GRE Vocab Flashcards Deck 1
Abate
to reduce in amount, degree, or severity
Aberrant
deviating from the norm
Abjure
to renounce or reject solemnly; to recant; to avoid
Abrogate
to abolish or annul by authority; put down
Abscission
act of cutting off or removing
Abscond
to leave secretly; to steal off & hide
Abstain
to choose not to do something
Abyss
an extremely deep hole
Accolade
expression of praise; an award
Accretion
growth, increase by successive addition, building up
Adulterate
to make impure
Advocate
to speak in favor of
Aesthetic
concerning the appreciation of beauty
Aggrandize
to increase in power, influence, and reputation
Alleviate
to make more bearable
Amalgamate
to combine; to mix together
Ambiguous
doubtful or uncertain; able to be interpreted several ways
Ameliorate
to make better; to improve
Anachronism
something out of place in time
Analogous
similar or alike in some way; equivalent to
Anomaly
deviation from what is normal
Antagonize
to annoy or provoke to anger
Antipathy
extreme dislike
Apathy
lack of interest of emotion
Arbitrate
to judge a dispute between two opposing parties
Archaic
ancient, old-fashioned
Ardor
intense and passionate feeling
Articulate
able to speak clearly and expressively
Assuage
to make something unpleasant less severe
Attenuate
to reduce in force or degree; to weaken
Audacious
fearless and daring
Austere
severe or stern in appearance; undecorated
Baleful
sinister, pernicious, ominous
Banal
predictable, clich?d, boring
Bane
cause of injury, source of harm; source of persistent frustration
Beatify
to bless, make happy, or ascribe a virtue to; to regard as saintly
Bedizen
to adorn, especially in a cheap, showy manner; festoon, caparison
Belie
belligerent, pugnacious, warlike
Benign
favorable, harmless
Bent
leaning, inclination, proclivity, tendency
Blandish
to coax with flattery, toady or fawn
Bolster
to support; to prop up
Bombastic
pompous in speech and manner
Cacophony
harsh, jarring noise
Cadge
to sponge, beg, mooch
Cajole
to inveigle, coax, wheedle, sweet-talk
Calumniate
to slander, make a false accusation
Candid
impartial and honest in speech
Canon
an established set of principles or codes of laws, often religious in nature
Capricious
changing one?s mind quickly and often
Cardinal
of utmost important; primary
Caret
an insertion mark used by editors & proofreaders
Castigate
to punish or criticize harshly
Catalyst
something that brings about change in something else
Caustic
biting in wit
Chaos
great disorder or confusion
Chauvinist
someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he/she belong
Chicanery
deception by means of craft or guile
Cogent
convincing and well reasoned
Condone
to overlook, pardon, or disregard
Convoluted
intricate and complicated
Corroborate
to provide supporting evidence
Credulous
too trusting; gullible
Crescendo
steadily increasing volume or force
Damp
to diminish the intensity or check something, such as sound or feeling
Daunt
to intimidate or dismay
Dearth
smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; lack
Debacle
rout, fiasco, complete failure
Decorum
appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety
Deference
respect, courtesy
Deleterious
injurious; harmful
Demur
to question or oppose
Denigrate
blacken, belittle, sully, defame, disparage
Denouement
outcome or solution; unraveling of a plot
Deride
to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock
Desiccate
to dry out thoroughly
Desultory
jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
Diatribe
an abusive, condemnatory speech
Diffident
lacking self-confidence
Dilate
to make larger; to expand
Dilatory
intended to delay
Dilettante
someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
Dirge
funeral hymn or mournful speech
Disabuse
to set right; to free from error
Discern
to perceive; to recognize
Disparate
fundamentally different; entirely unlike
Dissemble
to present a false appearance; to disguise one?s real intentions or character
Dissonance
a harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds
Dogma
a firmly held opinion, often a religious belief
Dogmatic
dictatorial in one?s opinion
Dupe
to deceive (v); a person who is easily deceived (n)
Ebullience
quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts & feelings
Eccentric
departing from norms or conventions
Eclectic
selecting from or made up from a variety of sources
Edifying
enlightening, information
Efficacy
effectiveness
Effrontery
extreme boldness; presumptuousness
Effusive
gushing; excessively demonstrative
Egress
exit
Elegy
a sorrowful poem or speech
Eloquent
persuasive and moving, especially in speech
Emulate
to copy; to try to equal or excel
Enervate
to reduce in strength
Engender
to produce, cause, or bring about
Enigma
a puzzle; a mystery
Enumerate
to count, list, or itemize
Ephemeral
lasting a short time
Equivocate
to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead
Erratic
wandering and unpredictable
Erudite
learned, scholarly, bookish
Esoteric
known or understood by only a few
Estimable
admirable
Eulogy
speech in praise of someone
Euphemism
use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one
Exacerbate
to make worse
Exculpate
to clear from blame; prove innocent
Exigent
urgent; requiring immediate action
Explicit
clearly stated or shown; forthright in expression
Facetious
playful; humorous; not serious
Fallacy
invalid or incorrect notion; mistaken belief
Fallow
untilled, inactive, dormant
Fanatical
acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme unquestioned devotion
Fatuous
silly, inanely foolish
Fawn
to grovel; praise excessively
Feckless
ineffectual; irresponsible
Fell
barren or stony hill; animal?s hide
Fervid
intensely emotional; feverish
Florid
excessively decorated or embellished
Foment
to arose or incite
Frugality
a tendency to be thrifty or cheap
Gainsay
to deny, dispute, contradict, oppose
Gambol
to skip about playfully, frolic
Garner
to gather & save, store up; acquire
Garrulous
tending to talk a lot
Gauche
crude, awkward, tasteless
Germane
relevant to subject at hand; appropriate in subject matter
Glib
marked by ease or informality; nonchalant; lacking in depth; superficial
Gossamer
delicate, insubstantial or tenuous; insincere
Grandiloquence
pompous speech or expression
Gregarious
outgoing, sociable
Guile
deceit or trickery
Gullible
easily deceived
Hackneyed
rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage
Halcyon
calm & peaceful, prosperous
Hallow
highly venerated; set apart as holy
Harangue
to deliver a loud, pompous speech or tirade
Harrow
to distress, torment
Hedonism
devotion to pleasurable pursuits, especially to the pleasures of the senses
Hegemony
the consistent dominance or influence of one group, state, or ideology over other
Heretical
violating accepted dogma or convention, unorthodox
Hermetic
airtight, impervious to outside influence
Homogenous
of a similar kind
Iconoclast
one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions
Idolatrous
given to intense or excessive devotion to something
Idyll
carefree, light-hearted romantic experience; simple
Imbroglio
difficult or embarrassing situation
Imminent
about to happened; impending
Immutable
not capable of change
Impassive
revealing no emotion or sensibility
Impecunious
lacking funds; without money
Imperturbable
not capable of being disturbed
Impervious
impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected
Impetuous
quick to act without thinking
Implacable
unable to be calmed down or made peaceful
Inchoate
not fully formed; disorganized
Ingenuous
showing innocence or childlike simplicity
Inimical
hostile, unfriendly
Innocuous
harmless
Insipid
lacking interest or flavor
Intransigent
uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled
Inundate
to overwhelm; to cover with water
Irascible
easily made angry
Jejune
vapid, uninteresting; childish; immature
Jibe
to agree, to be in accord
Jocose
given to joking; humorous
Kinetic
having to do with motion; lively, active
Labile
readily open to change, unstable
Lachrymose
causing tears; tearful, showing sorrow
Laconic
using few words; terse
Lament
to express sorrow; to grieve
Lassitude
listlessness, languor, weariness
Laud
to give praise; to glorify
Lavish
to give unsparingly (v); extremely generous or extravagant (adj)
Lethargic
acting in an indifferent or slow, sluggish manner
Libertine
someone unrestrained by mortality or convention or leading a dissolute life
Limn
to draw, outline in detail
Loquacious
talkative
Lucid
clear and easily understood
Luminous
bright, brilliant, glowing
Magnanimity
the quality of being generously noble in mind & heart, especially in forgiving
Malevolent
having or showing often vicious ill will, spite or hatred
Malinger
to evade responsibility by preventing to be ill
Malleable
capable of being shaped
Martinet
rigid disciplinarian
Maunder
to talk or move aimlessly, mutter
Maverick
an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party
Melancholy
tending toward sadness
Metaphor
a figure of speech comparing two different things; a symbol
Meticulous
extremely careful about details
Misanthrope
a person who dislikes others
