Essential Vocabulary for the GRE - Hard Times

Here you will learn some English words about failure, such as "abdicate", "fiasco", "languish", etc. that are needed for the GRE exam.

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Essential Vocabulary for the GRE
to abdicate
to abdicate [verb]

to not accept or complete an obligation or duty

Ex: She was forced to abdicate her responsibilities due to personal issues .
to backfire
to backfire [verb]

to have a result contrary to what one desired or intended

Ex: Trying to gain popularity , the politician 's controversial statement backfired , causing a public outcry .
at the expense of
at the expense of [preposition]

causing a negative consequence or cost to someone or something in order to benefit another

Ex: The company prioritized profit margins at the expense of employee satisfaction .
deficiency
deficiency [noun]

a flaw, weakness, or shortcoming that reduces the effectiveness, quality, or completeness of something

Ex: The audit uncovered several deficiencies in the company 's records .
to elude
to elude [verb]

to cleverly avoid or escape from someone or something

Ex: The prey will manage to elude the predator by swiftly navigating through the dense forest .
to doom
to doom [verb]

to intentionally cause something or someone to fail or experience a negative outcome by creating specific conditions

Ex: Deliberate misinformation campaigns can doom a person 's reputation .
fiasco
fiasco [noun]

a quick and unexpected downfall

Ex: The company 's new product launch ended in a fiasco due to a major technical failure .
to flatline
to flatline [verb]

to remain the same and fail to make any progress

Ex: The patient ’s condition flatlined , showing no signs of improvement .
to flounder
to flounder [verb]

to experience confusion, indecision, or difficulty in finding a solution

Ex: The leader started to flounder , grappling with the complexity of the situation .
futile
futile [adjective]

unable to result in success or anything useful

Ex: She felt that her efforts to change the company 's policies were futile in the face of bureaucracy .
hassle
hassle [noun]

a situation that is disturbing because it causes difficulty or problems

Ex: Dealing with the paperwork was a hassle
ill-fated
ill-fated [adjective]

bringing bad fortune or ending in failure

Ex: The ill-fated decision to invest all their savings in the stock market led to financial ruin .
to implode
to implode [verb]

(of a system, organization, etc.) to experience a sudden or dramatic failure

Ex: After a series of scandals , the organization began to implode from within .
inauspicious
inauspicious [adjective]

putting someone or something at a disadvantage

Ex: The sudden change in leadership was viewed as an inauspicious move by the staff .
inconvenience
inconvenience [noun]

difficulties caused by something that makes one irritated or uncomfortable

Ex: Her flight was delayed , leading to an inconvenience as she missed her connecting train .
in vain
in vain [adverb]

without success or achieving the desired result

Ex: The team struggled to score a goal , but all their attempts were in vain as the opposing defense remained impenetrable .
to languish
to languish [verb]

to fail to be successful or make any progress

Ex: The ambitious project languished for years due to a lack of interest and investment .
lost cause
lost cause [noun]

a thing or person that is impossible to improve or succeed

Ex: Trying to convince him otherwise felt like a lost cause .
to miscarry
to miscarry [verb]

to fail to achieve a desired outcome

Ex: His ambitious business venture miscarried because of poor market research .
nonentity
nonentity [noun]

a person who lacks influence or importance in a particular setting or community

Ex: Despite her enthusiasm , she was seen as a nonentity in the corporate hierarchy .
to overreach
to overreach [verb]

to go beyond limits of one's power or authority, often resulting in negative consequences or failure

Ex: They were overreaching by attempting to accomplish too much in a short timeframe .
pathetic
pathetic [adjective]

deserving pity due to perceived weakness or sadness

Ex: The abandoned puppy with its forlorn eyes and shivering body looked utterly pathetic , evoking a strong desire to offer comfort .
to plague
to plague [verb]

to continually cause someone or something difficulty, pain, or worry

Ex: Insecurity and self-doubt can plague an individual 's mental health .
precarious
precarious [adjective]

unstable or insecure, often causing anxiety

Ex: The financial markets were in a precarious state , with investors fearing a sudden crash .
to scupper
to scupper [verb]

to do something in order to cause something such as an opportunity or plan to fail

Ex: We will be scuppering the old plans as we implement the new strategy next quarter .
setback
setback [noun]

a problem that gets in the way of a process or makes it worse

Ex: His injury was a setback to his training schedule for the upcoming competition .
to strike out
to strike out [verb]

to not succeed in doing or accomplishing something

Ex: She struck out in her endeavor to create a successful startup business .
to unravel
to unravel [verb]

(of a scheme, system, organization, etc.) to begin to fail or fall apart

Ex: The agreement has unraveled due to recent disagreements between the partners .
to talk down
to talk down [verb]

to speak to someone in a way that suggests they are inferior or less intelligent than the speaker

Ex: Talking down to others is not a sign of effective leadership .
underdog
underdog [noun]

an individual, team, etc. who is regarded as weaker compared to others and has little chance of success as a result

Ex: The underdog candidate won the election against all odds .
unattainable
unattainable [adjective]

not possible to reach or obtain

Ex: The goal of perfecting the process seemed unattainable within the given timeframe .
thorny
thorny [adjective]

causing problem or difficulty

Ex: The project encountered several thorny obstacles along the way , delaying its completion .
to break down
to break down [verb]

(of a relationship, negotiation, etc.) to fail to function properly

Ex: The trust between the two friends broke down after one of them betrayed a confidence .
to [fall] flat
to [fall] flat [phrase]

(of a joke, remark, event, etc.) to be completely unsuccessful in amusing people or having the desired effect

Ex: The team 's attempt at a trick play fell flat and resulted in a turnover .
fatally
fatally [adverb]

in a way that results in an absolute failure or disaster

Ex: Ignoring the warning signs proved fatally negligent in preventing the cybersecurity breach .
to haunt
to haunt [verb]

to stay in the thoughts of someone for a long time

Ex: The image of the abandoned house haunted his dreams every night .
to [miss] the mark
to [miss] the mark [phrase]

to fail in achieving the desired result

Ex: Their efforts to improve quality have somewhat missed the mark .
to implode
to implode [verb]

to bring about the destruction of a system, organization, etc.

Essential Vocabulary for the GRE
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