GRE Vocab (L-O)

tearful

Marcella always became lachrymose when it was time to bid her daughter good-bye.

using few words

He was the classic laconic native of Maine; he talked as if he were being charged for each word.

to express sorrow; to grieve

The children continued to lament the death of the goldfish weeks after its demise.

to ridicule with satire

The mayor hated being lampooned by the press for his efforts to improve people's politeness.

lacking energy; indifferent; slow

The languid cat cleaned its fur, ignoring the vicious, snarling dog chained a few feet away from it.

relating to precious stones or the aret of cutting them

Most lapidary work today is done with the use of motorized equipment.

theft of property

The crime of stealing a wallet can be categorized as petty larceny.

generous giving (as of money) to others who may seem inferior

She'd always relied on her parent's largess, but after graduation she had to get a job.

a state of diminished energy

The lack of energy that characterizes people with anemia makes lassitude one of the primary symptoms of the disease.

potential that is not readily apparent

Latent trait testing seeks to identify the skills that the test takers may have that they are not aware of.

to give praise; to glorify

Parades and fireworks were staged to laud the success of the rebels.

extremely generous or extravagant; giving unsparingly

She was so lavish with her puppy that it soon became overweight and spoiled

suspicious

After being swindled once, Ruth became leery of strangers trying to sell her things.

trickery

The little boy thought his legerdemain was working on his mother but she in fact knew about every hidden toy and stolen cookie.

acting in an indifferent or slow, sluggish manner

The clerk was so lethargic that, even was business was slow he always had a long line in front of him.

an inappropriate lack of seriousness; overly casual

The joke added needed levity to the otherwise serious meeting.

tolerant or broad-minded; generous or lavish

Cali's liberal parents trusted her and allowed her to manage her own affairs to a large extent.

a free thinker, usually used disparagingly; one without moral restraint

The libertine took pleasure in gambling away her family's money.

immoral; unrestrained by society

Religious citizens were outraged by the licentious exploits of the free-spirited artists living in town.

clear; transparent

Fernando could see all the way to the bottom through the ponds limpid water.

to treat as a celebrity

After the success of his novel, the author was lionized by the press.

easily flexed; limber; agile

The lissome yoga instructor twisted herself into shapes that her students could only dream of.

lacking energy and enthusiasm

Listless and depressed after breaking up with his girlfriend, Raj spent his days moping on the couch.

discolored from a bruise; pale; reddened with anger

André was livid when he discovered that someone had spilled grape juice all over his cashmere coat.

talkative

She is naturally loquacious, which is a problem in situations where listening is more important than talking.

clear and easily understood

The explanations were written in a simple and lucid manner so that students were immediately able to apply what they learned.

sorrowful; mournful; dismal

Irish wakes are a rousing departure from the lugubrious funeral services to which most people are accustomed.

to move slowly and awkwardly

The bear lumbered toward the garbage, drooling at the prospect of the Big Mac leftovers he smelled.

bright; brilliant; glowing

The park was bathed in luminous sunshine that warmed the bodies and the souls of the visitors.

plot or scheme

Tired of his enemies' endless machinations to remove him from the throne, the king had them executed.

whirlpool; turmoil; agitated state of mind

The transportation system of the city had collapsed in the maelstrom of war.

powerful or influential person

The entertainment magnate bought two cable TV stations to add to his collection of magazines and publishing houses.

a curse; a wish of evil upon another

The frog prince looked for a princess to kiss him and put an end to his malediction.

to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill

A common way to avoid the draft was by malingering-pretending to be mentally or physically ill so as to avoid being taken in by the army.

capable of being shaped

Gold is the most malleable of the precious metals; it can easily be formed into almost any shape.

artificial or stilted in character

The portrait was an example of the mannered style that was favored in that era.

to damage or deface; spoil

Telephone poles mar the natural beauty of the countryside.

strict disciplinarian; one who rigidly follows rules

A complete martinet, the official insisted that Pete fill out all the forms again even though he was already familiar with his case.

overly sentimental

The mother's death should have been a touching scene, but the movie's treatment of it was so maudlin that, instead of making the audience cry, it made them cringe.

dishonest

So many of her stories were mendacious that I decided she must be a pathological liar.

beggar

"Please, sir, can you spare a dime?" begged the mendicant as the businessman walked past

quick, shrewd, and unpredictable

Her mercurial personality made it difficult to predict how she would react to the bad news.

gaudy; falsely attractive

The casino's meretricious decor horrified the cultivated interior designer.

figure of speech comparing two different things

The metaphor "sea of troubles" suggests a lot of troubles by comparing their number to the vastness of the sea.

extremely careful; fastidious; painstaking

To find all the clues at the crime scene, the meticulous investigators examined every inch of the area.

to operate against; work against

Lenin militated against the tsar for years before he overthrew him and established the Soviet Union.

frivolity; gaiety; laughter

Vera's hilarious jokes contributed to the general mirth at the dinner party.

a person who dislikes others

The Grinch was such a misanthrope that even the sight of children singing made him angry.

a written note or letter

Priscilla spent hours composing a romantic missive for Elvis.

to soften; to lessen

A judge may mitigate a sentence if she decides that a person committed a crime out of need.

to calm or make less severe

The argument was so intense that it was difficult to believe that any compromise would mollify them.

to shed hair, skin, or an outer layer periodically

The snake molted its skin and left it behind in a crumpled mass.

extremely plain or scheduled, as in a monastery

The philosopher retired to his monastic lodgings to contemplate life free from any worldly distraction.

no variation; tediously the same

The monotony of the sound of the dripping faucet almost drove the research assistant crazy.

fixed customs or manners; moral attitudes

In keeping with the mores of ancient Roman society, Nero held a celebration every weekend.

diverse

Ken opened the hotel room window letting in the multifarious noises of the great city.

lacking foresight; having a narrow view or short-range perspective

Not wanting to spend the money upfront, the myopic business owner would likely suffer the consequences later.

lowest point

As Joey waited in line for the diaper commercial, he realized that he had reached the nadir of his acting career.

lacking sophistication or experience

Inexperienced writers are often naive and assume that big words make them sound smarter.

starting to develop; coming into existence

The advertising campaign was still in a nascent stage, and nothing had be finalized yet.

new word or expression

Aunt Mabel simply does not understand today's youth; she is perplexed by their clothing, music, and neologisms.

novice; beginner

A relative neophyte at bowling, Rodolfo rolled all of his balls into the gutter.

to irritate

I don't particularly like having blue hair- I just do it to nettle my parents.

stinking; putrid

A dead mouse trapped in your walls produces a noisome odor.

existing in name only; negligible

A nominal but far from devoted member of the high school yearbook committee, she rarely attends meetings.

a subtle expression of meaning or quality

The scholars argued for hours over tiny nuances in the last line in the poem.

coin collecting

Tomas' passion for numismatics has resulted in an impressive collection of coins from all over the world.

hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion

The president was completely obdurate on the issue, and no amount of persuasion would change his mind.

indirect or evasive; misleading or devious

Usually open and friendly, Reynaldo has been behaving in a curiously oblique manner lately.

overly submissive and eager to please

The obsequious new associate made sure to compliment her supervisor's tie and agree with him on every issue.

stubborn; unyielding

The obstinate child could not be made to ea any food that he perceived to be "yucky."

to prevent; to make unnecessary

The river was shallow enough to wade across at many points which obviated the need for a bridge.

to stop up; prevent the passage of

A shadow is thrown across the Earth's surface during a solar eclipse, when the light from the sun is occluded by the moon.

too helpful; meddlesome

While planning her wedding, Maya discovered just how officious her future mother-in-law could be.

troublesome and oppressive; burdensome

That assignment was so extensive and difficult to manage that it proved onerous to the team in charge of it.

impossible to see through; preventing the passage of light

The heavy build-up of dirt and grime on the windows made them almost opaque.

to express an opinion

At the "Let's Chat Talk Show," the audience member opined that the guest was in the wrong.

public disgrace

After the scheme to embezzle the elderly was made public, the treasurer resigned in utter opprobrium.

pompous

Roberto soon grew tired of his date's orotund babble about her new job and decided their first date would probably be their last.

to change into bone; to become hardened or set in a rigidly conventional pattern

The forensics expert ascertained the body's age based on the degree to which the facial structure had ossified.

apparent

The ostensible reason for his visit was to borrow a book, but he secretly wanted to chat with the lovely Wanda.

excessive showiness

The ostentation of the Sun King's court is evident in the lavish decorations and luxuriousness of his palace at Versailles.

agitated; overdone

The lawyer's overwrought voice on the phone made her clients worry about the outcome of their case.