GRE Set 6 Flashcards
abase
Degrade or humble, to lower in rank, status, or esteem;
abate
Reduce, diminish;
abdicate
Formally give up the throne (or some other power or responsibility);
aberrant
Abnormal, deviant;
abeyance
Temporary suspension, inactivity;
abhor
Detest, regard with disgust;
abjure
Give up, renounce, repudiate, recant, or shun (especially formally or under oath);
abrasive
Rough, suitable for grinding or polishing (such as sandpaper), causing irritation or annoyance;
abreast
Side-by-side, the more common “abreast of” means keeping up with, staying aware of, or remaining equal in progress with;
abridge
Reduce or lessen, shorten by omitting parts throughout while retaining the main idea;
abscission
Cutting off, sudden termination, the separation of leaves, petals, or other parts from a plant or animal;
abscond
Depart suddenly and secretively;
abstain
Hold back, refrain (especially from something bad or unhealthy), decline to vote;
abyss
A deep and vast space or cavity, anything profound or infinite;
accede
Agree, give consent, assume power
accretion
Gradual increase, an added part or addition;
acerbic
Sour, harsh or severe;
acidulous
Slightly acid or sour, sharp or caustic;
acme
Summit, peak, highest point;
activism
The practice of pursuing political or other goals through vigorous action, often including protests and demonstrations;
acumen
Keen, quick, accurate insight or judgment;
adhere
Stick (to), such as with glue, or to a plan or belief;
admonish
Mildly scold, caution, advise, or remind to do something;
adulterate
Make impure by adding inappropriate or inferior ingredients;
adumbrate
Give a rough outline of, foreshadow, reveal only partially, obscure;
adverse
Opposing, harmful;
advocate
Speak or argue in favor of (verb), a person who pleads for a cause or on behalf of another person (noun);
aerie
Dwelling or fortress built on a high place, the nest of a bird of prey, such as an eagle or hawk, built on a mountain or cliff;
aesthetic
Concerning the appreciation of beauty or good taste, pertaining to the science of what is beautiful (adj), a sense of beauty and taste of a particular time and place (noun);
affable
Warm and friendly, pleasant, approachable;
affectation
Fake behavior (such as in speech or dress) adopted to give a certain impression;
aggrandize
Make greater, exaggerate;
aggregate
Gather together, amount to (verb), constituting a whole made up of constituent parts (adj);
alacrity
Cheerful or speedy willingness;
albeit
Although, even though;
alienate
Cause to become unfriendly, hostile, or distant;
alleviate
Lessen, make easier to endure;
aloof
Distant physically or emotionally, reserved, indifferent;
amalgamate
Blend, merge, or unite;
ambiguous
Not clear, hard to understand, open to having several meanings or interpretations;
ambivalent
Uncertain, unable to decide, or wanting to do two contradictory things at once;
ameliorate
Improve, make better or more bearable;
amortize
Gradually pay off a debt, or gradually write off an asset;
anachronism
Something that is not in its correct historical time, a mistake in chronology, such as by assigning a person or event to the wrong time period;
analgesia
Pain relief, inability to feel pain;
analogous
Comparable, corresponding in some particular way (making a good analogy);
anarchy
Absence of law or government, chaos, disorder;
annul
Make void or null, cancel, abolish (usually of laws or other established rules);
anodyne
Medicine that relieves pain (noun), soothing, relieving pain (adj);
anoint
Rub or sprinkle oil on; make sacred, such as by a ceremony that includes applying oil to someone
anomaly
Deviation from what is common; inconsistency
antagonize
Make hostile or unfriendly
antedate
Be older than, precede in time; assign to an earlier date
antithetical
Directly opposed, opposite; involving antithesis (the rhetorical act of placing two phrases opposite one another for contrast, as in love me or hate me)
apathy
Not caring; absence of feeling; lack of interest or concern
apocryphal
Of questionable authenticity; false
apostate
Person who deserts a party, cause, religion, etc.
apostle
Pioneer of a reform movement (originally, an early follower of Jesus)
apposite
Highly appropriate, suitable, or relevant
apprise
Inform, give notice to
approbation
Praise or approval, especially formal approval
appropriate
Set aside or authorize (such as money) for a particular purpose; take for one’s own use
arbiter
Judge, umpire, person empowered to decide matters at hand
arcane
Known or understood by only a few; obscure, secret
archaic
Characteristic of an earlier period, ancient, primitive
ardent
Very passionate, devoted, or enthusiastic
arduous
Very difficult, strenuous; severe, hard to endure
arrogate
Claim or take presumptuously or without the right to do so
articulate
Using language in a clear, fluent way (adj); speak distinctly or give clarity to an idea (verb)
artifact
Any object made by humans, especially those from an earlier time, such as those excavated by archaeologists
artless
Free of deceit or craftiness, natural, genuine; lacking skill or knowledge, crude, uncultured
ascertain
Find out with certainty
ascetic
Abstinent or austere in lifestyle (adj); a person who leads an austere and simple life without material pleasures, esp. someone who does this for religious reasons
ascribe
Assign or credit to a certain cause or source
aseptic
Free from germs
asperity
Rigor, severity; harshness or sharpness of tone; roughness of surface
aspersions
Damaging remarks, defamation, slander
assail
Attack violently, assault
assiduous
Persevering, diligent, constant
assuage
Make milder, relieve; soothe, pacify, or calm
attenuate
Weaken or thin out
attuned
In harmony; in sympathetic relationship
audacious
Very bold or brave, often in a rude or reckless way; extremely original
augment
Make larger
augury
Telling the future, such as through supernatural means
august
Venerable, majestic; inspiring admiration
austere
Severe in manner or appearance; very self-disciplined, ascetic; without luxury or ease; sober or serious
autonomous
Self-governing, independent
avarice
Insatiable greed; a miserly desire to hoard wealth
aver
Declare or affirm with confidence
avid
Enthusiastic, dedicated, passionate; excessively desirous
axiom
Self-evident truth requiring no proof; universally or generally accepted principle
balk
Refuse to proceed or to do something
balloon
Swell or puff out; increase rapidly
banal
Lacking freshness and originality; cliché
bane
Something that ruins or spoils
base
Morally low, mean, dishonorable; of little or no value; crude and unrefined; counterfeit
baying
Howling in a deep way, like a dog or wolf
belie
Contradict or misrepresent
beneficent
Doing good
benign
Harmless; favorable; kindly, gentle, or beneficial; not cancerous
bent
Personal inclination or tendency
besiege
Attack, overwhelm, crowd in on or surround
bevy
Group of birds or other animals that stay close together; any large group
bifurcate
To fork into two branches or divide into two halves
bilk
Cheat or defraud
blight
Disease that kills plants rapidly, or any cause of decay or destruction (noun); ruin or cause to wither (verb)
blithe
Joyous, merry; excessively carefree (so as to ignore more important concerns)
bogus
Fake, fraudulent
bolster
Strengthen or support
bombastic
(Of speech or writing) far too showy or dramatic than is appropriate; pretentious
bonhomie
Friendliness, open and simple good-heartedness
boor
Rude, ill-mannered, or insensitive person; a peasant or country bumpkin
brandish
Shake, wave, or flourish, as a weapon
brook
Suffer or tolerate
bucolic
Pertaining to shepherds; suggesting a peaceful and pleasant view of rural life
buffer
Something that shields, protects, absorbs shock, or cushions
bureaucracy
Government characterized by many bureaus and petty administrators or by excessive, seemingly meaningless requirements
burgeon
Grow or flourish rapidly; put forth buds or shoots (of a plant)
burnish
Polish, make smooth and lustrous
buttress
Support or encourage (verb); a support or prop, esp. projecting from and supporting the wall of a building (noun)
bygone
Past, former (adj); that which is in the past (usually plural noun)
cacophony
Harsh, discordant, or meaningless mixture of sounds
calumny
Malicious lie intended to hurt someone’s reputation; the act of telling such lies
canard
Rumor, a false or baseless story
candid
Open, sincere, honest
canonical
Authorized, recognized; pertaining to the canon, or body of accepted rules, standards or artistic works
capricious
Acting on impulse, erratic
cardinal
Chief, most important
cartography
Mapmaking
castigate
Criticize severely; punish in order to correct
catalyst
Causer of change
catholic
Universal, broad-minded
caustic
Capable of corroding metal or burning the skin; very critical or sarcastic
censure
Strong disapproval or official reprimand (noun); to issue such disapproval or reprimand (verb)
chauvinism
Fanatical patriotism or blind enthusiasm for military glory; undue or biased devotion to any group, cause, etc.
chicanery
Trickery, deception by knowingly false arguments
chronological
Arranged in or relating to time order
circumscribe
Strictly limit a role, range of activity, or area; in math, to be constructed around so as to touch as many points as possible
circumspect
Cautious, prudent; careful to consider the circumstances and consequences
clamber
Climb awkwardly or with difficulty, scramble
clamor
Noisy uproar or protest, as from a crowd; a loud, continuous noise
clinch
Make final or settle conclusively; to fasten or hold together
cloying
Disgustingly or distastefully sweet
coagulate
Cause a liquid to become solid or semisolid
coalesce
Come together, unite; fuse together
coda
Final part of a musical composition; an ending, esp. one that sums up what has come before
coffer
Chest for storing valuables; financial resources, a treasury
cogent
Very convincing, logical
collude
Conspire; cooperate for illegal or fraudulent purposes
commensurate
The same in size, extent, etc., equivalent; proportional
compendium
Concise but complete summary; a list or collection
complacent
Self-satisfied, smug; overly content (and therefore lazy, neglectful, or some other bad quality)
complaisant
Eager to please; cheerfully complying
complementary
Completing; fitting together well; filling mutual needs
compliant
Obeying, submissive; following the requirements
concede
Give in, admit, yield; acknowledge reluctantly; grant or give up (such as giving up land after losing a war)
counterintuitive
Against what one would intuitively expect
conciliatory
Reconciling, appeasing, attempting to make the peace
counterpoint
Contrasting item, opposite; a complement; the use of contrast or interplay in a work of art
concur
Approve, agree
counterproductive
Defeating the purpose; preventing the intended goal
condone
Overlook, tolerate, regard as harmless
confer
Consult, compare views; bestow or give
confound
Confuse, frustrate; mix up or make worse
connoisseur
Expert, especially in the fine arts; person of educated, refined tastes
connote
Suggest or imply in addition to the precise, literal meaning
console
Lessen the suffering or grief of (verb); a control panel, or small table or cabinet (noun)
consolidate
Unite, combine, solidify, make coherent
constrict
Squeeze, compress; restrict the freedom of
construe
Interpret or translate
contentious
Controversial; prone to causing arguments, especially gratuitous or petty ones
contextualize
Place in context, such as by giving the background or circumstances
contraries
Things that are opposing; either of two opposite things
contrite
Remorseful; feeling sorry for one’s offenses or sins
contumacious
Rebellious; stubbornly disobedient
conundrum
Riddle, the answer to which involves a play on words; any mystery
converge
Move towards one another or towards a point; unite
conversant
Knowledgeable about or experienced with
conversely
In an opposite way; on the other hand
convoke
Call together, as to a meeting
convoluted
Twisted; very complicated
copious
Plentiful, bountiful
corroborate
Support, add evidence to
cosmopolitan
Belonging to the entire world, at home globally; free from local or national prejudices or attachments
cosset
Treat as a pet, pamper
coterie
Close or exclusive group, clique
countenance
Facial expression or face (noun); approve or tolerate (verb)
covert
Secret, veiled, undercover
crafty
Cunning, skillful in deception or underhanded schemes
credibility
Believability, trustworthiness
credulous
Gullible; prone to believing or trusting too easily or without enough evidence
crescendo
Steady increase in force, intensity, or the loudness of a musical passage; a climactic moment or peak
culminate
Reach the highest point or final stage
cupidity
Greed, great or excessive desire
curmudgeon
Bad-tempered, difficult person; grouch
cynical
Thinking the worst of others’ motivations; bitterly pessimistic
daunt
Discourage, dishearten, lessen the courage of
debase
Degrade; lower in quality, value, rank, etc.; lower in moral quality
debunk
Expose, ridicule, or disprove false or exaggerated claims
declaim
Speak in an impassioned, pompous, or oratorical manner; give a formal speech
declivity
Downward slope
decorous
Behaving with propriety and good taste; polite
deem
Judge; consider
deface
Vandalize, mar the appearance of
default
Failure to act, neglect (noun); fail to fulfill an obligation, especially a financial one (verb)
deference
Respectful submission; yielding to the authority or opinion of another
deflect
Cause to curve; turn aside, esp. from a straight course; avoid
deleterious
Harmful, unhealthful
delimit
Fix, mark, or define the boundaries of
delineate
Mark the outline of; sketch; describe in detail
demagogue
A leader who lies and gains power by arousing the passions and especially prejudices of the people
demur
Show reluctance or object, especially for moral reasons
denigrate
Belittle, attack the reputation of
denote
Be a name or symbol for
deride
Mock, scoff at, laugh at contemptuously
derivative
Derived from something else; not original
desiccate
Thoroughly dried up, dehydrated
desultory
Lacking consistency or order, disconnected, sporadic; going off topic
detached
Impartial, disinterested; unconcerned, distant, aloof
deterrent
Something that restrains or discourages
diaphanous
Very sheer, fine, translucent
diatribe
Bitter, abusive attack or criticism; rant
dichotomy
Division into two parts or into two contradictory groups
dictum
Formal or authoritative pronouncement; saying or proverb
didactic
Intended to instruct; teaching, or teaching a moral lesson
diffident
Lacking confidence, shy
diffuse
Spread widely, disseminate (verb); dispersed, widely spread out, or wordy and going off-topic (adj)
digress
Go off-topic when speaking or writing
dilate
To become wider or make wider, cause to expand; to speak or write at length, elaborate upon
dilatory
Slow, late; procrastinating or stalling for time
dilettante
Person who takes up an art or activity for amusement only or in a superficial way
din
Loud, confused noise, esp. for a long period of time
dirge
A funeral or mourning song or poem
disabuse
Free someone from a mistake in thinking
discerning
Having good judgment or insight; able to distinguish mentally
discomfiting
Disconcerting, confusing, frustrating
discordant
Harsh or inharmonious in sound; disagreeing, incongruous
discredit
Injure the reputation of, destroy credibility of or confidence in
discrepancy
Difference or inconsistency
discrete
Separate, distinct, detached, existing as individual parts
discriminating
Judicious, discerning, having good judgment or insight
disingenuous
Insincere, not genuine
disinterested
Unbiased, impartial; not interested
disjointed
Disconnected, not coherent, jerky; having the joints separated
dismiss
Allow to disperse or leave; fire from a job; put aside or reject, especially after only a brief consideration
disparage
Belittle, put down; bring shame upon, discredit
disparate
Distinct, different
dispassionate
Unbiased, not having a selfish or personal motivation; calm, lacking emotion
dispatch
Speed, promptness; send off or deal with in a speedy way
disperse
Scatter, spread widely, cause to vanish
disposition
A person’s general or natural mood; tendency
disquieting
Disturbing, causing anxiety
dissemble
Mislead, conceal the truth, put on a false appearance of
disseminate
Scatter, spread about, broadcast
dissent
Disagree or take an opposing view, esp. in relation to a formal body such as a government, political party, or church; such a view
dissolution
Dissolving, the state of having been dissolved; breaking bonds or breaking up of a group of people; death, disintegration; sinking into extreme hedonism, vice, and degradation
dissonance
Harsh, inharmonious sound; cacophony; disagreement
distaff
Female, esp. relating to the maternal side of the family; women or women’s work; a staff that holds wool or flax for spinning
distend
Swell, expand, stretch, bloat
distill
Purify; extract the essential elements of
dither
Act indecisively (verb); a state of fear or trembling excitement
