List 11
1. Abhor (ab-HOR)
Meaning: Detest or regard with deep hatred.
Mnemonic:
Imagine someone seeing a horrible “Ab” (abs workout) and screaming, “I abhor exercising!” They hate it so much they run away in fear.
Sentence:
She absolutely abhorred the idea of eating broccoli for every meal.
2. Boisterous (BOY-ster-uhs)
Meaning: Energetic, noisy, and lively.
Mnemonic:
Picture a group of rowdy boys jumping on a table, making so much noise that the neighbors call the police.
Sentence:
The kids at the party were so boisterous that even the dog hid under the couch.
3. Chivalrous (SHIV-uhl-ruhs)
Meaning: Honorable and polite.
Mnemonic:
Visualize a knight in shining armor offering his sword to protect someone, while saying, “I’m the most chivalrous knight in the land!”
Sentence:
His chivalrous act of helping the elderly woman cross the street earned him admiration.
4. Churlish (CHUR-lish)
Meaning: Rude or lacking good manners.
Mnemonic:
Imagine a grumpy guy at church shouting “This is boring!” during a sermon. Everyone whispers, “What a churlish man!”
Sentence:
His churlish behavior at the dinner table shocked everyone.
5. Clandestine (klan-DES-tin)
Meaning: Secretive; avoiding attention.
Mnemonic:
Picture a clan meeting in a dark forest, whispering about their destiny, afraid of being caught.
Sentence:
The thieves held a clandestine meeting to plan their heist.
6. Complacent (kuhm-PLAY-sent)
Meaning: Smugly self-satisfied, often without awareness of potential dangers.
Mnemonic:
Imagine someone lounging in a comfy place (complacent) while their house catches fire, saying, “It’s fine, nothing bad will happen.”
Sentence:
His complacent attitude toward studying led to poor grades.
7. Cumbersome (KUHM-bur-sum)
Meaning: Large, heavy, slow, or complicated.
Mnemonic:
Picture someone carrying a huge cucumber the size of a car and struggling, saying, “This is so cumbersome!”
Sentence:
The old, cumbersome machinery slowed down production.
8. Debilitating (dih-BIL-i-tay-ting)
Meaning: Weakening or impairing strength.
Mnemonic:
Visualize a bodybuilder whose muscles suddenly deflate like balloons, leaving him debilitated and unable to lift anything.
Sentence:
The flu had such a debilitating effect that she couldn’t even get out of bed.
9. Deliberate (dih-LIB-er-it)
Meaning: 1. Think over or discuss carefully.
2. Intentional.
Mnemonic:
Picture a judge deliberating (thinking carefully) over a case while deliberately eating chocolate to stay focused.
Sentence:
The team held a deliberate meeting to decide on the new project direction.
10. Droll (drohl)
Meaning: Amusing in a quirky or unusual way.
Mnemonic:
Imagine a troll wearing a clown wig and juggling pies. Everyone laughs, saying, “What a droll troll!”
Sentence:
Her droll sense of humor always lightened the mood in meetings.
11. Eccentric (ek-SEN-trik)
Meaning: Deviating from conventional behavior; quirky.
Mnemonic:
Imagine someone building a giant clock that runs backward, saying, “Normal clocks are boring. This is my style!” They’re eccentric and proud of it.
Sentence:
Her eccentric fashion choices always turned heads at work.
12. Fractious (FRAK-shuhs)
Meaning: Quarrelsome and irritable; unruly.
Mnemonic:
Picture a cranky dinosaur (Fractosaurus) roaring at everyone because someone ate the last donut.
Sentence:
The fractious children argued over the last piece of candy.
13. Limpid (LIM-pid)
Meaning: Clear, transparent, or easy to understand.
Mnemonic:
Think of limp lemonade in a glass so clear you can see through it perfectly.
Sentence:
Her explanation of the math problem was so limpid that even beginners understood it.
14. Mawkish (MAW-kish)
Meaning: Overly sentimental in a way that seems exaggerated or insincere.
Mnemonic:
Picture someone crying over a mawkish Hallmark card that says, “Roses are red, violets are blue, my dog’s better than you!”
Sentence:
The movie was so mawkish that half the audience rolled their eyes instead of crying.
15. Obeisance (oh-BAY-suhns)
Meaning: Reverence for an individual.
Mnemonic:
Visualize people bowing deeply and saying “Oh bae, you’re the best!” in exaggerated reverence.
Sentence:
The king was accustomed to the obeisance of his subjects.
16. Ostentatious (oss-ten-TAY-shuhs)
Meaning: Showy or designed to impress.
Mnemonic:
Imagine someone driving a gold-plated car with diamonds glued all over it, yelling, “Look at me!” That’s ostentatious.
Sentence:
Her ostentatious jewelry overshadowed the simplicity of her dress.
17. Panacea (pan-uh-SEE-uh)
Meaning: A perfect cure for something.
Mnemonic:
Think of a magic pan that cooks anything you want and cures your hunger—a true panacea for all problems!
Sentence:
Many people mistakenly believe money is a panacea for happiness.
18. Perfunctory (per-FUNK-tuh-ree)
Meaning: Done without enthusiasm or effort.
Mnemonic:
Picture someone barely performing a funky dance, dragging their feet, saying, “Ugh, do I really have to?”
Sentence:
His perfunctory apology was so insincere that no one believed him.
19. Perilous (PAIR-uh-luhs)
Meaning: Risky and hazardous.
Mnemonic:
Imagine walking on a pair of stilts over lava—it’s ridiculously perilous!
Sentence:
The hikers faced a perilous journey across the steep cliffs.
20. Pervasive (per-VAY-siv)
Meaning: Spreading quickly and in great numbers.
Mnemonic:
Think of perfume vapors that fill the room the second you spray them—it’s pervasive.
Sentence:
The influence of social media is so pervasive that it’s hard to avoid.
Here’s the expanded format for your example, applied to the provided GRE words:
21. Preclude (pre-KLOOD)
Meaning: Prevent something from occurring.
Mnemonic:
Imagine a “No Entry” sign precluding people from entering a cool party.
Sentence:
Her fear of heights precludes her from enjoying roller coasters.
22. Predilection (pred-i-LEK-shun)
Meaning: Preference or bias towards something.
Mnemonic:
Picture someone who always picks pickles over any other topping, saying, “It’s my predilection!”
Sentence:
She has a predilection for spicy food over sweet dishes.
23. Rapacious (ruh-PAY-shus)
Meaning: Very greedy; grasping or avaricious.
Mnemonic:
Imagine a ravenous dinosaur grabbing everything in sight—it’s not just hungry; it’s rapacious!
Sentence:
The rapacious landlord raised the rent every year without making any improvements to the building.
24. Relish (REL-ish)
Meaning: To take great pleasure or delight in something.
Mnemonic:
Think of someone licking a spoon of their favorite relish with a big grin—they truly relish it!
Sentence:
She relished the opportunity to travel and explore new cultures.
25. Satirical (suh-TIR-ih-kuhl)
Meaning: Using humor, irony, or sarcasm to criticize or mock.
Mnemonic:
Imagine a comedian who uses a satellite dish to broadcast jokes poking fun at politicians—that’s satirical!
Sentence:
The movie was a satirical take on modern consumerism.
26. Sham (sham)
Meaning: Fake; not genuine.
Mnemonic:
Picture a man selling sham poo instead of shampoo—it’s fake and clearly a sham!
Sentence:
The deal sounded too good to be true, and it turned out to be a sham.
27. Skirt (skurt)
Meaning: To go around or avoid something, especially an issue or obstacle.
Mnemonic:
Think of a person wearing a skirt tiptoeing around a muddy puddle—they’re trying to skirt it!
Sentence:
The politician tried to skirt the controversial topic during the debate.
28. Sluggish (SLUH-gish)
Meaning: Lacking energy; slow and listless.
Mnemonic:
Picture a slug trying to climb a staircase—it’s painfully slow and sluggish!
Sentence:
After the long flight, I felt too sluggish to do anything but sleep.
29. Spartan (SPAR-tuhn)
Meaning: Marked by simplicity, frugality, and avoidance of luxury.
Mnemonic:
Imagine the Spartan warriors—living with only the bare essentials and no luxuries at all.
Sentence:
His apartment was spartan, with just a bed, a table, and a chair.
30. Truculent (TRUH-kyuh-luhnt)
Meaning: Aggressively combative or confrontational.
Mnemonic:
Think of a truck that’s always crashing into other cars—it’s angry and truculent!
Sentence:
The truculent customer argued with the waiter over every little thing.
Story Mode
Albert Einstein, a droll and eccentric physicist, is often celebrated as a panacea for humanity’s understanding of the universe. Though his theories were groundbreaking, his personality was far from ostentatious—he preferred a Spartan lifestyle, eschewing unnecessary luxuries.
As a child, he was fractious and questioned authority, which many saw as a sign of his brilliance. His relentless curiosity often led him to deliberate over problems for hours, never content with perfunctory solutions. Some critics dismissed his ideas as a sham, but their skepticism only fueled his rapacious appetite for knowledge.
Einstein’s theories were pervasive, reshaping physics and influencing fields from engineering to philosophy. His ability to simplify complex ideas into limpid explanations endeared him to many, though his churlish critiques of dogma earned him detractors.
Despite the perilous challenges of his time, including two world wars, Einstein maintained a chivalrous and humanitarian spirit. His refusal to skirt political issues demonstrated his predilection for truth and justice. He abhorred prejudice and worked tirelessly for peace.
Einstein’s personal life was not without turbulence. He endured debilitating criticisms and marital struggles, but he met these challenges with complacent resilience. His boisterous humor often masked his inner struggles, revealing a man deeply attuned to life’s fragility.
While some found his revolutionary theories too bold, others viewed him as the embodiment of obeisance to scientific inquiry. His writings, often satirical, criticized the misuse of science, warning of a truculent future if humanity failed to act wisely.
To this day, Einstein’s legacy remains a source of relish for intellectuals and dreamers alike. His life reminds us that even in the most cumbersome and mawkish moments, the pursuit of knowledge is worth every effort. Truly, Einstein precluded the idea of limitations, leaving behind a world enriched by his genius.