click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
GRE Lesson 48
100 word chunks of Barron's data
Question | Answer |
---|---|
yen | strong desire; longing; urge; Ex. yen for travel |
yeoman | man or farmer owning small estate; middle-class farmer |
yield | amount produced; crop; income on investment; profit obtained from an investment; V: produce; give in; surrender |
yoke | join together; unite; N: crossbar used to joining two draft animals |
yokel | rustic; country bumpkin; |
yore | time long past; Ex. in the days of yore |
zany | comic; crazy; N: clown; comical person (given to outlandish behavior) |
zeal | eager enthusiasm (to a cause or ideal); ADJ. zealous |
zealot | one who is zealous; fanatic; person who shows excessive zeal |
zenith | point directly overhead in the sky; summit; acme; highest point |
zephyr | gentle breeze; west wind |
zest | outer skin of an orange used for giving a special taste to food; spice; interest; flavor; spirited enjoyment; Ex. add a certain zest to the affair; Ex. zest for life |
vulnerable | susceptible to wounds or attack; N. vulnerability |
vulpine | like a fox; crafty |
vulture | carrion-eating birds |
vying | contending; CF. vie |
wade | walk through a substance, such as water, that impedes movement |
waffle | speak equivocally about an issue; N. |
waft | move gently (in air or in seas) by wind or waves; Ex. leaves wafting past the window |
wag | shake repeatedly from side to side; Ex. The dog wagged its tail; N: humorous person; wit |
wage | begin and continue (a war) |
waggish | humorous; mischievous; tricky |
waif | homeless child or animal; Ex. waifs and strays |
waive | give up temporarily; yield; N. waiver: waiving a right or claim; document that waives a right or claim |
wake | trail of ship or other object through water; path of something that has gone before; Ex. hunger followed in the wake of the war |
wallow | roll in mud; indulge in; (of a ship) roll in a rough sea; become helpless; Ex. wallow in the mud/luxury |
wan | having a pale or sickly color; pallid |
wanderlust | strong longing to travel |
wane | decrease in size or strength (after being full); grow gradually to an end; Ex. The moon waxes and wanes every month; N. |
wangle | achieve by cleverness or trick; wiggle out; fake; Ex. She tried to wangle an invitation to the party. |
wanton | unrestrained; gratuitously cruel; willfully malicious; unchaste; sexually improper; promiscuous; Ex. wanton spending/killing; CF. having no just cause |
warble | (of a bird) sing; babble; N. |
ward | administrative division of a city; division in a hospital or prison; incompetent person placed under the protection of a guardian; V: guard; ward off: avert |
warp | twist out of shape; N. |
warrant | justification; written order that serves as authorization (esp. a judicial writ); Ex. search/death warrant; V: justify; guarantee |
warranted | justified; authorized |
warranty | guarantee; assurance by seller |
warren | tunnels in which rabbits live; overcrowded living area; crowded conditions in which people live |
wary | very cautious; watchful |
wastrel | waster; profligate |
waver | move or swing back and forth; be uncertain or unsteady in decision or movement; Ex. wavering between accepting and refusing |
wax | increase gradually (as the moon); grow |
waylay | ambush; lie in wait for and attack |
wean | accustom a baby not to nurse; accustom (the young of a mammal) to take nourishment other than by suckling; give up a cherished activity; cause to gradually leave (an interest or habit); Ex. wean oneself from cigarettes |
weary | tired after long work; V. |
weather | pass safely through (a storm or difficult period); endure the effects of weather or other forces |
weird | eerie; strange; unnatural |
well-bred | of good upbringing; well-mannered and refined |
welt | raised mark from a beating or whipping |
welter | wallow (as in mud or high seas); lie soaked (as in blood); Ex. The victims weltered in their blood. |
wheedle | deceive, persuade, or obtain by flattery; cajole; coax; Ex. wheedle a promise out of her |
whelp | young animal (esp. of the dog or cat family); young wolf, dog, tiger, etc. |
whet | sharpen; stimulate; Ex. whet someone's appetite |
whiff | puff or gust (of air, scent, etc.); short-lasting smell; hint; Ex. whiff of perfume/scandal |
whim | sudden capricious idea; fancy |
whimsical | capricious; fanciful; amusingly strange |
whimsy | whim; tendency to behave amusingly strangely; Ex. story full of whimsy |
whine | complain (in a sad voice); make a high sad sound (as in pain or supplication) |
whinny | neigh like a horse; CF. neigh: make the sound which horses make |
whit | small amount; smallest speck; Ex. not a whit of |
whittle | pare; cut away thin bits (from wood); fashion in this way; reduce gradually; trim |
wholesome | conducive to mental or physical health; healthful |
whorl | ring of leaves around stem; ring; circular arrangement; Ex. whorls on the fingers |
wiggle | wriggle; move from side to side with irregular twisting motions |
willful | wilful; intentional; headstrong |
willowy | flexible; pliant; slender; CF. willow |
wilt | loose freshness; droop |
wily | crafty; cunning; artful; N. wile: deceitful stratagem |
wince | move back suddenly; shrink back; flinch; Ex. She winced as she touched the cold body. |
windfall | fallen fruit; unexpected lucky event |
winnow | sift; separate the chaff from grain by blowing; separate good parts from bad; CF. wind |
winsome | charming (in a childlike way); agreeable; gracious; engaging |
wisp | small bunch (of hair); faint streak (of smoke) |
wispy | thin; slight; barely discernible |
wistful | sadly thoughtful (because of desires or memories); sadly pensive; vaguely longing |
withdrawn | introverted; retiring; remote remote/distant in manner; aloof |
wither | (of a plant) dry up from loss of moisture; lose freshness; shrivel; decay |
withhold | refuse to give; hold back; Ex. withholding tax |
withstand | stand up against; resist successfully |
witless | lacking intelligence or wit; foolish; idiotic |
witticism | witty saying; wisecrack(clever joking remark) |
wizardry | sorcery; magic |
wizened | shriveled; withered; Ex. wizened apple/old lady |
woe | great sorrow; deep inconsolable grief; affliction; suffering; Ex. financial woes |
woeful | sad; (of something bad) deplorable; deplorably bad; Ex. woeful housing conditions |
wont | (the stated person's) habit or custom; habitual procedure; ADJ. wonted: customary |
worldly | engrossed in matters of this earth; not spiritual; of the material world |
wrangle | quarrel noisily; obtain through arguing; herd cattle; N. |
wrath | anger; fury |
wreak | inflict; Ex. wreak one's vengeance on |
wrench | twist; pull; strain; Ex. He wrenched the gun out of her hands. |
wrest | obtain by pulling violently; pull away; take by violence; Ex. wrest victory from their grasp |
wretch | miserable person; bad or despicable person; ADJ. wretched: miserable; bad; contemptible; vile |
wring | twist (to extract liquid); extract by twisting; wrench painfully (necks or hands) |
wrinkle | small ridge on a smooth surface (face or cloth); V. |
writ | written command issued by a court (telling someone to do or not to do something) |
writhe | twist in coils; contort in pain |
wrongheaded | stubbornly wrong |
wry | (esp. of an expression of the face) twisted; with a humorous twist (expressing displeasure) |
xenophobia | fear or hatred of foreigners; N. xenophobe |