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Advanced Vocabulary for the GRE - Cultural Sphere and Arts

Here you will learn some English words about art and culture, such as "elegiac", "jejune", "trite", etc. that are needed for the GRE exam.

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Advanced Words Needed for the GRE
aesthetic
aesthetic
[Adjective]

relating to the enjoyment or appreciation of beauty or art, especially visual art

Ex: Her blog is dedicated to exploring the aesthetic aspects of contemporary architecture .
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archaic
archaic
[Adjective]

dating back to the ancient past

Ex: Scholars study archaic symbols found in prehistoric cave paintings .
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cosmopolitan
cosmopolitan
[Adjective]

including a wide range of people with different nationalities and cultures

Ex: The university’s cosmopolitan student body fostered an environment of global understanding.
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elegiac
elegiac
[Adjective]

expressing or displaying the sadness and sorrow felt due to loss, death, or a past event

Ex: At the cemetery , the elegiac atmosphere was palpable among the mourners .
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fecund
fecund
[Adjective]

able to create many great intellectual or creative ideas, things, etc.

Ex: The artist’s fecund approach to sculpture brought new styles into the limelight.
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grandiloquent
grandiloquent
[Adjective]

expressing oneself in a lofty or overly elaborate manner to impress others

Ex: The ad campaign relied on grandiloquent slogans rather than clear messaging.
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jejune
jejune
[Adjective]

displaying simplicity, immaturity, or inexperience

Ex: The novel was criticized for its jejune plot and characters, lacking the depth expected from a mature author.
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lugubrious
lugubrious
[Adjective]

extremely sorrowful and serious

Ex: The painting ’s lugubrious colors conveyed a sense of profound melancholy .
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pedestrian
pedestrian
[Adjective]

lacking elements that arouse interest, cause excitement, or show imagination

Ex: Her presentation was well-organized but rather pedestrian in its content.
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philistine
philistine
[Adjective]

not being interested, fond, or understanding of serious works of music, art, literature, etc.

Ex: The gallery 's attempt to engage a philistine audience with pop art was unsuccessful .
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ponderous
ponderous
[Adjective]

possessing the quality of being very boring, slow, and serious, particularly used for speeches and writings

Ex: His ponderous delivery of the speech seemed to put the audience to sleep .
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trite
trite
[Adjective]

(mainly of ideas, opinions, or remarks) used so often that it no longer has the same effect or originality

Ex: The comedian ’s jokes were so trite that they hardly elicited any laughs .
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cacophony
cacophony
[noun]

a literary device that uses a mixture of unpleasant, inharmonious, and harsh sounds to show disorder or chaos

Ex: The cacophony of sounds in the short story mirrored the protagonist 's descent into madness , with each noise amplifying their sense of paranoia and fear .
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crescendo
crescendo
[noun]

a slow and constant increase in the loudness of a musical piece

Ex: The crescendo in the song added an emotional depth to the performance .
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ersatz
ersatz
[Adjective]

being an artificial, fake, or inferior substitute for something genuine or authentic

Ex: The painting was revealed to be an ersatz masterpiece , created by a forger in an attempt to deceive art collectors .
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hyperbole
hyperbole
[noun]

a technique used in speech and writing to exaggerate the extent of something

Ex: The politician 's speech was rife with hyperbole, promising to " solve all of society 's problems overnight " if elected .
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lament
lament
[noun]

a song, musical piece, poem, etc. that expresses the feeling of sorrow and sadness after a loss or death

Ex: The novel included a lament from the protagonist that highlighted their deep sense of loss .
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lampoon
lampoon
[noun]

a drawing, speech, or text aiming to criticize something or someone in a humorous manner

Ex: The lampoon in the satire magazine cleverly critiqued the government 's handling of the crisis .
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malapropism

the humorous and incorrect use of a word that sounds similar to the intended word

Ex: The teacher ’s malapropism, when she said " the law of supply and demand " as " the law of supply and demand , " led to a lighthearted classroom moment .
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monotony
monotony
[noun]

the constant lack of change and variety that is boring

Ex: To break the monotony, they decided to add some spontaneous adventures to their weekends .
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palimpsest

a manuscript that was written on, erased, and written on again and again, while the previous text was still partially visible

Ex: The parchment manuscript was a palimpsest, with faded ink and faint traces of erased writing, making it a challenging puzzle for historians and researchers to decipher.
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preamble
preamble
[noun]

an introductory or preliminary section of a book, statute, document, etc. giving information about its purpose

Ex: The legal brief began with a preamble that clarified the case 's background and significance .
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prologue
prologue
[noun]

the beginning section of a movie, book, play, etc. that introduces the work

Ex: In the movie 's prologue, viewers were given a glimpse of the backstory that explained the plot .
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recapitulation

the act of repeating the key points or parts of something in order to summarize it

Ex: The trainer ’s recapitulation at the end of the workshop reinforced the essential skills learned .
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screed
screed
[noun]

a piece of writing or a speech that is long and boring

Ex: The professor ’s lecture was a screed of jargon that left students confused and uninterested .
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to bowdlerize

to delete the sections or words that are believed to be offensive or inappropriate from a play, movie, book, etc.

Ex: When adapting the book for children , they had to bowdlerize many of the mature themes and language .
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to conflate

to bring ideas, texts, things, etc. together and create something new

Ex: The new policy conflates several existing regulations into a more streamlined framework .
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