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enigma

noun/ɪˈnɪɡmə/

definition

a person or thing that is mysterious or difficult to understand

example

Her sudden disappearance remains an enigma that no one has been able to solve.

synonyms
mysterypuzzleriddle
word origin — from late Latin 'aenigma', from Greek 'ainigma', meaning 'to speak in riddles'

GRE Vocabulary — Set 8

Set 8 of GRE Vocabulary covers 5 words: enigma, cacophony, proclivity, ostentation, anomaly. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

  1. enigma · noun/ɪˈnɪɡmə/

    a person or thing that is mysterious or difficult to understand

    Her sudden disappearance remains an enigma that no one has been able to solve.

    Synonyms: mystery, puzzle, riddle

    Origin: from late Latin 'aenigma', from Greek 'ainigma', meaning 'to speak in riddles'

  2. cacophony · noun/kæˈkɑːfəni/

    a harsh or discordant mixture of sounds

    The cacophony of honking cars and shouting pedestrians made it nearly impossible to concentrate on my thoughts.

    Synonyms: dissonance, clamor, noise

    Origin: from Greek 'kakophonia', where 'kakos' means 'bad' and 'phone' means 'voice or sound'

  3. proclivity · noun/proʊˈklɪv.ɪ.ti/

    a natural inclination or tendency to behave in a particular way

    Her proclivity for learning languages made her a natural fit for the translation team.

    Synonyms: inclination, tendency, propensity

    Origin: from Latin 'proclivitas', meaning 'inclination, disposition', from 'proclivis', meaning 'sloping, inclined'

  4. ostentation · noun/ˌɑːs.tənˈteɪ.ʃən/

    excessive display of wealth or knowledge intended to attract attention or admiration

    The billionaire's ostentation was hard to miss, with his fleet of luxury cars parked prominently outside his mansion.

    Synonyms: pretentiousness, showiness, flamboyance

    Origin: from Latin 'ostentatio', which means 'a showing off', derived from 'ostentare', meaning 'to display'

  5. anomaly · noun/əˈnɑːməli/

    something that deviates from what is standard or normal

    The scientist discovered an anomaly in the data that could lead to new breakthroughs in the research.

    Synonyms: aberration, irregularity, deviation

    Origin: The word 'anomaly' originates from the Greek 'anomalia', which means 'irregularity' or 'unevenness', derived from 'anomalos', meaning 'uneven' or 'irregular'.