Antonym: self-confidence; brashness; self-assertiveness Complete the Sentence: "Doubting her ability to write English correctly, the young Japanese student felt some _______ about replying to the first letter she received from her American pen pal."

grandiloquent (adj) Context Clue - "a puffed-up, grandiloquent orator" Word Parts Clue: Grand- means big, loqu- means speech Own Clue - "The vocabulary found on these flashcards could be seen as grandiloquent to folks who don't study it."

Definition: lofty in style; using inflated language Synonym: pompous; bombastic Antonym: simple in expression; unpretentious Complete the Sentence: "Impressed by the importance of the occasion and by his own importance as well, the speaker adopted a lofty, ______ style."

mendacious (adj) Context Clue - "mendacious as a used car salesman" Own Clue - "The mendacious snake convinced Eve to eat the apple."

Definition: lying; habitually dishonest Synonym: untruthful; deceitful Antonym: truthful; honest Complete the Sentence: "Distrusting Huck from the start, Miss Watson assumed he was _________ and refused to believe a word he said."

phlegmatic (adj) Context Clue - "calm and phlegmatic" Own Clue - "Some folks in Amanda's family could describe me as phlegmatic since I don't always seem enthusiastic around them."

Definition: not easily disturbed or excited Synonym: calm; composed; unruffled; sluggish Antonym: emotional; excitable; vivacious Complete the Sentence: "The nurse was a cheerful but ________ person, unexcited in the face of sudden emergencies."

ostentation (n) Context Clue - "vulgar ostentation" Own Clue - "The ostentation of the trophy ceremony made the losing team jealous and angry."

Definition: pretentious show (of wealth); gaudy display (often vulgar); excessive showiness Synonym: pretentiousness; flashiness; showiness Antonym: modest demeanor unassuming behavior; unpretentiousness Complete the Sentence: "Trump's latest casino in Atlantic City is a prime example of _________: it gaudily out-glitters all the rival gambling places."

endemic (adj) Context Clue - "endemic to the tropics" Own Clue - "The certain color Shellos is endemic to the east coast of Sinnoh."

Definition: prevalent in a particular region among a particular group Synonym: native; indigenous Antonym: exotic; foreign; alien Complete the Sentence: "In some areas of Africa, malaria is ________; 90 to 100 percent of children less than 5 years old have malaria parasites circulating in their blood all the time."

brook (v) Context Clue - "not brooking misconduct" Own Clue - "I didn't brook my lack of invitation, so I called the host directly and asked why I hadn't been invited."

Definition: put up with Synonym: allow; tolerate; accept Antonym: refuse to permit Complete the Sentence: "The dean would _______ no interference with his disciplinary actions."

irascible (adj) Context Clue - "hot-tempered and irascible" Own Clue - "Amanda's temper becomes irascible when talking about politics."

Definition: quick to become angry Synonym: irritable; touchy; testy; quick-tempered Antonym: affable; even-tempered; easygoing Complete the Sentence: "Miss Minchin's ________ temper intimidated her young pupils, who feared she would burst into a rage of any moment."

equivocate (v) Context Clue - "equivocating like a politician" Own Clue - "My mother equivocated details when I asked how babies were made."

Definition: speak misleadingly Synonym: lie; prevaricate; hedge Antonym: speak one's mind; tell the truth; speak unambiguously Complete the Sentence: "No matter how bad the news it, give it to us straight: above all, don't ________."

obduracy (n) Context Clue - "pigheaded obduracy" Own Clue - "My dog's obduracy was on full display when he refused to move during his walk."

Definition: stubbornness; obstinacy Synonym: inflexibility; intransigence Antonym: compliance; submissiveness; acquiescence Complete the Sentence: "When the English clergy refused to accede King John's demands, the king, infuriated by what he considered their _______, persecuted the church."

proscribe (v) Context Clue - "proscribing waterboarding as torture" Own Clue - "Covid-19 laws proscribed large gatherings in public areas."

Definition: to condemn or forbid as harmful; banish; outlaw; ban Synonym: denounce; condemn; prohibit; forbid; ostracize Antonym: permit; allow; sanction Complete the Sentence: "The antipornography bill not only sought to outlaw sexually explicit materials, but also attempted to ______ a wide variety of social and personal actives, including kissing in public."

castigation (n) Context Clue - "severe public castigation" Own Clue - "The castigation from my mom was fierce after I came home with a bad grade."

Definition: verbal punishment, severe criticism, public censure Synonym: scolding, reprimand, rebuke Antonym: public praise; strong approval; kudos Complete the Sentence: "Sensitive even to mild criticism, Woolf could not bear the ______ that she found in certain hostile reviews."