gre vocab n-p.txt

Low point

Ralph Nader has an emotional nadir after every election, but it doesn't stop him from running again the next year

At my emotional nadir, I considered some drastic options to relieve my pain 

S: rock bottom, perigree

Coming into being; in early developmental stages. 

My novel is still in its nascent form, so I'm hesitant to describe the plot.

S: Emerging, embryonic, burgeoning. 

Trimly neat and tidy

The natty young man always wore a well-pressed suit to the office. 

S: dapper

Vague; cloudy; lacking clearly defined form

My plans for tomorrow are nebulous, but I'll contact you later to work out the details. 

S: hazy, unformulated, unclear

A new word, expression, or usage

Many neologisms arise from technology including "spam," "mouse," and "internet."

S: coinage (of a word or phrase)

A connection; tie or link

Greenwich Village became a nexus for artists and writers during the 1920's

S: core, center of focus

Exacting, extremely or even excessively precise; done with delicacy or skill

The distinction he drew between the two findings was so nice that most of his listeners weren't even sure it was there

Offensive, especially to one's sense of smell; fetid

I don't know how anyone with a nose can live in an apartment that is so noisome

S: foul

Baffled, in a quandary, at a loss for what to say, do or think

Ernest was a little nonplussed when Gertrude told him that she loved him but she wasn't in love with him, which is admittedly pretty confusing.

S: bewildered

Panacea; questionable remedy

Chocolate chip cookies were an effective nostrum for the crying child. 

S: cure-all

Harmful; injurious

I think my old car is leaking noxious gasses because whenever I drive it, I get a headache.

S: Toxic, poisonous, deleterious

Wicked

Some of the most nefarious criminals in the world are held in that maximum-security prison. 

S: sinful

Trifling; inconsequential

Our meeting was derailed because we discussed nugatory details instead of matters of substance. 

S: piddling

A recent convert; a beginner

The freshman senator is a neophyte to the conventions of Capitol Hill

S: tyro, novice.

Unyielding; hardhearted

The obdurate ruler would not change his policies, even to ease the suffering of his people

S: intractable

Gesture that expresses deference, such as a bow or curtsy

In the court of a king or queen, no one would think of dancing without first offering some sort of obeisance to the monarch; obviously, rules on other dance floors are more relaxed

To deliberately obscure; to make confusing

The politician obfuscated the truth about his corruption by accusing his opponent of having an affair. 

S: confound

Exhibiting a fawning attentiveness

Roger thought fawning over the boss would help him get promoted, but his obsequious behavior annoyed his co-workers

S: kowtowing

Stubborn; hardhearted

Otto was obstinate and refused to compromise even on trivial issues

S: uncompromising

Noisy; defiant

The obstreperous child ran down the aisles of the movie theatre and disrupted audience members. 

S: unruly

To be established, accepted, or customary, prevail

The customary niceties of polite conversation do not obtain in the middle of a tornado. 

Lacking sharpness of intellect; not clear or precise in thought or expression

My father is obtuse when it comes to computers; he doesn't even know how to turn one on. 

S: thickheaded, simple-minded, dull-witted

Sharp criticism; abusively detractive language

After the judge was arrested for accepting bribes, she became the target of public obloquy

S: calumny

To anticipate and make unnecessary 

Streaming movies online obviates the need to go to a video store

S: intervene, preclude, avert

To obstruct or block

The last mile of the trail was occluded by overgrown brush and fallen trees

S: clog, congest

Hidden, concealed, beyond comprehension

The occult mysteries of humankind's purpose on earth have yet to be fully solved despite the best efforts of scientists, philosophers and theologians

Evoking intense aversion or dislike 

Rotting eggs cause an odious smell

S: repugnant

Meddlesome; pushy in one's services

My neighbor is extremely officious; she keeps offering to set me up with her nephew

S: intrusive

A person who investigates citizens' complaints

The newspaper's ombudsman fielded phone calls from readers who complained about factual errors in the front-page story

S: mediator

Troubling; burdensome

Shoveling out the stables is a more onerous task than feeding the chickens

S: arduous, grueling, laborious

Impenetrable by light; not reflecting light

The opaque curtains prevent the early morning light from waking me up 

S: turbid

Disgrace; contempt

Allegations of steroid use brought such opprobrium that the athlete lost several sponsers

S: scorn

The act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm

The oscillation of the electric fan back and forth was the only sound in the diner mid-afternoon

Tending to become more rigid; conventional; turned into bone

At what point is it no longer possible to change the ossified opinions of someone from an older generation?

S: hardened

Seeming; appearing as such

The ostensible purpose of college is for children to learn about different academic areas, but what they really learn are life skills and responsibility

S: outward

Characterized by or given to pretentiousness 

The economic downturn is causing some wealthy people to curtail their ostentatious lifestyles 

S: showy

Presumptuously arrogant; overbearing

The overweening pride of the celebrity is unbearable; he showed up at the restaurant with an entourage and expected to be seated immediately 

S: excessive

A song or expression of praise and thanksgiving

Though learning it was a pain, the paean we gave at his retirement ceremony went over very well. 

The young musician composed a paean to his beloved teacher in thanks for her guidance

To make something appear less serious; to make less severe

I tried to palliate the throbbing migraine with aspirin and deep breathing, but what I really needed to do was go home and sleep

S: mitigate

Widespread; occurring over a large area or affecting an unusually large percentage of the population

HIV and AIDS have become pandemic throughout much of the world and are likely to be the biggest health crisis of the century

Formal praise 

At the retirement dinner, Juan's panegyric on loyalty and friendship brought tears to a few people's eyes. 

S: encomium 

Something that serves as a model, example or pattern

She is a paradigm of studiousness; she spends all of her time studying in the library

A contradiction; a seemingly self-contradictory statement that seems true nonetheless

The most widely used example of a paradox is the statement "less is more."

Something regarded as a model of excellence or perfection in some way

The businessman relied on his reputation as a paragon of honesty to become one of the town's most beloved politicians

An outcast; a rejected and despised person

His abrasive attitude and angry outbursts made him a pariah at the office

S: leper

A humorous imitation intended for ridicule or comic effect, especially in literature and art. 

The comedy troupe performed a parody in which a popular young actress was portrayed by a large hairy man. 

S: satire, lampoon, caricature

To block, evade or ward off, as a blow

Chuck was able to parry all his opponent's blows, except the last one, which caught him right on the chin

Cheap; miserly

The parsimonious man led a meager tip for the kind and overworked waitress

S: stingy

Biased or prejudiced

Many newspapers have become increasingly partisan, and few offer objective and balanced coverage of current events. 

S: sectarian

Scarcity

In the dead of winter, there is a paucity of fresh vegetables available at the farmer's market

S: dearth

A slight offense; literally, a minor sin

Taking a few office supplies from the office is a peccadillo, but stealing a laptop is a whole different story

S: infraction

The art or profession of training, teaching, or instructing

The pedagogy of early primary science focuses on the development of critical thinking skills and exploration through hands-on experiments

S: education

The parading of learning; excessive attention to minutiae and formal rules

Pete is pedantic about grammar and will nitpick my essay for even the minutest of errors

S: bookish

Commonplace, trite, unremarkable

The movie's plot was pedestrian, despite the director's brave decision to cast a badger in the role of the hero

Strong inclination; a liking

The stylist has a penchant for expensive designer labels

S: fondness

Penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous 

My penurious boss makes us bring toilet paper from home in order to save the company money

Poverty; destitution

During the Great Depression, thousands of people lost their life savings and were reduced to penury

S: indigence

Admitting of no contradiction, putting an end to further debate, haughty, imperious 

Her peremptory tone made it clear that there would be no further discussion of the matter. 

Recurrent throughout the year or over many years; happening repeatedly or continually

David is the perennial optimist; he is always hopeful now matter how bad things get at the office 

S: lasting, returning

Intentional breach of faith, treachery

I couldn't believe my campaign manager's perfidy in voting for my opponent 

Done without care or interest; done merely as a duty

I don't expect warm hugs at the registration office, but even a perfunctory hello would be nice

S: obligatory, cursory, automatic

Itinerant; traveling on foot

It's difficult to maintain lasting relationships and long-term employment with such a peripatetic lifestyle

S: roving

Extremely harmful, potentially causing death

THe pernicious venom of the Black Mamba snake will always kill its victim unless an antidote is administered quickly 

Pleasing in appearance or personality

I think personable bartenders make more money than the grumpy or homely ones

S: winning

Acutely perceptive, having keen discernment

How very perspicacious of you to notice that I dyed my hair blue 

To examine with great care

Frank peruses every page of the newspaper for any mention of his name

S: scrutinize

To permeate

Spring pervaded the entire city; flowers were blooming and everyone was energetic and happy

S: infuse

Like a rock, hard, stony

I wasn't surprised that my petrous cake wasn't a big hit, but it did make an excellent doorstop, if I do say so myself

Ill-tempered; irritable

The parents apologized for their petulant child and left the dinner party early

S: peevish

The point nearest the earth in an orbit of a body

At its perigee, the moon appears to be larger in our night's sky

S: nearest point

Having the tendency to permeate or spread throughout

Exaggeration is pervasive in advertising today; I just saw an ad for a diet pill that works overnight!

S: ubiquitous

Having to do with money

The stockbroker was motivated by pecuniary interests and resorted to insider trading

S: financial 

Transparent; easy to understand

If the tax code were more pellucid, thousands of accountants would be out of business 

S: clear

A crass individual guided by material rather than intellectual or artistic values

The author claimed that his many critics were just philistines, who obviously lacked any taste since they didn't appreciate his writing

Calm; sluggish; unemotional

Even though Phil seems phlegmatic, I think he actually cares about doing a good job

S: dispassionate

Involving clever rogues or adventurers

Huck Finn is sometimes described as a picaresque hero, since the novel follows his roguish adventures

Multi-colored, usually in blotches

The jester wore a pied coat of many bright colors

To punish, hold up to public scorn

The politician was pilloried in the press for his inability to spell potato

To yearn intensely; to languish; to lose vigor

Meredith lost her appetite and became noticeably thinner as she pined for her dog which had been missing for three months

S: mourn, desire

Extremely reverent or devout

Cleo was so pious that she went to church at least once a day 

Agreeably pungent, spicy, stimulating

The piquant gumbo was a welcome change after days of bland hospital food

Resentment, feeling of irritation due to hurt pride

In a fit of pique, Chelsea threw her boyfriend's bowling ball out the fourth-story window onto his car

To illegally use or reproduce

I always heed the warnings and do not pirate materials by making illegal copies

S: steal

The essential or central part 

Please stop digressing and get to the pith of your argument

S: core, quintessence 

Precise and brief 

The car had a banal but pithy bumper sticker: "mean people suck."

S: succinct

To appease; to calm by making concessions 

Doctors often placate children with lollipops after giving them shots

S: assuage, pacify

Mournful, melancholy, sorrowful

The plaintive strains of the bagpipe made everyone feel as mournful as it sounded

Pounding, thundering, resounding

The plangent bells could be heard all over town as they chimed the hour

Moldable, pliable, not rigid

This foam is highly plastic and can be molded to almost any shape

A superficial remark, especially one offered a meaningful 

The politician's speech was full of the regular,tired platitudes about "making the world a better place for our children and our children's children"

S: cliche

An overabundance; a surplus

The plethora of pastries at the bakery made it difficult to decide

S: plenty

Courage, spunk, fortitude

The prospect of glory and a hot cup of soup gave the soldiers the pluck they needed to keep fighting

To measure the depth (as with a plumb line), to examine critically

It was the exploratory ship's task to plumb the depth of a section of a section of the Pacific Ocean

To plunge or drop straight down

I watched my flow pot plummet five stories and then shatter onto the pavement 

S: fall, decline

Controversial; argumentative

Paula disagrees with many of her college policies and often sends polemical letters to the school paper

S: contentious

Practical rather than idealistic

Pragmatic solutions often involve cooperation and compromise

S: realistic

To babble meaninglessly; to talk in an empty idle manner

I couldn't stand to hear my teenage sister prattle on about the prom during dinner, so I left the table

S: chatter, blather, prate

Uncertain, risky, dangerous

The house was perched precariously on the edge of the cliff, vulnerable to any mudslide

Rule establishing standards of conduct, a doctrine that is taught

You will violate the precepts of fair play if you peek at my cards

Acting with excessive haste or impulse

The captain was forced to take precipitate action when the storm arrived earlier than he had expected

Something that precedes and indicates or announces another

Overindulgence is often the precursor to a nasty hang over the next morning

A disposition in favor of something, preference

Once President Reagan's predilection for jellybeans became known, people sent him tons of them

To replace, to supersede, to appropriate

My friends preempted my birthday plans by throwing me a surprise party

To dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care

Male birds of paradise preen their feathers and clean their nests in order to woo females

S: beautify

Knowing of events prior to their occurring

The fortune-teller's prescience of death prevented her from leaving the house

S: presage, foreknowledge, insight

Overstepping due bounds (as of propriety or courtesy); taking liberties

It was very presumptuous of him to ask for a raise after only two months at the company

S: presuming, rash

To deliberately avoid the truth; mislead

When my grandmother asked about her broken vase, my brother and I began to prevaricate

S: mininform, decieve, hedge

Pure; uncorrupted; clean

Much of the tundra in northern Canada is still pristine since the region has not been developed 

S: untouched

To pry, press or force with a lever

His parents had to prize the trophy from his sleeping fingers, since he insisted on taking it to bed with him

Adherence to highest principle; uprightness

The judge's reputation of probity is well deserved; she recused herself from a case because she had gone to school with the defendant

S: integrity

A natural predisposition or inclination

Gerald's main personality flaw is his proclivity to do anything that anyone asks of him

S: penchant

Recklessly wasteful; extravagant

The teacher's pet was given prodigal praise

S: profuse, lavish

Abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary

Prodigious numbers of villagers, young and old, traveled to the castle to pay their respects to the departed queen

S: immense

Excessively wasteful; recklessly extravagant

The profligate young man racked up quite the credit card-debt

S: prodigal

Given or coming forth in great abundance

Dogs tend to shed profuse amounts of fur with the change of the seasons

S: copious, extravagant

Producing large volumes or amounts, productive

She was a prolific writer, churning out 100 pages a week

Long-winded, verbose

The prolix politician was a natural at filibustering he could talk for hours without stopping

A natural inclination or tendency

Independent study programs are designed for students who have a propensity for taking cross-curricular courses and have the discipline to do so on their own

S: proclivity

Nearness in time or place, affinity of nature, kinship

His propinquity to the object of his affections made him blush

To appease or pacify

They tried to propitiate the storm gods by dancing in the rain and pouring wine on the ground as an offering

Auspicious, favorable 

The took the clearing of the sky as a propitious omen that the storm was passing

Appropriateness; conformity with standards of acceptable behavior

Unfortunately, Jean's dinner conversation shocked his new in-laws, whose ideas of propriety were significantly more conservative than his

Dull; unimaginative

Critics bashed the play because of its uncreative and prosaic plot

S: lackluster, commonplace

To outlaw or prohibit

Attempts to proscribe swimming in the old quarry were unsuccessful; people continued to do it despite the new rules

Frugal, looking to the future

His provident financial planning allowed him to buy a small tropical island when he retired. 

Extended in time '

Protracted contract negotiations prolonged the project

S: prolonged

Superior skill or daring

The gymnast's athletic prowess shined through her routines during the all-around competition

S: mastery

To grow or increase swiftly and abundantly 

Without expedient diplomacy, nuclear weapons might proliferate

S: burgeon, propagate

Childish, immature

His puerile humor prominently featured fart jokes

Contentious; quarrelsome; given to fighting

The service industry is no place for pugnacious people 


S: belligerent

Precise, paying attention to trivialities, especially in regard to etiquette 

Although his punctilious obsession with etiquette is usually very annoying, it is always handy when royalty comes to dine

An authority on a subject; one who gives opinions

The political pundits had a field day with the senator's corruption charges

S: expert

Characterized by a strong, sharp smell or taste

Some people love the pungent aroma of garlic while others find it offensive

S: acrid, pointed

Cowardly; craven

The pusillanimous manager preferred to let the employee show up hours late every day rather than confront him

S: timid

To rot; to decay and give off a foul odor

Bacteria caused the raw meat to putrefy and stink up the whole refrigerator 

S: spoil