Nov
16
2009
10 Words to Add to Your Vocabulary
Today, I am taking the GRE. Here are 1o words that my GRE prep book has added to my vocabulary.
The English language continues to amaze me. The number of words we have (in comparison to many other languages) is astounding. So… in honor of your native tongue, add these 10 words to your vocabulary.
As you look over the list, count how many of these words you already know. I’m curious what percentage of these words are known to the readers of this blog. Leave a comment with your score (# out of 10) below.
- Alacrity (noun): eager and enthusiastic willingness.
We accepted the invitation with alacrity. - Exigent (adjective): urgent, pressing; requiring immediate action or attention.
In exigent circumstances, law enforcement can enter a building without a warrant. - Fulminate (verb): to loudly attack or denounce.
She fulminated against the new political policies. - Obviate (verb): to anticipate and make unnecessary
The politician’s bill was intended to obviate the more widespread changes being discussed by the other party. - Prevaricate (verb): to deliberately avoid the truth; to mislead.
He could not backbite, nor envy, nor prevaricate, nor jump at mean motives for generous acts. - Truculent (adjective): fierce and cruel; eager to fight.
The leader delivered a truculent speech against the new government. - Penurious (adjective): penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous.
What might be extravagant today, might in half a century become penurious and inadequate. - Redoubtable (adjective): awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
He was a redoubtable fighter. - Dissemble (verb): to disguise or conceal; to mislead.
I will not dissemble what real pleasure his sight afforded me. - Obsequious (adjective): exhibiting a fawning attentiveness
Lady Arabella stood a little on one side, and the African, accepting the movement as an invitation, entered in an obsequious way
Categories: Reading