GRE High Frequency Words (Magoosh) Flashcards
Aberrant
Deviation from what is normal or expected
Abstain
Choose not to consume or take part in
Abstruse
Difficult to understand, incomprehensible
Accolade
An award or praise granted as a special honor
Acerbic
Harsh in tone
Acrimony
Bitterness and ill will
Adamant
Refusing to change one’s mind
Admonish
To warn strongly, even to the point of reprimanding
Admonitory
Serving to warn
Aesthete
One who professes great sensitivity to the beauty of art and nature
Aesthetic
Concerned with the appreciation of beauty
Amalgam
A mixture of multiple things
Ambiguous
Open to more than one interpretation
Ambivalent
Mixed or conflicting emotions
Ameliorate
To make something bad better
Amenable
Easily persuaded
Amorphous
Shapeless
Antipathy
An intense feeling of dislike
Antithetical
Sharply contrasted in character or purpose
Apathetic
Marked by a lack of interest
Apocryphal
Being of questionable authenticity
Appease
Pacify by acceding to the demands of
Arbitrary
Random, groundless decision
Arduous
Strenuous and Taxing
Artful
Clever, exhibiting artistic skill
Ascetic
One who practices self-denial
Askance
A look of suspicion or disapproval
Audacious
Willing to be bold in social situations
Audacity
Aggressive boldness
Auspicious
Favorable
Austere
Practicing self-denial; harsh in temperament
Avaricious
Excessively greedy
Banal
Repeated too often
Belie
To give a false representation
Belligerent
Characteristic of one eager to fight
Betray
To reveal or make something known
Blatant
Completely obvious
Bolster
To support or strengthen
Brazen
Unrestrained
Bucolic
Relating to the pleasant aspects of the country
Bumbling
Clumsy, especially with hands
Burgeon
Grow and flourish
Calumny
Make a false statement meant to attack a reputation
Capricious
Determined by chance or impulse rather than necessity
Castigate
To reprimand harshly
Censure
To disapprove strongly
Chastise
To reprimand harshly
Chortle
To chuckle
Circumscribe
To restrict
Circumvent
To find away out of one’s duties or obligations
Commensurate
To be in proportion in degree or amount
Concede
To admit
Confound
Be confusing or perplexing to
Conspicious
Completely obvious
Constituent
An abstract part of something
Construe
Interpreted in a particular way
Contingent
A gather of persons representative of a larger group
Contrition
The feeling of remorse or guilt that comes from doing something bad
Contrive
To pull off a plan or scheme
Copious
An abundant supply
Craven
Cowardly
Cryptic
Mysterious or vague
Culminate
To reach the highest point
Culpability
The state of guilt
Decorous
Characterized by good taste
Decorum
Propriety in manners and conduct
Deferential
Showing respect
Deleterious
Harmful to living things
Delineate
Describe in detail
Demur
To object or show reluctance
Denigrate
Attack the good name and reputation of someone
Denote
To be a sign or indication of
Derivative
Not original but a work of another person
Dictatorial
Expecting unquestioning obedience
Didactic
Instructive
Diffident
Lacking self-confidence
Dilatory
Wasting time
Dilettante
An amateur who engages in an activity without serious intentions
Disaffected
Discontent towards authority
Discrete
A separate entity or part
Disinterested
Unbiased, neutral
Dispassionate
Unaffected by strong emotions or prejudice
Disseminate
Cause to become widely known
Dogmatic
Not accepting your belief may not be correct
Duress
Compulsory force or threat
Eclectic
Comprised of a variety of styles
Economical
Efficient
Edifying
Enlightening or uplifting
Efficacious
producing the intended result
Egregious
Shockingly bad
Elicit
Call forth (emotions and feelings)
Elucidate
Make clearer
Eminent
Standing above others in quality
Enervate
To sap energy from
Engender
Give rise to
Entrenched
Fixed firmly or securely
Ephemeral
Brief and fleeting
Equivocal
Confusing or ambiguous
Eradicate
To completely destroy
Erudite
Profound knowledge
Eschew
Avoid and stay away from
Esoteric
Confined to and understandable only by a small circle
Espouse
To adopt or support an idea or cause
Exacerbate
To make worse
Exacting
Requiring and demanding accuracy
Exalt
Praise or glorify
Exonerate
Pronounce not guilty
Expound
Add details or explanation
Extant
Still living (opposite of extinct)
Fallacious
Belief that is based on faulty reasoning
Fastidious
Overly concerned with details, fussy
Flux
A state of uncertainty about what should be done
Foment
Try to stir up public opinion
Forlorn
Marked by or showing hopelessness
Forthcoming
At ease in talking to others