Common GRE words in context

Question 1

adulterate

Answer 1

to make impure.

The chef made his ketchup last longer by ADULTERATING it with water.

Question 2

aggrandize

Answer 2

to increase in power, influence, and reputation.

The supervisor sought to AGGRANDIZE herself by claiming that the achievements of her staff were actually her own.

Question 3

anachronism

Answer 3

something out of place in time.

The aged hippie used ANACHRONISTIC phrases, like “groovy” and “far out:, that had not been popular for years.

Question 4

arbitrate

Answer 4

to judge a dispute between two opposing parties.

Since the couple could not come to an agreement, a judge was forced to ARBITRATE their divorce proceedings.

Question 5

ardor

Answer 5

intense and passionate feeling.

Bishop’s ARDOR for the landscape was evident when he passionately described the beauty of the scenic Hudson Valley.

Question 6

assuage

Answer 6

to make something unpleasant less severe.

Serena used aspiring to ASSUAGE her pounding headache.

Question 7

attenuate

Answer 7

to reduce in force or degree; to weaken.

The Bill of Rights ATTENUATED the traditional power of governments to change laws at will.

Question 8

austere

Answer 8

severe or stern in appearance; undecorated.

The lack of decoration makes military barracks seem AUSTERE to the civilian eye.

Question 9

banal

Answer 9

predictable, cliched, boring.

He used BANAL phrases like ‘have a nice day” and “another day, another dollar.”

Question 10

capricious

Answer 10

changing one’s mind quickly and often.

Queen Elizabeth I was quite CAPRICIOUS; her courtiers could never be sure which of their number would catch her fancy.

Question 11

castigate

Answer 11

to punish or criticize harshly.

Many Americans are amazed at how harshly the authorities in Singapore CASTIGATE perpetrators of what would be considered minor crimes in the United States.

Question 12

caustic

Answer 12

biting in wit.

Dorothy Parker gained her reputation for CAUSTIC wit from her cutting, yet clever, insults.

Question 13

chicanery

Answer 13

deception by means of craft or guile.

Dishonest used car salespeople often use CHICANERY to sell their beat-up old cars.

Question 14

cogent

Answer 14

convincing and well reasoned.

Swayed by the COGENT argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but to acquit the defendant.

Question 15

credulous

Answer 15

too trusting; gullible.

Although some four-year-olds believe in the Easter Bunny, only the most CREDULOUS nine-year-olds still believe in him.

Question 16

deride

Answer 16

to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock.

The awkward child was often DERIDED by his “cooler” peers.

Question 17

desultory

Answer 17

jumping from one things to another; disconnected.

Diane had a DESULTORY academic record; she had changed majors 12 times in 3 years.

Question 18

diatribe

Answer 18

an abusive, condemnatory speed

The trucker bellowed a DIATRIBE at the driver who had cut him off.

Question 19

diffident

Answer 19

lacking self-confidence.

Steve’s DIFFIDENT manner during the job interview stemmed from his nervous nature and lack of experience in the field.

Question 20

dilatory

Answer 20

intended to delay.

The congressman used DILATORY measures to delay the passage of the bill.

Question 21

dilettante

Answer 21

someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic

Jerry’s friends were such DILETTANTES that they seemed to have new jobs and hobbies every week.

Question 22

dirge

Answer 22

a funeral hymn or mournful speech

Melville wrote the poem “A DIRGE for James McPherson” for the funeral of a Union general who was killed in 1864.

Question 23

disabuse

Answer 23

to set right; to free from error

Galileo’s observations DISABUSED scholars of the notion that the Sun revolved around the Earth.

Question 24

dissemble

Answer 24

to present a false appearancel to disguise one’s real intentions or character

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.

Question 25

dissonance

Answer 25

a harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds

Cognitive DISSONANCE is the inner conflict produced when long-standing beliefs are contradicted by new evidence.

Question 26

dogmatic

Answer 26

dictatorial in one’s opinions

The dictator was DOGMATIC - he, and only he, was right.

Question 27

eclectic

Answer 27

selecting from or made up from a variety of sources.

Budapest’s architecture is an ECLECTIC mix of Eastern and Western styles.

Question 28

elegy

Answer 28

a sorrowful poem or speech

Although Thomas Gray’s “ELEGY Written in a Country Churchyard” is about death and loss, it urges its readers to endure this life and to trust in spirituality.

Question 29

emulate

Answer 29

to copy; to try to equal or excel

The graduate student sought to EMULATE his professor in every way, copying not only how she taught but also how she conducted herself outside of class.

Question 30

enervate

Answer 30

to reduce in strength

The guerrillas hoped that a series of surprise attacks would ENERVATE the regular army.

Question 31

engender

Answer 31

to produce, cause, or bring about

His fear and hatred of clowns was ENGENDERED when he witnessed the death of his father at the hands of a clown.