High-Frequency Gre Words A-E

Front 1

ABERRANT

Back 1

adj.
abnormal; straying from the normal and usual path
Also in the wide-ranging AP questionnaire in 1992, Huckabee said, "I feel homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle, and we now know it can pose a dangerous public health risk."

Front 2

ABSTEMIOUS

Back 2

adj.
Not self-indulgent, sparing in use of food or drinks
“We only had a bottle.” “Very abstemious of you.”

Front 3

ACERBIC

Back 3

adj.
sour or bitter in taste or manner (tart, harsh)
"Dan had an enormous talent and an acerbic, biting wit," Carpenter said of O'Bannon. "He had a very high IQ, but I think he was under-appreciated and under-served by the film business. He took a stand against all manner of authority."

Front 4

ALACRITY

Back 4

n.
cheerful promptness or speed
The federal government, King pointed out, was appropriating "military funds with alacrity and generosity" - but "poverty funds with miserliness."

Front 5

ALLUDE

Back 5

v.
to refer indirectly to something (insinuate)
"She had a way of alluding to Jean but never saying her name."

Front 6

ALLUSION

Back 6

n.
an indirect reference (often literary); a hint
"I have now realized that I used an inappropriate allusion, and so am retracting my remarks and apologizing to all those who were offended," Aso told reporters Friday.

Front 7

ALTRUISM

Back 7

n.
unselfish devotion to the welfare of others rather than self
As King said, "Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness."

Front 8

AMALGAM

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n. a mixture or combination (often of metals)
a curious amalgam of the traditional and the modern

Front 9

AMALGAMATE

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v. to mix, merge, combine
Mr Brown said there was "no proposal to merge the use of aircraft carriers" and pledged that in relation to defence cooperation with Paris, "we will work together, not merge; not amalgamate".

Front 10

AMELIORATE

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v.
to improve or make better
"The reform did much to ameliorate living standards."

Front 11

ANACHRONISM

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n. something out of place in time (e.g., an airplane in 1492)
everything was as it would have appeared in centuries past apart from one anachronism, a bright yellow construction crane

Front 12

ANOMALY

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n.
an oddity, inconsistency; a deviation from the norm
"The apparent anomaly that those who produced the wealth were the poorest."

Front 13

ANTIPATHY

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n.
a natural dislike or repugnance (aversion, repugnance, distaste, repulsion)
"Growing up as a socialist, his had a fundamental antipathy towards capitalism."

Front 14

APPOSITE

Back 14

adj. suitable; apt; relevant
the observations are apposite to the discussion

Front 15

ARCANE

Back 15

adj.
obscure; secret; mysterious (occult, esoteric)
"The book contained modern math and its arcane notation."

Front 16

ARCHETYPE

Back 16

n. the first model from which others are copied; prototype
The new "Solar, Volume 1" arrived last month, with a character Shooter describes as "the premier archetype of energy-empowered heroes, real-science-based heroes and heroes whose power level approaches being godlike.

Front 17

ARDUOUS

Back 17

adj.
laborious, difficult, sternuous
"After playing with an authentic leather ball your whole life and going to a composite was very difficult, but after playing with it every day you become used to it," Nash said. "It's going to be another arduous time for us to adjust back."

Front 18

ARID

Back 18

adj.
extremely dry, parched; barren, unimaginative

Front 19

ASCETIC (n.)

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n. one who leads a simple life of self-denial
an ascetic life of prayer, fasting, and manual labor;

Front 20

ASCETIC (adj.)

Back 20

adj.
rigorously abstinent, hermit

Front 21

ASEPTIC

Back 21

adj. germ free
aseptic surgical instruments

Front 22

ASPERSION

Back 22

n.
slanderous statement; a damaging or derogatory criticism (calumny or obolquy)
"I replied that is was a nickname of endearment and not an aspersion on the chap's character. People are strange," Dahl writes, before signing the letter "Lofty" - his own wartime nickname.

Front 23

ASSIDUOUS

Back 23

adj. carefully attentive; industrious
she was assiduous in pointing out every feature

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ASSUAGE

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v.
to relieve; ease; make less server (pacify, allay, mitigate, mollify, salve, abate)
"We are convinced that the best way to assuage Russia's concerns ...... will be to abandon such plans and turn to a truly collective project," Lavrov told reporters.

Front 25

ASTRINGENT

Back 25

n.
a substance that contracts bodily tissues
"It was an astringent skin lotion."

Front 26

ATROPHY

Back 26

adj.
causing contraction; tightening; stern, austere
"Without a plan," warned Leo Gerard, president of United Steelworkers International, "American manufacturing will continue to atrophy."

Front 27

ATTENUATE

Back 27

v. to make thin or slender; to weaken or dilute
the trees are attenuated from being grown too close together; her intolerance was attenuated by a rather unexpected liberalism

Front 28

AUTOCRACY

Back 28

n.
an absolute monarchy; goverment where one person holds power

Front 29

AUTOCRAT

Back 29

n.
an absolute ruler

Front 30

BALEFUL

Back 30

adj. harmful, malign, detrimental
She stared right into the camera with that baleful glare," Crews said. "Break your back with that stare.

Front 31

BANAL

Back 31

adj.
trite, without freshness or originality
The experiment, as the Post reporter Gene Weingarten wrote, was "an unblinking assessment of public taste: In a banal setting at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?"

Front 32

BENEFICENT

Back 32

adj.
conferring benefits; kindly; doing good
Lincoln said the nation should observe "a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens."

Front 33

BILATERAL

Back 33

adj.
pertaining to or affecting both sides or two sides; having two sides (mutual, reciprocal)
"The bilateral hearing is essential for sound location."

Front 34

BOMBAST

Back 34

n.
pompous speech; pretentious words (grandiloquence)
"Because of his mild-mannered persona, people are surprised that he has been so opinionated and so direct," said Bob Costas, the show's host. "And yet he does it without bombast and without malice.

Front 35

BURGEON

Back 35

v.
to grow or develop quickly
"Manufacturers are keen to cash in on the burgeoning demand."

Front 36

CACOPHONY

Back 36

n. a harsh, inharmonious collection of sounds; dissonance
a cacophony of deafening alarm bells

Front 37

CANT

Back 37

n.
insincere or hypocritical statements of high ideals; the jargon of a particular group or occupation
"The liberal case against all censorship is often cant."

Front 38

CAPRICE

Back 38

n.
a sudden, unpredictable, or whimsical change
"We can't keep waiting for the terrorists' caprice. It is time to play hard to promote the rescue of hostages by military force," Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said in a statement Tuesday.

Front 39

CATHARSIS

Back 39

n.
a purging or relieving of the body or soul
"It's as old as Greek drama," Clinton said. "There's a catharsis. Everybody comes, and they want to yell and scream and have their opportunity, and I think that's all to the good."

Front 40

CHICANERY

Back 40

n. trickery or deception
an underhanded person who schemes corruption and political chicanery behind closed doors

Front 41

CHURLISHNESS

Back 41

n.
crude or surly behavior of a peasant (boorish, uncouth)
"On India's contribution for Pakistan's flood relief operations, Tharoor said "considering the churlishness of the recipient, we were hugely generous.""

Front 42

CLOTURE

Back 42

n. a parlimentary procedure to end debate and begin to vote
If it's not at the point where I think it needs to be with the improvements that I'm pushing -- and they've made a lot of them -- then I will not vote for cloture on the motion to end debate," Nelson said in an interview on KLIN radio in Nebraska.

Front 43

CLOYING

Back 43

adj.
too sugary; too sentimental or flattering
"A romantic, rather cloying story."
"The first long sip gives a malty taste that never cloys."

Front 44

CODA

Back 44

n.
in music, a concluding passage
"His new novel is a kind of coda to his previous books."

Front 45

CODIFY

Back 45

v. to organize law or rules into a systematic collection (code)
In mid-December, Mr. Bush said, "If necessary, I will support a constitutional amendment which would honor marriage between a man and a woman, codify that.

Front 46

COGENT

Back 46

adj.
to the point; clear; convincing in its clarity and presentation
Ms Goldie said: "I think it (is] extremely important there is a robust and cogent argument presented for Scotland to the defence review."

Front 47

COGITATE

Back 47

v.
to think hard; ponder, mediate
"He stroked his beard and tired to cogitate."

Front 48

COGNITIVE

Back 48

adj.
possessing the power to think or mediate; meditative; capable of perception
"I asked the doctor, `If he can read the letter and answer questions about it, would that be a test of his cognitive ability?'" Fielding said. "The doctor said `Yeah.'"

Front 49

COGNIZANT

Back 49

adj.
aware of; perceptive
"We're going to ramp up a little bit, but nothing dramatic," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on his weekly radio show. "We'll take a little bit of extra precaution. Some of you will notice, some of you won't - but we have to be cognizant."

Front 50

COHERENT

Back 50

adj.
sticking together; connected; logical; consistent
"She was lucid and coherent and did not appear to be injured."

Front 51

COHESION

Back 51

n.
the act of sticking together
"The work at present lacks cohesion."

Front 52

COMELINESS

Back 52

n. beauty; attractiveness in appearance or behavior
Hallow the body as a temple to comeliness and sanctify the heart as a sacrifice to love love recompenses the adorers

Front 53

COMMODIOUS

Back 53

adj.
spacious and convenient; roomy (capacious)
"I can't speak as an architect or reviewer," Stern said, but the new Garden will be "quite extraordinary, quite commodious, and it's going to be quite a treat for the fans of New York."

Front 54

COMPLAISANCE

Back 54

n. the quality or being agreeable or eager to please
Here a person sees & converses with people of all ranks, of all tempers," Dickinson wrote. "He acquires an ease & freedom of behaviour with his superiors, complaisance and civility to his inferiors.

Front 55

COMPLIANT

Back 55

adj.
complying; obeying; yielding

Hint 55

"They were good-humored, eagerly compliant girls."

Front 56

CONNOTATIVE

Back 56

adj.
containing associated meanings in addition to the primary one

Front 57

CONSTRAIN

Back 57

v. to force, compel; to restrain
McConnell, R-Kentucky, said in a statement that he does not have "confidence that if she were confirmed to a lifetime position on the Supreme Court she would suddenly constrain the ardent political advocacy that has marked much of her adult life.

Front 58

CONTENTIOUS

Back 58

adj.
quarrelsome, moot, litigious, cantankerous, debatable
"A contentious amateur politician who has offended minority groups."

Front 59

CONTIGUOUS

Back 59

adj. touching; or adjoining and close; but not touching
The United States has made clear that we expect it to be a viable and contiguous state when it is created," said Rice.

Front 60

CONTRAVENE

Back 60

v. to act contrary to; to oppose or contradict
this contravened Washington's commitment to its own proposal

Front 61

CONUNDRUM

Back 61

n.
puzzle or riddle
"This may be one of the most difficult conundrums for the experts."

Front 62

CONVERGE

Back 62

v.
to move toward one point (opposite: diverge)

Front 63

COTERIE

Back 63

n.
a clique; a group who meet frequently, usually socially
"A coterie of friends and advisers."

Front 64

CRASS

Back 64

adj. stupid, unrefined; gross
the crass assumptions that men make about women

Front 65

DEBACLE

Back 65

n.
disaster; collapse; a rout
"The economic debacle that became known as the Great Depression."

Front 66

DEBILITATE

Back 66

v.
to enfeeble; to wear out (enervate)
"He has a weakness that debilitates him despite his overwhelming physical might."

Front 67

DECOROUS

Back 67

adj.
suitable, proper, seemly
"It's a matter of paring down," Mr. Sylvian said. "You just try to keep the arrangement of the piece sparse and not decorous. There's a freedom or liberation in the eradication of any recognizable form."

Front 68

DELETERIOUS

Back 68

adj.
harmful, hurtful; noxious, nocuous, baleful, inimical
"Without federal help ...... what we will have to do is just make continuing cuts and-or raise taxes, both of which would have a further deleterious effect on our states' economy. We simply need help," Rendell told reporters.

Front 69

DENIGRATE

Back 69

v.
to defame, to blacken or sully; to belittle
I maintain my innocence, my intentions were never to denigrate cricket or anyone," Hayden said in a statement after the hearing. "But the umpire has made his decision......and in the spirit of cricket I respect and accept the decision.

Front 70

DEPRECATE

Back 70

v. to express disapproval of; to protest against
The author modestly deprecated the importance of his work.
Her self-deprecating account of her career both amused and charmed the audience.

Front 71

DERIDE

Back 71

v.
to laugh at with contempt; to mock
"Critics derided the proposals as clumsy attempts to find a solution."

Front 72

DERISION

Back 72

n.
the act of mocking; ridicule, mockery (gibe, jeer, scorn)
"My stories were greeted with derision and disbelief."

Front 73

DIATRIBE

Back 73

n.
a bitter or abusive speech
"A diatribe against the Roman Catholic Church."

Front 74

DICHOTOMY

Back 74

n.
a division of two parts
"a rigid dichotomy between science and mysticism "

Front 75

DIFFIDENT

Back 75

adj. timid; lacking self-confidence
I stood behind him like a rock," Narasimha Rao said in a recent interview. "I encouraged him when I found him diffident. I gave him political support through thick and thin.

Front 76

DIFFUSE

Back 76

adj.
spread out; verbose (wordy); not focused

Front 77

DISCOURSE

Back 77

v.
to converse; to communicate in orderly fashion

Front 78

DISCRETE

Back 78

adj. separate; individually distinct; composed of distinct parts
speech sounds are produced as a continuous sound signal rather than discrete units

Front 79

DISINGENUOUS

Back 79

adj.
not frank or candid; deceivingly simple (opposite: ingenuous)
"Any speculation in the region about the United States losing interest in Asia strikes me as either preposterous, or disingenuous, or both," Mr. Gates said, noting that he had served under seven US presidents.

Front 80

DISINTERESTED

Back 80

adj.
neutral; unbiased (alternate meaning: uninterested); Not influenced by considerations of personal advantage
Adams called his decision to defend them "one of the most gallant, generous, manly, and disinterested actions of my whole life, and one of the best pieces of service I ever rendered my country."

Front 81

DISPARATE

Back 81

adj.
unequal, dissimilar, different
"This disparate treatment, unappealing as it is, appears unavoidable," Mr. Bernanke said. "Our economic system is critically dependent on the free flow of credit."

Front 82

DISPUTATIOUS

Back 82

adj.
argumentative; inclined to disputes (contentious, irascible)
Rice wrote, "It's simply impossible for me to 'belong' to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I've tried. I've failed. I'm an outside. My conscience will allow nothing else."

Front 83

DISSEMBLE

Back 83

v. to pretend; to feign; to conceal be pretense
she smiled, dissembling her true emotion; an honest, sincere person with no need to dissemble

Front 84

DISSONANCE

Back 84

n.
musical discord; a mingling of inharmonious sounds; nonmusically, disagreement, lack of harmony

Front 85

DISSONANT

Back 85

adj.
not in harmony, in disagreement

Front 86

EBULLIENCE

Back 86

n.
an overflowing of high spirits (effervescence, ebullition)
Late Gani, according to Ukiwe was "a man of sharpened intelligence, with capacity and ebullience to rouse the people from stupor to action and motivate the national leadership into action if reluctant.

Front 87

ELLIPSIS

Back 87

n.
omission of words that would make the meaning clear (suomi)
Perry, saying he is running harder than ever before, told his supporters including local elected officials, "This race : (ellipsis) is not going to the chronic complainer or the shrillest critic. This race is going to go to the strongest leader."

Front 88

ELUCIDATE

Back 88

v.
to make clear; to explain (expound)
"He's very eager to sort of roll up his sleeves and apply his knowledge in a way that gets to things that are fundamentally important about the world, how it operates and how to elucidate policy," Oppenheimer said.

Front 89

EMOLLIENT

Back 89

adj.
softening or soothing to the skin; Attempting to avoid confrontation or anger; soothing or calming
"Everyone respected the president's emollient approach to differences."

Front 90

ENCOMIUM

Back 90

n.
high praise

Front 91

ENDEMIC

Back 91

adj.
native to a particular area or people

Front 92

ENERVATE

Back 92

v. to weaken; to deprive of nerve or strength
the enervate slightness of his frail form

Front 93

ENGENDER

Back 93

v.
to bring about; beget, to bring forth
"In the spirit of living with others, they should be cognizant of the feelings of others and try to find a location that doesn't engender the deep feelings that currently exist about this site," Mr. Silver said."

Front 94

EPHEMERAL

Back 94

adj.
very short-lived; lasting only a short time
"People need to understand that all of the river systems in the State's south west are ephemeral, so the flows can only be taken when the rivers actually run," Mr Wallace said.

Front 95

EULOGY

Back 95

n.
words of praise, especially for the dead

Front 96

EVANESCENT

Back 96

adj. vanishing quickly, dissipating like a vapor
a shimmering evanescent bubble

Front 97

EXIGENT

Back 97

adj.
requiring immediate action; urgent, pressing

Front 98

EXTEMPORIZE

Back 98

v.
to improvise, ad-lib, vamp
"He extemporized at the piano."

Front 99

EXTRAPOLATE

Back 99

v.
to estimate the value of something beyond the scale; to infer what is unknown from something known
"The researchers attempt to extrapolate likely human cancers from laboratory studies."