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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aesthetic [adjective]

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

Ex: Their aesthetic priorities influenced the use of neutral palettes and organic materials in the redesign .

archaic [adjective]

dating back to the ancient past

Ex: The archaic weaponry , such as spears and shields , was used by warriors in ancient battles .

cosmopolitan [adjective]

including a wide range of people with different nationalities and cultures

Ex: The hotel offered a cosmopolitan experience with guests from around the world .

elegiac [adjective]

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

Ex: The artist 's elegiac paintings depicted the melancholy of a bygone era .

fecund [adjective]

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

Ex:

grandiloquent [adjective]

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

Ex:

jejune [adjective]

displaying simplicity, immaturity, or inexperience

Ex:

lugubrious [adjective]

extremely sorrowful and serious

Ex: The dark clouds and heavy rain gave the entire scene a lugubrious atmosphere .

pedestrian [adjective]

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

Ex:

philistine [adjective]

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

Ex: The critic dismissed the novel as suitable only for philistine readers .

ponderous [adjective]

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

Ex: The meeting dragged on with ponderous speeches that felt interminable .

trite [adjective]

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

Ex:

cacophony [noun]

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

Ex: The poet used cacophony to evoke the chaos and confusion of war , with words clashing against each other like opposing armies on the battlefield .

crescendo [noun]

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

Ex: As the orchestra played , the music 's crescendo created a thrilling experience .

ersatz [adjective]

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

Ex: The company 's ersatz attempt at customer service consisted of automated responses and pre-recorded messages .

hyperbole [noun]

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

Ex: The comedian 's routine was full of hyperbole , exaggerating everyday situations to absurd proportions for comedic effect .

lament [noun]

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

Ex: The folk song was a traditional lament for soldiers who had fallen in battle .

lampoon [noun]

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

Ex: The book 's lampoon of celebrity culture offered a humorous critique of fame and media obsession .

malapropism [noun]

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

Ex: His malapropism during the speech made everyone laugh when he said " pacifically " instead of " specifically . "

monotony [noun]

the constant lack of change and variety that is boring

Ex: The daily routine had become a tedious monotony , with no excitement or variation .

palimpsest [noun]

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

Ex: The library 's collection included a rare palimpsest that had been painstakingly restored , allowing scholars to study the layers of text and unravel its mysteries .

preamble [noun]

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

Ex: In the preamble , the committee explained the reasons behind the new policy changes .

prologue [noun]

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

Ex: She was captivated by the prologue , which hinted at the mysteries to come in the book .

recapitulation [noun]

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

Ex: The report included a recapitulation of the key findings for quick reference .

screed [noun]

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

Ex: The article was a tedious screed against modern technology that lacked substance .

to bowdlerize [verb]

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

Ex: The network chose to bowdlerize the film to comply with broadcast standards .

to conflate [verb]

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

Ex: The artist 's latest work conflates traditional and modern styles to produce an innovative piece .

Advanced Vocabulary for the GRE
Likes and Dislikes	Features and Attributes	Characteristics and Disposition	Traits and Behavior
Quality and Temperament	Aspects and Manners	Hold an Opinion, Give an Advice!	What's on Your Mind?
Everyone Is Entitled to Their Own Opinion!	Make Up Your Mind!	Open and Shut Case	Ripples in a Pond
Only Change Is Constant!	The Soul of a Soulless World	Civil Society and Religiosity	Cultural Sphere and Arts
Artsy Endeavors	Government as a Necessary Evil	Appearance Could be Deceptive!	As It Appears!
Beyond Measure!	Ensure Good Health!	Success Is a Sure Thing, Failure Is Not!	Experiment, Learn, and Repeat!
Stay on the Safe Side!	From Rags to Riches