Gre Practice Test Verbal Section 2

Front 1

benign

Back 1

1 (formal) (of people)
kind and gentle; not hurting anybody
You would never have guessed his intentions from the benign expression on his face.
2 (medical) (of tumours growing in the body)
not dangerous or likely to cause death

Front 2

deft

Back 2

skillful and quick

Front 3

cede

Back 3

cede something (to somebody) (formal)
to give somebody control of something or give them power, a right, etc, especially unwillingly
Cuba was ceded by Spain to the US in 1898.

Front 4

coalesce

Back 4

[intransitive] coalesce (into/with something) (formal)
to come together to form one larger group, substance, etc.

Front 5

inscrutable

Back 5

if a person or their expression is inscrutable, it is hard to know what they are thinking or feeling, because they do not show any emotion

Front 6

venal

Back 6

prepared to do dishonest or immoral things in return for money

Front 7

impudent

Back 7

rude; not showing respect for other people

Front 8

brazen

Back 8

open and without shame, usually about something that people find shocking

Front 9

nettle

Back 9

to make somebody slightly angry

Front 10

exposition

Back 10

a full explanation of a theory, plan, etc

Front 11

objurgation

Back 11

chiding: rebuking a person harshly

Front 12

implusive

Back 12

acting suddenly without thinking carefully about what might happen because of what you are doing

Front 13

devious

Back 13

behaving in a dishonest or indirect way, or tricking people, in order to get somethin

Front 14

vestigial

Back 14

remaining as the last small part of something that used to exis

Front 15

nascent

Back 15

beginning to exist; not yet fully developed

Front 16

indebted

Back 16

grateful to somebody for helping you

Front 17

beholden

Back 17

owing something to somebody because of something that they have done for you

Front 18

inept

Back 18

acting or done with no skill

Front 19

impute

Back 19

to say, often unfairly, that somebody is responsible for something or has a particular quality

Front 20

acumen

Back 20

the ability to understand and decide things quickly and well

Front 21

shrewd

Back 21

clever at understanding and making judgements about a situation

Front 22

flaccid

Back 22

soft and weak; not firm and hard

Front 23

supine

Back 23

not willing to act or disagree with somebody because you are lazy or morally weak

Front 24

polemical

Back 24

involving strong arguments for or against something, often in opposition to the opinion of others

Front 25

omniscient

Back 25

knowing everything

Front 26

explicate

Back 26

to explain an idea or a work of literature in a lot of detai

Front 27

expatiate

Back 27

to write or speak in detail about a subject

Front 28

parallel

Back 28

v. to be similar to something; to happen at the same time as something
to be as good as something

Front 29

bungle

Back 29

to do something badly or without skill; to fail at something

Front 30

thwart

Back 30

to prevent somebody from doing what they want to do

Front 31

obscure

Back 31

v. to make it difficult to see, hear or understand something

Front 32

snare

Back 32

a device used for catching small animals and birds, especially one that holds their leg so that they cannot escape

Front 33

boon

Back 33

something that is very helpful and makes life easier for you

Front 34

eminent

Back 34

1.famous and respected, especially in a particular profession
2. unusual, excellent

Front 35

susceptible

Back 35

very likely to be influenced, harmed or affected by somebody/something

Front 36

overlook

Back 36

to fail to see or notice something

Front 37

pan

Back 37

to severely criticize something such as a play or a film/movie

Front 38

interminable

Back 38

lasting a very long time and therefore boring or annoying

Front 39

quirk

Back 39

an aspect of somebody's personality or behaviour that is a little strange

Front 40

preeminent

Back 40

more important, more successful or of a higher standard than others

Front 41

maladroitness

Back 41

awkwardness: unskillfulness resulting from a lack of training

Front 42

galvanize

Back 42

to make somebody take action by shocking them or by making them excited

Front 43

forthright

Back 43

direct and honest in manner and speech

Front 44

arrogant

Back 44

behaving in a proud, unpleasant way, showing little thought for other people

Front 45

eccentric

Back 45

considered by other people to be strange or unusual

Front 46

prickly

Back 46

easily annoyed or offended

Front 47

dispel

Back 47

to make something, especially a feeling or belief, go away or disappear

Front 48

elusive

Back 48

difficult to find, define, or achieve

Front 49

portentous

Back 49

important as a sign or a warning of something that is going to happen in the future, especially when it is something unpleasan