GRE Vocabulary - High Frequency words List 1

Question 1

Abate

Answer 1

1. To become less intense of widespread
   “the storm suddenly abated”
2. To make something less intense
   “nothing abated his crusading zeal”
3. To reduce or remove (a nuisance)
   “this action would not have been sufficient to abate the odour nuisance”

• like all other ‘ates’, abate means to have less of something or to reduce.

Question 2

Aberrant

Answer 2

adjective

1. Departing from an accepted standard.
   “this somewhat aberrant behaviour requires an explanation”

BIOLOGY
2. diverging from the normal type.
“aberrant chromosomes”

• (AB)errant = (AB)normal –> departing from the accepted standard + different from the (NOR)mal type

Question 3

Abeyance

Answer 3

Noun

1. A state of temporary disuse or suspension
   “matters were held in abeyance pending further enquiries”
2. the position of being without, or of waiting for, an owner or claimant.
   - (ABEY)ance –> At BAY –> to keep things at bay or away (temporary suspension)

Question 4

Abscond

Answer 4

leave hurriedly and secretly, typically to escape from custody or avoid arrest.
“the barman absconded with a week’s takings”

• (ABS)(COND) –> CONDe from Reign, who has ABS, hurriedly left France (absconded) because of the death threat on his head

Question 5

Abstemious

Answer 5

indulging only very moderately in something, especially food and drink.
“‘We only had a bottle.’ ‘Very abstemious of you.’”

• ABSTEMIOUS –> sounds like ABSTAIN, which means to stay away from

Question 6

Admonish

A-DEMON-ISH

Answer 6

Verb

1. Reprimand firmly.
   - “she admonished me for appearing at breakfast unshaven”
2. Advise or urge (someone) earnestly.
   - “she admonished him to drink no more than one glass of wine”
3. Warn (someone) of something to be avoided.
   “he admonished the people against the evil of such practices”

• to avoid A DEMON-ish act, a mother Warns her naughty child

Question 7

Adulterate

Answer 7

Verb

Render (something) poorer in quality by adding another substance.

“the brewer is said to adulterate his beer”

Question 8

Aesthetic

Answer 8

adjective
1. concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty.

“the pictures give great aesthetic pleasure”

noun
1.a set of principles underlying the work of a particular artist or artistic movement.

“the Cubist aesthetic”

Question 9

Aggregate

Answer 9

noun

1. A whole formed by combining several separate elements.
   “the council was an aggregate of three regional assemblies”
2. A material or structure formed from a mass of fragments or particles loosely compacted together.
   “the specimen is an aggregate of rock and mineral fragments”

Adjective
1. Formed or calculated by the combination of several separate elements; total.
“the aggregate amount of grants made”

verb

1. form or group into a class or cluster.
"socio-occupational groups aggregate men sharing similar kinds of occupation"

Question 10

Alacrity

Answer 10

brisk and cheerful readiness.
“she accepted the invitation with alacrity”

synonyms: eagerness, willingness, readiness
- Alacrity = ALArming Cheerful Readiness

Question 11

Alleviate

Answer 11

make (suffering, deficiency, or a problem) less severe.
“he couldn’t prevent her pain, only alleviate it”

• All “ates” = to reduce

Question 12

Amalgamate

Answer 12

combine or unite to form one organization or structure.

“he amalgamated his company with another”

Question 13

Anachronism

Answer 13

Noun

• A thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists, especially a thing that is conspicuously old-fashioned.
• “the town is a throwback to medieval times, an anachronism that has survived the passing years”
• the action of attributing something to a period to which it does not belong.
• “it is anachronism to suppose that the official morality of the age was mere window dressing”

Question 14

Analogous

Answer 14

• comparable in certain respects, typically in a way which makes clearer the nature of the things compared.
• “they saw the relationship between a ruler and his subjects as analogous to that of father and children”
• synonyms: comparable, parallel, similar, like, corresponding, related, kindred, matching, cognate, equivalent, symmetrical, homologous
• NOTE: Analogy = comparison, hence analogous also means comparison, to bring out clearer meaning

Question 15

Anarchy

Answer 15

lawlessness

Question 16

Anomalous

Answer 16

deviating from what is standard, normal, or expected

Question 17

Antipathy

Answer 17

noun
- a deep-seated feeling of aversion.
“his fundamental antipathy to capitalism”

• synonyms: hostility, antagonism, animosity, aversion, animus, opposition, enmity, dislike, distaste, ill will, ill feeling, hatred, hate, abhorrence, loathing, repugnance, odium;

Question 18

Apprise

Answer 18

verb

• inform or tell (someone).
  “I thought it right to apprise Chris of what had happened”
• synonyms: inform, notify, tell, let know, advise, brief, intimate, make aware of, send word to, update, keep posted, keep up to date, keep up to speed, enlighten;
• anybody who dares to APPRISE the cops about the robber’s whereabouts will win A PRIZE

Question 19

Approbation

Ap - PROBATION

Answer 19

noun

• approval or praise.

Ap+PROBATION: You get CONFIRMATION/APPROVAL in your job after your Probation period

Question 20

Appropriate

Answer 20

adjective
1. suitable or proper in the circumstances.
“this isn’t the appropriate time or place”
- synonyms: suitable, proper, fitting, apt;

verb
1. take (something) for one’s own use, typically without the owner’s permission.
“the accused had appropriated the property”
- synonyms: seize, commandeer, expropriate, annex, arrogate, sequestrate, sequester, take possession of, take over, assume, secure, acquire, wrest, usurp, claim, lay claim to, hijack

2. devote (money or assets) to a special purpose.
   “there can be problems in appropriating funds for legal expenses”
   - synonyms: allocate, assign, allot, earmark, set apart/aside, devote, apportion, budget
   “there can be constitutional problems in appropriating funds for these expenses”

Question 21

Ardous

Answer 21

Strenuous

Question 22

Artless

Answer 22

naive, simple, without deception

- OPPOSITE of art, which is anything but simple

Question 23

Ascetic

Answer 23

characterized by severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons.

“an ascetic life of prayer, fasting, and manual labour”

Question 24

Assiduous

Answer 24

adjective

showing great care and perseverance.
“she was assiduous in pointing out every feature”

synonyms: diligent, careful, meticulous, thorough, sedulous, attentive, industrious, laborious, hard-working, conscientious, ultra-careful, punctilious, painstaking, demanding, exacting,

Question 25

Assuage

Answer 25

verb

1. make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense.
   “the letter assuaged the fears of most members”
   synonyms: relieve, ease, alleviate, soothe, mitigate,
2. satisfy (an appetite or desire).
   “an opportunity occurred to assuage her desire for knowledge”

• AS - U - AGE you become less intense and more satisfied

Question 26

Audacious

Answer 26

1. Bold
   - “a series of audacious takeovers”
2. Rude
   - “he made an audacious remark”

Question 27

Autonomous

Answer 27

2. (of a country or region) having the freedom to govern itself or control its own affairs.
   “the federation included sixteen autonomous republics”
3. having the freedom to act independently.
   “school governors are legally autonomous”

Question 28

Aver

Answer 28

state or assert to be the case.
“he averred that he was innocent of the allegations”

• A VERy confident STATEment!

Question 29

Banal

Answer 29

• so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring.

“songs with banal, repeated words”

synonyms: trite, hackneyed, clichéd,
- B - oring

Question 30

Belie

Answer 30

1. (of an appearance) fail to give a true impression of (something).
   “his lively, alert manner belied his years”
   - synonyms: contradict, be at odds with, call into question, give the lie to, show/prove to be false;
2. fail to fulfil or justify (a claim or expectation).
   - “the quality of the music seems to belie the criticism”

• BE - LIE –> lie = not the truth = fail to give the true impression

Question 31

Bolster

Answer 31

noun

1. a long, thick pillow that is placed under other pillows for support.
   - synonyms: pillow, cushion, pad, support, rest
   - “most of them were sitting on the floor which was strewn with cushions, bolsters, and rugs”
2. a part on a vehicle or tool providing structural support or reducing friction.

verb
1. support or strengthen.
“the fall in interest rates is starting to bolster confidence”
- synonyms: strengthen, support, reinforce, make stronger, boost, fortify, give a boost to;
2. provide (a seat) with padded support.
“I snuggled down into the heavily bolstered seat”

Question 32

Bombastic

Answer 32

adjective

• high-sounding but with little meaning; inflated.
• “bombastic rhetoric”
• synonyms: pompous, blustering, ranting, blathering;

Question 33

Boorish

Answer 33

adjective
- rough and bad-mannered; coarse.
“boorish behaviour”
- synonyms: coarse, uncouth,

Question 34

Burgeoning

Answer 34

begin to grow or increase rapidly; flourish

Question 35

Burnish

Answer 35

verb

1. polish (something, especially metal) by rubbing.
   - “highly burnished armour”
   - synonyms: polish (up), shine, brighten, rub up/down, buff (up), smooth, glaze;

noun
1. the shine on a highly polished surface.

Question 36

Buttress

Answer 36

noun
1. a structure of stone or brick built against a wall to strengthen or support it.
- “the cathedral’s massive buttresses”
- synonyms: prop, support, abutment, shore, pier, reinforcement, stanchion, stay, strut
“the wall was supported by stone buttresses”

2. a source of defence or support.
   “the political police were the main buttress of the regime”