GRE/CAT VOCABULARY LIST 44
perdition = damnation; complete ruin; hell
cajole = persuade by praise or false promise; coax; wheedle
run-down = (of a place) dilapidated; in a bad condition;
(of a person) weak or exhausted
swindler = cheater
nip = snip off; stop something.s growth or development;
bite; make numb with cold; Ex. nip the plan; Ex. A
guard dog nipped the postman; Ex. fingers nipped by
the extreme chill
parvenu = upstart; newly rich person
impolitic = not wise; not expedient; not politic
remunerative = (of work) compensating; rewarding;
profitable; well-paid; V. remunerate: reward; pay
(someone) for work or trouble
epic = long heroic poem, novel, or similar work of art (celebrating
the feats of a hero); ADJ: (of stories or events)
resembling an epic; grand
disparity = difference; condition of inequality; OP. parity
dispel = scatter; drive away; cause to vanish
brand = trademark; mark burned on the hide of an animal;
mark burned into the flesh of criminals; mark of
disgrace; V: mark with a brand; give a lasting bad name;
stigmatize; Ex. The press branded him a liar.
increment = increase
accost = approach and speak first to a person
scad = a great quantity; Ex. scads of clothes
abstinence = restraint from pleasant things, esp. eating or
drinking; CF. abstention: act of abstaining from vote
slough = (of a snake) shed or cast off (dead outer skin); N:
outer layer that is shed
execute = put into effect; carry out; kill as a lawful punishment;
N. execution
parochial = narrow in scope or outlook; provincial; related
to parishes
affidavit = written statement made under oath (for use as
proof in a court of law)
chaplain = clergyman attached to a chapel
entourage = group of attendants; retinue; CF. surround
induct = place formally in office; install; admit as a member;
initiate; N. induction: inducting; process of deriving
general principles from particular facts
remote = distant in manner; aloof
doldrums = blues; listlessness(lack of spirit or energy);
slack(inactive) period; period of stagnation; ocean area
near the equator where ships cannot move because there
is no wind; Ex. in the doldrums
dulcet = sweet sounding; pleasing to the ear; melodious
dyslexia = word blindness; learning disorder marked by
impairment of the ability to read
malleable = (of a metal) capable of being shaped by
pounding(beating); pliable; (of someone) impressionable(
easily influenced); easily controlled; tractable
eventual = happening at last as a result; Ex. eventual victory
imponderable = weightless; that cannot undergo precise
evaluation; CF. pound
pervert = corrupt; turn from right to wrong; misuse; Ex.
perverted sexual desire/scientific knowledge; N: person
whose sexual behavior is not natural
climactic = relating to the highest point; N. climax; CF. climatic
superficial = of the surface; not deep; shallow; not thorough;
trivial; Ex. superficial analysis/knowledge
argot = slang; speech spoken by only a small group of
people
genus = division of animals or plants, below a family and
above a species
withdrawn = introverted; retiring; remote
pore = study industriously; ponder; scrutinize; Ex. pore
over the book; N.
empathy = ability to identify with another.s feelings,
ideas, etc.; identification with and understanding of another.s
feelings; V. empathize; CF. sympathy
demise = death
hyperbole = exaggeration; overstatement; ADJ. hyperbolic:
of hyperbole; of a hyperbola
yoke = join together; unite; N: crossbar used to joining
two draft animals
lament = grieve; express sorrow; N. lamentation
totem = animal, plant, or natural object serving as a symbol
of a clan or family; representation of this; Ex. totem
pole
autopsy = examination of a dead body; postmortem; V.
venturesome = (of a person) bold; adventurous; daring;
(of an action) risky
indefatigable = tireless; untiring; showing no sign of getting
tired
insensible = unconscious; unresponsive; insensitive; unaware;
imperceptible; Ex. insensible of his danger/to
pain; Ex. insensible change; CF. not the opposite of sensible
squabble = minor quarrel; bickering; V: engage in a minor
quarrel; Ex. squabbling children
volatile = changeable; of a quickly changing nature (as
of temper); mercurial; tending to violence; evaporating
rapidly; Ex. volatile character/situation in the street
ewe = female sheep
covetous = avaricious; desirous of (someone else.s possessions);
V. covet: desire eagerly (someone else.s possessions)
meek = submissive; patient and long-suffering
impetuous = violent; hasty; rash; impulsive; without
careful thought; Ex. impetuous decision
