Top GRE Words: Kaplan Flashcards
1
Q
abate
A
to reduce in amount, degree, or severity
“as the hurricane’s force abated, the winds dropped and the sea became calm”
2
Q
abscond
A
to leave secretly
“the patron absconded from the restaurant without paying his bill by sneaking out the back door”
3
Q
abstain
A
to choose not do something
“she abstained from choosing a dessert”
4
Q
abyss
A
extremely deep hole
“the submarine dove into the abyss to chart the previously unseen depths”
5
Q
adulterate
A
to make impure
“the chef made his ketchup last longer by adulterating it with water”
6
Q
advocate
A
to speak in favor of
“the vegetarian advocated for a diet with no meat”
7
Q
aesthetic
A
concerning the appreciation of beauty
“followers of the aesthetic movement regarded the pursuit of beauty as the only true form of art”
8
Q
aggrandize
A
to increase in power, influence, and reputation
“the superior attempted to aggrandize herself by taking credit for her employees work”
9
Q
alleviate
A
to make more bearable
“taking aspirin helps to alleviate headaches”
10
Q
amalgamate
A
to combine; to mix together
“giant industries amalgamated with Mega Products to form Giant Mega Products Inc.”
11
Q
ambiguous
A
doubtful or uncertain; able to be interpreted several different ways
“the directions she gave were so ambiguous we got lost several times”
12
Q
ameliorate
A
to make better; improve
“to doctor was able to ameliorate the patient’s suffering”
13
Q
anachronisms
A
something out of place in time
“the aged hippie used anachronistic phrases like groovy and far out that had not been popular for years”
14
Q
analogous
A
similar or alike in some way; equivalent to
“in the Newtonian construct for explaining the existence of God, the universe is analogous to a mechanical timepiece, the creation of a divinely intelligent clockmaker”
15
Q
anomaly
A
deviation from what is normal
“albino animals may display too great an anomaly in their coloring to attract normal mates”
16
Q
antagonize
A
to annoy or provoke with anger
“the child antagonized the cat by pulling its tail”
17
Q
antipathy
A
extreme dislike
“the antipathy between the French and the English regularly erupted into open warfare”
18
Q
apathy
A
lack of interest or emotion
“the apathy of voters meant that less than half of the population actually voted”
19
Q
arbitrate
A
to judge a dispute between two opposing parties
“since the couple could not come to an agreement, the judge was forced to arbitrate their divorce proceedings”
20
Q
archaic
A
ancient, old fashioned
“her archaic commodore computer could not run the latest software”
21
Q
ardor
A
intense passionate feeling
“his ardor for the landscape was evident when he passionately described the beauty of the scenic Hudson valley”
22
Q
articulate
A
able to speak clearly or expressively
“she is such an articulate defender of labor that unions are among her strongest supporters”
23
Q
assuage
A
to make something unpleasant less severe
“Serena used aspirin to assuage her headache”
24
Q
attenuate
A
to reduce in force or degree; to weaken
“The Bill of Rights attenuated the traditional power of government”
25
audacious
fearless or daring
| "her audacious nature allowed her to fulfill her dream of skydiving"
26
austere
severe or stern in appearance; undecorated
| "the lack of decoration makes the military barracks seem austere to the civilian eye"
27
banal
predictable, cliched, boring
| "he used banal phrases like 'have a nice day' or 'another day another dollar'"
28
bolster
to support; to prop up
| "the presence of giant footprints bolstered the argument that Sasquatch was in the area"
29
bombastic
pompous in speech and manner
| "the ranting of the radio talk-show host was mainly bombastic; his boasting and outrages claims had no basis in fact"
30
cacophony
harsh, jarring noise
| "the junior high orchestra created an unbearable cacophony"
31
candid
impartial and honest in speech
| "the observations of a child can be charming since they are candid and unpretentious"
32
capricious
changing one's mind quickly and often
| "the queen was quite capricious; her courtiers could never be sure which of their numbers would catch her fancy"
33
castigate
to punish or criticize harshly
| "many Americans are amazed at how harshly the authorities in Singapore castigate perpetrators"
34
catalyst
something that brings about a change in something else
| "the imposition of harsh taxes was the catalyst that finally brought on the revolution"
35
caustic
biting in wit
| "Dorothy Parker gained her reputation for caustic wit from her clever insults"
36
chaos
great disorder, confusion
| "God brings order out of chaos"
37
chauvinist
someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs
"the attitude that men are superior to women is common among male chauvinists"
38
chicanery
deception by means of craft or guile
| "dishonest car salesmen often use chicanery to sell their car"
39
cogent
convincing and well reasoned
| "swayed by the cogent argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but to acquit the defendant"
40
condone
to overlook, pardon, or disregard
| "some theorists believe that failing to prosecute minor crimes is the same as condoning an air of lawlessness"
41
convoluted
intricate and complicated
| "although many people bought A Brief History of Time, few could follow its convoluted ideas and theories"
42
corroborate
to provide supporting evidence
| "fingerprints corroborated the witness's testimony that he saw the defendant at the victim's apartment"
43
credulous
to trusting, gullible
| "four year old's believe in the Santa Clause, but only the most credulous ten year old's believe in him"
44
crescendo
steadily increasing volume or force
| "the crescendo of tension became unbearable as the stunt junkie prepared to jump"
45
decorum
appropriateness in behavior or conduct; propriety
| "the women complained that the vulgar man lacked decorum appropriate for a date"
46
deference
respect, courtesy
| "the respectful young law clerk treated the Supreme Court justice with the utmost deference"
47
deride
to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock
| "to awkward child was often derided by his cooler peers"
48
desiccate
to dry out thoroughly
| "after a few weeks of lying on the desert's baking sands, the cow's carcass became completely desiccate"
49
desultory
"she had a desultory academic record, she had changed majors 12 times in three years"
jumping from one thing to another, disconnected
50
diatribe
"the trucker bellowed a diatribe at the driver who had cut him off"
an abusive, condemnatory speech
51
diffident
"Steve's diffident manner during the job interview stemmed from his nervous nature and lack of experience in the field"
lacking self-confidence
52
dilate
"when you enter a darkened room, the pupils of your eyes dilate to let in more light"
to make larger, to expand
53
dilatory
"the congressman used dilatory measures to delay the passage of the bill"
intended to delay
54
dilettante
"his friends were such dilettantes that they seemed to have new jobs and hobbies every week"
someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
55
dirge
"Melville wrote the poem "A dirge for James McPherson" for the funeral of a Union general who was killed in 1864"
a funeral hymn or mournful speech
56
disabuse
"Galileo's observations disabused scholars of the notion that the sun revolved around the earth"
to set right, to free from error
57
discern
"it is easy to discern the difference between butter and butter-flavored topping"
to perceive, to recognize
58
disparate
"Although the twins appear to be identical physically, their personalities are disparate"
fundamentally different, entirely unlike
59
dissemble
"the villain could dissemble to the police no longer - he admitted the deed and tore up the floor to reveal the body of the old man"
to present a false appearance, to disguise one's real intentions or character
60
dissonance
"cognitive dissonance is the inner conflict produced when long-standing beliefs are contradicted by new evidence"
a harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds
61
dogma
"his central dogma was that children who believed in the Great Pumpkin would be rewarded"
a firmly held opinion, often a religious belief
62
dogmatic
"the dictator was dogmatic - he, and only he, was right"
| dictatorial in one's opinions
63
dupe
"Bugs Bunny was able to dupe Elmer Fudd by dressing up as a lady rabbit"
to deceive, a person who is easily deceived
64
eclectic
"the architecture is an eclectic mix of eastern and western styles"
selecting from or made up from a variety of sources
65
efficacy
"the efficacy of penicillin was unsurpassed; the drug completely eliminated almost all bacterial infections for which it was administered"
effectiveness
66
elegy
"although the elegy is about death and loss, it urges readers to endure this life as well"
a sorrowful poem or speech
67
eloquent
"the speech was moving because of its lofty sentiments and eloquent words"
persuasive and moving, especially in speech
68
emulate
"the graduate student sought to emulate his professor is every way, copying everything he did"
to copy, to try to equal or excel
69
enervate
"the enemy hoped that a series of surprise attacks would enervate our army"
to reduce in strength
70
engender
"his fear and hatred of clowns was engendered when he witnessed the death of his father at the hands of a clown"
to produce, cause, or bring about
71
enigma
"speaking in riddles and dressed in old robes, the artist gained a reputation as something of an enigma"
a puzzle, a mystery
72
enumerate
"Moses returned with tablets on which the commandments were enumerated"
to count, list, or itemize
73
ephemeral
"the lives of mayflies seem ephemeral to us, since flies average a life span of a few hours"
lasting a short time
74
equivocate
"when faced with criticism of her policies, the politician equivocated and left all parties thinking she agreed with them"
to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead
75
erratic
"the plot was predictable until it took an erratic turn that surprised everyone"
wandering and unpredictable
76
erudite
"the gathering of scholars was a gathering of the most erudite individuals in the field"
learned, scholarly, bookish
77
esoteric
"only a handful of experts are knowledgeable about the esoteric world of particle physics"
known or understood only by a few
78
estimable
"most people consider it estimable that Mother Teresa spent her life helping the poor of India"
admirable
79
eulogy
speech in praise of someone
| "his best friend gave the eulogy, outlining his many achievements"
80
euphemism
use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one
"the funeral director preferred to use the euphemism sleeping instead of dead"
81
exacerbate
"aspirin will not alleviate a headache but will only exacerbate the problem my making it worse"
to make worse
82
exculpate
"the legal system tries to exculpate those who are not guilty"
to clear from blame, prove innocent
83
exigent
"the patient was losing blood so fast that it was exigent to stop the bleeding"
urgent, requiring immediate action
84
exonerate
"the fugitive was exonerated when another criminal confessed to committing the crime"
to clear of blame
85
explicit
"the owners of the house left a list of explicit instructions detailing the house sitter's duties"
clearly stated or shown, forthright in expression
86
fanatical
"the stormtroopers were fanatical in their devotion to the emperor, readily sacrificing their lives for him"
acting excessively enthusiastic, filled with extreme, unquestionable devotion
87
fawn
"the understudy fawned over the director in hopes of being cast in the part on a permanent basis"
to grovel
88
fervid
"the fans were unusually fervid, doing anything to catch a glimpse of the great opera singer"
intensely emotional, feverish
89
florid
"the palace had been decorated in a florid style - every surface had been carved and gilded"
excessively decorated or embellished
90
foment
"the protesters tried to foment feeling against the war through their speeches and demonstrations"
to arouse or incite
91
frugality
"Scrooge's frugality was so great that he accumulated enough wealth to fill a giant storehouse with money"
a tendency to be thrifty and cheap
92
garrulous
"the garrulous pirate distracted the crew with his continuous talking"
93
gregarious
outgoing, sociable
| "she was so gregarious that when she found herself alone she felt quite sad"
94
guile
"since he was not fast enough to catch the roadrunner on foot, the coyote resorted to guile in an effort to trick his enemy into capture"
deceit or trickery
95
gullible
"the con man pretended to be a bank officer so as to fool gullible bank customers"
easily deceived
96
homogenous
```
"the class was fairly homogenous, since almost all of the students were senior journalism majors"
of a similar kind
```
97
iconoclast
"his lack of regard for traditional beliefs soon established him as iconoclast"'
one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions
98
imperturbable
"the counselor had so much experience dealing with distraught children that she seemed imperturbable, when when faced with the wildest tantrums"
not capable of being disturbed
99
impervious
"a good raincoat will be impervious to moisture"
| impossible to penetrate, incapable of being affected
100
impetuous
"it is not good for an investment broker to be impetuous since much thought should be given to all of the possible options"
quick to act without thinking
101
implacable
"his rage at the betrayal was so great that he remained implacable for weeks"
unable to be calmed down or made peaceful
102
inchoate
"the ideas expressed in Nietzsche's mature work also appear in an inchoate form in his earliest writing"
not fully formed, disorganized
103
ingenuous (2)
(1) "she was so ingenuous that her friends feared that her innocence and trustfulness would be exploited when she visited the big city"
showing innocence or childlike simplicity
(2) "ingenuous violence is senseless"
unsophistication, artless, frank, candid
104
inimical
"even though the children had grown up together, they were inimical to each other at school"
hostile, unfriendly
105
innocuous
harmless
| "some snakes are venomous but most are innocuous and pose no danger to humans"
106
insipid
"the critic claimed that the painting was insipid, containing no interesting qualities at all"
lacking interests or flavor
107
intransigent
""the professor was intransigent on the deadline, insisting that everyone turn the assignment in on time and not later"
uncompromising, refusing to be reconciled
108
inundate
"the tidal wave inundated Atlantis, which was lost beneath the water"
to overwhelm, to cover with water
109
irascible
"Attila the Hun's irascible and violent nature made all who dealt with him fear for their lives"
easily made angry
110
laconic
"she was a laconic poet who built her reputation on using words as sparingly as possible"
using few words
111
lament
"the children continued to lament the death of the goldfish weeks after its demise"
to express sorrow, to grieve
112
laud
to give praise, to glorify
| "parades and fireworks were staged to laud the success of the rebels"
113
lavish
"she lavished the puppy with so many treats that it soon became overweight and spoiled"
to give unsparingly, extremely generous or extravagant
114
lethargic
"the clerk was so lethargic that, even when the store was slow, he always had a long line in front of him"
acting in an indifferent or slow, sluggish manner
115
loquacious
"she was naturally loquacious, which was a problem in situations in which listening was more important than talking"
talkative
116
lucid
clear and easily understood
"the explanations were written in a simple, and lucid manner so that students were immediately able to apply what they learned"
117
luminous
"the park was bathed in luminous sunshine, which warmed the bodies and the souls of the visitors"
bright, brilliant, glowing
118
malinger
"a common way to avoid the draft was by malingering - pretending to be mentally or physically ill so as to avoid being taken by the Army"
to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill
119
malleable
capable of being shaped
| "gold is the most malleable of precious metals; it can be easily formed into almost any shape"
120
metaphor
"the metaphor 'a sea of troubles' suggests a lot of troubles by comparing their number to the vastness of the sea"
a figure of speech comparing two different things, a symbol
121
meticulous
"to find all the clues at the crime scene, the investigators meticulously examined every inch"
extremely careful about details
122
misanthrope
"the character Scrooge is such a misanthrope that even the sight of children singing makes him angry"
a person who dislikes others
123
mitigate
"a judge may mitigate a sentence if she decides that a person committed a crime out of need"
to soften, to lessen
124
mollify
"their argument was so intense that it was difficult to believe any compromise would mollify them"
to calm or make less severe
125
monotony
"the monotony of the sound of the dripping faucet almost drove the research assistant crazy"
lack of variation
126
naive
"having never traveled before, the elementary school students were more naive than their high school counterparts on the field trip"
lacking sophistication or experience
127
obdurate
"the president was completely obdurate on the issue, and no amount of persuasion would change his mind"
hardened in feeling, resistant to persuasion
128
obsequious
"the obsequious new associate made sure to compliment her supervisor's tie and agree with him on every issue"
overly submissive and eager to please
129
obstinate
"the obstinate child could not be made to eat any food that he dislike"
stubborn, unyielding
130
obviate
"the obstinate child could not be made to eat any food that he disliked"
to prevent, to make unnecessary
131
occlude
"a shadow is thrown across the earth's surface during a solar eclipse, when the light from the sun is occluded by the noon"
to stop up, to prevent the passage of
132
onerous
"the assignment was so extensive and difficult to manage that it proved onerous to the team in charge"
troublesome and oppressive, burdensome
133
opaque
"the heavy buildup of dirt and grime on the windows almost made them opaque"
impossible to see through, preventing the passage of light
134
opprobrium
"after the scheme to embezzle the elderly was made public, the treasurer resigned in utter opprobrium"
public disgrace
135
ostentation
"the ostentation of the Sun King's court is evident in the lavish decoration and luxuriousness of his palace at Versailles"
excessive showiness
136
paradox
"it is a paradox that those most in need of medical attention are often those least able to obtain it"
a contradiction or dilemma
137
paragon
"she is the paragon of what a judge should be, honest, intelligent, hardworking, and just"
model of excellence or perfection
138
pedant
"the graduate instructor's tedious and excessive commentary on the subject soon gained her a reputation as a pedant"
someone who shows off learning
139
perfidious
"the actress's perfidious companion revealed all of her intimate secrets to the gossip columnist"
wiling to betray one's trust
140
perfunctory
"the machine-like bank teller processed the transaction and give the waiting customer a perfunctory smile"
done in a routine way, indifferent
141
permeate
"this miraculous new cleaning fluid is able to permeate stains and dissolve them in minutes"
to penetrate
142
philanthropy
"the museum owes its collection to the philanthropy of private collectors who willed their estates to the museum"
charity, a desire or effort to promote goodness
143
placate
"the burglar tried to placate the snarling dog by offering a treat"
to soothe or pacify
144
plastic
"the new material was very plastic and could be formed into products of vastly different shapes"
able to be molded, altered, or bent
145
plethora
"assuming that more was better, the defendant offered the judge a plethora of excuses"
excess
146
pragmatic
"while daydreaming gamblers think they can get rich by frequenting casinos, pragmatic gamblers realize that the odds are heavily stacked against them"
practical as opposed to idealistic
147
precipitate
"upon learning that the couple married after knowing each other only two months, they expected such a precipitate marriage to end in divorce"
to throw violently or bring about abruptly, lacking deliberation
148
prevaricate
"rather than admit that he had overslept again, the employee prevaricated and claimed that heavy traffic had prevented him from arriving at work on time"
to lie or deviate from the truth
149
pristine
"since concerted measures had been taken to prevent looting, the archeological site was still pristine when researchers arrived"
fresh and clean, uncorrupted
150
prodigal
"the prodigal son wasted all of his inheritance"
| lavish, wasteful
151
proliferate
"although she only kept two guinea pigs initially, they proliferated to such an extent that she soon had dozens"
to increase in number quickly
152
propitiate
"the management propitiated the irate union by agreeing to raise wages for its members"
to conciliate, to appease
153
propriety
"the aristocracy maintained a high level of propriety, adhering to even the most minor social rules"
correct behavior, obedience to rules and customs
154
prudence
"the college student exhibited prudence by obtaining practical experience along with her studies, which greatly strengthened her resume"
wisdom, caution, restraint
155
pungent
"the smoke was extremely pungent"
| sharp and irritating to the senses
156
quiescent
"many animals are quiescent over winter months, minimizing activity in order to conserve energy"
motionless
157
rarefy
to make thinner or sparser
| "since the atmosphere rarefies as altitudes increase, the air at the top of very tall mountains is too thing to breath"
158
repudiate
"the woman's claim that she was royalty was repudiated when DNA tests showed no relation to royalty"
to reject the validity of
159
reticent
"physically small and reticent in her speech, she often went unnoticed by those upon whom she was reporting"
silent, reserved
160
rhetoric
"Lincoln's talent for rhetoric was evident in his beautiful speeches"
effective writing or speaking
161
satiate
"his desire for power was so great that nothing less than complete control of the country would satiate it"
to satisfy fully or overindulge
162
soporific
"the movie proved to be so soporific that soon everyone was snoring loudly"
causing sleep or lethargy
163
specious
"the student's specious excuse for being late sounded legitimate but was proved otherwise when her teacher called her home"
deceptively attractive, seemingly plausible but fallacious
164
stigma
a mark of shame of discredit
| "she had to wear a scarlet letter as a public stigma for her actions"
165
stolid
"the prisoner appeared stolid and unaffected by the judge's harsh sentence"
unemotional, lacking sensitivity
166
sublime
"the music was so sublime that it transformed the rude surroundings into a special place"
lofty or grand
167
tacit
"although not a word had been said, everyone in the room knew that a tacit agreement had been made about which course of action to take"
168
taciturn
silent, not talkative
| "the clerk's taciturn nature earned him the nickname 'Silent Bob'"
169
tirade
long, harsh speech or verbal attack
| "observers were shocked at the manager's tirade over such a minor mistake"
170
torpor
"after surgery, the patient experienced torpor until the anesthesia wore off"
extreme mental and physical
171
transitory
"the reporter lived a transitory life, staying in one place only long enough to cover the current story"
temporary, lasting a brief time
172
vacillate
"the customer held up the line as he vacillated between ordering chocolate chip or rocky road ice cream"
to sway physically, to be indecisive
173
venerate
"in a traditional Confucian society, the young venerate their elders, deferring to the elders' wisdom and experience"
to respect deeply
174
veracity
"she had a reputation for veracity, so everyone trusted her description of events"
filled with truth and accuracy
175
verbose
wordy
| "the answer was so verbose that his student forgot what the original question had been"
176
vex
"the old man who loved his peace and quit was vexed by the loud music"
177
volatile
"his volatile personality made it difficult to predict his reaction to anything"
easily aroused or changeable, lively or explosive
178
waver
"if you waver too long before making a decision about which one to pick, you may not get your first choice"
to fluctuate between choices
179
whimsical
"the ballet was whimsical, delighting the children with its imaginative characters and unpredictable sets"
acting in a fanciful or capricious manner, unpredictable
180
zeal
"she brought her typical zeal to the project, sparking enthusiasm in other team members"
passion, excitement
