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Hit Parade 4
GRE
Question | Answer |
---|---|
acerbic | having a sour or bitter taste or character; sharp; biting |
aggrandize | to increase in intensity, poweer, influence, or prestige |
alchemy | a medieval science aimed at the transmutation of metals, esp. base metals into gold |
amenable | agreeable; responsive to suggestion |
anachronism | something or someone oout of place in terms of historical or chronological context |
astringent | having a tightening effect on living tissue; harsh; severe |
bombast | self-important or pompous writing or speech (adj.: bombastic) |
contiguous | sharing a border; touching; adjacent |
convention | a generaly agreed upon practice or attitude |
credulous | tending to believe too readily; guillible; (noun - credulity) |
cynicism | an attitude or quality of believf that all people are motivated by selfishness (adj: cynical) |
decorum | polite or appropriate conduct or behavior (adj - decorous) |
derision | scorn; ridicule; contemtuous treatment (adj: derisive, verb: deride) |
dessicate | to dry out or dehydrate; to make dry or dull |
dilettante | one with an amateurish or superficial interest |
disparage | to slight or belittle |
divulge | to disclose something secret |
fawn | to flatter or praise excessively |
flout | to show contempt for, as in a rule or convention |
garrulous | pointlessly talkative, talking too much |
glib | marked by ease or informality; nonchalant; lacking in depth; superficial |
hubris | overbearing presumption or pride; arrogance |
imminent | about to happen; impending |
immutable | not capable of change |
impetuous | hastily or rashly energetic; impulsive or vehement |
indifferent | having no interest or concern; showing no bias or prejudice |
inimical | damaging; harmful; injurious |
intractable | not easily managed or directed; stubborn; obstinate |
intrepid | steadfast and courageous |
laconic | using few words; terse |
maverick | an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party |
mercurial | characterized by rapid and unpredictable change in mood |
mollify | to calm or soothe; to reduce in emotional intensity |
neophyte | a recent convert; a beginner; novice |
obfuscate | to deliberately obscure; to make confusing |
obstinate | stubborn;hardheaded; uncompromising |
ostentatious | characterized by or given to pretentious display; showy |
pervade | to permeate throughout (adj: pervasive) |
phlegmatic | calm; sluggish; unemotional |
plethora | an overabundance; a surplus |
pragmatic | practical rather than idealistic |
presumptuous | overstepping due bounds (as of propriety or courtesy); taking liberties |
pristine | pure; uncorrupted; clean |
probity | adherence to highest principles; complete and confirmed integrity; uprightness |
proclivity | a natural predisposition or inclination |
profligate | excessively wasteful; recklesssly extravagant (noun: profligacy) |
propensity | a natural inclination or tendency, penchant |
prosaic | dull; lacking in spirit or imagination |
pungent | characterized by a strong, sharp smell or taste |
quixotic | foolishly impractical; marked by lofty romantic ideals |
quotidian | occuring or recurring daily; commonplace |
rarefy | to make or become thin, less dense; to refine |
recondite | hidden; concealed; difficult to understand; obscure |
refulgent | radiant; shiny; brilliant |
renege | to fail to honor a committment; to go back on a promise |
sedulous | diligent; persistent; hardworking |
shard | a piece of broken glass or pottery |
soporific | causing drowsiness; tending to induce sleep |
sparse | thin; not dense; arranged at widely spaced intervals |
spendthrifts | one who spends money wastefully |
subtle | not obvious; elusive; difficult to discern |
tacit | implied; not explicitly stated |
terse | brief and concise in wording |
tout | to publicly praise or promote |
trenchant | sharply perceptive; keen; penetrating |
unfeigned | genuine; not false or hypocritical |
untenable | indefensible; not viable; uninhabitable |
vacillate | to waver indecisively between one course of action or opinion and another; waver |
variegated | multicolored; characterized by a variety of patches of different color |
vexation | annoyance; irritation (noun: vex) |
vigilant | alertly watchful (noun: vigilance) |
vituperate | to use harsh condemnatory language; to abuse or censure severely or abusively; berate |
volatile | readily changing to a vapor; changeable; fickle; explosive (noun: volatility) |