2008 Gre Vocab Hit List 3

Front 1

acumen

Back 1

(n) keen, accurate judgment or insight

Front 2

adulterate

Back 2

(v) to reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients

Front 3

amalgamate

Back 3

(v) to combine several elements into a whole

(noun form: amalgamation)

Front 4

archaic

Back 4

(adj) outdated; associated with an earlier, perhaps more primitive, time

Front 5

aver

Back 5

(v) to state as a fact; to declare or assert

Front 6

bolster

Back 6

(v) to provide support or reinforcement

Front 7

bombastic

Back 7

(adj) pompous; grandiloquent

(noun form: bombast)

Front 8

diatribe

Back 8

(n) a harsh denunciation

Front 9

dissemble

Back 9

(v) to disguise or conceal; to mislead

Front 10

eccentric

Back 10

(adj) departing from norms or conventions

Front 11

endemic

Back 11

(adj) characteristic of or often found in a particular locality, region, or peopl

Front 12

evanescent

Back 12

(adj) tending to disappear like vapor; vanishing

Front 13

exacerbate

Back 13

(v) to make worse or more severe

Front 14

fervent

Back 14

(adj) greatly emotional or zealous

(noun form: fervor)

Front 15

fortuitious

Back 15

(adj) happening by accident or chance

Front 16

germane

Back 16

(adj) relevant to the subject at hand; appropriate in subject manner

Front 17

grandiloquence

Back 17

(n) pompous speech or expression

(adj. form: grandiloquent)

Front 18

hackneyed

Back 18

(adj) rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage

Front 19

halcyon

Back 19

(adj) calm and peaceful

Front 20

hedonism

Back 20

(n) devotion to pleasurable pursuits, esp. to the pleasures of the senses (a hedonist is someone who pursues pleasure)

Front 21

hegemony

Back 21

(n) the consistent dominance of one state or ideology over others

Front 22

iconoclast

Back 22

(n) one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions

Front 23

idolatrous

Back 23

(adj) given to intense or excessive devotion to something

(noun form: idolatry)

Front 24

impassive

Back 24

(adj) revealing no emotion

Front 25

imperturbable

Back 25

(adj) marked by extreme calm, impassivity and steadiness

Front 26

implacable

Back 26

(adj) not capable of being appeased or significantly changed

Front 27

impunity

Back 27

(n) immunity from punishment or penalty

Front 28

inchoate

Back 28

(adj) in an initial stage; not fully formed

Front 29

infelicitous

Back 29

(adj) unfortunate; inappropriate

Front 30

insipid

Back 30

(adj) without taste or flavor; lacking in spirit; bland

Front 31

loquacious

Back 31

(adj) extremely talkative

(noun form: loquacity)

Front 32

luminous

Back 32

(adj) characterized by brightness and the emission of light

Front 33

malevolent

Back 33

(adj) having or showing often vicious ill will, spite, or hatred

(noun form: malevolence)

Front 34

malleable

Back 34

(adj) capable of being shaped or formed; tractable; pliable

Front 35

mendacity

Back 35

(n) the condition of being untruthful; dishonesty

(adj. form: mendacious)

Front 36

meticulous

Back 36

(adj) characterized by extreme care and precision; attentive to detail

Front 37

misanthrope

Back 37

(n) one who hates all other humans

(adj. form: misanthropic)

Front 38

mitigate

Back 38

(v) to make or become less severe or intense; to moderate

Front 39

obdurate

Back 39

(adj) unyielding; hardhearted; intractable

Front 40

obsequious

Back 40

(adj) exhibiting a fawning attentiveness

Front 41

occlude

Back 41

(v) to obstruct or block

Front 42

opprobrium

Back 42

(n) disgrace; contempt; scorn

Front 43

pedagogy

Back 43

(n) the profession or principles of teaching, or instruction

Front 44

pedantic

Back 44

(adj) overly concerned with the trivial details of learning or education; show-offish about one's knowledge

Front 45

penury

Back 45

(n) poverty; destitution

Front 46

pervasive

Back 46

(adj) having the tendency to permeate or spread throughout

Front 47

pine

Back 47

(v) to yearn intensely, to languish; to lose vigor

Front 48

pirate

Back 48

(v) to illegally use or reproduce

Front 49

pith

Back 49

(n) the essential or central part

Front 50

pithy

Back 50

(adj) precise and brief

Front 51

placate

Back 51

(v) to appease; to calm by making concessions

Front 52

platitude

Back 52

(n) a superficial remark, esp. one offered as meaningful

Front 53

plummet

Back 53

(v) to plunge or drop straight down

Front 54

polemical

Back 54

(adj) controversial; argumentative

Front 55

prodigal

Back 55

(adj) recklessly wasteful; extravagant; profuse; lavish

Front 56

profuse

Back 56

(adj) given or coming forth abundantly; extravagant

Front 57

proliferate

Back 57

(v) to grow or increase swiftly and abundantly

Front 58

queries

Back 58

(n) questions; inquiries; doubts in the mind; reservations

Front 59

querulous

Back 59

(adj) prone to complaining or grumbling; peevish

Front 60

rancorous

Back 60

(adj) characterized by bitter, long-lasting resentment

(noun form: rancor)

Front 61

recalcitrant

Back 61

(adj) obstinately defiant of authority; difficult to manage

Front 62

repudiate

Back 62

(v) to refuse to have anything to do with; disown

Front 63

rescind

Back 63

(v) to invalidate; to repeal; to retract

Front 64

reverent

Back 64

(adj) marked by, feeling, or expressing a feeling of profound awe and respect

(noun form: reverence)

Front 65

rhetoric

Back 65

(n) the art or study of effective use of language for communication and persuasion

Front 66

salubrious

Back 66

(adj) promoting health or well-being

Front 67

solvent

Back 67

(adj) able to meet financial obligations; able to dissolve another substance

Front 68

specious

Back 68

(adj) seeming true, but actually being fallacious; misleadingly attractive; plausible but false

Front 69

spurious

Back 69

(adj) lacking authenticity or validity; false; counterfeit

Front 70

subpoena

Back 70

(n) a court order requiring appearance and/or testimony

Front 71

succinct

Back 71

(adj) brief; concise

Front 72

sperfluous

Back 72

(adj) exceeding what is sufficient or necessary

Front 73

surfeit

Back 73

(n/v) an overabundant supply; excess; to feed or supply to excess

Front 74

tenacity

Back 74

(n) the quality of adherence or persistence to something valued; persistent determination

(adj. form: tenacious)

Front 75

tenuous

Back 75

(adj) having little substance or strength; flimsy; weak

Front 76

tirade

Back 76

(n) a long and extremely critical speech; a harsh denunciation

Front 77

transient

Back 77

(adj) fleeting; passing quickly; brief

Front 78

zealous

Back 78

(adj) fervent; ardent; impassioned, devoted to a cause (a zealot is a zealous person)