Barron’s GRE Word List (Vocabulary) Test Prep- Letter O
oaf
stupid awkward person; CF. elf
There’s no use talking to an oaf like him
obdurate
stubborn; refusing to change one’s belief
Her father is obdurate and does not let anyone decide
obeisance
bow (to show respect and obedience)
Obeisance is a sign of respect
obelisk
tall column tapering(becoming gradually narrower toward the end) and ending in a pyramid
An obelisk resembles a shaft
obese
excessively fat; N. obesity
She is obese and has to go for a crash diet program
obfuscate
confuse; muddle; cause confusion; make needlessly complex; make so confused as to be difficult to understand
The notorious employee obfuscated official funds
obituary
death notice (esp. in a newspaper); ADJ.
I was shocked to see his mother’s photo in the obituary page of the newspaper
objective
not influenced by emotions; fair; N: goal; aim
She had no future objectives
obligatory
binding; required; compulsory; V. oblige: constrain; make grateful; do a favor; accommodate
Filling the application form is obligatory
oblique
indirect; slanting (deviating from the perpendicular or from a straight line);
He made an oblique reference
obliterate
destroy completely; wipe out;
The missiles obliterated the village
oblivion
obscurity; condition of being completely forgotten; forgetfulness
He is a former politician now in oblivion.
oblivious
inattentive or unmindful; unaware; wholly absorbed; forgetful(having the habit of forgetting)
It was hard for the teacher to deal with the oblivious student
obloquy
slander; disgrace; infamy
“I have had enough obloquy for one lifetime” (Anthony Eden).
obnoxious
offensive; disagreeable; Ex. obnoxious smell
She paid no heed to his obnoxious remarks
obscure
dark; vague; unclear; not well known; Ex. obscure meaning/village; V: darken; cover; make unclear; Ex. obscure the moon/meaning
He was a poor, obscure peasant
obsequious
slavishly attentive; servile; full of servile compliance; sycophantic
Politicians are served by obsequious henchmen
obsequy
funeral ceremony
All the literary luminaries attended the eminent poet’s obsequy
obsessive
related to thinking about something constantly; of an obsession; preoccupying; N. obsession: compulsive preoccupation with a fixed idea; compulsive idea; V. obsess: preoccupy the mind of excessively
The plot of the story obsessed him
obsidian
black volcanic rock
Obsidian is a volcanic glass similar to granite
obsolete
outmoded; no longer used
The dysfunctional machine lies obsolete
obstetrician
physician specializing in delivery(assisting in giving birth) of babies; N. obstetrics; CF. midwife
She is one of the famous obstetricians of the city
obstinate
stubborn; hard to control or treat; Ex. obstinate cough; N. obstinacy
It’s no use talking to that obstinate idiot
obstreperous
boisterous; noisy and uncontrollable
The teacher found it difficult to manage the obstreperous class
obtrude
push (oneself or one’s ideas) forward or intrude; impose (oneself or one’s ideas) on others; butt in; stick out or extrude; thrust out; Ex. obtrude A on B; ADJ. obtrusive; N. obtrusion; CF. unobtrusive
I don’t like the way he obtrudes
obtuse
blunt; not sharp; stupid; slow in understanding
The crowd seems to be obtuse
obviate
make unnecessary; get rid of;
They took pride in obviating the need
occident
the West
Spirituality is narrated differently by the Occident
occlude
shut; close; obstruct
A blood clot occluded an artery.
occult
mysterious; secret; supernatural; beyond human comprehension; CF. mysterious to human ?; OP. bare
She has penchant for occult
oculist
physician who specializes in treatment of the eyes
He is an Oculist by profession
odious
arousing strong dislike; hateful(causing hatred); vile
The plot of the movie is odious
odium
detestation; quality of being odious; hatefulness; disrepute (resulting from hateful conduct)
She demonstrates her odium for the subject openly
odoriferous
giving off an odor
Mexican spices are odoriferous
odyssey
long, eventful, adventurous journey
It was an odyssey of discovery
offensive
attacking; insulting; distasteful; V. offend: violate; hurt the feelings of; N. offense: offending; violating of a moral or social code; crime; attack; Ex. first offense
The chemical generates an offensive odor
offhand
casual; done without prior thought or preparation
She made an offhand comment
officious
meddlesome; excessively pushy in offering one’s services; overly eager in offering unwanted services or advices;
An officious bellboy
ogle
look at amorously; make eyes at;
Old men ogling young girls
olfactory
concerning the sense of smell
Olfactory lobes help in smell identification
oligarchy
government by a privileged few
All oligarchies, wherein a few men domineer, do what they list. –Burton
ominous
threatening; of an evil omen
The atmosphere turned ominous
omnipotent
all-powerful; having unlimited power
Only God is omnipotent
omnipresent
universally present; ubiquitous
Atoms are omnipresent
omniscient
all-knowing
An omniscient sage
omnivorous
eating both plant and animal food; devouring everything
Ants are omnivorous
onerous
burdensome
The task seems to be onerous
onomatopoeia
words formed in imitation of natural sounds
Onomatopoeia is one of the figures of speech
onslaught
vicious assault; fierce attack;
An unexpected onslaught of the enemy
onus
burden; responsibility
The onus lies on the manager’s head
opalescent
iridescent; lustrous; like an opal; N. opalescence
An opalescent stone
opaque
dark; not transparent; N. opacity
The problem remains opaque despite explanations.
opiate
medicine to induce sleep or deaden pain; something that relieves emotions or causes inaction; sleep-producing drug containing opium
The drug opiates
opportune
timely; well-chosen
She spoke during an opportune moment
opportunist
individual who sacrifices principles for expediency by taking advantage of circumstances; N. opportunism
She is an opportunist
opprobrium
infamy; disgrace arising from shameful conduct; vilification(slander); scorn; contempt; ADJ. opprobrious: expressing contempt; shameful or infamous
It was hard to take the opprobrium hurled against him
optician
maker and seller of eyeglasses
The optician supplies the best glasses
optimist
person who looks on the bright side; N. optimism
Being an optimist he never spoke negatively on anything
optimum
most favorable; optimal; N: most favorable condition
The Doctors predicted optimum chances of his survival
optional
not compulsory; left to one’s choice; N. option: act of choosing; choice; freedom or power to choose; something available as a choice; Ex. have no option; Ex. two options
I have no option but to yield
opulence
extreme wealth; luxuriousness; abundance; ADJ. opulent: possessing great wealth; abundant
The opulent indo-gangetic plane
opus
work (esp. musical composition); Ex. magnum opus: masterpiece; CF. opera
The Paradise Lost is the Magnum Opus of Milton
oracular
of an oracle; prophetic; uttered as if with divine authority; mysterious or ambiguous; hard to understand; N. oracle: wiser person; prophecy made by an oracle
His speech is usually oracular
orator
public speaker
Ralph Waldo Emerson was a great orator
oratorio
dramatic poem set to music; long musical work with singing but without acting; CF. cantata
The artist specializes in oratorio
ordain
decree or command; grant holy orders; predestine; install as a minister, priest, or rabbi; N. ordainment; CF. ordination
To ordain a new type of government
ordeal
severe trial or affliction; difficult experience; trial(test of patience or endurance); affliction
Joan of Arc was put through an ordeal
ordinance
decree; authoritative order
The Mayor issued an ordinance against excessive horn blowing.
orgy
wild drunken revelry; unrestrained indulgence in an activity; Ex. orgy of shopping
An orgy of spending
orient
get one’s bearings; adjust; make familiar with a situation; orientate
The new recruits were orientated the by the department heads
orifice
mouth like opening; small opening (esp. to a cavern or passage of the body); CF. mouth
The orifice generated poisonous fumes
ornate
excessively or elaborately decorated
The ornate exteriors of the fort
ornithologist
scientific student of birds; N. ornithology: scientific study of birds
Dr. Salim Ali was the world famous ornithologist
orthodox
traditional; (of someone) conservative in belief; adhering to an established doctrine
The girl belongs to an orthodox Brahmin family
orthography
correct spelling; CF. ortho-: straight; correct; Ex. Orthodontics
He did an MPhil in orthography
oscillate
vibrate pendulum like; waver
A pendulum oscillates
osseous
made of bone; bony
The remnant was discovered to be osseous
ossify
change or harden into bone; become hard and unchanging in one’s ideas
An ossified thought process
ostensible
apparent; appearing as such; professed(pretended); pretended;
There’s an ostensible purpose of the expedition
ostentatious
showy; trying to attract attention; pretentious; N. ostentation: showy display
An ostentatious Marwadi wedding
ostracize
banish from a group; exclude from public favor; ban;
His friends ostracized him
oust
expel; drive out; force out; N. ouster: ousting
He was ousted from his position
outlandish
bizzare; peculiar; unconventional
Some musicians dress up in an outlandish style
outmoded
no longer in fashion or use; no longer stylish; old-fashioned
This hair style is outmoded
outskirts
fringes; outer borders (as of a city);
They live on the outskirts of Boston
outspoken
candid; blunt
An outspoken speech
outstrip
outrun; surpass; outdo
This car can outstrip the local train
outwit
outsmart; defeat by behaving more cleverly
The girl outwits her seniors
ovation
enthusiastic applause
The speech received a standing ovation
overbearing
bossy; domineering and arrogant; decisively important; Ex. overbearing manner/importance; V. overbear: dominate
It was hard to bear her overbearing nature
overt
open to view; public; not secret; CF. covert
Mistakes are both overt and covert
overweening
arrogant; presumptuous
His overweening attitude comes between his career growth
overwrought
nervous or excited; extremely agitated; hysterical; wrought-up; CF. wrought: made or done
He has an overwrought personality
ovoid
egg-shaped; CF. ovum; CF. ovulate
An ovoid body
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