GRE Saad Vocab - High Frequency Words List Flashcards
jarring
- the act of shaking or the state of being shaken; sudden, jerky movement
- having a harshly concussive, disagreeable, or discordant effect.
e.g. “the telephone struck a jarring note in those Renaissance surroundings”
Synonym: clashing, grating, rasping
warp
a twist or distortion in the shape of something
e.g. “the head of the racket had a curious warp”
Synonym: bastardize, swerve, debase, corrupt
valid
boring
Synonym: refer to words like humdrum, mundane, etc.
stalwart
- strongly and stoutly built
- loyal, reliable, and hard-working.
e.g. “the country is a stalwart defender of free speech and democracy”
Synonym: dependable, fearless, indomitable, intrepid, stout, tenacious
autumnal
- maturity; past maturity
- relating to autumn
Synonym: blooming, fall, mature
halcyon
peaceful
e.g. “We remember those halcyon days when everyone was listened to and compromise and consensus were the order of the day.”
Synonym: bucolic, pastoral, quiet, dovish
malingering
pretend to be ill in order to escape duty or work
e.g. “While some thought I was malingering, they couldn’t see the pain I dealt with”
Synonym: n/a
charlatan
a person falsely claiming to have a special knowledge or skill
e.g. “a self-confessed con artist and charlatan”
Synonym: quack, mountebank, sham, fraud, fake, humbug, impostor, hoodwinker
salutary
- healthy
- (especially with reference to something unwelcome or unpleasant) producing good effects; beneficial.
e.g. “reviewing your household expenditure can be a salutary exercise”
Synonym: healthful, salubrious, beneficial
avowing
assert or confess openly
e.g. “he avowed that he was no longer in perfect health”
Synonym: acknowledge, admit, affirm, allow, assert, concede, proclaim
averting
prevent or ward off (an undesirable occurrence).
e.g. “the talks failed to avert a rail strike”
Synonym: avoid, deter, fend off, foil, forestall, halt, preclude
corollary
something that results from something else
e.g. “the huge increases in unemployment were the corollary of expenditure cuts”
Synonym: result, outcome, resultant, consequence
abject
showing, expressing, or offered in a spirit of humility or unseemly submissiveness
e.g. “he demanded nothing less than an abject apology from them”
Synonym: humble, servile, meek, slavish
sagacious
having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgment
e.g. “they were sagacious enough to avoid any outright confrontation”
Synonym: wise, prudent, insightful, perceptive, brilliant, sage, discerning
gravitas
seriousness
e.g. “The new leader has an air of gravitas that commands respect”
Synonym: resolve, determination, solemnity, dignity
parley
a conference/negotiation between opposing sides in a dispute
e.g. “a parley is in progress and the invaders may withdraw”
Synonym: negotiation, confab, conference
gadflies
a person who annoys or criticizes others in order to provoke them into action
e.g. “Scientists are rather like gadflies in this matter.”
Synonym: annoyance, pest, prod, spur
quixotic
impractical; idealistic
e.g. “As quixotic ventures go, the symphony has turned out well.”
Synonym: dreamy, foolish, impractical, impulsive
teem
to become filled to overflowing; abound
e.g. “The river was teeming with fish.”
Synonym: brim, bustle, crawl, overflow, abound
ebb
feline
burlesque
a caricature mockery
e.g. “a novel which is a burlesque of the literary life”
Synonym: parody, travesty, imitation
nebulous
(of a concept) vague or ill-defined.
e.g. “nebulous concepts like quality of life”
Synonym: muddled, confused, ambiguous, inchoate, opaque
vainglorious
excessively proud of oneself or one’s achievements
e.g. “this vainglorious boast of personal infallibility”
Synonym: arrogant, proud, vain, egotistical
list
to tilt to one side
Synonym: angling, bend, cock, inclination
baseless
unfounded
e.g. “The allegations are baseless and will be defended robustly.”
Synonyms: unfounded, flimsy, gratuitous
groundless, unfounded, unjustifiable
entailed
inferred; involve (something) as a necessary or inevitable part or consequence.
e.g. “a situation which entails considerable risks”
Synonym: encompass, involve, lead to, necessitate, evoke
certitude
free from doubt; absolute certainty or conviction
e.g. “the question may never be answered with certitude”
Synonym: certainty, assurance, confidence, conviction, satisfaction
stupefaction
(like in Harry Potter with Stupefy) - condition of being very surprised or shocked
e.g. “He stepped back, a look of stupefaction on his face.”
Synonym: bewilderment, perplexity, stupor, surprise
verisimilitude
the appearance of being true or real.
e.g. “the detail gives the novel some verisimilitude”
Synonym: credibility, genuineness, realism
accentuate
make more noticeable or prominent.
e.g. “his jacket unfortunately accentuated his paunch”
Synonym: emphasize, highlight, stress, feature
attenuate
to weaken
e.g. “This research provides a glimmer of hope that coral reefs can attenuate the effects of ocean acidification”
Synonym: decrease, diminish, lessen, vitiate
animadversion
a comment or remark, especially a critical one
e.g. “animadversions that the poet receives quite humbly”
Synonym: admonish, berate, castigate, chastise, chide, denounce, discipline, rebuff, rebuke
insouciance
to be carefree; casual lack of concern; indifference
e.g. “an impression of boyish insouciance”
Synonym: nonchalant, carefree, unconcerned, cavalier, blithe, lighthearted, relaxed
appurtenances
an accessory or other item associated with a particular activity or style
“the appurtenances of consumer culture”
Synonym: accouterments, assets, chattels
irenic
peaceful
e.g. “He is an engaging writer with irenic sympathy for all his subjects.”
Synonym: serene, calm, dovish, bucolic, pastoral, halcyon
paltry
(of an amount) very small or meagre.
e.g. “she would earn a paltry £33 more a month”
Synonym: meagre, pitiful, puny, trivial
conscientiousness
the personality trait of being responsible, careful or diligent
e.g. “His conscientiousness and maturity impressed faculty members.”
Synonym: dutifulness, exactitude, faithfulness, honesty, honor
rigor
strictness
e.g. “They underwent the rigors of military training.”
Synonym: austerity, firmness, hardship, harshness, ordeal, precision, rigidity
nothing if not
more of something
cronyism
Giving friends unjust authority to take charge of a position
e.g. “He instructed his officials to reduce their spending to avoid accusations of cronyism.”
Synonym: associate, colleague, buddy, friend, accomplice, peer, comrade, cohort, fellow, classmate, compatriot
estrange
to be unfriendly
e.g. “She had been estranged from her husband at the time of the offences.”
Synonym: alien, antagonize, disaffect, disunify, sever
murky
hidden; gloomy
e.g. “the sky was murky and a thin drizzle was falling”
Synonyms: grimy, dreary, foggy, fuzzy, misty
quell
to pacify things
e.g. “extra police were called to quell the disturbance”
Synonym: extinguish, overcome, put down, quench, silence, subjugate
mercenary
greedy (for money)
e.g. “the crime was committed out of mercenary motives”
Synonym: rapacious, acquisitive, avaricious, covetous
evenhanded
fair and impartial in treatment or judgment.
e.g. “an even-handed approach to industrial relations”
Synonym: balanced, equitable, fair-minded, impartial, unbiased
equanimity
calmness and composure, especially in a difficult situation
e.g. “she accepted both the good and the bad with equanimity”
Synonym: calmness, composure, coolness, serenity, tranquillity, imperturbability
cantankerous
difficult to deal with
e.g. “he can be a cantankerous old fossil at times”
Synonym: cranky, dour, grouchy, grumpy, irascible, prickly, quarrelsome
panegyrise
speak or write in praise of
e.g. “it has been admired and panegyrized as beautiful, eloquent, grand, and sublime”
Synonym: lauded, praise, reverent, venerate
ennui
boredom
e.g. “he succumbed to ennui and despair”
Synonym: apathy, languor, melancholy, sadness, tedium, weariness
tendentious
biased
e.g. “This is a tendentious, romanticized version of the history.”
Synonym: inclination, intolerance, leaning, preference, prejudice
croon
to sing in a soft, low voice, especially in a sentimental manner.
e.g. “she was crooning to the child”
Synonym: lull, hum, murmur, wail
hallowed
greatly respected
e.g. “The band will be in some hallowed and historic surroundings”
Synonym: anointed, beatified, blessed, consecrated, venerated, enshrined, honored, sanctified
harrowed
arrogant; cause distress to
e.g. “Todd could take it, whereas I’m harrowed by it”
Synonym: anxious, bothered, concerned, confused, distraught, distressed, disturbed
valiant
possessing or showing courage or determination.
e.g. “she made a valiant effort to hold her anger in check”
Synonym: fearless, gallant, gutsy, heroic, indomitable, intrepid
salient
most noticeable or important.
e.g. “it succinctly covered all the salient points of the case”
Synonym: conspicuous, pertinent, weighty, jutting, notable
philistine
a person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts
e.g. “I am a complete philistine when it comes to paintings”
Synonym: barbarian, base, crude, foul
importunate
troublesomely urgent; needing urgent attention
e.g. “the demands of the chairmanship were becoming too importunate for me to continue without an assistant”
Synonym: urgent, acute, pressing, emergent, dire, clamant
cagey
reluctant to give information owing to caution or suspicion
e.g. “a spokesman was cagey about the arrangements his company had struck”
Synonym: circumspect, crafty, secretive, shrewd, wily
apropos
very appropriate to a particular situation.
e.g. “the composer’s reference to child’s play is apropos”
Synonym: apt, germane, opportune, pertinent
naysayer
a person who criticizes, objects to, or opposes something
e.g. “he continues to win, despite the many naysayers”
Synonym: disavowing, dissenting, gainsaying, impugning
regal
excellent
e.g. “envisioned a regal wedding with hundreds of guests, a full choir, and a reception at the fanciest hotel in town”
Synonym: magnificent, glorious, majestic, splendid
confer
to consult or advise
e.g. “the British monarch continues to confer knighthood on those who are outstanding in their fields of endeavor”
Synonym: advise, argue, brainstorm, consult, bargain
tethered
(analogy: tie him/her)
Which cannot be pulled apart
e.g. “the horse had been tethered to a post”
Synonym: leashed, trussed, roped, corded, banded
untethered
to pull apart (opposite of tether)
e.g. “I reached the horses and untethered them”
Synonym: unleashed, untied, unbound, unfastened
infallibility
(not falling) - Flawless/no error
e.g. “his judgement became impaired by faith in his own infallibility”
Synonym: flawless
extirpate
(extra pait not required so remove) - To destroy or remove something completely
e.g. “the triumph of modern medicine in extirpating certain diseases”
Synonym: destroy, eradicate, stamp out, root out, eliminate, suppress
encumber
hold back
e.g. “all of these regulations encumber doctors, taking time away from the actual practice of medicine”
Synonym: impede, hinder, hamper, obstruct, stymie
precipitate
happening suddenly
e.g.”the army’s precipitate withdrawal from the field of battle”
Synonym: hurried, rushed, impetuous, impulsive
quash
(from squash) - to suppress
e.g. “the dictator commanded the army to quash the uprising without mercy”
Synonym: stifle, crush, silence, extinguish
forsake
(for god’s sake please leave me) - abandon/give up
e.g. “forsaking most of our possessions, we evacuated just before the hurricane struck”
Synonym: abandon, desert, dump, quit, discard, relinquish, ditch, renounce, jettison
betoken
(be a token for something) - be a signal/indication for something
e.g. “the humor in his writing is never cruel, and betokens a warm and compassionate heart”
Synonym: indicate, portent, betide, denote, omen
valediction
bidding farewell
e.g. “This record and tour are by no means a last valediction to her music career.”
Synonym: departure, divergence
rebuff
(reject + bluff) - refuse in a rude way
e.g. “She rebuffed him when he asked her for a date.”
Synonym: rebuke, rejection, reprimand, snub
tenable
(if ten people understand the theory then it has to be reasonable) - reasonable
e.g. “the soldiers’ encampment on the open plain was not tenable, so they retreated to higher ground”
Synonym: justifiable, plausible, rational
eclipse
make less important/loss of power
e.g. “the eclipse of the town from a grand seaside resort to a tacky tourist trap”
Synonym: ebb, waning, declination, deterioration, decline, degradation, descent
pilfer
steal things that are not very valuable
e.g. “What sort of person would pilfer lunches from the office refrigerator?”
Synonym: filch, purloin, swipe
discretionary
non-obligatory
e.g. “if it is for a post-graduate course, the award is discretionary”
Synonym: optional, non-compulsory, voluntary
supple
(from shuffle) - to be flexible
e.g. “my mind is becoming more supple”
Synonym: agile, elastic, flexible, lithe, malleable, pliable, pliant
aplomb
cool and calm
e.g. “Diana passed the test with aplomb”
Synonym: equanimity, nonchalance, tact
occult
difficult to understand/supernatural
e.g. “He had a deep interest in astrology and the occult”
Synonym: mystic, obscure, psychic, unknown, veiled, weird
occlude
(opposite of include) - means to block
e.g. “thick make-up can occlude the pores”
Synonym: clog, block, congest, stemming, checking, stanch
dissemble
to deceive
e.g. “he dissembled happiness at the news that his old girlfriend was getting married—to someone else”
Synonym: dissimulate, pretend, deceive, feign, act, masquerade, sham
ungainly
(not gaining anything) - so you are clumsy and awkward
e.g. “getting the ungainly couch up the stairs was a real chore”
Synonym: clumsy, awkward, unwieldy, cumbersome, gawky
stanch
(stop+ tank) - to stop something from flowing
e.g. “He used a towel to try to stanch the (flow of) blood.”
Synonym: occlude, clog, block, congest, stemming, checking
recoil
to quickly move away from something that is shocking, frightening, disgusting
e.g. “the social worker tried not to recoil from the sight of the cockroach in the bathtub”
Synonym: flinch, wince, cringe, shudder, quiver
decrepitude
a sign of old age
e.g. “She was saddened by the decrepitude of many of the nursing home residents.”
Synonyms: senescence, infirmity, weakness, frailty, debility
seminal
(from semen of sperm): meaning influential
e.g. “his seminal work on chaos theory”
Synonym: influential, formative, groundbreaking, pioneering
contravene
(contra + intervene) - violate
e.g. “he contravened the Official Secrets Act”
Synonym: breach, infringe, transgress
emblematic
(of something) symbolic
e.g. “the dove is emblematic of the organization’s mission to bring some peace to a troubled world”
Synonyms: totemic, symbolic, allegorical
fungible
(freely exchangeable) - interchangeable
e.g. “since fruits and vegetables are regarded as fungible in this diet, you are allowed a total of five servings of either or both”
Synonym: substitutable, interchangeable
mordant
- (more daanth) - having or showing a sharp or critical quality; biting.
e.g. “a mordant review of the movie that compared it to having one’s teeth pulled for two hours”
Synonym: acerbic, sardonic, biting, acerbic, caustic, satiric
high-minded
having strong moral principles
e.g. “high-minded efforts to improve the lives of people who are less fortunate”
Synonym: noble, sublime, gallant, chivalrous, magnanimous, lofty
fester
(if you foster a sore it will become fester) - aggravate
e.g. “a week after the battle the corpses of the fallen were still festering in the fields”
Synonym: putrefy, degrade, decay
raillery
- friendly/joking
- good-humoured teasing
e.g. “Luke had to put up with a lot of raillery from his sister the first time he asked a girl for a date”
Synonym: ribbing, chaff, banter, ragging, badinage
dovish
(dove is a soap and its nature is not to fight) - peaceful
e.g. “the party’s dovish faction has regarded the war as a bad idea from the get-go”
Synonym: pacifist, pacific, irenic, benevolent, peaceable, serene
woo
(if I ask my crush and she agrees I say woohoo so I gain) - to gain
e.g. “his attempts to woo approval from working-class voters has not met with much success”
Synonym: chase, pursue
decry
(de+cry kids cry when they want to show disapproval) - condemn
e.g. “they decried human rights abuses”
Synonym: rebuke, asperse, calumniate, censure, excoriate
unyielding
to not give up/adamant but yielding is to surrender
e.g. “his unyielding faith in Islam”
Synonym: resolute, inflexible, intransigent, adamant, tenacious, obdurate
polymath
Mr know it all; encyclopediac
e.g. “a Renaissance polymath”
Synonym: genius, virtuoso, wizard
partisan
biased
e.g. “we will need people to put partisan politics aside and work with us for the good of the country”
Synonym: colored, one-sided, prejudiced, tendentious
limpid
clear
e.g. “her eyes are the blue of a limpid stream of water”
Synonym: crystalline, translucent, pellucid, lucid
trenchant
(ants are clear headed and walk in straight lines and never deviate) - Having keen perception
e.g. “the White Paper makes trenchant criticisms of health authorities”
Synonym: acerbic, biting, caustic, incisive, mordant, salient
hidebound
(bound to hide something as they are narrow-minded so difficult to explain to them) - narrow-minded
e.g. “they are working to change hidebound corporate cultures”
Synonym: conservative, orthodox, hard-line
hoodwink
(wink under hood of jacket) - meaning you deceive
e.g. “staff were hoodwinked into thinking the cucumber was a sawn-off shotgun”
Synonym: deceive, trick, dupe, gull, hoax
disenchant
When reality hits you
e.g. “he may have been disenchanted by the loss of his huge following”
Synonym: disabuse, disillusion, undeceive, debunk
tyro
beginner; beginning stage
e.g. “Tammy was still a tyro in ballet, but her enthusiasm to learn was inspiring.”
Synonyms: nascent, budding, neophyte, embryonic
alarmist
a person who alarms others needlessly
e.g. “the problem is a fabrication by alarmists”
Synonym: scaremonger, doomster, pessimist
import
is used as short form for importance on the GRE
blight
(bina light ke eyes get spoilt) - Spoilt
e.g. “the vacant properties are a blight on the neighbourhood”
Synonym: contamination, corruption, excrescence, deformity
concoct
to make up/invent
e.g. “trying to concoct an explanation for how the lamp got broken by itself”
Synonym: contrive, create, devise
portend
There is a sign for port end): sign/indicate
e.g. “If you’re superstitious, a black cat portends trouble.”
Synonym: augur, bespeak, betoken, predict, presage
convulsion
turmoil
e.g. “the Russian Revolution was one of the major convulsions of the 20th century”
Synonym: cataclysm, tumult, turbulence, upheaval
rein
control
e.g. “with an effort, she reined back her impatience”
Synonym: restrain, curb, constrain, hinder, impede, stymie
at a premium
difficult to get as it is scarce
e.g.
Synonym: scant, sparse
inert
(From scientific term inertia) - unable to move
e.g. “the inert, abandoned factories that are scattered all over that dying city”
Synonym: dormant, immobile, idle
compunction
(come and punch me when you feel you have done something wrong): Feeling remorseful/apologetic
e.g. “throughout her school years she cheated without compunction”
Synonym: qualm, attrition, conscience, contrition, misgiving, penitence
abet
(a bet in cricket) - to encourage in some wrongdoing
e.g. “he was not guilty of murder but was guilty of aiding and abetting others”
Synonym: provoke, promote, instigate, incite, foment
antithesis
(anti+thesis) - Exact opposite of someone/something
e.g. “true love for another is the antithesis of the desire to control that person’s life”
Synonym: opposite, contrary, counter
proprietary
ownership
e.g. “The restaurant’s proprietary recipe for barbecue sauce is only known to the head chef.”
Synonym: exclusive, sole
factious
disagreeing
e.g. “a factious country”
Synonym: cohesionless, disunited, fractionated, contentious, discordant
fractious
annoyed; (typically of children) irritable and quarrelsome
e.g. “they fight and squabble like fractious children”
Synonym: irritable, irascible, recalcitrant, vex
noisome
(When you fart in silence it’s noisome as it spreads bad odour): Bad odour/smell.
e.g. “noisome vapours from the smouldering waste”
Synonym: fetid, fusty, malodorous, musty, putrid
founder
(fo+under go under the sink) - collapse
e.g. “the theater company foundered after its corporate funding dried up”
Synonym: collapse, fall, lurch
flummery
meaningless
e.g. “All this flummery was, as we all know, meaningless.”
Synonym: triviality, frivolity
rapacious
greedy
e.g. “Where this leaves the more rapacious companies remains to be seen.”
Synonym: ravenous, voracious, gluttonous, piggish, edacious, esurient
douse
extinguish
e.g. “douse the campfire before leaving in the morning”
Synonym: extinguish, quench, choke
gaffe
(goof ups just like goofy in scooby- Doo) - blunders
e.g. “committed a huge gaffe when she started drinking from the finger bowl”
Synonym: blooper, blunder, impropriety, indiscretion
to keep abreast of
Up to a particular standard
e.g. “I try to keep abreast of any developments.”
Synonym: follow, keep up follow, trace
umbrage
(from rage) - To take offence
e.g. “took umbrage at the slightest suggestion of disrespect”
Synonym: huff, anger, frustration, indignation, dudgeon, outrage
welter
(from world tour so don’t know which country to start from) - hodepodge
e.g. “there’s such a welter of conflicting rules”
Synonym: commotion, disturbance, turmoil
ravel
complicate
e.g. “It took Daisy a long time to ravel out all the wool.”
Synonym: disentangle, free, loosen, unbraid
fealty
(sounds like fidelity and that means loyalty) - loyalty
e.g. “they owed fealty to the Earl rather than the King”
Synonym: fidelity, allegiance, obligation
fusty
(rhymes with rusty) - outmoded/unpleasant smell
e.g. “couldn’t stay too long in the fusty attic without sneezing”
Synonym: malodorous, noisome, rancid
obeisance
(obedient sons always respect others): To show respect (is usually used negatively on the real GRE e.g. bootlicking).
e.g. “they paid obeisance to the Prince”
Synonym: acquiescence, obedience, obsequiousness, curtsy
bridle; manacle
(a bride bridles and controls her husband) - to control
e.g. “At first she seems to bridle at that, but not for long.”
Synonym: check, control, curb, deterrent, suppress, bristle
erstwhile
one-time
e.g. “my erstwhile friend ignored me when I ran into her at the reunion”
Synonym: former, old, other, quondam
callow
(cal+low meaning calibre low) - Immature
e.g. “a story about a callow youth who learns the value of hard work and self-reliance”
Synonym: inexperienced, immature, adolescent, young, juvenile, unformed, puerile
obviate
(rhymes with deviate) - prevent from happening
e.g. “the presence of roller blinds obviated the need for curtains”
Synonym: prevent, avert, preclude, foreclose
valorize
to assign value or validity
e.g. “Unable to face an uncertain future, they valorized the past, failing to address the present in which they lived.”
Synonym: glorify, exalt, enhance, enrich, esteem, validate
preternatural
(Spider man’s peter Parker) - surpassing the natural
e.g. “an editor with a preternatural sense of what will interest the book-buying public”
Synonym: unwonted, exceeding, anomalous, incredible, phenomenal, peculiar, especial, aberrant, atypical, uncanny
monolithic
(mono is single and this is thick) - so solid and uniform
e.g. “IPC moved the paper from Covent Garden to the monolithic King’s Reach Tower”
Synonym: colossal, gigantic, titanic, monumental, enormous
hedge
(Hedgehog is a shy animal and tries to avoid contact with humans) - to avoid
e.g. “kept hedging whenever asked for an opinion on the matter”
Synonym: equivocation, evasion, fudge, quibble, prevaricate
gloat
(Ignorant people treat goats badly and gloat at it) - Happy with their own success and even happier at others’ failure.
e.g. “his enemies gloated over his death”
Synonym: crow, exult, rejoice, relish, vaunt
kindred
(relates with kindergarden with same age students) - affiliation or similar in character
e.g. “these books touch on kindred subjects”
Synonym: agnate, cognate, congeneric, incident, kin, parallel
ludicrous
(if you somewhat rearrange the word, it changes to ridiculous) - ridiculous
e.g. “it’s ludicrous that I have been fined”
Synonym: absurd, ridiculous, farcical, preposterous, asinine
sift
(opposite of swift) - to go through very carefully
e.g. “it will take them weeks to sift through the evidence”
Synonym: analyze, inspect, comb, winnow
lull
(from lullaby) - rest/calm
e.g. “the absence of attacks for such an extended period had lulled the nation into a false sense of security”
Synonym: recess, abeyance, quiescence, equanimity
bemoan
(be mourn) - to complain/regret
e.g. “it was no use bemoaning her lot”
Synonym: mournful, heartbroken, melancholy, woeful, agonized, regretful, bewailing, doleful
scaremonger
(Mongolian moms are extra cautious) - to raise alarms needlessly
e.g. “I do not believe that anybody should scaremonger and frighten old people for the sake of it.”
Synonym: alarmist, pessimist
covet
(from car Corvette; everyone wishes to have it) - to wish for
e.g. “I covet one of their smart bags”
Synonym: crave, begrudge, envy
