GRE Set 6 Flashcards
1
Q
abase
A
Degrade or humble, to lower in rank, status, or esteem;
2
Q
abate
A
Reduce, diminish;
3
Q
abdicate
A
Formally give up the throne (or some other power or responsibility);
4
Q
aberrant
A
Abnormal, deviant;
5
Q
abeyance
A
Temporary suspension, inactivity;
6
Q
abhor
A
Detest, regard with disgust;
7
Q
abjure
A
Give up, renounce, repudiate, recant, or shun (especially formally or under oath);
8
Q
abrasive
A
Rough, suitable for grinding or polishing (such as sandpaper), causing irritation or annoyance;
9
Q
abreast
A
Side-by-side, the more common “abreast of” means keeping up with, staying aware of, or remaining equal in progress with;
10
Q
abridge
A
Reduce or lessen, shorten by omitting parts throughout while retaining the main idea;
11
Q
abscission
A
Cutting off, sudden termination, the separation of leaves, petals, or other parts from a plant or animal;
12
Q
abscond
A
Depart suddenly and secretively;
13
Q
abstain
A
Hold back, refrain (especially from something bad or unhealthy), decline to vote;
14
Q
abyss
A
A deep and vast space or cavity, anything profound or infinite;
15
Q
accede
A
Agree, give consent, assume power
16
Q
accretion
A
Gradual increase, an added part or addition;
17
Q
acerbic
A
Sour, harsh or severe;
18
Q
acidulous
A
Slightly acid or sour, sharp or caustic;
19
Q
acme
A
Summit, peak, highest point;
20
Q
activism
A
The practice of pursuing political or other goals through vigorous action, often including protests and demonstrations;
21
Q
acumen
A
Keen, quick, accurate insight or judgment;
22
Q
adhere
A
Stick (to), such as with glue, or to a plan or belief;
23
Q
admonish
A
Mildly scold, caution, advise, or remind to do something;
24
Q
adulterate
A
Make impure by adding inappropriate or inferior ingredients;
25
adumbrate
Give a rough outline of, foreshadow, reveal only partially, obscure;
26
adverse
Opposing, harmful;
27
advocate
Speak or argue in favor of (verb), a person who pleads for a cause or on behalf of another person (noun);
28
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;
29
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);
30
affable
Warm and friendly, pleasant, approachable;
31
affectation
Fake behavior (such as in speech or dress) adopted to give a certain impression;
32
aggrandize
Make greater, exaggerate;
33
aggregate
Gather together, amount to (verb), constituting a whole made up of constituent parts (adj);
34
alacrity
Cheerful or speedy willingness;
35
albeit
Although, even though;
36
alienate
Cause to become unfriendly, hostile, or distant;
37
alleviate
Lessen, make easier to endure;
38
aloof
Distant physically or emotionally, reserved, indifferent;
39
amalgamate
Blend, merge, or unite;
40
ambiguous
Not clear, hard to understand, open to having several meanings or interpretations;
41
ambivalent
Uncertain, unable to decide, or wanting to do two contradictory things at once;
42
ameliorate
Improve, make better or more bearable;
43
amortize
Gradually pay off a debt, or gradually write off an asset;
44
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;
45
analgesia
Pain relief, inability to feel pain;
46
analogous
Comparable, corresponding in some particular way (making a good analogy);
47
anarchy
Absence of law or government, chaos, disorder;
48
annul
Make void or null, cancel, abolish (usually of laws or other established rules);
49
anodyne
Medicine that relieves pain (noun), soothing, relieving pain (adj);
50
anoint
Rub or sprinkle oil on; make sacred, such as by a ceremony that includes applying oil to someone
51
anomaly
Deviation from what is common; inconsistency
52
antagonize
Make hostile or unfriendly
53
antedate
Be older than, precede in time; assign to an earlier date
54
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)
55
apathy
Not caring; absence of feeling; lack of interest or concern
56
apocryphal
Of questionable authenticity; false
57
apostate
Person who deserts a party, cause, religion, etc.
58
apostle
Pioneer of a reform movement (originally, an early follower of Jesus)
59
apposite
Highly appropriate, suitable, or relevant
60
apprise
Inform, give notice to
61
approbation
Praise or approval, especially formal approval
62
appropriate
Set aside or authorize (such as money) for a particular purpose; take for one's own use
63
arbiter
Judge, umpire, person empowered to decide matters at hand
64
arcane
Known or understood by only a few; obscure, secret
65
archaic
Characteristic of an earlier period, ancient, primitive
66
ardent
Very passionate, devoted, or enthusiastic
67
arduous
Very difficult, strenuous; severe, hard to endure
68
arrogate
Claim or take presumptuously or without the right to do so
69
articulate
Using language in a clear, fluent way (adj); speak distinctly or give clarity to an idea (verb)
70
artifact
Any object made by humans, especially those from an earlier time, such as those excavated by archaeologists
71
artless
Free of deceit or craftiness, natural, genuine; lacking skill or knowledge, crude, uncultured
72
ascertain
Find out with certainty
73
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
74
ascribe
Assign or credit to a certain cause or source
75
aseptic
Free from germs
76
asperity
Rigor, severity; harshness or sharpness of tone; roughness of surface
77
aspersions
Damaging remarks, defamation, slander
78
assail
Attack violently, assault
79
assiduous
Persevering, diligent, constant
80
assuage
Make milder, relieve; soothe, pacify, or calm
81
attenuate
Weaken or thin out
82
attuned
In harmony; in sympathetic relationship
83
audacious
Very bold or brave, often in a rude or reckless way; extremely original
84
augment
Make larger
85
augury
Telling the future, such as through supernatural means
86
august
Venerable, majestic; inspiring admiration
87
austere
Severe in manner or appearance; very self-disciplined, ascetic; without luxury or ease; sober or serious
88
autonomous
Self-governing, independent
89
avarice
Insatiable greed; a miserly desire to hoard wealth
90
aver
Declare or affirm with confidence
91
avid
Enthusiastic, dedicated, passionate; excessively desirous
92
axiom
Self-evident truth requiring no proof; universally or generally accepted principle
93
balk
Refuse to proceed or to do something
94
balloon
Swell or puff out; increase rapidly
95
banal
Lacking freshness and originality; cliché
96
bane
Something that ruins or spoils
97
base
Morally low, mean, dishonorable; of little or no value; crude and unrefined; counterfeit
98
baying
Howling in a deep way, like a dog or wolf
99
belie
Contradict or misrepresent
100
beneficent
Doing good
101
benign
Harmless; favorable; kindly, gentle, or beneficial; not cancerous
102
bent
Personal inclination or tendency
103
besiege
Attack, overwhelm, crowd in on or surround
104
bevy
Group of birds or other animals that stay close together; any large group
105
bifurcate
To fork into two branches or divide into two halves
106
bilk
Cheat or defraud
107
blight
Disease that kills plants rapidly, or any cause of decay or destruction (noun); ruin or cause to wither (verb)
108
blithe
Joyous, merry; excessively carefree (so as to ignore more important concerns)
109
bogus
Fake, fraudulent
110
bolster
Strengthen or support
111
bombastic
(Of speech or writing) far too showy or dramatic than is appropriate; pretentious
112
bonhomie
Friendliness, open and simple good-heartedness
113
boor
Rude, ill-mannered, or insensitive person; a peasant or country bumpkin
114
brandish
Shake, wave, or flourish, as a weapon
115
brook
Suffer or tolerate
116
bucolic
Pertaining to shepherds; suggesting a peaceful and pleasant view of rural life
117
buffer
Something that shields, protects, absorbs shock, or cushions
118
bureaucracy
Government characterized by many bureaus and petty administrators or by excessive, seemingly meaningless requirements
119
burgeon
Grow or flourish rapidly; put forth buds or shoots (of a plant)
120
burnish
Polish, make smooth and lustrous
121
buttress
Support or encourage (verb); a support or prop, esp. projecting from and supporting the wall of a building (noun)
122
bygone
Past, former (adj); that which is in the past (usually plural noun)
123
cacophony
Harsh, discordant, or meaningless mixture of sounds
124
calumny
Malicious lie intended to hurt someone's reputation; the act of telling such lies
125
canard
Rumor, a false or baseless story
126
candid
Open, sincere, honest
127
canonical
Authorized, recognized; pertaining to the canon, or body of accepted rules, standards or artistic works
128
capricious
Acting on impulse, erratic
129
cardinal
Chief, most important
130
cartography
Mapmaking
131
castigate
Criticize severely; punish in order to correct
132
catalyst
Causer of change
133
catholic
Universal, broad-minded
134
caustic
Capable of corroding metal or burning the skin; very critical or sarcastic
135
censure
Strong disapproval or official reprimand (noun); to issue such disapproval or reprimand (verb)
136
chauvinism
Fanatical patriotism or blind enthusiasm for military glory; undue or biased devotion to any group, cause, etc.
137
chicanery
Trickery, deception by knowingly false arguments
138
chronological
Arranged in or relating to time order
139
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
140
circumspect
Cautious, prudent; careful to consider the circumstances and consequences
141
clamber
Climb awkwardly or with difficulty, scramble
142
clamor
Noisy uproar or protest, as from a crowd; a loud, continuous noise
143
clinch
Make final or settle conclusively; to fasten or hold together
144
cloying
Disgustingly or distastefully sweet
145
coagulate
Cause a liquid to become solid or semisolid
146
coalesce
Come together, unite; fuse together
147
coda
Final part of a musical composition; an ending, esp. one that sums up what has come before
148
coffer
Chest for storing valuables; financial resources, a treasury
149
cogent
Very convincing, logical
150
collude
Conspire; cooperate for illegal or fraudulent purposes
151
commensurate
The same in size, extent, etc., equivalent; proportional
152
compendium
Concise but complete summary; a list or collection
153
complacent
Self-satisfied, smug; overly content (and therefore lazy, neglectful, or some other bad quality)
154
complaisant
Eager to please; cheerfully complying
155
complementary
Completing; fitting together well; filling mutual needs
156
compliant
Obeying, submissive; following the requirements
157
concede
Give in, admit, yield; acknowledge reluctantly; grant or give up (such as giving up land after losing a war)
158
counterintuitive
Against what one would intuitively expect
159
conciliatory
Reconciling, appeasing, attempting to make the peace
160
counterpoint
Contrasting item, opposite; a complement; the use of contrast or interplay in a work of art
161
concur
Approve, agree
162
counterproductive
Defeating the purpose; preventing the intended goal
163
condone
Overlook, tolerate, regard as harmless
164
confer
Consult, compare views; bestow or give
165
confound
Confuse, frustrate; mix up or make worse
166
connoisseur
Expert, especially in the fine arts; person of educated, refined tastes
167
connote
Suggest or imply in addition to the precise, literal meaning
168
console
Lessen the suffering or grief of (verb); a control panel, or small table or cabinet (noun)
169
consolidate
Unite, combine, solidify, make coherent
170
constrict
Squeeze, compress; restrict the freedom of
171
construe
Interpret or translate
172
contentious
Controversial; prone to causing arguments, especially gratuitous or petty ones
173
contextualize
Place in context, such as by giving the background or circumstances
174
contraries
Things that are opposing; either of two opposite things
175
contrite
Remorseful; feeling sorry for one's offenses or sins
176
contumacious
Rebellious; stubbornly disobedient
177
conundrum
Riddle, the answer to which involves a play on words; any mystery
178
converge
Move towards one another or towards a point; unite
179
conversant
Knowledgeable about or experienced with
180
conversely
In an opposite way; on the other hand
181
convoke
Call together, as to a meeting
182
convoluted
Twisted; very complicated
183
copious
Plentiful, bountiful
184
corroborate
Support, add evidence to
185
cosmopolitan
Belonging to the entire world, at home globally; free from local or national prejudices or attachments
186
cosset
Treat as a pet, pamper
187
coterie
Close or exclusive group, clique
188
countenance
Facial expression or face (noun); approve or tolerate (verb)
189
covert
Secret, veiled, undercover
190
crafty
Cunning, skillful in deception or underhanded schemes
191
credibility
Believability, trustworthiness
192
credulous
Gullible; prone to believing or trusting too easily or without enough evidence
193
crescendo
Steady increase in force, intensity, or the loudness of a musical passage; a climactic moment or peak
194
culminate
Reach the highest point or final stage
195
cupidity
Greed, great or excessive desire
196
curmudgeon
Bad-tempered, difficult person; grouch
197
cynical
Thinking the worst of others' motivations; bitterly pessimistic
198
daunt
Discourage, dishearten, lessen the courage of
199
debase
Degrade; lower in quality, value, rank, etc.; lower in moral quality
200
debunk
Expose, ridicule, or disprove false or exaggerated claims
201
declaim
Speak in an impassioned, pompous, or oratorical manner; give a formal speech
202
declivity
Downward slope
203
decorous
Behaving with propriety and good taste; polite
204
deem
Judge; consider
205
deface
Vandalize, mar the appearance of
206
default
Failure to act, neglect (noun); fail to fulfill an obligation, especially a financial one (verb)
207
deference
Respectful submission; yielding to the authority or opinion of another
208
deflect
Cause to curve; turn aside, esp. from a straight course; avoid
209
deleterious
Harmful, unhealthful
210
delimit
Fix, mark, or define the boundaries of
211
delineate
Mark the outline of; sketch; describe in detail
212
demagogue
A leader who lies and gains power by arousing the passions and especially prejudices of the people
213
demur
Show reluctance or object, especially for moral reasons
214
denigrate
Belittle, attack the reputation of
215
denote
Be a name or symbol for
216
deride
Mock, scoff at, laugh at contemptuously
217
derivative
Derived from something else; not original
218
desiccate
Thoroughly dried up, dehydrated
219
desultory
Lacking consistency or order, disconnected, sporadic; going off topic
220
detached
Impartial, disinterested; unconcerned, distant, aloof
221
deterrent
Something that restrains or discourages
222
diaphanous
Very sheer, fine, translucent
223
diatribe
Bitter, abusive attack or criticism; rant
224
dichotomy
Division into two parts or into two contradictory groups
225
dictum
Formal or authoritative pronouncement; saying or proverb
226
didactic
Intended to instruct; teaching, or teaching a moral lesson
227
diffident
Lacking confidence, shy
228
diffuse
Spread widely, disseminate (verb); dispersed, widely spread out, or wordy and going off-topic (adj)
229
digress
Go off-topic when speaking or writing
230
dilate
To become wider or make wider, cause to expand; to speak or write at length, elaborate upon
231
dilatory
Slow, late; procrastinating or stalling for time
232
dilettante
Person who takes up an art or activity for amusement only or in a superficial way
233
din
Loud, confused noise, esp. for a long period of time
234
dirge
A funeral or mourning song or poem
235
disabuse
Free someone from a mistake in thinking
236
discerning
Having good judgment or insight; able to distinguish mentally
237
discomfiting
Disconcerting, confusing, frustrating
238
discordant
Harsh or inharmonious in sound; disagreeing, incongruous
239
discredit
Injure the reputation of, destroy credibility of or confidence in
240
discrepancy
Difference or inconsistency
241
discrete
Separate, distinct, detached, existing as individual parts
242
discriminating
Judicious, discerning, having good judgment or insight
243
disingenuous
Insincere, not genuine
244
disinterested
Unbiased, impartial; not interested
245
disjointed
Disconnected, not coherent, jerky; having the joints separated
246
dismiss
Allow to disperse or leave; fire from a job; put aside or reject, especially after only a brief consideration
247
disparage
Belittle, put down; bring shame upon, discredit
248
disparate
Distinct, different
249
dispassionate
Unbiased, not having a selfish or personal motivation; calm, lacking emotion
250
dispatch
Speed, promptness; send off or deal with in a speedy way
251
disperse
Scatter, spread widely, cause to vanish
252
disposition
A person's general or natural mood; tendency
253
disquieting
Disturbing, causing anxiety
254
dissemble
Mislead, conceal the truth, put on a false appearance of
255
disseminate
Scatter, spread about, broadcast
256
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
257
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
258
dissonance
Harsh, inharmonious sound; cacophony; disagreement
259
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
260
distend
Swell, expand, stretch, bloat
261
distill
Purify; extract the essential elements of
262
dither
Act indecisively (verb); a state of fear or trembling excitement
