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GRE Wordlist: Meanings - Complete Sentences

Subjects : english, vocabulary
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. Writ summoning a witness to appear The prosecutor's office was ready to serve a ________ on the reluctant witness.






2. Postpone; delay It is wise not to ________; otherwise - we find ourselves bogged down in a mass of work that should have been finished long ago.






3. Break up ground after plowing; torture I don't want to ________ you at this time by asking you to recall the details of your unpleasant experience.






4. Prescribed diet and habits I doubt whether the results warrant our living under such a strict ________.






5. Changing its habitat; wandering These ________ birds return every spring.






6. Existence; means of support; livelihood In those days of inflated prices - my salary provided mere ________.






7. Individual who sacrifices principles for expediency by taking advantage of circumstances Forget about ethics! He's such an ________ that he'll vote in favor of any deal that will give him a break.






8. Stikingly bright; shining with intense heat If you leave on an ________light bulb - it quickly grows too hot to touch.






9. Slip or slide During the recent ice storm - many people ________ed down this hill as they walked to the station.






10. Balance; balancing force; equilibrium The high-wire acrobat used his pole as an ________ to overcome the swaying caused by the wind.






11. Ostracize; banish; outlaw Antony - Octavius and Lepidus ________d all those who had conspired against Julius Caesar.






12. Get one's bearings; adjust Philip spent his first day in Denver ________ing himself to the city.






13. Spasmodic; intermittent After several ________ attempts - he decided to postpone the start of the project until he felt more energetic.






14. Obstruct The minority party agreed not to ________ the efforts of the leaders to secure a lasting peace.






15. Denial I must accept his argument since you have been unable to present any ________ of his evidence.






16. Obtaining The personnel department handles the ________ of new employees.






17. Bizzare; peculiar; unconventional The eccentric professor who engages in markedly ________ behavior is a stock figure in novels with an academic setting.






18. Of lowly origin; unworthy This plan is inspired by ________ motives and I must - therefore - oppose it.






19. Pollute The sewage system of the city so ________d the water that swimming was forbidden.






20. Sharp projection form fishhook - etc.; pointed comment The ________ from the fishhook caught in his finger as he grabbed the fish.






21. Items of business at a meeting We had so much difficulty agreeing upon an ________ that there was very little time for the meeting.






22. Trite remark; commonplace statement he ________s in his speech were applauded by the vast majority in his audience; only a few people perceived how trite his remarks were.






23. One of a family of mammals that nurse their offspring in a pouch The most common ________ in North America is the opposum.






24. State of being deprived of something valuable or beloved His friends gathered to console him upon his sudden ________.






25. Sad; solemn I fail to understand why there is such a ________ atmosphere; we have lost a battle - not a war.






26. Correct spelling Many of us find English ________ difficult to master because so many of our words are written phonetically.






27. Pay for services There is a nominal ________ for this position.






28. Strongly held belief Nothing could shake his ________ that she was innocent.






29. Slander She is a liar and is always trying to ________ my reputation.






30. Conciseness ________ is essential when you send a telegram or cablegram; you are charged for every word.






31. Case for a sword blade; sheath The drill master told the recruit to wipe the blood from his sword before slipping it back into the ________.






32. Shrivel; decay. Cut flowers are beautiful for a day - but all too soon they _________.






33. Discord Some contemporary musicians deliberately use ________ to achieve certain effects.






34. Violent; hasty; rash We tried to curb his ________ behavior because we felt that in his haste he might offend some people.






35. Opening in chess in which a piece is sacrificed The player was afraid to accept his opponent's ________ because he feared a trap which as yet he could not see.






36. Protest; remonstrance Despite the teacher's scoldings and________s - the class remained unruly.






37. Outcome; final development of the plot of a play or other literary work The play was childishly written; the ________ was obvious to sophisticated theatergoers as early as the middle of the first act.






38. Hinder; block The special prosecutor determined that the Attorney General - though inept - had not intentionally set out to ________ the progress of the investigation.






39. Very cautious. The spies grew ________ as they approached the sentry.






40. Protrusion; bulge A ganglionic cyst is a fluid-filled tumor (generally benign) that develops near a joint membrane or tendon sheath - and that bulges beneath the skin - forming a ________.






41. Light stroke as with a whip The horse needed no encouragement; only one ________of the whip was all the jockey had to apply to get the animal to run at top speed.






42. Excessively fat It is advisable that ________ people try to lose weight.






43. Nonentity; worthless person or thing - She claimed her ex-husband was a total ________ and wondered why she had ever married him.






44. Grave; serius; coy She was ________ and reserved.






45. Make amends for; pay for He knew no way in which he could ________ for his brutal crime.






46. Fear; trembling agitation We must face the enemy without ________ if we are to win this battle.






47. Gloomy Do not be misled by his ________ countenance; he is not as gloomy as he looks.






48. Related linguistically; allied by blood; similar or akin in nature The English word "mother" ________ to the Latin word "mater -" whose influence is visible in the words "maternal" and "maternity."






49. Delaying Your ________ tactics may compel me to cancel the contract.






50. Capable of grasping or holding Monkeys use not only their arms and legs but also their ________e tails in traveling through the trees.