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30 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Amuck
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To run amuck is to run about frenzied. While this word comes to us via Malay, you don’t have to live on the Malaysian peninsula to witness people running amuck.
Wherever the bowl-cut teen-idol went, his legions of screaming fans ran through the streets amuck, hoping for one glance at his boyish face. |
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Pariah
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Outcast.
The once eminent scientist, upon being inculpated for fudging his data, has become a pariah in the research community. |
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Nabob
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a wealthy, influential person.
nabob applies to many living here in the U.S., though I don’t think it a good idea to call Donald Trump a nabob to his face. |
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Bwana
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This word comes from Swahili and means master. The word was originally from Arabic, and meant father.
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Zeitgeist
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means spirit of the times.
Each decade has its own zeitgeist—the 1990’s was a prosperous time in which the promise of the American Dream never seemed more palpable. The zeitgeist of the 2000’s was a curious admixture of fear and frivolity; when we were not anxious over the state of the economy and the world, we escaped into reality T.V. shows, either those on popular networks or the ones we would create ourselves on YouTube. |
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Sangfroid
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literally cold-blooded. It is defined as calmness and poise, especially in trying situations.
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Parvenu
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recently acquired wealth, and has therefore risen in class.
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Arriviste
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synonym with parvenu. a person who has recently gained power, wealth, success, etc. and is regarded as an upstart
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Melee
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a wild, confusing fight or struggle.
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Lagniappe
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unexpected gift. By no means a common GRE word, if lagniappe happens to show up on the test, then consider it an unexpected gift.
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Picayune
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an amount that is trifling or meager. It can also refer to a person who is petty. Therefore, if I’m being picayune, I’m fussing over some trivial point.
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Eponym
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word that is derived from a person’s name.
An example of an eponym is Walt Disney for whom Disneyland is named. |
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Mesmerize
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to hold spellbound.
The plot and the characters were so well developed that many viewers were mesmerized, unable to move their eyes from the screen for even a single second. |
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Gerrymander
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manipulation of boundaries to favor a certain group.
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Hector
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bully or intimidate.
The boss’s hectoring manner put off many employees, some of whom quit as soon as they found new jobs. |
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Pollyannaish
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extremely optimistic.
Even in the midst of a lousy sales quarter, Debbie remained Pollyannaish, never losing her shrill voice and wide smile, even when people hung up on her. |
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Chauvinist
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anyone who thinks that their group is better than anybody else’s group.
You can have male chauvinists, political party chauvinists, and even female chauvinists. |
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Pyrrhic
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So any win that comes at so great a cost that it is not even worth it is a pyrrhic victory.
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Kafkaesque
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absurdity we have to deal with living in a world of faceless bureaucracies.
So next time you are put on hold for three hours and then volleyed back in forth between a dozen monotone-voice employees, think to yourself, hey this is Kafkaesque. |
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Quixotic
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meaning of someone who is wildly idealistic.
It is one thing to want to help end world hunger; it is another to think you can do so on your own. The latter would be deemed quixotic. |
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Maudlin
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someone who is overly sentimental, often in a tearful way
A person who is maudlin cries in public for no good reason, and is oftentimes times used to describe one who’s tried to finish a jeroboam alone, and now must share with the stranger sitting next to them all of his deepest feelings. |
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Panglossian
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implying blind optimism.
Despite the fact that his country had been marred by a protracted civil war, Victor remained ever Panglossian, claiming that his homeland was living through a Golden Age. |
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Malapropism
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A malapropism is using the wrong word for something, especially one that sounds similar. (noun)
An example of malapropism was Archie Bunker from the American television sitcom All in the Family saying "Patience is a virgin," when he meant to say "Patience is a virtue." |
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Quisling
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traitor who serves as the puppet of the enemy occupying his or her country.
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Byzantine
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anything that is extremely intricate and complex. It actually carries a negative connotation.
Getting a driver’s license is not simply a matter of taking a test; the regulations and procedures are so byzantine that many have found themselves at the mercy of the DMV. |
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Supercilious
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haughty and disdainful.
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disdainful
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Disdainful describes rejecting something with contempt or because it is beneath you. (adjective)
An example of someone who is disdainful is a person saying they dislike someone just because of their religion. |
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Protean
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Protean describes a person or thing that is complex, varied or changes easily.
Peter Sellers was truly a protean actor—in Doctor Strangelove he played three very different roles: a jingoist general, a sedate President and a deranged scientist. |
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Sartorial
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relates to clothing, or tailored fashion.
Monte was astute at navigating the world of finance, however sartorially he was found wanting—typically a beige tie attempted to complement a gray suit and white pants. |
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Saturnine
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to be morose, having a gloomy attitude or character.
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