GRE Words D-F Flashcards
Dearth
An inadequate supply; scarcity; lack
Debacle
A complete collapse or failure
Decorum
Orderliness and good taste in manners
Deferent
In a state of giving in out of respect for another person
Deleterious
Hurtful, morally or physically
Delineate
To represent by sketch or diagram; to describe precisely in words
Depravity
The state of being morally bad or evil
Deride
To ridicule; to make fun of
Derision
Ridicule
Derivative
Something obtained or developed from a source
Desultory
Aimless; haphazard
Diatribe
Bitter or malicious criticism
Didactic
For the purpose of teaching
Diffidence
Lacking confidence
Dilatory
Causing delay
Disconcert
To disturb the composure of
Discretion
Using one’s own judgement; being discreet
Disingenuous
Insincere, phony
Disquiet
Lack of calm, peace, or ease
Dissemble
To disguise or pretend in order to deceive or mislead
Dissolution
Breaking up of a union of persons
Dissonant
Out of harmony, incongruous
Divergent
Deviating from a certain course
Divest
To strip, to deprive, often in terms of property
Divulge
To tell or make known, generally of something secret or private
Doctrinaire
A person who’s fanatical about enforcing a certain principle, regardless of its practicality
Dogmatic
Forceful and unwavering, allowing no room for interpretation or dissent
Doldrums
A state of inactivity or low spirits
Dubious
Doubtful
Dupe
Someone who’s easily fooled; to fool someone
Duplicity
Deceitfulness
Ebullient
Showing great enthusiasm or exhilaration
Eclectic
Drawn from multiple sources or based on multiple styles
Efficacious
Capable of producing the intended result
Effrontery
Shameless boldness; impudence
Egregious
Seriously bad or wrong
Egress
Exit
Elegy
A poem lamenting the dead
Elicit
To extract (usually information, a reaction, or an emotional response) without the use of force; to learn through discussion
Elitism
Consciousness or pride in belonging to a certain group
Embellish
To beautify or enhance with additional features or information
Empirical
Proven by observed occurrence or existence
Emulate
Imitate
Endemic
Characteristic of a specific place or culture
Enervate
To weaken
Engender
To produce or to make something come into existence
Enigmatic
Mysterious, perplexing
Ennul
Boredom
Ephemeral
Short-lived; fleeting
Equable
Free from many changes or variations
Equanimity
Evenness of mind or temper
Equivocal
Ambiguous
Equivocate
To use ambiguous or unclear expressions, usually to avoid commitment or to mislead
Eradicate
To destroy completely
Erudite
Very well-educated
Eschew
To keep clear of, avoid
Esoteric
Hard to understand; known only by a few
Euphemism
A nice way of saying something that’s otherwise unpleasant
Exacerbate
To make sharper or more severe; to make worse
Exculpate
To free from blame
Exigency
Urgent situation
Expatiate
To speak or write at some length on a given topic or theme
Expiation
The means by which atonement or reparation is made
Extenuating
The state of explaining or justifying in order to lessen the seriousness of an action
Extirpate
To root out; to eradicate
Extrapolation
To infer an unknown from something that’s known
Facetious
Not intended to be taken seriously
Facilitate
To make easier
Fallacious
Illogical
Fatuous
Idiotic
Felicitous
Appropriate or suitable for the situation or circumstances
Ferret out
To track down, discover
Fervor
Ardor or intensity of feeling
Fledgling
Inexperienced
Foment
To instigate or encourage negative behavior, such as violence
Forestall
To prevent by taking action in advance
Fortification
The act of strengthening or protecting
Frugal
Thrifty
Fulminate
To cause to explode; to detonate
Fumble
To feel or grope about clumsily