GRE Words

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Make
(someone) feel embarrasse
d, disconcerted,
or ashamed:
Harriet looked slightly abashed

abdicate

humiliate, embarrass
relinquish power or
position

aberrant

abnormal

abet

Encourage or assist (someo
ne) to do something wrong, he was not guilty of murder ,
aid, encourage (typically in particular to commit
but guilty of aiding and
a crime
abetting others
of crime)

abash

abeyance

postponement

aboriginal

indigenous

abridge

shorten

acclimate

moderate
accustom oneself to a
climate

accost

to approach and speak
to someone

abstemious

cachet
cacophony
callow

to give up power
Departing from
an accepted standard

Manufacture of anti-retrovirals is being
A state
of temporary disuse or susp held in abeyance pending official
ension
government policy on the issue.
existing in a land from
the earliest times
Shorten without losing the
sense

Around the world, 70 percent of uranium
deposits are located on aboriginal land.

indulging only very
moderately in something

Dalton was said to be abstemious but did
indulge in a game of bowls on a Thursday.

rule

capacious

spacious

capitulate

surrender

castigate

criticize

an abridged text of his speech

helping freshmen to acclimate
to college life
Approach and address (som
eone) boldly or aggressively reporters accosted him in the street

The state of
being respected or admired;
prestige
prestige
A harsh discordant mixture
dissonance, harsh noise of sounds
inexperienced and immatur
e
inexperienced

canon

in 1918 Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated as
German emperor
this somewhat aberrant behaviour req
uires an explanation

A general law,
rule, principle, or criterion by
which something is judged:
Having a lot of
space inside; roomy:

no other shipping company had quite the
cachet of Cunard
a cacophony of deafening alarm bells
earnest and callow undergraduates

the appointment violated the canons
of fair play and equal opportunity
she rummaged in her
capacious handbag
the patriots had to capitulate
to the enemy forces
Reprimand (someone) sever he was castigated for not setting a
ely:
good example

cathartic

purgative, purifying

catholic

universal, worldly

caustic

scathing (of speech)

censure

chagrin

Providing psychological relie
f through the
open expression of
strong emotions
crying is a cathartic release
Including a wide variety of
things; all-embracing
her tastes are pretty catholic
the players were making
caustic comments about the refereeing

condemn

The
formal expression of severe
disapproval
two MPs were singled out for censure

embarrassment

Annoyance or distress at
having failed or
been humiliated

He coughed up his Bickfords and turned
purple with a mixture of shame and
chagrin.

A person falsely claiming to
have
a special knowledge or skill
Cautiously or suspiciously re
luctant to do something
change to a solid or semisolid state

a self-confessed con artist and
charlatan
she had been chary
of telling the whole truth
blood had coagulated round the edges of
the gash

the first movement ends with
a fortissimo coda
the newspaper’s lawyers must prepare
a cogent appeal

charlatan

quack

chary

cautious

coagulate

thicken

coda

concluding passage

cogent

well-put, convincing

The concluding passage of
a piece or movement,
typically forming
an addition to
the basicstructure
clear, logical,
and convincing:

conspiracy

Secret or illegal cooperation
the armed forces were working in
or conspiracy in order
to deceive others
collusion with drug traffickers

collusion

Originating or occurring
indigenous
relinquish

naturally in
a particular place; native:

coriander is indigenous to southern
Europe

Voluntarily cease to kee

he relinquished his managerial role to
become chief executive
salary will be commensurate
with age and experience

p or claim; give up:

commensurate proportionate

commiserate

eclectic

Corresponding in size or
degree; in proportion

empathize

she went over to commiserate
Express or feel sympathy or with Rose on
pity; sympathize
her unfortunate circumstances

from many sources

Deriving ideas, style,
or taste from
a broad and diverse range
of sources

universities offering an eclectic mix of
courses

efficacy

effectiveness

effigy

likeness, mannequin

effloresce

to bloom

effrontery

insolence

The ability to produce
a desired or intended result
A sculpture or model of a
person
Reach an optimum stage
of development
Insolent or impertinent beha
viour:rude

there is little information on the efficacy
of this treatment
a tomb effigy of Eleanor of Aquitaine
simple concepts that effloresce
into testable conclusions
one juror had the effrontery
to challenge the coroner’s decision

elicit

provoke

eloquent

well-spoken

Evoke or draw
out (a reaction, answer,
or fact) from someone
Fluent or persuasive in
speaking or writing

liberate

Set free, especially
from legal, social,
or political restrictions

embellish

exaggerate

Make (something)
more attractive by
the addition of decorative de blue silk embellished
tails or features
with golden embroidery

endemic

peculiar to a particular
region

regularly found among parti
cular people or in a certain complacency is endemic
area
in industry today

weaken

Make
(someone) feel drained of e
nergy or vitality
enervating heat

generate

Cause or give rise to (a
feeling, situation,
or condition)

boredom

A feeling
of listlessness and dissatisfa
ction arising from
a lack of occupation or excit
ement
he succumbed to ennui and despair

emancipate

enervate

engender

ennui

enumerate

count

esoteric
esthetic

known by only a few
artistic

euphemism

genteel expression

Mention (a number
of things) one by one

I tried to elicit a smile from Joanna

the citizen must be emancipated
from the obsessive secrecy of
government

an eloquent speech

the issue engendered continuing contro
versy

I would need more fingers and toes than I
have to enumerate the number of people
who contacted me to say ‘well done’ on
going so forcefully public on the matter.

Intended for or likely to
be understood by only a sm
all number of people with
a specializedknowledge or in
terest
esoteric philosophical debates

the jargon has given us ‘ downsizing ’
as a euphemism for cuts

euphoria

elation

evanescent

fleeting, very brief

A feeling or state
of intense excitement and h
appiness
quickly fading or disappearin
g

in his euphoria, he
had become convinced he
could defeat them
the evanescent Arctic summer

exacerbate

worsen

exasperate

irritate

Make
(a problem, bad situation, or rising inflation was exacerbated by
negative feeling) worse
the collapse of oil prices
this futile process exasperates prison
Irritate intensely; infuriate
officers

exhibitionist

one who draws
attention to himself

A person who behaves in
an extravagant way in order
to attract attention
I am something of an exhibitionist

free from blame

absolve (someone)
from blame for
a fault or wrongdoing

they
should exonerate these men from this
crime

hasten;Be quick to do
something

Make (an action
or process) happen sooner
or be accomplished more
quickly

he promised to
expedite economic reforms

exonerate

expedite

extemporize

improvise

extol

praise highly

Compose or perform
something such as music or
a speech without preparatio
n; improvise
he extemporized at the piano
he extolled
Praise enthusiastically
the virtues of the Russian peoples

joking, sarcastic

Treating serious issues with
deliberately inappropriate hu
mour; flippant
a facetious remark

facilitate

make easier

Make (an action
or process) easy or easier

fallacy

false belief

A mistaken belief

schools were located in the
same campus to facilitate
the sharing of resources
the notion that the camera never lies is
a fallacy

fathom

understand

fervor

intensity

Understand (a difficult probl
em or an enigmatic person)
after much thought
Intense and passionate feeli
ng

he couldn’t fathom why she was being
so anxious
he talked with all the fervour of a
new convert

facetious

Changing frequently,
especially
as regards one’s loyalties or celebs trying to appeal to
affections
an increasingly fickle public

fickle
filibuster

always changing one’s
mind
long speech

fledgling

develop wing feathers that
just beginning,struggling are large enough for flight

A young bird that has just fledged

flout

to show disregard for
the law or rules

openly ignored;disregard

foment
forsake

instigate
abandon

Instigate or stir up;initiate
Abandon or leave

fortuitous

lucky

the similarity between
Happening by chance rather the paintings may not
than intention
be simply fortuitous

foster

encourage

frugal

thrifty

fulminate

denounce, menace

furtive

stealthy
so loud as to make

deafening

crescendo

Encourage the development
Sparing or economical as re
gards money or food
declare wrong or evil
;express vehement protest
Attempting to avoid notice or
attention

the advertising code is being flouted
they accused him of
fomenting political unrest
he would never forsake Tara

the teacher’s task is to foster learning
I’m a bit too frugal to splash out
on designer clothes
all fulminated against the
new curriculum
they spent a furtive day together

it impossible to hear anyt
hing else:

the music reached a
deafening crescendo

A gradual increase in lou

each time the key changes , there is
a gradual crescendo

dness in a piece ofmusic

Search unsystematically
rummage

she rummaged in her
capacious handbag

and untidily through
something

A feeling
of smug or uncritical sati

complacency

sfaction with oneself or
one’s achievements,prid
e

Having or showing
an excessive pride in
smug

oneself or
one’s achievements

Of the same kind; alike

However, these results were based on a
sample of university men who were fairly
homogeneous in age

exaggeration

Exaggerated statements or
claims not meant to be
taken literally

he vowed revenge with oaths and
hyperboles

deceiving, two-faced
fearless

Behaving in a
way that suggests one has
higher standards
Fearless; adventurous

we don’t go to church and we thought it
would be hypocritical to have
him christened
our intrepid reporter

flood

Overwhelm (someone) with
we’ve been inundated
things or people to
be dealt with
with complaints from listeners

homogeneous uniform

hyperbole

hypocritical
intrepid

inundate

he was feeling smug after his win

inure

accustom, habituate,
harden

Accustom (someone) to
something, especially
something unpleasant

omnipotent

all-powerful

having unlimited power

these children have been inured
to violence
God is described as omnipotent
and benevolent

onerous

burdensome

opprobrium

disgrace

involving a great deal
of effort, trouble, or difficulty
Harsh criticism or censure;c
astigate

he found his duties increasingly onerou
s
the critical opprobrium generated by
his films

iconoclast

one who rails against
sacred institutions

invective

verbal insult

A person who attacks
or criticizes cherished belief
s or institutions
Insulting, abusive, or
highly critical language
he let out a stream of invective

oscillate

waver

Move or swing back and
forth in a regular rhythm

the grain pan near the front of
the combine oscillates back and forth

idiosyncrasy

peculiarity

inveigle

lure

A mode of behaviour or way
one of his little idiosyncrasies was
of thought peculiar to
an individual
always preferring to be in the car first
induce,persuadeto do
something
he inveigled her back to his room

paean

a song of praise

A song of praise or triumph

imminent

about to happen

About to happen

a paean of praise for the great poets
they were in imminent danger of being
swept away

irascible

irritable

Having or showing
a tendency to be
easily angered

an irascible and difficult man

paradigm
impecunious

a model
indigent

Having little or no money

society’s paradigm of the ‘ ideal woman
a titled but impecunious family

irresolute

hesitant, uncertain

Showing or feeling hesitancy she stood irresolute outside his door

paragon
imperative

standard of excellence
vital, pressing

A person or
thing regarded as
a perfect example
Of vital importance; crucial

itinerary

route

parody

imitation, ridicule

imperturbable calm

judicious

prudent

parsimonious

stingy

A planned route or journey
An imitation of the style of
a particular writer,
Unable to
be upset or excited; calm

it would have taken a paragon
of virtue not to feel viciously jealous
immediate action was imperative
his itinerary included an
official visit to Canada
the film is a parody of the horror genre
an imperturbable tranquillity

Having, showing, or done
with
good judgement or sense
the judicious use of public investment
Very unwilling to spend mon even the parsimonious
ey or use resources
Joe paid for drinks all round

impervious

impenetrable

Not allowing fluid to pass
through

an impervious layer of basaltic clay

laconic

brief, terse

using very few words

his laconic reply suggested a lack of
interest in the topic

paucity

scarcity

impetuous

impulsive

The presence of something
in only small or insufficient q
uantities or amounts
a paucity of information
Acting or done quickly and she might live to rue this
without thought or care
impetuous decision

lassitude
pedagogical

lethargy
pertaining to teaching

implicit

implied

laudatory

commendable

A state of physical or
mental weariness; lack of en
ergy
Relating to teaching
Suggested though
not directly expressed
expressing praise and com
mendation

pedantic

bookish

Excessively concerned with
his analyses are careful and even pains
minor details or
rules; overscrupulous
taking , but never pedantic

impolitic

unwise

not wise or sensible; foolish unwise policy decisions

levity

frivolity

The treatment of
a serious matter with humou as an attempt to introduce a note of
r
levity, the words were a disastrous flop

penchant

inclination

impulsive

to act suddenly

lucid

clearly understood

penury

poverty

impunity

exemption from harm

lurid

ghastly

pernicious

destructive

Unpleasantly bright in colour lurid food colourings
the pernicious influences of the mass
Having a harmful effect
media

inadvertent

unintentional

Not resulting from
or achieved through delibera he was pardoned for
te planning
inadvertent manslaughter

Machiavellian

Cunning, scheming,
politically crafty,cunning and unscrupulous

A strong or habitual liking for
something
Acting or done
without forethought
Expressed clearly; easy to u
nderstand

she was overcome by lassitude and
retired to bed
they show great pedagogic skills
comments seen as implicit criticism of
the policies
enthusiastic and laudatory articles

he has a penchant
for adopting stray dogs
they’d married as impulsive teenagers
write in a clear and lucid style

The state of being very poor he couldn’t face another year of penury
protestors burned flags on
Exemption from punishment the streets with impunity

a whole range
of outrageous Machiavellian manoeuvre
s

perpetuity
incendiary

eternity
inflammatory

The state or quality
of lasting forever
designed to cause fires

he did not believe in the perpetuity
of military rule
incendiary bombs

magnanimous

generous, kindhearted

Generous or forgiving

she should be magnanimous in victory

perspicacious

keen

Having a ready insight into it offers quite a few facts to the
and understanding of things perspicacious reporter

magnate

beginning
a powerful, successful
person

pervade

permeate

incipient

incontrovertible indisputable

Beginning
to happen or develop

he
could feel incipient anger building up

A wealthy and influential bus
inessman
a property magnate
spread through and
be perceived in every part of
Not able to
be denied or disputed
Having or showing a wish to
do evil to others

a smell of stale cabbage pervaded the
air
incontrovertible proof
his eyes were glowing with malevolence
they receive financial support from
philanthropic bodies

malevolence

bad intent, malice

philanthropic

charitable

incorrigible

unreformable

not able to
be changed or reformed

she’s an incorrigible flirt

shirk
sluggish

Pretend to be ill in order
to escape duty or work
calm

people who
had psychosomatic complaints were pr
obably malingering
the phlegmatic British character

unconcerned

Having
no particular interest or sym
pathy
he gave an indifferent shrug

malinger
phlegmatic

indifferent

malleable

moldable, tractable

piety

devoutness

able to be hammered or
pressed into shape without a malleable metal can be beaten into
breaking orcracking
a sheet
The quality of being religious
or reverent
acts of piety and charity

indigent

poor

Poor; needy

a charity for the relief of indigent artists

A person
who dislikes humankind
deeply religious
Wanting to avoid activity or
exertion; lazy

Scrooge wasn’t the meanspirited misanthrope most of
us believe him to be
a deeply pious woman
they were indolent and addicted to a life
of pleasure

misanthrope
pious

hater of mankind
devout, holy

indolent

lazy

miscreant

evildoer

piquant

tart-tasting, spicy

the police are straining every nerve
A person who has done
something wrong or unlawful to bring the miscreants to justice
Having
a pleasantly sharp taste
a piquant tartare sauce

indomitable

pithy

invincible:Too powerful
to be defeated

an invincible warrior;a woman of
indomitable spirit

concise

When the trees bloom in March or April,
the Walkers try to remove any remaining
old, pithy fruit.

ineffable

inexpressible

mitigate

lessen the severity

Too great or extreme to
be expressed or described i
n words
the ineffable mysteries of the soul
Make (something bad) less drainage schemes have helped to
severe, serious, or painful
mitigate this problem

platitude

trite remark

inert

inactive

mundane

ordinary

A remark or statement,
especially one with
a moral content, that has
been used too often to
beinteresting or thoughtful
she began uttering liberal platitudes
Lacking the ability or strengt
h to move
she lay inert in her bed
Lacking interest or exciteme
nt; dull
his mundane, humdrum existence

nonsexual

(Of love or friendship) intima
their relationship is purely platonic;plat
te and affectionate but not
sexual
onic love

innate, inborn

Existing in something as
a permanent, essential, or
characteristic attribute

any form of mountaineering has its
inherent dangers

nadir

lowest point

The lowest or
most unsuccessful point in
a situation

asking that question was the nadir of
my career

plethora

overabundance

A large or excessive amount Allen won a plethora of medals during
of something
his illustrious career

restrain

Hinder, restrain,
or prevent (an action
or process)

self-love

But excessive self-love, or narcissism,
Excessive interest in
or admiration of oneself and could actually increase violence in
one’s physical appearance schools.

polemic

a controversy

his polemic
A
strong verbal or written attac against the cultural relativism of
k on someone or something the Sixties

inimical

adverse, hostile

nascent

incipient

Tending to obstruct or harm an inimical alien power
beginning to happen or
develop.
the nascent space industry

after death

Occurring, awarded,
or appearing after
the death of the originator

platonic

inherent

inhibit

narcissism

posthumous

cold inhibits plant growth

Heath Ledger became the first actor to
win AFII award posthumously

insatiable

gluttonous-Excessively
greedy

neologism

A newly coined word or expr Politicians invent neologisms and use
words in a very imaginative way
newly coined expression ession

pragmatic

practical

insidious

treacherous

nonplus

confound

precarious

dangerous, risky

insipid

flat, dull

noxious

toxic

impossible to satisfy

an insatiable hunger for success

Dealing with
things sensibly and realistica
lly in a way that
is based on practical rather
than theoretical
a pragmatic approach to politics
sexual harassment is a serious and
Proceeding in
a gradual, subtle way
insidious problem
Surprise and confuse (some
one) so much that they
are unsure how to react
Not securely held or in
position
Lacking flavour; weak or tast
eless
Harmful, poisonous,
or very unpleasant

Diane was nonplussed by such
an odd question
a precarious ladder
mugs of insipid coffee
they were overcome by the
noxious fumes

precipitate

cause

insufferable

unbearable

Cause (an event or situation
, typically one that
the incident precipitated
is undesirable)
to happen suddenly
a political crisis
Too extreme to
bear; intolerable
the heat would be insufferable by July

obfuscate

bewilder, muddle

Make obscure, unclear,
or unintelligible;confuse

forerunner

person or thing that comes
before another of the same
kind
a three- stringed precursor of the violin

precursor

insular

narrow-minded

obtuse

stupid

preponderance predominance

Ignorant of
or uninterested in cultures, i
deas, or peoples outside
one’s own experience
Annoyingly insensitive or slo
w to understand
The quality or fact of being
greater in number

the new rule is more likely to
obfuscate people than enlighten them

a stubbornly insular farming people
he wondered if the doctor was being
deliberately obtuse
the preponderance of women among
older people

intangible

Unable to be touched; not
not perceptible by touch having physical presence:

the moonlight made
things seem intangible

obviate

make unnecessary

Remove

the presence of roller blinds obviated
the need for curtains

failing to observe the limits o
f what
is permitted or appropriate
Destructive to both sides in
a conflict

I hope I won’t be considered
presumptuous if I offer some advice
the region’s history of savage interneci
ne warfare

presumptuous assuming
internecine

mutually destructive

Extremely
unpleasant; repulsive

a pretty odious character

odious

despicable

pretentious
intractable

affected, inflated
unmanageable

officious

forward, obtrusive

Attempting to impress by aff
ecting greater importance
pretentious art films
Hard to control or deal with intractable economic problems
Assertive of authority in
a domineering way
the security people were very officious

excuse

A reason given
in justification of a course of he called round on the pretext
action
of asking after her mother

lie

Speak or act in
an evasive way

he seemed to prevaricate
when journalists asked pointed questio
ns

miscreant

An unprincipled person

he had to present himself as more of
a lovable reprobate than a spirit
of corruption

combination

The combination of compon
the synthesis of intellect and emotion in
ents or elements to form
a connected whole
his work

integrity

The quality of having
strong moral principles; hon
esty and decency
financial probity

pretext

prevaricate

reprobate

synthesis

probity

Refuse to accept; reject

she has
repudiated policies associated with pre
vious party leaders

Understood or implied witho
ut being stated
Constituting or presenting
a problem

your silence may be taken
to mean tacit agreement
the situation was problematic
for teachers

necessary

Made necessary

the application will not
be processed until the
requisite fee is paid

boldness

And this Minister has the audacity and
Excessive confidence or bol temerity to try to say that that is listening
dness; audacity
to the people.

prodigal

wasteful

Spending money or using re
sources freely and recklessl
y; wastefully extravagant
prodigal habits die hard

rescind

revoke

Revoke, cancel, or repeal

the government eventually rescinded
the directive

tenuous

thin, insubstantial

Very weak or slight

the tenuous link between interest rates
and investment

marvelous, enormous

Remarkably or impressively
great in extent, size, or
degree
her memory was prodigious

tacit

disavow
understood without
being spoken

problematic

uncertain

repudiate

requisite

temerity

prodigious

Admirably purposeful, deter he was resolute in
mined, and unwavering
his fight to uphold liberal values
Sparing in
the use of words; abrupt
a terse statement

resolute

determined

terse

prodigy

concise
a person with
extraordinary ability or
talent

reticent

reserved

torpid

lethargic, inactive

A young person
a Russian pianist who was
with exceptional qualities
or abilities
a child prodigy in his day
Not revealing one’s thoughts  she was extremely reticent about
or feelings readily
her personal affairs
Mentally or physically inactiv
e; lethargic
we sat around in a torpid state

licentious, prodigal

Recklessly extravagant or w
asteful in
the use of resources
profligate consumers of energy

profligate

retribution

reprisal

tractable

docile, manageable

profound

deep, knowledgeable

Punishment inflicted on
someone as vengeance for
a wrong or criminal act
divine retribution
she has always been tractable
easy to control or influence and obedient , even as a child
the implications of this discovery are
very great or intense
profound
Feeling or
showing deep and solemn r
espect
a reverent silence
Lasting only for a short
time; impermanent
a transient cold spell
An abundance or large quan
tity of something
a rich profusion of flowers

reverent

respectful

transient

fleeting, temporary

profusion

trenchant

overabundance
ecstasy;An
overwhelming feeling of
great happiness or joyful
excitement
incisive, penetrating;
intelligently analytical
and clear-thinking

prolific

fruitful, productive

producing much fruit

rhetoric

elocution,
grandiloquence

Born into a rich provincial family, he
The art
of effective or persuasive sp studied philosophy as well as rhetoric and
eaking or writing
law.

fierce, savage

the
Eager or quick to argue or fi truculent attitude of farmers to cheape
ght; aggressively defiant
r imports

inclination

An inclination or
natural tendency to behave i
n a particular way
his propensity for violence

rhapsody

truculent

propensity

An effusively enthusiastic or
ecstatic expression of
feeling
rhapsodies of praise
the White Paper makes
Vigorous or incisive in expre trenchant criticisms of health authoriti
ssion or style
es
in captivity tigers are prolific breeders

sanctimonious self-righteous

Making a show of
being morally superior
to other people
Present, appearing,
or found everywhere

what happened to all the
sanctimonious talk about putting his
family first?
cowboy hats are ubiquitous among
the male singers
the punishment should be proportional
to the crime

ubiquitous

omnipresent, pervasive

proportionate

commensurate

sanction

approval

Corresponding in size
Give official permission or a
pproval
the scheme was sanctioned by the court

hidden, covert

Existing beyond what
is obvious or admitted

could there be
an ulterior motive behind his request
he always behaved with
the utmost propriety
they lost heavily in the sanguinary
campaigns that followed

ulterior

propriety

decorum

sanguinary

gory, murderous

Conformity to conventionally
accepted standards
of behaviour
Involving or causing much bl
oodshed

untenable

cannot be achieved

not able to
be maintained or defended a
gainst attack orobjection
this argument is clearly untenable

prosaic

uninspired, flat

satiate

satisfy fully

untoward

perverse

proscribe

prohibit

satire

ridicule

urbane

refined, worldly

protuberance

bulge

schism
vacillate
pundit
secular

venerable

lacking imaginativeness oror prosaic
iginality
language can’t convey the experience
he folded up his newspaper ,
Satisfied to the full; sated
his curiosity satiated
Unexpected and inappropria both tried to behave as if nothing
te or inconvenient
untoward had happened
strikes remained proscribed in
Forbid-Refuse to allow
the armed forces
The use of humour, irony, ex
aggeration,
or ridicule to expose and criti
cize people’s stupidity
courteous and refined in ma
nner
A thing that protrudes from
something else

A split caused by
differences in opinion or
belief
rift
Waver between different opi
nions
waver
An expert in
politically astute person a particular subject

worldly, nonreligious
revered-Feel deep
respect or admiration
for

the crude satire seems to be directed at
the fashionable protest singers of the
time
he is charming and urbane

the widening schism
between Church leaders and politicians
I vacillated
between teaching and journalism
political pundits were tipping him
for promotion

Not connected with religious secular buildings
Accorded a great deal
of respect

a venerable statesman

pungent

sharp smell or taste

sedulous

diligent

veracity

truthfulness

qualms

misgivings

Having
a sharply strong taste or sm
ell
showing dedication and dilig
ence
Conformity to facts; accurac
y
An uneasy feeling
of doubt, worry, or fear,

division

The action
of ending a connection or rel the severance and disestablishment of
ationship
the Irish Church

verbose

wordy

Using or expressed in
more words than
are needed

quash

put down, suppress

Reject as invalid, especially
by legal procedure
his conviction was quashed on appeal

doubtful

Not easily convinced;
having doubts or reservation the public were deeply sceptical about
s
some of the proposals

common speech

The language
or dialect spoken by
the ordinary people

querulous

complaining

Complaining in
a rather petulant or whining
manner
she became querulous and demanding

solicitous

considerate, concerned showing interest or concern a solicitous enquiry

severance

skeptical

vernacular

the pungent smell of frying onions
he watched himself with the most
sedulous care
officials expressed doubts concerning
the veracity of the story
military regimes generally have no
qualms about controlling the press

much academic language is obscure and
verbose

he wrote in the vernacular to reach a
larger audience

Characterized by or

vex

annoy

quixotic

impractical, romantic

Make
(someone) feel annoyed, fru the memory of
strated, or worried
the conversation still vexed him
Extremely idealistic; unrealis
tic and impractical
a vast and perhaps quixotic project

financially sound

interest rate rises
Having assets in excess
of liabilities; able to pay one’ have very severe effects
s debts
on normally solvent companies

capable of surviving

Capable of
working successfully; feasibl the proposed investment was economic
e
ally viable

solvent

viable

raconteur

story teller

sophistry

specious reasoning

A person
who tells anecdotes in
a skilful and amusing way
a colourful raconteur
The use of clever but false a The Guardian's argumentation is pure
rguments
sophistry.

defame

Speak or write about in
an abusively disparaging ma
nner
he has been vilified in the press

vilify

recalcitrant

stubborn

specious

false but plausible

spurious

false, counterfeit

virulent

deadly, poisonous

Having
an obstinately uncooperative
attitude towards authority or
discipline
a class of recalcitrant fifteen-year-olds
Superficially plausible,
but actually wrong
a specious argument
separating authentic and
false or fake
spurious claims
extremely severe or harmful the poison is so virulent that it kills a
in its effects
fish instantly

retract

Galileo was forced to recant
Say that one no longer holds his assertion that
an opinion or belief
the earth orbited the sun

recant

squander

waste

vitriolic

scathing

Waste in a reckless and
foolish manner
Filled with bitter criticism or
malice

£100m of taxpayers' money has
been squandered
on administering the tax
vitriolic outbursts

redoubtable

formidable, steadfast

stolid
vituperative

impassive
abusive

formidable-Inspiring fear or
respect through being
impressively large
a formidable opponent
Calm, dependable, and
showing little emotion
a stolid bourgeois gent
Bitter and abusive
a vituperative outburst

refractory

obstinate

Stubborn or unmanageable his refractory pony

stupefy

deaden, dumfound

vivacious
relegate

lively
assign to an inferior
position

stymie

hinder, thwart

volatile

unstable

renege
sullen
voluminous

break a promise
sulky, sour
bulky, extensive

renounce

disown

supercilious

arrogant

voracious

hungry

reprehensible

blameworthy

Make (someone) unable to When I walked out of the movie theatre
think or feel properly
after seeing the film, I was stupefied.
attractively lively and animat
ed
she was dark-haired and vivacious
they aim to prevent women from
being relegated to a secondary role
the changes must not be allowed to
stymie new medical treatments
volatile solvents such as petroleum
ether , hexane , and benzene
the government had reneged
Go back on a promise
on its election promises
Bad-tempered and sulky
a sullen pout
very loose or full;
a voluminous purple cloak
Formally declare one’s aban Isabella offered to renounce
donment
her son’s claim to the French Crown
Assign an inferior rank or
position
Prevent or hinder the progre
ss
easily evaporated at
normal temperatures

Behaving or looking as
though one thinks one
is superior to others
Wanting or devouring great
quantities of food
Deserving censure or conde
mnation

a supercilious lady’s maid
a voracious appetite
his complacency and
reprehensible laxity

superfluous

xenophobia

Unnecessary

fear of foreigners

Dislike of
or prejudice against people f racism and xenophobia
rom other countries
are steadily growing in Europe

reproach

blame

surfeit

overabundance

zealot
malice
scrupulous

the purchaser should avoid asking for
superfluous information

overabundant

fanatic

Express to (someone)
one’s disapproval of
or disappointment
An excessive amount of
something
A person who
is fanatical and uncompromi
sing in pursuit of their
religious, political, or
otherideals
The desire to harm someon
e; ill will

her friends reproached her for not
thinking enough about her family
a surfeit of food and drink

He says there have always been religious
zealots, but modern technology has given
them a lethal capacity.

I bear no malice towards anybody
the research has been carried out with
extremely attentive to details scrupulous attention to detail

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