GRE Words A-C Flashcards
GRE Words A-C
Aberrant
departing from an accepted standard or norm.
“this somewhat aberrant behaviour requires an explanation”
Abeyance
a state of temporary disuse or suspension.
“matters were held in abeyance pending further enquiries”
temporary inaction
Abscond
leave hurriedly and secretly, typically to escape from custody or avoid arrest.
“the barman absconded with a week’s takings”
Abstemious
indulging only very moderately in something, especially food and drink.
“‘We only had a bottle.’ ‘Very abstemious of you.’”
Abstruce
difficult to understand; obscure.
“an abstruse philosophical inquiry”
Accessible
easily understood or appreciated.
“an accessible account of his theories”
Acquiescent
ready to accept something without protest, or to do what someone else wants.
“his acquiescent mood”
Acrid
unpleasantly bitter or pungent.
“acrid smoke”
harsh
Acrimonious
Bitter in temper, manner, and speech
“an acrimonious dispute about wages”
Acumen
the ability to make good judgements and take quick decisions.
“she hides a shrewd business acumen”
Admonition
A gentle reproof.
a firm warning or reprimand.
“he received numerous admonitions for his behaviour”
Affect
feeling or emotion that influences behavior
Affront
To deliberately offend, as with a gesture
an action or remark that causes outrage or offence.
“he took his son’s desertion as a personal affront”
Aggrandize
increase the power, status, or wealth of.
“an action intended to aggrandize the Frankish dynasty”
enhance the reputation of (someone) beyond what is justified by the facts.
“he hoped to aggrandize himself by dying a hero’s death”
Aggregate
a whole formed by combining several separate elements.
“the council was an aggregate of three regional assemblies”
Allay
diminish or put at rest (fear, suspicion, or worry).
“the report attempted to educate the public and allay fears”
relieve or alleviate (pain or hunger).
“some stale figs partly allayed our hunger”
Amalgamate
combine or unite to form one organization or structure.
“he amalgamated his company with another”
Ameliorate
make (something bad or unsatisfactory) better or improve.
“the reform did much to ameliorate living standards”
Anachronous
Out of place in time
Anecdote
A short account of an interesting incident.
“he told anecdotes about his job”
Archipelago
A large group of islands.
“the Malay Archipelago.”
Articulate
having or showing the ability to speak fluently and coherently.
“an articulate account of their experiences”
Well-spoken, eloquent
Artifice
clever or cunning devices or expedients, especially as used to trick or deceive others.
“an industry dominated by artifice”
Artless
without guile or deception or deceit or cunning.
“an artless, naive girl”
Sincere
Assiduous
showing great care and perseverance.
“she was assiduous in pointing out every feature”
Persistent, Unceasing
Astute
having or showing an ability to accurately assess situations or people and turn this to one’s advantage.
“an astute businessman”
Keen, wise
Audacious
showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks.
“a series of audacious takeovers”
Fearless, Bold
Augment
Make (something) greater by adding to it; increase.
“he augmented his summer income by painting houses”
To increase in measure or intensity
Austere
severe or strict in manner or attitude.
“he was an austere man, with a rigidly puritanical outlook”
Unadorned, severely simple
Avarice
extreme greed for wealth or material gain.
“he was rich beyond the dreams of avarice”
extreme greed and hoarding
Aver
state or assert to be the case.
“he averred that he was innocent of the allegations”
To declare or profess
Ascetic
characterized by severe self-discipline, self-denial, and abstention from all forms of indulgence
“an ascetic life of prayer, fasting, and manual labour”
Banal
so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring.
“songs with banal, repeated words”
Trite; Commonplace
Base
use (something specified) as the foundation or starting point for something.
“the film is based on a novel by Pat Conroy”
Simple and boring
Belie
(of an appearance) fail to give a true impression of (something).
“his lively, alert manner belied his years”
To present a false front
Beset
(of a problem or difficulty) trouble (someone or something) persistently.
“the social problems that beset the UK”
To surround, as in an attack
Blatant
(of bad behaviour) done openly and unashamedly.
“blatant lies”
Very obvious, offensively loud, or coarsely conspicuous
Bolster
support or strengthen.
“the fall in interest rates is starting to bolster confidence”
To support; To reinforce
Bombastic
high-sounding but with little meaning; inflated.
“bombastic rhetoric”
Using inflated language; pompous
Boon
a thing that is helpful or beneficial.
“the route will be a boon to many travellers”
A timely benefit; a blessing
Brevity
concise and exact use of words in writing or speech.
“the staff will edit manuscripts with a view to brevity and clarity”
Briefness or conciseness
Browbeat
intimidate (someone), typically into doing something, with stern or abusive words.
“a witness is being browbeaten under cross-examination”
To intimidate in an overbearing manner
Bumptious
irritatingly self-assertive.
“an impossibly bumptious and opinionated ass”
Offensively self-assertive; pushy
Bungle
carry out (a task) clumsily or incompetently.
“he bungled his first attempt to manage a group of professional players”
Botch
Burgeon
begin to grow or increase rapidly; flourish.
“the city’s suburbs have burgeoned, sprawling out from the centre”
To grow forth; to send out buds
Cacophony
A disagreeable, harsh, or discordant, sound or tone
Callous
Insensitive, indifferent
Calumniate
To make false and malicious statements about; to slander
Candor
The quality of being open and sincere
Cantankerous
Bad - tempered and uncooperative
Carp
To complain unreasonably
Chaos
A state of disorder and confusion
Chicanery
Trickery, deception, especially through the use of questionable logic
Churl
A rude, boorish or surly person
Coda
Concluding section of a musical or literary piece; something that summarizes
Codify
To assembly related laws or principles into a systematic collection
Cognizant
Aware; taking notice
Cohort
A companion or associate
Colloquial
Pertaining to common speech
Commensurate
Corresponding in amount, quality or degree
Complacency
A feeling of quiet security; satisfaction
Conciliatory
A state of seeking to reconcile or make peace
Concrete
Actual, irrefutable as in concrete evidence
Confidante
One to whom secrets are confided
Congruous
Appropriate or fitting
Consternation
Unsettling dismay or amazement
Consummate
To bring to completion
Contentious
Quarrelsome
Contrite
Penitent, apologetic
Contumacious
Rebellious
Cordial
Polite in a pleasant way
Corroborate
To make more certain; confirm
Countenance
Appearance, especially the look or expression of the face
Counter
To go against or attempt to undermine an action
Counterpart
A person or thing resembling or complementing another
Craven
Cowardly
Credulity
Willingness to believe or trust too readily
Cronyism
The practice of favoring one’s friends, especially in political appointments
Curmudgeon
An ill-tempered person
Cursory
Hasty, superficial, as of a review of something
