Word

Fig

Meaning

Sentence

Syn

Similar

Ant

Casual Notes

Word
Max Out

Fig Meaning
v
to reach or cause to reach the full
adv extent or allowance

Sentence
the goal was to max out the customer's
credit card.

Syn

Casual Notes

Pics

Word

Fig
adj
adv

a cappella

adj
adv
n

a la carte

adj
adv

a posteriori

Meaning
Sung without instrumental
accompaniment
Without musical accompaniment
(of a restaurant meal) having
unlimited choices with a separate
price for each item
By ordering items listed individually
on a menu
A menu having individual dishes
listed with separate prices
Involving reasoning from facts or
particulars to general principles or
from effects to causes,Requiring
evidence for validation or support
Derived from observed facts

adj
adv

a priori

Involving deductive reasoning from a

general principle to a necessary
effect; not supported by fact,Based
on hypothesis or theory rather than
experiment
Derived by logic, without observed
facts

abandon

abase

abash

abate

The trait of lacking restraint or

control; reckless freedom from
inhibition or worry,A feeling of
extreme emotional intensity

lower, humiliate,Cause to feel shame;

hurt the pride of

embarrass,Cause to be embarrassed;
cause to feel self-conscious

subside, decrease, lessen,Become

less in amount or intensity,Make less
active or intense

abbey
abbot

abdicate

abduct

n
n

1.A church associated with a

monastery or convent, 2.A convent
ruled by an abbess, 3.A monastery
ruled by an abbot
The superior of an abbey of monks

renounce, give up,Give up, such as

power, as of monarchs and emperors,
or duties and obligations

1.crime) take away to an undisclosed

location against their will and usually
in order to extract a ransom,
2.Pull away from the body
abnormal, deviant,One whose
behaviour departs substantially from
the norm of a group

aberrant

n
adj

Markedly different from an accepted

norm, deviating from what is normal,
untrue to type

abettor

One who helps, encourages or incites

another

abeyance

suspended action,
A temporary pause; temporary
inactivity

abhor

detest, hate, Find repugnant

adj

wretched, lacking pride,Of the most

contemptible kind,Most unfortunate
or miserable,Showing utter
resignation or hopelessness,Showing
humiliation or submissiveness

renounce upon oath, formally reject

or diavow a formerly held belief
usually under pressure,

abject

abjure

Gradually deprive (infants and young

mammals) of mother's milk

ablactate

ablution

washing, the ritual washing of a

priest's hands or of sacred vessels

abnegation

repudiation, self sacrifice, the denial

and rejection of a doctrine or belief,
renunciation of your own interests in
favour of the interests of others

abominate

find repungant, loathe, hate

aboriginal

adj

aboriginal

being the first of its kind in a region,

primitive, native
An indigenous person who was born
in a particular place

aboriginal

adj

being the first of its kind in a region,

primitive, native

Aboveboard

adj

honest.

abrogate

abolish,to cancel by authority

Absolve

abstain
abstemious
abstinence

v
adj
n

abstruce

adj

pardon, (an offence), free ,Grant

remission of a sin to,Letoff the hook
refrain ; hold oneself voluntary form
an action of practice
sparing in eating and drinking
restrain from eating and drinking
prfound, obscure, difficult to
understand

adj

bottomless,Very great;
limitless,Resembling an abyss in
depth; so deep as to be
unmeasurable,Very bad

accede

agree,Yield to another's wish or

opinion,Take on duties or office,To
agree or express agreement

accolade

award of merit,A tangible symbol

signifying approval or distinction

abysmal

accrue

acquit

1.Grow by addition
"The interest accrues"
2.Come into the possession of
"The house accrued to the oldest
son"
Pronounce not guilty of criminal
charges
Behave in a certain manner

n
(law) a judgment of not guilty
V
1. Pronounce not guilty of criminal
charges
2. Behave in a certain manner

acquittal
acquit

n
v

acquittance

acquitted

adj

(law) a legal document evidencing

the discharge of a debt or obligation
Declared not guilty of a specific
offence or crime; legally blameless

Activity that transgresses moral or

civil law
"he denied any actus reus"

actus reus

addled

adj

1. rotten
(of eggs) no longer edible
"an addled egg"
2. Confused and vague; used
especially of thinking
"your addled little brain"
3. Mix up or confuse
"He addled the issues"

adjuration

A solemn and earnest appeal to

someone to do something

admonish
v
admonishme
n
nt
admonition

adornment

Reprimand, express disapproval

warn, reprove
A firm rebuke

Warning

A decoration of colour or interest that

is added to relieve plainness
The action of decorating yourself with
something colourful and interesting

flattery, admiration, Servile flattery;

exaggerated and hypocritical praise,
overenthusiastic praise

opponent, Someone who offers

opposition

aegis

Kindly endorsement and

guidance,Armour plate that protects
the chest; the front part of a cuirass

affable

adj

Diffusing warmth and friendliness

adulation

adversary

affectation

behaviour, speech, or writing that

is pretentious and designed to
impress
a studied display of real or
pretended feeling.

affected

adj

Acted upon; influenced,Speaking or

behaving in an artificial way to make
an impression,Being excited or
provoked to the expression of an
emotion

affluence

Abundant wealth

affray

public brawl
to offer some defiant offense or
indignity
A deliberately offensive act or
something producing the effect of
deliberate disrespect

Affront

aficionados
aflutter
afoul

n
v

v-Treat, mention, or speak to rudely

n
adj

a fan of bull fighting, a serious

devotee of some particular music
genre or musical performer
Excited in anticipation

adj
adv

(nautical) not having freedom of

motion due to collision or
entanglement; entangled
Into conflict with

agglomeratio
n
n

collection, heap,A jumbled collection

or mass,The act of collecting in a
mass; the act of agglomerating

agglutination
s
n
aggrandize v

The building of words from

component morphemes that retain
their form and meaning in the
process of combining
increase or intensify, Add details to

Make worse
Make very annoyed or frustrated

Aggravate

aghast

adj

agility

Struck with fear, dread, or

consternation, horrified
The gracefulness of a person or
animal that is quick and nimble

agnostic

Someone who is doubtful or

noncommittal about something,
A person who claims that they cannot
have true knowledge about the
existence of God (but does not deny
that God might exist)

agog

adj

Highly excited

Liveliness and eagerness

an eager willingness to do
something.

alacrity.

alcove

alias

alias

adv

A small recess opening off a larger

room, nook, small, recessed section
of a room
A name that has been assumed
temporarily
As known or named at another time
or place

alibi
alimentary

n
adj

(law) a defence by an accused person

purporting to show that he or she
could not have committed the crime
in question
A defence of some offensive
behaviour or some failure to keep a
promise etc.
Of or providing nourishment

allay

Lessen the intensity of or

calm,Satisfy (thirst), calm, pacify

allegory

A short moral story (often with animal

characters),
A visible symbol representing an
abstract idea,
An expressive style that uses fictional
characters and events to describe
some subject by suggestive
resemblances;
an extended metaphor

alleviate

allude

allure

Provide physical relief, as from

pain,Make easier, relieve
Make a more or less disguised
reference to
The power to entice or attract
through personal charm

allusion

Passing reference or indirect mention

aloft
aloof

adv
adj

At or on or to the masthead or upper

rigging of a ship,Upward,At or to
great height; high up in or into the
air,In the higher atmosphere above
the earth
apart, reserved,Remote in manner

aloof

adv

In an aloof manner

alpinist
altercation

n
n

A mountain climber who specializes

in difficult climbs
Noisy quarrel

altruism

amazon
ambiguous

The quality of unselfish concern for

the welfare of others

adj

A large strong and aggressive

woman,Mainly green tropical
American parrots
unclear or doubtful in meaning

ambivalence n

ambivalent

adj

amble
ambrosia

n/v
n

ambulatory

adj

ambulatory

ambuscade

v
n

ameliorate

Mixed feelings or emotions, the state

of having contradictory or conflicting
emotional attitudes.
Uncertain or unable to decide about
what course to follow
"was ambivalent about having
children"
A leisurely walk (usually in some
public place), Walk leisurely
food of the Gods
Relating to or adapted for
walking,Able to walk about
A covered walkway (as in a cloister)
Wait in hiding to attack
The act of concealing yourself and
lying in wait to attack by surprise

To make better,Get better

amenable

adj

amiss

adj

Disposed or willing to comply,Readily

reacting to suggestions and
influences,Open to being acted upon
in a certain way,Liable to answer to a
higher authority
Not functioning properly, wrong,
faulty

adv

Away from the correct or expected

course,In an improper, mistaken or
unfortunate manner,In an imperfect
or faulty way

amiss

A period during which offenders are

exempt from punishment,(law) a
warrant granting release from
punishment for an offence,(law) the
formal act of liberating someone
amnesty

n
v

amoral

adj

v-(law) grant a pardon to (a group of

people)
Lacking any sense of moral standards
or principles

amorous

adj

amputate

Inclined toward or displaying

love,Expressive of or exciting sexual
love or romance
(medicine) remove surgically, cut off
part of body, prune

amuck
amuck

adv
adj

Wildly; without self-control,In a

murderous frenzy
Frenzied, out of control

A trinket or piece of jewellery usually

hung about the neck and thought to
be a magical protection against evil
or disease

amulet

anachronism n

analogous
analogy

adj
n

anarchism

anarchist

anarchy

an error involving time in a a story

,Something located at a time when it
could not have existed or occurred,An
artifact that belongs to another
time,A person who seems to be
displaced in time; who belongs to
another age

Similar or equivalent in some

respects though otherwise dissimilar,
(biology) corresponding in function
but not in evolutionary origin
similarity, parallelism
A political theory favouring the
abolition of governments
person who rebels against the
established order
absence of governing body, state of
disorder

anathema

solemn curse,A detested person,A

formal ecclesiastical curse
accompanied by excommunication

anecdote

anguish

A short, interesting or amusing

account of a real incident (especially
a biographical one)
Extreme distress of body or mind,
acute pain, extreme suffering

Extreme distress of body or

mind,Suffer great pains or
distress,Cause emotional anguish or
make miserable

anguish

animadversio
n
n
animosity

animus

Harsh criticism or disapproval

active enimity, hatred, A feeling of ill
will arousing active hostility
A feeling of ill will arousing active
hostility, hostile feeling or intent

annals

records, history,Reports of the work

of a society or learned body etc,A
chronological account of events in
successive years

annihilate

Kill in large numbers

annotate

annuity

Add explanatory notes to or supply

with critical comments,Provide
interlinear explanations for words or
phrases
Income from capital investment paid
in a series of regular payments

1.Declare invalid
"The contract was annulled"
2.Cancel officially
"He annulled the ban on smoking"

adj
n

1.Capable of relieving pain

"the anodyne properties of certain
drugs"
2.Unlikely to cause offence or debate;
bland and inoffensive
"it's pretty anodyne stuff and not
always well informed"
A medicine used to relieve pain

anoint

consecrate, to apply oil, especially as

a sacred rite
Choose by or as if by divine
intervention
"She was anointed the head of the
Christian fundamentalist group"
Administer an oil or ointment to ;
often in a religious ceremony of
blessing

anomalous
anomaly

adj
n

Deviating from the general or

common order or type
irreguarity

annul

anodyne
anodyne

antagonistic adj
antecede
v

hostile, opposed, actively resisting,

Indicating opposition or
resistance,Characterized by
antagonism or antipathyArousing
animosity or hostilityUsed especially
of drugs or muscles that counteract
or neutralize each other's
effectIncapable of harmonious
association
Be earlier in time; go back further

antecedents n

Someone from whom you are

descended (but usually more remote
than a grandparent), A preceding
occurrence, cause or event, Anything
that precedes something similar in
time, The referent of an anaphor; a
phrase or clause that is referred to by
an anaphoric pronoun

antediluvian n

Any of the early patriarchs who lived

prior to the Noachian deluge, A very
old person

antediluvian adj

Of or relating to the period before the

biblical flood, So extremely old as
seeming to belong to an earlier
period

anthropomor
phic
adj

Suggesting human characteristics for

animals or inanimate things

antipathy

adj

A feeling of intense dislike,The object

of a feeling of intense aversion;
something to be avoided

adj

So extremely old as seeming to

belong to an earlier period, oldfashioned
Make obsolete or old-fashioned,Give
an antique appearance to

adj

Exact opposite,The juxtaposition of

contrasting words or ideas to give a
feeling of balance, contrast

n,

An absence of emotion or
enthusiasm,The trait of lacking
enthusiasm for or interest in things
generally, lack of caring

Imitate uncritically and in every

aspect,Represent in or produce a
caricature of

antiquated

antithesis

apathy

ape

aphasia

aphorism
apiary

n
n
adj

aplomb

apocalyptic
apocryphal

Inability to use or understand

language (spoken or written) because
of a brain lesion (loss of speech due
to illness or injury)

adj
adj

A short pithy instructive saying, a

saying, proverb , maxim, apthegm ( a
short sentence, e.g "look before u
leap")
place where bees are kept
poise, Great coolness and composure
under strain
Prophetic of devastation or ultimate
doom,Of or relating to an
apocalypse,Wreaking or capable of
wreaking complete destruction
Being of questionable authenticity
highest point, A final climactic
stage,Apoapsis in Earth orbit; the
point in its orbit where a satellite is at
the greatest distance from the Earth

In terms of accomplishment or
achievement, this word can refer to
the highest point or culmination of
something.

A sudden loss of consciousness

resulting when the rupture or
occlusion of a blood vessel leads to
oxygen lack in the brain

The act of abandoning a party for

cause,The state of having rejected
your religious beliefs for your political
party or a cause (often in favour of
opposing beliefs or causes)

apostate

n/adj

A disloyal person who betrays or

deserts his cause or religion or
political party or friend etc.Not
faithful to religion, party or cause

apothegm

pithy, compact saying, A short pithy

instructive saying

apogee

apoplexy

apostasy

The culmination or climax of

something. It is typically used to
describe someones at the top of his
or her career, and the artistic product
that got him or her there.

apotheosis

appall

apparition

appease

appellation

deificcation, glorification,The
elevation of a person (as to the
status of a god),Model of excellence
or perfection of a kind; one having no
equal

dismay, shock,Strike with disgust or

revulsion,Fill with apprehension or
alarm; cause to be unpleasantly
surprised

ghost, phantom ,A ghostly appearing

figure,The appearance of a ghostlike
figure,Something existing in
perception only,An act of appearing
or becoming visible unexpectedly

pacify, soothe, Cause to be more

favourably inclined; gain the good
will of,Overcome or allay,Make peace
with

Identifying word or words by which

someone or something is called and
classified or distinguished from
others

attach,Add to the very end,Fix to;

attach,State or say further

adj

Being of striking appropriateness and

pertinence

Get the meaning of something,Take

into custody,Anticipate with dread or
anxiety

apprise

Inform,Inform (somebody) of
something,Make aware of,Gain in
value,Increase the value of

approbation

Official approval, Official recognition

or approval

aquiline

adj

arable

adj

append

apposite

apprehend

Curved down like an eagle's beak

(of farmland) capable of being
farmed productively

arbitrary

adj

arboretum

Based on or subject to individual

discretion or preference or
sometimes impulse or caprice,
(technical) having any value or form,
of any degree or extent
A facility where trees and shrubs are
cultivated for exhibition

adj

secret, mysterious,
Requiring secret or mysterious
knowledge

arcane

Arch
adj
archimandrit
e
n

You have arches in architecture, or at

a well-known fast-food restaurant.
You can arch your back, or a bow.
Arches are even a part of your foot.
But, did you know that to be arch is
to be deliberately teasing, as in, he
shrugged off her insults because he
knew she was only being arch?
Finally, arch- as a root means chief or
principal, as in archbishop.
The superior of an abbey of monks

archipelago

ardor

group of closely located island.

A feeling of strong eagerness (usually

in favour of a person or
cause),Intense feeling of
love,Feelings of great warmth and
intensity

arduous

adj

argot

Characterized by effort to the point of

exhaustion; especially physical
effort,Taxing to the utmost; testing
powers of endurance,Difficult to
accomplish; demanding considerable
mental effort and skill
slang, A characteristic language of a
particular group

aria

An elaborate song for solo voice

n
n

A privileged class holding hereditary

titles,The most powerful members of
a society,Government by an
aristocratic class; a state with such a
government
fleet of warships

adj

Having a strong pleasant odour,

(chemistry) of or relating to or
containing one or more benzene
rings,

Call before a court to answer an

indictment,Accuse of a wrong or an
inadequacy

aristocracy
armada

aromatic

arraign

Without qualification; used informally

as an (often pejorative) intensifier

Arrant

Arriviste

adj

Arrant means complete and utter. It

usually modifies a noun with a
negative connotation, e.g. liar, fool,
etc.

A person who has suddenly risen to a

higher economic status but has not
gained social acceptance of others in
that class

arrogate
arroyo

v
n

arsenal

1.Demand as being one's due or

property; assert one's right or title to,
2.Make undue claims to having,
3.Take control of (without authority
and possibly with force); take as
one's right or possession
A stream or brook
All the weapons and equipment that
a country has

arson
artful

n
adj

Malicious burning to destroy property

to be cunning and wily.

n
adj

A man-made object taken as a

whole,Something that appears in a
scientific result that is not a true
feature of thing being studied, but
instead a result of the experimental
or analysis method, or observational
error, products of primitive culture
To have artifice is to be artful.

artifacts
artifice

artifice

artisan

A deceptive manoeuvre (especially to

avoid capture)
A skilled worker who practices some
trade or handicraft

adj

without guile, open and

honest,Characterized by an inability
to mask your feelings; not
devious,Simple and natural; without
cunning or deceit,Showing lack of art,
(of persons) lacking art or knowledge,

adj

If somebody is artless, on the other

hand, that person is innocent,
guileless

The state that exists when one

person or group has power over
another

artless

artless,

ascendancy

ascetic

adj

ascetic

ascribe

Practising great self-denial,Pertaining

to or characteristic of an ascetic or
the practice of rigorous self-discipline
Someone who practices self denial as
a spiritual discipline
Associate ownership or authorship
with, refer, attribute, assign

ashen

adj

ash colored,Made of wood of the ash

tree,Anaemic looking from illness or
emotion

asinine

adj

Showing a lack of intelligence or

thought; stupid and silly

askance

adv
adj

With suspicion or disapproval,With a

side or oblique glance
(used especially of glances) directed
to one side with or as if with doubt or
suspicion or envy

askew

adj

Turned or twisted toward one

side,Turned or twisted to one side

Charge falsely or with malicious

intent; attack the good name and
reputation of someone,

A disparaging remark,An abusive

attack on a person's character or
good name,The act of sprinkling
water in baptism (rare)

assault,Use aggressive force

against,Launch assault on; begin
hostilities or start warfare
with,Aggressively challenge in
speech or writing

asperse

aspersion

assail

assail

Use aggressive force against

"Nightmares assailed him regularly"
Launch assault on; begin hostilities or
start warfare with
"Serbian forces assailed Bosnian
towns all week"
Aggressively challenge in speech or
writing
"The editors of the left-leaning paper
assailed the new House Speaker"

An appraisal of the state of affairs,A

substance that is undergoing an
analysis of its components,A written
report of the results of an analysis of
the composition of some substance,A
quantitative or qualitative test of a
substance (especially an ore or a
drug) to determine its components;
frequently used to test for the
presence or concentration of
infectious agents or antibodies etc.,
Analyse (chemical substances),Make
an effort to accomplish something
Agreement with a statement or
proposal to do something

assay

assay

assent

assent

assiduous

adj

To agree or express agreement

Marked by care and persistent effort
hard-working, diligent, persistent

assiduous

adj

Marked by care and persistent effort

Take up mentally,Become similar to

one's environment,Make similar,Take
(gas, light or heat) into a solution,
(phonetics) become similar in sound,
absorb, cause to become
homogeneous

assimilate

assuage

astigmatism n

ease, lessen (pain), Cause to be more

favourably inclined; gain the good
will of, Satisfy (thirst), Provide
physical relief, as from pain
Eye Defect that prevents proper
focus

astral

adj

relating to stars

astringent

adj

Sour or bitter in taste,Tending to draw

together or constrict soft organic
tissue, A drug that causes contraction
of body tissues and canals, binding,
causing contraction

astute

adj

asunder
asunder

adj
adv

Marked by practical hardheaded

intelligence
into parts, apart, Widely separated
especially in space
Into parts or pieces

atheistic

adj

Rejecting any belief in gods,Related

to or characterized by or given to
atheism

atone

Make amends for,Turn away from sin

or do penitence, pay for

The quality of being shockingly cruel

and inhumane,An act of atrocious
cruelty

wasting away,A decrease in size of an

organ caused by disease or
disuse,Any weakening or
degeneration (especially through lack
of use)

attenuate

make thin,(chemistry) weaken the

consistency of (a chemical
substance),Become weaker, in
strength, value, or magnitude ,

attenuate
attribute
attrition
atypical

adj
n
n
adj

Reduced in strength,
essential quality
gradual wearing down
not normal

adj

daring, bold, Invulnerable to fear or

intimidation,Disposed to venture or
take risks,Unrestrained by convention
or propriety

atrocity

atrophy

audacious

An event that is experienced as

indicating important things to come

adj

very impressive, majestic, profoundly

honored, of or befitting a lord,
inspiring awe or reverence, of high
rank of birth

The outermost region of the sun's

atmosphere; visible as a white halo
during a solar eclipse,An indication of
radiant light drawn around the head
of a saint

adj

Of or relating to the atmospheric

phenomenon auroras, Characteristic
of the dawn

austere

adj

Very plain, appearing grim and

minimally functional,Of a stern or
strict bearing or demeanour;
forbidding in aspect,Practising great
self-denial, morally strict, severely
simple.

autocrat

A cruel and oppressive dictator

mechanism that imitates actions of

humans, Someone who acts or
responds in a mechanical or
apathetic way,A mechanism that can
move automatically

augury

august

aureole

auroral

automaton

avarice

Reprehensible acquisitiveness;
insatiable desire for wealth
(personified as one of the deadly
sins),Extreme greed for material
wealth, passion for accumulating
riches

avenge

Take revenge for a perceived wrong

aver

state confidently,Report or
maintain,To declare or affirm
solemnly and formally as true

averse

adj

(usually followed by 'to') strongly

opposed, reluctant

avert

avian

adj

Prevent the occurrence of; prevent

from happening,Turn away or aside
(zoology) pertaining to or
characteristic of birds

aviary

Enclosure for birds

avid

adj

1. eager and enthusiastic, 2. greedy

secondary or minor occupation, An

auxiliary activity, side business,
casula or occasional occupation

avocation

Admit openly and bluntly; make no

bones about, to put into words
positively and with conviction

avow

To declare or affirm solemnly and

formally as true,Admit openly and
bluntly; make no bones about

avuncular

adj

like a uncle, jolly, indulgent

awash

adj

Covered with water

awry

adv

distorted, crook,Away from the

correct or expected course,Turned or
twisted to one side

awry

adj

Turned or twisted toward one

side,Not functioning properly

avouch

axiom

azure
azure
azure

slef evident truth requiring no proof,

a saying that is widely accepted on
its own merit

adj
n
v

sky blue, Of a deep somewhat

purplish blue colour similar to that of
a clear October sky
A light shade of blue
Colour azure

332

Sentence

Syn

Similar

Ant

"they sang an a cappella mass"

"they performed a capella"

"we ate la carte"

menu

a posteriori demonstration

"an a priori judgment"

"she danced with abandon"

"He abased his colleague by

criticising him in front of the boss"

a posteriori

exuberance,
unconstraint
chagrin,
humble,
humiliate,
mortify

"One would think that Owen's failure

even to pick up the hammer at the
bell-ringing contest would thoroughly
abash him, but he laughed about it" embarrass

"The storm abated"

die away,
let up,
slack,
slack off,
slake

restraint

cherish, extol

church
archimandrite
renounce,
"The King abdicated when he married resign,
a divorcee"
quit

assert, usurp

"The industrialist's son was

abducted","this muscle abducts"

kidnap,
nobble,
snatch

adduct (Draw a
limb towards
the body)

"aberrant behaviour"
"The mechanism producing these
aberrant transcripts needs further
investigation"

deviate,
deviant

normal, same

encourager

" there were so many issues at hand

that the Governmnet decided to keep
few problems in abeyance for a
suspension,
while"
remission

"She abhors cats"

abominate,
execrate,
loathe

"abject cowardice","the most abject

slaves joined in the revolt"; "abject
poverty","abject surrender","an
abject apology"

low,low-down,
miserable,
scummy,
scurvy,
unhopeful

she abjured her beliefs

forswear,
recant,
resile,
retract

revival,
continuance

"she ablactated her baby when he

was 3 months old and started him on wean
powdered milk"

"abnegation of the holy trinity"

denial, self
renunciation,
self
abnegation,
self denial

she abominates cats

abhor,
execrate,
loathe, hate

" the aboriginal peoples of africa"

primal,
primeval,
native,
indigenous,
indigen,
aborigine,
primordial

" the aboriginal peoples of africa"

primal,
primeval,
native,
indigenous,
indigen,
aborigine,
primordial

The mayor, despite his avuncular

visage plastered about the city, was
hardly aboveboard some concluded
that it was his ingratiating smile that
allowed him to engage in corrupt
behavior and get away with it.
The judge would not abrogate the
law.
"The priest absolved him and told
him to say ten Hail Mary's","I absolve free, justify,
you from this responsibility"
shrive

temperate

"abysmal misery"; "abysmal

stupidity","the abysmal depths of the
ocean","it was an abysmal
performance"
unfathomable
"The government acceded to the
acquiesce,
military pressure","accede to the
assent,
throne","The Maestro acceded to the bow[2],
request for an encore"
submit

"an accolade for bravery"

award,
laurels,
honor

fall,natural
Over the course of her college career, growth;
she managed to accrue a great deal a periodic
of knowledge.
increase
"The suspect was acquitted of the
murder charges"
"he acquitted himself with dignity"
n
final decision
final judgment
v
assoil
Bear
v
behave
1. "The suspect was acquitted of the
carry
murder charges"
clear
2. "he acquitted himself with dignity"
comport
conduct
deport
discharge
exculpate
exonerate

"he stands acquitted on all charges"

misconduct

n
conviction
v
convict

rotten
appeal,
prayer,
suppliance,
adjuration
""He admonished the child for his
bad behaviour"
"He admonished his listeners to
change their wicked ways

a letter of admonition about the

dangers of immorality
circlet,
decoration
politicians and movie actors thrive on
the adulation of their yes man and
cronies
opponent,
antagonist,
resister
auspices,
"the tournament was held under the breastplate,
aegis of the city council"
protection

"an affable smile"

"the affectation of a man who

measures every word for effect"
"an affectation of calm"

amiable,
cordial,
genial,
courteous

pretension
pretentiousne
ss
affectedness
artificiality
insincerity

"too affected to speak"

artificial,
pretented

"they studied forerunners of

affluence or poverty"

richness
Noisy quarrel,
A noisy fight,
altercation,
disturbance,,
fracasfray,
ruffle

But our sin is above all a personal

affront to God.
"turning his back on me was a
deliberate affront"

Exasperate,
offend,
insult,
provoke

"Both of us are die hard aficionados

of coffee and books"
The song set the hearts aflutter

buffs,
devotess, fans,
lovers, rooters,
sports fan
nervous

"with its sails afoul"

"Man obsessed with trains again runs
afoul of law"

Conciliate,
content,
gratify,
honour

"This drug aggravates the pain"

Some pundits predict that the recent
economic downturn is only going to
be aggravated by the implosion of
the housing market.
appalled,
"The union was aghast at the news
dismayed,
that up to 1500 jobs were to be lost" shocked
"leaped up with surprising agility"

nimbleness

doubter
"The internet users are agog over
Google"

Excited

"he accepted with alacrity"

briskness,
smartness

bay

"Mr. Smith, alias Mr. Lafayette"

a.k.a.

excuse
self"every day he had a new alibi for not justification
getting a job"
exculpation
"good alimentary stew"
nourishing

"allay the fears","The cold water

allayed his thirst"

assuage,
ease,
quench,
relieve,
slake

apologue,
emblem,
fable,
parable
"This pill will alleviate your
headaches","you could alleviate the
process by sharing your knowledge"
The airports monorail alleviates
vehicular traffic.
"He alluded to the problem but did
not mention it", relief indirectly

assuage,
relieve,
palliate,
facilitate,
ease
advert,
touch

did you catch that allusion?

"climbed aloft to unfurl the sail",
"the good news sent her spirits
aloft","eagles were soaring aloft";
"dust is whirled aloft","weather
conditions aloft are fine"
"stood apart with aloof dignity"
"the local gentry and professional
classes had held aloof for the school
had accepted their sons readily
enough"
mountaineer
mountain
climber
affray,fracas

"among his gifts is his capacity for

true altruism"

selflessness

female warrior
equivocal

Sam was ambivalent about studying

for the GRE because it ate up a lot of
her time, yet he learned many words
and improved at reading
comprehension.
uncertain
"Bobbie told Reggie she was going to
amble over to the post office"
"an ambulatory corridor","the patient
is ambulatory"
it has an ambulatory and seven
chapels
waylay

"The editor ameliorated the

manuscript with his changes","The
weather ameliorated toward evening" improve
"someone amenable to
persuasion","an amenable
hospitalization should not result in
untimely death"; "the tumour was not acquiescent,
amenable to surgical treatment","the susceptible,
president is amenable to the
conformable,tr
constitutional court"
actable
something is amiss
"something went badly amiss in the
preparations","if you think him guilty
you judge amiss"; "he spoke amiss";
"no one took it amiss when she spoke
frankly","Miss Bennet would not play
at all amiss if she practised more"

awry,
wrong,
faulty,
imperfectly

intractable,
nonconforming

pardon
"a completely amoral person"

unmoral

romantic,
amative,
"feeling amorous","amorous glances" amatory
amputate limbs

cut off

"when the restaurant caught fire the

patrons ran amuck, blocking the
exit","rioters running amuck and
throwing sticks and bottles and
stones"
berserk
"the soldier was completely amuck"

charm,
talisman

misdating,
mistiming
"salmon roe is marketed as
analogous to caviar"; "brains and
computers are often considered
analogous","the wings of a bee and
those of a hummingbird are
analogous"

correspondent,
comparable

homologous,
heterologous

"he is an anathema to me"

Hundreds of years ago, Galileo was
anathema to the church; today the
church is anathema to some on the
left side of the political spectrum.

bte noire

account,report

"It anguishes me to see my children

not being taught well in school"

hurt, pain,
torment,
torture

censure
animus
animosity

"the plague annihilated an entire

population"

decimate,
eliminate,
eradicate,
carry off, wipe
out, extinguish

"The scholar annotated the early

edition of a famous novel","He
annotated on what his teacher had
comment,footn
written"
ote,gloss
"his retirement fund was set up to be
paid as an annuity"
rente

nullify

analgesic
analgesic

"advanced forms of life may be

anomalous in the universe"

abnormal,
unnatural,
irregular

"slaves antagonistic to their

masters","his antagonistic
brusqueness"; "Europe was
antagonistic to the Unites States"
"Stone tools antecede bronze tools"

antipathetic,in
compatible
precede

"phrenology was an antecedent of

modern neuroscience"

ancestors,
forerunners
ancient,
antiquated

"antediluvian man", "a ramshackle

antediluvian tenement";
"antediluvian ideas"
"I love anthropomorphic sculpture, so
I was delighted to see pictures that
resembled a girl"
humanlike

"cats were his greatest antipathy"

aversion,
distaste,
dislike

antediluvian,
antiqued,
archaic,
"a ramshackle antiquated tenement" obsolete
oppositeness,
opposition,
rhetorical
"his theory is the antithesis of mine" device
indifference,
numbness,
spiritlessness
"Her little brother apes her
behaviour","The drawing aped the
President"

"a biting aphorism", "the old aphorim apothegm,

'travel broadens the mind' has been adage, maxim,
wholly forgotten."
proverb, clich

assuredness

"possessing apocalyptic power"

The apogee of the Viennese style of

music, Mozarts music continues to
mesmerize audiences well into the
21st century.

devastating,
annihilating,
revelatory
questionable

culmination

stroke

renunciation,
defection,
tergiversation
An apostate of the Republican Party,
Sheldon has yet to become affiliated
with any party but dubs himself a
literal independent.

deserter,
ratter,
recreant,
renegade,
turncoat
aphorism
adage
maxim
proverb
clich

self-assurance

The Hawaii natives believed that

Captain Cook, when he first arrived to
Hawaii, was a god coming to visit
him; his apotheosis was short lived,
because when he return later in the
year, the Hawaiians realized that
Cook was no god and summarily
executed him.
As difficult as it is to imagine, the
apotheosis of Mark Zuckerbergs
deification
career, many believe, is yet to come. exaltation
ideal
Many consider Beethovens 9th
nonesuch
symphony the apotheosis of the
paragon
composers long and varied output. saint
"The scandalous behavior of this
married woman appalled her
friends","I was appalled at the
thought of being late for my
interview"

alarm,
horrify,
scandalise,
offend

"we were unprepared for the

apparition that confronted us","I was
recalled to the present by the
apparition of a frightening spectre","a fantasm,
ghostly apparition at
phantom,
midnight","natives were amazed at
shadow,
the apparition of this white stranger" specter
assuage,
conciliate,
gentle,
lenify,
mollify,
pacify,
quell,
stay,
allay,
"She managed to appease the angry alleviate,
customer","appease my hunger"
mitigate
designation,
denomination,
name,
title

aggravate,
annoy,
incite,
irritate,
provoke,

"He appended a glossary to his novel

where he used an invented
language","append a charm to the
necklace","'It doesn't matter,' he
appended"
"the successful copywriter is a
master of apposite and evocative
verbal images"

apt
pertinent

"the police apprehended the

suspected criminals"

arrest,
dread,
perceive

"I apprised him that the rent was

due","Have the students been
apprised of the tuition hike?,"The yen
apprised again!","The Germans want
to apprise the Deutsche Mark"

advise
appreciate
instruct
notify
revalue
commendation
citation

"When you take the unique shape of

Swarovski's aquiline crystal beads
and drill them on top, you have an
amazingly striking pendant"
hooked, curved
"a thousand hectares of arable land cultivable,
were destroyed"
tillable
"an arbitrary decision"; "the arbitrary
rule of a dictator"; "an arbitrary
penalty"; "of arbitrary size and
shape"; "an arbitrary choice";
"arbitrary division of the group into
halves"

"the arcane science of dowsing"

unreasonable,
capricious,
imperious,
tyrannical,
despotic
botanical
garden

esoteric

The baroness was arch, making

playful asides to the townspeople;
yet because they couldnt pick up on
her dry humor, they thought her
supercilious.
abbot

"they were imbued with a

revolutionary ardor","he spoke with
great ardor"

zeal,
elan,
fervor,
fire,
heat,
passion

"worked their arduous way up the

mining valley","your willingness after
these six arduous days to remain
strenuous,
here","the arduous work of preparing hard,
a dictionary"
toilsome
"they don't speak our argot"
"This song takes off from a famous
aria"

song,
vocal

"the pine woods were more

aromatic","an aromatic organic
compound",A fragrant plant or spice

redolent
accuse,
criminate,,
impeach,
reprimand,
indict

An arrant fool, Lawrence surprised

nobody when he lost all his money in
a pyramid scheme that was every bit
as transparent as it was corrupt.
"an arrant fool"
The city center was aflutter with
arrivistes who each tried to outdo
one another with their ostentatious
sports cars and chic evening dress.

He arrogated his suitcases at the

airline counter,
gully

fire-raising,
incendiarism,

"the method has no artifacts from

using a low-resolution pixelization"
ruse,
deception,
trickery
"The artisan crafted a complicated
tool"

craftsman

"an artless admission of

responsibility","an artless manner";
"artless elegance","an artless
translation","artless persons have full ingenuous,
means of knowing with absolute
uncultivated,
certainty God's existence"
uncultured

"her apparent ascendancy of her

husband was really her attempt to
make him pay attention to her"

control,
dominance

"Be systematically
ascetic...do...something for no other
reason than that you would rather
not do it"

"ascetic
practices"

impute, assign,
attribute

"a face turned ashen"

bloodless

"It was in this last category that the

asinine comments began"

mindless,
inane,
vacuous,
stupid

"he looked askance at the offer","did

not quite turn all the way back but
looked askance at me with her dark
eyes"
"her eyes with their misted askance
look"
squint
awry,
cockeyed,
wonky,
crrokedly,
"a...youth with a gorgeous red
slanted,
necktie all askew","rugs lying askew" at an agle
besmirch,
calumniate,
defame,
denigrate,
slander,
smear,
smirch,
sully
calumny,
defamation,
denigration,
"in the 19th century any reference to slander,
female sexuality was considered a
slur,
vile aspersion", "if you are casting
sprinkling,
aspersions on my ability to drive, let obloquy,
me inform you that I have been
infamy,
driving a car for over twenty years
censure,
now."
vituperation
"Nightmares assailed him
regularly","Serbian forces assailed
Bosnian towns all week","The editors assault,
of the left-leaning paper assailed the attack,
new House Speaker"
snipe

calmness,
happiness,
kindness

assault,
attack,
snipe

analyse,
evaluate,
try,
attempt,
check,
"they made an assay of the contents" seek
"He assayed to shake off his fears"
"he gave his assent eagerly"
"The Maestro assented to the request
for an encore"
"her assiduous attempts to learn
French"; "assiduous research"
"her assiduous attempts to learn
French"; "assiduous research"

accede,
acquiesce,
acquiescence
sedulous
Sedulous

"he assimilated the knowledge or

beliefs of his tribe","Immigrants often
want to assimilate quickly","This
country assimilates immigrants very
quickly","The nasal assimilates to the
following consonant"
"This pill will assuage your
headaches", "She managed to
assuage the angry customer", "The
relieve,
cold water assuaged his thirst", "This slake,
pill will assuage your headaches"
pacify

planetary,
celestial,
sidereal

"astringent cosmetic lotions"

acerb, acerbic,
styptic

"an astute tenant always reads the

small print in a lease"

savvy,
sharp,
shrewd,
wise

"as wide asunder as pole from pole"

"torn asunder"

apart

"atheistic leanings"

"atone one's sins"

repent,
aby,
expiate

"a textbook which detailed war

atrocities"

adj: atrociousShockingly
brutal or cruel

"the attenuate tones of an old

recording"

insolent,
fearless, brave,
bareface,
"audacious explorers","an audacious brazen,
trick to pull","audacious visions of the hardy, intrepid,
total conquest of space"; "an
venturous,
audacious interpretation of two
daring ,
Jacobean dramas"
bold,

careful,
timid,

"he hoped it was an augury",

foretoken,
preindication,
sign,
omen,
prophecy,

grand, lordly,
revered,
venerable,
baronial,
brilliant,
eminent,
exalted,
" of august lineage", "august holy
majestic,
men", " the august beauty of the old stately,
cathedral", " an august justice of the awesome,
supreme court"
honored,

raffish,
undignified

Sun's crona,
halo, glory,
aura, corona,
nimbus,
gloriole
"a prominent green line in the
spectrum of the auroras is called the
'auroral line'", "a dim auroral glow"

"an austere expression", "a desert

nomad's austere life" he lived an
austere life of a monk in th foothills
of himalayas.

rogorous,
stringent,
rugged,
strict,
stern

"the propagandistic iconography of

an autocrat"

tyrant,
despot

"only an automaton wouldn't have

noticed"

robot, zombie,
golem

sybaritic

The Spanish conquistadors were

known for their avarice, plundering
Incan land and stealing Incan gold.

covetousness,
avaritia,
cupidity,
rapacity,
greed,
acquisitiveness
;

altruism

"He wants to avenge the murder of

his brother"

revenge,
retaliate,
pay back

forbear,
pardon, forgive

" some politicians are motivated by

avarice"

affirm,
assert,
swear,
"He averred that he was the victim of verify,
a crime","Before God I aver I am
avow,
innocent"
allege

"averse to taking risks"

"avert a strike","They averted their

eyes when the King entered"

inimical,
loath,
nasty,
perverse

caring,
liking,
loving,
sympathetic

ward off,
prevent, avoid,
debar, obviate,
forfend

Noun; aversionA feeling of

intense
dislike,The act
of turning
yourself (or
your gaze)
away

"avian flu"
volary, bird
sanctuary

"avid admirer of rock band" "avid

fan" "whole family as avid (greedy)
for success.

fervent,
zealous,
athirst,
avaricious,
gluttonous,
ambitious

loath,
dispassionate,
indifferent,
uninterested

" her avocation was collecting

stamps"

hobby, pursuit,
sideline, spare
time activity,
diversion ,
pastime,
recreation,
amusement

profession,
vocation

" she avouched that she herself was

innocent"

"Before God I avow I am innocent"

avow, aver,
assert, affirm

divulge, assert,
aver, avouch,
declare,
acknowledge

condemn,
deny, disclaim,
disown,
dispute,
renounce,
repudiate,
disavow, deny

The raw dictionary definition of

avuncular (relating to an uncle)
strikes many as absurd. After all, just
whose uncle are we talking about
here? What the word connotes is far
more apt: resembling that cool, jovial
uncleyou know, the one, always
cracks jokes and, when you were a
child, often saved you from getting in
trouble by shouldering some of the
blame (oh no, that was actually my
idea to eat all the cookies before
dinnertimelittle Timmy boy only
took a bite).
And thats the essence of a person
who is avuncular: heand it can
really only be a he
inundated,
flooded,
"the main deck was awash"; "the
overflowing,
monsoon left the whole place awash" afloat

"something has gone awry in our

plans","with his necktie twisted
awry", " your cap is sawry"
"a...youth with a gorgeous red
necktie all awry","something is awry"

askance,
askew,
cockeyed,
amiss,
haywire, wrong

on course

" it is axiom that nature absorbs a

vacuum"

maxim,
theorem,
law,
principle ,
truism,
adage,
aphorism,
apthegm,
device, dictum,

"October's azure weather", his

favorite color was azure

cerulean,
blue,
pale blue,
deep blue,
sky blue ,
lazuline,
sapphire

"Morning azured the village"

absurdity,
ambiguity,
paradox

Casual
Notes/Mnemonics

a-base: lowering
than the base

a-bash: feeling
bashed up

Pics

Verb- abet- Assist or

encourage, usually in
some wrongdoing, "
"Did Herald aid and
abet a crime?""
Adjective-abeyantInactive but capable
of becoming active
"her feelings of
affection are abeyant
but easily awakened"
(Syn -Dormant)

It usually refers to
government officials
who are honest.

n-acquittance:
adj-acquitted

adj-Affluent
The center of the city
had sadly become a
pit of penury, while,
only five miles away,
multi-million dollar
homes spoke of
affluence.

I am the biggest
afficionado of
panipuri. "I met few
crazy afficionados of
Vishal shekar duo at
their last concert."

If a fly is dive
bombing on to a
friends head, he or
she may say, Gosh,
this fly is aggravating
me. Colloquially,
this is fineat least
to some. But as soon
as you are writing, or
dealing with English
the written language
(which means the
GRE), aggravate
should only be used
to mean to make
something that is
already bad worse.

So imagine the first

day at a job that
youve worked really
hard to get. How are
you going to
complete the tasks
assigned to you?
With alacrity, of
course.

panchtantra

commentscommon
stock and trade
amongst the
supercilious crowd
is a good way to
describe
animadversions.
Lets say you submit
a paper, and the
teacher, appalled by
your writing, spills a
tide of red ink across
the page. At the
bottom, along with a
very low grade, are
several critical
comments, or
animadversions The word sometimes
carries a connotation
of public censure.
Say that same
teacher points out to
the rest of the class
how dangling
modifiers mar your
writing. Well, then
you are a victim of
animadversion
(hopefully youve
never had such a
teacher!).

pralay

The first definition

and the more
common one is For
example:

This word is similar

to parvenu (though
arriviste connotes
more ruthless
ambition).

"bhugatna"

Noun: audacity,
audaciousnessboldness, daring

Verb/n: augur-Be a
sign of something to
come, esp.
something important
or bad, a person who
fortells the future,
soothsayer, prophet

Noun: aurora-The
first light of day

Noun -austeritysterness, severity,

lack of luxuries.
autocracy (n)absolute rule by one
person or a state so
ruled

Word

Fig

bacchanalian

adj

Meaning
Used of riotously drunken
merrymaking

back burner

Reduced priority

badger

badinage

bailiwick
bait

n
v

balderdash

baleful

adj

balk
balk
ballyhoo
ballyhoo

v
n
n
v

banal

adj

bandy

bandy

adj

Annoy persistently,Persuade
through constant efforts
Frivolous banter, playful, teasing
talk

Sentence
"a night of bacchanalian revelry"
"dozens of cases were put on the
back burner"
"The children badgered the boy
because of his stammer"
Badgered by his parents to find a
job, the 30-year-old loafer instead
joined a gang of itinerant
musicians.

The area over which a bailiff has

jurisdiction
A branch of knowledge
one's p[articular area of activity,
authority or interest, generally
used in the context of politicians
strong consistency or an area
where a private company's
"in what bailiwick is his
products dominate the market.
doctorate?"
harass, tease,
Trivial nonsense, senseless talk
or writing
"the Florida eagles have a fierce
baleful look","a baleful look"
The strange liquid could be baleful
if ingested
After she was fired, she realized it
Deadly or sinister,Indicating evil was a baleful move to point the
intent or suggesting tragic
blame at her
developments
superior.
to stop or refuse to proceed,
pause or hold back in
uncertainity,
hindrance
loud, exaggerated , sensational
Advertise noisily or blatantly

trite; without freshness or

originality, Repeated too often;
overfamiliar through overuse

Attending parties became trite

after a few weeks. It was a banal
suggestion to have the annual
picnic in the park, since that was
where it had been for the past five
years.
"his remarks were trite and
commonplace"; "the trite
metaphor 'hard as nails'"; "his
remarks were trite and banal"

1. (sport) toss or strike a ball

back and forth
2. Exchange blows
3."We bandied around these
3. Discuss lightly
difficult questions"
Have legs that curve outward at "The tall man hit the bandy-legged
the knees
fellow over the mouth"

Something causing misery or

death

bane

baneful
banter
bantering

adj
v
adj

bard

bard

"the bane of my life"

Not wearing a seat belt could be
deadly or causing distress, death baneful.
Be silly or tease one another
Cleverly amusing in tone
"a bantering tone"
poet, a lyric poet, an ornament
caparison for a horse.
bard the horses for the festive
put a caparison on
occasion

A nobleman (in various

countries) of varying rank
A very wealthy or powerful
businessman

A noblewoman who holds the

rank of baron or who is the
wife or widow of a baron

baron

baroness

baroque

Base

adj

highly ornate, Having elaborate

symmetrical ornamentation

"all those frilly facades and

windows are ridiculously baroque"
The baroque artwork was made up
of intricate details which kept the
museumgoers
enthralled.
The baroque furnishings did not fit
in the plain, modest home.

She was not so base as to

begrudge the beggar the
unwanted crumbs from her
dinner plate.

adj

bastion

bate

batten

fortress, defense, a group that

defends a principle, a stronghold " a bastion against corruption"
into which people could got for
The strength of the bastion saved
shelter during a battle
the soldiers inside of it.
"He bated his breath when talking
Moderate or restrain; lessen the about this affair"; "capable of
force of, let down, restrain,
bating his enthusiasm"
The team could only batten by
to gain
drafting the top player.

trifle, a mock scepter carried by

a court jester, cheap showy
jewellery or ornamnet on
clothing, a showy yet useless
thing

bauble

The woman had many baubles on

her bookshelf.

bawdy

beacon

adj

indecent obscene, humorously

vulgar, lewd or obscene talk or
writing
A fire (usually on a hill or tower)
that can be seen from a
distance,A radio station that
broadcasts a directional signal
for navigational purposes,A
tower with a light that gives
warning of shoals to passing
ships

"bawdy songs" "they published a

collection of Elizabethan bawdy"
It is the one bright
beacon of liberal education in the
country, and the public outcry now
should be regarded primarily as a
wellmeaning token of
widespread goodwill for DU.

beatific

adj

beatitude

giving bliss, blissful, experiencing

or bestowing celestial joy,
marked by utter benignity,
resembling or befitting an angel " a beatific peace" "a beatific
or saint
smile"
blessedness, state of bliss, a
state of supreme happiness

adj

If something is becoming, it is
appropriate, and matches
"her becoming modesty"
nicely.
"a becoming new shade of
According with custom or
rose"; "a becoming portrait"
propriety
Her dress was becoming and
Displaying or setting off to
made her look even more
best advantage
beautiful.

Becoming
bedizun

bedraggle

decorate tastelessly, dress up

with vulgar finery, dress up
garishly and tastelessly
wet thoroughly, make wet and
dirty as from rain

befuddle

beget

Begrudge

beguile

Be confusing or perplexing to;

cause to be unable to think
clearly
Make stupid with alcohol
to bring into being, produce, give
rise to, father
Be envious of; set one's heart on
Wish ill or allow unwillingly
1.Influence by slyness
2. Attract; cause to be
enamoured

1.Someone or something that is

abnormally large and powerful
2.A person of exceptional
importance and reputation

behemoth

beholden

behoove

"This question befuddled even the

teacher"
The king wished to beget a new
heir.

"She beguiled all the men's

hearts"

adj

indebted to, Under a moral

obligation to someone

The children were beholden to

their parents for the car loan.
"So that disclosure itself, in turn, is
beholden for its success to those
who disclose"

to be advantageous; to be
necessary, Be appropriate or
necessary
be suited to, be incumbent upon

It will behoove the students to buy

their textbooks early.
"It behooves us to reflect on this
matter"

1.To work at or to absurd length

2. Attack verbally with harsh
criticism
3.Beat soundly

1. "belabor the obvious"

2."She was belabored by her
fellow students"

beleaguer

1. Annoy persistently
2.Encircle as a military tactic

1."The children beleaguered the

boy because of his stammer"
2."The Turks beleaguered Vienna"

belie

1.Be in contradiction with

2.Represent falsely

"This statement belies my

intentions"

belabor

"This statement belies my

intentions"
"Her surface calm belied her
roiling emotions"
Belie

Be in contradiction with
Represent falsely

"The effortless fluidity with

which the pianists fingers
moved belied the countless
hours he had practiced."
"Her upbeat attitude during the
group project belied her
inherent pessimism towards
any collective endeavor."

belli

bellicose

An event used to justify starting

a war

adj

Having or showing a ready

disposition to fight
"bellicose young officers"
warlike, and inclined to quarrel

Known for their bellicose ways, the

Spartans were once the most
feared people from Peloponnesus
to Persia.

belligerent

adj

belligerent

1.Characteristic of an enemy or
one eager to fight
"a belligerent tone"
2.Engaged in war
"belligerent nations"
Someone who fights (or is
fighting)

v
n
n
adj

The girl was bemused by her

troubles.
to preoccupy in thought,Cause to "This play will delight and bemuse
be confused emotionally
you with its nimble humour"
blessing
gift giver, patron
kindly, doing good

bemuse
benediction
benefactor
beneficient

"benighted travellers hurrying

toward home"
"this benighted country";
"benighted ages of barbarism
and superstition"

benighted

benign
benison

adj

adj
n

bent

adj

bequeath

bequest

berate

bereavement

bereft

(v.;
adj.)

berserk,

adj

beseech

Overtaken by night or
darkness
Lacking enlightenment,
knowledge or culture
1.(pathology) not dangerous to
health; not recurrent or
progressive (especially of a
tumour)
2.Pleasant and beneficial in
nature or influence
3.Kindness of disposition or
manner
4. mild; harmless
blessing
1.Fixed in your purpose
2.Of the back and knees:
stooped
3.Of metal e.g.
4.Not straight; dishonest,
immoral or evasive
5.Brit, vulgar] Homosexual
Leave or give by will after one's
death
(law) a gift of personal property
by will

Censure severely or angrily,

scold strongly
State of sorrow over the death or
departure of a loved one

to be deprived of ;
to be in a sad manner;
hurt by someones death
Unhappy in love; suffering from
unrequited love

Far from being a period of utter

benightedness, The Medieval
Ages produced some
inestimable works of
theological speculation.

2. "the benign sky"; "a benign

smile"
3."the benign ruler of millions";
"benign intentions"
4. A lamb is a benign animal,
especially when compared with a
lion.

1."bent on going to the theatre"

2."with bent back"
3."bent nails"
"My aunt bequeathed me all her
jewellery"

The deputy berated the Prime

Minister
The child was berated by her
parents for breaking the china
vase

"bereft of hope"
The loss of his job will leave the
man bereft of many luxuries.
The widower was bereft for many
years after his wifes death
"She is merely a deviant but bereft
female in need of masculine
direction and control"

"berserk with grief"; "a berserk

Frenzied, out of control, One of
worker smashing windows", The
the ancient Norse warriors
elephant that is the emblem of DU
legendary for working
has not gone berserk, nor is it
themselves into a frenzy before a marching off into an
battle and fighting with reckless academic wilderness to lie down
savagery and insane fury
and die.
The soldiers beseeched the
Ask for or request earnestly
civilians for help.

beset

besiege

besmirch

harass, trouble

1. Encircle as a military tactic

2. Cause to feel distressed or
worried
3. Harass, as with questions or
requests

1. "The Turks besieged Vienna"

2. "She was besieged by so many
problems that she got
discouraged"
3. "The press photographers
besieged the movie star"

1. Charge falsely or with

malicious intent; attack the good
name and reputation of someone
2. Smear so as to make dirty or The soot from the chimney will
stained
besmirch clean curtains.

To be intensely infatuated
with something is to be
besotted with it
Marked by foolish or
unreasoning fondness
Besotted

bestial
bte noire

adj

adj
n

"he was besotted with her"

[archaic] Very drunk

"I had travelling money and got

besotted in the bar downstairs"

having the qualities of a beast;

brutal
A detested person

"a bestial nature"; "bestial

treatment of prisoners"
The bestial employer made his
employees work in an unheated
room.
"he is a bte noire to me"

Reveal unintentionally
Deliver to an enemy by
treachery
Disappoint, prove
undependable to; abandon,
forsake
Betray

betroth

"Her smile betrayed her true

feelings"
"The spy betrayed his country"
"His sense of smell betrayed
him this time"

"She betrays her husband"

Be sexually unfaithful to one's
partner in marriage
"He betrayed his classmate
who had cheated on the exam"
Give away information about
somebody
"The insurance company
betrayed me when they told
Cause someone to believe an me they were covering my
untruth
house"

to promise or pledge in marriage, The man betrothed his daughter to

become engaged to marry
the prince.
"he was surrounded by a bevy of
beauties in bathing attire"; "a
bevy of young beach boys
swarmed around him"
"we were visited at breakfast by a
bevy of excited ducks"
"Let's not bicker over pennies"

bevy
bicker
bigotry

n
v-n
n

bigotry

A large gathering of people of a

particular type
A flock of birds (especially when
gathered close together on the
ground)
quarrel, Argue over petty things
stubborn, intolerance
A prejudiced person who is
intolerant of any opinions
differing from his own

adj

elating to or containing bile

Relating to or containing bile
Suffering from or suggesting a
liver disorder or gastric distress
Irritable as if suffering from
indigestion

"bilious female semi-celebs of a

certain age"

Cheat somebody out of what is

due, especially money
Hinder or prevent (the efforts,
plans, or desires) of
Evade payment to
Escape, either physically or
mentally

"bilk your opponent"

"He bilked his creditors"
"The thief bilked the police"

bilious

bilk

billow
billowing

v
adj

bivouac

bivouac

bland

adj

blandishment
blarney

n
n

blarney

blas

blasphemous

blasphemy

blatant

1.Rise up as if in waves
1."smoke billowed up into the sky"
2.Move with great difficulty
2."The soldiers billowed across the
3.Rise and move, as in waves or muddy riverbed"
billows
3."The army billowed forward"
4.Become inflated
4."The sails billowed"
rising or swelling like waves
"the restless billowing sea"
1. (military) temporary living
quarters specially built by the
army for soldiers
2. A site where people on holiday "wherever he went in the bivouac
can pitch a tent
the men were grumbling"
"Can we go bivouacking again this
Live in or as if in a tent
summer?"
1.Lacking taste, flavour or tang
2.Lacking stimulating
characteristics; uninteresting
3.Smoothly agreeable and
courteous with a degree of
sophistication
flattery
The act of urging by means of
teasing or flattery
Flattery designed to gain favour
Influence or urge by gentle
urging, caressing, or flattering

1."a bland diet"

2."a bland little drama"
3."he was too bland to quarrel
with so important a personage"

"He blarneyed her into going

along"

adj

1.Very sophisticated especially

because of surfeit; versed in the
ways of the world
2.Nonchalantly unconcerned
3. Uninterested because of
frequent exposure or indulgence
bored with pleasure or
dissipation

1.."the blas traveller refers to the

ocean he has crossed as 'the
pond'"
2."a blas attitude about
housecleaning"
3."his blas indifference"; "a
petulant blas air"

adj

1.irreligious; away from

acceptable standards;
2. speaking ill of, using profane
language

The upper-class parents thought

that it was blasphemous for their
son to marry a waitress.
His blasphemous outburst was
heard throughout the room.

Blasphemous language
(expressing disrespect for God or
for something sacred)
Blasphemous behaviour; the act
of depriving something of its
sacred character
"blasphemy of the Holy Sabbath"
Without any attempt at
concealment; completely obvious
"blatant disregard of the law"; "a
blatant appeal to vanity"
Conspicuously and offensively
loud; given to vehement outcry
"blatant radios"

adj

1. blatant disregard of the law; "a

blatant appeal to vanity"
The blatant foul was reason for
1. Without any attempt at
ejection.
concealment; completely obvious The defendant was blatant in his
2. Conspicuously and offensively testimony.
loud; given to vehement outcry 2. "blatant radios"

adj

1.Offering little or no hope

2.Providing no shelter or
sustenance
3.Unpleasantly cold and damp

1."prospects were bleak"; "Life in

the Aran Islands has always been
bleak and difficult"
2."the bleak treeless regions of
the high Andes"
3."bleak winds of the North
Atlantic"

adj

causing frustration or destruction

Affected by blight; anything that
mars or prevents growth or
prosperity

The blighted tornado left only one

building standing in its wake.
"blighted urban districts"; "a
blighted rose"

blinkered

to have a limited outlook or

understanding.
Put blinders on (a horse)

In gambling, the addict is

easily blinkered by past
successes and/or past failures,
forgetting that the outcome of
any one game is independent
of the games that preceded it

blithe

adj

"1. ""spoke with blithe ignorance

of the true situation""
Lacking or showing a lack of due 2. ""was loved for her blithe
concern
spirit""
"spoke with blithe ignorance of
The wedding was a blithe
the true situation"
celebration.
Carefree and happy and
The blithe child was a pleasant
lighthearted
surprise."
"was loved for her blithe spirit"

n/v

(military) a swift and violent

military offensive with intensive
aerial bombardment, Fight a
quick and surprising war

blatant

bleak

blighted

adj

blitzkrieg.

A club used as a weapon

Overcome or coerce as if by
using a heavy club
"The teacher bludgeoned the
students into learning the maths
formulas"
Strike with a club or a bludgeon
to foretell something, Be a sign The storm bode that we would not
of something to come, esp.
reach our destination.
something important or bad
"These signs bode bad news"

bludgeon
bludgeon

n
v

bode

v
adver
b
In a carefree manner

boisterously

bombast

Pompous or pretentious talk or

writing

"she was boisterously happy"

After he delivered his bombast at
the podium, he arrogantly left the
meeting.
The presenter ended his bombast
with a prediction of his future
success.

bombastic

adj

pompous; wordy; turgid

boomerang

Return to the initial position from

where it came; like a boomerang

A curved piece of wood; when

properly thrown will return to
thrower
A miscalculation that recoils on
its maker

boomerang

The bombastic woman talks a lot

about herself.

Return to the initial position

from where it came; like a
boomerang
boomerang

v
n

A curved piece of wood; when

properly thrown will return to
thrower
A miscalculation that recoils
on its maker

boor
bouillon

n
n

a rude person
A crude uncouth ill-bred person
lacking culture or refinement
clear beef soup, broth

bourgeoisie,

The social class between the

lower and upper classes

bovine

adj

bovine

bowdlerize
braggart

v
adj

braggart
bravado

n
n

brawn

brazen
brazen

adj
v

breach

The boor was not invited to the

party, but he came anyway.

Of or relating to or belonging to
the genus Bos (cattle)
Dull and slow-moving and stolid;
like an ox
"showed a bovine apathy"
Any of various members of the
genus Bos
Edit by omitting or modifying
parts considered indelicate
Exhibiting self-importance
A very boastful and talkative
person
A swaggering show of courage
Quality of having muscular
strength

"bowdlerize a novel"
"braggart talk"

1. Unrestrained by convention or
propriety
2. Made of or resembling brass
(as in colour or hardness)
"brazen arrogance"
Face with defiance or impudence brazen it out
1. Act in disregard of laws, rules,
contracts, or promises
2. Make an opening or gap in
"breach all laws of humanity"

breach

brevity

bridled

1. A failure to perform some

promised act or obligation,
breaking of contract or duty
2.An opening (especially a gap in
a dike or fortification)
3.A personal or social separation 3. "they hoped to avoid a breach
(as between opposing factions) in relations"

1. The use of brief expressions

2. The attribute of being brief or On Top 40 AM radio, brevity was
fleeting
the coin of the realm.

Anger or take offence

"She bridled at his suggestion to
elope"
Put a bridle on
"bridle horses"
Respond to the reins, as of
horses

brindled

adj

bristle

1. mixed with a darker color

2. Having a grey or brown streak
or a pattern or a patchy
colouring; used especially of the
patterned fur of cats
1.A stiff fibre (coarse hair or
filament); natural or synthetic
2.A stiff hair

bristle

1.Be in a state of movement or

action
2. Rise up as in fear
3. Have or be thickly covered
with or as if with bristles
4. React in an offended or angry
manner

broach

to introduce into conversation

bromide

A trite or obvious remark

1.In order to get matching paint

we made a brindled mixture.
2. "They saw a furry moth with
brown wings and a brindled brown
and white pattern"

1."The garden bristled with

toddlers"
2."The dog's fur bristled"
3."bristling leaves"
4."He bristled at her suggestion
that he should teach her how to
use the program"
Broaching the touchy subject was
difficult.

brood

The young of an animal cared for

at one time

brood

Think moodily or anxiously about

something, Hang over, as of
something threatening, dark, or
menacing,Be in a huff and
display one's displeasure,Be in a
huff; be silent or sullen,Sit on
(eggs)

"The terrible vision brooded over

her all day long",
"She is brooding because
she didn't get what she
wanted","Birds brood"

browbeat

1. Be bossy towards, bully,

intimidate
2.Discourage or frighten with
threats or a domineering
manner; intimidate

"Her big brother always browbeat

her when she was young"

brusque

bucolic
buffoonery

adj

Marked by rude or peremptory

shortness
abrupt in manner or speech

adj
n

1.(used with regard to idealized

country life) idyllically rustic
2.Relating to shepherds or
herdsmen or devoted to raising
sheep or cattle
Acting like a clown or buffoon

"try to cultivate a less brusque

manner"
His brusque answer was neither
acceptable nor polite.

1. "a pleasant bucolic scene"

2."bucolic seminomadic people"

bugaboo

bullion

1. An imaginary monster used to

frighten children
2. A source of concern
"the old bugaboo of inflation still
object of baseless terror
bothers them"
1. A mass of precious metal
2. Gold or silver in bars or ingots

n
v

1. An embankment built around a

space for defensive purposes
2. A fencelike structure around a
deck (usually plural)
3. A protective structure of stone
or concrete; extends from shore
into the water to prevent a beach 1. "they stormed the bulwarks of
from washing away
the city"
Defend with a bulwark

bulwark
bulwark

bumptious

adj

bungler

burgeon

Offensively self-assertive,
arrogant
a clumsy person, Someone who
makes mistakes because of
incompetence

He was bumptious in manner as

he approached the podium to
accept his
anticipated award.
"The bumptious manners of a
countryman could not be avoided"
" the one who broke the vase was
truly a bungler"
"a farcically inept bungler"

1. Grow and flourish

2. Produce buds, branches, or
germinate

1. "The burgeoning
administration"; "The burgeoning
population"
The tumor appeared to burgeon
more quickly than normal. After
the first punch
was thrown, the dispute
burgeoned into a brawl.
2. "the potatoes burgeoned forth"

burlesque

Make a parody of

His stump speeches were so

hackneyed,
he seemed to be burlesquing of
his role as a congressman.

burlesque

adj

Relating to or characteristic of a
burlesque

"burlesque theatre"

burlesque

A theatrical entertainment of
broad and earthy humour;
consists of comic skits and short
turns (and sometimes
striptease), A composition that
imitates or misrepresents
George Burns was considered one
somebody's style, usually in a
of the great practitioners of
humorous way
burlesque.

burly

adj

strong; bulky; stocky

The lumberjack was a burly man.

to polish by rubbing

The vase needed to be burnished

to restore its beauty.
"burnish the wooden floors"

buttoned-up

[Brit] Not inclined to

conversation,Conservative in
professional manner

"employers are looking for

buttoned-up types"

buxom

adj

1. (of a woman's body) having a

large bosom and pleasing curves
2. (of a female body) healthily
plump and vigorous

1. "Hollywood seems full of buxom

blondes"
2. "a generation ago...buxom
actresses were popular"

If self-esteem loses its precise

meaning and descends to the
level of a mere buzzword, it may
Stock phrases that have become not be taken seriously by those
nonsense through endless
we are attempting to reach the
repetition
very people who need it the most.

burnish

adj

buzzword

v
brook
n

"The new secretary had to

brook a lot of unprofessional
v-Put up with something or remarks"
somebody unpleasant
None of these facts brook
n-A natural stream of water disagreement, but here the
smaller than a river (and
unity ends
often a tributary of a river)
"the brook dried up every
summer"

133

Syn
orgiastic,
carousing

tease ,
pester,
annoy,
bug
banter,
josh,

Casual Notes/Mnemonics

To badger simply means to

pester repeatedly. Perhaps a
buzzing fly comes to mind,

discipline,
field of study,
subject area,
diocese,
realm
piffle,
fiddle-faddle

harmful, malign,
detrimental,
baneful

hype

trite,
hackneyed

kick around

n-banality-A trite or obvious

remark

Pics

curse,
nemesis,
scourge,
baleful

churrigueresque,
extravagant;
ornate;
embellished

When the definition of this

word came into existence,
there were some obvious
biases against the lower
classes It was assumed
that those from the base,
or the lowest, class were
without any moral
principles. Hence, we have
this second definition of
base

citadel

bangle,
fallal,
gaud,
geegaw,
kickshaw,
novelty,
trinket

bawdry,
off-colour,
ribald

beacon fire,
pharos

angelic, sainted,
saintly
dizen,

decorous

draggle

baffle

resent,
envy
amuse,
delude,
cheat
giant,
colossus,
goliath

obligated

badger,
besiege,
circumvent,
siege,
besiege
contradict,
misrepresent,
negate,

contradict
negate
misrepresent

combative,
battleful

discombobulate
benison

In each case, the outward

appearance does not
match up with the reality.
That contradiction is the
essence of belie.

dark

benediction

determined

legacy

scold; reprove;
reproach; criticize
mourning

amok,
amuck, berserker,
demoniac,
demoniacal,
possessed

If the sky darkens, and

becomes night, it is,
unsurprisingly, benighted.
However, if a people are
benighted (this word is
usually reserved for the
collective), that group falls
in a state of ignorance.

beleaguer,
circumvent,
surround, siege

soil,
defile

v-besot-Make dull or stupid

or muddle with
drunkenness or infatuation
Perhaps, you find yourself
studying words into the
wee hours of morning,
Vocab Wednesdays playing
continuously through your
head as you sleep. If so,
you are besotted with
words. Typically, our
affections or infatuations
take human form, as all of
us at some point, have
been besotted with another
person

brutal,
beasty,
beastlike

To betray means to go
against ones country or
friends. Right? Well, yes,
but not always. Especially
on the GRE. To betray
means to reveal or make
known something, usually
unintentionally.

gathering,
assemblage
dogmatism

Bigot

swindle,
cheat

surging

encampment

soothing,
mild,
dull

cajole,
coax

profane

sacrilege

blazing,
vociferous,
conspicuous,
flagrant

cold, cheerless

If you blink a lot you are

likely to miss something.
Indeed, your view would be
very limited.

playful,
gay,
joyous,
happy; cheery;
merry;
a cheerful
disposition

throw stick,
backfire

backfire

barbarian

middle class
bovid,
cowlike,
placid and dull

expurgate,
shorten,
castrate

bluster
sturdiness,
brawniness

insolent

adj- boorish, rude, clowninsh

fissure, gap
briefness;
shortness
transience,
consciousness

Open Up
platitude,
banality,
clich

grizzle, incubate,
stew,
cover,
hatch,
cover,
hatch,
bulk large,
dwell
,grizzle

snippy,
short,
abrupt,
blunt

rustic,
pastoral

bugbear

gabbar

arrogant

stumbler

germinate, shoot,
sprout

V- Bungle-spoil by clumsy
behaviour

charade,
lampoon,
mockery,
parody,
pasquinade,
put-on,
sendup,
spoof,
takeoff,
travesty

buff,
gloss,
polish,
furbish

taciturn,
conservative

voluptuous

cant

Word

cabal

Fig

n
v

Meaning

Sentence

1. A clique (often secret) that

seeks power usually through
intrigue, a small group of persons
secretly united to promote their
own interests
2. A plot to carry out some
harmful or illegal act (especially a
political plot)
v-Engage in plotting or enter into
a conspiracy, swear together

cache
(kash)

n
v

Hiding Place,A hidden storage

space (for money, provisions or
weapons)
A secret store of valuables or
money
v--Save up as for future use

cacophony

1. A loud harsh or strident noise

2. Loud confusing disagreeable
sounds

cadaver

corpse,The dead body of a human "the cadaver was intended

being
for dissection"

Cadaverous

adj

"the rebel army had a cache

of weapons in the cave"

Some actors take challenging

roles in which they have to
lose so much weight that
Very thin especially from disease,
they appear cadaverous.
hunger or cold
"emaciated cadaverous
hands"

cadence

rhythmic rise and fall (of words

and sounds), beat,(prosody) the
accent in a metrical foot of
verse,The close of a musical
section,A recurrent rhythmical
series

cajole

coax, wheedle, Influence or urge

by gentle urging, caressing, or
flattering

"He cajoled her into going

along"

adj
v

1. Emotionally hardened
2. Having calluses; having skin
made tough and thick through
wear
v-Make insensitive or callous;
deaden feelings or morals

1. "a callous indifference to

suffering"
2. "with a workman's callous
hands"

callous

" we wished the tone of

Irwin's words would have a
more pleasing cadence, but
he spoke in a dull monotone

callow

adj

Young and inexperienced

a callow enterprise

calumny

A false accusation of an offence or

a malicious misrepresentation of
someone's words or actions,An
abusive attack on a person's
character or good name, slander

With the presidential

primaries well under way, the
air is thick with calumny, and
the mud already waist-high.

camaraderie

The quality of affording easy

familiarity and sociability

cameo

sheel or jewel carved in relief

canard

A deliberately misleading
fabrication

"an exquisite cameo"

candour
candor

canker

canny

adj

"let us have a courage to give

advice with candour"
Ability to make judgments free
"his candour is refreshing"
from discrimination or dishonesty
"candour about the
The quality of being honest and
succession would be unwise,
straightforward in attitude and
those who are noty picked
speech
might quit"
A fungal disease of woody plants
that causes localized damage to
the bark
"according to him, I was the
An ulceration (especially of the
canker in their midst"
lips or lining of the mouth)
A pernicious and malign influence
shrewd
that is hard to get rid of
thrifty
"a canny lawyer"
Showing self-interest and
shrewdness in dealing with others
"unions...have never been as
cantankerous about
demarcation as the
shipbuilders"
"a cantankerous and
venomous-tongued old lady"

cantankerous adj

1. Stubbornly obstructive and

unwilling to cooperate
2. Having a difficult and contrary
disposition

cantata

A musical composition for voices "one library will commission a

and orchestra based on a religious cantata using text from the
text
novel as lyrics"

slow gallop, A smooth three-beat

gait; between a trot and a gallop
canter

n
v

canto

division of a long poem,

canvass

determine votes, etc. ,Get the

opinions (of people) by asking
specific questions,Solicit votes
from potential voters in an
electoral campaign,Consider in
detail and subject to an analysis in
order to discover essential
features or meaning

capacious

adj

caparison

n/v

v-(riding) ride at a canter

Go at a canter, of horses
(riding) ride at a cantering pace

spacious, large in capacity

Stable gear consisting of a
decorated covering for a horse,
especially (formerly) for a
warhorse

"The men cantered away"

"He cantered the horse
across the meadow"

"she carried a capacious bag"

" it is credible that consentia

did capitulate to rome"
capitulate

surrender under agreed conditions

With its munitions close to nil,

the platoon was forced to
capitulate

caprice

capricious

adj

captious

adj

carafe

A sudden desire, a sudden fanciful

change of mind, mood or opinion
fickle,
incalculable,Changeable,Determin
ed by chance or impulse or whim
rather than by necessity or
reason,
Tending to find and call attention
to faults
glass water bottle, decanter ,A
bottle with a stopper; for serving
wine or water

"he bought it on a caprice"

"a capricious summer
breeze","a capricious
refusal"; "authoritarian rulers
are frequently capricious"
"a captious pedant"

"a cardinal rule","cardinal

numbers"
adj

chief,Serving as an essential
component,Being or denoting a
numerical quantity but not order

careen

lurch; sway from side to side,Walk

"The drunken man careened
as if unable to control one's
into the room","The ship
movements,Move sideways or in
careened out of control"
an unsteady way

caricature

n/v

distortion, burlesque,
A representation of a person that
is exaggerated for comic effect,

carnage

The savage and excessive killing

of many people, destruction of life

adj

1. Marked by the appetites and

passions of the body
2.Of or relating to the body or
flesh

cardinal

carnal

Most cultures consider

gambling a cardinal sin and
thus have outlawed its
practice.

"The drawing caricatured the

President"

"carnal knowledge"
"carnal remains"

carousal

Revelry in drinking; a merry

drinking party

carp

v-n

v-Raise trivial objections, to find

fault
n- large freshwater fish

carping

adj

Persistent petty and unjustified

criticism

"critics from both the side

already started carping about
this"

carrion

The dead and rotting body of an

animal; unfit for human food

"vultures usually feed on

carrion or roadkill"

"but the main purpose of this

post is not to carp, but to
ask"

carte blanche n

"they have carte blanche for

Complete freedom or authority to whatever they want to write"
act
"hunters cant expect carte
blanche access"

cartographer

mapmaker

cascade

n
v

1. small waterfall, A small

waterfall or series of small
waterfalls
2.A succession of stages,
operations, processes or units
3. "progressing in severity as
though a cascade of genetic
damage was occurring";
"separation of isotopes by a
cascade of processes"
"a sudden cascade of sparks"
4. A sudden downpour (as of tears
or sparks etc) likened to a rain
shower
v-Rush down in big quantities, like
a cascade
(computing) arrange (open
windows) on a computer desktop
so that they overlap each other,
with the title bars visible

castigate

cataclysm

catapult

cataract

Censure severely
Inflict severe punishment on
Punish
to reprimand harshly

"She castigated him for his

insensitive remarks"
Drill sergeants are known to
castigate new recruits so
mercilessly that the latter
often break down during their
first week in training.

A sudden violent change in the

earth's surface
An event resulting in great loss
and misfortune

"the whole city was affected

by the irremediable
cataclysm"

n
v

1. A plaything consisting of a Yshaped stick with elastic between

the arms; used to propel small
stones
2. A device that launches aircraft
from a warship
3. An engine that provided
medieval artillery used during
sieges; a heavy war engine for
hurling large stones and other
missiles
v-Shoot forth or launch, as if from
a catapult
Hurl as if with a sling

An eye disease that involves the

clouding or opacification of the
natural lens of the eye
A large waterfall; violent rush of
water over a precipice

catechism

categorical

catharsis

A series of questions put to an

individual (such as a political
candidate) to elicit their views
An elementary book summarizing
the principles of a Christian
religion; written as questions and
answers

"at the same time a whole

catechism of thought crime
has been deployed to stop
real discussion"
"there is neither an encyclical
nor a catechism that spells
out political strategy for
achieving legislative goals"

adj

1. Relating to or included in a
category or categories
2. Not modified or restricted by
reservations

"a categorical denial"-one

without exceptions, it covers
every category

purging or cleansing away any

passage of the body.
(psychoanalysis) purging of
emotional tensions
purification that brings emotional
relief or renewal
"catholic in one's tastes"

catholic

adj

Jonahs friends said that

Jonahs taste in music was
Free from provincial prejudices or
eclectic; Jonah was quick to
attachments
point out that not only was
embracing everything, universal
his taste eclectic but it was
also catholic: he enjoyed
music from countries as farflung as Mali and Mongolia.
" it will welcome you and so
will the caucus of lucid
n-A closed political meeting
malcontents"
A group of like-minded people with " but the straw poll isn't often
shared concerns
an indicator of who will go on
v-Meet to select a candidate or
to win the caucus"
promote a policy
"here are the final pitches
they will get from caucus
captains"

caucus

n-v

causal

n-(grammar) a word (such as

because) that expresses a reason "a causal relationship
n-adj or a cause
between scarcity and higher
adj-Involving or constituting a
prices"
cause; causing

cauterize

cavalcade

cavil

n-v

Burn, sear, or freeze (tissue) using

a hot iron or electric current or a
"The surgeon cauterized the
caustic agent
wart"
Make insensitive or callous;
deaden feelings or morals
A procession of people travelling
on horseback
n-An evasion of the point of an
argument by raising irrelevant
distinctions or objections
v-Raise trivial objections

"The children cavorted in

the garden"
"the players cavorted
about the pitch"

cavort

Play boisterously
jump or dance around
excitedly.

AS the taxi drivers

cavort about town they
don't sigh for the good
old days
She goes home
depleted, while her
white colleagues cavort
on the tennis court
While their mothers
doze, the half brothers
cavort near their snoring
father.

cede

transfer, yield title to

Give over; surrender or relinquish "The squatters had to cede
to the physical control of another the building after the police
Relinquish possession or control
moved in"
over

celebre

An incident that attracts great

public attention
He performed his task with
great celerity.
We drove home with celerity!

celerity

speed, rapidity, A rate that is

rapid

As the storm sewer fills, the

flow will return to subcritical
as the celerity increases
rapidly.
The findings support the
swiftness or celerity element
of deterrence theory.

celibate

adj
n

celibate priests
"she stayed celibate, never
Abstaining from sexual intercourse dating, in order to maintain
n-An unmarried person who has
her cover"
taken a religious vow of chastity
"celibate life is in response to
feeling called by God to be a
priest"

censorious

adj

Harshly critical or expressing

censure

"was censorious of petty

failings"

censure

v-n

centaur

centurion

cerebral

adj

cerebration

cerulean

adj

cerulean
cessation

n
n

cession

chafe

n-v

chaff

v-n

blame, criticize, Rebuke formally

n-Harsh criticism or
disapproval,The state of being
excommunicated
(classical mythology) a mythical
being that is half man and half
horse
(ancient Rome) the leader of 100
soldiers
1. Involving intelligence rather
than emotions or instinct
2. Of or relating to the cerebrum
or brain
The process of using your mind to
consider something carefully
Of a deep somewhat purplish blue
colour similar to that of a clear
October sky
A light shade of blue
A stopping
The act of ceding, yielding to
n-Soreness and warmth caused by
another
friction
n-Anger produced by some
annoying irritation
v-warm by rubbing, make sore by
rubbing
v-Feel extreme irritation or anger
v-Be silly or tease one another
n-worthless products of an
endeavor
Material consisting of seed
coverings and small pieces of
stem or leaves that have been
separated from the seeds

1. "a cerebral approach to the

problem"; "cerebral drama"
2."cerebral hemisphere";
"cerebral activity"
"cerebration always made
him frown"
"October's cerulean weather"

"a cessation of the thunder"

n-"he had a nasty chafe on
his knee"
v-"He was chafing at her
suggestion that he stay at
home while she went on a
vacation"

v-"After we relaxed, we just

chaffed around"

"He chagrined his colleague

by criticising him in front of
the boss"

chagrin

v
n

Cause to feel shame; hurt the

pride of
n-Strong feelings of
embarrassment, vexation,
disappointmental

"Much to my chagrin, I began

to giggle during the eulogy at
the funeral"
" Doug was filled with chagrin
when he lost the race
because he had put his shoes
on the wrong foot"

" is the council tax going to

be her poisoned chalice"

chalice

goblet, consecrated cup

chapfallen

adj

Brought low in spirit

A composition that imitates or

misrepresents somebody's style,
usually in a humorous way, A word
acted out in an episode of the
"lets get these charlatans for
game of charades
what they deserve!"

charlatan

A flamboyant deceiver; one who

attracts customers with tricks or
jokes

charm
offensive

chary

adj

chasm

charade

chassis

"left us fatigued and

chapfallen spiritually"

"if she did, she could hardly

conclude that lemass was an
unprinciples charlatan"
"and then we are suppose to
keep our mouth shut about
these religious charlatans"

A campaign (e.g. by a politician or

company) to gain people's support
"chary of the risks involved";
and become more popular
"a chary investor"
Jack was wary of GRE words
Characterized by great caution
that looked similar, because
and wariness
they usually had different
" Bill was sos tupid that his
definitions; not so with chary,
girlfriend wondered whether
a word that he began to use
there wasn't a chasm where
interchangeably with wary.
his brain should be"
A deep opening in the earth's
surface
"The bad guys were gaining ,
so the hero grabbed the
heroine abnd swung across
the chasm on a slender vine"
The skeleton of a motor vehicle
consisting of a steel frame
supported on springs that holds
the body and motor
An alternative name for the body
of a human being
A metal mounting for the circuit
components of an electronic
device

"Leonardo studied the

chassis"

Adj

Morally pure (especially not

having experienced sexual
intercourse),Pure and simple in
design or style,Abstaining from
unlawful sexual intercourse

1. Censure severely
2. Restrain
3. Correct by punishment or
discipline

"a holy
woman
innocent
and
"its
owner
who had
laughed
chaste","a
chaste
border
of
previous
week
seemed
rather
conventionalized flowers"
chastened"
"chastened by the
experience, I was not to be
tempted by any devilish
religion ever afterward"
Though chastised for his
wanton abuse of the pantry,
Lawrence shrugged off his
mothers harsh words, and
continued to plow through
jars of cookies and boxes of
donuts

1. Censure severely

"She chastised him for his

insensitive remarks"
"chastise the man for their
inappropritae clothing"

Personal as opposed to real

property; any tangible movable
property (furniture or domestic
animals or a car etc)

A person with a prejudiced belief

in the superiority of his or her own
kind
An extreme bellicose nationalist
blindly devoted patriot
An extreme bellicose nationalist

Checkered

adj

Marked by changeable fortune

A checkered past is one that is
marked by disreputable
happenings.

chequered

cherub

cherubic

chaste

chasten

chastise

chattel

Chauvinist

One by one, the presidential

candidates dropped out of the
race, their respective
checkered pastsfrom
embezzlement to infidelity
sabotaging their campaigns.

Patterned with alternating squares

"a chequered business
of colour
career"
Marked by changeable fortune
A sweet innocent baby
An angel of the second order
whose gift is knowledge; usually
portrayed as a winged child
Having a kind personality,
"a cherubic face"
befitting an angel or cherub

chicanery

chid

chide

Chimera
n
(kye MEER uh)

The use of tricks to deceive

"political news would be dull
someone (usually to extract
were it not for the chicanery
money from them) especially legal
of our elected officials"
or political
"The deputy chided the Prime
scold, Censure severely or angrily
Minister"
"The deputy chided the Prime
Censure severely or angrily
Minister"
"her
dream of becoming a
an illusion
movie star was just a
foolish fancy
chimera"
A grotesque product of the
"tales of grotesque serpents
imagination
eight fathoms long that
A deep-sea fish with a tapering
churned the seas"
body, smooth skin, and long
"but it is their very multithreadlike tail
purpose scope that often
Distorted and unnatural in shape
defeats them, they create
or size; abnormal and hideous
"his
Utopia
is not as
virtual
chimeras"
Being or relating to or like a
chimerical commonwealth
chimera
but a practical improvement
Produced by a wildly fanciful
on what already exists"
imagination

chimerical

chiropodist

A specialist in care for the feet

chivalrous

adj

Being attentive to women like an

ideal knight

choleric

adj

hot-tempered
quick to anger

"He may be described not as

a conventionally chivalrous
hero at all"

(medicine) being long-lasting and

"chronic indigestion"; "a
recurrent or characterized by long
chronic shortage of funds"; "a
suffering
chronic invalid"
chronic

adj

Of long duration
Habitual

churlish

adj

"chronic money problems"

"a chronic smoker"

[Brit] (informal) very bad or

serious

"unemployment was chronic"

Rude and boorish

Having a bad disposition; surly

"churlish as a bear"

churrigueresq
adj
ue

ciliated
circlet

circuitous

adj

circumlocutio
n
n

circumscribe

circumspect

adj

Having elaborate symmetrical

ornamentation
Having a margin or fringe of
hairlike projections
Decorated metal band worn
around the head
A small circle
Roundabout
not following a direct path
Marked by obliqueness or
indirection in speech or conduct
Deviating from a straight course

"the explanation was

circuitous and puzzling"
"a long and circuitous journey
by train and boat"

A style that involves indirect ways

of expressing things
An indirect way of expressing
something

" the lawyer's circumlocution

left everyone in the
courtroom wondering what
had been just said"

1. Draw a line around

2. Restrict in quantity or scope

"the constitution clearly

circumscribes the restrictions
that can be placed on our
personal freedoms"
"barbed wire fence and
armed guards circumscribed
the movement of the
prisoners"

cautious
Heedful of potential consequences

"as a public speaker, Nick

was extremely circumspect:
he always took great care not
to say the wrong thing or give
offense"
"circumspect actions";
"physicians are now more
circumspect about
recommending
use"end of
our hopes for anitsearly
the meeting were
circumvented by the
chairperson's refusal to deal
with the items on the agenda

circumvent

citadel

to frustrate as though by
surrounding
1. Encircle as a military tactic
2. Beat through cleverness and wit
1. "The Turks circumvented
3. Avoid or try to avoid fulfilling,
Vienna"
answering, or performing (duties,
2. "She circumvented her
questions, or issues)
competitors"
3. "They tend to circumvent
their responsibilities"
A stronghold into which people
could go for shelter during a battle

Apparent power to perceive things

that are not present to the senses

clairvoyance

clairvoyant

Someone who has the power of

clairvoyance
n-adj adj-Foreseeing the future,
Perceiving things beyond the
natural range of the senses

clamant

adj

1. Conspicuously and offensively

loud; given to vehement outcry
2. Demanding attention

"clamant radios"
"clamant needs"

clamber

v-n

v-Climb awkwardly, as if by
scrambling
n-An awkward climb

"reaching the crest was a real

clamber"

n-v

n-Loud and persistent outcry from

many people
n-A loud harsh or strident noise
v-Make loud demands
v-Utter or proclaim insistently and
noisilyv-Compel someone to do
something by insistent clamouring

n-"he ignored the clamor of

the crowd"
v-"he clamored for justice and
tolerance"
"The delegates clamored
their disappointment"
"They clamored the mayor
into building a new park"

clamor

"Indeed, there are fifteen

examples of purportedly
clairvoyant dreams in the
Bible"

Conducted with or marked by

hidden aims or methods
"clandestine intelligence
operations"

clandestine

n-A loud resonant repeating noise v-"the alarm clangored

v-Make a loud resonant noise
throughout the building"
v-Make a loud noise
"clangoring metal"

clangor

n-v

clarion

adj-Loud and clear

n-A medieval brass instrument
adj-nwith a clear shrill tone
v
v-(music) blow the clarion
Proclaim on, or as if on, a clarion

claustrophobi
n
a
clavicle
n

A morbid fear of being closed in a

confined space
collarbone

cleave

1.Separate or cut with a tool, such

as a sharp instrument
2.Make by cutting into
3. Come or be in close contact
with; stick or hold together and
resist separation

cleft

n-A split or indentation in

something (as the palate or chin)
n-A narrow planar hole in a rock or
material, usually with a flattish
sides
adj-Having one or more incisions
n-adjreaching nearly to the midrib
v
v-Separate or cut with a tool, such
as a sharp instrument
v-Make by cutting into
v-Come or be in close contact
with; stick or hold together and
resist separation

clemency

Good weather with comfortable

temperatures,
Leniency and compassion shown
toward offenders by a person or
agency charged with
administering justice

clerisy

An educated and intellectual elite

v-"a clarion call"

1. "cleave the bone"

2. "The water is going to
cleave a channel into the
rock"
3. "The dress cleaves to her
body"

"cleave the bone"

"The water is going to cleave
a channel into the rock"
"The dress cleaves to her
body"

"he threw himself on the

clemency of the court"

clich

A trite or obvious remark, phrase

dulled in meaning by repetition

clich
(klee SHAY)

A trite or obvious remark

overused saying or idea

clientele

Customers collectively

climactic

adj

clime

clique

An exclusive circle of people with

a common purpose

clod

A compact mass
An awkward stupid person

cloister

n-v

n-Residence that is a place of

religious seclusion (such as a
monastery)
n-(religion) a courtyard with
covered walks (as in religious
"cloister the garden"
institutions)
"She cloistered herself in the
v-Surround with a cloister, as of a office"
garden
v-Surround with a cloister
v-Seclude from the world in or as
if in a cloister

cloven

adj

cloy

coalesce

Add together different elements

Fuse or cause to grow together

cocker

Treat with excessive indulgence

coddle

to treat gently, Treat with

excessive indulgence
(cooking) cook in nearly boiling
water

codicil

(law) a supplement to a will; a

testamentary instrument intended
to alter an already executed will

relating to the highest point

Consisting of or causing a climax
region, climate
The weather in some location
averaged over some long period
of time

split, (used of hooves) split,

divided
Supply or feed to surfeit
Cause surfeit through excess
though initially pleasing

"they have an upper class

clientele"
"a climactic development"
"plants from a cold clime
travel best in winter"

"a clod of mud caught him on

the shoulder"

"cloven hoof"
"Too much spicy food cloyed
his appetite"
"The colours coalesce well"

"grandparents often coddle

the children"
"coddle eggs"

1-The act of compelling by force of

authority
"they didn't have to use
2.Using force to cause something coercion"
to occur

coercion

coeval

adj-Of the same period

adj-n n-A person of nearly the same age
as another

n-v

n-A subordinate who performs an

important but routine function
n-Tooth on the rim of gear wheel
v-Roll steel ingots
v-Join pieces of wood with cogs

adj

"a cogent argument"

His essay writing, while full of
clever turns of phrases, lacks
convincing, Powerfully persuasive,
cogency: the examples he
uses to support his points are
clear and persuasive.
at times irrelevant and, in
one instance, downright
ludicrous.

cogitate

think over,
Consider carefully and deeply;
reflect upon; turn over in one's
mind
"I've been cogitating all day
Use or exercise the mind or one's and getting nowhere"
power of reason in order to make
inferences, decisions, or arrive at
a solution or judgments

Cognac

cog

cogent

cognate
cognisance
cognitive

cognizant

High quality grape brandy distilled

in the Cognac district of France
1. Related in nature
2 (linguistics) having the same
n-adj
ancestral language
3. Related by blood
n
Having knowledge of
having to do with knowing or
perceiving
Of or being or relating to or
involving cognition
adj

(sometimes followed by 'of')

having or showing knowledge or
understanding or realization or
perception

n-"he was a small cog in a

large machine"

"cognate qualities"
"cognate languages"

"cognitive psychology";
"cognitive style"

"was cognizant of his

opponent's hostility"

A familiar name for a person

(often a shortened version of a
person's given name)
"Joe's mother would not use
The name used to identify the
his cognomen and always
members of a family (as
called him Joseph"
distinguished from each member's
given name)

cognomen

cognoscente

coiffure

n-v

colander

An expert able to appreciate a

field; especially in the fine arts
The arrangement of the hair
(especially a woman's hair)
v-Style or arrange hair attractively
Bowl-shaped strainer; used to
wash or drain foods

"the discriminating eye of the

cognoscente"
v-"coiffure my hair for the
wedding"

coliseum

collate

collateral

collateral

adj

colloquial
colloquy

collude

collusion

colossal

comatose

combat

adj

An oval large stadium with tiers of

seats; an arena in which contests
and spectacles are held
Compare critically; of texts,To
assemble in proper sequence,
examine in order to verify
authenticity, arrange in order
A security pledged for the
repayment of from
a loan
1.Descended
a common
ancestor but through different
lines
2.Serving to support or
corroborate
3.Accompany, concomitant
4.Situated or running
sidespoken
by side
Characteristic
of informal
language or conversation
A conversation especially a formal
one
Formal conversation

1."cousins are collateral

relatives"
2."collateral evidence"
3."collateral target damage
from a bombing run"
4."collateral ridges of
mountains"
"wrote
her letters in a
colloquial style"

Act in unison or agreement and in

secret towards a deceitful or
illegal purpose
"The two companies colluded to
cause the value of the stock to
fall"
conspiracy, secret cooperation
Agreement on a secret plot,(law)
tacit approval of someone's
wrongdoing
So great in size, force or extent as
to elicit awe

"the increase in oil prices was

the result of collusion by oil
producing nations:
"a stupendous field of grass";
"stupendous demand"

adj

Relating to or associated with a

coma
In a state of deep and usually
prolonged unconsciousness;
unable to respond to external
stimuli

"comatose breathing";
"comatose state"
"a comatose patient"

(military) an engagement fought

between two military forces,The
act of fighting; any contest or
struggle

"a combat broke out at the

hockey game"

Fight against; clash with

"The Kurds are combating

Iraqi troops in Northern Iraq";
"We must combat the
prejudices against other
races"

combat

comely

adj

comestible

comeuppance n

According with custom or

propriety
Very pleasing to the eye
Suitable for use as food
Any substance that can be used
as food
An outcome (good or bad) that is
well deserved

"comely behaviour"

comity

commandeer v

A state or atmosphere of harmony

or mutual civility and respect
"The Cubans commandeered
(crime) take arbitrarily or by force the plane and flew it to
Miami"

An object (such as a coin or

commemorati
postage stamp) made to mark an
n-adj
"a commemorative plaque"
ve
event or honour a person
Intended as a commemoration

commensurat
adj
e

Corresponding in size, degree or

extent

"pay should be
commensurate with the time
worked"
The convicted felons life
sentence was commensurate
to the heinousness of his
crime.

"Commiserate with him,

he knew that she herself
would not care"
commiserat
v
e

Until you have walked in

To feel or express sympathy his shoes, you cannot
or compassion
commiserate with him.
As a mother, I
commiserate strongly
with the woman whose
child was kidnapped.

commiserate v

To feel or express sympathy or

compassion

commodious

Large and roomy, spacious and

comfortable

adj

"Commiserate with him, he

knew that she herself would
not care"
"a commodious building
suitable for conventions"

"dipping each his bread into a

communal dish of stew"; "a
For or by a group rather than
communal settlement in
individuals
which all earnings and food
Relating to a small administrative
were shared"
district or community
"communal elections in
several European countries"

communal

compact

compatriots

compendium n

complacency n

A formal agreement between two

or more parties to perform or not
perform some action
A person from your own country
A publication containing a variety
of works
A concise but comprehensive
summary of a larger work
The feeling you have when you
"his complacency was
are satisfied with yourself
absolutely disgusting"

complacent

adj

Uncritically satisfied with oneself

or one's actions; not looking to
improve

complaisant

adj

"to close one's eyes like a

Showing a cheerful willingness to
complaisant husband whose
do favours for others
wife has taken a lover"

complement

n-v

Something added to complete,

embellish or make perfect
"a fine wine is a perfect
A word or phrase used to
complement to the dinner"
complete a grammatical
"a full complement"
construction
"a full complement of
A complete number or quantity
workers"
Number needed to make up a
"I need some pepper to
whole force
complement the sweet touch
v-Make complete or perfect;
in the soup"
supply what is wanting or form the
complement to

complicity

Guilt as an accomplice in a crime

or offence

"he had become complacent

after years of success"

1. "The children must learn to

comport"
2. "he comported himself
with dignity"

comport

v
n

1. Act well or properly; not be

naughty
2. Behave in a certain manner
n-A dish with a stem used for
serving fruit

They comport themselves

with a beguiling blend of
panache and precision.
For this reason, it is important
that candidates comport
themselves reciprocally.
His post doesn't comport with
the facts of the story.

compunction

concede

conceit

A feeling of deep regret (usually

for some misdeed)

1. Admit (to a wrongdoing)

2. Be willing to admit or forced to
agree
3. Give over; surrender or
relinquish to the physical control
of another
4. Acknowledge defeat

1. "She conceded that she

had taken the money"
2. "I concede you this much"
3."The candidate conceded
after enough votes had come
in to show that he would
lose"

1. Feelings of excessive pride

2. An elaborate poetic image or a
far-fetched comparison of very
dissimilar things
3. A witty or ingenious turn of
phrase
4. An artistic device or effect
5. The trait of being unduly vain
and conceited; false pride

"he could always come up

with some inspired off-thewall conceit"
"the architect's brilliant
conceit was to build the
house around the tree"

adj

v-conciliate-to make peace with.

Making or willing to make
concessions
Intended to placate

"loneliness tore through

him...whenever he thought
of...even the conciliatory
Louis du Tillet"
"a conciliatory visit"
His opponents believed his
gesture to be conciliatory, yet
as soon as they put down
their weapons, he
unsheathed a hidden sword.

concoct

Make a concoction (of) by mixing

(cooking) prepare or cook by
mixing ingredients
Invent
Devise or invent

"concoct charges"
"He concocted a plan to get
rich quickly"
"concoct a strange mixture"

concoction

Any foodstuff made by combining "he volunteered to taste her

different ingredients
latest concoction"

concord

A harmonious state of things in

general and of their properties (as
of colours and sounds); congruity
of parts with one another and with
the whole
The determination of grammatical
inflection on the basis of word
relations
Agreement of opinions

concordat

A formal agreement between two

or more parties to perform or not
perform some action

concur

Be in accord; be in agreement
Happen simultaneously

"We concurred on the terms

of the settlement"
"The two events concurred"

Behave in a patronizing and

condescending manner
Do something that one considers
to be below one's dignity
Debase oneself morally, act in an
undignified, unworthy, or
dishonourable way
Treat condescendingly

"You will condescend to help

the venerable servant of
God"
"I won't condescend to
reading other people's mail"

conciliatory

condescend

condescensio
n
n

The trait of displaying arrogance

by patronizing those considered
inferior,A communication that
"the queen's condescension
indicates lack of respect by
was intended to make us feel
patronizing the recipient,Affability
comfortable"
to your inferiors and temporary
disregard for differences of
position or rank

condiments

seasonings, spices
Express one's sympathetic grief,
on the occasion of someone's
death

condole

condone

Excuse, overlook, or make

allowances for; be lenient with

"She condoned her husband's

occasional infidelities"

conducive

adj

Tending to bring about; being

partly responsible for

"working conditions are not

conducive to productivity"

"You must condole the

widow"

confidant

confiscate

conflagration n

Someone to whom private matters

are confided
seize, commandeer,Take
temporary possession of as a
"The police confiscated the
security, by legal
stolen artwork"
authority,Surrendered as a penalty
A very intense and uncontrolled
fire
A place where things merge or
"Pittsburgh is located at the
flow together (especially rivers),A
confluence of the Allegheny
flowing together,A coming
and Monongahela rivers"
together of people
Flowing together,A branch that
flows into the main stream
Be confusing or perplexing to;
"These questions confound
cause to be unable to think clearly
even the experts"
Mistake one thing for another

confluence

confluent

adj/n

confound

confounds

Be confusing or perplexing to;

"These questions confound
cause to be unable to think clearly
even the experts"
Mistake one thing for another

congeal

Become gelatinous

congenial

adj

"a congenial atmosphere to

pleasant, friendly,Suitable to your
work in";
needs,(used of plants) capable of
"two congenial spirits
cross-fertilization or of being
united...by mutual confidence
grafted
and reciprocal virtues"

congenital

adj

Present at birth but not

necessarily hereditary; acquired
during foetal development

conglomerate. adj

1. Composed of heterogeneous
elements gathered into a mass
"the conglomerate peoples of New
England"
2. A composite rock made up of
particles of varying size

conglomerate. n

A group of diverse companies

under common ownership and run
as a single organization

conglomerate. v

Collect in one place, esp. growing

to a large number or quantity
Combine together into a larger
corporation

congruous

Corresponding in character or
kind,Suitable or appropriate
together

adj

"the liquid congealed after we

added the enzyme"

"translocations can result in

serious congenital disorders"

to guess, to deduce or infer on

slight evidence
A hypothesis that has been
formed by speculating or
conjecturing (usually with little
hard evidence)
conjecture

v
n

"he dismissed it as mere

conjecture"
"Scientists conjectured that
A message expressing an opinion
large dinosaurs lived in
based on incomplete evidence
swamps"
Reasoning that involves the
formation of conclusions from
incomplete evidence
To believe especially on uncertain
or tentative grounds
Summon into action or bring into
existence, often as if by magic

conjure

conniption

Ask for or request earnestly

Engage in plotting or enter into a
conspiracy, swear together

"conjure up the spectre of

unemployment"

A display of bad temper

"he had a conniption"

Agreement on a secret plot,(law)

tacit approval of someone's
wrongdoing

connivance

connive

connoisseur

connotation

"he conjured wild birds in the

air";

1. Encourage or assent to illegally

or criminally
2. Plot something harmful;
scheme in an underhand manner
An expert able to appreciate a
"the discriminating eye of the
field; especially in the fine arts
connoisseur"
What you must know in order to
determine the reference of an
expression
An idea that is implied or
suggested

conquistadors n

An adventurer (especially one who

led the Spanish conquest of
Mexico and Peru in the 16th
century)
A solemn commitment of your life
or your time to some cherished
purpose (to a service or a goal)
"his consecration to study"

consecration

consensus

(religion) sanctification of
something by setting it apart
(usually with religious rites) as
dedicated to God
Agreement in the judgment or
opinion reached by a group as a
whole
Full agreement between a number
of people

"the Cardinal attended the

consecration of the church"

"the lack of consensus

reflected differences in
theoretical positions"; "those
rights and obligations are
based on an unstated
consensus"

consonant

adj

consternation n

Involving or characterized by
"salaries consonant with
harmony
current trends"
In keeping
Fear resulting from the awareness
of danger

construe

Make sense of; assign a meaning

to, to interpret

How do you construe his

behaviour?

contemn

Look down on with disdain

"He contemns the people he

has to work for"

contemporane
n
ity

The quality of being current or of

the present,The quality of
belonging to the same period of
time

contemptible adj

Deserving of contempt or scorn

"You will say that it is vulgar

and contemptible to drag all
this into public"

Contentious

adj

like to argue
Inclined or showing an inclination
to dispute or disagree, even to
engage in law suits
Involving or likely to cause
controversy

"a style described as abrasive

and contentious"
"a central and contentious
element of the book"
She became increasingly
contentious, misconstruing
even an innocuous statement
as a hostile one.

contiguous

adj

Very close or connected in space

or time
Connecting without a break;
within a common boundary
Having a common boundary or
edge; abutting; touching

"contiguous events
"the contiguous 48 states"
"Utah and the contiguous
state of Idaho"

continent

adj

Having control over urination and

defecation,Abstaining from sexual "continent priests"
intercourse
depending on
A gathering of persons
representative of some larger
group

contingent

n
adj

Possible but not certain to occur

Determined by conditions or
circumstances that follow
Uncertain because of
uncontrollable circumstances

contingent

A gathering of persons
representative of some larger
group,(military) a temporary
military unit

"each nation sent a

contingent of athletes to the
Olympics"
"they had to plan for
contingent expenses"
"arms sales contingent on the
approval of Congress"

"each nation sent a

contingent of athletes to the
Olympics","the peacekeeping
force includes one British
contingent"

contingent

contort

Contrite

adj

adj

"they had to plan for

Possible but not certain to
contingent expenses","arms
occur,Determined by conditions or sales contingent on the
circumstances that
approval of Congress","the
follow,Uncertain because of
results of confession were not
uncontrollable circumstances
contingent, they were
certain"

Twist and press out of shape

to be remorseful.

"His body was twisted as if

someone had taken it and
twisted it beyond the natural
ability of a body to contort
itself"
Though he stole his little
sisters licorice stick with
malevolent glee, Chucky soon
became contrite when his
sister wouldnt stop crying.
"The court heard that he was
contrite and bitterly regretted
his actions"

contrive

contrived

adj

Make or work out a plan for;

devise
Come up with (an idea, plan,
explanation, theory, or principle)
after a mental effort
Put or send forth
Showing effects of planning or
manipulation

"They contrived to murder

their boss"
"contrive a way to measure
the speed of light"
"contrive a spell"
"a novel with a contrived
ending"

Artificially formal

Contumely

A rude expression intended to

offend or hurt

conundrum

A difficult problem

convenient n

Suited to your comfort,

purpose or needs
[archaic] Large and roomy

"a convenient excuse for

not going"
"a convenient harbour"

convivial

adj

Occupied with or fond of the

pleasures of good company

"a convivial atmosphere at

the reunion"; "a woman of
convivial nature"

copious

adj

Large in number or quantity

(especially of discourse)
Affording an abundant supply

"she took copious notes"

"copious provisions"

"that which is created is of

necessity corporeal and
visible and
tangible","corporeal
suffering"

corporeal

adj

Having material or physical form

or substance,Affecting or
characteristic of the body as
opposed to the mind or spirit,

corrigible

adj

Capable of being corrected or set "a corrigible defect"; "a

right
corrigible prisoner"

Reflect brightly
Be lively, brilliant or exhibit
virtuosity

"Unquarried marble
coruscated on the hillside"
"his playing coruscated
throughout the concert hall"

Marked by harshly abusive

criticism

"the judgement amounted to

a coruscating attack on the
intelligent design case"

Treat with excessive indulgence

"grandparents often cosset

the children"

coruscate

coruscating

cosset

adj

"a coterie of friends and

advisers"
There is always a fun-loving
coterie of practical jokers in
every club

coterie

An exclusive circle of people with

a common purpose

Speak to the significance of

your ideas beyond your
coterie.
His reliance on a coterie of
compatriots provoked
particular irritation.
One family lived in each
house, often with a coterie of
servants and rickshaw
pullers.

The appearance conveyed by a

person's face
countenance

n
v

Formal and explicit approval

The human face
Consent to, give permission

"a pleasant countenance"

"She countenanced her son
to visit her estranged
husband"

counterpart

coup

A duplicate copy
A person or thing having the same
function or characteristics as
another

The four top military officers

highly successful action or sudden
involved in the coup were
attack
acquitted by the Supreme
Court

Everybody concerned
worries about what to do
about the mammoth,
expensive haute couture
shows
couture

High fashion designing and

dressmaking

covenant

A formal agreement between two

or more parties to perform or not
perform some action

covert

adj

Secret or hidden; not openly

"covert actions by the CIA";
practised or engaged in or shown "covert funding for the
or avowed
rebels"

The ageing haute

couture guru expressed
disillusionment with
today's more
commercial fashion
industry.

covetous

adj

Strongly wanting someone else's

position, advantages or
possessions
Immoderately desirous of
acquiring e.g. wealth
to cow means to use intimidation
to make someone give in.

"he was never covetous

before he met her"; "jealous
of his success and covetous
of his possessions"
"casting covetous eyes on his
neighbour's fields"

Do not be cowed by a 3,000word vocabulary list: turn that

Subdue, restrain, or overcome by
list into a deck of flashcards!
affecting with a feeling of awe;
frighten (as with threats)

cow

cower

Shrink or Crouch or curl up

Show submission or fear

"They cowered outside in the

rain"

cozen

Be false to; be dishonest with

Act with artful deceit
Cheat or trick

"They cozen themselves with

vain hopes and wishes"
"He cozened the money out
of the old man"

crabbed

adj

Annoyed and irritable

cramped

"cramped quarters"; "trying

to bring children up in
cramped high-rise
apartments"

adj

Constricted in size

cramped

Secure with a cramp,Prevent the

progress or free movement
"cramp the wood","He was
of,Affect with or as if with a
cramped in his efforts by the
cramp,Suffer from sudden painful bad weather"
contraction of a muscle

cranky

adj

Easily irritated or annoyed

(used of boats) inclined to heel
over easily under sail

crass

adj

(of persons) so unrefined as to be "We may abuse this

lacking in discrimination and
procedure as crass
sensibility
materialism"

"an incorrigibly cranky young

man"

Lacking even the rudiments of

courage; abjectly fearful
An abject coward

"the craven fellow turned and

ran"; "a craven proposal to
raise the white flag"

craven

adj
n

credence

credo
credulity

n
n

creed

crescendo

n
adj
v

Gradually increasing in volume

(music) a gradual increase in
loudness
Grow louder

"The music crescendoes

here"
As the music climbed to a
crescendo, a broken gasp
escaped her

crestfallen

adj

Brought low in spirit

"left us fatigued and

crestfallen spiritually"

crevice

A long narrow depression in a

surface
A narrow planar hole in a rock or
material, usually with a flattish
sides

criminate

Bring an accusation against; level

a charge against, Rebuke formally

crone

An ugly evil-looking old woman

cronies

A close friend who accompanies

his buddies in their activities

crotchety

adj

The mental attitude that

"he gave credence to the
something is believable and
gossip"
should be accepted as true
Any system of principles or beliefs
Tendency to believe readily
Any system of principles or beliefs
The written body of teachings of a
religious group that are generally
accepted by that group

Having a difficult and contrary

disposition
given to odd notions, whims,
grouchiness, etc

"a toothless old crone"

I hear Mr. Crotch [86]

disputed some of your facts
about the wingless insects,
but he is a crotchety man
"a crotchety and venomoustongued old lady"

Raw or unpure. This is

used for materials,
especially oil. Crude oil
is oil that has just come
from the earth. It wont
be burned immediately.
First, people have to
process the oil. Then,
after it is purified, it can
be used.

Raw or unpure
Crude

adj
Not very well made

Not very well made. You

might say that a
smiley :-) is a crude
picture picture of a face.
If you are lost in the
woods at night and it
starts raining, you might
make a crude shelter
from sticks.
There are few animals
other than humans
which make and use
tools, but bonobos have
been known to use
stones as crude
hammers or even
weapons.

Crusader

crux

crypt

A warrior who engages in a holy

war
The most important point
a vital, basic, decisive, or pivotal
point
(church service) a cellar, vault or
underground burial chamber
(especially beneath a church)

"the Crusaders tried to

recapture the Holy Land from
the Muslims"
Indeed, this is the crux of the
entire debate;

"the new insurance policy is

written without cryptic or
mysterious terms"

cryptic

adj

Of an obscure nature

"cryptic writings"

Having a secret or hidden

meaning

"a cryptic note"

Having a puzzling terseness

That was the ominous

message from the priests at
Sanctuary, a cryptic
statement that was waiting
for Kiron when he and Avatre
landed at Aerie

adj

"The book has over 750

proven, tested recipes from
Of or relating to or used in cooking the authors and from
numerous chefs working in
culinary schools"

cull

n
v

The person or thing that is

rejected or set aside as inferior in
quality
to choose; select; pick out
Remove something that has been
rejected

cullender

Bowl-shaped strainer; used to

wash or drain foods

culinary

The information culled will be

kept anonymous;
"cull the sick members of the
herd"

It was the hour of

culmination, the supreme
moment of felicity waiting for
its crown
culmination

that in which anything culminates;

the culminating position or stage; "their achievements stand as
highest point; acme,
a culmination of centuries of
development"
"the deathbed scene is the
culmination of the play"

adj

Deserving blame or censure as

being wrong or evil or injurious

"culpable negligence"
His manner all the evening
was that of a man who has
been consciously culpable,
and is trying to atone for bad
behaviour.

cult

Followers of an unorthodox,
extremist, or false religion or sect
who often live outside of
conventional society under the
direction of a charismatic leader
Followers of an exclusive system
of religious beliefs and practices
A religion or sect that is generally
considered to be unorthodox,
extremist, or false
A system of religious beliefs and
rituals
An interest followed with
exaggerated zeal

"it was a satanic cult"

"devoted to the cult of the
Blessed Virgin"
"he always follows the latest
cults"

cult

adj

Enjoyed by a small, loyal group

"a cult film"

cumber

Limit or hold back; keep within a

small range

Some people that amassing

as much wealth as possible is
the meaning to lifeyet they
Extreme greed for material wealth
often realize that cupidity
brings anything but
happiness.

culpable

Cupidity

curator

curmudgeon

The
museum curator was an
enthusiastic naturalist,
"The museum curator
conserved the ancient
manuscripts"

The custodian of a collection (as

of a museum or library)
the person in charge of a
museum, art collection, etc

Village Barbershop is an oldA crusty irascible cantankerous old

hat story -person full of stubborn ideas
curmudgeon grudgingly takes
a bad-tempered, difficult,
in brash youth, with eventual
cantankerous person, Churlish,
life-enhancing
miserly individual
benefits for both
"a cursory inspection failed to
reveal the house's structural
flaws"

cursory

adj

Hasty and without attention to

detail; not thorough

a cursory glance at a
newspaper article
So far as a cursory survey
gives one a right to speak, its
influence here in the field of
education is not very
perceptible

cynic

cynical

adj

cynosure

faultfinder
Someone the
whoworst
is critical
of the
Believing
of human
motivesand
of others
nature
motives; having a
sneering disbelief in e.g.
selflessness of others
Abusing vocally; expressing
"We live in a cynical age"
contempt or ridicule
Showing contempt for accepted
moral standards, esp. by following
self-interest
"let faith be your cynosure to
walk by"
Something that provides guidance
(as Polaris guides mariners)
"if he was the cynosure of all
eyes he didn't notice"
Something that strongly attracts something that strongly
attention and admiration
attracts attention by its
brilliance,
interest, etc.,

348

Syn

Casual Notes/Mnemonics

stash,
hoard

blare,
blaring,
din
remains
stiff
corpse

gaunt
emaciated

beat
meter

coax,
palaver,
sweet talk,
blarney
hardened,
unfeeling
indurate

If someone is so skinny or emaciated

that they look like a dead person, then
that person is cadaverous. This word
comes from cadaver, which is a
corpse.

Pics

fledgling,
unfledged,
youthful,
immature
obloquy,
denigration,
aspersion,
calumniation,
defamation,
slander,
Noun: Calumniation
hatchet job,
traducement,
malicious,
misrepresentati
good-fellowship,
on
chumminess,
comradery

Ever think how someone trying

to sell you some obviously
sham product (say Rolex
watches or an iPhone rip-off)
sounds like a duck? Well, the
French clearly did, and they
used it to describe something
that was a hoax, or not real.
The tie in is that the word
canard is derived from an old
French word for to quack (as in
quack like a duck). The hoax
definition of the word is a lot
closer to todays definition: a
false rumor or report.
This may seem like a useless
wordone that is not all that is
quacked up to be, but you
only have to look to the internet
to see that canards abound.
That is, we have difficulty
trusting the veracity of much of
what we read online, since we
dont always have a way of
telling a canard from the truth.

frankness,
fair-mindedness
fairness,
openness,
simplicity,
sincerity,
veracity
candidness

pestilence
clever,
cagey

irritable,
ill-humored

oratorio

lope

section,
subdivision,
voice part

big, large

give up,
surrender

The focus is on business or money

matters, e.g. a canny card shark, a
canny financial adviser

impulse,whim
freakish,
impulsive,
vagarious,
whimsical
faultfinding
decanter

fundamental,
central, key

lurch,
keel,
reel,
rock,
stagger,
swag,
sway,
tilt,
wabble
ape,
imitation,
impersonation
butchery,
mass murder,
slaughter,
massacre
fleshy,
sensual,
animal
booze-up
carouse
toot
Revelry
cavil
bother, censure,
complain,
criticize
fuss
knock

faultfinding

V- carp

permission,
license, grant,
authority,
freedom,
leeway

chasten,
objurgate,
objurgate,
chastise
calamity,
catastrophe,
disaster,
tragedy,
deluge,
upheaval

slingshot

examination,
questioning

unconditional,
categoric,
flat,
without
exceptions,
unqualified,
absolute

purgation

liberal,
broadly
sympathetic
universal.

assembly,
convention,
council,
meeting ,
parley

procession,
parade
carp

To someone with psychological

problems, talking to a psychiatrist can
lead to a catharsis. A catharsis is a
sometimes traumatic event after
which one feels better. Adj-cathartic

frisk,
gambol,
prance,
frolic,
play

speediness,
quickness,
rapdness

Derived from the latin word celer

having to do with speed/quickness.

continent,
unmarried

n-Celibacy-abstinence from sex

n-censor

animadversion,
criminate,
exclusion,
excommunicatio
n,
reprimand

warrior
intellectual
brainy
thought
azure, sapphire,
lazuline, sky
blue

ceding

abase
mortify
humiliate

crestfallen
deflated
dejected

mountebank,
quack,
pretender to
knowledge,
fraud

cagy
cagey

opening
gap
abyss

virgin

chasten,
objurgate
objurgate
chastise,
discipline

To chasten can mean to scold, and in

this sense, the word is very similar to
chastise. Think of a principal
chastening a pupil for too many
absences. To chasten can also mean
to have a moderating or restraining
effect on. Lets say that same pupil
was playing hooky, staying at home
and watching hours of television with
a smug smile plastered on his face.
Well, if the phone rings and the caller
ID says its the principals office, the
boy will feel like hes been caught
even if he doesnt pick up the phone.
In other words, an event that has a
moderating effect can be chastening.

chasten
objurgate
objurgate
chastise
punish

flag-waver
patrioteer,

Well, Nicolas Chauvin, a one-time

recruit in Napoleons army, used to go
about town, thumping his chest about
how great France was. In its modern
day incantation, chauvinism can also
mean anyone who thinks that their
group is better than anybody elses
group. You can have male chauvinists,
political party chauvinists, and even
female chauvinists.

trickery
wile
guile
artifice
trounce.
Rebuke, scold,
monition
admonition

fantastic, highly
imaginative

gallant,knightly,
courteous,
faithful, brave

continuing
inveterate

ill-natured,
ungracious

Have you ever tried to be nice to

somebody but he or she finds a way
to be nasty and rude? Yes, that is a
rhetorical question. DMV employees,
the cashier who is just having a bad
day, or, if you are on the other side of
the service divide, a customer who
tells you to hurry up are all behaving
churlishly. You want nothing more to
be out of that persons way as soon as
possible. Churl is the noun form of
this word, and you can say that soand-so is a churl.

baroque

adornment

devious,
roundabout

periphrasis,
indirect
expression

limit, confine

prudent,
cautious,
discreet

outwit
baffle
beat, beleaguer,
besiege, siege

bastion, fortress

ghumafirake

extrasensory
perception,
second sight

fortuneteller,
precognitive

Many claim to possess psychic

powers. They can flip a card, look at
your astrological chart, or just get you
to call them up on a 1-900 line, and,
in doing so, tell you what will happen
in your future. In other words, they
claim to have the power of
clairvoyance.
The word comes from French (clairmeans clear and voir- means to see),
though the French arent the only
ones who can claim this remarkable
though potentially spuriousability.

Clandestine is similar to subterfuge. It

does not describe dissembling for a
purpose as much as it describes the
secretiveness involved in some illicit
activity. During the reign of
communism many citizens had to
cloak-andhave clandestine meetings lest the
dagger,
authorities would inevitably conclude
hole-and-corner,
that any meeting of more than two
hugger-mugger,
people was a sign of sedition. At that
hushtime, on the other side of the iron
hush,secret,
curtain, the United States C.I.A had a
undercover,und
clandestine services branch, which
erground,
was involved in spying. The
surreptitious
clandestine branch of the C.I.A. is stil
intact, so if you want to be a spy, you
know where to apply. - See more at:
http://magoosh.com/gre/2013/grevocab-wednesday-advanced-grewords/#sthash.JRS4SCJQ.dpuf

shrill,
trumpetlike
sound

n-cle

mercifulness,mil
Adj-Clement
dness

banality,bromid
e,platitude

camp
coterie, ingroup
Adj-Cliquish, cliquey
inner circle,
pack
oaf

religious
residence
monastry
convent

V-cleave

combine
mix
fuse
pamper
cosset
coddle
pamper
cosset
cocker pamper

appendix

compulsion

contemporary
coetaneous

n-sprocket

telling
weighty
convincing

cerebrate
think

brandy
akin
kin
sib

aware

family name

connoisseur
hairstyle
cullender

v-coerce

amphitheatre

compare, order

n-colloquialism

conspire

n-collusion

connivance

v-collude

prodigious,stup
endous

unconscious

battle, fight

battling

attractive,
agreeable
eatable,edible,p
abulum,victual
deserts,
comeupance

n-comeliness

concord,concord
ance,harmony,s
ymphony,courte
sy, civility
highjack, hijack

remembering,
honoring

equal
proportionate

sympathize

sympathise

common

contract
paisanos
collection

self-satisfied

obliging

participation,
involvement

acquit
conduct
behave

remorse,selfreproach

n-concession

extravagant
metaphor,
whimsical
metaphor

reconciling,
soothing

Invent

harmony
agreement

covenant

disdain,
patronage,super
ciliousness

excuse,
overlook,
forgive
promoting

intimate

inferno

confuse, puzzle
baffles
confuses
bedevils
befuddles
freeze,
coagulate

congruent

suppose
hypothesis

invoke

tantrum
collusion

intrigue,
scheme
cognoscente

intension

adventurer

commitment

unanimity

adj-v-consecrate-Solemnly dedicated
to or set apart for a high purpose

alarm, dismay

Verb: Consternate

interpret, see

Most of the time I fail to construe

suhel's behaviour

dispise, disdain,
scorn
Adjective-contemporaneous-Occurring
in the same period of time-"a rise in
interest rates is often
contemporaneous with an increase in
inflation"-Of the same period
ignoble
abject
miserable
scummy

combative
litigious
disputatious

adjacent
side by side

celibate

If you are contentious, you like to fight

with words. If you know somebody
who is always trying to pick an
argument about something, no matter
how trivial, that person is contentious.
Contentious has two meanings:
controversial (in terms of an issue);
inclined to arguing (in terms of a
person).

remorseful
rueful

If you are the object of contumely,

somebody is either saying vicious,
nasty things to you or treating you
rudely. If someone fails to hold a door
open for you even though they clearly
see you, that person is clearly in
breach of propriety. If that person
intentionally slams the door in your
face then they are treating you with
contumely.
Contumely is not too common of a
GRE word, as are some related words
such as insolence and impertinence.
riddle
brain teaser
secret mystery,

commodious
good-time
abundant
plentiful

bodily
corporal
material
somatic
amendable
correctable
improvable
redeemable
reformable
glister
scintillate
sparkle
scathing,
vituperative
cocker
coddle
pamper

clique
camp
ingroup
pack

putsch
takeover
coup d'tat

concordat

avaricious
envious
prehensile
greedy

v-covet

overawe

In the cheesy mnemonic

department, imagine a cow on
steroids (as most tend to be these
days) telling you to moo-ve out of
the way. Pretty intimidating, huh?

cringe

deceive
delude

Sour
peevish

haltered,hampe
red,strangled

irritable

unrefined

v-crab

poltroon

belief
creed
trustfulness
credo

chapfallen
deflated
dejected
dispirited;
fissure
crack
accuse
censure
impeach
incriminate
reprimand
hag
buddies
chums
pals

cantankerous

unrefined,
unpurified,
unprocessed,
untreated;
unfinished,
unpolished,
unformed,
undeveloped;

reformist

kernel

mysterious
secret
occult

reject

colander

climax
apogee

blameable
censurable
blameworthy,

craze,cultus,fad,
rage

constrain,
encumber,
restrain

avarice

greed for money. We think of Cupid

the flying cherub, firing his arrow
away and making Romeos and Juliets
out of us. To avoid any confusion,
imagine Cupid flying around shooting
arrows into peoples wallets/purses
and then swooping in and taking the
loot. Oh what cupidity!

conservator

casual
perfunctory

faultfinder

Cynosure comes from the Latin

cynosure, which refers to the North
Star, that big bright star in the sky,
which sailors once used to guide their
paths. Today, a cynosure is something
dazzling that draws our attention and
causes us to gape in awe: the 5-year
old on Youtube ripping through a
Vivaldi concerto; Usain Bolt sprinting
to a new world record; the Queen of
England.

Word

Fig

Meaning
Small long-bodied short-legged
German breed of dog having a short
sleek coat and long drooping ears;
suited for following game into burrows

dachshund

Behave carelessly or indifferently

Waste time
Talk or behave amorously, without
serious intentions
dally

Consider not very seriously

dank

adj

Unpleasantly cool and humid

dappled

adj
v

Having spots or patches of colour

Colour with streaks or blotches of
different shades

dastard

adj
n

deadlock
deadpan

dearth

n
adj
adv

Despicably cowardly
A despicable coward
A situation in which no progress can be
made or no advancement is possible
adj-Deliberately impassive in manner
adv-Without betraying any feeling

An acute insufficiency
An insufficient quantity or number

debauched

adj Unrestrained by convention or morality

debauched

Corrupt morally or by intemperance or

sensuality

debilitate

Make weak
Marked by excessive self-indulgence
and moral decay

decadent

adj

decapitate

behead

decimate
declivity

v
n

Kill one in every ten, as of mutineers in

Roman armies,Kill in large numbers
downward slope

decollate

decollete

adj

Cut the head of

(of a garment) having a low-cut
neckline

adj

proper,Characterized by propriety and

dignity and good taste in manners and
conduct,According with custom or
propriety

decoy

n/v

lure or bail,A beguiler who leads

someone into danger (usually as part
of a plot),Something used to lure fish
or other animals into danger so they
can be trapped or killed,Lure or entrap
with or as if with a decoy

decrepit

adj

decrepitude

worn out of age, Lacking bodily or

muscular strength or vitality
A state of deterioration due to old age
or long use

decry

disparage
Express strong disapproval of

adj

attitue of one who is ready to accept

defeat as a natural outcome., Someone
who is resigned to defeat without
offering positive suggestions

defection

desertion, Withdrawing support or help

despite allegiance or responsibility,The
state of having rejected your religious
beliefs for your political party or a
cause (often in favour of opposing
beliefs or causes)

Defenestrate

decorous

defeatist

A courteous expression (by word or

deed) of esteem or regard
Courteous regard for people's feelings
deference

A disposition or tendency to yield to

the will of others

defiance

Intentionally contemptuous behaviour

or attitude
A hostile challenge
A defiant act

Defray

Bear the expenses of

Is to help pay the cost of, either in part
of full

No longer in force or use; inactive

defunct

adj

Having ceased to exist or live

n
A person whose behaviour deviates
from what is acceptable especially in
sexual behaviour.

degenerate
v
degenerate

Grow worse
Unrestrained by convention or
adj morality,(science and mathematics)
being or having multiple states, types,
etc. with the same or similar property

degenerate

delinquent

adj
n

delude

deluge

Guilty of a misdeed
Failing in what duty requires
Past due; not paid at the scheduled
time
A young offender
Be false to; be dishonest with
1. An overwhelming number or amount
2. The rising of a body of water and its
overflowing onto normally dry land
3. A heavy rain

1. Fill quickly beyond capacity; as with

a liquid
2. Charge someone with too many
tasks
3. Fill or cover completely, usually with
water

deluge

demeanor

(behavioral attributes) the way a

person behaves toward other people

Demur

Take exception to
to object or show reluctance.

Demure

adj

Affectedly modest or shy especially in

a playful or provocative way

demystifying

Make less mysterious or remove the

mystery from

deportment

(behavioral attributes) the way a

person behaves toward other people

Moral perversion; impairmen

A corrupt or depraved or degenerate
act or practicet of virtue and moral
principles

depravity

deprecate

Express strong disapproval of;

deplore
Belittle

derelict

neglectful of duty; delinquent;

negligent

derogatory

expressing a alow opinion, tending to

lesen or impair, detracting,
disparaging, belittling

adj

Disregard the sacred character of a

place or language
Remove the consecration from a
person or an object

desiccate

v
adj

v-Preserve by removing all water and

liquids from
Remove water from
Lose water or moisture
lacking interest, passion, or energy.
adj-Lacking vitality or spirit; lifeless

despise

Look down on with disdain

Diabolical

adj

Showing the cunning, ingenuity or

wickedness typical of a devil
Extremely evil or cruel; expressive of
cruelty or befitting hell

diatribe

Thunderous verbal attack

bitter criticism
bitter scolding:

diktat

diligent

adj

diocese

dipsomaniac

Desecrate

An order given by someone with

Quietly
and
steadily
continuing
a task
authority,
often
unpopular
or harsh
despite any difficulties,Characterized
by care and perseverance in carrying
out tasks
The territorial jurisdiction of a bishop
A person who drinks alcohol to excess
habitually

Free somebody (from an erroneous

belief)

adj

1. Marked by prudence or modesty and

wise self-restraint
2. Unobtrusively perceptive and
sympathetic
3.Heedful of potential consequences

disdain

separate or not the same.

Lack of respect accompanied by a
feeling of intense dislike,A
communication that indicates lack of
respect by patronizing the recipient

disdain

Look down on with disdain,Refuse with

contempt,

Disabuse

discreet

Discrete

disenchanted adj

Freed from enchantment

disheveled

In disarray; extremely disorderly

"her clothing was disheveled"
Disarrange or rumple; dishevel

disingenuous

adj

Not straightforward or candid; giving a

false appearance of frankness

Disinterested adj

Unaffected by self-interest

disparage

Express a negative opinion of

Disparate

adj

Fundamentally different or distinct in

quality or kind

Withhold assent,Express opposition

through action or words,Be of different
opinions

dissent,

(law) the difference of one judge's

opinion from that of the majority,A
difference of opinion,The act of
protesting; a public (often organized)
manifestation of dissent

Dissenting

adj

Disagreeing, especially with a majority

dissolute

adj

Unrestrained by convention or morality

distraught

adj

Deeply agitated especially from

emotion

dissent,

An excited state of agitation

n
dither
v

v-Act nervously; be undecided; be

uncertain
Make a fuss; be agitated

dizen

Dress up garishly and tastelessly

dog

to pursue relentlessly

drawstring

A tie consisting of a cord that goes

through a seam around an opening

duress

forcibly restraint, Compulsory force or

threat

246

Sentence

Syn

"dally about with a young girl's

affection"
"Get busy--don't dally!"
"He is dallying with her"

flirt

"a dank cellar"; "dank rain forests"

damp

"dappled shade"

clouded
mottled
spotted

"the unprovoked and dastard attack

by Japan on...December 7th"
"reached a deadlock on the
negotiations"
adj-"deadpan humour"
adv-"she told the joke deadpan"

stalemate
standstill
impassive
expressionless

"Congreve draws a debauched

aristocratic society"

"debauch the young people with

wine and women"
"Life in the camp debilitated him"
"a decadent life of excessive money
and no sense of responsibility"
"the French King was decapitated
during the Revolution"

"the plague decimated an entire

population"

corrupted,
debased,
degenerate,
shortage
degraded,
famine
demoralised,,de
praved,
dissipated,
dissolute,
fast,
libertine,
misdirected,
perverted,
profaned,
profligate,
riotous,
drain
subverted,
enfeeble
vitiated

annihilate,
decimate,
eliminate,
eradicate
carry off
wipe out
extinguish

Casual
Notes/Mnemonics

Pics

"the French King was decollated

during the Revolution"
"a dcollet neckline"

behead
decapitate
low-cut
low-necked

decent
seemly
"the tte--tte was decorous in the comely
extreme","her decorous modesty"
becoming

bait, lure,
steerer

a decrepit bus...its seats held

together with friction tape", "a
decrepit old woman"

creaky
debile
feeble
rickety
sapless
weak

"We decry the racism in South

Africa"

condemn,
excoriate
objurgate
reprobate

negativist

desertion
abandonment
apostasy
renunciation

Throw through or out of the window

"his deference to her wishes was

very flattering"
"in deference to your wishes"

complaisance
respectfulness

jaal

To speak out against

something is to decry it.
Eyou can decry just about
anything

rebelliousness

"Congress also proceeded to create

a continental currency, in order to
defray the expenses"
In order for Sean to attend the
pay
prestigious college his magnanimous
uncle helped defray the excessive
tuition with a monthly infusion of
cash.

"a defunct law"; "a defunct

organization"
"the will of a defunct aunt"; "a
defunct Indian tribe"

debauched
degraded
deteriorate
deviant
deviate
devolve
dissipated,
dissolute,
drop,
fast,
libertine,
pervert,
profligate,
riotous

"Conditions in the slums

degenerated"

"Congreve draws a degenerate

aristocratic society"
"delinquent minors"
"delinquent in his duty"
"a delinquent account"
Any failure of memory would cause
him to dart a severe look at the
delinquent, a false quantity made
him scowl, and when he suspected
real carelessness the cane was
resorted to at once.
"They delude themselves with vain
hopes and wishes"
"a deluge of requests"
"The clouds broke after the heavy
deluge"
"plains fertilized by annual deluges"

derelict
overdue
remiss
neglectful
cozen
deceive

Often times when

students go off to college,
they hope that tuition
(which is always
becoming steeper these
days) will be defrayed by
any of a number of
means: scholarships,
parents, burgeoning stock
portfolio, or even
generous relatives

"The images deluged his mind"

"her dignified demeanor"

behaviour
conduct
deportment

"he demurred at my suggestion to

work on Saturday"
Wallace dislike the cold, so he
demurred when his friends
suggested they going skiing in the
Alps.
When asked if she wanted to visit
the war torn region without a
translator by his side, the journalist
demurred.

Demur should not be

confused with demure,
which as an adjective that
means coy

There is the demure and the

dauntless

coy
overmodest

To be demure is to be
modest and shy. This
word is typically used to
describe a woman, so
dont call a man demure,
as they will surely demur.

"let's demystify the event by

explaining what it is all about"

"her dignified deportment"

clarifying,elucida
ting
behaviour
conduct
demeanor

"its brothels, its opium parlours, its

depravity"
"the various depravities of modern
society"

corruption

"The teacher should not

deprecate his student's
efforts"

vilipend

The derelict craft was a menace to

navigation. If they fail to do it they
are derelict, and can be punished, or delinquent
deprived of all advantages arising
remiss
from the labors of those who do.
neglectful
"derogatory comments" "words like
"minkey", "Eskimo" and aborigines
are considred derogatory and are
avoided by people. "

aspersing,
belittling,
calumnious,
censorious

If a person willfully
violates or destroys any
sacred place, he (or she)
is said to desecrate it.
Tombs, graves, churches,
shrines and the like can
all be victims of
desecrations. One,
however, cannot
desecrate a person,
regardless of how holy
that person may be.

"desecrate a cemetery"
The felon had desecrated the holy
site, and was on the churchs Top 10
Anathema list.

"carry desiccated food on your

camping trip"
"desiccated coconut"
"a desiccated history of ideas"
adj"a desiccate romance"
contemn,disdain,
scorn
The conspirators, willing to dispatch
anyone who stood in their way,
hatched a diabolical plan to take
over the city.
"the diabolical expression on his
face"
"diabolical
sorcerers
under
the
"He
launched
into a long
diatribe"
influence
of devils"
Steves
mom
launched into a
diatribe during the PTA meeting,
contending that the school was little fulmination
more than a daycare in which
students
at the
wall and
Given thestare
seeming
haste,
it was
teachers
stare
at
the
chalkboard
widely suspected within
DU that
these reforms will be enforced
through a last-minute diktat,
"a
diligent the
worker";
"with diligent
bypassing
sacrosanct
Academic
industry
she revived the failing
Council (AC).
business","a diligent detective
investigates all clues"; "a diligent
search of the files"
persevering
"the recent visitation of the bishop to
his diocese"
souse

This word comes from the

Latin and Greek for devil
(for those speak Spanish,
you may notice that the
A
diatribe
is asimilar
strongto
word
is very
verbal
attack
against
diablo). To be diabolical is
someone
or something.
to be extremely
wicked
The
victim
of a diatribe is
like the devil.
typically some
organization, whether it
be the FDA, the
government, or, in this
case, Wall Street. It is
understood that the
person unleashing the
diatribe is angry.

"Devdas"

As a child, I was quickly disabused of

the notion that Santa Claus was a
rotund benefactor of infinite largess
one night I saw my mother
diligently wrapping presents and
storing them under our Christmas
tree.

To disabuse is not the

opposite of abuse (which
would be a strange word
to have an opposite for in
the first place). To
disabuse is to persuade
somebody that his/her
belief is not valid. Often,
disabuse goes together
with the word notion:

"On beginning this history of

England, the reader must disabuse
himself of one conception
1."his trusted discreet aide"; "a
discreet, finely wrought gold
necklace"
2."a discreet silence"
3."a discreet investor"
when in grade school I sat next to a
girl who would discreetly look at at
my paper during tests in order to
copy my answer

circumspect ,
discerning,
careful and
unnoticeable,
not to reveal a
secret.

all of the pairs of words in this blog

post have discrete meanings.

"he was held in disdain"

"He disdains the people he has to
work for","She disdained his
advances"

contemn,
dispise, scorn,
condescension

"The previously disenchanted

individual is a less obvious but a
likely creative contributor"

disillusioned

"a disingenuous excuse";

"an ambitious, disingenuous,
philistine, and hypocritical operator,
who...exemplified...the most
disagreeable traits of his time"

"I hope this will excuse me from the impartial

charge of being disinterested in this unbiased,
matter"
neutral

She disparaged her student's efforts

"such disparate attractions as grand
opera and game fishing"; "disparate
ideas"
"Several Republicans
dissented","dissent to the laws of
the country","She dissents with her
husband on many questions"

differ, disagree,
objection,
protest, resist,
take issue.

"he expressed his dissent in a

contrary opinion", DU has always
had a healthy tradition of radical
dissent, rather more among its
teachers than among its students.

"Congreve draws a dissolute

aristocratic society"

"distraught with grief"

overwrought

"he was in a dither"

fuss
pother
tizzy
tizz
bedizen

Throughout his life, he was dogged

by insecurities that inhibited
personal growth.

hound

"he pulled the drawstring and closed

the bag"
"confessed under duress"

force

Word

Fig Meaning

ebony

Of a dark somewhat brownish black

ecclesiastic

adj
n

ecclesiastical

adj

Of or associated with a church (especially a

Christian Church)
A clergyman or other person in religious
orders
Of or associated with a church (especially a
Christian Church)

effeminate

adj Having unsuitable feminine qualities

effete

adj

Marked by excessive self-indulgence and

moral decay
Lacking in power or forcefulness. no longer
capable of effective action.
affected, over-refined, and ineffectual.
(of a man) weak or effeminate.

efficacious

adj effective, effectual

efficacy

Egregious

standing out in a bad way.

Conspicuously and outrageously bad
adj or reprehensible
adj

Capacity or power to produce a

desired effect

eldritch

Suggesting the operation of supernatural

influences

embezzle

Appropriate (as property entrusted

to one's care) fraudulently to one's
own use

The fraudulent appropriation of

funds or property entrusted to your
care but actually owned by someone
else

embezzlement

emboldened

adj
v

Made bold or courageous,

Give encouragement to

Sufficiently fat so as to have a pleasing

adj-n fullness of figure
The bodily property of being well rounded

embonpoint
embroil

Embroiled

Force into some kind of situation, condition, or

course of action

To become caught up in a scandal

is to become embroiled in it. In
the last couple of months, a few
well-known politicians (again, not
naming any names) have become
embroiled in scandals. From the
adj verb embroiled, we get the noun
imbroglio, which is an
embarrassing, confusing
situation.
Deeply involved especially in
something complicated

An intricate and confusing

interpersonal or political situation
A very embarrassing
misunderstanding

embroilment

encore

An extra or repeated performance; usually

given in response to audience demand
N-V Request an encore, from a performer

encumber

burden, Limit or hold back; keep within a

small range

encyclical

adj

Intended for wide distribution

endearment

fond statement, The act of showing affection

endue

provide with some quality, endow, Give

qualities or abilities to

The power to withstand hardship or stress

A state of surviving; remaining alive

endurance

Weaken mentally or morally, Disturb the

composure of

Enervate

Weaken mentally or morally

Disturb the composure of
to sap the energy from.

engaging

adj

Attracting or delighting,"an engaging

frankness", charming, attractive

cause, produce, Call forth,Give rise to; cause

to happen or occur, not always intentionally,
[archaic] Make children

puzzle,A difficult problem,Something that

baffles understanding and cannot be
explained

enervate

engender

enigma

enticement
entreaty
enure

envisage

n
v

1. Something that seduces or has the quality

to seduce
2.Qualities that attract by seeming to promise
some kind of reward
3.The act of influencing by exciting hope or
desire
"his enticements were shameless"
A solemn and earnest appeal to someone to
do something
Cause to accept or become hardened to;
habituate

Form a mental image of something that is not

present or that is not the case

epiphany

epitaph

epitome

Eponyms

A divine manifestation
A moment of sudden understanding or
revelation
Twelve days after Christmas; celebrates the
visit of the three wise men to the infant Jesus

An inscription on a tombstone or
monument in memory of the person
buried there

1. A standard, typical or perfect example

"he
the epitome
of good
breeding"
An is
eponym
is any
word
that is
2.
A
brief
abstract
(as
of
an
article
or book)
derived from a persons
name.

The person for whom something is

named
The name derived from a person
(real or imaginary)

equinox

Equivocal

Either of two times of the year when the sun

crosses the plane of the earth's equator and
day and night are of equal length
(astronomy) either of the two celestial points
at which the celestial equator intersects the
ecliptic

vague, undecided.
Open to two or more interpretations;
or of uncertain nature or
adj significance; or (often) intended to
mislead
Open to question
Uncertain as a sign or indication

Errant

esoteric

esoteric

To be errant is to be wandering, not

sticking to a circumscribed path. It
can also connote deviating from
accepted behavior or standards.
Straying from the right course or
from accepted standards
Uncontrolled motion that is irregular
adj or unpredictable

intended for or likely to be understood by

adj only a small number of people with a
specialized knowledge or interest.

Confined to and understandable

by only an enlightened inner
adj circle
The systematic use of spies to get
military or political secrets

espionage

The act or practice of spying or of

using spies to obtain secret
information, as about another
government or a business
competitor.

espionage

The systematic use of spies to get military or

political secrets

Choose and follow; as of theories,

ideas, policies, strategies or plans
espouse

Take in marriage
Take up the cause, ideology,
practice, method, of someone and
use it as one's own

etymology

A history of a word
The study of the sources and
development of words

praise, A formal expression of praise for

someone who has died recently,A formal
expression of praise

eulogy

eulogy

A formal expression of praise for

someone who has died recently

euphemism

An inoffensive or indirect expression that is

substituted for one that is considered
offensive or too harsh

Euphony

Any agreeable (pleasing and

harmonious)
sounds
to raise in rank,
honor, power,

exalt

character, quality, etc.; elevate

Praise, glorify, or honour
Fill with sublime emotion
Heighten or intensify
Raise in rank, character, or status

1.Praise, glorify, or honour, 2.Fill with sublime

emotion, 3.Heighten or intensify, 4.Raise in
rank, character, or status

exalt
Exasperate

Make very annoyed or frustrated,Make

furious,Make worse

exchequer

The funds of a government, institution or

individual

n
excommunication

The act of banishing a member of a church

from the communion of believers and the
privileges of the church; cutting a person off
from a religious society

Express strong disapproval of

Excoriate

Tear or wear off the skin or make

sore by abrading

A defence of some offensive

behaviour or some failure to keep a
promise etc.
The act of freeing from guilt or
blame, to clear from blame

Find repugnant
Curse or declare to be evil or
anathema or threaten with divine
punishment

Exegesis

This word refers to a critical

interpretation of a scholarly work
(Bible) an explanation or critical
interpretation (especially of the
Bible)

exegetical

adj Relating to exegesis

exculpation

Execrate

Exhort

exigent

adj

to strongly urge on, encourage

Spur on or encourage especially by
cheers and shoutsForce or impel in
an indicated direction

Demanding attention
pressing; demanding

Requiring precise accuracy

existentialism

philosophy) a 20th-century philosophical

movement chiefly in Europe; assumes that
people are entirely free and thus responsible
for what they make of themselves

existentialist

A philosopher who emphasizes freedom of

choice and personal responsibility but who
regards human existence in a hostile universe
as unexplainable

existentialist

adj

Relating to or involving existentialism

adj
Greatly exceeding bounds of reason or
moderation

exorbitant

exoteric

adj Suitable for the general public

Of behaviour that is impressive and

ambitious in scale or scope
Friendly and open and willing to talk

Expansive

The lesser known definition is

communicative, and prone to talking
adj in a sociable manner.

Reason with (somebody) for the

purpose of dissuasion
expostulate

v
express strong disapproval or
disagreement.

expostulate

expunge

Reason with (somebody) for the

purpose of dissuasion

to wipe out or remove any trace off

Remove by erasing or crossing out
or as if by drawing a line

Edit by omitting or modifying parts

considered indelicate
To expurgate means to remove
objectionable material.

Expurgate

Extant

adj

Still in existence; not extinct,

destroyed or lost

(law) lessen or to try to lessen the

seriousness or extent of

extenuate

Extenuating

adj Partially excusing or justifying

v

Praise, glorify, or honour

extol
extremism

extrication

Any political theory favouring immoderate

uncompromising policies
The act of releasing from a snarled or tangled
condition

Joyful enthusiasm,Overflowing with eager

enjoyment or approval

exuberance

exult

to show or feel a lively or triumphant

joy; rejoice exceedingly; be highly
elated or jubilant,
Feel extreme happiness or elation
To express great joy

Sentence

Syn

"ecclesiastical history"
"ecclesiastical history"

ecclesiastic

"an effeminate man"

"a group of effete self-professed intellectuals"
"effete trendies from art college"
"the authority of an effete aristocracy began to
dwindle"
ineffectual
affected
"he chatted away, exercising his rather effete
charm"
it took the iconoclasm of Vincent Van Gogh to
inject fresh life into the effete world of painting.

"written propaganda is less

efficacious than the habits and
prejudices...of the readers"; "the
medicine is efficacious in stopping a
cough"
"concern about the safety and
efficacy of the vaccine"

efficaciousness

The dictators abuse of human rights

was so egregious that many world
leaders asked that he be tried in an
international court for genocide.
"an egregious lie"

"an eldritch screech"

unearthly
weird
uncanny
preternatural

"The accountant embezzled

thousands of dollars while working
for the wealthy family"

defalcate
malversate
misappropriate
peculate

defalcation
misapplication
misappropriation
"He did six years for embezzlement" peculation

Similar

"He at first accepted several chances as they

presented themselves in a small way, and was
encouraged and emboldened by his success"
"Let the boldness of the wicked in their
mischievous courses animate and embolden
us in pious courses"

They were embroiled up by the events

sweep up

These days we are never short of

a D.C. imbroglioa welcome
phenomenon for those who,
having barely finished feasting on
the sordid details of one scandal,
can sink their teeth into a fresh
one.
"embroiled in the conflict"

The chef cook-off featured one

gourmand who had the
unfortunate distinction of mixing
the wrong broths, creating an
imbroglio that viewers will not
soon forget.

constrain
"His right to encumber the land, being a vested cumber
right, could not be taken away"
restrain

"an encyclical letter"

benignity
kindness
empower
endow
gift indue
invest

"the marathon tests a runner's endurance" survival

The workers were not so much enervated by

the constant blasting of car horns and wailing
of sirens, but by the monotonous nature of
their workfrom morning till night they would
input numbers into a spreadsheet.

faze
rattle
unnerve
unsettle

John preferred to avoid equatorial

countries; the intense sun would
always leave him enervated after
hed spent the day sightseeing.

faze
rattle
unnerve
unsettle

make, breed, generate,

cause, sire , spawn, bring
forth, beget
riddle, brain teaser, secret
mystery,

an entreaty to stop the fighting

lure,temptation
appeal,prayer,suppliance,adju
ration

"He was enured to the cold"

In the Twelfth Five Year Plan
(2012-2017), what the MNRE envisages
includes substantial investments in WtE.

imagine, ideate, conceive of

"Around 15 months into my job, I got a sort of

an epiphany and decided that an MBA is
the right career choice for me."

"Down's syndrome is an eponym for

the English physician John Down"

"an equivocal statement";

"the polling had a complex and
equivocal message for potential
female candidates";
"the officer's equivocal behaviour
increased the victim's uneasiness";
"popularity is an equivocal crown";
"an equivocal response to an
embarrassing question"
"aliens of equivocal loyalty";
"his conscience reproached him with
ambiguous
the equivocal character of the union
into which he had forced his son"
"the evidence from bacteriologic
analysis was equivocal"
"Whether we can glean an artists
unconscious urges through his or her
art remains equivocal that we can
ever even really tap into another
persons hidden motives remains in
doubt."

Unlike his peers, who spent their

hours studying in the library,
Matthew preferred errant walks
through the university campus to
help his brain function.
"errant youngsters"
"an errant breeze"

"a compilation of esoteric philosophical

theories"
"esoteric philosophical debates"
poetry full of esoteric allusions.

uncontrolled
fallible
abstruse
obscure
arcane
recherch
rarefied
recondite
abstract
perplexing
enigmatic
inscrutable
cryptic
Delphic

"a compilation of esoteric

philosophical theories"

"a clever wheeze probably succeeded

in neutralizing the German espionage
threat"
undercover work

a clever wheeze probably succeeded in

neutralizing the German espionage threat

spying

"The candidate espouses Republican

ideals"
adopt
follow
"She espoused Catholicism"

encomium
pean

"shrinkage is the retail trade's euphemism for

shoplifting", Critics of the Bill have argued that
administrative leakages a euphemism for
official loot will
genteelism
inevitably result in anything up to 50% of the
allotted funds being channelised into corrupt
pockets.

"The poet is impressed, moved,

thrilled
"he
fell asleep
the euphony
of
and exalted,
andtopours
out his song
the
chimes"
fromwind
his feelings
and transfused with
emotion."
"exalt the virtues of one's children"
"He was exalted by his phenomenal
success"
"These paintings exalt the
1."exalt the virtues of one's children", 2."He
imagination"
was
exaltedthe
by his
phenomenal
success",to
"exalted
humble
shoemaker
3."These paintings exalt the imagination",
the rank of King's adviser"

extol
glorify
beatify
animate
inebriate

4."exalted the humble shoemaker to the rank

of King's adviser"

"The boy knew how to exasperate his mother"

"We excoriate the racism in South

treasury
Africa"
Entrusted with the prototype to his
companys latest smartphone, Larry,
during a late night karaoke bout, let
the prototype slip into the hands of a
rival companythe next day Larry
was excoriated, and then fired
"This leash excoriates the dog's
neck"

excuse
self-justification
"he kept finding exculpations to stay" alibi
"She execrates cats"
Though the new sitcom did decently
in the ratings, Nelson railed against
the show, saying that it was nothing
more than execrable pastiche of tired
clichs and canned laughter.
The Bible is fertile ground for
exegesisover the past five
centuries there have been as many
interpretations as there are pages in
a Gideon.

Nelsons parents exhorted him to

study medicine, urging him to choose
a respectable profession;
intransigent, Nelson left home to
become a graffiti artist
"The crowd exhorted the
"regarded
literary
questions as
demonstrating
strikers"

exigent and momentous

"I exhorted him to finish his studies"

"the exigent demands of her

contemporaries' music took a toll
on her voice"
"became more exigent over his
pronunciation"

"existentialist movement"; "existentialist

philosophy"; "the existentialist character of his
ideas"

"exorbitant rent"

exhorbitant
extortionate
outrageous
unconscionable
usurious

writings of an exoteric nature

public

"an expansive lifestyle"

"wine made the guest expansive"
After a few sips of cognac, the
octogenarian shed his irascible
demeanor
became expansive,
"I will not and
expostulate,
nor trouble
speaking fondly of the good old
your patience with these
days.

uncertain terms"

argue
reason
"he found Fox expostulating with a remonstrate,
young man"
disagree,
take issue, reason,
i see no point in expostulating
express disagreement
with a person who habitually
refuses to listen to reason.
"I will not expostulate, nor trouble
argue
your patience with these
reason
uncertain terms"

"Please expunge this remark from the

record"
scratch

"expurgate a novel"

censor

"extant manuscripts"; "specimens of

graphic art found among extant
barbaric folk"
Despite many bookstores closing,
experts predict that some form of
book dealing will still be extant
generations from now.

existent
living

"The circumstances extenuate the

crime"

"extenuating circumstances"
The jury was hardly moved by the
mans plea that his loneliness was an
extenuating factor in his crime of
dognapping a prized pooch.
"extol the virtues of one's children"

exalt
glorify
laud
proclaim

ebullience
enthusiasm

"Then I rejoiced and exulted, and was

so arrayed in assurance of the time
to come that I seemed to possess
and taste it."
"Who cannot exult in Spring?"

200

exuberate
triumph
jubilate
jump for joy
rejoice
be on cloud nine

Ant

Casual Notes/Mnemonics

In sports, an egregious foul

would be called on a player
who slugged another player
(not including hockey, of
course).

Stealing company's money, eg

halol case

Pics

v-Embroil-Force into some

kind of situation, condition,
or course of action
"They were embroiled up by
the events"

it is related to the verb

embroil and describes a
confusing, and potentially
embarrassing, situation.

Wow, its 3:00 in the afternoon and

Im so tiredI need some coffee to
get enervated. This sentence implies
that the person is going to drink coffee
and promptly fall asleep. See, to
enervate means to sap energy, not to
energize. Therefore, this person
should have said, Im feeling
enervatedcoffee time!

Equivocal, especially in its

more common form
equivocate, has a negative
connotation. If a politician is
equivocating, he/she is not
answering a question directly,
but is beating around the
bush.
In the academic GRE sense, if
a phenomenon is open to
multiple interpretations it is
equivocal.
v-Equivocate

exoteric

cacophony

To yell at someone is one

thing; to excoriate them is a
whole other. A martinet of a
boss whom youve once again
upset; a drill sergeant berating
a feckless, smirking recruit;
now we are closer.
So to criticize really, really
harshly is to excoriate.
Interestingly, the second
definition of the word is to tear
ones skin from his/her body.
To verbally excoriate,
figuratively speaking, is to rip
off a persons skin.

To execrate somebody is to
curse and hiss at them. For
instance a certain American
basketball player left his team
of many years so he could
V-exculpate;
make
more money
Pronounce
with not
guilty of team.
another
criminal
Fans
charges"The
of the
suspect team
original
was exculpated
execrated the
of the
murderfor
player
charges"
his perfidy and,
what they claim, were his
mercenary motives.
Interestingly, the adjective
form of execrate is the
relatively common GRE word
execrable. If something is
execrable, it is so awful that it
is worthy of our hissing.

The encouragement is for a

positive action. So a mentor
figure will exhort you to make
the most of your life, whereas
the miscreant will cajole you
into doing something youll
regret

esoteric

Extenuating means making

less guilty or more forgivable.
The phrase extenuating
circumstances is common
courtroom lingo. Say
somebody broke into a
drugstore to steal some
expensive medication. Later
we learn that medication was
for that persons wife, who
was dying of some disease
that only the medication could
cure. Most of us, presumably,
would be more likely to forgive
the man. Why? Because of the
extenuating factor of his wifes
disease.

Word

facetiously

Fig

Meaning

adv/A Not seriously

dj
Cleverly amusing in tone
Arrived at without due care or effort;
lacking depth
Performing adroitly and without effort

facile

adj

Speaking readily, clearly, and

effectively

facinorous

adj

Extremely wicked

Factious

adj

Dissenting (especially dissenting

with the majority opinion)

Factitious

adj

Not produced by natural forces

fad
fain

n
adj

An interest followed with exaggerated

zeal
Having made preparations

adj
fainant

Disinclined to work or exertion

faze

Feckless

adj

feigned

adj

feisty

adj

Disturb the composure of

Not fit to assume responsibility
Generally incompetent and ineffectual
Not genuine
Showing courage,Quick to take offence,
full of life or high spirits, lively,
energetic, exuberant, botham

adj

terribly evil
(of persons or their actions) able or
disposed to inflict pain or suffering

felon

Someone who has committed a

crime or has been legally convicted
of a crime
A purulent infection at the end of a
finger or toe in the area surrounding
the nail

felony

A serious crime (such as murder or

arson)

Ferret

flagrant

adj

Fell

flagrant

Fleece

to search for something

persistently
Conspicuously and outrageously bad or
reprehensible
Conspicuously and outrageously bad or
reprehensible

To fleece is to deceive
to swindle or dupe

Reverse (a direction, attitude, or course

of action)

flip-flops

A decision to reverse an earlier

decision,A backless sandal held to the
foot by a thong between the big toe and
the second toe,An electronic circuit that
can assume either of two stable
states,A backward somersault

flippancy

Inappropriate levity, trifling gaiety

flippant

adj

Showing inappropriate levity, lack of

respect or seriousness

flit

v
n

V-Move along rapidly and lightly; skim

or dart
n-A sudden quick movement
[Brit] A secret move (to avoid paying
debts)

floe

A flat mass of ice (smaller than an

ice field) floating at sea

adj

1.Elaborately or excessively
ornamented
2. Inclined to a healthy reddish
colour often associated with outdoor
life

flip-flops

florid

Treat with contemptuous

disregard
flout

v
Laugh at with contempt and
derision

Flush

adj

What word means to turn red

(especially in the face), to send
down the toilet, to be in abundance,
and to drive out of hiding? Yep, its
flush, which has all four of these
totally unrelated definitions.

a minor weakness or eccentricity

in someone's character.
A behavioral attribute that is
distinctive and peculiar to an
A
sudden short attack
individual
An initial attempt (especially
outside
yourpart
usual
of
The weaker
of areas
a sword's
competence)
blade from the forte to the tip

foible

foray

n
v

Steal goods; take as spoils

Briefly enter enemy territory

forlorn

adj

Marked by or showing hopelessness

forlornly

adv

In a forlorn manner

renounce upon oath, formally reject or

diavow a formerly held belief usually
under pressure,

forthright

adj

Characterized by directness in
manner or speech; without
subtlety or evasion

fortify

Make strong or stronger

forswear

fractious

adj

Stubbornly resistant to authority

or control
Easily irritated or annoyed
Unpredictably difficult in
operation; likely to be
troublesome
irritable and is likely to cause
disruption.

Nervous and unable to relax

Habitually complaining

fretful

adj

fricative

adj-Of speech sounds produced by

forcing air through a constricted
passage (as 'f', 's', 'z', or 'th' in both
adj-n 'thin' and 'then')
n-A continuant consonant produced by
breath moving against a narrowing of
the vocal tract

frisk

Play boisterously,Search as for

concealed weapons by running the
hands rapidly over the clothing and
through the pockets

frisking

The act of searching someone for

concealed weapons or illegal drugs

fritter

Spend frivolously and unwisely

"Fritter away one's inheritance"

Frugal

adj

Avoiding waste

fulmination

Thunderous verbal attack

The act of exploding with noise and
violence

Fulsome

adj

Unpleasantly and excessively suave or

ingratiating in manner or speech

adj

fulsome

Unpleasantly and excessively suave or

ingratiating in manner or speech

(law) of goods or commodities;

freely exchangeable for or
replaceable by another of like
nature or kind in the satisfaction
of an obligation

Fungible

adj
n

A commodity that is freely

interchangeable with another in
satisfying an obligation

Sentence

Syn

"I meant it facetiously"

"facetious remarks"

jokingly
tongue-incheek,
bantering

Casual Notes/Mnemonics

"too facile a solution for so complex a

problem"
"a facile hand"
"able to dazzle with his facile tongue"
nefarious
villainous

The controversial bill proved

factious, as dissension even
within parties resulted.

"brokers created a factitious

demand for stocks"
The defendants story was
largely factitious and did not
accord with eyewitness
testimonies.

Dissenting

Factions result when a

large group splinters into
smaller ones. Anything
that causes factions is
factious. Factious is
typically not used to
describe people.

artificial

Factitious is no exception,
in that it does not relate
to fact. Indeed, factitious
is almost the opposite of
fact. Factitious means
artificial, not natural. A
laugh can be factitious. A
gesture. Your alacrity on
the first day of a new job.
Factitious can also be
used literally to refer to
something artificial. The
houseplant that never
needs watering, for
instance. A good
synonym for factitious
and a word people use
frequentlyis phony.

"he always follows the latest fads"

"fain to take risks"
lazy,
otiose,slothful,
"fainant kings under whose rule the work-shy,
country languished"
indolent

"Good, it shouldn't faze him at all"

"feckless attempts to repair the
plumbing"
"feigned sympathy"
"the champion is faced with a feisty
challenger", the feisty all rounder

enervate rattle,
unnerve ,
unsettle
lazy and
irresponsible.
pretended
huffy, miffy,
plucky, spunky,
touchy
Noun feist

For fans of the Harry Potter series,

the fell Lord Voldemort, who
terrorized poor Harry for seven
lengthy installments, has finally
been vanquished by the forces of
goodunless, that is, JK Rowling
decides to come out of retirement.

criminal

Ever the resourceful

lexicographer, Fenton was able
to ferret out the word origin of
highly obscure GRE words.
"flagrant violation of human rights"
"flagrant violation of human rights"
Many have been fleeced by Internet
scams and have never received their
money back.
The Internet is filled with get-richquick schemes that intend only to
fleece the Pollyannaish and
unsuspecting.

A ferret is a tiny weasel,

one that moves so
quickly that it is used to
catch rabbits. Apparently
it has a knack for digging
our long-eared friend out
of their burrows.

alternatives,bis
tables, changes
of mind, flips,
reversals,
switcjes, tacks,
U turns,
turnarounds
lightmindedness
Noun: Flippant
light-minded,
"He made a flippant statement" "
breezy, cheeky,
john's flippant remarks during history insolent,
class annoyed the teacher"
impertinent

V-"The hummingbird flitted among

the branches"
n-"they did a moonlight flit"

1."the senator's florid speech"

2. "Santa's florid cheeks"

"flout the rules"

The GRE Reading Comprehension

passage is flush with difficult
words, words that you may have
learned only yesterday.

aureate
flamboyant
rubicund
ruddy
sanguine

"scientists' forays into politics"

His public forays showcase a
gentle individual, whos
"they
have topoorly
tolerate
each
nevertheless
groomed
other's
little foibles"in one of
for a mega-contest
the worlds toughest
democracies

imperfection,
blemish
frailty,
infirmity,
inadequacy,
limitation;

"During the earthquake people

forayed the stores that were
deserted by their owners"
"a forlorn cause"; "the last forlorn
lorn
attempt"
"a single chicken was scratching
forlornly in the yard"

she forswore her beliefs

abjure, recant,
resile, retract

"forthright criticism"; "a

forthright approach to the
problem"
"This exercise will fortify your upper
body",Such institutional mechanisms
are crucial to fortify
sports from nefarious activities, both beef
external and internal.
up,strengthen

"a fractious animal that would

not submit to the harness"
"an incorrigibly fractious young
man"
cranky
We rarely invite my fractious
irritable
Uncle over for dinner; he
nettlesome
always complains about the
food, and usually launches into
a tirade on some touchy
subject.
"a constant fretful stamping of
hooves"
"a fretful child"

fidgety,querulo
us,whiney

spirant,strident

"The children frisked in the

garden","The police frisked everyone
at the airport"

"he gave the suspect a quick frisking"

"a frugal farmer"

dissipated

Monte was no miser, but was

simply frugal, wisely spending the sparing
little that he earned.
economical
"his fulminations frightened the
horses"

diatribe

"gave him a fulsome introduction"

At first he found her pleas for help
touchingas though someone of his
lowly position could help herbut
soon her entreaties became so
fulsome that he had to hang up the
phone on her.

"gave him a fulsome introduction"

fulsome,
buttery,
oleaginous,
smarmy
,soapy

Fulsome sounds like full,

complete, and this is often
how fulsome is used in
conversation. The word,
however, means excessive to
the point of being offensive.
Therefore, fulsome praise, a
common phrase, does not
mean that a hearty round of
applause. Rather, it means
applause that goes way
overboard to the point that it
becomes obnoxious.

Recently, my wife and I realized

that our daughters favorite
play dollthe one she calls
baby and sleeps with each
nighthad gotten quite dirty,
its hair a knotted mess, its
limbs the color of soot. We tried
washing baby (to no avail)
and even tried to comb her hair
(also to no avail). My wife
finally decided to get an exact
replica of baby. We simply
switched baby out, without
our daughter noticing. In other
words, babythough
definitely not our babyis
fungible.

143

If something is fungible it
is easily replaceable. In
fact, if one item is
fungible with another one
would hardly know the
difference if you replace
them.

Pics

Word

Fig Meaning

Sentence

Gadarene

adj Excessively quick

"made a gadarene exit"

A socially awkward or
tactless act

Gaffe

an unintentional act or
remark causing
embarrassment to its
originator; a blunder

At mile 23 of his first marathon,

Kyle
had all his
butclaims"
given, there
up, until
deny
"She gainsaid
is no he
noticed
his
friends
and
family
Question the truth or validity of; take gainsaying the fact that what he did is a
holding
a banner that read, Go
exception to, to contradict
great
crime"
Kyle; galvanized, he broke into a
gallop, finishing the last three
Figuratively, to galvanize is to miles in less than 20 minutes.
excite to action or spur on.
To stimulate to action
"galvanized into action"

gainsay

Galvanize

gargantuan

adj Of great mass; huge and bulky

garret

Floor consisting of open space

at the top of a house just
below roof; often used for
storage

adj
Full of trivial conversation

"kept from her housework by garrulous

neighbours"

Cut open

"she gashed her wrists"

A wound made by cutting,A trench

resembling a furrow that was made by
erosion or excavation,A strong
sweeping cut made with a sharp
instrument,
"he put a bandage over the gash"

garrulous
gash

gash

"in my first few months at work I made

some real gaffes"

"too gauche to leave the room

when the conversation
became intimate";
Gauche

adj Lacking social polish

"their excellent manners

always made me feel gauche"
"threw down the gauntlet";
"took up the gauntlet"

gauntlet

gawk

n
v

gawky

adj

To offer or accept a
challenge
A glove of armoured
leather; protects the hand

Kejriwal has picked up the

gauntlet and said that he
would welcome a national
debate on the subject

n-An awkward stupid person

v-Look with amazement; look
stupidly
Lacking grace in movement or posture a gawky lad with long ungainly legs

genteel

gentile
gentile
genus

1. Marked by refinement in taste and

manners
Belonging to or suited to polite society
2. polite, well bred fashionable,
elegant
"the genteelest dinner I have ever
seen"
3. trying to be aristrocatic, artificially
polite or courteous
"her mannerism were painfully
adj genteel"
"a genteel old lady"
A person who does not acknowledge
your god,A person who is not a
member of one's own religion; used in
this sense by Mormons and Hindus,A
Christian as contrasted with a Jew,A "Christians refer to themselves as
n
Christian
gentiles"
Belonging to or characteristic of nonadj Jewish peoples
n
A general kind of something
"ignore the genus communism"

Gerrymande n
r
v

glib

An act of gerrymandering
(dividing a voting area so as to
Years ago, savvy politicians had
give your own party an unfair
gerrymandered the city center to
advantage)
ensure their re-election.
Divide unfairly and to one's
advantage; of voting districts

Marked by lack of intellectual

depth,Having only superficial
plausibility,Artfully persuasive in
adj speech

"glib generalizations"; "a glib response to

a complex question","glib promises","a
glib tongue"

v-provoke or annoy
(someone) so as to
stimulate an action or
reaction.
Goad or provoke,as by
constant criticism
Give heart or courage to
v
goad
n

Urge with or as if with a

goad
Stab or urge on as if with a
pointed stick
drive (an animal) with a
spiked stick.

"he was trying to goad her

into a fight"
"He goaded her with his
sarcastic remarks"

n-a spiked stick used for

driving cattle.
Anything that inspires,
motivates or drives you to
do something

"gouge out his eyes", "They gouged

money from the executive by threatening
tear out,Obtain by coercion or
to reveal his past to the company boss" "
intimidation, Make a groove in, to mke he accidently drove his car into a pointed
a hole using pointed tool, dig out
rod jutting out of the wall and gouged a
something using the finger.
hole in the back of his car.

An impression in a surface (as made

by a blow),And edge tool with a blade
like a trough for cutting channels or
grooves,The act of gouging

gourmand

A person who is devoted to

eating and drinking to excess

goy

A Christian as contrasted with a Jew

graffiti

A rude decoration inscribed on

rocks or walls

gouge

gouge

grandeur

The quality of being magnificent,

splendid or grand
The quality of elevation of mind and
exaltation of character, ideals or
conduct

"an imaginative mix of old-fashioned

grandeur and colourful art"

gratuitous

Without cause
"a gratuitous insult"
adj Costing nothing
"gratuitous tickets"
Unnecessary and unwarranted

Gregarious

Instinctively or
temperamentally seeking and
enjoying the company of
adj others
(of animals) tending to form a
group with others of the same
species

grizzle

Not to be placated, appeased or

moved by entreaty,Shockingly
repellent; inspiring horror,Harshly
ironic or sinister,Harshly uninviting or
formidable in manner or
appearance,Filled with melancholy
adj and despondency,Causing dejection
Be in a huff; be silent or
v
sullen,Complain whiningly

grizzle

gruesome

adj Shockingly repellent; inspiring horror

grim

guile

guileless

Often we think that great leaders

are those who are gregarious,
always in the middle of a large
group of people; yet, as
Mahatma Gandhi and many
others have shown us, leaders
can often be introverted.

"grim determination"; "grim

necessity","the grim aftermath of the
bombing","a grim joke"; "grim laughter","a
grim man loving duty more than
humanity"; "undoubtedly the grimmest
part of him was his iron claw","took a grim
view of the economy","grim rainy
weather"

A grey wig

Shrewdness as demonstrated by
being skilled in deception,The quality
of being crafty,The use of tricks to
deceive someone (usually to extract
money from them)

adj Free of deceit

"The guileless peasant turned

with a sheepish grin"

An artful or simulated semblance

"under the guise of friendship he
betrayed them"

guise

gung-ho

adj Very enthusiastic and dedicated

103

Syn

Casual Notes/Mnemonics

hasty
headlong

Ever done or said something that

was embarrassing? You most
likely have, and therefore youve
committed a gaffe: a social
faux pas bumbling that brings
Blunder embarrassment to the bumbler.
challenge
dispute,
contravene
refute
repudiate,
traverse

giant

attic
chatty,gabby,
loquacious,ta
lkative,talky
cut, slash,
slice

Pics

meets his father. While Marty is

the embodiment of 80s coola
skateboard at his side and a
feathery hair-dohis father,
George McFly, has horn-rimmed
glass with tape holding together
the frames. George is dreadfully
afraid to talk to any girl and is a
bumbling mess when he does,
uttering inappropriate things.
Martys father is the embodiment
of gauche, which means socially
awkward and lacking grace.
Gauche is an interesting word
etymologically speaking. It comes
from the French for left, or on the
left-hand side. Those who are lefthanded, at least in Paris, are
apparently much like Martys
father. Finally, gauche begets us
an interesting variant of itself:
gaucherie. Not as common of a
GRE word, gaucherie describes
the awkward ways of somebody
who is gauche. Martys fathers
unpolishe gaucheries include his attire and
d
his ability to stop stuttering when
graceless speaking to a female.

gantlet
oaf

civilized,
cultivated,
polite,
cultured,
refined

goy

kind, form

Elbridge Gerry was the vice president

of James Madison, the 4th president
of the United States. Elbridge had an
interesting idea. To get elected a
president had to win a certain
number of districts. So Elbridge came
up with the following plan: if he
partitioned a city in a certain way he
could ensure that the president
would win the majority of the votes
from that district.
The end result was a city that was
split up into the oddest arrangement
of districts. And can you guess what
a map of the city, gerrymandered,
looked like? Yep, a salamander.

glibtongued,smo
oth-tongued

provoke,
spur,
prick,
sting,
prod,
egg on,
hound,
badger,
incite,
rouse

excavation,
furrow, gash,
hollow

glutton
non-Jew

costless
free

If you are sociable, you are talkative,

right? Well, not exactly. To be
gregarious is to be likely to socialize
with others. A good synonym is
flocking, like what birds do. But, just
as birds do not talk to one another
outside of a Pixar flick, people can
hang out with each other and not
necessarily have to chat. Therefore,
do not confuse gregarious with
garrulous, which means talkative.

dark, grey,
black, sick,
brood,stew,w
hine

transpare
nt

pretext

Word

Fig Meaning

Hagiography

Repeated too often; overfamiliar through

adj overuse
n
An ugly evil-looking old woman
A biography that idealizes or idolizes the
person (especially a person who is a saint)

hallowed
hallowed

n
v

hackneyed,
hag

haltered

Worthy of religious veneration

Render holy by means of religious rites
Hang with a halter,Prevent the progress or
free movement of,

v
hampered

Prevent the progress or free movement

of,Put at a disadvantage

hapless

adj Deserving or inciting pity

haptic

Of or relating to or proceeding from the

adj sense of touch

Deliver a harangue to; address forcefully

A loud bombastic declamation expressed
with strong emotion
lecture (someone) at length in an
aggressive and critical manner.
Harangue

n
v

a lengthy and aggressive speech.

Something that precedes and indicates the

approach of something or someone
Harbinger

n
v

harpy

Foreshadow or presage
Any of various fruit bats of the genus
Nyctimene distinguished by nostrils drawn
out into diverging tubes
A malicious woman with a fierce temper
Large black-and-white crested eagle of
tropical America(Greek mythology) vicious
winged monster; often depicted as a bird
with the head of a woman

harrowing
hawkish

Extremely painful
adj terrifying or disturbing
adj Disposed to warfare or hard-line policies

headlong

With the head foremost,At breakneck

adv speed,In a hasty and foolhardy manner

headlong

adj Excessively quick,With the head foremost

heathen

Not acknowledging the God of Christianity

adj and Judaism and Islam
A person who does not acknowledge your
adj god

Hector

heathen

Be bossy towards

Hedge

n
v

An intentionally noncommittal or
ambiguous statement
Avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or
performing (duties, questions, or issues)

hedging

1.Any technique designed to reduce or

eliminate financial risk; for example, taking
two positions that will offset each other if
prices change
2.An intentionally noncommittal or
ambiguous statement
"when you say 'maybe' you are just
hedging"

hedonist
hellcat

n
n

Someone motivated by desires for sensual

pleasures
A malicious woman with a fierce temper
Steering mechanism for a vessel; a
mechanical device by which a vessel is
steered
A position of leadership
"the President is at the helm of the Ship of
State"

helm
helm

n
v

Be at or take the helm of

"helm the ship"

Displaying superhuman strength or power

"herculean exertions"
Extremely difficult; requiring the strength
of a Hercules
"a herculean task"

herculean

Any opinions or doctrines at variance with

the official or orthodox position
heresy

n
A belief that rejects the orthodox tenets of
a religion

Heyday

The period of greatest prosperity or

productivity

An interruption in the intensity or amount

of something
A missing piece (as a gap in a manuscript)
hiatus
hibernal
high treason

A natural opening or perforation through a

n
bone or a membranous structure
adj Characteristic of or relating to winter
A crime that undermines the offender's
n
government

Histrionic

Characteristic of acting or a stage

performance; often affected
Though she received a B- on the test, she
had such a histrionic outburst that one
would have thought that shed been
adj handed a death sentence.

Hodgepodge

confusing mixture or jumble.

hound

Pursue or chase relentlessly

hullabaloo

Disturbance usually in protest

hustings

The activities involved in political

campaigning (especially speech making)

Sentence

Syn

"hackneyed phrases"
"a toothless old hag"

banal,
commonplace
crone

"Jerusalem's hallowed soil"

blessed
consecrated
sacred
sanctified

"He was hampered in his

efforts by the bad
weather","The brace I have to
wear is hampering my
movements"
"a hapless victim", Day after
day the media has
carried extensive reports on
the critical state of DUs health,
as if it were a hapless victim of
brutal violation about to die.

miserable
poor
pitiful
piteous
wretched
misfortunate

haptic data

haptic,
tactual,
tactile

Casual
Notes/Mnemonics

Pics

Harangue can be
either a noun or a
verb. It is a synonym
of tirade and diatribe.
Lest someone
harangue you for
botched phonetics,
the pronunciation of
this word can be a bit
tricky. Harangue
rhymes with twang,
rang, and, for the
dessert inclined,
meringue.

"they were subjected to a tenminute harangue by two border

guards"
Tired of his parents haranguing
him about his laziness and lack
of initiative, Tyler finally moved
out of home at the age of
thirty-five
"he harangued the public on
their ignorance"

precursor

hellcat
vixen

Birds chirping, balmy

air, a flower bud
poking out through
thawing snowall are
harbingers of spring.
That is they announce
or foretell the coming
of spring. Harbingers
dont just relate to
the seasons but can
take on a variety of
different forms: high
unemployment has
been a harbinger to a
change in
government; strange
visual auras are, for
many, a harbinger for
a migraine headache.

"Stephanie reveals the neartragic personal story that

compelled her into this
harrowing career"
"hawkish congressman"

torturous
warlike

"the runner slid headlong into

third base","burst headlong
through the gate","he fell
headlong in love with his
cousin"

hastly
rashly,
headfast,
precipitately,
gadarene

"a headlong rush to sell","a

headlong dive into the pool",
its not whats happening in DU
but the
headlong pace at which its
happening that needs to be
checked

"His goal was to eliminate

heathen practices among the
Indians"

"Her big brother always

hectored her when she was
young"
The bosss hectoring manner
put off many employees, some
of whom quit as soon as they
found new jobs.

ethnic
gentile
heathenish
infidel
pagan

horticulture-hedges
are shrubs, or small
bushes that have
been neatly trimmed.
finance-hedge funds
(where brokers make
their money betting
against the market).
v- If you hedge your
bets, you play safely.
If you hedge a
statement, you limit
or qualify that
statement.
hedge can also mean
to avoid making a
direct statement, as
in equivocating.

"They tend to hedge their

responsibilities"
When asked why he had
decided to buy millions of
shares at the very moment the
tech companies stock soared,
the CEO hedged, mentioning
something vague about gut
instinct.

hedge-v-Avoid or try
to avoid fulfilling,
answering, or
performing (duties,
questions, or issues)
pagan
pleasure seeker

powerful
They are all guilty of heresy.
They should be pillorying and
decrying this article as heresy.
Such ideas have been heresy in unorthodoxy
the halls of Congress until
heterodoxy
recently
That might seem like heresy,
but maybe it is just thinking
outside the box
About two of the most
ordinary words I can
think of, and how
someone who is
generally apathetic
might greet the
morning. Put them
together, and you get
something far more
exciting. Heyday is
the pinnacle, or top,
of a person, time
period or career.

During the heyday of

Prohibition, bootlegging had
become such a lucrative
business that many who had
been opposed to the 18th
Amendment began to fear it
would be repealed.

"hibernal sleep"

suspension
wintry
lese majesty

"histrionic gestures"

melodramatic

Long after his heyday as

Germanys pre-eminent
visionary philosopher,
Nietzsche began to populate
his writing with a hodgepodge
of aphorisms.
"the detectives hounded the
suspect until they found him"
An implacable foe of
dog
corruption, Eliot Ness hounded
out graft in all formshe even
helped nab Al Capone.
"So whats all the hullabaloo
about?"

agitation
turmoil
candidacy
campaigning
electioneering,
political
campaign

77

To be histrionic is not
to have a penchant
for bad Pacino or
Brando imitations, but
to be overly
theatrical.

Word

Iconoclast

Fig Meaning

A destroyer of images used in religious

worship
Someone who attacks cherished ideas or
traditional institutions

A behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar

to an individual
idiosyncrasy

n
an odd habit or peculiar behavior; behavior or way
of thought specific to an individual.

ignoble

Completely lacking nobility in character,

adj quality or purpose
Not of the nobility

ignominious adj

(used of conduct or character) deserving

or bringing disgrace or shame

Imbroglio

An intricate and confusing interpersonal

or political situation
A very embarrassing misunderstanding

immaculate

adj

pure, spotless, clean and unspoiled,Completely neat

and clean,Free from stain or blemish,Without fault or
error

Immaterial

While immaterial can describe a ghost,

adj phantom, or run-of-the mill ectoplasm,
immaterial primarily means not relevant.

Impasse

A situation in which no progress can be

made or no advancement is possible
A street with only one way in or out

adj

Having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily

aroused or excited
Deliberately impassive in manner

impeach

Challenge the honesty or veracity of,Charge (a public

official) with an offence or misdemeanour committed
while in office,Bring an accusation against; level a
charge against

impeccable,

adj

Without fault or error,Not capable of sin, flawless, free

from blame or fault

impassive

Impecunious adj

Not having enough money to pay for

necessities

imperative

adj

requiring attention, or action, relating to verbs in the

imprerative mood.

imperative

A mood that expresses an intention to influence the

listener's behaviour, Some duty that is essential and
urgent

imperiled

Pose a threat to; present a danger to

Impertinent adj not showing the proper respect

impetuous

adj

Characterized by undue haste and lack

of thought or deliberation
Marked by violent force

impetus

1. A force that moves something along

2.The act of applying force suddenly
"the impetus knocked him over"

Difficult or impossible to evaluate with

Imponderabl adj precision
e
n A factor whose effects cannot be
accurately assessed

imprecation n

The act of calling down a curse that

invokes evil (and usually serves as an
insult)
A slanderous accusation

Impropriety

An improper demeanour
The condition of being improper
An indecent or improper act
An act of undue intimacy

imprudent

adj

unwise

Attack as false or wrong

impugn

dispute the truth, validity, or honesty of

(a statement or motive); call into
question.

impunity

Exemption from punishment or loss

A positive motivational influence
An additional payment (or other remuneration) to
employees as a means of increasing output

incentivise

inchoate

adj

Recently Begun, rudimentary, elimentary,Only partly in

existence; imperfectly formed, just begun, not fully
formed

incipient

adj

Only partly in existence; imperfectly formed, Being born

or beginning, in an early stage

incisive

adj

cutting sharp,Having or demonstrating ability to

recognize or draw fine distinctions,Suitable for cutting or
piercing

inclement

adj

(of weather or climate) severe,Used of persons or

behaviour; showing no clemency or mercy, stormy,
unkind

incognito

adv
adj

Without revealing one's identity

with identity concealed, using an assumed name

incoherent

adj

unintelligible, muddled, illogical,Without logical or

meaningful connection,(physics) of waves having no
stable definite or stable phase relation,Unable to
express yourself clearly or fluently

incommodious

adj

Uncomfortably or inconveniently small,

incongruous

adj

Lacking in harmony, compatibility or appropriateness

incontinent

adj

incontrovertible

adj

incorporeal

adj

Not having control over urination and defecation, lacking

self restraint, licentious
indisputable,Impossible to deny or disprove,Necessarily
or demonstrably true
Without material form or substance

incorrigible

adj

Impervious to correction by punishment

incredulity

tendency to disbelief,Doubt about the truth of something

incredulous

adj

withholding belief, skeptical,Not disposed or willing to

believe; unbelieving

incriminate

incubate

incumbent

adj

geology) lying or leaning on something else,Necessary

(for someone) as a duty or responsibility; morally
binding,Currently holding an office

incumbent

officeholder,The official who holds an office

incursion

temporary invasion,The act of entering some territory or

domain (often in large numbers),An attack that
penetrates into enemy territory,The mistake of incurring
liability or blame

indefatigable

adj

tireless, Showing sustained enthusiastic action with

unflagging vitality

accuse, Suggest that someone is guilty,Bring an

accusation against; level a charge against
hatch, scheme,Sit on (eggs),Grow under conditions that
promote development

indecorous
In violation of good taste even verging on
the indecent
indelicate

adj
Lacking propriety and good taste in
manners and conduct
Verging on the indecent

indemnify

Secure against future loss, damage, or liability; give

security for, Make amends for; pay compensation for

indenture

v/n

bind as a servant or apprentice to master

indenture

A concave cut into a surface or edge (as in a

coastline),Formal agreement between the issuer of
bonds and the bondholders as to terms of the debt,A
contract binding one party into the service of another for
a specified term,The space left between the margin and
the start of an indented line

indict

charge,Accuse formally of a crime

Indigent

adj

Poor enough to need help from others

poor, having very little means.

indigent

adj

poor,Poor enough to need help from others

Indignant

adj to feel anger over a perceived injustice

indignation

anger at an injustice

indignity

offensive or insulting treatment, An affront to one's

dignity or self-esteem

indolent

adj

lazy,Disinclined to work or exertion,of tumors, e.g.) slow

to heal or develop and usually painless

indomitable

adj

unconquerable,Impossible to subdue

indulgent

adj

humoring, yielding, lenient,,Characterized by or given to

yielding to the wishes of someone,Tolerant or
lenient,Being favourably inclined

indurate

adj

Emotionally hardened

1. Emotionally hardened
2. Become fixed or established
3. Make hard or harder
4. Become hard or harder
5.Cause to accept or become hardened to; habituate

indurate

inebriate

A chronic drinker
Fill with sublime emotion
n
Make drunk (with alcoholic drinks)
v
Become drunk or drink excessively
adj
Stupefied or excited by a chemical
substance (especially alcohol)

inebriety

v/n

ineffable

unutterable, cannot be expressed in

speech,
Defying expression or description,Too
adj
sacred to be uttered
too great or extreme to be expressed or
described in words.

inexorable

adj

relentless, unyielding, implacable,Not to be placated,

appeased or moved by entreaty,Impervious to pleas,
persuasion, requests, reason,

inextricable

adj

an inextricable knot; "inextricable unity"

inextricably

In an inextricable manner
adv "motives inspired by Mammon were often inextricably
blended with things pertaining to Caesar and to God"

infallible

adj

Incapable of failure or error

infantile

adj

Indicating a lack of maturity,Of or relating to infants or

infancy,Being, befitting or characteristic of an infant,

habitual intoxication,
A temporary state resulting from excessive consumption
of alcohol

adj

Not appropriate in application; defective

Marked by or producing unhappiness

infernal

adj

Characteristic of or resembling Hell,Extremely evil or

cruel; expressive of cruelty or befitting hell,Expletive
used informally as an intensifier,Of or pertaining to or
characteristic of a very uncontrolled and intense
fire,Being of the underworld,

infernal

An inhabitant of Hell

inferno

A very intense and uncontrolled fire

infidel

A person who does not acknowledge your god

infidelity

The quality of being unfaithful

Infelicitous

Infinitesimal adj Infinitely or immeasurably small

infraction

A crime less serious than a felony, violation

infringe

Go against, as of rules and laws,Advance beyond the

usual limit, violate, encroach

infringement

An act that disregards an agreement or a rightn,A crime

less serious than a felony

ingenious

adj Showing inventiveness and skill

ingenue

adj

The role of an innocent artless young woman in a

play,An artless innocent young girl (especially as
portrayed on the stage)

Ingenuous

adj

Characterized by an inability to mask

your feelings; not devious
Lacking in sophistication or worldliness

Gain favour with somebody by deliberate

efforts

ingratiate

innate

Not established by conditioning or learning,Being

talented through inherited qualities,Present at birth but
Adj
not necessarily hereditary; acquired during foetal
development

Innocuous

Not injurious to physical or mental health

adj Not causing disapproval
Lacking intent or capacity to injure

something that is slowly and secretly

causing harm
Beguiling but harmful
insidious

adj
Intended to entrap
Working or spreading in a hidden and
usually injurious way

insignias

A badge worn to show official position

insinuate

Introduce or insert (oneself) in a subtle

manner
Give to understand

insinuating

adj Calculated to please or gain favour

insipid

adj

lacking flavour; weak or tasteless.

lacking vigour or interest.

insolence

The trait of being rude and impertinent;

inclined to take liberties
An offensive disrespectful impudent act

Insolvent

Unable to meet or discharge financial

adj obligations
n
Someone who has insufficient assets to
cover their debts

insufferable adj

(of a person) very annoying or difficult to

deal with

insufferable

adj

(of a person) very annoying or difficult to deal with

insurgence

An organized rebellion aimed at overthrowing a

constituted government through the use of subversion
and armed conflict

An organized rebellion aimed at overthrowing a

constituted government through the use of subversion
and armed conflict

insurgency
intelligentsia,

An educated and intellectual elite

intemperate

(of weather or climate) not mild; subject to

extremes
adj Excessive in behaviour
Given to excessive indulgence of bodily
appetites especially for intoxicating liquors

intemperate

adj

(of weather or climate) not mild; subject to

extremes,Excessive in behaviour,Given to excessive
indulgence of bodily appetites especially for intoxicating
liquors

intension

What you must know in order to determine

the reference of an expression

intensional

adj

(logic) used of the set of attributes that

distinguish the referents of a given word

interlocutor n

The performer in the middle of a minstrel

line who engages the others in talk
A person who takes part in a
conversation

Intimate

The secondary meaning for intimate is to

suggest something subtly.

adj

intimidating adj Discouraging through fear

intonation

intransigent adj
intrepid

adj

intrigue

intrigue

Rise and fall of the voice pitch

Singing by a soloist of the opening piece
of plainsong
The act of singing in a monotonous tone
The production of musical tones (by
voice or instrument); especially the
exactitude of the pitch relations
Impervious to pleas, persuasion,
requests, reason
Invulnerable to fear or intimidation
1. A crafty and involved plot to achieve your (usually
sinister) ends
2. A clandestine love affair
1. Cause to be interested or curious
2. Plot something harmful; scheme in an underhand
manner

Inundate

Fill quickly beyond capacity; as with a

liquid
Fill or cover completely, usually with
water
Figuratively, to be inundated means to
be overwhelmed by too many people or
things.

inundated

adj

Covered with water

inure

adj

Cause to accept or become hardened to; habituate

Invective

harsh, critical language.

Abusive or venomous language used to
express blame or censure or bitter deepseated ill will

inveigh

inveigle

Complain bitterly
Speak against in an impassioned manner
Influence or urge by gentle urging,
caressing, or flattering

Habitual
inveterate

adj having a particular habit, activity, or

interest that is long-established and
unlikely to change

invincible

adj

Incapable of being overcome or subdued

invincible

adj

Unconquerable,

A prayer asking God's help as part of a religious

service,An incantation used in conjuring or summoning
a devil,Calling up a spirit or devil,The act of appealing
for help

invocation

Involved

adj Entangled or hindered as if e.g. in mire

irascible

adj

Quickly aroused to anger

Characterized by anger

Sentence

Syn

According to some scholars, art during

the 19th century had stagnated into
works aimed to please fusty art
image breaker
academies; it took the iconoclasm of
Vincent Van Gogh to inject fresh life into
the effete world of painting.
Her worst idiosyncrasy involved repeating back
every word that was said to her
While my father had many peculiar habits, his
biggest idiosyncrasy was collecting his own toenail
clippings.
Your idiosyncrasy of always wearing a red hat
makes you look ridiculous

mannerism
foible

Frustrated by his wifes idiosyncrasy of following

him around town, Jerry filed for divorce two
months after his wedding.

"something cowardly and ignoble in his

attitude"; "I think it a less evil that some
criminals should escape than that the
ungentle
government should play an ignoble part" untitled
"of ignoble birth"

"an ignominious retreat"

humiliating,
discreditable,
contemptible
shameful
embroilment

" he came for the meeting dressed in an immaculate

brown suit",
"the apartment was immaculate";
"in her immaculate white uniform","timing and
technique were immaculate"; "an immaculate record"

The judge found the defendants

comments immaterial to the trial, and
summarily dismissed him from the
witness stand.

impeccable, spruce,
unsullied, speckless,
faultless, spick and
span

Similar

"reached an impasse on the negotiations"

deadlock

"her impassive remoteness"; "he remained impassive,

expressionless,
showing neither interest in nor concern for our plight"
deadpan
"impassive humour"
"the lawyers tried to impeach the credibility of the
witnesses","The President was impeached"

accuse, criminate,
incriminate

"speaks impeccable French"

faultless, immaculate,
accurate,
unimpeachable,

"The impecunious gentlemen asked for a

loan"
In extremely trying times, even the
moderately wealthy, after a few turns of illfortune, can become impecunious.
"as nuclear weapons proliferate, preventing war
becomes imperative"; "requests that grew more and
more imperative"
Anti-fixing legislation and legalised betting are
imperative to fix corruption in
sports

Dexter, distraught over losing his pet

dachshund, Madeline, found the police
officers questions impertinentafter all,
he thought, did she have to pry into
such details as to what Madelines
favorite snack was?

"an impetuous display of spending and

gambling"
"impetuous heaving waves"
drift

"such imponderable human factors as

aesthetic sensibility"
"human behaviour depends on many
imponderables"

"he suffered the imprecations of the

mob"

Malediction

call into
question,
"You may impugn the thesis directly, by
challenge,
proving it's contrary or contradictory"
question,
dispute,
"the father does not impugn her
query,
capacity as a good mother"
take issue with,
impeach
Pakistan has the unique
opportunity to give permanent root to its democracy
and to abolish the culture of impunity.

freedom

inducement
motivator
"a vague inchoate idea" " it had been just six months
since I had migrated to Egypt and my knowledge of
arabic was rather inchoate and inaccurate"

incipient, amorphous,
rudimentary, nascent

"incipient civil disorder"; "an incipient tumour"

nascent
inchoate

"incisive comments"; "as sharp and incisive as the

stroke of a fang","incisive teeth"

acute,discriminating,ke
en,knifelike,penetrating
,piercing,sharp

"the harsh sentence of an inclement judge"

intemperate
merciless
unmerciful
unsparing

"in Holland he lived incognito as a carpenter in the

shipyards of the East India company"

incog

"a turgid incoherent presentation","incoherent with

grief"

tongue-tied

"incommodious hotel accommodations"

"a plan incongruous with reason"; "incongruous
behaviour"; "a joke that was incongruous with polite
conversation"
"The nurse had to learn to care for people who are
incontinent"
"incontrovertible proof of the defendant's
innocence","incontrovertible truths"
"an incorporeal spirit"
"So the incorrigible lives and thrives, nourished by the
very society which he outrages"

cramped

leaky
demonstrable,irrefutabl
e,positive
immaterial
uncorrectable

disbelief,mental rejection,scepticism,skepticism

"The neighbours incriminated the man of spousal

abuse"

disbelieving,distrustful,i
ncredible,sceptical,unb
elievable
criminate,impeach,impl
y,inculpate

"Birds incubate"

brood,cover,hatch

"The movie's unlikely happy ending came to pass as

the result of an incredulous series of lucky accidents"

"an incumbent geological formation","it is incumbent on

officeholder,sitting
them to pay their own debts","the incumbent governor"

"the incursion of television into the American living

room"

penetration

"an indefatigable advocate of equal rights"

tireless,unflagging,unw
earying

"an indelicate remark"

"indelicate behaviour"
"an indelicate proposition"

"This plan indemnifies workers against wages lost

through illness","She was indemnified for the loss of
her arm in the accident"

compensate,recompen
se,repair

"an indentured servant"

contract

indent,indentation,inde
ntion

"When they find a sufficient ground to indict, the case

is transferred to the court"
"The care of the indigent was extremely defective until
the 1920's"
In the so-called Third World, many are indigent and
destitute
only a privileged few have the wherewithal to enjoy
material luxuries.
destitute,impoverished,
"The care of the indigent was extremely defective until
necessitous,needy,pov
the 1920's"
erty-stricken

"an indignant denial"

Indignant

"righteous indignation"

outrage

fainant, lazy,
"an indolent hanger-on","an indolent ulcer"; "leprosy is
otiose,slothful,workan indolent infectious disease"
shy
never-say"the city's indomitable optimism and can-do spirit"
die,unsubduable
"indulgent grandparents","indulgent parents risk
spoiling their children","an indulgent attitude"

lenient,soft

"cold-blooded and indurate to public opinion"

harden, indurate, inure

"indurated customs"

harden, callous, enure

"He was inebriated by his phenomenal

success"
"a noisy crowd of inebriate sailors"

drunk

drunkenness
inebriation
insobriety
intoxication
tipsiness

"ineffable ecstasy",
"the ineffable name of the Deity"
"the ineffable mysteries of the soul"
"the ineffable Hebrew name that
gentiles write as Jehovah"
"Russia's final hour, it seemed, approached with
inexorable certainty","Cynthia was inexorable; she
would have none of him"

unnameable,
indefinable,
indescribable,
unsayable,
unspeakable,
untellable,
unutterable
adamant,adamantine,g
rim,intransigent,relentl
ess,stern,unappeasabl
e,unrelenting,unforgivi
ng
unresolvable

"an infallible antidote"; "an infallible memory"; "the

Catholic Church considers the Pope infallible"; "no
doctor is infallible"

unerring,
unfailing,
foolproof,
inerrable,
inerrant

"infantile behaviour","infantile paralysis","infantile

games"

childish

"an infelicitous remark"; "infelicitous

phrasing"; "the infelicitous typesetting
was due to illegible copy"
"infelicitous circumstances"

"infernal noise"; "infernal punishment","infernal

instruments of war","an infernal nuisance","infernal
heat","infernal regions"

hellish,satanic,devlish

"his roar made the infernals quake"

"I forgave him his infidelity"

unbeliever,gentile,heat
hen,pagan
unfaithfulness

minute
infringement,misdeme
anor,violation
conflict,contravene,enc
roach,impinge,run
afoul

"an ingenious solution to the problem"

clever

"an ingenuous admission of

responsibility"
"his ingenuous explanation that he
would not have burned the church if he
had not thought the bishop was in it"

"a sycophantic attempt to ingratiate

herself with the local aristocracy"

innocent
artless

curry favour with

find the favour of
cultivate
win over
get on the good
book

"an innate reflex","an innate talent",

Everyone found Nancys banter

innocuousexcept for Mike, who felt like
she was intentionally picking on him
innocent
"it was an innocuous remark"; "confined unobjectionable
himself to innocuous generalities"
"an innocuous prank"

"insidious pleasures"
The insidious playboy planned to con
the heiress out of her fortune.
While Helen may seem like a nice
woman, I believe she has an insidious
side to her.
The car dealership used attractive
insidious models to lure in buyers.

pernicious
subtle

Although the medicine made Gabriel

feel better at first, its effect was
insidious and only lasted a short time.
Carol created an insidious plot to steal
her best friends husband.
badges

"He insinuated himself into the

conversation of the people at the nearby
worming
table"
"I insinuated that I did not like his wife"
"a smooth insinuating manner"

"mugs of insipid coffee"

"insipid hospital food"
"many artists continued to churn out
insipid, shallow works"
"an insipid personality"

tasteless,
flavourless,
unflavoured,
savourless,
bland,
uninteresting,
boring,
zestless,
bloodless,
lifeless
impudence

With credit card bills skyrocketing,

surprisingly few are truly solvent.

bankrupt

"insufferable insolence"
Chester always tried to find some area
unacceptable
in which he excelled above others;
unsufferable
unsurprisingly, his co-workers found him
insufferable and chose to exclude him
from daily luncheons out.

"unsufferable behaviour"

impossible,unacceptab
le,insufferable

an anonymous police source has

been quoted as saying that some 19,000 square
kilometres in the region is a free zone where the
Indian state had ceased to
exist and no government official dares to enter there
is a so-called Red corridor of armed insurgency which
runs along a
north-south axis from the Nepal border down to Andhra
Pradesh.

"an intemperate climate"; "intemperate

zones"
"intemperate rage"

hard

"an intemperate climate"; "intemperate

zones","intemperate rage"

hard,heavy,

connotation

At first Manfreds teachers intimated to

his parents that he was not suited to
skip a grade; when his parents
protested, teachers explicitly told them
that, notwithstanding the boys
precocity, he was simply too immature
to jump to the 6th grade.
"The tension was heightened by
meetings that were fairly intimidating in
their office or motel conference room
settings"

chanting
modulation
pitch contour

"an intransigent conservative opposed

to every liberal tendency"

inexorable
adamant
machination, scheme
Connive, fascinate,
scheme

"the basement was inundated after the

storm"

flood
deluge
The newsroom was inundated with false
submerge
reports that only made it more difficult
swamp
for the newscasters to provide an
objective account of the bank robbery.
"the main deck was inundated"; "inundated farmlands"
"He was inured to the cold"

harden, indurate,
enure

The Internet has unleashed the

invectives in many of us; many people
vitriol
post stinging criticism on the comments
vituperation
section underneath newspaper articles
or YouTube videos.
"he inveighed against the wasteful ways
of modern society"
"He inveigled her into going along"

cajole

"an inveterate gambler"

Both here and elsewhere his great fault
was an inveterate superficiality.
ingrained,
entrenched,
In the same way, our ancient inveterate established
evils should also be burnt with fire."
congenital
Inveterate habit of over-sleeping himself
and coming late to his work.

"her invincible spirit"; "an invincible army"

unbeatable,unvanquish
able, indomitable,
insuperable

"the difficulties in which the question is

involved"

tangled

"an irascible response"

choleric
hotheaded
quick-tempered
short-tempered

258

Ant

filthy, tainted,
foul, sullied.

Casual Notes/Mnemonics

Pics

When two opposing sides meet

to resolve a conflict, both sides
often refuse to budge. In such
cases, the sides have reached
an impasseneither wants to
give up any ground. Presently,
the U.S. and Russia have
reached an impasse. The U.S.
doesnt want Russia to use any
military force; Russia doesnt
want the U.S. to tell it how to
handle its own affairs. The rest
of the world anxiously stands
by, hoping that the two nations
will be able to negotiate a way
out of this dangerous impasse

blemished,
suspicious,
wrong

Impertinent can actually be

the opposite of pertinent, but
this definition is seldom
used. Most of the time,
impertinent means not
showing the proper respect.
You can think of it this way
if somebodys behavior is not
pertinent to the given social
context, e.g. an occasion
calling for formality, then you
can think of that person as
being impertinent. The
definition usually only applies
if a person is being rude
where respect is expected,
and not staid where frivolity
is apt.

An imponderable is
something that is impossible
to estimate, fathom or figure
out. Say a child was to ask,
How long would it take
driving in a car to go from
one end of the universe to
the other? Unless you have
a really big calculatorand a
very fast carthe answer to
this question would be
imponderable.

Sometimes a person acts in a way that

is not in accordance with expected
conduct. Cutting in line is one of these
improprieties. A person who commits
this egregious infraction isnt
necessarily churlishthat is they arent
trying to be rudeoften they are just
oblivious.
Improprietyor improper conduct
applies to the road as well. Not allowing
a driver who is indicating to enter your
lane is an impropriety. It is expected that
we allow someone to move into our
lane, especially if they are try to exit a
road or freeway.

support

developed,
grown,
mature

clement

coherent

congruous
continent

corporeal

Imagine you are waiting in

line to order your morning
coffee. Right as you are
about to ask for a nice
steaming cup, someone cuts
in front of you and places an
order for six people. How
would you feel? Indignant.

in+ef+ fable. fable means

story. story can be told. infable means something
which can not be uttered
such as the name of Lord
Voldemort (from Harry
Potter).

Speaking of words, if a
phrase is awkwardly
constructed, a great word to
describe it is infelicitous, a
word that, with the addition
of in, becomes the opposite
of felicitous, which means
apt and appropriate. An
infelicitous phrase, on the
other hand, makes people in
the room cringe, and the
person guilty of the verbal
gaffe blush. We wouldnt call
a person infelicitouswhich
would be an infelicitous
expression itself. Infelicitous
describes behavior, but more
typically ill-chosen words.

You may think youve heard

someone exclaim, what an
ingenuous plan! But, its
actually an ingenious plan. To
be ingenuous is to be nave
and innocent. So, if you are
likely to go along with a
devious plan, whether or not
it is ingenious, you are
ingenuous.

Self-esteem is a powerful force within each

one of us.
It encompasses much more than that innate
sense of
self-worth which presumably is our human
birthright
that spark that we who are psychotherapists
or teachers
seek to fan in those we work with.

Something innocuous is
harmless and doesnt
produce any ill effects. Many
germs are innocuous. As are
most bug bites. Even
television, in small doses, is
typically innocuous.
Innocuous can also mean
inoffensive. An innocuous
question is unlikely to upset
anyone.

"indirectly criticize"

solvent.

If you are insolvent you cant

pay your bills. Oftentimes
people use the term bankrupt. If
you are solvent, on the other
hand, you have paid off all your
debts.

Think of somebody, or
something, that you simply
cant tolerate. That thing is
insufferable. A person
bleating into their cell
phones on a crowded bus is
insufferable. So is a person
who only talks about him or
herself, and usually in the
most flattering vein possible.
Depending on the person,
certain television shows or
genres can be insufferable.
This word is derived from the
second definition of suffer,
which means to put up with,
or tolerate.

temperate

beatable,
breakable,
conquerable,
destructible

We are involved in many

things, from studying to
socializing. For something to
be involved, as far as the
GRE is concerned, means it is
complicated, and difficult to
comprehend.

Word

Fig

Meaning

Sentence

Lose interest or become bored

with something or somebody
Exhaust or get tired through
overuse or great strain or stress

"I'm so jaded of your mother and

her complaints about my food"
A person may become jaded if
forced to work too many hours

jaded

adj

Exhausted
Dulled by surfeit

"my father's words had left me

jaded and depressed"
"the amoral, jaded, bored upper
classes"

jaunt

n-v

n-A journey taken for pleasure

v-Make a trip for pleasure

Marked by up-to-dateness in
"a jaunty red hat"
dress and manners
"walked with a jaunty step"; "a
Having a cheerful, lively, and selfjaunty optimist"
confident air

jade

jaunty

1. "The pollution is jeopardising the

crops"
2. "I will jeopardise my good
reputation for this"
The campers realized they were in
potential jeopardy when the bears
surrounded their camp.

jeopardise

1. Pose a threat to; present a

danger to
2. Put at risk

jeopardy

A source of danger; a possibility

of incurring loss or misfortune,
exposure to death or danger.

jest

A humorous anecdote or remark

intended to provoke laughter
Activity characterized by good
humour

"he laughed unpleasantly at his own

jest"

jest

Tell a joke; speak humorously

Act in a funny or teasing way

"He often jests even when he

appears serious"

jester

a person employed to amuse

The jester tried all of his tricks to get

the girl to laugh

"jettison the notion of selling

transaction and focus on
relationship buildings."
"the sea of faith must not be jettison
throw overboard,Throw away, of
this half of our tradition"
something encumbering,Throw as
"jettisoned in flight"
from an aeroplane
"jettisoned completely"
To raise the balloon above the
storm clouds, they had to jettison
the ballast.

jettison

jingoism

An appeal intended to arouse

patriotic emotions
Fanatical patriotism

In the days leading up to war, a

nation typically breaks up into the
two opposing camps: doves, who do
their best to avoid war, and jingoists,
who are only too eager to wave
national flags from their vehicles
and vehemently denounce those
who do not do the same.

Jingoist

adj

An extreme bellicose nationalist

jocose

Characterized by jokes and good "Some moralists have classified the

humour
jocose lie as venial sin"

jocund

adj

Full of or showing high-spirited

merriment

jollity

Feeling jolly and jovial and full of

good humour

A massive inexorable force that

seems to crush everything in its
way
A crude idol of Krishna
An avatar of Vishnu

Napoleon was considered a

juggernaut, until he decided to
invade Russia in winter; within
weeks his once seemingly
indomitable army was decimated by
cold and famine.

1. An event that occurs at a

critical time
2. A crisis situation or point in time
when a critical decision must be
made
3. The shape or manner in which
things come together and a
connection is made

1. "at such junctures he always had

an impulse to leave"
2. "at that juncture he had no idea
what to do"

Dessert made of sweetened milk

coagulated with rennet
A journey taken for pleasure
"many summer junkets to the shore"
A trip taken by an official at public
expense

juggernaut

juncture

junket

a poet could not but be gay, in such

a jocund company
The puppy kept a smile on the
jocund boys face.

"a revolutionary junta"

Junta

As dangerous of a threat as North

Korea is, some analysts believe that
were a junta suddenly to gain
power, it could be even more
A group of military officers who
unpredictable and bellicose than the
rule a country after seizing power current leadership.

The branch of philosophy

concerned with the law and the
"the great problem for jurisprudence
principles that lead courts to
to allow freedom while enforcing
make the decisions they do
order"
The collection of rules imposed by
authority

juxtapose

Place side by side

The fauvists juxtaposed strong

colours
The author decided to juxtapose the
two sentences since they each
strengthened the
meaning of the other.

keel

Walk as if unable to control one's "The drunken man keeled into the
movements
room"

ken

range of knowledge, The range of

vision

kernel

The choicest or most essential or

"the kernel of the prosecutor's
most vital part of some idea or
argument"
experience

n-adj

Similar in quality or character

Related by blood or marriage
"kindred souls"
Group of people related by blood "kindred clans"
or marriage

kismet

(Islam) the will of Allah

An event (or a course of events)
that will inevitably happen in the
future

kith

Your friends and acquaintances

One of four face cards in a deck

bearing a picture of a young
prince
[archaic] A deceitful and
unreliable scoundrel

jurisprudence

kindred

knave

"all his kith and kin

An act of knavery is cause for loss

of trust.
The teacher refused to have
knavery in his classroom.

knavery

Lack of honesty; acts of lying,

cheating or stealing

knell

The sound of a bell rung slowly to

announce a death or a funeral or
the end of something

knell

Ring as in announcing death

Make (bells) ring, often for the
purposes of musical edification

knoll

litter round hill,[archaic] The

sound of a bell rung slowly to
announce a death or a funeral or
the end of something

knoll

Make (bells) ring, often for the

purposes of musical edification
Ring as in announcing death

knoll the bells

knotty

adj

to be puzzling or hard to explain

The mystery was knotty.

A former Chinese custom of

touching the ground with the
forehead as a sign of respect or
submission

Kowtow

Laconic

n
v

adj

Bend the knees and bow in a

servile manner
Try to gain favour by cringing or
flattering
person is described as laconic
when he/she says very few
words.
Brief and to the point; effectively
cut short

knell the bells

"He is always kowtowing to his

boss"
Paul kowtowed to his boss so often
the boss herself soon became
nauseated by his sycophancy.
While Martha always swooned over
the hunky, laconic types in romantic
comedies, her boyfriends inevitably
were very talkativeand not very
hunky.
"the laconic reply; 'yes'"

The islanders thought that the

seafarers had brought them a
any unexpected gift
lagniappe when the latter presented
A small gift (especially one given them with gold coins; little did the
by a merchant to a customer who islanders know that their days of
makes a purchase)
bartering were numbered.

lament

v/n

grieve, express, sorrow, to feel

deep sorrow or express it as by
weeping or wailing, Regret
strongly, A mournful poem; a
lament for the dead, A cry of
sorrow and grief

lampoon

Ridicule with satire

Lagniappe

" the kuwaiti speaker lamented the

lack of unity in the middle easts",
"we lamented the death of the
child", "we lamented the loss of
benefits", "their pitiful laments could
be heard throughout the ward"
"The writer lampooned the
politician's proposal"

lampoon

Lascivious

A composition that imitates or

misrepresents somebody's style,
usually in a humorous way

adj

adj
lavish
v

lavish

Driven by lust; preoccupied with

or exhibiting lustful desires

"lascivious orgies"
Jerrys coworkers were confused as
to why Jerry thought that the word
mango carried lascivious
connotations; when he tried to
explain, they only became more
perplexed.

"distributed gifts with a lavish hand";

Very generous,Characterized by "the critics were lavish in their
extravagance and profusion
praise","a lavish buffet"
Expend profusely; also used with
abstract nouns
"He was lavished with praise"

adj

1.Lacking in rigour or strictness

"such lax and slipshod ways are
no longer acceptable"; "lax in
attending classes"
2.(phonetics) pronounced with
muscles of the tongue and jaw
relatively relaxed (e.g., the vowel
sound in 'bet')
3.Lacking in strength, firmness or
resilience
"a lax rope"
4.Emptying easily or excessively
"lax bowels"

leash
leash

n
v

Restraint consisting of a rope (or

light chain) used to restrain an
animal,The cardinal number that
is the sum of one and one and
"kept a tight leash on his emotions";
one,A figurative restraint,
"he's always gotten a long leash"
Fasten with a rope
"leash the bag securely"

lecherous

adj

lax

Given to excessive indulgence in "a lecherous gleam in his eye"; "a

sexual activity
lecherous good-for-nothing"

"a classic piece of

management
legerdemain"
The manner in which such
properties are snapped up
skilful use of one's hands
makes one think
when performing
legerdemain is employed
conjuring tricks.

legerdemai
n
n

Nobody writing today has

his bag of literary tricks
and can produce them
with such effortless
legerdemain.
lese majesty

A crime that undermines the

offender's government

A compiler or writer of a
dictionary; a student of
the lexical component of
language

lexicograph
n
ers
lexicon

dictionary

libidinous

adj

Driven by lust;
preoccupied with or
"libidinous orgies"
exhibiting lustful desires

Adj Lacking moral discipline;

especially sexually unrestrained

licentious

"coarse and licentious men"

"limpid blue eyes"

Limpid

lionize

adj

Clear and bright

"could see the sand on the bottom
Transmitting light; able to be seen of the limpid pool"
through with clarity
"writes in a limpid style"
(of language) transparently clear;
easily understandable
"Her limpid prose made even the
most recondite subjects accessible
to all."

treated as a celebrity.
Assign great social
importance to

"The tenor was lionized in

Vienna"

Any long and tedious

address or recital
litany

litigious

adj

logjam

long-winded
louche
lubricious

lucullan
ludicrous

A prayer consisting of a
series of invocations by
the priest with responses
from the congregation

adj

"the patient recited a

litany of complaints"; "a
litany of failures"

Inclined or showing an inclination

to dispute or disagree, even to
"a litigious and acrimonious spirit"
engage in law suits
Any stoppage attributable to
unusual activity,
Using or containing too many
words

"the legislation ran into a logjam"

"long-winded speakers"

adj

Of questionable taste or morality "a louche painting"

adj

Having a smooth or slippery

quality
Characterized by lust

adj
adj

Characterized by extravagance
and profusion
Broadly or extravagantly
humorous; resembling farce
Incongruous; inviting ridicule

"the skin of cephalopods is thin and

lubricious"
"eluding the lubricious embraces of
her employer"
"a lucullan feast"
"ludicrous green hair"
"it is ludicrous to call a cottage a
mansion"

adj

lush
lush

Produced or growing in extreme

abundance,Characterized by
extravagance and profusion,[Brit]
(informal) sexually attractive
"a lush buffet","lush fruits"
A person who drinks alcohol to
excess habitually

Syn

Casual
Notes/Mnemonic
s
Pics

v-jade
n-jadedness
excursion,
expedition,
outing,
junket
stylish,
perky,
carefree

endanger,
stake,
threaten,
venture

endangerment,
hazard,
risk,
peril

gag,
jape,
joke,
laugh

v-jeopardise

chauvinism

adj-jingoistic

Jingoism is what
happens when
bellicosity meets
patriotism, and
both drink too
much whiskey. A
person who
thinks their
country should
always be at war
is a jingoist. The
word is similar to
hawkish, a word
that means
favoring conflict
over compromise.
jesting,
joking,
jocular
merry,
happy,
cheerful,
genial,
gay

refers to any
large force that
cannot be
stopped.

crisis,
joining point,
junction

banquet,
feast,
jaunt

military junta

careen,
lurch,
sway,
reel,
stagger,
swag

cognizance

akin ,
kin

fate

junta can refer to

the aggressive
takeover by a
group.

dishonesty,
rascality

bootlick
fawn

crisp
curt
terse

regret, repine, rue,

sign, bemoan,
bewail,
burlesque,
charade

Today, kowtow
has a negative
connotation and
implies that a
person is acting
in a subservient
or sycophantic
manner.

lustful

lucullan,

loose,slack

sexy

n-lechery

sleight of
hand
juggling,
conjuring,
magic,
prestidigitatio
n
wizardry,
illusion,
dexterity;
deception
trick

high treason

lustful

unchaste

crystal clear
pellucid
lucid

celebrate

This word does

not relate to limp,
it relates to clarity
in terms of
expression.
Limpid is typically
used to describe
writing or music.

combative

halt, check

shady

ridiculous

alcoholic,alkie,alky
,boozer,dipso,dips
omaniac,exuberan
t,lavish,lucullan,lux
uriant,plush,profus
e,riotous,soaker,s
ouse,succulent

Word

Fig

Meaning

Macabre

adj

Shockingly repellent; inspiring

horror

Separate into constituents by

soaking
Become soft or separate and
disintegrate as a result of excessive
soaking
crafty, Double dealing.

Macerated
Machiavellian

v
adj

Machinations

A crafty and involved plot to

achieve your (usually sinister) ends

madrigal

v
n

v-(music) sing madrigals

n-An unaccompanied partsong for 2
or 3 voices; follows a strict poetic
form

maelstrom

A powerful circular current of water

(usually the result of conflicting
tides)
Noble and generous in spirit

magnanimous

adj

magnate

A very wealthy or powerful

businessman

magniloquent

adj

Lofty in style
boastful
pompous

maim

Injure or wound seriously and leave

permanent disfiguration or
mutilation

Generous and understanding and

tolerant

someone or something on which

something else is based or relies
A central cohesive source of
support and stability.
mainstay

a stay which extends from the

maintop to the foot of the
foremast of a sailing ship.
A prominent supporter
The forestay that braces the
mainmast

Maintain

to assert

Maladroit

adj

Not adroit

malaise

Physical discomfort (as mild

sickness or depression)

Malediction

The act of calling down a curse that

invokes evil (and usually serves as
an insult)

adj

Having or exerting a malignant

influence
"a malefic force"

adj

1.Wishing or appearing to wish evil

to others; arising from intense ill
will or hatred
"a gossipy malevolent old woman";
"failure made him malevolent
toward those who were successful"
2.Having or exerting a malignant
influence
"malevolent stars"

Malfeasance

Wrongful conduct by a public

official

malfeasance

Wrongful conduct by a public

official

malefic

malevolent

malign

malign

adj

1.Evil or harmful in nature or

influence
"prompted by malign motives";
"believed in witches and malign
spirits"; "gave him a malign look";
"a malign lesion"
2.Having or exerting a malignant
influence
"a malign force"

Speak unfavourably about

"She maligns her husband
everywhere"
easily susceptible to influences

Malleable

adj
Adj

mammoth
mandarin

manoeuvre

Capable of being shaped, bent or

drawn out
So exceedingly large or extensive
as to suggest a giant or mammoth
A high public official of imperial
China
Any high government official or
bureaucrat

1.(military) a military training

exercise
2. A plan for attaining a particular
goal
3.A deliberate coordinated
movement requiring dexterity and
skill
"he made a great manoeuvre"
4.A move made to gain a tactical
end
5. An action aimed at evading an
opponent
6.Determine the direction of
travelling

1.Perform a movement in military

or naval tactics in order to secure
an advantage in attack or defence
2.Determine the direction of
travelling
3. Act in order to achieve a certain
goal
"He manoeuvred to get the
chairmanship"; "She manoeuvred
herself into the directorship"; "He
manoeuvred to get the
chairmanship"

mare

female horse older than three years

old

martinet

manoeuvre

masochistic

adj

Someone who demands exact

conformity to rules and forms

Deriving pleasure or sexual

gratification from being abused or
dominated
Wander aimlessly
Talk indistinctly; usually in a low
voice

Maunder

Speak (about unimportant matters)

rapidly and incessantly

mausoleum

A large burial chamber, usually

above ground, monumental tomb
Independent in behaviour or
thought

maverick

adj
n

Someone who exhibits great

independence in thought and
action, An unbranded range animal
(especially a stray calf); belongs to
the first person who puts a brand
on it

maxim

Rule of personal conduct,A saying

that is widely accepted on its own
merits

Melee

a wild, confusing fight or struggle

A noisy riotous fight

Mellifluous

adj

Pleasing to the ear

Menagerie

mercenary

adj

A collection of live animals for

study or display,The facility where
wild animals are housed for
exhibition
Marked by materialism
Profit oriented

Mercurial

adj

Liable to sudden unpredictable

change
we say a mercurial person is moody
and unpredictable.

meretricious

Tastelessly showy
Based on pretence; deceptively
pleasing
[archaic] Like or relating to a
prostitute

Mettlesome
miscreant
misdemeanor

Having a proud and unbroken spirit

Willing to face danger
A person without moral scruples
A crime less serious than a felony

adj

adj
n
n

misgivings

Uneasiness about the fitness of an

action
Fearful expectation or anticipation
Doubt about someone's honesty

misogamy

hatred of marriage

A moment is a point in time. We all

know that definition. If something is
of moment, it is significant and
important (think of the word
momentous).

adj

Having exclusive control over a

commercial activity by possession
or legal grant
"You will discover that monopolistic
competition mixes a small amount
of monopoly power with a large
amount of directions"

Moment

monopolistic

A legally authorized postponement

before some obligation must be
discharged
Suspension of an ongoing activity

Minimal meaningful language unit;

it cannot be divided into smaller
meaningful units

mortify

Practice self-denial of one's body

and appetites,Hold within limits and
control,Cause to feel shame; hurt
the pride of,Undergo necrosis

mountebank

A flamboyant deceiver; one who

attracts customers with tricks or
jokes

mudslinging

Making defamatory remarks at an

opponent

Mulct

n
v

Moratorium

morphemes

Money extracted as a penalty

Deprive of by deceit
Impose a fine on

adj
munificent
myriad

adj
n

Very generous
Too numerous to be counted
A large indefinite number

Sentence

Syn

"macabre tales of war and

plague in the Middle ages"
ghastly
grim
gruesome

"he was cheated by the

political machinations of the
legislature"

intrigues
schemes

pastoral song

whirlpool
"a magnanimous conqueror"
"magnanimous toward his
enemies"

greathearted

"an oil magnate"

"he engages in so much
magniloquent talk, one never
grandiloquent
really realizes what he is
saying"
"people were maimed by the
explosion"

mutilate
injure

Casual
Notes/Mnemonics Pics
If a story, film, or,
for that matter, any
description is filled
with gruesome
details about death
and horror, we say
that it is macabre.

central
component,
centrepiece,
"whitefish are the mainstay
prop,
of the local industry"
linchpin,
cornerstone,
"he is a mainstay of the
pillar,
community"
bulwark,
buttress,
"faith is his mainstay"
chief support,
backbone,
anchor,
The second
definition of this
wordand one the
new GRE favorsis
to assert. One can
maintain their
innocence. A
scientist can
maintain that a
recent finding
supports her theory.

The scientist maintained that

the extinction of dinosaurs
was most likely brought about
by a drastic change in
climate.

"a maladroit movement of his

hand caused the car to
swerve"; "a maladroit
awkward
translation"; "maladroit
clumsy
propaganda"
bungling
uneasiness
unease
distress
"he suffered the maledictions
imprecation
of the mob"

mal-, which means

bad, with the word
adroit, which in
French means on the
right side. Adroit,
which means
skillful ,describes
somebody who is
clumsy. The clumsy
of maladroit is
typically more
physical, whereas
the clumsy of
gauche is more
social.

evil,
malefic,
malign,
malevolent

evil,malefic,mali
gn, malevolent

Malfeasance is
wrongdoing, usually
by a public official.
Oftentimes, you
hear the term
corporate
malfeasancethis
type of wrongdoing
occurs when
somebody in the
business world is up
to no good.
Typically, though,
malfeasance is used
in the context of
politics. And, not to
sound too cynical,
but one usually
doesnt have to look
much further than
ones local news to
find example of
malfeasance
political or
corporate.

Not even the mayors

trademark pearly-toothed grin
could save him from charges
of malfeasance: while in
power, hed been running an
illegal gambling rink in the
room behind his office.
misconduct

evil
badmouth
malevolent
traduce
Independent voters are often
the most malleable amongst
the electorate, because they
do no identify strongly with
the values of either party.
"a mammoth ship"

gigantic

operate
guide

disciplinarian,
slave-driver,
stickler for
"the woman in charge was a
discipline,
martinet who treated all those
taskmaster,
beneath her like children"
taskmistress,
authoritarian,
tyrant;
"The masochistic orientation
is traditionally considered the
normal one for women in
comparison to men"

I often find myself

maundering on long road trips
something Im sure my car
mates arent always fond of.

to ramble, chatting
in an idle fashion
crypt,
catacomb,
tomb, sepulchre

"maverick politicians"

irregular,
unorthodox,
rebel

"the doctrine of sovereign

immunity originated with the
maxim that the king can do
no wrong"

axiom

Despite the scornful stares

from entrenched aristocrats,
the parvenu walked blithely
about the palace grounds,
maintaining his sangfroid and
demurring to enter into the
melees that the snobbish
were so fond of baiting
arrivistes into.

"the mellifluous tones of the

cello"
Chelseas grandmother
thought Franz Schuberts
music to be the most
mellifluous ever written;
Chelsea demurred, and to her
grandmothers chagrin, would
blast Rihanna on the home
stereo speakers
sweet

zoo

The fact that Ellas moods

were as mercurial as the
weather was problematic for
her relationshipsit didnt
help that she lived in Chicago.

If something sounds
as sweet as honey,
it is mellifluous. The
voices of Ella
Fitzgerald, Billy
Holiday, and even
that of Bill Clinton
are mellifluous
(listen to the way
our former President
was able to, through
turns of locution and
his southern drawl,
to imbue the
mundane with a
sense of pleading
urgency). Of course,
what sounds
mellifluous is a
matter of opinion. As
long as its not Justin
Bieber.

"a meretricious yet stylish

book"
"meretricious praise"; "a
meretricious argument"
"meretricious relationships"

cheap
specious
flashy
If you are
mettlesome, on the
other hand, you are
filled with mettle
(no, not the hard
stuff). Mettle means
courage or valor. A
soldier on the
battlefield is
mettlesome when
he runs into enemy
fire to save a
comrade.

For its raid on the Bin Ladens

compound in Abbottabad,
Seal Team Six has become, for
many Americans, the
embodiment of mettle.
reprobate

"the student looked around

the examination room with
misgiving"

queasinesses
scruples
squeamishness
es
qualms

Despite the initial hullabaloo,

the play was of no great
moment in Hamptons writing
career, and, within a few
years, the public quickly
forgot his foray into theater
arts.

noncompetitive

Sometimes an
activity that we had
hoped would help us
suddenly becomes
potentially
troublesome and we
need to put a halt to
things. That period
in which the activity
ceases is called a
moratorium.
Fracking, nuclear
testing, taking your
shoes off at airport
security all are
activities that have a
moratorium on them
(and here is hoping
that the moratorium
on taking off shoes
is not lifted any time
soon).

"mortify the flesh","He

mortified his colleague by
criticising him in front of the
boss"
charlatan,
quack

The so-called magical diet

cure simply ended up
mulcting Maria out of
hundreds of dollars, but not
hundreds of pounds.
"He mulcted me out of my
inheritance"

This strange looking

word also means to
swindle or defraud
someone. (Though
the swindling
doesnt always have
to relate to money.)
Mulct can also mean
to fine someone.

"a munificent gift"; "his father

gave him a half-dollar and his
mother a quarter and he
thought them munificent"
"myriad stars"
"he faced a myriad of details"

185

lavish,overgene
rous,toogenerous,unstin
ted,unstinting,u
nsparing

Word

Nabob

Fig

Meaning

A governor in India during the Mogul

empire
A wealthy man (especially one who
made his fortune in the Orient)

nadir

lowest point

navet

Lack of sophistication or worldliness

narcissist

Someone in love with themselves

nascent
natal
nave

adj
adj
n

Being born or beginning

pertaining to birth
The central area of a church

in the form of a cloud or haze; hazy.

(of a concept) vague or ill-defined.
nebulous

Adj

Lacking definite form or limits

(astronomy) of or relating to or
resembling a nebula
Lacking definition or definite content

Sentence

Mike had walked in cold to the new

GRE and was not surprised
afterwards that hed hit a
standardized test nadir. After he
dedicated himself to GRE prep with
the same vigor that Sir Edmund
Hillary first scaled the summit of Mt.
Everest, Mike scored near perfect
the apogee of his academic career.

selfish person
conceited person
"the nascent chicks"; "a nascent
insurgency"

"nebulous concepts like quality of

life"
"a giant nebulous glow"
nebulous distinction between pride
and conceit
"the nebulous hypothesis of the
origin of the solar system"
"nebulous reasons"

necromanc
y
n

nefarious
nefarious

adj
adj

The belief in magical spells

that harness occult forces or
evil spirits to produce
unnatural effects in the world
Conjuring up the dead,
especially for prophesying

Extremely wicked
Extremely wicked

"nefarious schemes",Such
institutional mechanisms are crucial
to fortify
sports from nefarious activities,
both external and internal.
nefarious schemes

nemesis

Something causing misery or death

(Greek mythology) the goddess of divine
retribution and vengeance
"the nemesis of my life"

neologism

A newly invented word or phrase

The act of inventing a word or phrase

recent convert, beginner

A plant that is found in an area where it
had not been recorded previously
Any new participant in some activity
A new convert being taught the
principles of Christianity by a catechist

Favouritism shown to relatives or close

friends by those in power (as by giving
them jobs)

neophyte

nepotism

the imputation that my success was

due to nepotism meant that I was
not taken seriously

Holding that only material

phenomena can be known and
knowledge of spiritual matters
or ultimate causes is impossible
Nescient

nether

adj

Uneducated in general; lacking

knowledge or sophistication

"nescient of contemporary
literature"

adj

Lower
Dwelling beneath the surface of the
earth
Located below or beneath something
else

"gnawed his nether lip"

"nether regions"
"nether garments"

nettle

v
n

nettlesome

adj

annoy
vex
Sting with or as with nettles and cause a
stinging pain or sensation
Cause annoyance in; disturb, especially
by minor irritations
Any of numerous plants having stinging
hairs that cause skin irritation on contact
(especially of the genus Urtica or family "Mosquitoes buzzing in my ear
Urticaceae)
really nettles me"
"nettlesome paperwork"
Causing irritation or annoyance
"not the least nettlesome of his
Easily irritated or annoyed
countrymen"

The means of connection between

things linked in series
A connected series or group

nicety

Conformity with some aesthetic standard

of correctness or propriety
A subtle difference in meaning, opinion
or attitude
"it was performed with nicety and be

niggardly

adj

Petty or reluctant in giving or spending

grudging

nexus

"a niggardly tip"

"don't niggle too much over the
grandchildren--they are quite big
now"
"Let's not niggle over pennies"

niggle

Nihilist

nitwit

noisome

adj

nonentity

nonplus

spend too much time on minor points

Worry unnecessarily or excessively
Argue over petty things
Someone who rejects all theories of
morality or religious belief
An advocate of anarchism
A stupid incompetent person
Offensively malodorous
Causing or able to cause nausea
The state of not existing
A person of no influence
Be confusing or perplexing to; cause to
be unable to think clearly

Hypothetical remedy for all ills or

diseases; once sought by the alchemists
Patent medicine whose efficacy is
questionable

n
adj

Someone who has entered a religious

order but has not taken final vows
Someone new to a field or activity
Injurious to physical or mental health

n
adj

"without understanding the finer

nuances you can't enjoy the
humour" Ghosh made an impact
with good scripts, nuanced
A subtle difference in meaning, opinion storytelling, and a flair for capturing
or attitude
human emotions.
Of girls or women who are eligible to marrIn France the year of majority is twe

nostrum

novice
noxious

nuance
nubile

"a noisome odour"

"These questions nonplus even the

experts"

"noxious chemical wastes"; "noxious

"a nugatory law"

"the teacher shortages will render
nugatory the hopes of implementing
the new curriculum"
of no real value
nugatory

adj
useless or futile.

The nation's interests in such a

remote region were nugatory.
These measures are, however,
usually rendered nugatory by the
very rapid absorption of the
alkaloid.

numismatist

A collector and student of money (and coins in particular)

49

Syn

nawab

incipient

cloudy
nebular
nebulose
unfixed

black magic
sorcery

facinorous,villain
ous

Casual
Notes/Mnemonics

Pics

bane
curse
coinage
neology

fledgeling
newcomer

favoritism

It is essentially a
poetic way of
saying ignorant. It
comes to us via
the same root as
prescient. The root
ne- means not. So
basically, nescient
means not
knowing.
ignorant

chthonic

cranky
irritable
nettlesome

link
connection

justness
nuance
refinement
grudging
scrimy
parsimonious
bicker
quibble
squabble
brabble
carp
joker in movie batman
cynic , insurgent,
is a best example of
rebel
nihilist .

cipher
nonexistence
baffle
puzzle

catholicon
panacea
novitiate
beginner
rookie
harmful

marriageable

worthless
futile
useless

coin collector

Word

oaf

Fig Meaning

An awkward stupid person

a man who is rough or clumsy and
unintelligent.

Sentence

Syn

"they are just big, clumsy oafs"

clod
gawk
goon
lout
lubber
lummox
lump

"the child's misery would move even

the most obdurate heart"

obdurate

Obeisance

obelisk

"The Committee's obdurate refusal to

listen to our plan was hearbreaking to
Stubborn and insensitive
us, since we had spent 10 years
Stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
adj
coming up with it."
Showing unfeeling resistance to
tender feelings
"the child begged and begged to
have a bubble-gum machine installed
in his bedroom, but his parents were
obdurate in their insistence that he
have a soft drink machine instead"

Bending the head or body or knee

as a sign of reverence or
submission or shame or greeting
The act of obeying; dutiful or
submissive behaviour with respect
to another person

A stone pillar having a rectangular

cross section tapering towards a
pyramidal top
A character used in printing to
indicate a cross reference or
footnote

cussed
flint
flinty
granitic
obstinate
stony
unrepentant
stubborn
recalcitrant

bowing

"Protect and obfuscate your flash

files"
"Obfuscate the truth"

obfuscate

Make obscure or unclear

"The spokesman's attempt to explain

what the president had meant merely confuse
obfuscated the issue further"
muddle
alter
"too much gin had obfuscated the old change
man's senses"
baffle
"lester called himself a used-car
salesman, but his real job was
obfuscation: he sold cars by
confusing his customers"

A notice of someone's death;

usually includes a short biography

objurgate

1. Express strong disapproval of

2. Censure severely

obliterate

v
Mark for deletion, rub off, or erase
Make undecipherable or
imperceptible by obscuring or
concealing
v
Remove completely from
adj
recognition or memory
Do away with completely, without
leaving a trace
n
Reduced to nothingness

obituary

obloquy

"We objurgate the racism in South

Africa"
"She objurgated him for his
insensitive remarks"

chasten
objurgate
chastise

"obliterate these lines in the

President's speech"
"obliterate the memory of the time in
the camps"

obscure
blot out
wipe out
efface
hide
kill

1.The state of being disregarded or

"he sought the great oblivion of
forgotten
sleep"
2.Total forgetfulness

oblivion

Oblivious

necrology
obit

(followed by 'to' or 'of') lacking

adj conscious awareness of
Failing to keep in mind

State of disgrace resulting from

public abuse
A false accusation of an offence or
a malicious misrepresentation of
someone's words or actions, verbal
abuse of a person or thing

limbo

"oblivious of the mounting pressures

for political reform"
forgetful
"oblivious old age"

" his family, the members of the

church of england, were in symptahy
with the methodist movement and
suffered obloquy in consequence"

calumny
defamation
censure
vituperation

obnoxious

adj Causing disapproval or protest

"a vulgar and obnoxious person"

objectionable

obscure

Not clearly understood or

expressed
adj
Marked by difficulty of style or
v
expression
Difficult to find

"an obscure turn of phrase"; "an

impulse to go off and fight certain
obscure battles of his own spirit"

dark
vague
unclear

obsequious

Attempting to win favour from

influential people by flattery
adj
"obsequious shop assistants"
Attentive in an ingratiating or servile
manner

Obsidian

bootlicking
fawning
sycophantic
toadyish

black volcanic rock (formed by rapid

cooling of lava.)

v-Persist stubbornly
n
Tenaciously unwilling or marked by
tenacious unwillingness to yield
Stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
Resistant to guidance or discipline;
tending to do the opposite of what
is normal or wanted

"he obstinates himself against all

rational arguments"

obstinate

v
n

obstreperous

adj

obtrusive

Not easily ignored;

"equally obtrusive was the graffiti";
adj undesirably or intrusively noticeable "the obtrusive behaviour of a spoiled noticeable
Sticking out; protruding
child"

obviate

Occident
occlude

"an obstinate child with a violent

temper"

Noisily and stubbornly defiant

"obstreperous boys"
Boisterously and noisily aggressive "kept up an obstreperous clamour"

prevent the occurrence of; prevent

from happening
Do away with

n
v

The countries of (originally) Europe

and (now including) North America
and South America
Block passage through
"occlude the path"

aggressive
defiant
noncompliant

obturate

Hidden and difficult to see

Having an import not apparent to
the senses nor obvious to the
intelligence; beyond ordinary
understanding

occult

supernatural practices and

techniques
supernatural forces and events and
adj beings collectively
"an occult fracture"; "occult blood in
n hide from view
the stool"

octogenarian

Being from 80 to 89 years old

n Someone whose age is in the
adj eighties

odious

adj Unequivocally detestable

odium

golden ager
old person

"consequences odious to those you godetestable

State of disgrace resulting from

detestable behaviour
Hate coupled with disgust

odoriferous

Morally offensive
adj Having a natural fragrance

"odoriferous legislation"
"odoriferous salt pork and weevily
hardtack"
"odoriferous spices"

offhand

With little or no preparation or

forethought
Casually thoughtless or
inconsiderate
In a casually inconsiderate manner
adj Without previous thought or
adv preparation

"offhand excuses"
"she treated most men with offhand
contempt";
offhand
manner"
It was the"an
only
song
he could
"replied
offhand,
his
mind
a million
remember offhand, but
his
miles away"
father
had
sung
it
with
his
"couldn't give the figures offhand";
platoon
during
Gulf
War
"we decided
offhand
to go
to II,
and just now it seemed
Canada"

offhand

without definite or serious

adj intention; careless or
ad offhand;
v passing

appropriate

"she treated most men with

offhand contempt"; "an
offhand manner"
"offhand excuses"

officious

"bustling about self-importantly

annoyingly eager to help or advise making an officious nuisance of
Intrusive in a meddling or offensive himself"
manner
adj
"the security people were very
assertive of authority in a
officious"
domineering way, especially with
regard to trivial matters.
"an officious bystander"

ogle

oleaginous
olfaction
olfaction

oligarchy

meddlesome
self important,
bumptious

Look at with amorous intentions

Glance Coquettishluy at
make eyes at

Unpleasantly and excessively suave

or ingratiating in manner or speech "oleaginous hypocrisy"
adj
Containing an unusual amount of
"oleaginous seeds"
grease or oil
The faculty that enables us to
n distinguish scents
sense of smell
n sense of smell
"one of his cardinal convictions was
that Britain was not run as a
A political system governed by a
democracy but as an oligarchy"; "the
n
few people
big cities were notoriously in the
hands of the oligarchy of local
businessmen"

A political system governed by a

few people

fulsome
buttery
oleaginous
smarmy
,soapy

"one of his cardinal convictions was

that Britain was not run as a
democracy but as an oligarchy"; "the
big cities were notoriously in the
hands of the oligarchy of local
businessmen"

oligarchy

ominous

Indicating evil intent or suggesting

adj tragic developments
Presaging ill fortune

"ominous rumblings of discontent"

"a dead and ominous silence
prevailed"

ominous
omnipotent

Indicating evil intent or suggesting

tragic developments
adj Presaging ill fortune
adj Having unlimited power

"ominous rumblings of discontent"

"a dead and ominous silence
prevailed"
sinister
"Some children think they are omnipotalmighty

omniscient

adj infinitely wise

onerous

adj

onerous

adj Not easily borne; wearing

Not easily borne; wearing

"He wrote using the third-person

omniscient point of view"
"my duties weren't onerous; I only
had to greet the guests"
"my duties weren't onerous; I only
had to greet the guests"

baleful

all-knowing
burdensome
taxing
burdensome

onslaught

A sudden and severe onset of

trouble
(military) an offensive against an
enemy (using weapons)
The rapid and continuous delivery
of linguistic communication (spoken
or written)
"the onslaught began at dawn"

An onerous or difficult
concern
onus

n
something that is one's
duty or responsibility.

burden,
responsibili
ty
"the onus is on you to show
liability,
that you have suffered
obligation,
loss"
duty
"the onus of responsibility"

"opalescent clouds looking like

mother-of-pearl"; "a milky opalescent
(or opaline) lustre"

opalescent

Having a play of lustrous rainbow

adj colours

opportune

Suitable or at a time that is suitable

or advantageous especially for a
"an opportune place to make camp";
adj particular purpose
"an opportune arrival"

opprobrium n

attack

State of disgrace resulting

"the name was a by-word
from public abuse
of scorn and opprobrium
A state of extreme
throughout the city"
dishonour

"opulent dining rooms"

opulent
opus

adj Rich and superior in quality

A musical work that has been
n created

"The investment banker had grown

so accustomed to an opulent lifestyle
that eh ahd trouble adjusting to the
luxury
federal penitentiary"
deluxe
sumptuous
"opulance is often ostentatious"
princely
"the opus is written in four
movements"

An authoritative person who divines

the future
A prophecy (usually obscure or
allegorical) revealed by a priest or
priestess; believed to be infallible

oracle

oracular

Of or relating to an oracle
Obscurely prophetic
Resembling an oracle in obscurity
adj of thought

"able by oracular means to expose a

witch"
"an oracular message"
"the oracular sayings of Victorian
poets"

Order by virtue of superior authority;

decree
"The King ordained the persecution
Appoint to a clerical post
and expulsion of the Jews"
Invest with ministerial or priestly
"he was ordained in the Church"
authority
"The minister was ordained only last
Issue an order
month"

A severe or trying experience

A primitive method of determining a
person's guilt or innocence by
subjecting the accused person to
dangerous or painful tests believed
to be under divine control; escape
was usually taken as a sign of
innocence

orgy

Any act of immoderate indulgence

A wild gathering involving excessive
drinking and promiscuity
"an orgy of shopping"

orient

The hemisphere that includes

Eurasia and Africa and Australia

orthography

A method of representing the

sounds of a language by written or
printed symbols
The study of spelling

osseous

adj Composed of or containing bone

ordain

ordeal

Become bony
Make rigid and set into a
conventional pattern
Cause to become hard and bony

bacchanal

"osseous tissue"

bony
osteal

"The tissue ossified"

"ossified teaching methods"
"The disease ossified the tissue"

petrify
rigidify

ossify

ostensible

"the real dispute which lay

behind the ostensible
apparent
complaint"
ostensive
Appearing as such but not
seeming
ad necessarily so
"the ostensible truth of
seeming,
j Represented or appearing their theories"
outward,
as such; pretended
superficial,
"His ostensible purpose
professed,
was charity, his real goal
supposed,
popularity"

ostensibly

The Indian governments decision to

double natural gas prices from April
From appearances alone
2014 ostensibly to incentivise
adv "had been ostensibly frank as to his
domestic gas
purpose while really concealing it"
production may render nuclear power
less uncompetitive

seemingly,
on the face of
it,
apparently

"an ostentatious sable coat"

ostentatious

Intended to attract notice and

impress others
(of a display) tawdry or vulgar
excessively conspicuous
adj showing off

ostracize

otiose

Expel from a community or group

Avoid speaking to or dealing with

Serving no useful purpose; having

no excuse for being,Producing no
adj
result or effect,,Disinclined to work
or exertion

oust

"The Designer's use of expensive

materials was ostentatious" every
piece of furniture was covered with
silk or velvet"
"the donor was ostentatious in
making his gift to the hospital by
helding a big press conference"

pretentious
kitsch
kitschy

"Ever since I spoke up, my

colleagues ostracize me"

shun
ban

fainant,
lazy,
slothful,
work-shy,
indolent,
"otiose lines in a play",
futile,
"an otiose undertaking","otiose kings
ineffectual,
under whose rule the country
pointless
languished"
purposeless
senseless,
superfluous,
unavailing,
wasted

Remove from a position or

office,Remove and replace

"The chairman was ousted after he kick out,

misappropriated funds""The word
expel,
processor has ousted the typewriter" throw out

Conspicuously or grossly
unconventional or unusual

the outlandish clothes of teenagers

outlandish

adj

outmoded

n
v

Out of fashion
Make unfashionable, outdated, or
obsolete

"outmoded attire"
"Modern ways of cooking have
outmoded the hearth"

Be or do something to a greater
degree
Go far ahead of

"her performance outstrips that of

any other student I know"
"He outstripped the other runners"

outstrip

bizarre

surpass

overbearing

Expecting unquestioning obedience

adj Having or showing arrogant
superiority to and disdain of those
one views as unworthy

overhaul

overt

adj

"insufferably overbearing behaviour

toward the waiter"
"some economists are overbearing of
their colleagues in other social
disciplines"
supercilious

"overhaul the health care system";

"You should overhaul your car
Make repairs, renovations, revisions
engine","
or adjustments to,Travel past
The sports car overhauled all the
trucks"

Observable; not secret or hidden

overweenin ad to be presumptuously
g
j arrogant

"an overt lie";

"overt hostility";
"overt intelligence gathering"

service,
overtake,
pass

open

Mark was so convinced of

his basketball skills that in
his overweening pride he
could not fathom that his
name was not on the
varsity list; he walked up to
the basketball coach and
told her she had forgotten
to add his name.
"had a witty but
overweening manner"; "no
idea how overweening he
would be"

overweening

overwrought
oxtail

Unrestrained, especially with regard "had a witty but overweening

adj to feelings
manner"; "no idea how overweening
he would be"
Presumptuously arrogant

Deeply agitated especially from

adj emotion
The skinned tail of cattle; used
n
especially for soups

"overwrought with grief"

distraught

78

Similar

heartless

Ant

Casual
Notes/Mnemonics

OB+DURA(RELATE IT
TO WORD
DURABILITY)..SO
anything which has
durability..has the
resisting power, and
something
which can resist, is
stubborn.

Pics

ob (ab---now)
FUSCATE = fuss +
create....so, a fuss
created about
something, is only when
the incident is
UNCLEAR.

clarify

unobtrusiv
e

real,
genuin
e

n-ostentation: "a
charming host without
any touch of stiffness or
ostentation"

covert

*Overweening
can also refer to
ideas/opinions/ap
petites that are
excessive or
immoderate.

Word

Fig

Meaning

pabulum

Any substance that can be used as

food,Insipid intellectual nourishment

paean

song of parise or joy

pagan

adj

Not acknowledging the God of Christianity

and Judaism and Islam

pagan

A person who does not acknowledge your

god,A person who follows a polytheistic or
pre-Christian religion (not a Christian or
Muslim or Jew),Someone motivated by
desires for sensual pleasures

painstaking

adj

paisanos

Characterized by extreme care and great

effort
A close friend who accompanies his
buddies in their activities,A person from
your own country

palatable

adj

Acceptable to the taste or mind

palatial

adj

Relating to or being a palace

Suitable for or like a palace

palaver

1. Flattery intended to persuade

2. Loud and confused and empty talk

palaver

1. Speak (about unimportant matters)

rapidly and incessantly
2. Influence or urge by gentle urging,
caressing, or flattering
3. Have a lengthy discussion, usually
between people of different backgrounds

paleontology

The earth science that studies fossil

organisms and related remains

Palimpsest

anything that has been changed

numerous times but on which traces of
former iterations can still be seen.

pall

grow tiresome

palliate

Provide physical relief, as from pain

(law) lessen or to try to lessen the
seriousness or extent of

panache.

Distinctive and stylish elegance,A

feathered plume on a helmet

paraphernalia

Equipment consisting of
miscellaneous articles needed
adj
for a particular operation or
sport etc.

parchment

A superior paper resembling

sheepskin,Skin of a sheep or goat
prepared for writing on

Pariah

A person who is rejected (from

society or home)

parley

n-v

n-Discuss, as between enemies

v-A negotiation between enemies

parochial

Narrowly restricted in outlook or

scope
adj
Relating to or supported by or
located in a parish

Parsimonious

adj Excessively unwilling to spend

Parvenu

This is a person who has recently

acquired wealth, and has
therefore risen in class.
adj
Characteristic of someone who
n
has risen economically or socially
but lacks the social skills
appropriate for this new position

pasquinade

A composition that imitates or

misrepresents somebody's style, usually
in a humorous way

A musical composition consisting

of a series of songs or other
musical pieces from various
source
A work of art that imitates the
style of some previous work

patina

coating
A fine coating of oxide on the
surface of a metal

patrons

A regular customer,The proprietor of an

inn,Someone who supports or champions
something

Paucity

An insufficient quantity or
number

pastiche

peculate

embezzle or steal (money,

especially public funds).

pecuniary

adj

Relating to or involving money

pedagogue

Someone who educates young people,A

person who pays more attention to formal
rules and book learning than they merit

pedant

A person who pays more attention to

formal rules and book learning than they
merit

pedantic

adj

Marked by a narrow focus on or

display of learning especially its
trivial aspects
Overly concerned with formal
rules and details.
An ostentatious and
inappropriate display of learning,
pedantic attention to learing or
formal rules

pedantry

pedestrian

adj Lacking wit or imagination

pediment

A triangular gable between a

horizontal entablature and a
sloping roof

peerless

adj

Eminent beyond or above

comparison

pejorative

adj Expressing disapproval

penitentiary

n
adj

n-A correctional institution for those

convicted of major crimes
adj-Used for punishment or reform of
criminals or wrongdoers
Showing or constituting penance

pensive

adj

Deeply or seriously thoughtful

Showing pensive sadness

penurious

adj

Not having enough money to pay

for necessities
Excessively unwilling to spend

peregrination

Travelling or wandering around

If you are peremptory you are
bossy and domineering.

Peremptory

insisting on immediate attention

adj or obedience, especially in a
brusquely imperious way.
Law: not open to appeal or
challenge; final.
Betrayal of a trust
An act of deliberate betrayal

perfidy

Perfunctory

Hasty and without attention to

adj detail; not thorough
As a formality only

peril

Pose a threat to; present a danger to

Put in a dangerous, disadvantageous, or
difficult position

peril

A source of danger; a possibility of

incurring loss or misfortune
"drinking alcohol is a health peril"
A state of danger involving risk
A venture undertaken without regard to
possible loss or injury
"he saw the rewards but not the perils of
crime"

periphrasis

A style that involves indirect ways of

expressing things

pernicious

Exceedingly harmful
adj Working or spreading in a hidden
and usually injurious way

discerning or showing keen

perception or judgment
perspicacious

adj

pertinacious

holding firmly to an opinion or

adj a course of action.
Stubbornly unyielding

Acutely insightful and wise

Mentally acute or
penetratingly discerning

Examine or consider with

attention and in detail
to read very carefully

A curve that reverses the

direction of something
An aberrant sexual practice;

pestilence

Any epidemic disease with a high

death rate
A pernicious and malign influence
that is hard to get rid of

Phantasmagorical

adj

a series of images that seem as though

they are out of a dream, whether those
images are real or in ones head.

Picayune

adj

(informal) small and of little

importance

pie hole

Mouth.

Peruse

perversion

pillaging

n
v

The act of stealing valuable

things from a place
Steal goods; take as spoils

pithy

adj

Concise and full of meaning

An inadequate payment
A small amount of money,
pittance carries with it a negative
connotation: a pittance is
inadequate and will do little to
take care of ones costs.

Pixie

(folklore) fairies that are somewhat

mischievous
Creeping evergreen shrub having narrow
overlapping leaves and early white starshaped flowers; of the pine barrens of
New Jersey and the Carolinas

placate

Cause to be more favourably inclined;

gain the good will of

placidity

A feeling of calmness; a quiet and

undisturbed feeling
A disposition free from stress or emotion

plagiarize

(crime) take without referencing

from someone else's writing or
speech; of intellectual property

platitude

A trite or obvious remark

plausible

adj

1. Apparently reasonable and valid, and

truthful
"a plausible excuse"
2. Given to or characterized by presenting
specious arguments
"a plausible liar"

plenary

adj

Full in all respects

plenary

A plenary session (at a conference etc.)

Pittance

pleonastic

adj

Repetition of same sense in different

words

plethoric

adj

Excessively abundant

plunder

n
v

Goods or money obtained

illegally
(crime) take illegally; of
intellectual property

plundering

Given to taking by force what

adj is desired
n
The act of stealing valuable
things from a place

poignant

Adj

Arousing affect,Keenly distressing to the

mind or feelings

Pollyannaish

adj

Pleasantly (even unrealistically)

optimistic

poltroon

Characterized by complete
adj
cowardliness
n
An abject coward

Polymath

A person of great and varied

learning

Pompous

adj

1. Puffed up with vanity

2. Characterized by pomp and ceremony
and stately display

Ponderous

to be ponderous means to be
weighed-down, and to move
adj
slowly and in a labored
fashion.

Talk in a dogmatic and pompous

manner
Pontificate

v
n

Administer a pontifical office

The government of the Roman
Catholic Church

People in general considered as a whole

"he is a hero in the eyes of the populace"

populace

portentous

Of momentous or ominous
significance
adj
Ominously prophetic
Puffed up with vanity

posterity

All of the offspring of a given

progenitor
All future generations

Postprandial

adj

Following a meal (especially

dinner)

posturing

Adopting a vain conceited posture

1.Behave affectedly or unnaturally in

order to impress others
"She postured and made a total fool of
herself"
2.(art) assume a posture as for artistic
purposes

posturing

Powwow

prance

n
v

(informal) a quick private

conference
A council of or with Native
Americans
Hold a powwow, talk, conference
or meeting

To walk with a lofty proud gait,

often in an attempt to impress
others
Spring forward on the hind
legs

prandial

adj Of or relating to a meal

precept

practical rule guiding conduct,

Precipitate

v
adj

To be precipitate is to be hasty or rash. To

precipitate something, such as a
government precipitating a crisis, means
to make something happen suddenly.

precocity

Intelligence achieved far

ahead of normal
developmental schedules

predicament

A situation from which extrication is

difficult especially an unpleasant or trying
one

A predisposition in favour of
something
A strong liking

predilection

Susceptibility to a pathogen

predisposition

An inclination beforehand to
interpret statements in a
particular way
A disposition in advance to
react in a particular way

Preemptive

Designed or having the power

to deter or prevent an
adj anticipated situation or
occurrence

Prehensile

eager to obtain knowledge or

adj things
capable of grasping or holding

preposterous

Incongruous; inviting ridicule

Perceiving the significance of

events before they occur

Prescient

adj

presciently

adv With foresight

presumptuous

adj Excessively forward

Prevaricate

Be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in

order to mislead or withhold information

Probity

Complete and confirmed

integrity; having strong moral
principles

procession

1. The group action of a collection of

people or animals or vehicles moving
ahead in more or less regular formation
2.The act of moving forward (as toward a
goal)
3. A number of things happening in
sequence (in space or in time)

proclamations

A formal public statement

procrastinate

Postpone doing what one should

be doing
Postpone or delay needlessly

Prodigal

prodigious

Recklessly wasteful
adj
A recklessly extravagant
n
consumer

adj

1. So great in size, force or extent as to

elicit awe
2. Of momentous or ominous significance
3.Far beyond what is usual in magnitude
or degree

profligate

Recklessly wasteful,
Unrestrained by convention or
morality
spending recklessly almost to
adj the point of immorality
n
A dissolute man in fashionable
society
A recklessly extravagant
consumer

prolix

adj

Tediously prolonged or tending to speak

or write at great length

prophesy

Predict or reveal through, or as

if through, divine inspiration
Deliver a sermon

Prophetic

adj

Foretelling events as if by supernatural

intervention

Propitiate

Make peace with

propitious

adj

favorable, kindly,Presenting favourable

circumstances; likely to result in or show
signs of success

Prosaic

Not fanciful or imaginative

dull and lacking imagination.
adj Lacking wit or imagination
Not challenging; dull and lacking
excitement

protracted

adj

Relatively long in duration; tediously

protracted
"protracted negotiations"

provenance

Where something originated or

was nurtured in its early
existence

proverbial

adj Widely known and spoken of

prudence

1. Discretion in practical affairs

2. Knowing how to avoid embarrassment
or distress

prudent

Careful and sensible; marked by sound

judgment

prune

Cultivate, tend, and cut back the growth

of,Weed out unwanted or unnecessary
things

prune

Dried plum

prurient

adj Characterized by lust

Pugnacious

adj

Tough and callous by virtue of experience

Ready and able to resort to force or
violence

pusillanimous

Lacking in courage and manly

adj strength and resolution;
contemptibly fearful

putsch

Pyrrhic

So any win that comes at so

adj great a cost that it is not even
worth it is a pyrrhic victory.

A sudden and decisive change

of government illegally or by
force

332

Sentence

Syn

Casual Notes/Mnemonics

comestible,edible,eatable
acclamation, anthem, hymn, laud, laudation

Dirge

His goal was to eliminate pagan practices

among the Indians

ethnic
gentile
heathenish,
infidel,
hedonist

"painstaking research"

conscientious,
scrupulous
compatriots

"a palatable solution to the problem"; "palatable

toothsome, agreeable
food"
"the palatial residence"
impressive
"palatial furnishings"; "a palatial yacht"
magnificent

What happens when

everybody is maundering
and the conversation
becomes interminable and
directionless. Well, such
rambling discourse is
palaver. Palaver can also
be used as a verb. If one
palavers, one talks on and
on, and on and on, and a
little more on and on, and.

"mere palaver"

"He palavered her into going along"

blarney, blabber,
cajole, coax, wheedle,
tattle, twaddle

A long time ago, even

before the days when email
was popular, people wrote
on scrolls. Apparently
papyrus wasnt affordable
so scribes reused the same
scroll over again, writing on
top of what had gone
before. By extension, any
writing material that has
been written on numerous
times, so that the vague
traces of previous writing
can be seen, is a
palimpsest. A poorly erased
chalkboard, the manically
edited essays of my high
school days.

The downtown was a palimpsest of the citys

checkered past: a new Starbucks had opened
up next to an abandoned, shuttered building,
and a freshly asphalted road was inches away
from a pothole large enough to swallow a
house pet

"This pill will palliate your headaches"

"The circumstances palliate the crime"

alleviate,assuage,exte
nuate,mitigate,relieve

"he wooed her with the confident panache of a

cavalry officer" The cinematography of his
period film Chokher Bali will be remembered for
style,dash,elan,flair
its brilliance and sophistication, and its
recreation of 19th century Calcutta and
Benares with panache.

appurtenance
gear

lambskin, sheepskin

The once eminent scientist, upon

being inculpated for fudging his data, outcast
has become a pariah in the research castaway
community.
negotiation

"little sympathy with parochial

mentality"
Jasmine was sad to admit it, but her
fledgling relationship with Jacob did
not work out because his culinary
tastes were simply too parochial;
After all, she quipped on her blog,
he considered Chef Boyrdee ethnic
food.
"parsimonious thrift relieved by few
generous impulses"
Even with millions in his bank
account, Fred was so parsimonious
that he followed a diet consisting of
nothing more than bread and canned
soup.

A synonym with
miserly and stingy.
Parsimonious is GREspeak for extremely
frugal. Like miserly,
this word has a
negative connotation.

The theater was full of parvenus who

each thought that they were flanked
by aristocrats.

Parvenu has a
derogatory
connotation, meaning
that if you win the
lottery and someone
calls you a parvenu
they are not trying to
be flattering.
charade,
lampoon,mockery,par
ody,pasquinade

As spurious sightings of imaginary

creatures that have captured the
popular mind suggest, however
apocryphal a story may be, once it
has been circulated enough times
it will gather a patina of truth.

There is a paucity of jobs hiring today

that require menial skills, since most
dearth
jobs have either been automated or
outsourced.

"the people accused them of

having peculated the public
money"
malversate
"The accountant peculated
thousands of dollars while working
for the wealthy family"
he received thanks but no pecuniary
compensation for his services
bookworm,scholastic,
pedant, educator
bookworm,scholastic,
pedagogue

"All his life he went on making

pedantic jokes"

donnish

the scholar didn't include footnotes in

his new book to avoid the appearance
of pedantry.
"a pedestrian movie plot"

"a peerless scholar"

unmatchable

pejorative terms like 'nitwit' and

'scalawag'
"penitentiary institutions"
"penitentiary tears"
"The investment banker had grown so
accustomed to an opulent lifestyle that eh ahd
trouble adjusting to the federal penitentiary"

"Byron lives on not only in his poetry, but also in

his creation of the 'Byronic hero' - the persona
of a pensive melancholy young man"
wistful, contemplative
"the sensitive and pensive response of a poet
to the gentler phases of beauty"

Bookish

"The penurious gentlemen asked for a

loan"
"lived in a most penurious manner-denying himself every indulgence"
impecunious.
Sarah chose to be penurious and
Parsimonious
drive a beat-up VW, though with her
wealth she could have easily afforded
an Italian sports car.
Truly penurious, Mary had nothing
more than a jar full of pennies.

He brought back souveniers and

photos from his peregrination
abroad.
My sister used to peremptorily tell me
to do the dishes, a chore I would
either do perfunctorily or avoid doing
altogether.
authoritarian
"Just do it! came the peremptory
reply"

bossy

"a peremptory order of the court"

"it was an example of his perfidy"

"a perfunctory inspection failed to

reveal the house's structural flaws";
"perfunctory courtesy"

treason

cursory

danger

To do something in
such a manner is to
be perfunctory. The
word also carries with
it the connotation of
carelessness. That is,
if you do something in
which you are merely
going through the
motions, you are
probably not doing
your best (as far as
my perfunctory dishcleaning goes, my
wife can attest to
this).

danger

indirect expression,
circumlocution

"glaucoma is a pernicious disease"

"much too perspicacious to be

taken in by such a spurious
argument"
"much too perspicacious to be
taken in by so spurious an
argument"

clear-eyed
sapient
sagacious

tenacious,
persistent,
persevering,
assiduous,
dogged,
"the most vocal and pertinacious implacable,
of all the critics"
unyielding,
importunate,
Apart from his pertinacious fight
stubborn,
for economy Hume was not always mulish,
fortunate in his political activity.
obstinate,
obdurate,
headstrong,
inflexible,
unbending,
intransigent,

Instead of perusing important

documents, people all too often rush
examine
to the bottom of the page and plaster
their signature at the bottom.

Peruse means to read

very carefully.
Unfortunately, the
colloquial usage not
only ignores this
definition, but goes so
far as to flip this
definition on its head.
In light conversatoin,
peruse means to read
over quickly. The GRE
constitutes anything
but light conversation,
so make sure to
remember that peruse
means to read over
carefully (perusing the
first part of this
paragraph helps!).

"the tendrils of the plant exhibited

perversion"; "perversion also
shows up in kinky telephone cords"

"racism is a pestilence at the heart of

canker
the nation"

Those suffering from malaria fall into a feverish

sleep, their world a whirligig of phantasmagoria;
if they recover, they are unsure of what actually
took place and what was simply a product of
their febrile imaginations.

"giving a police officer a free meal

may be against the law, but it seems
to be a picayune infraction"
English teachers are notorious for
being picayune; however, the English
language is so nuanced and
sophisticated that often such teachers
are not being contrary but are only
adhering to the rules.
Shut your pie hole

picayune refers not

only to a coin but also
to an amount that is
trifling or meager. It
can also refer to a
person who is petty.
Therefore, if Im being
picayune, Im fussing
over some trivial
point.

"the pillaging of the Parthenon"

"During the earthquake people
pillaged the stores that were deserted
by their owners"
welcomed her pithy comments

sententious

"they work all day for a mere

pittance"
Vinnys uncle beamed smugly about
how hed offered his nephew fifty
dollars for his Harvard tuition; even
twice the amount would have been a
mere pittance.

She managed to placate the angry customer

appeased,assuaged,c
onciliated,gentled,gru
ntled,lenified,mollified,
pacified
serenity,tranquility,qui
etude

"Technology can be used to cheat or

plagiarize"

"staling the literary

article"

At my uncles funeral, I heard one

platitude after another
Your platitude is meaningless and
does nothing for my anger!
When my teacher tried to motivate
me by using a platitude I had
already heard before, I yawned in
her face

banality
bromide
clich

credible

a plenary session of the legislature; "a diplomat

comprehensive
with plenary powers"

'a true fact' and 'a free gift' are pleonastic

expressions

redundant,tautologic,t
autological
overabundant,rife

"It will avail them to dispose of

their plunder"
"This writer plundered from
famous authors"
"his plundering of the great
authors"; "the plundering of the
Parthenon"
poignant grief cannot endure forever,"poignant
affecting,touching
anxiety"

in this case we are

dealing with a
relatively recent work,
that of Eleanor Porter
who came up with a
character named
Pollyanna. Pollyanna
was extremely
optimistic and so it is
no surprise that
Pollyannaish means
extremely optimistic.

Even in the midst of a lousy sales

quarter, Debbie remained
Pollyannaish, never losing her shrill
voice and wide smile, even when
prospective customers hung up on
her.

craven
pundit
a pompous speech

ceremonious

lumbering

Ponderous is derived
from pondus, which
means weight (think
of a pound).

A pontiff is another
name for a pope. And
when the pope talks
people listen. The
connotation with the
word pontiff,
however, is not very
flattering. Apparently
some former pope
was not only
renowned for drawing
large crowds, but for
speaking with his
chest puffed out,
declaiming upon
matters in an
annoyingly arrogant
way.

"The new professor always

pontificates"

Today, we have the

word pontificate,
which can apply the
lowliest pauper or the
most vociferous
atheist. As long as
that person is voicing
his opinion in a
pompously annoying
manner, he, or she, is
pontificating.

public

"such a portentous...monster
raised all my curiosity"
"a portentous and boastful
manner"

fateful

"we must secure the benefits of

freedom for ourselves and our
posterity"

descendants

"his postprandial cigar"; "took a

postprandial walk"

posing

Before the team takes the field, the

coach always calls for a powwow so
huddle
that he can make sure all the players
are mentally in the right place.

"He prances around like a rooster

in a hen house"
"The young horse was prancing in
the meadow"
"Non-regulatory drinking include
prandial drinking"

"he believed all the Christian precepts"

commandment,maxim
principle
teaching
axiom
behest, mandate,
ordinance, prescript

Instead of conducting a thorough investigation

after the city hall break-in, the governor acted
precipitately, accusing his staff of aiding and
abetting the criminals.

At first Manfreds teachers

intimated to his parents that he
was not suited to skip a grade;
when his parents protested,
teachers explicitly told them that, precociousness
notwithstanding the boys
precocity, he was simply too
immature to jump to the 6th
grade.
"finds himself in a most awkward predicament"

dilemma,plight,quand
ary

orientation
"a predilection for expensive cars"
penchant
"my own predilection is for good
preference
literature"
taste

Any informal
discussion or colloquy
is regarded as a
powwow.

sensitivity

Preemptive is often
times heard in a
political context. A
country that strikes
before another
country can do so is
launching a
preemptive strike.
"able to grasp" and
often refers to such
body parts as claws,
feet, and tails.
Elephants curl their
prehensile noses
around objects in
order to pick them
up.

Just as Martha was about to take

the only cookie left on the table,
Noah preemptively swiped it.

"a preposterous attempt to turn

back the pages of history"

ridiculous
absurd

Prehensile is an
adjective that
comes from a French
word for grasped.
Humans and other
primates (like
monkeys, lemurs,
and gorillas) have
prehensile hands
with curling fingers
for grasping a
definite advantage
over dogs, for
instance, who cant
use a pencil when
poetic inspiration
strikes them.
Prehensile can also
mean "greedy" or
"grasping for

before it actually
happens. Those who
forecasted, back in
2007, that the
housing and
financial markets
would take a
nosedive turned out
to be prescientas
thats exactly what
happened.

"extraordinarily prescient
memoranda on the probable
course of postwar relations"

discerning

"more presciently than they

superiors, these workers grasped
the economic situation"
This presciently observed that the cannily
desire to
memorialise Gandhi would be
followed by similar proposals to
honour, after their own deaths
"the duchess would not put up
with presumptuous servants"

Prescient is very
similar to
clairvoyant but is
not as extreme. In
other words, if it is
creepy that your
prediction turns out
to be correct, like,
say, you predict that
the stock market will
hit 17,000 on Oct.
21, 2014, and it
turns out to be
correct. Prescient
implies a keen sense
of how trends are
going to change. So
if you say the stock

equivocate

If youve ever seen a

politician caught in a lie
(never!), and that person is
trying to wiggle their way
out of a pointed question,
he (or she) is prevaricating.
Not that a U.S. president
would ever prevaricate by
talking about the household
pet when confronted with
charges of venality

"in a world where financial probity

may not be widespread"; "he
integrity
enjoys an exaggerated reputation
for probity"

It actually means
honesty. If someone
is known for his or
her probity, that
person has high
moral standards and
can be trusted.

"All governments have to prevaricate, and even

when they don't have to, being human, they do"
The cynic quipped, There is not much variance
in politicians; they all seem to prevaricate.
Bobby learned not to prevaricate when his
teacher asked him where his homework was;
by giving a straightforward answer, he would
avoid invoking the teachers wrath.

"processions were forbidden"

"the government made a

proclamation about changes in the
drug war"
shillyshally
"He procrastinated the matter until it dillydally
was almost too late"
drag one's feet
drag one's heels

The provenance of
this wordlike many
GRE wordsis the
Bible. One of Jesus
most famous
parables, the story
is of a young man
who squanders his
fathers wealth and
returns home
destitute. His father
forgives him, but to
posterity he will
forever be
remembered as the
prodigal son. To be
prodigal is to
squander or waste
wealth (it doesnt
necessarily have to
be familial wealth).
This word should not
be confused with
prodigious, which
means vast or
immense.

"prodigal in their expenditures"

Successful professional athletes
who do not fall prey to prodigality
seem to be the exceptionmost
live decadent lives.

1."a prodigious storm"

2."a prodigious vision"
3."the young Mozart's prodigious talents"

colossal,stupendous,e
xceeding,olympian

debauched,
degenerate,
degraded,
dissipated,
profligate in their
dissolute,
expenditures,"Congreve draws a
extravagant,
profligate aristocratic society"
fast,
libertine,
Most lottery winners go from being
prodigal,
conservative, frugal types to
rake,
outright profligates who blow
rakehell,
millions on fast cars, lavish homes,
riotous,
and giant yachts.
rip,
rou,
spendthrift,
squanderer
editing a prolix manuscript; "a prolix lecturer
telling you more than you want to know"

diffuse,longwinded,pleonastic

"The minister is not prophesying

this Sunday"

vaticinate

This word often pops

up in politics, when
some charge that
government is
spending wastefully

prophetic powers; "words that proved

prophetic"; "prophetic writings"

"Then by the observance of certain

forms and taboos he can propitiate
the unknown force and save
himself"
"The two sons, plying their angry
appease
father with cheesy neckties for
Christmas, were hardly able to
propitiate him the father already
had a drawer full of ones he had
never worn before or ever planned
to."
auspicious,
favorable,
auspicious"propitious omens"; "propitious gales
golden,
speeded us along"; "a propitious alignment of
gracious,
planets for space exploration"
lucky,
prosperous, fortunate

Want to make an
angry person less
angry? Well, then
you attempt to
placate or appease.
Or, if you like really
big GRE words, you
propitiate them.

"a prosaic and unimaginative essay"

"a prosaic movie plot"
Unlike the talented artists in his
workshop, Paul had no such bent for
the visual medium, so when it was
time for him to make a stained glass
painting, he ended up with a prosaic
mosaic.

humdrum
commonplace
mundane
prosy
unglamorous

It can be used to
describe plans, life,
language, or just
about anything
inanimate that has
become dull (it is not
used to describe
people)

lengthy

"the provenance of civilization"

birthplace
cradle
place of origin

"her proverbial lateness"; "the

proverbial absentminded professor";
"your proverbial dizzy blonde"
"the servants showed great tact and prudence"

circumspection,
discreetness,

"a prudent manager"; "prudent rulers"; "prudent

hesitation"; "more prudent to hide than to fight"
prune the plants in the garden

prurient literature

The comedian told one flat joke after another,

and when the audience started booing, he
pugnaciously spat back at them, Hey, you think
this is easy why dont you buffoons give it a
shot?
Nobody wanted to work with Dexter lest he or
she become embroiled in some spat; even
those who did their best to avoid Dexter
eventually had to deal with his pugnacity
"The pugnacious politician seeks relief from his
everyday battles"
"pugnacious spirits...lamented that there was
so little prospect of an exhilarating disturbance"

salacious
lustful
lubricious

Much like a pug dog, which

aggressively yaps at
anything near it, a person
who is pugnacious likes to
aggressively argue about
everything. Verbally
combative is another good
way to describe pugnacious

"He despised himself for entertaining poor-spirited

such pusillanimous considerations"
unmanly

Speaking of fear, a
pusillanimous person
is one who is cowardly
and lily-livered. Just
the letters G-R-E will
have them scrambling
for the door. In
general, the
pusillanimous type is
one who is too fearful
to speak out. Often
dictators can assume
power, not because
they are able to
seduce everyone, but
because people
become
pusillanimous, afraid
to speak out or act
because they fear
some form of reprisal.
- See more at:
http://magoosh.com/g
re/2014/gre-vocabwednesday-ten-dollarwords/#sthash.Ur5Xe
bZE.dpuf

takeover
coup d'tat
coup

George W. Bushs win in the 2000

election was in many ways a pyrrhic
victory: the circumstances of his win
alienated close to half of America.

King Pyrrhus had the

unfortunate luck of
going up against the
Romans. Some would
say that he was
actually lucky in that
he actually defeated
the Romans in the
Battle of Asculum.
Pyrrhic was perhaps
more ambivalent,
quipping, One more
such victory will undo
me.

Pics

Word

Fig

Meaning

quack

n-v-adj

An untrained person who pretends to be a physician

and who dispenses medical advice
Medically unqualified
v-Utter quacking noises
v-(medicine) act as a medical quack or a charlatan

quaff

n-v

A hearty draft
v-To swallow hurriedly, greedily or in one draught,
drink with relish

quagmire

A soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot

v-n

Draw back, as with fear or pain

(game bird) flesh of quail; suitable for roasting or
broiling if young; otherwise must be braised
Small gallinaceous game birds

1. Strange in an interesting or pleasing way

2. Very strange or unusual; odd or even incongruous
in character or appearance
3. Attractively old-fashioned (but not necessarily
authentic)

qualified

adj

Limited or restricted; not absolute

Contingent on something else
(grammar) restricted in meaning; (as e.g. 'man' in 'a
tall man')
Meeting the proper standards and requirements and
training for an office, position or task

Qualify

qualms

quail

quaint

To qualify is to limit, and is usually used in

the context of a statement or an opinion.
Uneasiness about the fitness of an action
A mild state of nausea

A situation from which extrication is

difficult especially an unpleasant or
trying one
quandary

n
State of uncertainty or perplexity
especially as requiring a choice
between equally unfavourable options

A situation from which extrication is difficult especially

an unpleasant or trying one
State of uncertainty or perplexity especially as
requiring a choice between equally unfavourable
options

n-v

Enforced isolation of patients suffering from a

contagious disease in order to prevent the spread of
disease
Isolation to prevent the spread of infectious disease
v-Place into enforced isolation, as for medical
reasons

quarry

n-v

1. A person who is the aim of an attack (especially a

victim of ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile
person or influence
2. A surface excavation for extracting stone or slate
3. Animal hunted or caught for food
v-(quarrying) extract (something such as stones) from
or as if from a quarry

quay

Wharf usually built parallel to the shoreline, dock ,

landing place

queasy

adj

1. Causing or able to cause nausea

2. Feeling nausea; feeling about to vomit
3. Causing or fraught with or showing anxiety

quell

Suppress or crush completely

Overcome or allay, put down, quiet

querulous

adj

Habitually complaining

queue

line

quibble

n-v

An evasion of the point of an argument by raising

irrelevant distinctions or objections
Evade the truth of a point or question by raising
irrelevant objections
Argue over petty things

quiescent

dormant

quandary

quarantine

quietude

A state of peace and quiet

quintessence

1. The purest and most concentrated essence of

something
2. The most typical example or representative of a
type
3. (cosmology) the theory that the dark energy in the
universe may be due to a scalar field and evolving
with time
4. [archaic] The fifth and highest element after air and
earth and fire and water; was believed to be the
substance composing all heavenly bodies

quintessential

adj

Representing the perfect example of a

class or quality

quip

v-n

Make jokes or quips

A witty saying
Witty remark

quirk

n
v

A strange attitude or habit

A narrow groove beside a beading
Twist or curve abruptly

quirk

n-v

A strange attitude or habit

A narrow groove beside a beading
Twist or curve abruptly
Not sensible about practical matters; idealistic and
unrealistic

quixotic
quorum

A gathering of the minimal number of members of an

organization to conduct business

Sentence

Syn

"a quack doctor"

charlatan,
impostor,
behave,
mountebank

"The men quaffed down their beers"

gulp,
swig

bog, marsh, mire, slack, morass

"she quailed when they showed the

slaughtering of the calf"

cower,
lose heart,
wince,
squinch,
cringe,
flinch,
shrink,
funk,
recoil

1. "quaint dialect words"; "quaint streets of

New Orleans, that most foreign of
American cities"
2. "the head terminating in the quaint duck
bill which gives the animal its vernacular
name"; "came forth a quaint and fearful
sight"; "a quaint sense of humour"
3. "houses with quaint thatched roofs"

olde worlde,
old-time,
odd, picturesque,
old-fashioned

"gave only qualified approval"

limited,
restricted

misgivings,
queasinesses,
scruples,
squeamishnesses

Similar

"finds himself in a most

awkward quandary"
"a legal quandary"
It's a quandary that I don't
have the answer to

dilemma
predicament

We have long been in a

quandary over a name for the
boat.
"finds himself in a most awkward
quandary"

dilemma,
plight,
predicament

v-"My dog was quarantined before he

could live in England"

isolate,
isolation,
insulate,
closing off

"he fell quarry to muggers"

"quarry marble"

victim,
object of hunt,
dig into ,
pit,target

dock,
pier,
wharf

"a queasy smell"

squeamish

"quell any sign of dissent"

"quell my hunger"

appease,
quench,
squelch,
stay

"a querulous child"

"she became querulous and demanding"

fretful,
whiney

"Let's not quibble over pennies"

equivocate,
play on words

quietness,
tranquility

ether

"Care is the quintessential female

activity"
"The students were quipping during
dinner"

taunt,
gag,
crack,
sally

"She quirked her head in a

peculiar way"

"She quirked her head in a peculiar way"

startling twist,
caprice,
crotchet,
queerness,
quirkiness

"as quixotic as a restoration of medieval

knighthood"

romantic,
wild-eyed

"Make a quorum"

assemblage,
gathering

Ant

Casual
Notes/Mne
monics
Pics

jholachhap

nqueasinesse
sn-A mild
state of
nausea

Word

Fig

Meaning

Sentence

"a raft of letters"

Raft

A flat float (usually made of logs or

planks) that can be used for transport Despite a raft of city
or as a platform for swimmers
ordinances passed by an
overzealous council, noise
(often followed by 'of') a large number, pollution continued
amount or extent
unabated in the
megalopolis.

Move through with or as if with a rake,Level or

smooth with a rake,Sweep the length
of,Examine hastily,Gather with a rake,Scrape
gently

"She raked her fingers through her

hair",
"rake gravel","She raked the
newspaper headlines while waiting
for the taxi",
"rake leaves","rake the skin"

A dissolute man in fashionable society,

Degree of deviation from a horizontal plane,
A long-handled tool with a row of teeth at its
head; used to move,
leaves or loosen soil,

"the roof had a steep rake"

rancor

A feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will

"their rancor dated from a political

dogfight between them"

rancorous

Showing deep-seated resentment

"preserve...from rancorous envy of the rich"

rant

n
v

A loud bombastic declamation

expressed with strong emotion
Pompous or pretentious talk or writing
Talk in a noisy, excited, or declamatory
manner

raucous

adj

1. Unpleasantly loud and harsh

2. Disturbing the public peace; loud and rough

ravages

n
v

(usually plural) a destructive action

Make a pillaging or destructive raid
on (a place), as in wartimes
"the ravages of time"
Cause extensive destruction or ruin
utterly

ravenous

adj

Extremely hungry,Devouring or craving food in

great quantities

rake

rake

"a raucous party"

Rebuke

Censure severely or angrily

"The deputy rebuked the Prime

Minister"

Rebuke

An act or expression of criticism and censure

"he had to take the rebuke with a

smile on his face"

recant

renounce upon oath, formally reject or diavow a

she recanted her beliefs
formerly held belief usually under pressure,

recapitulate v

Recriminatio
n
n

redolant

adj

Summarize briefly
Repeat stages of evolutionary
development during the embryonic "Let's recapitulate the
phase of life
main ideas"
(music) repeat an earlier theme of
a composition

Mutual accusations

fragrant, odorous, suggestive of an odor,

Serving to bring to mind,(used with 'of' or 'with')
noticeably odorous,
Having a strong pleasant odour

"a campaign redolent of machine

politics";
"cannot forbear to close on this
redolent literary note",
"air redolent with the fumes of beer
and whiskey";
"the hall was redolent of floor wax",
"the pine woods were more
redolent"

Refute

Overthrow by argument, evidence, or proof

Prove to be false or incorrect

Relinquish

1.Part with a possession or right

2. Do without or cease to hold or adhere to
3. Turn away from; give up
4. Stop holding on to; allow to move

remaindered

Sell cheaply as remainders

Remiss

adj

Failing in what duty requires

negligent, careless, or slow in
performing one's duty, business

"The speaker refuted his

opponent's arguments"
Despite the fact that any evidence
regarding the existence of the Loch
Ness monster has been deemed
spurious, it is very difficult to refute
the existence of such an animal:
how does one disprove that which
does not exist?
1. "I am relinquishing my bedroom
to the long-term house guest"
2. "relinquish the old ideas"
3. "I am relinquishing women
forever"
4. "relinquish your grip on the
rope--you won't fall"
"The publisher remaindered the
books"

"remiss in his duty";

"remiss of you not to pay
your bills"
He seems remiss, but bears
a valiant mind;

Remonstrate v

The mothers of the

kidnapped victims
to make objections while pleading
remonstrated to the rogue
Argue in protest or opposition
government to release their
Present and urge reasons in opposition
children, claiming that the
Censure severely or angrily
detention violated human
rights.

renaissance.

The period of European history at the close of

the Middle Ages and the rise of the modern
world; a cultural rebirth from the 14th through
the middle of the 17th centuries, The revival of
learning and culture

rente

Income from capital investment paid in a series

of regular payments

to complain or fret over something

Express discontent

Repine

reprimand

Censure severely or angrily,Rebuke formally

reprimand

An act or expression of criticism and censure

reproof

Censure severely or angrily

reproof

An act or expression of criticism and censure

repugnant

resentment

resile

Restive

Offensive to the mind

Standing forlornly by the

window, she repined for her
lost love.
"A generous mind does not
repine at the advantages
others enjoy"

"The deputy reprimanded the

Prime Minister","he had to take the
reprimand with a smile on his face"

"The deputy reproofed the Prime

Minister"

"he had to take the reproof with a

smile on his face"
"morally repugnant customs"

A feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will

"his resentment took the form of

extreme hostility"

Pull out from an agreement, contract, statement,

etc,Move back in a roughly opposite direction
after an impact,Formally reject or disavow a
formerly held belief, usually under
pressure,Return to the original position or state
after being stretched or compressed

"The landlord cannot resile from

the lease","These particles do not
resile but they unite after they
collide","She resiled her
beliefs","The rubber tubes resile"

adj

Being in a tense state

Impatient especially under restriction
or delay

"the government has done

nothing to ease restrictions
and manufacturers are
growing restive"
The crowd grew restive as
the comedians opening
jokes fell flat."

reticent

adj

Temperamentally disinclined to talk,Cool and

formal in manner,Reluctant to draw attention to
yourself

"a shy retiring girl"

Retiring
revel

adj
v-n

Revelry

revere

Ribald

adj
n

ricochet

v/n

Nelson was always the first

Not arrogant or presuming
to leave soireesrather
Reluctant to draw attention to yourself than mill about with
fashionable folk, he was
To be retiring is to be shy, and to be
retiring, and preferred the
inclined to retract from company.
solitude of his garret.
Take delight in and make the most of
Celebrate noisily, often indulging in drinking;
engage in uproarious festivities
Unrestrained merrymaking
Unrestrained merrymaking

"he revels in his granddaughter"

"a night of revelry"

1. Love unquestioningly and uncritically or to

excess; venerate as an idol
2. Regard with feelings of respect and
"Many teenagers revered the
reverence; consider hallowed, exalted or be in Beatles"
awe of
"revere God as your father"
3.n-A lapel on a woman's garment; turned back
to show the reverse side

Humorously vulgar

"ribald language"

Move back in a roughly opposite direction after

an impact,A glancing rebound

"The rubber ball ricocheted"

Move back in a roughly opposite direction after

an impact
"The rubber ball ricocheted"
A glancing rebound
bounce

ricochet

rife

adj

1.Most frequent or very common

"rife winds"
2. Excessively abundant

Risible

adj

Arousing or provoking laughter

rogue

A deceitful and unreliable scoundrel "rogue states"

rueful

adj

Feeling or expressing pain or sorrow

for sins or offences

"risible courtroom antics"

"I have a very rueful figure

painted on my shield"

rummage

v
n

v-Search haphazardly, to search thoroughly or

actively through (a place, receptacle,
etc.), esp. by moving around, turning over, or
looking through contents

I was conscious of Jamie as I

worked; he had sheathed his dirk
and risen quietly, to go and
rummage among the packs and
saddlebags

n-A jumble of things to be given away

We rummaged through the
A thorough search for something (often causing drawers"
disorder or confusion)
"he gave the attic a good rummage
but couldn't find his skis"
A deceptive manoeuvre (especially to avoid
capture)

ruse

rut

Be in a state of sexual excitement; of male

mammals,Hollow out in the form of a furrow or
groove

"rut soil",

192

Syn

Similar

Ant

Casual
Notes/Mnemonics

A raft is an inflatable
boat. It can also
mean a large
number of
something. I know
it doesnt really
make much sense.
But heres a good
mnemonic: imagine
a large number of
rafts and you have a
raft of rafts.
scan,blood,
crease,
glance over,
graze,
pitch, rip,
rou,
run down,
skim,slant

acrimoniousness

resentful

rowdy,
strident

Pics

reproof,
bawl out,
berate,
call down,
reprimand,
censure

abjure,
forswear,
resile,
retract

Weve all been the

victim of an
accusation, but we
dont always sling
an accusation
back. When we do,
that accusation is
called a
recrimination.

aromatic,
evocative,
remindful,
resonant,
reminiscent,
smelling

I dont agree with what

youre saying about me.
Im going to refute you.
In this sense, refute is
meant to mean
argue/argue with. To
refute something,
however, is to completely
disprove it by using
evidence. For instance, if
someone says the GRE
is out of 1600 points, I
would refute that persons
claim by providing a link
to the gre.org site.

delinquent
derelict
neglectful

annuity

complain
moan

Rebuke,
bawl out,
berate,
call down,
reproof,
censure
bawl out,
berate,
call down
Rebuke,
bawl out,
berate,
call down,
reprimand,
censure

acrimonious,
bile,
itterness,
gall,
hard feelings,
rancor,
abjure,
bounce,
bound,
forswear,
rebound,
recant,
recoil,
retract,
reverberate ,
ricochet,
spring,
take a hop

nervy
overstrung
uptight
restless.

restrained,
retiring,
self-effacing,
unemotional,
untalkative

drawing back

idolize,
worship,
hero-worship,
fear,
venerate

Bawdy and vulgar,

making light of prurient
matters is the essence of
ribald. Coarse and crass
are two other good
synonyms. I imagine a
boat full of pirates
cracking jokes not fit for
print in these pages
ribald jokes.
In business dealings, the
lead pirate was deadly
serious, but as soon as
the grog started flowing
he engaged in ribaldry
that had the bar maids
plugging their ears.
bounce,
bound,
carom,
rebound,
recoil,
resile,
reverberate,
spring,
take a hop

bounce

plethoric,
dominant,
overabundant,
predominant,
prevailing,
prevalent

If anything
warrants laughter,
it can be rightly
called risible. The
laughter provoked
can range from
the funny
(watching the
home videos of
cats making weird
human sounds) to
the derisive
(movies with twodimensional actors
hamming it up).
The landlubbers
found the pirates
get up risiblebut
paid the price for
their laughter by
walking the plank.

contrite
remorseful
ruthful

artifice,
deception ,
trickery
Adjective-rutted-Full of
ruts-"rutted farm roads"

Word

Fig

Meaning
The expensive dark brown fur of the marten
A very dark black
Of a dark somewhat brownish black

sable

n
adj

sabotage

n-v

A deliberate act of destruction or disruption in

which equipment is damaged
Destroy property or hinder normal operations

sacrosanct

adj

Must be kept sacred

sadistic

adj

inclined to cruelty,Deriving pleasure or sexual

gratification from inflicting pain on another

salacious

adj

Characterized by lust
Suggestive of or tending to moral looseness

salubrious

adj

Promoting health; healthful

Favourable to health of mind or body

a simultaneous discharge of artillery

or other guns in a battle.
salvo

n
a sudden, vigorous, or aggressive act
or series of acts.

Sanctimonious

adj

Excessively or hypocritically pious

it refers to that quality that can
overcome someone who feels that they
are holier (read: morally superior) to
everybody else.

Sangfroid

Great coolness and composure under

strain

sanguine

adj
n

Adj-Confidently optimistic and cheerful

sap

Deplete
Excavate the earth beneath

wise, or attempting to appear wise

Sapient

adj

sardonically

adv

relating to the human species ( Homo

sapiens
In a sarcastic manner

adj

Morally wholesome or acceptable

Having an agreeably pungent taste
Pleasing to the sense of taste

scalawag

A white Southerner who supported

Reconstruction policies after the
American Civil War (usually for selfinterest)
A deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
One who is playfully mischievous

sceptic

Someone who habitually doubts

accepted beliefs

schadenfreude

Delight in another person's misfortune

schism

Division of a group into opposing factions

The formal separation of a church into
two churches or the withdrawal of one
group over doctrinal differences

Screed

A long monotonous harangue

A long piece of writing

scrumptious

adj

Extremely pleasing to the sense of taste

scruples

n-v

n-Motivation deriving logically from ethical or moral

principles that govern a person's thoughts and
actions
n-scruple-Uneasiness about the fitness of an action
v-Hesitate on moral grounds
Raise scruples
Have doubts about

scum

Worthless people,A film of impurities or vegetation

that can form on the surface of a liquid

scum

Remove the scum from

scummy

adj

Of the most contemptible kind,Covered with scum

savory

Sedulous

semblance

seminal

adj

Marked by care and persistent effort

1.An outward or token appearance or form that is

deliberately misleading
"he hoped his claims would have a semblance of
authenticity"
2.An erroneous mental representation
3. Picture consisting of a graphic image of a person
or thing

adj

strongly influencing later

developments.
relating to or denoting semen.

sempiternal

adj

Having no known beginning and presumably no

end

sendup

[Brit] (informal) make fun of, parody,[N. Amer] Send

to prison after being found guilty

sendup

A composition that imitates or misrepresents

somebody's style, usually in a humorous way

Sententious

adj

Abounding in or given to pompous or

aphoristic moralizing
Concise and full of meaning

to be moralizing, usually in a
pompous sense
Sententious

adj

Abounding in or given to pompous or

aphoristic moralizing
Concise and full of meaning

sepulchre

A chamber that is used as a grave

sequester

retire from public life;

segregate; seclude,Requisition forcibly, as of
enemy property,
Take temporary possession of as a security, by
legal authority,
(chemistry) undergo sequestration by forming a
stable compound with an ion,
Keep away from others,
Set apart from others

Serendipity

Good luck in making unexpected and

fortunate discoveries

servile

adj

Submissive or fawning in attitude or behaviour

Relating to or involving slaves or appropriate for
slaves or servants

shoestring

A lace used for fastening shoes,A small amount of

money

shrive

Grant remission of a sin to

Slapdash

adj
adv

Marked by great carelessness

In a careless or reckless manner Directly
in a hasty, haphazard manner

sleuth

a detective who follows a trail

sleuth

watch, observe or inquire secretly

slipshod

adj

Marked by great carelessness

careless, untidy, or slovenly

muddy, slushy, or very wet

sloppy

adj

careless; loose
overly emotional; gushy

slothful

adj

Disinclined to work or exertion

slovenly

adj

sluggish

adj

slyness

smarmy

adj

Negligent of neatness especially in

dress and person; habitually dirty and
unkempt
Moving slowly,(of business) not active or brisk,Slow
and apathetic
Shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in
deception
Unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating
in manner or speech

A small number or amount

Smattering

smug

adj

Marked by excessive complacency or

self-satisfaction

soirees

A party of people assembled in the

evening (usually at a private house)

Solecism

A socially awkward or tactless act

An ungrammatical usage of words

solecisms

A socially awkward or tactless act

An ungrammatical usage of words

soliloquies

Speech you make to yourself,A (usually long)

dramatic speech intended to give the illusion of
unspoken reflections

solvent

adj

Capable of meeting financial obligations

somatic

adj

Affecting or characteristic of the body as opposed

to the mind or spirit

somber

adj

gloomy, depressing,Lacking brightness or colour;

dull,Grave or even gloomy in character

A slight or superficial understanding of a

subject

The belief in magical spells that

harness occult forces or evil spirits to
produce unnatural effects in the
world

souse

Cover with liquid; pour liquid onto,Immerse briefly

into a liquid so as to wet, coat, or saturate,Become
drunk or drink excessively,(cooking) cook in a
marinade

souse

A person who drinks alcohol to excess

habitually,Pork trimmings chopped and pickled and
jelled,The act of making something completely wet

specious

adj

Plausible but false

Based on pretence; deceptively
pleasing

spirant

adj-n

adj-Of speech sounds produced by forcing air

through a constricted passage (as 'f', 's', 'z', or 'th'
in both 'thin' and 'then')
n-A continuant consonant produced by breath
moving against a narrowing of the vocal tract

spoof

Make a parody of,Tamper, with the purpose of

deception

A composition that imitates or misrepresents

somebody's style, usually in a humorous
way,Something intended to deceive; deliberate
trickery intended to gain an advantage

sprocket

Roller that has teeth on the rims to pull film or

paper through
Thin wheel with teeth that engage with a chain
Tooth on the rim of gear wheel

spurious

adj

Plausible but false

Intended to deceive

squanderer

A recklessly extravagant consumer

squanders

Spend thoughtlessly; throw away

Spend extravagantly

sorcery

spoof

directly, without deviating to one

side.
squarely

adv
in a direct and uncompromising
manner.

squatters

Someone who settles lawfully on government land

with the intent to acquire title to it
Someone who settles on land without right or title

squeamish

adj

Excessively fastidious and easily disgusted

A mild state of nausea

The trait of being excessively fastidious and easily
shocked

1. Suppress or crush completely

2. Make a sucking sound
3. Walk through mud or mire
4. To compress with violence, out of natural shape
or condition

Start

The secondary meaning for start is

somewhat similar to the common
meaning. To start is to suddenly move or
dart in a particular direction. Just think of
the word startle.

staunch

adj

staunch

stentorian

adj

(of a voice) loud, resonant and powerful

stifle

Conceal or hide,Impair the respiration of or obstruct

the air passage of,Smother or suppress,Be
asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen

stifle

Joint between the femur and tibia in a quadruped;

corresponds to the human knee

strangled

Kill by squeezing the throat of so as to cut off the

air,Conceal or hide,Die from strangulation,Prevent
the progress or free movement of,Constrict
(someone's) throat and keep from
breathing,Struggle for breath; have insufficient
oxygen intake

strangled

adj

Held in check with difficulty

strident

adj

1. Conspicuously and offensively loud; given to

vehement outcry
2. Of speech sounds produced by forcing air
through a constricted passage (as 'f', 's', 'z', or 'th'
in both 'thin' and 'then')
3. Being sharply insistent on being heard
4. Unpleasantly loud and harsh

stronghold

A strongly fortified defensive structure

squeamishnesses

squelch

Firm and dependable especially in loyalty

"a staunch defender of free speech"
Stop the flow of a liquid
"staunch the blood flow"

limits its growth

(law) prove to be of unsound mind or
demonstrate someone's incompetence
Stultify

v
Cause to appear foolish
Deprive of strength or efficiency; make
useless or worthless

Make dull or stupid or muddle with

drunkenness or infatuation
Stupefy

Be confusing or perplexing to; cause

to be unable to think clearly
Make senseless or dizzy by or as if by
a blow

stupendous

adj

So great in size, force or extent as to elicit awe

Having a sophisticated charm
Smoothly agreeable and courteous with a degree
of sophistication

suave

bring under domination or control,

especially by conquest.
subjugate

v
make someone or something
subordinate to.

subliminal

adj

Below the threshold of conscious perception

subservient

adj

Compliant and obedient to authority

Serving or acting as a means or aid
Abjectly submissive; characteristic of a
slave or servant

Subterfuge

Something intended to misrepresent

the true nature of an activity

succinct

adj

Briefly giving the gist of something

succinct

Briefly giving the gist of something

succulent

adj

Full of juice

succulent

A plant adapted to arid conditions and

characterized by fleshy water-storing tissues that
act as water reservoirs

Cause to spread or flush or flood through, over, or

across
To become overspread as with a fluid, a colour, a
gleam of light

supercilious

adj

Having or showing arrogant superiority

to and disdain of those one views as
unworthy
Expressive of contempt

superciliousness

The trait of displaying arrogance by patronizing

those considered inferior

suppliance

A solemn and earnest appeal to someone to do

something

surfeit

n/v

1. The state of being more than full

2. The quality of being so overabundant that prices
fall
3. Eating until excessively full
v-Supply or feed to surfeit
v-Indulge (one's appetite) to satiety

surmised

Infer from incomplete evidence

Imagine to be the case, true or probable
"I surmised that the butler did it"

suffuses

surreptitious

adj

Marked by quiet and caution and

secrecy; taking pains to avoid being
observed
Conducted with or marked by hidden
aims or methods
Showing a high degree of refinement and the
assurance that comes from wide social experience
Moving and bending with ease
Being of delicate or thin build

svelte

swig

n-v

A large and hurried swallow

Strike heavily, especially with the fist or a bat
To swallow hurriedly, greedily or in one draught

v
n

Pass out from weakness, physical or

emotional distress due to a loss of
blood supply to the brain
A spontaneous loss of consciousness
caused by insufficient blood to the
brain

Sybarite

adj

A person addicted to luxury and

pleasures of the senses
Displaying luxury and furnishing
gratification to the senses

sycophantic

adj

Attempting to win favour from influential

people by flattery
Attempting to win favour by flattery

sylvan

adj
n

swoon

Relating to or characteristic of wooded regions

A spirit that lives in or frequents the woods
any amalgam of different schools of
thought.

Syncretic

adj
Relating to a historical tendency for a
language to reduce its use of inflections

285

Sentence

"The Resistance sabotaged railway operations during the war"

"Western ethical thinking singled out human life as sacrosanct", Given the seeming
haste, it was widely suspected within DU that these reforms will be enforced through
a last-minute diktat,
bypassing the sacrosanct Academic Council (AC).
The sadistic person needs his object just as much as the masochistic needs his
"a salacious rooster of a little man"
"salacious limericks"

"the salubrious mountain air and water"

"not the most salubrious campsite"; "one of the less
salubrious suburbs"

"a deafening salvo of shots rang out"

"the pardons provoked a salvo of accusations"

Even during the quiet sanctity of evening prayer, she held her chin
high, a sanctimonious sneer forming on her face as she eyed those
who were attending church for the first time.
"a sickening sanctimonious smile"
"keep your sang-froid"
The hostage negotiator exhibited a sangfroid that oftentimes was
more menacing than the sword at his throat or the gun at his head.

"sap one's savings"

"members of the female quarter were more sapient but no

less savage than the others"
"our sapient ancestors of 40,000 years ago"
"'Ah, now we're getting at the truth,' he interposed
sardonically"

"a past that was scarcely savory"

"She tried and tested high fiber, low-fat, low-sugar recipes to ensure delicious,
savory meals that conform to diabetic dietary requirements"

From his warm apartment window, Stanley reveled in

schadenfreude as he laughed at the figures below, huddled
together in the arctic chill.

"another schism like that and they will wind up in bankruptcy"

Joey had difficulty hanging out with his former best friend
Perry, who, during his entire cup of coffee, would enumerate
all of the governments deficiencies, only to break ranks and
launch into some screed against big business.

"the dessert was scrumptious"

v-"The man scrupled to perjure himself"

"He lied and did not even scruple about it"

a scummy rabble,"the scummy surface of the polluted pond"

"sedulous pursuit of legal and moral principles"

An avid numismatist, Harold sedulously amassed a collection of
coins from over 100 countriesan endeavor that took over fifteen
years, and to five continents.

"his seminal work on chaos theory"

"the spermatozoa are washed to separate them from the
seminal plasma"
"sempiternal truth", In this sempiternal perspective,
a vice-chancellor in a hurry must seem a contradiction in terms.

"too often the significant episode deteriorates into sententious

conversation"
"the peculiarly sardonic and sententious style in which Don Luis
composed his epigrams"

"too often the significant episode deteriorates into

sententious conversation"
"the peculiarly sardonic and sententious style in which Don
Luis composed his epigrams"
"The old man, casting his nose up in the air at the group of
adolescents, intoned sententiously, Youth is wasted on the
young.

the estate was sequestered,"The customs agents sequestered the illegal

shipment","The cations were sequestered","He sequestered himself in his study to
write a book","The dentist sequesters the tooth he is working on"

The invention of the 3M Post It Note was serendipitous,

because the scientist who had come up with the idea was
looking for a strong adhesive; the weak adhesive he came up
with was perfect for holding a piece of paper in place but
making it very easy for someone to pull the paper free.
"spoke in a servile tone"; "the incurably servile housekeeper"; "servile tasks such as
floor scrubbing and barn work"
"Brown's attempt at servile insurrection"; "the servile wars of Sicily"; "servile work"
"he managed it on a shoestring", The industry was cashstrapped, films were being
made on shoestring budgets and were
technically low, mostly formula fare

"slapdash work"
"the shelves were put up slapdash"
"he ran slapdash into the pole"
The office building had been constructed in a slapdash manner, so
it did not surprise officials when, during a small earthquake, a large
crack emerged on the faade of the building
More recently, he almost shocked with his decision to cast Kahani director Sujoy
Ghosh as the iconic Bengali sleuth Byomkesh Bakshi, in what will now be his last
film.
"slipshod spelling"
Your mind will slip down; it will refuse to exert itself; it
will become as slovenly, slipshod, and inactive as your body.
Its storytelling verges on the slapdash, and its vision of politics as a game of
personal brinksmanship can ring sentimental and shallow;

The field was a sloppy mess after the rain

The penmanship in the ledger is small and very sloppy,
especially for a period when script was consistently well
formed, if not elegant.
sloppy sentiment;
sloppy talk about first loves
slothful employees

"slovenly appearance"
a sluggish stream,"business is sluggish"; "a sluggish market","a sluggish worker"

"smarmy self-importance"

"only a smattering of responses were received"

"a smug glow of self-congratulation"

a somatic symptom or somatic illness

children in somber brown clothes,"a somber mood"; "a suit of somber black"

souse water on his hot face,"souse the garment into the cleaning solution","souse
herring"

he gave it a good souse

"a specious claim"

"the specious and perfumed but inwardly rotten nobility"

The students spoofed the teachers,"spoof the figures"

"spurious inferences"
"a spurious work of art"
"You squandered the opportunity to get and advanced
degree"
"squander not, want not"
"Ashley looked at him squarely"
"they placed the blame squarely on the president"

"so squeamish he would only touch the toilet handle with his elbow"

"the program was withdrawn because of the squeamishness of some viewers"; "he
refused to allow squeamishness to deter him from his duty"
1. "squelch any sign of dissent"
2. "We had to squelch across the wet meadow"
3. "squelch an aluminium can"

All alone in the mansion, Henrietta started when she heard a

sound.

Mr. Sharifs decision received unconditional support from his staunch rivals in
President Asif Ali Zardaris Pakistan

"His stentorian voice occasionally rose to such a pitch as to

astound the Indians encamped in the vicinity"
stifle a yawn,"Stifle your curiosity","The foul air was slowly stifling the children","The
child stifled under the pillow"

A man in Boston has been strangling several dozen prostitutes; "he tried to strangle
his opponent","strangle a yawn","the imperialist nation wanted to strangle the free
trade between the two small countries"
a strangled scream

1. "strident demands"

A much publicized raid on a yardie stronghold had first been simulated at Riot City

"nobody is legally allowed to stultify himself"

"He stultified himself by contradicting himself and being
inconsistent"
"Their behaviour stultified the boss's hard work"

"These questions stupefy even the experts"

"stupefy fish"

"a stupendous field of grass"; "stupendous demand"

"a suave gentleman"
"he was too suave to quarrel with so important a personage"

"the invaders had soon subjugated most of the population"

"the new ruler firmly subjugated the Church to the state"
"The rich landowners subjugated the peasants working the
land"

They took a poll on the publics' view of subliminal advertising

"editors and journalists who express opinions in print that are

opposed to the interests of the rich are dismissed and replaced by
subservient ones"
"subservient in solving the crime"
"she has become submissive and subservient"

"he wasn't sick--it was just a subterfuge"

"succinct comparisons"

succinct comparisons
succulent roast beef

The sky was suffused with a warm pink colour

"His whole frame suffused with a cold dew"

"his mother eyed my clothes with a supercilious air"

"curled his lip in a supercilious smile"

The cool girls at school were renowned for their superciliousness, mocking
underclassman unfortunate enough to be clad in last years fashion. - See more at:
http://magoosh.com/gre/2014/gre-vocab-wednesday-ten-dollarwords/#sthash.Ur5XebZE.dpuf

"a surreptitious glance at his watch"

"surreptitious mobilization of troops"

"his svelte manner"

"Her hands are white and long and svelte"

"The men swigged down their beers"

Despite the fact that hed maxed out fifteen credit cards, Max was
still a sybarite at heart: when the feds found him, he was at a
$1,000 an hour spa in Manhattan, getting a facial.
a chinchilla robe of sybaritic lavishness

adj- "a shady sylvan glade"

Jerry the shrink takes a syncretic approach to psychotherapy: he

mixes the Gestalt school with some Jung and a healthy (or
unhealthy, depending on your view) dose of Freud.

Syn
jet black
ebony
counteract
cave
countermine
sabotage
subvert
weaken, sap
inviolable, inviolate

lustful

healthy

holier-than-thou

aplomb
poise

sarcastically

skeptic
doubter

split

yummy
luscious
scrummy
delectable
juicy
palatable

conscience,moral
sense,qualms,sense of right and
wrong,misgivings

trash

assiduous

illusion

dateless, endless
,
charade,
lampoon,mockery,parody,pasquin
ade

burial chamber

isolate, set apart,

slavish
bootlicking
fawn

absolve,

slipshod
sloppy

snoop, spy stag, sleuthhound

Slapdash
sloppy

fainant, lazy,
otiose,lndolent,work-shy

slobbish
slow, torpid, dull

fulsome,
buttery,
oleaginous,
smarmy
,soapy

monologues

bodily,corporal,material,
sober

necromancy
black magic

alcoholic,alkie,alky,boozer,dipso,d
ipsomaniac,exuberant,lavish,lucul
lan,luxuriant,plush,profuse,riotous
,soaker,

gilded
meretricious
spurious

fricative,strident

,
charade,
lampoon,mockery,parody,pasquin
ade

specious
prodigal,profligate

wastes

dainty,overnice,prissy

queasinesses,qualm

crush,squeeze

unswerving

booming

suffocate, choke,

choked,cramped,haltered,gagged
,muffled

blatant,clamant,raucous, spirant

Stultify

colossal,prodigious

conquer,
vanquish
defeat,
crush,
quell,
quash
overcome
overpower
hegemonize
quash

instrumental
slavish
submissive

compact
summary
compendious

compact
lush

perfuses

disdainful

condescension,
disdainfulness

appeal,prayer,suppliance,adjurati
on

glut,oversupply, cloy

clandestine
cloak-and-dagger
hush-hush
secret
undercover

slender,urbane

slug,gulp,quaff

faint

voluptuary
luxuriant

bootlicking

silvan

Casual Notes/Mnemonics

Anything that is obscenethat is, it totally disregards moral standards relating

to sexual mattersis salacious

Literally, a salvo is a discharge of weapons at the same

time. Figuratively, this word connotes a simultaneous
unleashing of verbal wrath. Currently, a salvo of
accusations has been fired at Vladimir Putin for supporting
the rebel group that putatively shot down the Malaysian
flight. But you dont need an international incident to get
the verbal salvosas a daily session in Congress clearly
shows.

Pics

Screed takes on a more negative connotation, and

suggests an abusive rant that has since become tedious
and hackneyed. Currently, the Occupy movements have
hardly devolved into screeds, and may even intensify, if
protestors feel their various demands have not been met.
However, if the protest fizzles out months from now,
except for the lone dude in the park, gesticulating at a
passel of pigeons well, he is very likely launching into a
screed.

I hope my sedulous efforts in practising for the GRE pay-off.

Many things are typically knock-offs of something else.

Indeed, very few things are not only one of kind but also
go on to influence countless imitators. To this rare group,
we have the word seminal. In physics, the ideas of Newton
and Einstein are seminal; in music, the music of Bach and
that of the Beatles is seminal; in technology, the
microchip and the iPhone merit the word seminal.

Sententious, unlike the verb pontificate, is an adjective. In

terms of meaning, though, the two words are similar:
sententious describes somebody who pontificates. Really the
only difference is a person who is being sententious isnt just
prattling on about his or her beliefs but is also being preachy
and moralistic.

This morning I wasnt looking for this article, but there it

wasa pleasant find. Thats an example of serendipity:
finding something pleasant that you werent even looking
for. The Internet is full of serendipity, since something you
werent looking for in the first place often falls into your
lap. Though if such compulsive buying becomes a habit, it
may cease to be serendipitous.

One word conjures up a relatively violent action, the other what

one typically does if they want to escape a dangerous situation.
Put them together and you get, voila, a word meaning careless.
Thats rightslapdash means hastily put together.

To have a smattering of knowledge about something is to have

a superficial knowledge of it. For instance, Im sure you have a
smattering of knowledge on many different things, be it
cooking, astronomy, pop music, and even GRE vocabulary

When abroad, we are oftentimes unaware of the social

customs of a country. When we breach these proprieties,
we are said to be guilty of a solecism. During my first
weeks in Seoul, Korea, where I lived for a few years
teaching test prep, I was unaware that, after eating at a
restaurant, one is not supposed to leave a monetary tip. I
was disabused of this solecism when a friend who spoke
Korean had to explain why my actions constituted a faux
pas: in Korea, the hosts feel honored to serve their patrons
and always behave as graciously as possible. This trait is
part of their culture and does not come with a price tag
even in the form of gratuity. I guess you can say I was
guilty of a Seoul-ecism.
Interestingly, a solecism can also be a breach of
grammatical manners. Misplaced modifiers, dangling
participles, etc. are all examples of solecisms. Finally, I
should mention that a solecism is any breach in social
etiquetteit doesnt have to happen abroad.

The disclosure that the separation of one name for

reconsideration, while sending up the other three for
appointment, was done without his knowledge and
concurrence has placed the onus of explaining the
rejection of Mr. Subramaniums candidacy squarely on the
government

Stultify is almost always used in a human context, describing a

process that limits or weakens one. A school with a strong
disciplinarian bent will likely stultify the mind of a creative
child. Any job where you do the same thing day after day will
stultify you. Communist Russia stultified innovation by deifying
the state at the expense of the individual.

Have you ever woken up after a really long sleep, or

perhaps been jolted awake when you are in deep sleep? In
either case, you are likely to feel stupefied, a state in
which you are unable to think or even functionbasically,
youre kind of like a zombie.

At some point, we have all tried to evade detection or

pulled some elaborate ruse to get what we want. Such
behavior can accurately be described as subterfuge.
Maybe you are having a surprise birthday for your
significant other. In other to not let the cat out of the
birthday bag, you have to engage in subterfuge: you must
stall and make up excuses for why you are not driving
home sooner, and you must make up fake plans with
people, all just to make sure that the moment of surprise
is completely unexpected. This example is one of benign
subterfuge; often times a person engages in subterfuge
for some nefarious end.

The etymology of this word is very interesting, and may even raise a brow or
two. Cilia refer to eyelashes. The super prefix means above, so essentially
supercilious means above the eyelashes, more specifically the eyebrows. Of
course the connection at this point is anything but apparent. The missing piece
is this: when people raise their eyebrows they are being haughty, or looking
down at someone. - See more at: http://magoosh.com/gre/2014/gre-vocabwednesday-ten-dollar-words/#sthash.Ur5XebZE.dpuf

This is a person who indulges in luxury. And though the word

doesnt directly relate to wealth, most of the times a sybarite
has to be wealthy

if a I concoct a new religion and decide to take bits and pieces

from other religionsI don a cardinals robe, shave my head a
la Buddha, and disseminate glossy pamphlets about the
coming apocalypseI have created a syncretic religion, one
that combines elements of different religions.

Word
tacit

Fig Meaning
Implied by or inferred from actions or statements,
adj not put into words

A group of people attractively

arranged (as if in a painting)
tableau

Any dramatic scene

a picturesque display

torpor

A state of motor and mental

inactivity with a partial suspension of
sensibility
Inactivity resulting from lethargy and
lack of vigour or energy

adj

taciturn

Habitually reserved and uncommunicative

tactile
tainted

adj
adj

Of or relating to or proceeding from the sense of

touch
Producing a sensation of touch
contaminated, corrupt

talisman

charm
A trinket or piece of jewellery usually hung about
the neck and thought to be a magical protection
against evil or disease

talon

A sharp hooked claw especially on a bird of prey

adj

Perceptible by the senses especially the sense of

touch,
Capable of being treated as fact,(of especially
business assets) having physical substance and
intrinsic monetary value,
Capable of being perceived;
especially capable of being handled, touched or
felt

tantalize

Excite or tease by presenting or offering

something desirable, esp. when it is unobtainable,
torture with disappointmnet

tantamount

adj

tantrum

Being essentially equal to something

A display of bad temper
fit of petulance, caprice,

v
n

v-Diminish gradually
Give a point to
n-A convex shape that narrows toward a point
Stick of wax with a wick in the middle

tangible

taper

Large southern European spider once thought to

be the cause of tarantism (uncontrollable bodily
movement)
tarantula

tarn

Large hairy tropical spider with fangs that can

inflict painful but not highly venomous bites
A mountain lake (especially one formed by
glaciers)
Be about (dwadle)
Leave slowly and hesitantly (delay)

tarry

v
adj

Having the characteristics of pitch or tar

adj

tedious

Telling

So lacking in interest as to cause mental

weariness,Using or containing too many words

If something is telling, it is significant

and revealing of another factor. If a
persons alibi has a telling detail,
adj
often that one little detail can
supportor unravel!the persons
alibi.

Telltale

temerity

adj

Disclosing unintentionally
revealing.

Fearless daring
boldness or rashness

Tendentiou
Having or marked by a strong tendency
adj
s
especially a controversial one

Tender

thorough

adj

Offer or present for acceptance

(auction) propose an amount you are
prepared to pay for something

Painstakingly careful and accurate

"thorough research"; "our accountant is thorough"
Performed comprehensively and completely
"made a thorough search"

Thoroughg
Performed comprehensively and
adj
oing
completely

Fear of the unknown, unfamiliar or

fear of making decisions
timorousn
ess
n

tincture

Fearfulness in venturing into new

and unknown places or activities

n-v An indication that something has been present

Stain or tint with a colour
Fill, as with a certain quality

tirade

tongue-incheek
tongue-incheek

A speech of violent denunciation

adv In a bantering fashion,Not seriously

adj

Cleverly amusing in tone

1.Acceptable to the taste or mind

2.Extremely pleasing to the sense of taste
3.Having strong sexual appeal

toothsome

adj

1. Unbearable physical pain, 2. Extreme distress

of body or mind, 3.Intense feelings of suffering;
acute mental or physical pain, 4.A feeling of
intense annoyance caused by being tormented,
5.A severe affliction, 6.The act of harassing
someone

torment

Torment emotionally or mentally,Harass

persistently in cruel or annoying way,Subject to
torture

traduce

Speak unfavourably about

"She traduces her husband everywhere"

traducement

A false accusation of an offence or a malicious

misrepresentation of someone's words or actions

tranquility

torment

transgress

A disposition free from stress or emotion

A state of peace and quiet
An untroubled state; free from disturbances
Act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or
promises,Spread over land, especially along a
subsiding shoreline,Commit a sin; violate a law of
God or a moral law,Pass beyond (limits or
boundaries)

Transmogr
ification
n

Transmute v

The act of changing into a different

form or appearance (especially a
fantastic or grotesque one)
Change in outward structure or looks
Change or alter in form, appearance, or
nature
(chemistry) alter the nature of
(elements)

travesty

n/v

A travesty of something is a poor imitation of that

thing. Indeed it is so poor that it debases that very
thing.
A comedy characterized by broad satire and
improbable situations,
A composition that imitates or misrepresents
somebody's style, usually in a humorous
way,Make a travesty of

trite

adj

Repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse

1. Beat thoroughly and conclusively in a

competition or fight
2. Beat severely with a whip or rod
3. Come out better in a competition, race, or
conflict
4. Censure severely or angrily

trounce

Truculent

Defiantly aggressive
A person who is truculent has a fierce,
adj savage nature

trundle

v
n

Move heavily
A low bed to be slid under a higher bed
Small wheel or roller

A date; usually with a member of the opposite

sex,A secret rendezvous (especially between
lovers)

tuft

A bunch of hair, feathers or growing

grass
A bunch of feathers or hair

Turpitude

A corrupt or depraved or degenerate act

or practice

tussock

A bunch of hair, feathers or growing grass

twaddle

n-v

n-Pretentious or silly talk or writing

v-Speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and
incessantly

tryst

turncoat

a person who deserts one party or

cause in order to join an opposing
one.

139

Sentence

Syn

a tacit agreement

silent,understood

tableau vivant

"he fell into a deep torpor"

The costly education in
politics had led to political
torpor.
Hopefully, they will awaken
from their long torpor and
rise to the challenges of the listlessness
times
torpidity
She slipped the powder into
his drink and soon he fell
into a deep torpor allowing
her to tap his mind for the
necessary information,
which he gave freely if a bit
slurred.

"Calvin Coolidge was probably our

most taciturn President"

buttoned-up,
concise,
reticent,
incommunicative,
uncommunicative,
untalkative

a tactile reflex
"tactile qualities"
tactual data
"the tactual luxury of stroking silky
human hair"

haptic,
tactual,
tactile

amulet
claw

Casual Notes/Mnemonics

"skin with a tangible

roughness","tangible
evidence","tangible property like real
estate"; "tangible assets such as
machinery","a barely tangible dust"

he also was tantalized by glimpses of

the real world of espionage

palpable,
real,
touchable

tease

"his statement was tantamount to an

admission of guilt" Such a move would
be tantamount to an official declaration
of a civil war in the country.
equivalent
"she threw a tantrum"

conniption

"Interested tapered off"

"The candles are tapered"

"The high school students like to tarry

in the Central Square"
"Very seldom was there one that was
free from resin or tarry gum"

"tedious days on the train","tedious

speakers"

Her unbecoming dress was

very telling when it came to
her sense of fashion.

boring,deadening,de
adly,draggy,dull,hohum,irksome,longwinded,slow,,tiresom
e,unamusing,verbos
e,wearisome,windy,w
ordy

"a telltale panel of lights"

The many telltale signs of
chronic smoking include yellow
teeth, and a persistent,
hacking cough.

audaciousness
audacity
Because political mudslinging
has become a staple of the 24hour media cycle, most of us,
despite proclamations to the
contrary, are tendentious on
many of todays pressing
issues."

biased

"distinguishing between
verifiable fact and tendentious
assertion";

If you are likely to espouse a

controversial view, you are being
tendentious. A good synonym for
tendentious is biased, though if
you are biased you arent
necessarily leaning towards a
view that is controversial.

"a tendentious account of

recent elections"

"The Swiss dealer tendered

$2 million for the painting"
The government was loath
to tender more money in the
fear that it might set off
inflation.

When you tender something,

you offer it up. For instance,
when you tender your
resignation, you hand in a
piece of paper saying that you
are resigning.

exhaustive

As a thoroughgoing
bibliophile, one who had
turned his house into a
veritable library, he shocked
his friends when he bought a
Kindle.

If something is thorough it is
complete. Therefore, thorough
isnt too far from the meaning
of thoroughgoing, which
means absolute.

timidity
timidness
"a tincture of condescension"
"The leaves were tinctured with a bright
red"
"The heavy traffic tinctures the air with vestige, infuse,
carbon monoxide"
trace, shadow

"her tirade provoked a

counterblast from her
husband"
A tirade is an angry speech,
broadside
one that suggests the person
philippic
giving the tirade has become a
little too angry, and should
probably dismount the
soapbox.

A tirade is an angry speech, one

that suggests the person giving
the tirade has become a little too
angry, and should probably
dismount the soapbox.

"he spoke to her tongue-in-cheek","I

meant it tongue-in-cheek"
"tongue-in-cheek advice"
palatable,
bootylicious,
scrumptious
yummy
1."toothsome food"
luscious
2."the dessert was toothsome"
scrummy
3."a toothsome blonde in a tight dress"
delectable
juicy
voluptuous
red-hot

"the torments of the damned","so great

was his torment that he wanted to
destroy his tormentors"

badmouth,drag
through the
mud,malign

obloquy, denigration,
aspersion,
calumniation,
defamation, slander,
hatchet job,
Verb: Traduce
placidity, serenity

"transgress all laws of humanity","The breach, break, sin

sea transgresses along the West coast ,violate, trespass,
of the island"
overstep

Just pronouncing this word

may give the impression that
your mouth is filled with
popcorn. Indeed, if you shove
half a bag of popcorn in your
mouth so that your cheeks
swell out to the size of
grapefruits, then youve been
transmogrified into a
chipmunk (just remember to
breathe through you nose).
Generally speaking,
transmogrify means to warp
something into a fantastical
form or shape, as in when you
walk through a funhouse filled
with mirrors that make you
look beanstalk skinny or
comically rotund.

"the transmogrification of
the prince into a porcupine"
"He transmuted into a
monster"
"This experience transmuted
her completely"

transform

Oh yes, I heard, how terrible. What a

travesty! Actually that should be tragedy.
Whats truly a tragedy is how often the
two words are mixed up. A travesty of
something is a poor imitation of that thing.
Indeed it is so poor that it debases that
very thing.

charade,
lampoon,
mockery,
parody,
pasquinade
"his remarks were trite and
commonplace"; "the trite metaphor
'hard as nails'"; "his remarks were trite
and banal"
banal

For instance, a travesty of justice would

describe a corrupt court in which the
judge has been bribed to deliver a certain
verdict. The attorneys argue their
positions but its only for show. Ive used
this word in one of my GRE book reviews,
saying that the books GRE questions
were so poorly constructed that the book
was a travesty of GRE prep.

1. "We trounced the other team on

Sunday!"
2."The children were severely
trounced"
4. "The deputy trounced the Prime
Minister"

beat, whip

"a truculent speech against the

new government"
Standing in line for six hours,
she became progressively
truculent, yelling at DMV
employees and elbowing other
people waiting in line.
aggressive

As I drive a smaller car, I often

find trucksfrom the 18-wheeler
to the 44to be quite truckulent when they drive. A silly
mnemonic, but next time you are
cut off by a truck, instead of
giving the proverbial middlefinger, you can just mutter, what
a truculent fellow.

"the tram trundled down the

avenue"
assignation,rendezv
ous

tussock
wisp

During his reign, Caligula

indulged in unspeakable sexual
practices, so it not surprising
that he will forever be
remembered for his turpitude. depravity

wing grass

tuft
wisp
blarney, blabber,
cajole, coax,
wheedle, tattle,
palaver

Sometimes lechery and its

synonymous friends are just too
soft when describing certain acts
of malfeasance. At the far ends
of the political spectrum, where
outrage is felt most keenly,
people feel the need to invoke far
harsher vocabulary when
condemning naughty behavior.
One such word is turpitude,
which gained prominence in the
late 90s (Google will fill in the
blanks). A synonym for depravity,
turpitude is only reserved for
those acts deemed to be
downright wicked and immoral.

"they denounced him as a

turncoat"

traitor
renegade
defector
deserter
betrayer
Judas

This is an interesting word that

on the surface of it doesnt
seem to have anything to do
with the World Cup. However, I
heard one of the ABC
sportscasters actually use this
word to describe one of the
Spanish players, Diego Costa.
Costa, though Brazilian, had
lived in Spain for enough years
to qualify as a member of its
team. Instead of donning the
bright yellow Brazilian colors,
he chose the fiery red of the
former World Champions. A
turncoat is one who is a traitor
to his country. Perhaps a harsh
word to describe the talented
Costa, unless you are
Brazilian.

Pics

Word

Fig Meaning

ubiquitous

adj

ulterior

umbrage

adj

Sentence
"Ubiquitous web and
Being present everywhere at once ubiquitous intelligence are
covered in that course"
Situated beyond, unstated,
Lying beyond what is openly
revealed or avowed (especially
being kept in the background or
deliberately concealed), Beyond
or outside an area of immediate
interest;
remote, Coming at a subsequent
time or stage

A feeling of anger caused by being

offended
offense or annoyance.

"looked too closely for an

ulterior purpose in all
knowledge",
"a suggestion ulterior to the
present discussion";
"without...any purpose,
immediate or ulterior",
"without ulterior argument"
"he took umbrage at my
question"
Lets say Ive invited you to
dinner and you show up two
hours late. I would take
umbrage at your tardiness.

unassuage

unsatisfied, not sosothed

unassuming

adj

Not arrogant or presuming

"unassuming to a fault,
sceptical about the value of
his work"

unbecoming

adj

Not in keeping with accepted

standards of what is right or
proper in polite society

"language unbecoming to a
lady"

unbridled

Not restrained or controlled

adjv-Remove the bridle from (a horse unbridled rage
v
or mule)

uncanny

adj

Suggesting the operation of

"stumps...had uncanny
supernatural influences
shapes as of monstrous
Surpassing the ordinary or normal creatures"

uncharted.

adj

(of unknown regions) not yet

surveyed or investigated

"uncharted seas"

uncomely

adj

Not in keeping with accepted

standards of what is right or
proper in polite society
Lacking a conscience

"an
liar"
"wasunconscionable
buried with uncomely
haste"
"unconscionable spending"

Unconscionable

adj

unconscionable

adj

Greatly exceeding bounds of

reason
Lackingor
a moderation
conscience
Greatly exceeding bounds of
reason or moderation

The lawyers demands were

unconscionable, and rather
than pay an exorbitant sum or
"an
unconscionable
liar"
submit
himself to any
other
"unconscionable
spending"
inconveniences, the man
decided to find a new lawyer.

uncouth

adj

"an untutored and uncouth

Lacking refinement, cultivation or
human being"; "an uncouth
taste
soldier--a real tough guy"

unctuous

adj

Unpleasantly and excessively

suave or ingratiating in manner or "the unctuous Uriah Heep"
speech

"undergird the ship"

Lend moral support to
Make secure underneath
Undergird

For instance, a theory

should be undergirded by
rigorous scientific testing.
To undergird can also mean
to provide someone with
moral support.

to provide support for

undermine

"The Resistance undermined

railway operations during the
war"
Destroy property or hinder normal "The river was undermining
operations
the banks"
Hollow out as if making a cave or
opening
"The student undermined the
to weaken
teachers authority by
questioning the teachers
judgment on numerous
occasions."

underpinning

Support from beneath,Back up

with evidence or authority or
make more certain or confirm

to support financially
Protect by insurance
Underwrite

The process by which investment

bankers raise investment capital
from investors on behalf of
corporations and governments
that are issuing securities (both
equity and debt).

But the tour went ahead when

promoter Michael Coppel
stepped in to underwrite it.
The latest symphony
broadcast was made possible
with the underwriting from
various Arts & Humanities
associations.
"The insurance won't
underwrite this"

unequivocal

adj

Admitting of no doubt or
misunderstanding; having only
one meaning or interpretation and
leading to only one conclusion
Clearly defined or formulated

unerring

adj

Not liable to error

"an unerring marksman"

unfaltering

adj

Marked by firm determination or

resolution; not shakable

"unfaltering convictions"

unfeigned

adj

Not pretended; sincerely felt or

expressed

"her interest in people was

unfeigned"

unflagging

adj

Showing sustained enthusiastic

action with unflagging
vitality,Unceasing

"unflagging courtesy"

unfledged

adj

(of birds) not yet having

developed feathers
(of an arrow) not equipped with
feathers
Young and inexperienced

"a small unfledged sparrow on

the window sill"
"shot an unfledged arrow"
"an unfledged lawyer"

unfrock

Divest of the frock; of church

officials

"'I shall always be a priest,' he

declared, 'even though they
unfrock me'"

Lacking grace in movement or

posture
Difficult to handle or manage
especially because of shape

"a gawky lad with long

ungainly legs"; "what an
ungainly creature a giraffe is";
"a clunky lad with long
ungainly legs"; "a klutzy lad
with long ungainly legs"
"the cello, a rather ungainly
instrument for a girl"

ungainly

adj

unguent

unimpeachable

adj

unkempt

adj

unmitigated

adj

unnameable

adj

"unequivocal evidence"; "took

an unequivocal position"; "an
unequivocal success"
"the plain and unequivocal
language of the laws"

(medicine) semisolid preparation

(usually containing a medicine)
applied externally as a remedy or
for soothing an irritation
blameless
Not neatly combed
Not properly maintained or cared
for
Not diminished or moderated in
intensity or severity; sometimes
used as an intensifier
Too sacred to be uttered

"wild unkempt hair"

"an unkempt garden"; "native
vistas and unkempt rambling
paths"
"unmitigated suffering"; "an
unmitigated horror"; "an
unmitigated lie"

Unnerve

At one time unnerved by math

problems, she began avidly
If you unnerve a person, you
Magoosh-ing, and soon
disconcert him or her to the point became adept at even
he or she is likely to fail.
combinations and
Disturb the composure of
permutations questions.
"Good, it shouldn't unnerve
him at all"

unobtrusive

adj

Not obtrusive or undesirably

noticeable

unruly

adj

unsavory

adj

unscathed

adj

Not injured

"he survived unscathed"

unseemly

adj

Not in keeping with accepted

standards of what is right or
proper in polite society

"unseemly to use profanity"

unsparing

adj

Very generous,Not forbearing;

ruthless

"unsparing generosity","an
unsparing critic"

unstinted

adj

Very generous

"his unstinted devotion"

unsullied

adj

Spotlessly clean and fresh

(of reputation) free from
blemishes

"the unsullied snow of

mountains"
"his unsullied name"

disobedient, lawless
Morally offensive
Not pleasing in odour or taste

"a quiet, unobtrusive life of

self-denial"

"an unsavory scandal"

"One can put oneself into a

false position, ultimately into
an untenable position"
untenable

adj

not favorable, inconvenient.

Not in keeping with accepted
standards of what is right or
proper in polite society
Contrary to your interests or
welfare

untoward

unvaned

unwarranted

(of theories etc) incapable of

being defended or justified

adj

adj

(of an arrow) not equipped with

feathers
Incapable of being justified or
explained
Without a basis in reason or fact
Lacking justification or
authorization

In light of what science has

revealed about the addictive
properties of cigarette
smoking, the claim that
smoking is simply an act of
free-will has become
untenable.
"moved to curb their
untoward ribaldry"
"made a place for themselves
under the most untoward
conditions"
"shot an unvaned arrow"
"Such sanctions are utterly
unwarranted"
"unwarranted jealousy"
"unwarranted limitations of
personal freedom"

unwearying

adj

unwitting

adj

unwitting

adj

unwonted

adj

Showing sustained enthusiastic

action with unflagging vitality

"an unwearying advocate of

equal rights"

"an unwitting mistake may be

Not done with purpose or intent
overlooked"
Not aware or knowing
"an unwitting subject in an
Unaware because of a lack of
experiment"
relevant information or knowledge
"his rudeness was unwitting"
unintentional
"an unwonted softness in her
Out of the ordinary
face"
"The president upbraided the
general for his irresponsible
behaviour"

Express criticism towards

to scold or berate

upheaval

1. A state of violent disturbance

and disorder (as in politics or
social conditions generally)
2. A violent disturbance
3. (geology) a rise of land to a
higher elevation (as in the process
of mountain building)
4. Disturbance usually in protest

upshot

outcome

adj

Showing a high degree of

refinement and the assurance that "maintained an urbane tone in
comes from wide social
his letters"
experience

urchin

mischievous child (usually a boy)

Poor and often mischievous city
child
Shallow-water echinoderms
having soft bodies enclosed in thin
spiny globular shells

ursine

adj

usurious

adj

upbraid

urbane

usurp

usury

bearlike, pertaining to a bear

Greatly exceeding bounds of
reason or moderation
Take control of (without authority
and possibly with force); take as
one's right or possession,Take the
place of
An exorbitant or unlawful rate of
interest
The act of lending money at an
exorbitant rate of interest

Bob took a risk walking into

the Students Barbershop
in the end he had to upbraid
the apparently hung over
barber for giving him and
uneven bowl cut.

"the industrial revolution was

a period of great upheaval"
"the upheavals of the stock
market"

"usurious interest rate"

"he usurped my rights",
"gloom had usurped mirth at
the party after the news of
the terrorist act broke"

Having utility often to the

exclusion of values
Able to function usefully

Utilitarian

"utilitarian steel tables"

Someone who believes that the
adj value of a thing depends on its "plain utilitarian
n
utility
kitchenware"

Utopia

An imaginary place considered to

be perfect or ideal

vacillation

1. Indecision in speech or action

2. Changing location by moving
back and forth

adj

Showing a lack of intelligence or

thought; stupid and silly
Without value, significance or
point
Devoid of matter
Void of expression

vagrant

nadj

A wanderer who has no

established residence or visible
means of support
vagrant hippies of the sixties
Continually changing especially as
from one abode or occupation to
another

vainglorious

adj

Feeling self-importance
excessively conceited, boastful

"too vainglorious for his

britches"

adj

Of or relating to an occasion or
expression of farewell
Of a speech expressing leavetaking
A farewell oration (especially one
delivered during graduation
exercises by an outstanding
member of a graduating class)

"a valedictory address"

"a valedictory address";
"valedictory praise for his
uniformly manly course"; "a
suitable valedictory gesture"

vanguard

The leading units moving at the

head of an army
Any creative group active in the
innovation and application of new
"the Cotswolds were once at
concepts and techniques in a
the vanguard of woollen
given field (especially in the arts)
manufacturing in England"
The position of greatest
importance or advancement; the
leading position in any movement
or field

vanquish

vacuous

valedictory

"It was in this last category

that the vacuous comments
began"
"vacuous comments"
"a vacuous space"
"a vacuous stare"

Come out better in a competition,

race, or conflict
beat out

Place or situation affording some

advantage (especially a
comprehensive view or
commanding perspective)
The quality of having a superior or
more favourable position

vapid

adj

Lacking taste, flavour or tang

Lacking significance, liveliness,
spirit or zest

vassal

A person holding a fief; a person

who owes allegiance and service
to a feudal lord

vantage

vaticinate
vaunt

v
v

vaunted

adj

veer

vegetate

vehement

vellum

Predict or reveal through, or as if

through, divine inspiration
Foretell through or as if through
the power of prophecy
Show off, boast, tout
boasted, bragged, highly
publicized
Turn sharply; change direction
abruptly,Shift to a clockwise
direction

"vapid beer"; "vapid tea"

"a vapid conversation"; "a
vapid smile"; "a bunch of
vapid schoolgirls"

"The motorbike veered to the

right",
"the wind veered"

Lead a passive existence without

using one's body or mind
Establish vegetation on
Produce vegetation
Engage in passive relaxation

"They vegetated the hills

behind their house"
"The fields vegetate
vigorously"
"After a hard day's work, I
vegetate in front of the
television"

adj

Marked by extreme intensity of

emotions or convictions; inclined
to react violently; fervid
Characterized by great force or
energy

"vehement dislike"
"vehement deluges of rain";
"vehement clapping"; "a
vehement defence"

parchment,A heavy creamycoloured paper resembling

parchment,Fine parchment
prepared from the skin of a young
animal e.g. a calf or lamb
"a venal police officer"

venal

adj

Capable of being corrupted

vendetta

A feud in which members of the

opposing parties murder each
other

If our legal system becomes

plagued with venality, then
the very notion of justice is
imperiled.
"he has accused the British
media of pursuing a vendetta
against him"

veneer

n-v

Coating consisting of a thin layer

of superior wood glued to a base
of inferior wood
An ornamental coating to a
building
Cover with veneer

venerable

adj

1. Impressive by reason of age

1. "a venerable sage with
2. Profoundly honoured, deserving white hair and beard"
high respect
2. "venerable holy men"

venerate

Regard with feelings of respect

and reverence; consider hallowed,
exalted or be in awe of
"We venerate genius"

venial

adj

venison

vent

v-n

ventral

adj

ventriloquist

venturesome

adj

veracious

adj

veracious

adj

veracity

(theology) warranting only

temporal punishment
Easily excused or forgiven
meat of a deer
1. Give expression or utterance to
2.Expose to cool or cold air so as
to cool or freshen
n-Activity that frees or expresses
creative energy or emotion

"veneer the furniture to

protect it"

"venial sin"
"a venial error"
1. "She vented her anger";
"The graduates gave vent to
cheers"
2. "vent the smoke-filled
rooms"
n-"he gave vent to his anger"

Toward or on or near the belly

(front of a primate or lower
surface of a lower animal)
A performer who projects the
voice into a wooden dummy
Disposed to venture or take risks

"a venturesome investor"

Habitually speaking the truth

Precisely accurate
truthful,Habitually speaking the
truth
Precisely accurate

"a veracious witness"

"a veracious account"
"a veracious witness"
"a veracious account"
After years of political
scandals, the congressman
was hardly known for his
veracity; yet despite this
distrust, he was voted into yet
another term.

Unwillingness to tell lies

verbatim

adj

"repeated their dialogue

In precisely the same words used
verbatim"
by a writer or speaker
"he repeated her remarks
Using exactly the same words
verbatim"

verbiage

verbose

adj

verdant

adj

Overabundance of words
"use concise military
The manner in which something is
verbiage"
expressed in words
Using or containing too many
"verbose speakers"
words
"The verdant cross, on the
Characterized by abundance of
other hand, is a symbol of
verdure
death proclaiming the vitality
of organic life"

Green foliage
The lush appearance of flourishing greenery,greenness,verdancy
vegetation
The appearance of truth; the
quality of seeming to be true
Conformity to reality or actuality
"he turned to religion in his
An enduring or necessary ethical
search for eternal verities"
or religious or aesthetic truth

verdure

verisimilitude

verity

vernacular

Being or characteristic of or
appropriate to everyday language
A characteristic language of a
adjparticular group
n
The everyday speech of the
people (as distinguished from
literary language)

"a vernacular term";

"vernacular speakers"
"they don't speak our
vernacular"

vernal

adj

Of or characteristic of or occurring
in spring
"the vernal equinox"
Suggestive of youth; vigorous and "he is vernal for his age"
fresh

vertigo

A reeling sensation; a feeling that A reeling sensation; a feeling

you are about to fall
that you are about to fall

verve

An energetic style

An energetic style

vested

Provide with power and

authority,Place (authority,
property, or rights) in the control
of a person or group of
persons,Become legally
vested,Clothe oneself in
ecclesiastical garments,Clothe
formally; especially in
ecclesiastical robes

"They vested the council with

special rights","She vested
her vast fortune in her two
sons","The property vests in
the trustees", For far too long
Indian cricket has been milked
by politicians of different
stripes for their own vested
interests

vested

adj

Fixed and absolute and without

contingency

"a vested right"

vestige

An indication that something has

been present

"there wasn't a vestige of

evidence for the claim"

vex

1. Cause annoyance in; disturb,

especially by minor irritations
2. Disturb the peace of mind of;
afflict with mental agitation or
distress
3. Change the arrangement or
position of
4.Subject to prolonged
examination, discussion, or
deliberation
5.Be confusing or perplexing to;
cause to be unable to think clearly

1. "Mosquitoes buzzing in my
ear really vexes me"
2. "I cannot sleep--my
daughter's health is vexing
me"
4. "vex the subject of the
death penalty"
5. "a vexing problem"

viand

A choice or delicious dish

A choice or delicious dish

adj

Experienced at secondhand
(medicine) occurring in an
abnormal part of the body instead
of the usual site involved in that
function
Suffered or done by one person as
a substitute for another

A variation in circumstances or
fortune at different times in your
life or in the development of
"the project was subject to the
something- Change of fortune usual vicissitudes of
Mutability in life or nature
exploratory research"
(especially successive alternation
from one condition to another)

victual

n-v

Any substance that can be used

as food
v-Supply with food
Lay in provisions
Take in nourishment

"The population was victualed

during the war"

vigilance

The process of paying close and

continuous attention
Vigilant attentiveness

"vigilance is especially
susceptible to fatigue"

vicarious

vicissitude

"read about mountain

climbing and felt vicarious
excitement"
"vicarious menstruation"
"vicarious atonement"

vigilante

Member of a vigilance committee,

Someone who punishes perceived
lawbreakers themself rather
relying on the authorities

vignette

A brief literary description

A photograph whose edges shade
off gradually
A small illustrative sketch (as
sometimes placed at the
beginning of chapters in books)

vigorish

An exorbitant or unlawful rate of

interest
A percentage (of winnings or loot
or profit) taken by an operator or
gangster

vilify

Spread negative information about

"The Nazi propaganda vilified

the Jews"

Show to be right by providing

justification or proof
Maintain, uphold, or defend
Clear of accusation, blame,
suspicion, or doubt with
supporting proof

"vindicate a claim"
"vindicate the rights of the
citizens"
"You must vindicate yourself
and fight this libel"

vindictive

adj

Disposed to seek revenge or

intended for revenge
Showing malicious ill will and a
desire to hurt; motivated by spite

"punishments...essentially
vindictive in their nature";
"more vindictive than jealous
love"
"a vindictive man will look for
occasions for resentment"

viper

Venomous Old World snakes

characterized by hollow venomconducting fangs in the upper jaw

vindicate

virile

adj

virtuoso

nadj

virulent

adj

visage

Characterized by energy and

vigour
Characteristic of a man
(of a male) capable of copulation
Someone who is dazzlingly skilled
in any field
A musician who is a consummate
master of technique and artistry
Having or revealing supreme
mastery or skill
Extremely poisonous or injurious;
producing venom
Infectious; having the ability to
cause disease
Harsh or corrosive in tone

The human face

The appearance conveyed by a
person's face

"a virile and ever stronger

free society"; "a new and
virile leadership"
"a deep virile voice"
"a virtuoso performance"

"a virulent insect bite"

"there was something hidden

behind his visage of
cheerfulness"
"a stern visage"
"an elegant, angular visage"
She didn't doubt the impact of
her battered visage on any
man, especially A'Ran.
Indeed its owl-like visage, its
short wings and soft plumage

viscera

visceral

adj

viscus'

vitiate
VISH-i-ate

vitreous

adj

vitreous humour n

vitriol

vitriolic

Internal organs collectively

(especially those in the abdominal
cavity)
Relating to or affecting the viscera
Obtained through intuition rather
than from reasoning or
observation
A main organ that is situated
Corrupt
morally
inside the
body or by
intemperance or sensuality
Make imperfect, spoil the effect
of, make inoperative
Take away the legal force of or
Relating
to or resembling or
render ineffective
derived from or containing glass
The clear colourless transparent
jelly that fills the posterior
chamber of the eyeball

"visceral bleeding"

"Socrates was accused of

vitiating young men"
"vitiate a contract"
"vitreous rocks"; "vitreous
silica"

n
v

Abusive or venomous language

used to express blame or censure
or bitter deep-seated ill will
Expose to the effects of vitriol or
injure with vitriol
Subject to bitter verbal abuse

adj

Harsh or corrosive in tone

Of a substance, especially a
"a vitriolic critique"
strong acid; capable of destroying
or eating away by chemical action

vituperative

adj

Marked by harshly abusive

criticism

"her vituperative railing"

Jason had dealt with
disciplinarians before, but
nothing prepared him for the
first week of boot camp, as
drill sergeants would
vituperate him for forgetting
to double knot the laces on
his boots.

vivacious

adj

Vigorous and animated

"a charming and vivacious

hostess"; "a vivacious folk
dance"

vivisection

vixen

vociferous

adj

vogue

Volatile

adj

The act of operating on living

animals (especially in scientific
research)
A malicious woman with a fierce
temper
A female fox
Conspicuously and offensively
loud; given to vehement outcry
The popular taste at a given time
A current state of general
acceptance and use
Evaporating rapidly, lighthearted,
mercurial
act of making a conscious choice ,
The act of making a choice,The
capability of conscious choice and
decision and intention

"a vociferous mob"

"leather is the latest vogue"

"followed my father of my
own volition" "the exercise of
their volition we construe as
revolt"

Volition

N`

Voluble

adj

Fluent, Glib, Marked by a ready

flow of speech

she is an extremely voluble

young woman who engages in
soliloquies not conversations

voluptuary

adj

Displaying luxury and furnishing

gratification to the senses

"a voluptuary decade when

high living was in style"

adj

Gratifying the senses, Having

strong sexual appeal, (of a
woman's body) having a large
bosom and pleasing
curves,Displaying luxury and
furnishing gratification to the
senses,

"a voluptuous
woman","Hollywood seems
full of voluptuous
blondes",""Lucullus spent the
remainder of his days in
voluptuous magnificence"

Voluptuous

Voracious

adj

Ravenous, Excessively greedy and "paying taxes to voracious

grasping, Devouring or craving
governments","voracious
food in great quantities
sharks"

Vouchsafe

Grant condesendingly, Guarantee "Our ears vouchsafe it"

Vulpine

adj

Like a fox, crafty

Vying

contending, Seek or strive for the

"Iran also faces Japan as they
same thing as someone else;
vie for the Asian seat"
engage in a contest

waddle

n
v

Walking with short steps and the

weight tilting from one foot to the n-"ducks walk with a waddle"
other
v-"small children waddle"
Walk unsteadily

vulpine cunning

speak equivocally about an issue

[Brit] Vague and lengthy writing or
talk
when pressed for his views on
Pause or hold back in uncertainty the issue , the senator waffled
or unwillingness
[Brit] Talk or write at length in a
vague and uninteresting way

waffle

n
v

Waft

v
n

Moved Gentlly by wind waves. Be "sounds wafted into the

driven or carried along, Blow
room",
gently
"breeze wafted through the
n-a long flag often tapering
door",

waggish

adj

Mischievous, Humorous, Tricky,

Witty, joking

waif

Waive

Wallow

wan

adj
v

"Muskrat Castle as the house

has been facetiously named
by some waggish officer"

Homeless child or animal,

Someone very thin or underfed
Give up temprarily, yield, do
without or cease to hold or adhere "waive the old idea"
to
Roll in, indulge in, become
helpless ,roll about or lie in water
to roll about or lie in water, snow,
mud, dust, or the like, as for
refreshment,
having a pale or sickly color;
pallid, dim, feeble, abnormally
deficient in colors as suggesting
physical or emotional distress

'wallow in luxury, wallow in

sorrow,"
"Carolyn Reiff, who has long
been a muse of courage in my
life teaching me to
work instead of wallow."
"wan stars",
"her wan face suddenly
flushed ",
"wan smile"

v-Become pale and sickly

wane

grow gradually smaller

wane

Gradual decline

"interest in the project

waned",
"moon is waning"

wangle

v
n

wiggle out , fake,

Achieve something by means of
trickery or devious methods,
Tamper, with the purpose of
deception

wangle the figures

n-An instance of accomplishing

something by scheming or trickery

Wanting

adj

wanton

adj

wanton

lacking.
Inadequate in amount or degree

Unruly, unchaste, excessive,

Occurring without motivation or
provocation,Casual and
unrestrained in sexual behaviour
Lewd or lascivious woman

She did not find her

vocabulary wanting, yet there
were so many GRE vocabulary
words that inevitably she did
not know a few.
"tested and found wanting"
"wanton behaviour","wanton
malignity"

unrestrained
Waste time; spend one's time idly
or inefficiently,
Indulge in a carefree or
voluptuous way of life,
Spend wastefully,
wanton one's money away
Become extravagant;
indulge (oneself) luxuriously,
Engage in amorous play,
Behave extremely cruelly and
brutally

Warble

sing, babble,
Sing or play with trills,
alternating with the half note
above or below,
Sing by changing register;
sing by yodeling,

Warble

A lumpy abscess under the hide of

domestic mammals caused by
larvae of a botfly or warble fly

wanton

warren

tunnels in which rabbits live,

crowdedd conditions in which
people live.

Very cautious,Marked by keen

caution and watchful prudence
wary

adj
Openly distrustful and unwilling to
confide

wassail

v
n

Celebrate noisily, often indulging

in drinking; engage in uproarious
festivities,
Propose a toast to,
Celebrate noisily, often indulging
in drinking; engage in uproarious
festivities

"they were wary in their

movements";
"a wary glance at the black
clouds";
"taught to be wary of
strangers"
He was wary of how the
difficult situation would work
out

"The members of the wedding

party wassailed all night",
"Let us wassail the birthday
girl!"

n-A punch made of sweetened ale

or wine heated with spices and
roasted apples; especially at
Christmas

wastrel

wax

Waylay

profligate, waster, someone who

dissipates resources self
indulgently

"Sales were waxing after

prices were lowered",
Increase, Grow,Go up or
"the moon is waxing",
advance,Increase in phase,Say or
"He waxed lyrical about the
write, esp. for a long time about a
success";
particular topic
"I've probably waxed on about
them for hours"

They read about the bold

proposal of leading out a
ambush, lie in want, wait in hiding
party of French and Indians to
to attack
waylay the English in the
woods

wayward

wean

adj

v
n

Resistant to guidance or
discipline; tending to do the
opposite of what is normal or
wanted

"wayward behaviour"

accustom a baby not to nurse,

give up a cherished activity,
to detach, stop depending upon

she weaned her baby when he

was 3 months old and started
him on powdered milk;
"The kitten was weaned and
fed by its owner with a bottle"

A young person of either sex

she writes books for weans

mark from beating or whipping

welt

n
v

v-Beat severely with a whip or

rod,Put a welt on,

A raised mark on the skin (as

produced by the blow of a
whip); characteristic of many
allergic reactions,A raised or
strengthened seam
welt the shoes

welter

v
n

Toss, roll, or rise and fall in an

uncontrolled way,
Roll about or lie in water, other
"The shipwrecked survivors
liquid, or mud,
weltered in the sea for hours",
Be immersed in, stagger walk with
"welter in work"
difficulty
n-A confused multitude of things

n/v

A platform built out from the shore

into the water and supported by
piles; provides access to ships and
boats

Wheedle

Cajole, coax, deceive by

flattery,Influence or urge by
gentle urging, caressing, or
flattering

"He wheedled her into going

along"

Whelp

n
v

Young wolf, dog , tiger etc.

V-Birth

v-the dog whelped

wherewithal

The necessary means (especially

financial means)

Wharf

whet

Sharpen, stimulate, make keen or

more acute,Sharpen by rubbing, "whet my appetite"
as on a whetstone

whimsical

adj

Determined by chance or impulse

"the victim of whimsical
or whim rather than by necessity
persecutions"
or reason

Whinny

Neigh like a horse

Whit

Smallest speck,A tiny or scarcely

detectable amount

whodunit

Whorl

wicker

wile

The use of tricks to deceive

someone (usually to extract
money from them)

wily

adj

Cunning, artful,
marked by skill in deception

A story about a crime (usually

murder) presented as a novel,
play or movie
Ring of Levaes around stem,
ring,A round shape formed by a
series of concentric circles (as
formed by leaves or flower
petals),A strand or cluster of
hair,A structure consisting of
something wound in a continuous
series of loops
Slender flexible branches or twigs
(especially of willow or some
canes); used for wickerwork,Work
made of interlaced slender
branches (especially willow
branches)

Ghosh was finishing his

Byomkesh Bakshi whodunit
when he passed away

"a whorl of rope"

a wily old attorney

windfall

winnow

Fruit that has fallen from the tree,

A sudden happening that brings
good fortune (as a sudden
opportunity to make money)

the demand for testing has

created a windfall for those
unregulated laboratories
where boxes of specimen jars
are processed like an
assembly line

v
n

sift, separate good parts from

bad,Separate the chaff from by
using air currents,Blow on,Select
desirable parts from a group or
list,Blow away or off with a current
of air,
n-The act of separating grain from
chaff

winnow chaff,"She stood there

winnowing chaff all day in the
field","The wind was
winnowing her hair"; "the
wind winnowed the
grass","winnow the finalists
from the long list of
applicants"
the winnow was done by
women

A
A
A
A

small tuft or lock

small person
small bundle of straw or hay
flock of snipe

"wisps of hair"
"a mere wisp of a girl"

wisp

wispy

adj

Thin and weak,

a wisplike little fellow with
Slight, barely discernible,
small hands and feet
lacking clarity and distinctiveness

wistful

adj

Vaguely longing,
sadly thoughtful,
Showing pensive sadness

"the sensitive and wistful

response of a poet to the
gentler phases of beauty"

witless

adj

foolish, idiotic,(of especially

persons) lacking sense,
understanding or judgment

"The human race is probably

best characterized as being
that species that has the
proclivity to play witless
pranks on one another"

wizened

adj

withered, shriveled,Lean and

"a wizened little man with
wrinkled by shrinkage as from age
frizzy grey hair"
or illness, old man with wisdom

woefully

In an unfortunate or deplorable
adv manner
"it was woefully inadequate"

wont

woof

work-shy

adj

custom, habitual procedure,

An established custom
Make barking sounds,The yarn
woven across the warp yarn in
weaving,The sound made by a
dog
Disinclined to work or exertion

It reflects a woefully
inaccurate interpretation of
what waste incineration
actually is and what the
impacts are on public health

"The dogs woofed at the

stranger"

"the unemployed are not

necessarily work-shy"

ghost, phantom of a living person,

"he looked like he had seen a
A mental representation of some
wraith"
haunting experience

v
n

quarrel, obtain through arguing,To

"The bar keeper threw them
quarrel noisily, angrily or
out, but they continued to
disruptively,Herd and care for
wrangle on down the
street","wrangle horses"
n-An angry dispute,An instance of
intense argument (as in
n-"they had a wrangle"
bargaining)

wrath

anger, fury,Intense anger (usually

on an epic scale),
students who are always late
Belligerence aroused by a real or to the scool become the
supposed wrong (personified as
object of principal's wrath
one of the deadly sins)

wreak

inflict,Cause to happen or to occur

"wreak havoc"
as a consequence

wrench

pull at the emotions, pain

writ

(law) a legal document issued by

a court or judicial officer

writhe

squirm, twist,To move in a twisting

"The prisoner writhed in
or contorted motion, (especially
discomfort"
when struggling)

adj

twisted with a humorous twist,

amusing,ironic
bent to one side,
Humorously sarcastic or mocking

some people done appreciate

uncle sam's wry sense of
humor
"wry neck"
"with a wry Scottish wit"

fear or hatred of foreigners

the government appealed to

xenophobia to build support
for the war

wraith

wrangle

wry

xenophobia

yahoo

The scenes of the injured

soldiers wrenched viewer's
hearts

A person who is not very

Those yahoos are fighting
intelligent or interested in culture
again
coarse or brutish person

v
n

Bark in a high-pitched tone

n-Informal term for the mouth

A young animal past its first year

and not yet two years old.
A young child
A racehorse considered one year
old until the second Jan. 1
following its birth
An animal in its second year

n
v

n
Longing, Urge, A yearning for
something or to do something
v
Have a desire for something or
someone who is not present

man owning small esate, middle

class farmer.
Officer in the (ceremonial)
bodyguard of the British monarch,
In former times was free and
cultivated his own land

Yoke

v
n

Join Together, Unite,

(animal husbandry) become joined
v
or linked together,
"yoke the oxen
(animal husbandry) Join with or as
together","Yoke the draft
if with a yoke,
horses together"
(animal husbandry) put a yoke on
or join with a yoke,
n
"under the yoke of a tyrant";
n-Fabric comprising a fitted part at
"they threw off the yoke of
the top of a garment, An
domination","pulled by a yoke
oppressive power,Two items of the
of oxen"
same kind,A pair of draft animals
joined by a yoke,

Yokel

Country Bumpkin, A person who is

not very intelligent or interested
in culture

yore

Time long past

Yap

yearling

Yen

Yeoman

the puppies yapped

n-She has yen for travel

v-She yenned for a cigarette

zany

zeal

n
adj

Zealot

Adj

Zealous

adj

Zeitgeist

A buffoon in one of the old

comedies; imitates others for
ludicrous effect
A man who is a stupid
incompetent fool
Ludicrous, foolish, Like a clown
1. A feeling of strong eagerness
(usually in favour of a person or
cause) 2.Excessive fervour to do
something or accomplish some
end. 3. Prompt willingness

gave me a zany reason for not

going
a zany sense of humour
1. he felt a kind of religious
zeal
2. "he had an absolute zeal
for litigation"
3. "they disliked his zeal in
demonstrating his superiority"

Each decade has its own

zeitgeistthe 1990s was a
prosperous time in which the
1.A fervent and even militant
promise of the American
proponent of something.
Anti-war
zealots
Dream
never
seemed more
2.Person who shows excessive
demonstarted
outside of the
palpable. The zeitgeist
zeal. 3.Extremist when it comes to government
offices.
2000s was a curious
religious intolerance
admixture of fear and frivolity;
when we were not anxious
over the state of the economy
and the world, we escaped
into
reality
either
Marked by active interest and
Bill and
RonT.V.
areshows,
zealous
in
those
on
popular
networks
or
enthusiasm
their opposition to the policy.
the ones we would create
ourselves on YouTube.
The spirit of the time; the spirit
characteristic of an age or
generation

"the writer augues that

individualism is the zeitgeist
of our era"

zenith

Adj

The point above the observer that

is directly opposite the nadir on
the imaginary sphere against
The Writer is at the zenith of
which celestial bodies appear to
his career
be projected
Highesh Point

Zephyr

Adj

Gentle breeze; A slight wind

(usually refreshing)

zodiac

An imaginary belt encircling the

heavens within which are the
larger planets.
(astrology) a circular diagram
representing the 12 zodiacal
constellations and showing their
signs

zoologist

zooplankton

Zoroastrianism

A specialist in the branch of

biology dealing with animals
Animal constituent of plankton;
mainly small crustaceans and fish
larvae
ystem of religion founded in Persia
in the 6th century BC by
Zoroaster; set forth in the ZendAvesta; based on concept of
struggle between light (good) and
dark (evil)

the zephyr was cooled by the

lake

zymotic

Adj

Relating to or caused by infection,

Of or relating to or causing
fermentation

Syn

Casual Notes/Mnemonics

omnipresent

later,
posterior,
subterranean,
subterraneous

resentment,
anger,
umbrage is embedded in the
sense of injury phrase to take umbrage at
or result,
<something>.
offence

retiring, modest
indecent,
unbecoming,
uncomely,
untoward,
indecorous
violent,
unchecked,
uncurbed,
ungoverned
eldritch,
unearthly,
weird,
strange,
mysterious,
preternatural

chartless,
unmapped
indecent,
unbecoming,
uncomely,
untoward,
indecorous
usurious
outrageous
steep
exorbitant

If an act is so horrible and

deplorable that it makes
everyone around aghast, then
that action is unconscionable.
Unconscionable can also mean
something that is in excess of
what is deemed tolerable. This
second definition doesnt have
the unethical smear of the first
definition.

Pics

uncouth,
vulgar,
coarse
,rough-cut,
outlandish,
boorish, clumsy

fulsome,
buttery,
oleaginous,
smarmy
,soapy

One way to sell something that

nobody wants is to walk up to a
prospective buyer, put your arm
around him or her, and try to
become that persons instant
best friend: Hey buddy, I can
totally make your life awesome
imagine all eyes are on you as
you drive out of this parking lot
in that Honda (pan to 90s era
Civic). The hypothetical used car
salesman is being unctuous, that
is he is being insincere and oily,
full of flattery empty of fact.

brace up

counteract
cave
countermine
sabotage
subvert
weaken, sap

endorse
insure

n=underwriter

definitive,
unambiguous,
univocal
infallible,
unerring,
unfailing,
foolproof,
inerrable,
inerrant
steadfast
genuine,true

callow,
fledgeless,
immature,
unvaned
defrock

awkward,
bunglesome
appurtenance,
clumsy,
clunky,
gawky

salve, balm,
ointment

uncombed,
untidy

harsh
severe
not lightened

adverb-unerringly-Without
making errors-"he unerringly
fixed things for us"

faze

unnoticeable,
not blatant,
inconspicuous
distasteful
offensive
unharmed,
unhurt
indecent,
unbecoming,
uncomely,
untoward,
indecorous
lavish,
munificent,
overgenerous,
too-generous,
unstinted,
unstinting
stainless
unstained
untarnished
untainted

indefensible,
insupportable

adverse
inauspicious
indecorous
indecent
unbecoming
unfortunate
annoying
fledgeless,
unfledged
baseless,
groundless,
unfounded,
unjustifiable

an untenable view or position is

one that cannot be defended
against objections or sustained
scrutiny. In other words, if
something is untenable it is
indefensible.

unintentional,
ignorant,
unknowledgeab
le
uncommon,
unaccustomed

reproach
scold
consequence
chide
reprimand,
castigate.

consequence
polished,
refined,
svelte,
suave,
elegant

unconscionable
arrogate,
assume,
seize,
take over

N-usurpation- act of seizing

power and rank of another

practicable

hesitation,
swinging,
wavering,
fluctuation,
wavering

empty
inane

vagabond,
aimless,
wanderer,
tramp

swelled,
big,
boastful

vanguard,
forefront,
van,
forerunners,
advance forces

Anything that is about the

practical and functional, and
not at all the aesthetic, is
said to be utilitarian. Things
that, by nature, are utilitarian
include my office chair, my
office desk, and well just
about anything that youll
find in an office

advantage

savorless,
bland,
flat,
insipid,
insane
feudatory

prophesy

curved, cut,
slewed, slued,
trended

veg out

fierce
,violent,
tearing,
trigger-happy
lambskin,
parchment,
sheepskin,
writing paper

bribable
corruptible
dishonest
purchasable

blood feud

n-Venality
If youve ever heard of a
government taking bribes, well,
that is an example of venality. To
be venal is to be corrupt. Of late,
charges of venality tend to be
few, though such charges simply
dont make the same headlines
as scandals of the lecherous
kind.

facing,
cover

revered,
august
revere,
fear,

adj-venerable-deserving high
respect

excusable,
forgivable,
minor

express,
utter

adaxial,
abdominal

audacious,
daring,
venturous-daring
venturous, bold

truthfulness,
veraciousness

word for word

verbalism,
diction,
wordage
wordy
abundant,
green, fresh

likelihood,
semblance
trueness,
truth,
the true
patois,
argot,
cant,
lingo

dizziness,
wooziness,
giddiness
lightheadednes
s
vitality,
liveliness,
enthusiasm

enthroned,
invested,
robed

trace,
remains,
tincture,
shadow

annoy, distress,
perplex

dish,
food,
victuals

secondary,
abnormal,
exchangeable,u
nnatural

fluctuation,
variation,
mutability

comestible,
eatable,
edible,
pabulum,
food
watchfulness

sketch

usury, rake-off

vituperate,rail,r
evile,slander

justify,absolve

revengeful

serpent,ophidia
n

manly

acerbic,vitriolic,
venomous

face,
appearance

'viscera' is the plural form of

'viscus'

corrupt,
mar,spoil

vitreous body

invective
vituperation

acerbic,virulent

It means to corrupt or lessen the

effectiveness of something.
Some would argue that partisan
politics has vitiated the healthy
functioning of the U.S.
government. Many would argue
that bad writing ultimately
vitiates a lot of television series
that come to rely on increasingly
implausible plot turns as their
seasons lumber on.

coruscating,
scathing

vibrant, gay,
animated
operation

harpy,hellcat
clamorous,
strident,
blatant,
clamant,
style,trend,
popular fashion

will, willing
chatty,commun
icative,commun
icatory,gabby,g
arrulous,loquaci
ous,prolix,talkat
ive,talky
Sybarite
bootylicious,
bosomy, busty,
buxom,curvace
ous,curvy,epicu
rean,fullbosomed,juicy,l
uscious,luxuria
nt,luxurious,red
hot,Rubenesqu
e,sonsie,stacke
d,sybaritic,toot
hsome,voluptu
ary,wellendowed

Understandably, vituperate is
only used in extreme cases.

edacious,
esurient,
rapacious,rave
ning,
ravenous,wolfis
h
accord,allot,allo
w,grant
vulpecular
competing,cont
v-vie
ending
toddle
totter
wobble
on the verge of
fall,
coggle
dodder
paddle

convey,
transpose,
carry,
bear
Pixie,
Puck,
imp & Elf

Relinquish,
renounce,
give up

Welter

Pallid
dim
feeble

cook,
fake,
falsify,
finagle,
fudge,
manage,
manipulate,
misrepresent,
spoof,
wangling

deficient
lacking

easy,
light,
loose,
luxuriate,
motiveless,
piddle,
promiscuous,
sluttish,
trifle,
unprovoked,
wanton away
descant,
quaver,
trill,
yodel,
yodle

leery,
mistrustful,
suspicious,
untrusting,
drink,
jollify,
make happy,
make merry,
pledge,
racket,
revel,
salute,
toast,
whoop it up,
bacchanalian,
carousal,
revelry,
toast,
heavy dining,
saturnalia
waster

climb,
full,
mount,
rise,
ambuscade,
bushwhack,
lie in wait,
lurk,
scupper

contrary[2],
obstinate,
perverse,
stubborn,
obdurate,
constumacious
intransigent,
froward,
refractory,
mulish,
intractable
ablactate
n
child, fry,
minor,
nestling,
nipper,
shaver,
small fry,
tiddler,
tike,
youngster
flog,
lash,
lather,
slash,
strap,
trounce,
wale,
weal,
whale,
whip,
clutter,
fuddle,
jumble,
mare's nest,
muddle,
scramble,
smother,
wallow

blarney,
coax,
cajole,
inveigle,
palaver,
sweet-talk
pup

quicken

capricuous,
fanciful, quaint,
impulsive,
vagarious,
nicker,
whicker
iota,
shred,
scintilla,
smidge,
smidgen,
smidgeon,
smidgin,
tittle

coil,curl,curlicu
e,gyre,helix,loc
k,ringlet,roll,scr
oll,spiral,volute

caning,
wickerwork

chicanery,
trickery,
wile,
guile
crafty,
cunning,
dodgy,
foxy,
guileful,
knavish,
slick,
sly,
tricksy,
tricky

bonanza,
boom,
bunce,
godsend,
gold rush,
gravy,
manna from
heaven

cull out,
fan,
sifting,
winnowing

tuft
tussock
dim,
faint,
shadowy,
vague,
wisplike
pensive,
reflective,
contemplative
nitwitted,
senseless,
soft-witted
shriveled
shrunken,
withered,
wizen
sadly
lamentably,
deplorably

warp,
texture,
fabric
fainant,
lazy,
otiose,
slothful,
indolent

ghost,
shade,
specter,
spook
blue
brawl
dustup
haggle
haggling
quarrel
row[2],
run-in
words
wrangling
tiff
bicker
equable
wrangler
jangler
altercate
spat
logomachy
liliguos,
altercation

ira
ire
bring
make for
play
work

squirm,
twist,
worm,
wrestle,
wriggle
dry,
ironic,
ironical

Yokel

cakehole,
gob,
hole,
maw,
trap,
yelp,
yip,
Puppy,
Yelp

v
Ache,
hankering,
languish, Pine,
yearn

beefeater,yeom
an of the guard

Trades folk,
Trades people
Merchant Class
(UK)
Vaisyas (Ind)
Hoi polloi (US)
Rabble,
Canaille
Lumpkin,
Groundling
Plebian,
Publican
Yokel, Common
man, Hick, rube

Silly,
Sappy,
wacky,
goofy,
crazy,
comic
ardor,
absurd
eagerness,
ludicrous
elan,
readiness,
forwardness,
alacrity,
bustle,
fervour
fanatic
Fundamentalist
Bigot,
Puritan,
Pharisaical,
Humbug,
Hypocrisy,
drumbeater,
partisan,
enthusiast

Nitwit (ASININE Group of words)

A member of an ancient Jewish

sect in Judea in the first century
who fought to the death against
the Romans and who killed or
persecuted Jews who
collaborated with the Romans

avid

time-ghost

Summit

West Wind,
Breeze,
Aura, Wind

(Greek mythology) the Greek

god of the west wind

Contagious
Fermentative,
Bacterial,
Infectious

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

12
24
36
48
60
72
84
96
108

13
26
39
52
65
78
91
104
117

14
28
42
56
70
84
98
112
126

15
30
45
60
75
90
105
120
135

16
32
48
64
80
96
112
128
144

17
34
51
68
85
102
119
136
153

18
36
54
72
90
108
126
144
162

19
38
57
76
95
114
133
152
171

20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180

21
42
63
84
105
126
147
168
189

22
44
66
88
110
132
154
176
198

23
46
69
92
115
138
161
184
207

24
48
72
96
120
144
168
192
216

25
50
75
100
125
150
175
200
225

26
52
78
104
130
156
182
208
234

27
54
81
108
135
162
189
216
243

10

120

130

140

150

160

170

180

190

200

210

220

230

240

250

260

270

11

132

143

154

165

176

187

198

209

220

231

242

253

264

275

286

297

12

144

156

168

180

192

204

216

228

240

252

264

276

288

300

312

324

13

156

169

182

195

208

221

234

247

260

273

286

299

312

325

338

351

14

168

182

196

210

224

238

252

266

280

294

308

322

336

350

364

378

15

180

195

210

225

240

255

270

285

300

315

330

345

360

375

390

405

16

192

208

224

240

256

272

288

304

320

336

352

368

384

400

416

432

17

204

221

238

255

272

289

306

323

340

357

374

391

408

425

442

459

18

216

234

252

270

288

306

324

342

360

378

396

414

432

450

468

486

19

228

247

266

285

304

323

342

361

380

399

418

437

456

475

494

513

20

240

260

280

300

320

340

360

380

400

420

440

460

480

500

520

540

28
56
84
112
140
168
196
224
252

29
58
87
116
145
174
203
232
261

30
60
90
120
150
180
210
240
270

280

290 300

308

319 330

336

348 360

364

377 390

392

406 420

420

435 450

448

464 480

476

493 510

504

522 540

532

551 570

560

580 600