GRE words in Context Flashcards
Abate
To reduce in amount, degree, or severity
As the hurricanes force abated, the winds dropped and the sea became calm.
Abscond
To leave secretly
The patron absconded from the restaurant without paying his bill by sneaking out the back door.
Abstain
To choose not to do something
For lent she was abstaining from snack foods
Abyss
An extremely deep hole
The submarine dove into the abyss to chart the previously unseen depths.
Adulterate
To make impure
The chef made his ketchup last longer by adulterating it with water
Advocate
To speak in favor of
The vegetarian advocated a diet with no meat but it fell on deaf ears ;(
Aesthetic
Concerning the appreciation of beauty
Followers of the aesthetic movement regarded the pursuit of beauty as the only true purpose of art
Aggrandize
To increase in power, influence, or reputation
The supervisor sought to aggrandize herself by claiming that the achievements of her staff were actually her own.
Alleviate
To make more bearable
Taking aspirin helps alleviate headaches.
Amalgamate
To combine, to mix together
Giant Industries amalgamated with Mega Products to form Giant-Mega Incorporated
Ambiguous
Doubtful or uncertain; able to be interpreted in several ways
The great British baking show technical challenge had rather ambiguous directions - increasing the difficulty.
Ameliorate
To make better; to improve
The doctor was able to ameliorate the patient’s suffering using painkillers.
Anachronism
Something out of place in time
The aged hippie used anachronistic phrases like “groovy” and “far out” that hadn’t been popular for years.
Analogous
Similar or alike in some way; equivalent to
In the Newtonian construct for explaining the existence of god, the universe is analogous to a mechanical timepiece, the creation of a divinely intelligent “clockmaker”
Anomaly
Deviation from what is normal
The near boiling river in Peru is a geological anomaly: it is only naturally heated body of water not heated by its proximity to a volcano
Antagonize
To annoy or provoke to anger
Finn antagonized Nora by taking her toys and wacking her with them.
Antipathy
Extreme dislike
The antipathy between democrats and trump was obvious and created a stand still.
Apathy
Lack of interest or emotion
The apathy of voters is so great that less than half the people who are eligible to vote actually bother.
Arbitrate
To judge a dispute between two opposing parties
Since the couple could not come to an agreement, a judge was forced to arbitrate their divorce proceedings.
Archaic
Ancient, old fashioned
Allison’s archaic computer struggles to load league games.
Ardor
Intense and passionate feeling
Jamie’s ardor for musicals is obvious when broadway is a category in jeopardy
Articulate
Able to speak clearly and expressively
She is such an articulate defender of labor that unions are among her strongest supporters
Assuage
To make something unpleasant less severe
She used aspirin to assuage her pounding headache.
Attenuate
To reduce in force or degree; to weaken
The Bill of Rights attenuated the traditional power of governments to change laws at will.
Audacious
Fearless and daring
Tony’s audacious nature allowed him to climb a homemade ladder on survivor as others called out that “you don’t want to be the first Med-evac”
Austere
Severe or stern in appearance; undecorated
Professor McGonagall’s austere appearance made students fearful of her class
Banal
Predictable, cliched, boring
He used banal phrases like “have a nice day” and “another day, another dollar”
Bolster
To support, to prop up
The presence of giant footprints bolstered the argument that Sasquatch was in the area
Bombastic
Pompous in speech or manner
The ranting of the radio talk show host was mostly bombastic; his boasting and outrageous claims had no basis in fact.
Cacophony
Harsh, jarring noise
The junior high orchestra created an almost unbearable cacophony as they tried to tune their instruments.
Candid
Impartial and honest in speech
The observations of a child can be charming since they are candid and unpretentious
Capricious
Changing ones mind quickly and often
Queen Elizabeth I was quite capricious; her courtiers could never be sure which of their number would catch her fancy.
Castigate
To punish or criticize harshly
Many Americans are amazed at how harshly authorities in Singapore castigate perpetrators of what would be considered minor crimes in the US
Catalyst
Something that brings about a change in something else
The imposition of harsh taxes was the catalyst that finally brought the revolution.
Caustic
Biting in wit
She gained her reputation for caustic wit from her cutting, yet clever, insults
Chaos
Great disorder or confusion
At tribal council, whispers among people created chaos as people jumped out of their seats to hear the plan
Chauvinist
Someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs
The attitude that men are inherently superior to women and must be obeyed is common among male chauvinists
Chicanery
Deception by means of craft or guile
Dishonest used car salespeople often use chicanery to sell their beat up old cars.
Cogent
Convincing and well reasoned
Swayed by the cogent argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but to acquit the defendant.
Condone
To overlook, pardon or disregard
UT did not condone people carving their initials into the Eiffel Tower while on study abroad.
Convoluted
Intricate and complicated
Although many people bought Wuthering Heights, the storyline was convoluted and not easy to follow.
Corroborate
To provide supporting evidence
Fingerprints corroborated the witness’s testimony that he saw the defendant in the victims apartment.
Credulous
Too trusting; gullible
Although some four year olds believe in the Easter bunny, only the most credulous nine year olds still believe in him.
Crescendo
Steadily increasing volume or force
The crescendo of tension became unbearable as Evel Knievel prepared to jump his motorcycle over school busses.
Decorum
Appropriateness is behavior or conduct; propriety
The countess complained that the vulgar peasants lacked the decorum appropriate for a visit to the palace.
Deference
Respect, courtesy
The respectful young law clerk treated the Supreme Court justice with the utmost deference.
Deride
To speak of or treat with contempt; to mock
The awkward child was often seized by his “cooler” peers.
Desiccate
To dry out thoroughly
The desert contains desiccated coconut to add texture to the smooth filling
Desultory
Jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
Diane had a desultory academic record; she had changed majors 12 times in 3 years.
Diatribe
An abusive, condemnatory speech
The trucker bellowed a diatribe at the driver who had cut him off.
Diffident
Lacking self confidence
Steve’s diffident manner during the job interview stemmed from his nervous nature and lack of experience in the field
Dilate
To make larger; to expand
When you enter a darkened room, the pupils of your eyes dilate to let in more light.
Dilatory
Intended to delay
The congressman used dilatory measures to delay the passage of the bill.
Dilettante
Someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
Jerry’s friends were such dilettantes that the seemed to have new jobs and hobbies every week.
Dirge
A funeral hymn or mournful speech
Melville wrote the poem “A Dirge for James McPherson” for the funeral of a union general
Disabuse
To set right; to free from error
Galileo’s observations disabused scholars of the notion that the sun revolves around the earth.
Discern
To perceive; to recognize
It is easy to discern the difference between butter pie crust and Crisco pie crust.
Disparate
Fundamentally different; entirely unlike
Although the twins appear to be identical physically, their personalities are disparate.
Dissemble
To present a false appearance; to disguise ones real intentions or character
The villain could dissemble to the police no longer and admitted the deed revealing the body.
Dissonance
A harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds
Cognitive dissonance is the inner conflict produced when long standing beliefs are contradicted by new evidence.
Dogma
A firmly held opinion, often a religious belief
Dogmatic
Dictatorial in ones opinions
The dictator was dogmatic- he, and only he, was right.
Dupe
To deceive; a person who is easily deceived
Bugs bunny was able to dupe Elmer Fudd by dressing up as a lady rabbit.
Eclectic
Selecting from or made up from a variety of sources
Budapest’s architecture is an eclectic mix of eastern and western styles
Efficacy
Effectiveness
The efficacy of penicillin was unsurpassed when it was first introduced (but no longer rip antibiotic resistance)
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
The guerrillas hoped that a series of surprise attacks would enervate the army
Engender
To produce, cause, or bring about
His fear and hatred of clowns was engendered when he witnessed the fear of his father at the hands of a clown…..
Enigma
A puzzle; a mystery
Can I get a picture of the shipment. Well guys, yes I can…..boom! Enigma!
Enumerate
To count, list, or itemize
Moses returned form the moutain with tablets on which the commandments were enumerated
Ephemeral
Lasting a short time
The lives of mayflies seem ephemeral to us since they live only a few hour.
Equivocal
Open to more than one interpretation; misleading
Asked a pointed question, the politician nevertheless gave an equivocal answer.
Erratic
Wandering and unpredictable
Rooney’s recent behavior at the kennel has him labeled as erratic
Erudite
Learned, scholarly, bookish
Think divergent sheesh
Esoteric
Known or understood by only a few
The neighborhood group chat revealed few people knew about the esoteric world of driving in roundabouts
Estimable
Admirable
Similar first syllables to esteem — hold in high esteem
Most people consider it estimable that mother Teresa spent her life helping the poor of India.
Eulogy
Speech in praise of someone
Euphemism
Use of inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one
The funeral director preferred to use the euphemism “sleeping” instead of the word “dead”.
Exacerbate
To make worse
The heat exacerbated her throbbing headache.
Exculpate
To clear from blame, prove innocent
The adversarial legal system is intended to convict those who are guilty and exculpate those who are innocent.
Exigent
Urgent; requiring immediate action
The patient was losing blood so rapidly that it was exigent to stop the source of bleeding.
Exonerate
To clear of blame
Explicit
Clearly stated or shown
Fanatical
Acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme, unquestioned devotion
M
Fawn
To grovel (act in a way to gain favor or forgiveness)
The understudy fawned over the director in hopes of being cast in the part on a permanent basis.
Fervid
Intensely emotional, feverish
The fans of Selena Gomez were unusually fervid, doing anything to catch a glimpse of the singer
Florid
Excessively decorated or embellished
Kind of like Florida
The palace had been decorated in a Florid style; every surface had been carved and gilded
Foment
To arouse or incite
The protesters tried to foment feeling against the war through their speeches
Frugality
The tendency to be thrifty or cheap
Garrulous
Tending to talk a lot
The garrulous parakeet distracted it’s owner with its continuous talking.
Gregarious
Outgoing, sociable
He was so gregarious that when he found himself alone, he felt quite sad.
Guile
Deceit or trickery
Since he was not fast enough to catch the roadrunner on foot, the coyote resorted to guile in an effort to trap his enemy.
Gullible
Easily deceived
Homogeneous
Of a similar kind
Iconoclast
One who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions
His lack of regard for traditional beliefs soon established him as an iconoclast
Imperturbable
Not capable of being disturbed
The counselor had so much experience dealing with distraught children that she seemed imperturbable even when faced with the wildest of tantrums
Impervious
Impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected
A good raincoat will be impervious to moisture.
Impetuous
Quick to act without thinking
It is not good for an investment broker to be impetuous, since much thought should be given to all possible options.
Implacable
Unable to be calmed down or made peaceful
His rage at the betrayal was so great that he remained implacable for weeks.
Inchoate
Not fully formed; disorganized
The ideas expressed in Nietzsches nature work also appears in an inchoate form in his earliest writing.
Ingenuous
Showing innocence or childlike simplicity
She was so ingenious that her friends feared her innocence would be exploited when she visited the big city
Inimical
Hostile, unfriendly
Even though the children had grown up together, they were inimical to each other at school.
Innocuous
Harmless
Most snake species are innocuous and pose no danger to humans
Insipid
Lacking interest or flavor
The critic claimed that the painting was insipid, containing no interesting qualities at all.
Intransigent
Uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled
The professor was intransigent on the deadline, insisting that everyone turn the assignment in at the same time
Inundate
To overwhelm; to cover with water
The tidal wave inundated Atlantis, which was lost beneath the water
Irascible
Easily made angry
Attila the Huns irascible and violent nature made all who dealt with him fear for their lives.
Laconic
Using few words
She was a laconic poet who built her reputation on using words as sparingly as possible
Lament
To express sorrow; to grieve
The children continued to lament the death of the goldfish weeks after its demise.
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
Loquacious
Talkative
She was naturally loquacious, which was a problem in situations in which listening was more important than talking.
Lucid
Clear and easily understood
Luminous
Bright, brilliant, glowing
Malinger
To evade responsibility by pretending to be ill
A common way to avoid the draft was by malingering— pretending to be mentally or physically ill so as to avoid being taken by the army.
Malleable
Capable of being shaped
Metaphor
A figure of speech comparing two different things
Meticulous
Extremely careful about details
Misanthrope
A person who dislikes others
The character Scrooge is such a misanthrope that even the sight of children singing makes him angry.
Mitigate
To soften; to lessen
Mollify
To calm or make less severe
Their argument was so intense that it was difficult to believe any compromise would mollify them.
Monotony
Lack of variation
Quarantine blah
Naive
Lacking sophistication or experience
Obdurate
Hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion
The president was completely obdurate on the issue, and no amount of persuasion would change his mind.
Obsequious
Overly submissive and eager to please
The obsequious new associate made sure to compliment her supervisors tie and agree with him in every issue
Obstinate
Stubborn, unyielding
Obviate
To prevent; to make unnecessary
The river was shallow enough to wade across at many points which obviated the need for a bridge.
Occlude
To stop up; to prevent the passage of
A shadow is thrown across the earths surface during a solar eclipse, when the light from the sun is occluded by the moon.
Onerous
Troublesome and oppressive; burdensome
Opaque
Impossible to see through; preventing the passage of light
Opprobrium
Public disgrace
After the scheme to embezzle the elderly was made public, the treasurer resigned in utter opprobrium.
Ostentation
Excessive showiness
The ostentation fo the sun kings court is evident in the lavish decorum of the palace of Versailles
Paradox
A contradiction or dilemma
Paragon
Model of excellence or perfection
She is the paragon of what a judge should be: honest, intelligent, hard working, and just.
Pedant
Someone who shows off learning
The graduate instructor’s tedious and excessive commentary on the subject soon gained her a reputation as a pendant. Haha
Perfidious
Willing to betray ones trust
The actors perfidious companion revealed all of his intimate secrets to the gossip columnist.
Perfunctory
Done in a routine way; indifferent
The machine like bank teller processed the transaction and face a perfunctory smile to the customer.
Permeate
To penetrate
Philanthropy
Charity; a desire or effort to promote goodness
Placate
To soothe or pacify
Plastic
Able to be molded, altered or bent
Plethora
Excess
Pragmatic
Practical as opposed to idealistic
Precipitate
To throw violently or bring about abruptly; packing deliberation
Prevaricate
To lie or deviate from the truth
Rather than admit that he had overslept again, the employee prevaricated and claimed that heavy traffic had prevented him from arriving at work on time.
Pristine
Fresh and clean; uncorrupted
Prodigal
Lavish, wasteful
The prodigal son quickly wasted all of his inheritance on a lavish lifestyle devoted to pleasure
Proliferate
To increase in number quickly
Propitiate
To conciliate; to appease
The management propitiate the irate union by agreeing to raise wages for its members.
Prudence
Wisdom, caution, or restraint
Pungent
Sharp and irritating to the senses
Quiescent
Motionless
Many animals are quiescent over winter months, minimizing activity in order to conserve energy.
Rarefy
To make thinner or sparser
Since the atmosphere rarefies as altitudes increase, the air at the top of very tall mountains is too thin to breathe.
Repudiate
To reject the validity of
Reticent
Silent, reserved
Physically small and reticent in her speech, Joan Didion often went unnoticed by those whom she was reporting.
Rhetoric
Effective writing or speaking
Satiate
To satisfy fully or overindulge
Soporific
Causing sleep or lethargy
The movie proved to be soporific that soon loud snores were heard throughout the theatre.
Specious
Deceptively attractive; seemingly plausible but fallacious
The students specious excuse for being late sounded legitimate but was proved otherwise when her teacher called her home.
Stigma
A mark of shame or discredit
Stolid
Unemotional; lacking sensitivity
The prisoner appeared stolid and unaffected by the judge’s harsh sentence.
Sublime
Lofty or grand
This croissant is absolutely sublime - flaky, soft, light.
Tacit
Done without using words
Although not a word had been said, everyone in the room knew that a tacit agreement had been made about which course of action to take.
Taciturn
Silent, not talkative
The clerk’s taciturn nature earned him the nickname Silent Bob.
Torpor
Extreme mental and physical sluggishness
After surgery, the patient experience torpor until the anesthesia wore off.
Transitory
Temporary, lasting a brief time
Vacillate
To sway physically; to be indecisive
The customer held up the line as he vacillated between ordering chocolate or vanilla ice cream.
Venerate
To respect deeply
Veracity
Truthfulness; accuracy
She had a reputation for veracity, so everyone trusted her description of events
Verbose
Wordy
Vex
To annoy
Volatile
Easily aroused or changeable; lively or explosive
Waver
To fluctuate between choices
Whimsical
Acting in a fanciful or capricious manner; unpredictable
Zeal
Passion, excitement
Poignant
Causing strong feelings
Stentorian
Powerful of sound
Vociferous
Loudly and vehemently expressive
Garrulous
Wordy
Imbibe
Consume by eating or drinking
Regurgitate
Surge back or repeat
Trepidation
Fear
Imperturbation
Calmness
Dispassion
Lack of concern
Preclude
Prevent from happening; make impossible
Tepid
Marked by lack of enthusiasm
Prodigious
Great in size
Extol
Praise
Excoriate
To denounce
Aplomb
Self assurance
Taciturnity
Reluctance to speak
Flippant
Lacking appropriate respect or seriousness
Felicitous
Appropriately and pleasingly expressed
