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Question		Answer
aberration start learning		a deviation from what is normal or expected Aberrations in climate have become the norm: rarely a week goes by without some meteorological phenomenon making headlines.
accolade start learning		an award or praise granted as a special honor Jean Paul-Sartre was not a fan of accolades; and as such; he refused to accept the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964.
acrimony start learning		bitterness and ill will The acrimonious dispute between the president and vice-president sent a clear signal to voters: the health of the current administration was imperiled.
aesthete start learning		one who professes great sensitivity to the beauty of art and nature A true aesthete; Marty would spend hours at the Guggenheim Museum; staring at the same Picasso.
aesthetic start learning		a set of principles underlying and guiding the work of a particular artist or artistic movement. The artist operated according to a peculiar aesthetic; not considering any photograph to be worth publishing unless it contained a marine mammal.
amalgam start learning		a mixture of multiple things The band's music was an amalgam of hip-hop; flamenco and jazz; blending the three styles with surprising results.
anomaly start learning		something that is not normal; standard; or expected After finding an anomaly in the data; she knew that she would have to conduct her experiment again.
antipathy start learning		an intense feeling of dislike or aversion Maria had an antipathy for tour groups; often bolting to the other side of the museum as soon as she saw a chaperone leading a group of wide-eyed tourists.
apathy start learning		an absence of emotion or enthusiasm Widespread apathy among voters led to a very small turnout on election day.
ascetic start learning		one who practices great self-denial Historically; ascetics like Ghandi are often considered wise men partially because of their restraint.
audacity start learning		aggressive boldness in social situations She surprised her colleagues by having the audacity to publically criticize the findings of an distinguished scientist.
banality start learning		a trite or obvious remark Herbert regarded the minister's remark as a mere banality until Sharon pointed out profound implications to the seemingly obvious words.
calumny start learning		" making of a false statement meant to injure a person""s reputation" With the presidential primaries well under way; the air is thick with calumny; and the mud already waist- high.
constituent start learning		being a part of a whole The constituents of the metal alloy are nickle; copper; and tin.
contingent start learning		a gathering of persons representative of some larger group A small contingent of those loyal to the king have gathered around the castle to defend it.
contrition start learning		the feeling of remorse or guilt that comes from doing something bad Those who show contrition during their prison terms--especially when under review by a parole board-- often get shortened sentences.
culpability start learning		a state of guilt Since John had left his banana peel at the top of the stairwell; he accepted culpability for Martha's broken leg.
decorum start learning		propriety in manners and conduct You will obey the rules of decorum for this courtroom or spend the night in a jail cell; said the judge to the prosecutor.
dilettante start learning		an amateur who engages in an activity without serious intentions and who pretends to have knowledge Fred has no formal medical training; while he likes to claim authority on medical issues; he is little more than a dilettante
duress start learning		compulsory force or threat The witness said he signed the contract under duress and argued that the court should cancel the agreement.
flux start learning		a state of uncertainty about what should be done (usually following some important event) Ever since Elvira resigned as the head of marketing; everything about our sales strategy has been in a state of flux.
gall start learning		feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will In an act of gall; Leah sent compromising photos of her ex-boyfriend to all his co-workers and professional contacts.
glut start learning		an excessive supply The Internet offers such a glut of news related stories that many find it difficult to know which story to read first.
harangue start learning		a long pompous speech; a tirade Dinner at Billy's was more a punishment than a reward; since anyone who sat at the dinner table would have to listen to Billy's father's interminable harangues against the government.
heretic start learning		a person who holds unorthodox opinions in any field (not merely religion) Though everybody at the gym told Mikey to do cardio before weights; Mikey was a heretic and always did the reverse.
iconoclast start learning		somebody who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions "Lady Gaga; in challenging what it means to be clothed; is an iconoclast for wearing a ""meat dress"" to a prominent awards show."
idiosyncrasy start learning		a behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual Peggy's numerous idiosyncrasies include wearing mismatched shoes; laughing loudly to herself; and owning a pet aardvark.
indifference start learning		the trait of seeming not to care In an effort to fight indifference; the president of the college introduced a new; stricter grading system.
jingoism start learning		excessive patriotism North Korea maintains intense control over its population through a combination of jingoism and cult of personality.
largess start learning		extreme generosity and giving Uncle Frank was known for his largess; so his nephew was sad when he did not receive a present for his birthday.
maverick start learning		someone who exhibits great independence in thought and action Officer Kelly was a maverick; rarely following police protocols or adopting the conventions for speech common among his fellow officers.
mendacity start learning		the tendency to be untruthful I can forgive her for her mendacity but only because she is a child and is seeing what she can get away with.
myriad start learning		a large indefinite number There are a myriad of internet sites hawking pills that claim to boost energy for hours on end.
nuance start learning		a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude Because of the nuances involved in this case; I hired an outside consultant to advice us and help.
opulence start learning		wealth as evidenced by sumptuous living Russian oligarchs are famous for their opulence; living in fancy homes and dining on expensive cavier.
panache start learning		distinctive and stylish elegance Jim; with his typical panache; came to the wedding reception with a top hat; a cane; and a long cape covered in sequins.
perfidy start learning		an act of deliberate betrayal; a breach of a trust The lowest circles in Dante's Inferno were for those who had practiced perfidy; and among these; the very lowest was for those; such as Judas; who had been treacherous to one of their benefactors.
platitude start learning		a trite or obvious remark The professor argued that many statements regarded as wise in previous times; such as the Golden Rule; are now regarded as mere platitudes.
polemic start learning		a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something. The professor launched into a polemic; claiming that Freudian theory was a pack of lies that absolutely destroyed European literary theory. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one for the GRE
predilection start learning		a strong liking Monte had a predilection for the fine things in life: Cuban cigars; 200 dollar bottles of wine; and trips to the French Riviera.
prescience start learning		the power to foresee the future Baxter's warnings about investing in technology stocks seemed like an act of prescience after the whole market declined significantly.
profligate start learning		someone who spends money recklessly or wastefully Most lottery winners go from being conservative; frugal types to outright profligates who blow millions on fast cars; lavish homes; and giant yachts.
pundit start learning		someone who has been admitted to membership in a scholarly field Steven Pinker's credentials are unquestioned as a pundit; he has taught at MIT and Stanford; teaches at Harvard; and has published a number of influential books on cognition; language; and psychology.
sanction start learning		a legal penalty for a forbidden action International sanctions have been placed on certain shipping lanes that were thought to be involved in human trafficking.
sycophant start learning		a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage The CEO was unaware of the damaging consequences of his choices; largely because he surrounded himself with sycophants who would never dare criticize him.
temperance start learning		the trait of avoiding excesses Welles wasn't known for his temperance--he usually ate enough for two and drank enough for three.
torpor start learning		inactivity resulting from lethargy and lack of vigor or energy After work; I was expecting my colleagues to be enthusiastic about the outing; but I found them in a state of complete torpor.
travesty start learning		an absurd presentation of something; a mockery What I expected to be an intelligent; nuanced historical documentary turned out to be a poorly-produced travesty of the form.
venality start learning		the condition of being susceptible to bribes or corruption Even some of the most sacrosanct sporting events are not immune to venality; as many of the officials have received substantial bribes to make biased calls.
volubility start learning		the quality of talking or writing easily and continuously The professor's volubility knows no bounds; he could talk through a hurricane and elaborate a point from one St. Patrick's Day to the next.

English Common Nouns

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