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Barron GRE word list - M To add the following words to your word list in Pronunciation Patterns, please double click the word and choose Add. Click here to learn how. |
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| macabre | adj. connected with death, and thus causing fear; gruesome |
| mace | n. large heavy club formerly used as a weapon, usu having a head with metal spikes , |
| macerate | v. (cause sth to) become soft or break up by soaking |
| Machiavellian | adj. cunning and deceitful in gaining what one wants; showing such cunning or deceit |
| machinations | [ machination: ] an intrigue, plot, or scheme |
| maculated | make dirty or spotty; also used metaphorically ; spot, stain, or pollute |
| madrigal | n. songfor several voices, usu without instrumental accompaniment,on the themes of love and/or nature 16, |
| maelstrom | n. great whirlpool |
| magisterial | adj. having or showing authority |
| magistrate | n. official who acts as a judge in the lowest courts; Justice of the Peace |
| magnanimity | n. being magnanimous |
| magnate | n. wealthy and powerful landowner or industrialist |
| magniloquent | adj. (of words, speech) pompous-sounding , |
| magnitude | n. (usu large) size |
| maim | v. wound or injure so that part of the body cannot be used |
| makeshift | n, adj used temporarily until sth better is available |
| maladroit | adj. not clever or skilful; clumsy; bungling |
| malady | n. disease; illness |
| malaise | n. general feeling of illness, without clear signs of a particular disease |
| malapropism | ncomical confusion of a word with another, similar-sounding,word which has a quite different meaning, eg `an ingenuousmachine for peeling potatoes' |
| malapropos | of an inappropriate or misapplied nature or kind |
| malcontent | n, adj discontented and rebellious |
| malediction | n. prayer that sb or sth may be destroyed, hurt, etc; curse ; |
| malefactor | n. wrongdoer; criminal |
| maleficient | |
| malevolent | adj. ~ wishing to do evil or cause harm to others; spiteful |
| malfeasance | a wrongful act that the actor had no right to do; improper professional conduct |
| malicious | adj. intended to harm others |
| malign | v. say unpleasant or untrue things about |
| malignant | adj. feeling or showing great desire to harm others; malevolent |
| malingerer | n. person who malingers |
| malleable | adj. that can be beaten or pressed into different shapes easily |
| malodorous | adj. smelling unpleasant |
| mammal | n. any of the class of animals that give birth to live offspring and feed their young on milk from the breast |
| mammoth | n. large hairy type of elephant, now extinct |
| manacle | n. one of a pair of chains or metal bands for binding the hands or feet; fetter ; |
| mandate | n. ~ (to do sth) authority given to a party, trade union, etc by the people who support it |
| mandatory | adj. required by law; compulsory |
| maneuver | = manoeuvre |
| mange | n. skin disease of hairy animals, caused by a parasite |
| mangle | v. damage greatly, (almost) beyond recognition; mutilate |
| mangy | adj. suffering from mange |
| maniacal | adj. violently mad |
| manifest | adj. ~ (fml ) clear and obvious |
| manifestation | outward demonstration; indication |
| manifesto | n. (publication containing a) public declaration by a political party, ruler, etc of principles and policy |
| manifold | adj. of many types; many and various |
| manipulate | v. control or handle with skill |
| mannered | adj. having an unnatural style of speaking, writing, etc; affected |
| mannerism | n. peculiar habit of behaviour, speech, etc |
| mantle | n. loose sleeveless cloak |
| manumit | v. (fml ) (formerly) free (a slave) |
| mar | v. damage (sth); spoil |
| maraud | a sudden short attack ; search for plunder |
| margin | n. blank space round the written or printed matter on a page |
| marginal | adj. of or in a margin |
| marital | adj. of ahusband or wife; of marriage |
| maritime | adj. of the sea, sailing or shipping |
| marked | adj. clear; noticeable; easily seen |
| maroon | adj. n brownish red |
| marred | [ mar: ] vt. to cause harm to; spoil or impair |
| marrow | n. soft fatty substance that fills the hollow parts of human and animal bones |
| marshal | n. officer of high rank |
| marsupial | n, adj of the class of mammals which includes the kangaroo, the female of which has a pouch on its body to hold its young |
| martial | adj. of or associated with war |
| martinet | n. person who imposes strict discipline and demands obedience to orders |
| martyr | n. person who is killed or made to suffer greatly because of his beliefs |
| mash | n. grain, bran, etc cooked in water until soft, used as food for animals |
| masochist | n. |
| mason | n. person who builds in or works with stone |
| masquerade | n. false show; pretence |
| mass | n. celebration of Christ's Last Supper, esp in the Roman Catholic Church |
| masticate | v. chew (food) |
| mat | n. piece of material, made of straw, rushes, fibre, etc, used to cover part of a floor |
| materialism | n. 1obsession with material possessions,bodily comforts, etc while neglecting spiritual values |
| maternal | adj. of or like a mother |
| matriarch | n. female head of a family or tribe |
| matriculate | v. be admitted or admit as a student to a university |
| matrimony | n. state of being married; marriage |
| matrix | n. mould into which molten metal, liquid, etc is poured to form shapes for eg printer's type, gramophone records, etc |
| maudlin | adj. foolishly or tearfully sentimental or self-pitying, esp when drunk , |
| maul | v. ~ sb/sth (about) handle sb/sth roughly or brutally |
| mausoleum | n. large, finely built tomb |
| mauve | adj. n pale purple colour |
| maverick | n. unbranded calf |
| mawkish | adj. sentimental in a feeble or sickly way |
| maxim | n. saying that expresses a general truth or rule of conduct, eg `Waste not, want not' , |
| mayhem | n. violent disorder or confusion; havoc |
| meager | deficient in quality or quantity |
| mealymouthed | hesitant to state facts or opinions simply and directly as from e.g. timidity or hypocrisy |
| meander | v. follow a winding course, flowing slowly |
| meddlesome | adj. fond of or in the habit of meddling |
| mediate | v. ~ act as a peacemaker or go-between for two or more people, groups, etc who disagree |
| mediocre | adj. not very good; second-rate |
| meditation | n. deep thought, esp about spiritual matters |
| medium | n. (pl usu media) means by which sth is expressed or communicated |
| medley | n. piece of music made up of passages from other musical works |
| meek | adj. humble and obedient; submissive |
| megalomania | n. form of madness in which a person has an exaggerated view of his own importance, power, etc |
| melancholy | n. deep sadness which lasts for some time; depression ; |
| melee | n. confusedstruggle; confused crowd of people |
| mellifluous | adj. sweet-sounding; (almost) musical |
| memento | n. thing given, bought, etc and kept as a reminder (of a person, a place or an event) |
| memoir | n. written record of events, usu based on personal knowledge |
| memorial | n. ~ monument, plaque, ceremony, etc that reminds people of an event or a person |
| memorialize | commemorate |
| menace | n. threatening quality, tone, feeling, etc |
| menagerie | n. collection of wild animals in captivity, esp in a travelling circus or for exhibition |
| mendacious | adj. untruthful; lying |
| mendicant | n, adj (person) getting a living by begging |
| menial | adj. (of work) suitable to be done by servants; unskilled |
| mentor | n. experienced and trusted adviser of an inexperienced person |
| mercantile | adj. of trade and commerce; of merchants ; |
| mercenary | adj. interested only in making money, etc; done from this motive |
| mercurial | adj. (of people or their moods, etc) often changing |
| meretricious | adj. apparently attractive but in fact valueless |
| merger | n. joining together (esp two commercial companies) |
| merit | n. quality of deserving praise or reward; worth; excellence |
| mesmerize | hypnotize |
| metallurgical | [ metallurgy: ] the scientific study of the extraction, refining, alloying, and fabrication of metals and of their structure and properties |
| metamorphosis | n. (fml) change of form or nature, eg by natural growth or development |
| metaphor | n. use of a word or phrase to indicate sth different from (though related in some way to) the literal meaning, as in `I'll make him eat his words' or `She has a heart of stone' I'll make him eat his wordsShe has a heart of stone |
| metaphysical | adj. of metaphysics |
| mete | v. mete sth out (to sb) (fml ) give or administer (punishment, rewards, etc) |
| meteoric | adj. of meteors |
| meter | n. device that measures the volume of gas, water, etc passing through it, time passing, electrical current, distance, etc |
| methodical | adj. done in an orderly, logical way |
| meticulous | adj. ~ giving or showing great precision and care; very attentive to detail |
| metrical | adj. of or composed in verse, not prose |
| metropolis | n. chief city of a region or country; capital |
| mettle | n. quality of endurance or courage, esp in people or horses |
| miasma | n. (fml ) unhealthy or unpleasant mist, etc |
| microcosm | n. thing or being regarded as representing the universe, or mankind, on a small scale; miniature representation |
| migrant | n, adj person or animal who migrates |
| migratory | adj. having or of the habit of migrating |
| milieu | n. (usu sing ) social surroundings; environment |
| militant | adj. using force or strong pressure, or supporting their use, to achieve one's aims |
| militate | v. ~ against sth (of evidence, facts, etc) have great force or influence to prevent sth |
| militia | n. force of civilians who are trained as soldiers and reinforce the regular army in the internal defence of the country in an emergency |
| millennium | n. period of 1000 years |
| millinery | n. (trimmings for) women's hats |
| mime | n. (in the theatre, etc) use of only facial expressions and gestures to tell a story |
| mimicry | n. mimicking |
| minatory | adj. threatening |
| mincing | adj. affected |
| mingle | v. ~ with sth/~ (together) form a mixture with sth; combine |
| miniature | n. very small detailed painting, usu of a person |
| minion | n. (derog or joc ) subordinate or assistant, esp one who tries to win favour by obeying a superior slavishly |
| minuscule | adj. very small; tiny ; |
| minute | n. one sixtieth part of an hour, equal to 60 seconds , 60 |
| minutiae | n. very small or unimportant details |
| mirage | n. optical illusion caused by hot air conditions, esp that of a sheet of water seeming to appear in the desert or on a hot road |
| mire | n. swampy ground or bog; soft deep mud |
| mirth | n. merriment orhappiness; laughter |
| misadventure | n. (piece of) bad luck; misfortune |
| misanthrope | a person who hates or distrusts mankind |
| misapprehension | n. under a misappre`hension not understanding correctly |
| miscellaneous | adj. of various kinds |
| miscellany | n. ~ varied collection of items |
| mischance | n. (piece of) bad luck |
| mischief | n. behaviour that is annoying or does slight damage, but is not malicious (used esp as in the expressions shown) |
| misconduct | n. (esp law ) improper behaviour, esp of a sexual or professional kind |
| misconstrue | v. get a wrong idea of or misinterpret (sb's words, acts, etc) |
| miscreant | n. villain; wrongdoer ; |
| misdemeanor | a crime less serious than a felony |
| miserly | adj. like a miser; mean or selfish |
| misgivings | [ misgiving: ] a feeling of uncertainty, apprehension, or doub |
| mishap | n. unlucky accident(usu not serious) |
| misnomer | n. wrong use of a name, word or description |
| misogamy | hatred of marriage |
| misogynist | n. person who hates women |
| missile | n. object or weapon that is thrown or fired at a target |
| missive | n. letter, esp a long or official one |
| mite | n. very small or modest contribution or offering |
| mitigate | v. make (sth) less severe, violent or painful; moderate |
| mnemonic | adj. of or designed to help the memory |
| mobile | adj. that can move or be moved easily and quickly from place to place |
| mock | v. ~ makefun of (sb/sth), esp by mimicking him/it contemptuously; ridicule |
| mode | n. ~ (fml ) way or manner in which sth is done |
| modicum | n. ~ small or moderate amount of sth |
| modish | adj. fashionable |
| modulate | v. vary the strength, volume or pitch of |
| modulation | toning down; changing from one key to another |
| mogul | n. very rich, important or influential person |
| molecule | n. smallest unit into which a substance can be divided without a change in its chemical nature |
| mollify | v. lessen the anger of (sb); make calmer; soothe |
| mollycoddle | v. treat (sb) with too much kindness and protection; pamper |
| molt | the act or process of sheding hair, feathers, shell, horns, or an outer layer periodically; specifically :ECDYSIS |
| molten | adj. melted or made liquid by heating to a very high temperature |
| momentous | adj. very important; serious |
| momentum | n. force that increases the rate of development of a process; impetus |
| monarchy | n. system of government by a monarch |
| monastic | adj. of or relating to monks or monasteries |
| monetary | adj. of money or currency |
| mongrel | n. dog of mixed breed |
| monochromatic | having or consisting of one color or hue |
| monochrome | adj. having or using images in black, white and shades of grey; black and white |
| monogram | n. two or more letterscombined in one design and marked on handkerchiefs, notepaper, etc , |
| monograph | n. detailed scholarly study of one subject |
| monolithic | adj. consisting of one or more monoliths |
| monotheism | n. belief that there is only one God |
| monotony | n. state of being monotonous; lack of variety that causes weariness and boredom |
| monumental | adj. of, related to or serving as a monument |
| moodiness | n. |
| moratorium | n. ~ (on sth) temporary stopping of an activity, esp by official agreement |
| morbid | adj. having or showing an interest in gloomy or unpleasant things, esp disease or death |
| mordant | adj. very sarcastic; biting |
| mores | n. customs or conventions considered typical of or essential to a group or communtiy |
| morgue | n. building in which dead bodies are kept before being buried or cremated; mortuary ; |
| moribund | adj. at the point of death; about to come to an end |
| morose | adj. very unhappy, bad-tempered and silent; sullen |
| mortar | n. mixture of lime or cement, sand and water, used to hold bricks, stones, etc together in building |
| mortician | n. =undertaker |
| mortify | v. cause (sb) to be very ashamed or embarrassed |
| mosaic | n. picture or pattern made by placing together small pieces of glass, stone, etc of different colours |
| mote | n. small particle, usu of dust; speck ; |
| motif | n. decorative design or pattern |
| motility | ability to move spontaneously and independently |
| motley | adj. of many different types of people or things |
| mottled | adj. marked with patches of different colours without a regular pattern |
| motto | n. short sentence or phrase chosen and used as a guide or rule of behaviour or as an expression of the aims or ideals of a family, a country, an institution, etc |
| mountebank | n. person who tries to cheat others by clever talk; swindler |
| muddle | v. ~ sth (up) put sth into disorder; mix sth up |
| muggy | adj. (of weather) oppressively warm and damp |
| mulct | defraud a person of something; fine |
| multifarious | adj. of many different kinds; having great variety |
| multiform | having many forms |
| multilingual | adj. speaking or using many languages |
| multiplicity | n. ~ of sth large number or great variety of things |
| mundane | adj. ordinary and typically unexciting |
| munificent | adj. extremely generous; (of sth given) large in amount or splendid in quality |
| mural | n. painting done on a wall |
| murky | adj. unpleasantly dark; gloomy |
| murmur | n. low continuous indistinct sound |
| muse | n. the Muses the nine goddesses, daughters of Zeus or Jupiter, who protected and encouraged poetry, music, dancing, history and other branches of art and literature , |
| musky | adj. (smelling) like musk |
| muster | n. assembly or gathering of people or things, esp for review or inspection |
| musty | adj. smelling or tasting stale, mouldy and damp |
| mutable | adj. liable to change; likely to change ; |
| mutablility | |
| mute | adj. silent; making no sound |
| muted | (of a sound or colour) softened |
| mutilate | v. injure, damage or disfigure by breaking, tearing or cutting off a necessary part |
| mutinous | adj. guilty of mutiny; refusing to obey; rebellious |
| mutter | v. ~ (to sb) (about sth) speak or say (sth) in a low voice that is hard to hear |
| myopic | adj. short-sighted |
| myriad | n. extremely large number |
| mystic | adj. of hidden meaning or spiritual power, esp in religion |