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GRE Essential > 300 High-Frenquency GRE Words > Flashcards

300 High-Frenquency GRE Words Flashcards

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1
Q

Aberrant

A

Aberrant (adj)

Deviating from what is normal

When a person’s behavior becomes aberrant, his or her peers may become concerned that the individual is becoming a deviant.

Aberration is a noun meaning something different from the usual or normal.

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2
Q

Abeyance

A

Abeyance (n)

Temporary suppression or suspension

A good judge must hold his or her judgment in abeyance until all the facts in a case have been presented.

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3
Q

Abstemious

A

Abstemious (adj)

Moderate in appetite

Some research suggests that people with an abstemious lifestyle tend to live longer than people who indulge their appetites.

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4
Q

Aesthetic

A

Aesthetic (adj)

Relating to beauty or art

Conception of what is artistically beautiful

Members of the English aesthetic movement, such as Oscar Wilde, were proponents of the doctrine of art for arts sake, which is the belief that art cannot and should not be useful for any purpose other than that of creating beauty.

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5
Q

Alacrity

A

Alacrity (n)

Cheerful willingness; eagerness; speed

The football coach was pleased to see his team improve their tackling skills with alacrity.

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6
Q

Alleviate

A

Alleviate (v)

To relieve; improve partially

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7
Q

Amalgamate

A

Amalgamate (v)

To combine into a unified whole

In early 1999, six municipalities were amalgamated into an enlarged city of Toronto, Canada.

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8
Q

Ambiguous

A

Ambiguous (adj)

Unclear or doubtful in meaning

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9
Q

Ambivalence

A

Ambivalence (n)

The state of having conflicting emotional attitudes.

John felt some ambivalence about getting married before finishing college.

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10
Q

Ameliorate

A

Ameliorate (v)

To improve

Knowing they could not stop the spread of the virus, they tried to ameliorate its effects.

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11
Q

Anachronism

A

Anachronism (n)

Something out of the proper time

Some experts regard the retirement age of 65 as an anachronism at a time when people in the developed world have much longer life expectancies.

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12
Q

Analogous

A

Analogous (adj)

Comparable

The psychology researchers experiment postulates that the brain is analogous to a digital computer.

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13
Q

Anarchy

A

Anarchy (n)

Absence of government; state of disorder

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14
Q

Anomalous

A

Anomalous (adj)

Irregular; deviating from the norm

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15
Q

Antipathy

A

Antipathy (n)

Dislike; hostility

Heathcliff, the protagonist of Emily Brontes novel Withering Heights, feels great antipathy for Edgar Linton, the man who marries the woman he loves.

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16
Q

Apathy

A

Apathy (n)

Indifference

Apathy was high in the election because there was no major controversy or issue to arouse voter interest.

Apathetic

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17
Q

Apprise

A

Apprise (v)

To inform

Nadine Cohodas biography of the blues singer Dinah Washington keeps the reader apprised of the racism black Americans had to endure

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18
Q

Approbation

A

Approbation (n)

Praise; approval

The congressional Medal of Honor is the highest approbation an American soldier can receive

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19
Q

Appropriate

A

Appropriate (v)

To take possession for ones own use; confiscate

The invading army appropriated supplies from the houses of the local people.

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20
Q

Arduous

A

Arduous (adj)

Extremely difficult; laborious

The task of writing a research paper is arduous, but if it is broke down into logical steps it becomes less daunting.

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21
Q

Artless

A

Artless (adj)

Guileless; natural

Shallow are possesses such artless beauty

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22
Q

Ascetic

A

Ascetic (n)

One who practices self-denial

Muslim ascetics consider the internal battle against human passions a greater jihad than the struggle against infidels.

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23
Q

Aspersion

A

Aspersion (n)

Slander; false rumor

The Republic of Singapore is a young democracy, and its leaders often respond strongly to journalists and others who cast aspersions on their integrity.

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24
Q

Assiduous

A

Assiduous (adj)

Diligent; hard-working

The assiduous people of Hong Kong live in a territory with one of the highest per capita incomes in the world.

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25
Q

Attenuate

A

Attenuate (v)

To weaken

Modern digital radio equipment allows even signals that have been greatly attenuated to be transmitted by one station and received by another station.

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26
Q

Audacious

A

Audacious (adj)

Bold/ daring

The German army commander Erwin Rommel was known as the “Desert Fox” as a result of his audacious surprise attacks on Allied forces in World War 2.

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27
Q

Austere

A

Austere (adj)

Stern; unadorned

Deism is an austere belief that reflects the predominant philosophy of the Age of Enlightenment: a universe symmetrical and governed by rationality

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28
Q

Aver

A

Aver (v)

To affirm; declare to be true

Yogis aver that everyone has a guru, whether it be a person, God or the experiences of the world, that helps him or her practice the yoga that is in accordance with his or her nature and assists on the path toward enlightenment.

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29
Q

Zealot

A

Zealot (n)

One who is fanatically devoted to a cause

The crusades of the 11th to the 13th century were conceived of by Christian zealots as a way to drive the Islamic interlopers from the holy land

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30
Q

Whimsical

A

Whimsical (adj)

Fanciful; unpredictable

Many children appreciate Dr. Seuss whimsical stories.

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31
Q

Volatile

A

Volatile (adj)

Tending to vary frequently; fickle

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32
Q

Vituperative

A

Vituperative (adj)

Using or containing harsh, abusive censure

The young music critics vituperative comments aroused the wrath of nearly every serious composer.

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33
Q

Vitiate

A

Vitiate (v)

To impair the quality of; corrupt morally; make inoperative

Unfortunately, one error in the study’s methodology vitiates the entire body of work.

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34
Q

Viscous

A

Viscous (adj)

Thick, syrupy, and sticky

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35
Q

Virtuoso

A

Virtuoso (n)

Someone with mastery skills; expert musician

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36
Q

Viable

A

Viable (adj)

Practicable; capable of developing

These are all viable options.

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37
Q

Verbose

A

Verbose (adj)

Wordy

The skillful editor cut 20 percent of the words from the verbose manuscript.

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38
Q

Veracious

A

Veracious (adj)

Truthful; accurate

The witness testimony appeared to be veracious at first, but under cross-examination, several inconsistencies appeared.

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39
Q

Venerate

A

Venerate (v)

To adore; honor respect

Mother T is venerated for her compassion.

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40
Q

Vapid

A

Vapid (adj)

Tasteless; dull

To relax in the evening the judge likes to watch vapid situation comedies on tv

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41
Q

Vacillate

A

Vacillate (v)

To waver; oscillate

The senators position kept vacillating between remaining neutral and lending his support to the proposal

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42
Q

Miser

A

Miser (n)

Someone that doesn’t like to spend money; frugal

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43
Q

Unseemly

A

Unseemly

Not appropriate

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44
Q

Perfunctory

A

Perfunctory

Not a lot of thought into it. Just going through the motions.

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45
Q

Unseemly

A

Unseemly

Not appropriate

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46
Q

Perfunctory

A

Perfunctory

Not a lot of thought into it. Just going through the motions.

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47
Q

Pointed

A

Pointed

Exact. Critical

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48
Q

Polemical

A

Polemical

A passionate and argumentative attack on something

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49
Q

Necropolis

A

Necropolis

A graveyard. City of the dead

50
Q

Ephemeral

A

Ephemeral

Short lived. Not lasting long. Usually describes trends.

51
Q

Mountebank

A

(N) A hawker of quack medicines who attracts customers with stories, jokes or tricks

In the late sixteenth century, English borrowed this word, now spelled mountebank, to refer to those roaming charlatans who would stop onto a box or bench to attract the attention of potential buyers of such dubious offerings as “snake oil” medicine.

52
Q

Jink

A

Jink

(N)

To make a quick evasive turn. Rambunctious play/ frolic

Mcgeady was again at the heart of the move, his jink and shot forcing the goalkeeper to parry.

53
Q

Parry

A

Parry

(N)

To deflect or ward off/ evade or avoid

While the political parties thrust and parry on the issue in question, a PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court.

54
Q

Repatriation

A

Repatriation (n)

The process of returning of a person to their country of origin or citizenship. Process of converting a foreign currency into the currency of ones own country.

By the time he left, I actually had a soft spot for the poor old guy, and I went out of my way to wish him luck before they shipped him off for what they called repatriation.

55
Q

Cosset

A

Cosset (v)

To pamper

Meanwhile, we Europeans congratulated ourselves on forging a deal at Kyoto that would halt the ocean’s rise and cosset the ice deprived polar bears so memorably depicted in al gores “an inconvenient truth”

56
Q

Stifle

A

Stifle (v)

To feel held back or smothered or to cut off

Moosa told journalists he believed the new policy, once implemented, would “stifle” the crime syndicates behind the poaching.

57
Q

Syndicate

A

Syndicate (n)

An association of people or firms authorized to undertake a duty or transact specific business.

He said al-Qaida and what he calls a syndicate of affiliated groups are less capable of large scale, coordinated attacks than they once were and in many cases their leadership has been killed or captured.

58
Q

Urbane

A

Urbane (adj)

Polite, refined, and often elegant in manner.

Asia became known as the urbane and kindly public face of saddams regime in the lead up to the first gulf war in 1991 and the allied invasion of 2003.

59
Q

Sensibility

A

Sensibility (n)

The ability to feel or perceive.

We apply the term sensibility to the receptively of the mind for impressions, in so far as it is in some way affected; and on the other hand, we call the faculty of spontaneously producing representations, or the spontaneity of cognition, understanding.

60
Q

Shear/ shorn (past)

A

Shear/ shorn (v)

To remove/ cut

Max writes: while cutting lemon grass- yes, lemon grass, the blade of my knife snapped off in a clean shear from the handle.

61
Q

Accouter/ accoutrements

A

Accouterments

To outfit and equip as for military duty/ to furnish with military dress

62
Q

Stolid

A

Stolid (adj)

Having or revealing little emotion or sensibility

63
Q

Blithe

A

Blithe (adj)

Carefree and lighthearted. No concern.

64
Q

Ethnocentrism

A

Ethnocentrism (n)

Belief in the superiority of ones own ethnic group.

65
Q

Epigrammatic

A

Epigrammatic

A saying that is short and to the point

66
Q

Ebb

A

Ebb

Decreases and diminishes

67
Q

Entailed

A

Required

A necessity

68
Q

Entailed

A

Required

69
Q

Implacable

A

Implacable

Stay your course/ unyielding

70
Q

Intransigent

A

Uncompromising

71
Q

Debonair

A

Gentlemanly

72
Q

Protracted

A

Protracted

Lengthy

73
Q

Lachrymose

A

Lachrymose

Sad, tearful

74
Q

Evergreens

A

Evergreens

Anything that has enduring value

75
Q

Evergreens

A

Evergreens

Anything that has enduring value

76
Q

Potentate

A

Potentate

A ruler with absolute power

77
Q

Potentate

A

Potentate

A ruler with absolute power

78
Q

Scathing

A

Scathing

Critiquing in a harsh manner

79
Q

Perfunctory

A

Perfunctory

Lacks inspiration and is just going through the motions

80
Q

Draconian

A

Draconian

Very strict with rules

81
Q

Scathing

A

Scathing

Critiquing in a harsh manner

82
Q

Perfunctory

A

Perfunctory

Lacks inspiration and is just going through the motions

83
Q

Draconian

A

Draconian

Very strict with rules

84
Q

Vitriol

A

Vitriol (n)

Bitterly abusive feeling or expression.

Both suits are pending, with a hearing set for October 14th in state superior court in Napa in one of the cases, but the vitriol is already flying.

85
Q

Rapier

A

Rapier (n)

An extremely sharp sword

Rapier (adj)

Extremely sharp
Keen wits

86
Q

Shrill

A

Shrill (adj)

High-pitched and piercing tone or sound: the shrill wall of a siren

Sharp or keen to the senses; harshly vivid: shrill colors.

He sites what he calls the shrill voices of liberal-left journalists, or laptop bombardiers’ that became the champions of forceful western intervention.

87
Q

Revelry

A

Revelry (n)

Boisterous merrymaking or partying

The revelry is short lived in Beowulf, however the monster Grendel shows up and kills people in graphic fashion.

88
Q

Carouse

A

Carouse (intransitive verb)

To engage in boisterous, drunken merrymaking. Partying

Why not? If you want to sort of carouse around, why not be like George Clooney and stay single.

89
Q

Untoward

A

Untoward (adj)

Not favorable; unpropitious

Troublesome and adverse

While the aviators had hoped for no untoward meteorological events, the weather became increasingly inclement, with wind tossing their plane as they crossed the Pacific

90
Q

Inclement

A

Inclement (adj)

Stormy; inclement weather

Showing no clemency; unmerciful

Rough weather

While the aviators had hoped for no untoward meteorological events, the weather became increasingly inclement, with wind tossing their plane as they crossed the Pacific.

91
Q

Clemency

A

Clemency (n)

A disposition to show mercy, especially toward an offender or enemy

Merciful, kind or lenient act

Mildness especially in weather

He has allegedly asked for clemency from the state, according to the same news report.

92
Q

Propitious

A

Propitious (adj)

Presenting favorable circumstances; auspicious, advantageous

The fates were again propitious for a brief period; but again a trivial incident interfered.

93
Q

Agog

A

Agog (adj)

Full of keen anticipation or excitement; eager

With numerous exciting public works projects in the offing, residents are understandably agog; yet because such prodigious undertakings are inevitably plagued with numerous setbacks, much of the fervor is likely to be tempered with a heavy dose of reality

94
Q

Genial

A

Genial (adj)

Having a pleasant or friendly disposition or manner

Gracious

But with his old history professor Henry Adams and other friends, Lodge was known as a genial host, and, when political betes noires did not rear their fractious heads, he could work considerable charm as a guest.

95
Q

Obfuscate

A

Obfuscate (transitive v)

To make so confused or opaque as to be difficult to perceive or understand: “A great effort was made to obscure or obfuscate the truth”

To make dark/ deliberately make confusing

96
Q

Clandestine

A

Clandestine (adj)

Kept or done in secret, often in order to conceal an illicit or improper purpose.

97
Q

Conducive

A

Conducive (adj)

Tending to cause or bring about; contributive: working conditions not conducive to productivity

Tending to contribute to, encourage, or bring about some result. Helpful.

Online journal articles are suitable for searching and extraction, but how conducive is a computer for a reading a novel.

98
Q

Inimical

A

Inimical (adj)

Injurious or harmful in effect; adverse: habits inimical to good health.

Unfriendly; hostile: a cold, inimical voice

His face showed the effect of a sleepless night, and wore an expression inimical to all mankind.

99
Q

Harried

A

Harried (adj)

Rushed; panicked; overly busy or preoccupied

Harassed

Harried by a swarm of tabloid reporters, their camera flashes creating an incessant whir, the celebrity made a quick escape into a limousine with tinted windows.

100
Q

Incessant

A

Incessant (adj)

Continuing without interruption. With stop or pause. Ceaselessly

Besieged by a swarm of tabloid reporters, their camera flashes creating an incessant whir, the celebrity made a quick escape into a limousine with tinted windows.

101
Q

Genial

A

Genial (adj)

Having a pleasant or friendly disposition or manner

Gracious

But with his old history professor Henry Adams and other friends, Lodge was known as a genial host, and, when political betes noires did not rear their fractious heads, he could work considerable charm as a guest.

102
Q

Obfuscate

A

Obfuscate (transitive v)

To make so confused or opaque as to be difficult to perceive or understand: “A great effort was made to obscure or obfuscate the truth”

To make dark/ deliberately make confusing

103
Q

Clandestine

A

Clandestine (adj)

Kept or done in secret, often in order to conceal an illicit or improper purpose.

104
Q

Conducive

A

Conducive (adj)

Tending to cause or bring about; contributive: working conditions not conducive to productivity

Tending to contribute to, encourage, or bring about some result. Helpful.

Online journal articles are suitable for searching and extraction, but how conducive is a computer for a reading a novel.

105
Q

Inimical

A

Inimical (adj)

Injurious or harmful in effect; adverse: habits inimical to good health.

Unfriendly; hostile: a cold, inimical voice

His face showed the effect of a sleepless night, and wore an expression inimical to all mankind.

106
Q

Harried

A

Harried (adj)

Rushed; panicked; overly busy or preoccupied

Harassed

Harried by a swarm of tabloid reporters, their camera flashes creating an incessant whir, the celebrity made a quick escape into a limousine with tinted windows.

107
Q

Incessant

A

Incessant (adj)

Continuing without interruption. With stop or pause. Ceaselessly

Besieged by a swarm of tabloid reporters, their camera flashes creating an incessant whir, the celebrity made a quick escape into a limousine with tinted windows.

108
Q

Genial

A

Genial (adj)

Having a pleasant or friendly disposition or manner

Gracious

But with his old history professor Henry Adams and other friends, Lodge was known as a genial host, and, when political betes noires did not rear their fractious heads, he could work considerable charm as a guest.

109
Q

Obfuscate

A

Obfuscate (transitive v)

To make so confused or opaque as to be difficult to perceive or understand: “A great effort was made to obscure or obfuscate the truth”

To make dark/ deliberately make confusing

110
Q

Clandestine

A

Clandestine (adj)

Kept or done in secret, often in order to conceal an illicit or improper purpose.

111
Q

Distillation

A

Distillation (noun)

The evaporation and subsequent collection of a liquid by condensation as a means of purification: the distillation of water

The process of separating a mixture of volatile substances by distillation is known as fractional distillation.

112
Q

Esoteric

A

Esoteric (adj)

Intended for or understood by only a particular group; an esoteric cult

Confidential or not publicly disclosed

Certain esoteric sects and pseudo-scientists place considerable importance upon these rare objects, occasionally manifesting in hysterical and apocalyptic cults.

113
Q

Prosaic

A

Prosaic (adj)

Straightforward; lacking in imagination; dull

My most cordial thanks therefore for the gift which you call prosaic, and my best regards to your husband.

114
Q

Galling

A

Galling (adj)

Causing extreme irritation or chagrin; vexing: a galling delay; a galling setback to their plans.

Vexing, humiliating

There is nothing more galling for first time writers to see their cherished ideas are actually far less novel than they had imagined. Often a publisher, or even a friend, will point out that another writer already captured the same plot twist, or created an almost identical fictional world. This feeling stings even greater when the publication of the neophyte writer’s work precedes that of the more popular author; apparently the public often erroneously believes that the lesser known writers work is derivative.

115
Q

Novel

A

Novel (adj)

Strikingly new, unusual or different. New or original in an interesting way

There is nothing more galling for first time writers to see their cherished ideas are actually far less novel than they had imagined. Often a publisher, or even a friend, will point out that another writer already captured the same plot twist, or created an almost identical fictional world. This feeling stings even greater when the publication of the neophyte writer’s work precedes that of the more popular author; apparently the public often erroneously believes that the lesser known writers work is derivative.

116
Q

Neophyte

A

Neophyte (n)

A recent convert to a belief; a proselyte

A beginner or a novice

A new ordained priest

There is nothing more galling for first time writers to see their cherished ideas are actually far less novel than they had imagined. Often a publisher, or even a friend, will point out that another writer already captured the same plot twist, or created an almost identical fictional world. This feeling stings even greater when the publication of the neophyte writer’s work precedes that of the more popular author; apparently the public often erroneously believes that the lesser known writers work is derivative.

117
Q

Inveterate

A

Inveterate (adj)

Firmly and long established; deep-rooted

Persisting in an ingrained habit; habitual: an inveterate liar

An inveterate procrastinator, Stephen found himself unable to recall a time when he did not put off doing a major assignment.

118
Q

Dissimulation

A

Dissimulation (n)

The act of concealing the truth; hypocrisy or deception

Hiding ones feelings or purpose

Hidden deception

I like to think of the essays as a kind of thriller; with Myself, the elusive prey, and Montaigne, the sleuth, locked in battle of equals who were too close for dissimulation and too smart for satisfaction. And it may be that Montaigne did, too, because he often warned his readers that nothing he wrote about Myself was likely to apply for much longer than it took the ink he used, writing it, to dry.

119
Q

Ardent

A

Ardent (adj)

Expressing or characterized by warmth of feeling; passionate: an ardent lover.

Strong enthusiasm

The real question, however, is whether Mr Pence has the rhetorical dexterity to both fulfill the traditional running-mate role of political attack dog on the stump and the nominee’s most ardent defender.

120
Q

Penchant

A

Penchant (n)

A definite liking; a strong inclination

Taste, liking, bias

Picking Flynn would go against Mr. Trump’s professed desire to tab someone familiar with the inner machinations of congress. A shoot-from-the-hip outsider with a penchant for questioning authority might not be the best way to complement Mr. Trump.

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