Tomonica Gre Vocabulary Set 1

Front 1

Abeyance
noun
(uh bay uhns)

Back 1

Temporary suspension or suppression

syn. delay, postpone, remission

Hint 1

The baseball game was held in abeyance while it continued to rain.

Front 2

Abstain
verb
(uhb stayn)

Back 2

To choose not to do something

syn. forbear, refrain, withhold

Hint 2

Before the medical procedure you must abstain eating.

Front 3

Accretion
noun
(uh kree shuhn)

Back 3

A growth in size; an increase in an amount
syn. accumulation, build-up

Hint 3

The committee's strong fund-raising efforts resulted in an accretion in scholarship money.

Front 4

Aggrandize
verb
(uh graan diez) (aa gruhn diez)

Back 4

To increase in power, influence, and reputation

syn. amplify, augment, dignify, elevate, glorify, magnify

Hint 4

The supervisor saw to aggrandize himself by claiming that the achievements of his staff were actually his own.

Front 5

Abase
verb
(uh bays)

Back 5

To humble; to disgrace

syn. demean, humiliate

Hint 5

My intention was not to abase the comedian.

Front 6

Abate
verb
(uh bayt)

Back 6

To reduce an amount, degree, or severity

syn. ebb, lapse, let up, wane, subside, moderate

Hint 6

As the hurricane's force abated the winds dropped and the sea became calm.

Front 7

abyss
noun
(uh bihs)

Back 7

An extremely deep hole

syn. chasm, void

Hint 7

The submarine dove into the abyss to chart the previously unseen depths.

Front 8

Anomaly
noun
(uh nahm uh lee)

Back 8

Deviation from what is normal

syn. abnormality, deviance, deviation, irregularity

Hint 8

Albino animals may display too great an anomaly in their coloring to attract normally colored mates.

Front 9

Abdicate
verb
(aab duh kayt)

Back 9

To give up a position, right, or power

syn. cede, relinquish, resign, quit, yield

Hint 9

With the angry mob clamoring outside the palace, the king abdicated his throne and fled.

Front 10

Gestation
noun
(jeh stay shuhn)

Back 10

growth process from conception to birth

syn. development, gravidity, pregnancy

Hint 10

The longer the gestation period of an organism, the more developed the baby is at birth.

Front 11

Coffer
noun
(kah fuhr)

Back 11

strongbox; large chest for money

syn. chest, treasury, exchequer

Hint 11

The bulletproof glass of the coffer is what keeps the crown jewels secure.

Front 12

Enervate
verb
(ehn uhr vayt)

Back 12

to reduce in strength

syn. debilitate, enfeeble, sap, weaken

Hint 12

The guerrillas hoped that a series of surprise attacks would enervate the regular army.

Front 13

latent
adjective
(lay tnt)

Back 13

Potential that is not readily apparent

syn. concealed, dormant, inert, potential

Hint 13

Latent trait testing seeks to identify skills that the test taker may have that they're not aware of.

Front 14

Maelstrom
noun
(mayl struhm)

Back 14

whirlpool; turmoil; agitated state of mind

syn. turbulence, eddy

Hint 14

The transportation system of the city had collapsed in the maelstrom of the war.

Front 15

Sagacious
adjective
(suh gay shuhs)

Back 15

shrewd; wise

syn. astute, sage, wise, judicious

Hint 15

Owls have a reputation for being sagacious, perhaps because of their big eyes, which resemble glasses.

Front 16

Naive
adjective
(nah eev)

Back 16

lacking sophistication or experience

syn. artless, ingenuous, simple, credulous

Hint 16

Inexperienced writers often are naive and assume that big words make them sound smarter.

Front 17

Multifarious
adjective
(muhl tuh faar ee uhs)

Back 17

diverse

syn. assorted, multivarious, varied, indiscriminate

Hint 17

Ken opened the hotel room window, letting in the multifarious noises of the great city.

Front 18

Enumerate
verb
(ih noo muhr aty)

Back 18

to count, list, or itemize

syn. catalog, index, tabulate

Hint 18

Before making his decision, Jacob asked the waiter to enumerate the different varieties of ice cream that the restaurant carried.

Front 19

Erratic
adjective
(ih raat ihk)

Back 19

wandering and unpredictable

syn. capricious, whimsical, inconstant

Hint 19

The plot seemed predictable until it suddenly took a series of erratic turns that surprised the audience.

Front 20

Monastic
adjective
(muh naas tihk)

Back 20

extremely plain or secluded, as in a monastery

syn. contemplative, disciplined, regimented

Hint 20

The philosopher retired to his monastic lodgings to contemplate life free from any worldly distractions.

Front 21

Pastiche
noun
(paah steesh)

Back 21

piece of literature or music imitating other works

syn. medley, spoof

Hint 21

The playwright's clever pastiche of the well known childrens story had the audience rolling in the aisles.

Front 22

Wraith
noun
(rayth)

Back 22

A ghost or specter; a ghost of a living person seen just before his or her death

syn. apparition, bogeyman, phantasm, spirit

Hint 22

Gideon thought he saw a wraith late one night as he sat vigil outside his great uncle's bedroom door.

Front 23

Lionize
verb
(lie uhn ieze)

Back 23

To treat as a celebrity

syn. feast, honor, ply, regale

Hint 23

After the success of his novel, the author was lionized by the press.

Front 24

Exponent
noun
(ihk spoh nuhnt)
(ehk spoh nuhnt)

Back 24

One who champions or advocates

syn. representative, supporter

Hint 24

The vice president was an enthusiastic exponent of computer technology.

Front 25

Permeate
verb
(puhr mee ayt)

Back 25

To penetrate

syn. suffuse, infuse, imbue, pervade

Hint 25

The miraculous new cleaning fluid is able to permeate stains and dissolve them in minutes.

Front 26

Politic
adjective
(pah lih tihk)

Back 26

Shrewd and practical in managing or dealing with things; diplomatic

syn. tactful

Hint 26

She was wise to curb her tongue and was able to explain her problem to the judge in a respectful and politic manner.

Front 27

Amortize
verb
(uh mohr tiez)

Back 27

To diminish by installment payments

Hint 27

While college students are notorious for accumulating credit card debt, they are not as well known for amortizing it.

Front 28

Dither
verb
(dihth uhr)

Back 28

To act confusedly or without clear purpose

syn. falter, hesitate, waiver

Hint 28

Ellen dithered around her apartment, uncertain how to tackle the family crisis.

Front 29

Parley
noun
(par lee)

Back 29

Discussion, usually between enemies

syn. debate, dialogue, negotiations, talks

Hint 29

The parley between the rival cheer leading teams resulted in neither side admitting that they copied the others dance moves.

Front 30

Incarnadine
adjective
(in car nuh deen)

Back 30

Blood red in color

syn. reddened, ruby, ruddy

Hint 30

At his mother's mention of his baby pictures, the shy boy's cheeks turned incarnadine with embarrassment.

Front 31

Ingratiate
verb
(ihn gray shee ayt)

Back 31

To gain favor with another by deliberate effort; to seek to please somebody so as to gain an advantage.

syn. curry favor, flatter

Hint 31

The new intern tried to ingratiate herself with the managers so that they might consider her for a future job.

Front 32

Pithy
adjective
(pih thee)

Back 32

Concise; succinct; to the point

syn. brief, compact, terse

Hint 32

Martha's pithy comments during the interview must have been impressive because she got the job.

Front 33

Obdurate
adjective
(ahb duhr uht)

Back 33

Hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion

syn. inflexible, tenacious, unyielding

Hint 33

The president was completely obdurate on the issue, and no amount of persuasion would change his mind.

Front 34

Prodigal
adj.
(prah dih guhl)

Back 34

Lavish; wasteful

syn: extravagant; spendthrift; wasteful

Hint 34

The prodigal son quickly wasted all of his inheritance on a lavish lifestyle devoted to pleasure.

Front 35

Idiosyncrasy
noun
(ih dee uh sihn kruh see)

Back 35

peculiarity of temperament; eccentricity

syn: humor; oddity; quirk

Hint 35

His numerous idiosyncrasies included a fondness for wearing bright green shoes with mauve socks.

Front 36

Furtive
adj.
(fuhr tihv)

Back 36

Secret; stealthy

syn: covert; shifty; underhand

Hint 36

Glenn was furtive when he peered out of the corner of his eye at the stunningly beautiful model.

Front 37

Ethos
noun
(ee thohs)

Back 37

Beliefs or character of a group

syn. culture, ethic, philosophy

Hint 37

It is the Boy Scouts' ethos that one should always be prepared.

Front 38

Catholic
adj.
(kaa thuh lihk)
(kaa thlihk)

Back 38

Universal; broad and comprehensive

syn. extensive, general

Hint 38

Hot tea with honey is a catholic remedy for a soar throat.

Front 39

Meretricious
adj.
(mehr ih trihsh uhs)

Back 39

Gaudy; falsely attractive

syn. flashy, insincere, loud, tawdry

Hint 39

The casino's meretricious decor horrified the cultivated interior designer.

Front 40

Gullible
adj.
(guh luh buhl)

Back 40

Easily deceived

syn. credulous, exploitable, naive

Hint 40

The conman pretended to be a bank officer, so as to fool gullible bank customers into giving him their account information.

Front 41

Plastic
adj.
(plaa stihk)

Back 41

Able to be molded, altered, or bent

syn. adaptable, malleable, pliant, ductile

Hint 41

The new material was very plastic, it could be formed into products of vastly different shape.

Front 42

Husband
verb
(huhz buhnd)

Back 42

To manage economically; to use sparingly

syn. conserve

Hint 42

The cyclist paced herself at the start of the race, knowing that if she husbanded her resources, she'd have the strength to break out of the pack later on.

Front 43

Connoisseur
noun
(kah nuh suhr)

Back 43

A person with expert knowledge or discriminating tastes

syn. authority, expert, gourmet

Hint 43

Dr. Crane was a connoisseur of fine food and wine, drinking and eating only the best.

Front 44

Plebeian
adj.
(plee bee uhn)

Back 44

Crude or coarse; characteristic of commoners

syn. conventional, unrefined

Hint 44

After five weeks of rigorous studying, the graduate settled in for a weekend of plebeian socializing and television watching.

Front 45

Pulchritude
noun
(puhl kruh tood)

Back 45

Beauty

syn. comeliness; gorgeousness; handsomeness; loveliness; prettiness

Hint 45

The mortals gazed in admiration at Venus, stunned by her incredible pulchritude.