Gre Verbal List #4

Front 1

Abdicate

Back 1

To relinquish the throne

"After the incestuous scandal, the king abdicated with alacrity."

Front 2

Acrimonious

Back 2

Caustic, stinging, or biting in nature

"Bees have a tendency for being acrimonious."

Front 3

Litigate

Back 3

Make subject of a lawsuit

"The potential litigation behind spilling McDonald's coffee is frightening."

Front 4

Allegory

Back 4

Figurative treatment of one story under the guise of another

"Some might say Alice in Wonderland is an allegory for taking hallucinogenic drugs."

Front 5

Amatory

Back 5

Pertaining to lovemaking or lovers

"The amatory couple was obviously dating."

Front 6

Amity

Back 6

Friendship, peaceful harmony

"The house portrayed in Amityville Horror is certainly not amity in nature."

Front 7

Inamorata

Back 7

Female lover

"His inamorata was known to sleep around."

Front 8

Amicable

Back 8

Characterized by showing good will

"Steve's amicable nature often yielded a plethora of charitable donations."

Front 9

Languish

Back 9

Lose or lack vitality

"After a hot summer day, the garden tends to languish if not watered."

Front 10

Heuristic

Back 10

Allowing somebody to learn something by themselves

"The 'sink or swim' method is most certainly a heuristic method."

Front 11

Perceptive

Back 11

Having or showing insight

"Quick learners are often the most perceptive."

Front 12

Abiding

Back 12

Lasting a long time

"The abiding lifespan of tortoises leads to some 100 year-old tortoises."

Front 13

Perennial

Back 13

Last for a long or apparently infinite amount of time

"Perennial plants are only called as such if properly cared for!"

Front 14

Unmitigated

Back 14

Absolute, unqualified

"The coup was an unmitigated disaster."

Front 15

Obtuse

Back 15

Slow to understand

"Eventually, even the more obtuse learners picked up the process."

Front 16

Intractable

Back 16

Hard to control or deal with

"Wild animals, as opposed to domestic ones, are far more intractable."

Front 17

Fickle

Back 17

Changing frequently

"It was hard to judge whether or not Bill would attend as he was always so fickle."

Front 18

Contrite

Back 18

Feeling remorse or penitence, by guilt

"The contrite convict solemnly accepted his punishment."

Front 19

Repentant

Back 19

Feeling regret or remorse

"Many lawbreakers feel repentant after their wrong-doing."

Front 20

Venial

Back 20

Slight and pardonable

"Stealing bubblegum is usually a rather venial offense."

Front 21

Recalcitrant

Back 21

Having an uncooperative attitude toward authority

"High schoolers are often recalcitrant toward their parents."

Front 22

Lampoon

Back 22

Publicly criticize using sarcasm or ridicule

"Conan had his start with Harvard's lampoon magazine."

Front 23

Cursory

Back 23

Hasty and therefore not considerate of details

"A cursory glance is often not enough to get a grasp on the whole scene."

Front 24

Commute

Back 24

Reduce to one less severe

"The sentence was commuted after it was learned that they were only partially involved."

Front 25

Misogynistic

Back 25

Ingrained prejudice against women

"Although still existence, misogyny has reduced significantly in the U.S. over the years."

Front 26

Prude

Back 26

Easily shocked by matters relating to sex or nudity

"Many of the more prude patrons of the theater walked out during the sex scene."

Front 27

Puritanical

Back 27

Practicing strict religious or moral behavior

"Mormons are often considered puritanical because of their strange rules."

Front 28

Dispatch

Back 28

Deal with quickly and effectively

"The assignment was completed with dispatch so that he could watch TV."

Front 29

Celerity

Back 29

Quickness of movement

"The celerity of the fingers during piano playing is sometimes hypnotic."

Front 30

Slovenly

Back 30

Messy and dirty

"Pigpen from the peanuts gang is always such a slovenly character."

Front 31

Hackneyed

Back 31

Lacking significance from being overused

"The hackneyed saying was disregarded by the committee as it no longer applied."

Front 32

Untoward

Back 32

Unexpected or inconvenient

"The untoward announcement of the new CEO left the losing candidate speechless."

Front 33

Inure

Back 33

Accustom to something, especially unpleasant

"After the 5th toilet cleaning, the janitor surprisingly became inured with the process."

Front 34

Miser

Back 34

One who hoards wealth and spends as little as possible

"The old miser never even gave his grandchildren any presents."

Front 35

Hardened

Back 35

Experienced in a job as to not be upset by the unpleasants.

"Cleaning porta-potties up north must take a certain hardened individual."

Front 36

Overwrought

Back 36

In a state of nervousness or anxiety

"Minutes before the exam, the student became overwrought and started sweating profusely."

Front 37

Lugubrious

Back 37

Looking or sounding sad or dismal

"After seeing his daughter leave for the millionth time, it was surprising he still maintained the same lugubrious mien."

Front 38

Jaunty

Back 38

Lively and cheerful

"The jaunty applicant couldn't wait to start her grad program."

Front 39

Jocose

Back 39

Playful or humorous

"Why is it that uncles are always the most jocose at family gatherings?"

Front 40

Hidebound

Back 40

Unwilling to change because of tradition

"The hidebound grandfather wouldn't use a computer out of principle to his paper mill."

Front 41

Adroit

Back 41

Clever or skillful

"The adroit chess player always defeated her opponents."

Front 42

Sectarian

Back 42

One who conforms to a sect—a group with somewhat different beliefs

"The sectarian was had very minute differences in how he practiced his religion."

Front 43

Upbraid

Back 43

Find fault with, scold

"The children were upbraided for tracking mud through the house."

Front 44

Chide

Back 44

Scold or rebuke

"After disobeying his father, he was chided for not listening."

Front 45

Denigrate

Back 45

Criticize unfairly

"The candidate was denigrated for things she didn't even do."

Front 46

Temerity

Back 46

Excessive boldness or confidence, audacity

"Some thought the makers of Audacity to have temerity for making it completely free."

Front 47

Predilection

Back 47

Special preference or bias for someone

"Being a democrat herself, she had a predilection for Hilary Clinton as president."

Front 48

Vacuous

Back 48

Lack of thought, mindlessness

"Sometimes, blank and vacuous stares are elicited after long lectures."

Front 49

Inane

Back 49

Silly or stupid

"The inane answer was received with laughter."

Front 50

Malcontent

Back 50

A person who is dissatisfied and rebellious

"Catniss everdeen is seen as the primary malcontent to the capitol's agenda."

Front 51

Charlatan

Back 51

A person falsely claiming to have special knowledge or skill

"Atheists might claim that Jesus was in fact a charlatan."

Front 52

Subvert

Back 52

Undermine the power of someone

"Wormtongue subverts Gondor's king until he's freed by gandalf."