Gre Hard Words 5

Front 1

Rail

Back 1

to complain bitterly (to rail against)

Front 2

Ramify

Back 2

to be divided or subdivided. Branch out
Instead of being resolved, the dispute ramified as more and more people got involved.

Front 3

Rancorous

Back 3

characterized by bitter, long-lasting resentment

A rancorous feud

Front 4

Reconnoiter

Back 4

to make a preliminary inspection of, to engage in reconnaissance

o inspect, observe, or survey (the enemy, the enemy's strength or position, a region, etc.) in order to gain information for military purposes.

Our attempts to reconnoiter the area for a good camping site was cut short when it began to get dark.

Front 5

Reconnaissance

Back 5

1.the act of reconnoitering.
2.Military. a search made for useful military information in the field, esp. by examining the ground.
3.Surveying, Civil Engineering. a general examination or survey of a region, usually followed by a detailed survey.

Front 6

Recumbent

Back 6

leaning, resting, prone

Ancient Romans were fond of dining recumbent on couches and pillows.

Front 7

Redoubtable

Back 7

venerable, inspiring honor

“He came from a redoubtable family that was famous for its members having served in the highest positions in the country.”

Front 8

Reticent

Back 8

quiet, reserved, reluctant

Within a circle of intimate friends, he's a very sociable person, says Russell Banks, another novelist, who has known Auster since 1977. "Outside of that circle, he's fairly shy and reticent."

Front 9

Rubric

Back 9

1. a title, heading, direction, or the like, in a manuscript, book, statute, etc., written or printed in red or otherwise distinguished from the rest of the text.
2. a direction for the conduct of divine service or the administration of the sacraments, inserted in liturgical books.
3. any established mode of conduct or procedure; protocol.
4. an explanatory comment; gloss.
5. a class or category

"She graded the papers according to the rubric."

"This mission is sometimes discussed under the rubric of 'horizontal escalation' . . . from conventional to nuclear war" (Jack Beatty).

Front 10

Salient

Back 10

Salient prominent, protruding, conspicuous, highly relevant

The salient fact that I had failed to notice at first was that my ride had left me stranded at the club with no way to get home

Salient characteristics

Salient details

He gave science an exciting, positive image when many Americans were skeptical of it, worried that its most salient effect was to disenchant the universe and undercut religion.

Front 11

Salutary

Back 11

favorable to promoting health. remedial, wholesome, causing improvement

Surviving a near-death experience has the salutary effect of concentrating the mind._-- Kenneth T. Walsh and Roger Simon, "Bush turns the tide", U.S. News, February

Front 12

Sanctimony

Back 12

self-ritghteous, pretended piety

“Spare me your sanctimonious words, you’re no better than I am.”

Front 13

Sanction

Back 13

Sanction: 1. an authoritative permission or approval. : The publisher received sanction from the author to reproduce a section of his book in the anthology.

2. a penalty introduced to enforce compliance.
Sanctions were one of the tools used by the international committee to pressure South Africa into ending its practice of apartheid.

Front 14

Scurvy

Back 14

contemptible, despicable. A scurvy trick. A scurvy lie

Front 15

Sedulous

Back 15

persistent, diligent

Front 16

Sere

Back 16

arid, withered.

"the sere surfaces of Mars."

Front 17

Simper

Back 17

to smirk, to say something with a coy smile

Front 18

Singular

Back 18

exceptional, unusual, odd.

"A singular rock formation"

Front 19

Sodden

Back 19

soaked or drenched. unimaginative, dull

"sodden with drink"

Front 20

Solicitous

Back 20

eager, concerned, attentive

Front 21

Solvent

Back 21

able to meet financial obligations

Front 22

Sophistry

Back 22

fallacious reasoning. seemingly plausable, but actually faulty logic

Front 23

Sordid

Back 23

filthy, grimy, squalor

Front 24

Steep

Back 24

to saturate or completely soak

Front 25

Stint

Back 25

to restrain, to be sparing or frugal

Front 26

Strut

Back 26

a structural support used to brace a framework

To brace or support (verb)

Front 27

Stupefy

Back 27

to stun, baffle, or amaze

Front 28

Stymie

Back 28

to block, thwart

His plans to become a professional football player were stymied when he broke his legs in a car accident.

Front 29

Superfluous

Back 29

exceeding what is sufficient or necessary

Front 30

Supplant

Back 30

to take the place of, to supersede

Front 31

Table

Back 31

to remove (as a parliamentary motion) from consideration

The suggestion to add a free Starbucks to the college campus was tabled from the agenda because the trustees knew in advance that it would be too costly.

Front 32

Tacit

Back 32

implied, not explicitly stated tacit permission

Front 33

Tamp

Back 33

to plug, drive in by a series of blows tamping tobacco into a pipe

Front 34

Tender

Back 34

to offer formally to tender a truce agreement. To tender a resignation

Front 35

Tortuous

Back 35

winding, twisting, excessively complicated
A tortuous road, a tortuous argument

Front 36

Tractable

Back 36

docile, easily led, obedient. A tractable lamb

Front 37

Travesty

Back 37

mockery, parody, caricature
The corrupt trial was a travesty of justice
The satire travestied the White House’s foreign policy

Front 38

Tumid

Back 38

swollen
A tumid river
A tumid hand after a fight

Front 39

Tumescence

Back 39

swelling
The tumescence of a black-eye

Front 40

Ungeigned

Back 40

genuine, not false or hypocritical
Unfeigned hospitality, unfeigned surprise

Front 41

Untenable

Back 41

not viable, indefensible


We realized the 2 hour commute was untenable

Front 42

Variegated

Back 42

multicolored, characterized by a variety of patches of different colors\

Front 43

Verisimiitude

Back 43

appearing true or real
Historical verisimilitude
The eerie verisimilitude of the statue

Front 44

Veritable

Back 44

authentic, real, genuine

Front 45

Virulent

Back 45

extremely poisonous or harmful virulent poison

Front 46

Vigilant

Back 46

alertly watchful

Front 47

Waft

Back 47

puff of air

Front 48

Elocution

Back 48

the art of clear, concise speaking

Front 49

Illustrious

Back 49

highly distinguished

Front 50

Allude

Back 50

to refer casually or indirectly

Front 51

Magnate

Back 51

a powerful or influential person

Front 52

Malign

Back 52

to slander

Front 53

Maladroit

Back 53

clumsy, tactless

to handle a diplomatic crisis in a very maladroit way.

Front 54

Malapropism

Back 54

humorous misuse of a word “a photogenic memory”

Front 55

Malfeasance

Back 55

misconduct or wrongdoing committed by a public official.
But more often than not the same board members who were removed by the chancellor for malfeasance subsequently manage to get reelected in a political process that defies any form of accountability.

Front 56

Manifest

Back 56

readily perceived by the eye or the understanding

Front 57

Minutiae

Back 57

small or trivial details

Front 58

Eminent

Back 58

1. towering above others, projecting. “eminent peaks”
2. high in station, rank, or prominent. “eminent statesmen.”
3. conspicuous or noteworthy. “eminent fairness.”

Front 59

preeminent

Back 59

superior to or notable above all others. “He is preeminent in his profession.”

Front 60

Emissary

Back 60

a messenger or agent sent to represent the interests of another. “emissaries to negotiate a peace”

Front 61

Remit

Back 61

to send money

Front 62

Remission

Back 62

a lessening of intensity or degree
“the cancer is thankfully in remission.”

Front 63

promiscuous

Back 63

consisting of diverse and unrelated parts or individuals

Front 64

Commute

Back 64

to substitute, exchange, interchange The prison sentence was commuted to a sentence of community service.

Front 65

Transmutation

Back 65

the act of changing from one form into another

Front 66

Permutation

Back 66

a complete change, a transformation

Front 67

Cognate

Back 67

related by blood, having a common ancestor

Front 68

Taxonomy

Back 68

the science, laws, or principles of classification

Front 69

Nominal

Back 69

negligible, existing only in name

Front 70

Obfuscate

Back 70

to render indistinct or dim, darken
To bewilder, stupefy
to make obscure or unclear: to obfuscate a problem with extraneous information.

Front 71

Obsequious

Back 71

overly submissive. Displaying servile behavior.
“obsequious servants.”

Front 72

Omnibus

Back 72

an anthology of the works of one author of writings on related subjects

Front 73

Panoply

Back 73

a wide-ranging and impressive array or display: the dazzling panoply of the maharaja's procession; the panoply of European history.

Front 74

Pantheon

Back 74

a public building containing tombs or memorials of the illustrious deed of a nation

Front 75

Par

Back 75

an equality in value or standing

Front 76

Parity

Back 76

equality

Front 77

Paragon

Back 77

a model of excellence

Even his friends and business associates, men and women alike, were paragons of health: avoiders of fatty foods, moderate drinkers, health-club habitues, lovers of cross-country skiing, weekend canoe trips, and daylong hikes in the North Woods

Front 78

Dispassionate

Back 78

impartial

a dispassionate critic

Front 79

Perforate

Back 79

to make a way through or into something

Front 80

Pertinacious

Back 80

resolute “a pertinacious salesman from whom I could not escape.”

Front 81

Philatest

Back 81

one who loves or collects postage stamps

Front 82

Philology

Back 82

the study of literary texts to establish their authenticity and determine their meaning

Front 83

Replete

Back 83

abundantly supplied. “ a speech replete with sentimentality.”

Front 84

Expound

Back 84

to set forth in detail “when I broke up with him, I expounded his wrongdoings over the past month.”

Front 85

Repository

Back 85

a receptacle or place where things are deposited

Front 86

Deportment

Back 86

conduct, behavior

Front 87

Post facto

Back 87

after the fact

Front 88

Presentiment

Back 88

foreboding. He'd had a presentiment of this. Yes, he had known that this was precisely what would be said.

Front 89

Reprisals

Back 89

retaliation against an enemy

Front 90

Pugalist

Back 90

a fighter or boxer

Front 91

Perquisite

Back 91

a gratuity, tip

Front 92

Risible

Back 92

causing laughter

Front 93

Arrogate

Back 93

to claim unwarrantably or presumptuously
A measure to abolish or radically restrict the ability of ministers to arrogate powers to themselves would be a necessary adjunct to the list of proposals on "open government/parliament".

Front 94

Execreble

Back 94

abominable, detestable
His human-rights record was abysmal. His relations with Washington were adversarial. He rivaled Zimbabwe's execrable Robert Mugabe for the title "Africa's Saddam."

Front 95

Secede

Back 95

to withdraw formally from an association

Front 96

Insensate

Back 96

without feeling or sensitivity

Front 97

Protract

Back 97

to prolong, draw out, extend

Front 98

Convivial

Back 98

sociable
The convivial atmosphere would continue on the way home, with a bag of toffees and more stories including, quite often, the story of How Grandpa Was Found

Front 99

Avocation

Back 99

something one does in addition to a principle occupation

Front 100

Vociferous

Back 100

crying out noisily

Claudio has work to do and I have a vociferous son demanding a story.

Front 101

Ditty/Ditties

Back 101

a poem/poems intended to be sung

Front 102

Legerdemain

Back 102

1. Sleight of hand._
2. A display of skill, trickery, or artful deception.
Their alleged legerdemain at the blackjack table and roulette wheel of the luxurious Salle Anglaise was caught on closed-circuit television.

Front 103

Sleight

Back 103

1.skill; dexterity.
2.an artifice; stratagem.
3.cunning; craft.

Front 104

Conscription

Back 104

1. compulsory enrollment of persons for military or naval service; draft.
2.a compulsory contribution of money to a government during a time of war

Front 105

Inflammable

Back 105

able or likely to burn

Front 106

Truss

Back 106

to tie, bind, or fassen

Front 107

undergird

Back 107

to give fundamental support; provide with a sound or secure basis: ethics undergirded by faith.

to strengthen; secure, as by passing a rope or chain under and around: to undergird a top-heavy load.