GRE words in context Flashcards
Abate
to reduce in amount, degree or severity
As the hurricane’s force abated, the winds dropped and the sea calmed.
subside, relent, wane
abscond
to leave secretly
The patron absconded from the restaurant so he didn’t have to pay his bill.
Flee decamp escape
abyss
an extremely deep hole
the submarine dove into the abyss to chart the previously unchartered territory
abyssal- pertaining to great depth
abysmal-extremely bad
adulterate
to make impure
The restaurant owner adulterated the ketchup with water so it would last longer
to doctor up, dilute
unadulterated: pure
The night was full of unadulterated (pure) fun!
aggrandize
to increase in power, influence and reputation
The manager sought to aggrandize himself by claiming the acheivements of his staff were his own.
amplify
swell
glorify
enlarge
augment
elevate
magnify
amalgamate
to combine or mix together
a mixture of especially two metals
commingle, blend, combine, intermix, compound, fuse, merge
antagonize
to annoy or provoke anger
The boy tried to antagonize the cat by pulling its tail
clash
irritate
provoke
vex
incite
pester
arbitrate
to judge or dispute between two opposing parties
Since the couple could not come to an agreement, a judge was needed to arbitrate their divorce.
moderate
referee
ajudge
determine
adjudicate
rule
decidee
archaic
old-fashioned
The archaic computer could not process the new software
antediluvian
ancient
old fashioned
outdated
prehistoric
ardor
intense or passionate feeling
The Bishops ardor for landscape was evident when he detailed the beauty of the Hudson valley.
fervid
zealous
fire
enthusiasm
passion
articulate
ability to speak clearly and expressively
She is such an articulate defender of the labor that unions are among her strongest supporters
eloquent
lucid
fluent
smooth-spoken
attenuate
This word might be used a lot because it means to undo.
to reduce in force or degree, to weaken
The Bill of Rights attenuated the traditional power of government to change laws at will.
enervate
dibilitate
devaluate
unnerve
undo
weaken
audacious
fearless and daring
The audacious student told the teacher to shut up!
bold
daring
fearless
couragious
assertive
dauntless
Austere
severe or stern in appearance, undecorated
austerity-serverity, especially poverty
bleak
hard
hard
harsh
severe
banal
boring, cliche, boring
She decided to shake up her banal routine by having a girls night out!
bland
jejune
commonplace
innocuous
trite
vapid
bombastic
pompous in speech or manner
Biden’s speech was mostly bombastic, full of prevaricated stories most new where lies.
pretentious
rhetorical
candid
impartial or honest in speech
The observations of a chld can be entertaining because they are candid and unpretentious.
direct
honest
straight
open
frank
sincere
capricious
changing ones mind quickly and often
The young boy was capricious when picking a toy, his mother never knew what he was going to end up buying.
erratic
mercurial
fickle
whimsical
changeable
castigate
to punish or criticize harshly
Minor crimes in the U.S. would be met with great castigation in China.
admonish
rebuke
chastisse
reprimand
chide
reproach
caustic
biting in wit
Bill Burr is a caustic comedian who knows exactly how to undercut in a funny and witty way.
chaos
great disorder or confusion
In most religions, God crearted a universe from what was once chaos.
chaotic-jumbled, confused
clutter
disarray
scramble
disorderliness
dissarrangement
turmoil
chauvinist
someone prejudiced in favor to a group that he or she belongs to
The attitude that men are inherently superior to women and therefore must be obeyed is common among male chauvanists.
Partisan
chicanery
deceptions by means of craft or guile
Dishonest salesmen usuallly use chicanery to sell beat up old cars.
conning
craftiness
artifice
deceptions
deviousness
sneakiness
underhanded
misrepresentation
cogent
convincing and well-reasoned
Swayed by the cogent argument of the defense the jury had no choice but to acquit the defendant.
cogitate-to think deeply
persuasive
telling
solid
sound
convincing
condone
to overlook, pardon, or disregard
Some people believe that refusal to prosecute minor crimes is the same as condoning general unlawfulness
excuse
remit
pardon
convoluted
intricate and complicated
The convoluted alibi used by the suspect was hard to follow and very suspicious.
complex
knotty
tangled
perplexing
intricate
elaborate
credulous
too trusting, gullible
The credulous women thought the man was going to leave his wife and children and live with her.
naive
susceptible
crescendo
steadily increasing volume or force
The crescendo of tension became unbearable as the the dare devil prepared for the jump.
decorum
appropriateness of behavior, propriety
The children lacked the decorum to visit the white house, they were running around and screaming.
correctness
manners
decency
etiquette
seemliness
deference
respect, courtesy
The PA treated the attending doctor with deference for his knowledge and willingness to teach.
honor
respect
homage
reverence
veneration
courtesy
derisive
in a mocking manner
Her derisive lecture left the worker in tears.
ridicule
taunt
jeer
scoff
mock
sneer
desultory
jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
Diane had a desultory academic record, she changed her major 12 times in 3 years.
erratic
unplanned
aimless
purposeless
haphazard
random
diatribe
an abusive condemnatory speech
The trucker unleased a diatribe at the driver who cut him off.
tirade
fulmination
harangue
diffident
lacking self confidence
Steve’s diffidence during the job interview stemmed from his nervous nature and lack of experience.
bashful
modest
shy
timid
demure
dilate
to make large or expand
When you enter a dark room your pupils dialate to let in more light.
amplify
enlarge
develop
expand
expatiate
elaborate
dilatory
intended to delay
The congressman used dilatory measures to delay the passage of the bill.
dragging
lagging
slow-going
dilettante
someone with an amateurish or superficial interest in a topic
Gabby was such a dilettante that she changed her hobby every month.
dabbler
dirge
a funeral hymn or mournful speech
Elegy
disabuse
to set free, to free from error
Gallileos observatons disabused scholars of the notion that the sun revolved around the Earth.
correct
undeceive
discern
to perceive or recognize
it is easy to discern the difference between a tenurednprofessor and a newbie.
distinguish
detect
discriminate
disparate
Although the twins were born identical over the years, their appearances were disparate.
entirely unlike, fundamentally different
divergent, diverse, dissimiliar, various, variant
dissemble
The popstar could no longer dissemble to her fans, they recognized her behind her disguise.
to present a false appearance, disguise
act, fake, camouflage, coverup, masquerade, shame, pose, counterfeit, pretend, assume
dissonance
Cognitive dissonance is the inner conflict produced when a long- standing belief is contradicted by proven evidence.
a harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds
dogmatic
dictatorial in one’s opinion
Her idiot exboyfriend was dogmatic, he thought he was always right.
bossy, dominating, masterful, imperial, overbearing
Dupe
He tried to dupe her with his good behavior, but overtime she saw he was inherently a bad person.
to deceive, or a person who is easily deceived
fool, mislead, beguile, fool, bluff, delude, trick
eclectic
made from a variety of sources
Her eclectic fashion mixed country with boho chic.
selective, broad
efficacy
effectiveness
The efficacy of the program was questioned when the graduates couldn’t perform elementary tasks.
efficacious-effective productive
force, proficiency, productiveness
elegy
a sad, sorrowful poem or speech
The widow’s elegy left the mourners in tears.
dirge, lament
eloquent
persuasive and moving especially in speech
The valedictorian’s eloquent speech left the graduates motivated for the future.
articulate, meaningful, loquaciousm, espressive, effective
emulate
to copy to try to equal or excel
It was her goal to emulate her superior who she admired and adjulated.
ape, imitate, simulate
enervate
to reduce in strength
The ruthless dance teachers remarks before her performance were meant to enervate the rival dancer.
enfeeble, sap, debilitate, weaken
enumerate
count, list, itemize
Moses returned from the mountain with a tablet with the commandments enumerated.
catalog, index, tabulate
erratic
wandering and unpredictable
His erratic behavior was typical when he had too much to drink, he would go off alone and act strange.
capricious, whimsical, inconstant
esoteric
known or understood by very few
Only a few experts are knowledgeable about the esoteric subject of particle physics
abstruse, arcane, obscure
estimable
think “esteemable”
admirable, honorable
Many people consider it estimable that Mother Theresa worked with the poor of India.
commendable, laudible, commendable, respectable, credible,
venerable, meritorious
Eulogy
a speech of praise for someone
His bestfriend gave the eulogy outlining all the of his unique acheivements and accomplishments
commend, extol, laud
Euphemism
use of an inoffensive more tasetful word in the place of a distasteful one
The funeral director preferred to use the Euphemism “sleeping” instead of the word dead
circumlocution, whitewash
exacerbate
to make worse
One should not take aspirin with heartburn it will only exacerbate the problem.
annoy, aggrivate, irritate, provoke, intensify
exculpate
to clear from blame, to prove innocent
The adversarial legal system is intended to convict those who are guilty and exculpate those who are innocent.
absolve, exonerate, acquit, vindicate, clear
exigent
urgent, requiring immediate action
The patient was bleeding out, it was exigent to stop the source of bleeding.
critical, urgent, needed,imperative
exonerate
to clear of blame
The suspect was exonerated when another criminal confessed to the crime.
absolve, acquit, exculpate, vindicate, acquit, clear
explicit
clearly stated or shown, fortright in expression
The owners of the house left explicit instructions for the housesitters to follow.
candid, unequivicol, frank, straighforward
Fanatical
acting excessively enthusiastic, filled with extreme unquestioned devotion
The stormtroppers where fanatical to the emperor, sacrificing their lives for him.
extremist, zealous, fiery, frenzied
fawn
to grovel
The mother fawned over the director in hopes that her daughter would get the lead role.
pander, bootlick, pander
Florid
excessively decorated or embellished
The house had been decorated in a florid style, every inch was covered with embellishments.
ornate, elaborate, ostentatious, flamboyant, rococo
foment
to arouse or excite
The protesters tried to foment feelings against the with their speeches.
impassion, instigate, agitate, inflame, kindle
frugality
The tendency to be thrifty or cheap
Scrooge’s frugality left him a large sack of money he knew he would never spend.
prudence, economical, sparing, parsimony
gregarious
outgoing and sociable
She was so gregorious that when she found herself alone she was sad.
congenial, sociable, communicative, affable
guile
deceit or trickery
Because he wasn’t fast enough to catch the roadrunner, Wil E. Coyote resorted to guile in an effort to trap the him.
chicanery, connivery, duplicity, artifice
imperturbable
not capable of being disturbed
The counselor was so seasoned he was imperturbable even with the most tantrous children.
Perturb- to disturb greatly
impassive, stoical, composed, serene, dispassionate
impervious
impossible to penetrate
a good raincoat will be impervious to moisture.
resistant, impregnable
impetous
guick to act without thinking
It’s not good for a stock broker to be impetous as trading requireds a great deal of thought.
impulse, reckless, spontaneous, rash, precipate
implacable
think of placate, to calm, pacify, mollify
unable to be calmed down
His rage over her betrayal left him impacable for weeks
irreconcilable, unforgiving
inchoate
not fully formed or organized
The dance was its inchoate stage during the first rehearsal, but the dancers were excited about what it would eventually become.
unorganized, incoherent, complete
inimical
hostile, unfriendly
Even months after the ceasefire, the two sides were still inimical toward eachother.
antagonistic, adverse
innocuous
harmless
Some snakes are poisonous, but most species are innocuous and pose no danger.
benign, harmless, inoffensive
insipid
lacking interest or flavor
The critique remarked that the book was insipid and hard to finish.
stale, bland, vapid, banal, dull
intransigent
uncompromising, refusing to be reconciled
The professor was intransigent on the deadline, insisting everyone submit it on time.
impacable, rigid, unyeilding, obstinate, unbending, remorseless
inundate
to overwhelm, to cover with water
The tidal wave inundated Atlantis that was lost beneath the water.
deluge, drown, submerge, flood, engulf
irascible
easily made angry
Atila the hun’s irascile and violent nature left his enemies fearful.
irritable, ornary, testy, cantakerous
malinger
to avoid responsibility by pretending to be ill
A common way to avoid the draft was to malinger with a physical or mental disability.
linger-be slow to leave
shirk or slack
meticulous
extremely careful about details
The detective was meticulous in the investigation, wanting to solve the crime.
conscientious, precise, scrupulous
mollify
to calm or make less severe
The couple was so petty, it was hard to believe any judgement would mollify both sides.
appease, mitigate, placate, assuage,conciliate, pacify
monotony
tedium, lack of variation
The monotony of his job left him bored and wanting to change his position.
drone, tedium
obdurate
hardened in resistance to persuasion
The president was completely obdurate the issue and nothing would change his mind.
inflexible
tenacious
unyielding
intransigent
