Most Common GRE Words, Part 1 Flashcards
aberration
noun: a deviation from what is normal or expected
Aberrations in climate have become the norm: rarely a week goes by without some meteorological phenomenon making headlines
amalgam
noun: a mixture of multiple things
The band’s music was an amalgam of hip-hop, flamenco and jazz, blending the three styles with surprising results
acrimony
noun: bitterness and ill will
The acrimony between the president and vice-president sent a clear signal to voters: the health of the current administration was imperiled.
ambiguous
adjective: open to more than one interpretation
The coach told his team, “Move towards that side of the field”; because he did not point, his directions were ambiguous, and the team had no idea to which side he was referring.
ambivalent
adjective: mixed or conflicting emotions about something
Sam was ambivalent about studying for the exam because doing so ate up a lot of his time, yet he was able to improve his analytical skills.
amenable
adjective: easily persuaded
Even though she did not like the outdoors, Shirley was generally amenable and so her brother was able to persuade her to go camping
amorphous
adjective: shapeless
His study plan for the GRE was at best amorphous; he would do questions from random pages in any one of seven test prep books.
anomalous
adjective: not normal
According to those who do not believe in climate change, the extreme weather over the last five years is simply anomalous—daily temperatures should return to their old averages, they believe.
artful
adjective: exhibiting artistic skill
Picasso is generally considered the most artful member of the Cubist movement.
adjective: clever in a cunning way
Bernie Madoff’s artful Ponzi scheme stole billions of dollars from investors and is considered the largest financial fraud in U.S. history.
auspicious
adjective: favorable, the opposite of sinister
Despite an auspicious beginning, Mike’s road trip became a series of mishaps, and he was soon stranded and penniless, leaning against his wrecked automobile.
belie
verb: to give a false representation to; misrepresent
The smile on her face belies the pain she must feel after the death of her husband.
betray
verb: to reveal or make known something, usually unintentionally
With the gold medal at stake, the gymnast awaited his turn, his quivering lip betraying his intense emotions.
castigate
verb: to reprimand harshly
Drill sergeants are known to castigate new recruits so mercilessly that the latter often break down during their first week in training.
calumny
noun: making of a false statement meant to injure a person’s reputation
With the presidential primaries well under way, the air is thick with calumny, and the mud already waist-high.
censure
verb: to express strong disapproval
After being caught in bed with a mistress, the mayor was quickly censured by the city council.
chastise
verb: to reprimand harshly
Though chastised for eating the snacks for the party, Lawrence shrugged off his mother’s harsh words and continued to plow through jars of cookies and boxes of donuts.
demur
verb: to object or show reluctance
Wallace disliked the cold, so he demurred when his friends suggested they go skiing in the Alps.
disinterested
adjective: unbiased; neutral
The potential juror knew the defendant, and therefore could not serve on the jury, which must consist only of disinterested members.
egregious
adjective: standing out in a negative way; shockingly bad
The dictator’s abuse of human rights was so egregious that many world leaders demanded that he be tried in an international court for genocide.
enervate
verb: to sap energy from
John preferred to avoid equatorial countries; the intense sun would always leave him enervated after he’d spent the day sightseeing.
equivocal
adjective: confusing or ambiguous
The findings of the study were equivocal—the two researchers had different opinions on what the results signified.
extant
adjective: still in existence (usually refers to documents).
Despite many bookstores closing, experts predict that some form of book dealing will still be extant generations from now.
galvanize
verb: to excite or inspire (someone) to action
At mile 23 of his first marathon, Kyle had all but given up, until he noticed his friends and family holding a banner that read, “Go Kyle”; galvanized, he broke into a gallop, finishing the last three miles in less than 20 minutes.
gregarious
adjective: to be likely to socialize with others
Often we think that great leaders are those who are gregarious, always in the middle of a large group of people; yet, as Mahatma Gandhi and many others have shown us, leaders can also be introverted.
harangue
noun: a long pompous speech; a tirade
Dinner at Billy’s was more a punishment than a reward, since anyone who sat at the dinner table would have to listen to Billy’s father’s interminable harangues against the government.
verb: to deliver a long pompous speech or tirade
Tired of his parents haranguing him about his laziness and lack of initiative, Tyler finally moved out of home at the age of thirty-five.
iconoclast
noun: somebody who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions
Lady Gaga, in challenging what it means to be clothed, is an iconoclast for wearing a “meat dress” to a prominent awards show.
impertinent
adjective: being disrespectful; improperly forward or bold
Dexter, distraught over losing his pet dachshund, Madeline, found the police officer’s questions impertinent—after all, he thought, did she have to pry into such details as to what Madeline’s favorite snack was?
innocuous
adjective: harmless and doesn’t produce any ill effects
Everyone found Nancy’s banter innocuous—except for Mike, who felt like she was intentionally picking on him.
intimate
verb: to suggest something subtly
At first Manfred’s teachers intimated to his parents that he was not suited to skip a grade; when his parents protested, teachers explicitly told them that, notwithstanding the boy’s precocity, he was simply too immature to jump to the 6th grade.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
involved
adjective: complicated, and difficult to comprehend
The physics lecture became so involved that the undergraduate’s eyes glazed over.
laconic
adjective: (describes a person, speech, or style of writing) using very few words
While Martha always swooned over the hunky, laconic types in romantic comedies, her boyfriends inevitably were very talkative—and not very hunky.
maintain
verb: to assert
The scientist maintained that the extinction of dinosaurs was most likely brought about by a drastic change in climate.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
parochial
adjective: narrowly restricted in scope or outlook
Jasmine was sad to admit it, but her fledgling relationship with Jacob did not work out because his culinary tastes were simply too parochial; “After all,” she quipped on her blog, “he considered Chef Boyardee ethnic food.”
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
mercurial
adjective: (of a person) prone to unexpected and unpredictable changes in mood
The fact that Ella’s moods were as mercurial as the weather was problematic for her relationships—it didn’t help that she lived in Chicago.
parsimonious
adjective: extremely frugal; miserly
Katie is so parsimonious that she only buys a pair of socks if all of her other socks have holes in them.
prevaricate
verb: to speak in an evasive way
The cynic quipped, “There is not much variance in politicians; they all seem to prevaricate”.
prodigal
adjective: rashly or wastefully extravagant
Successful professional athletes who do not fall prey to prodigality seem to be the exception—most live decadent lives.
profligate
adjective: spending resources recklessly or wastefully
The composer Wagner, while living on a limited salary, was so profligate as to line all the walls of his apartment with pure silk.
noun: someone who spends resources recklessly or wastefully
Most lottery winners go from being conservative, frugal types to outright profligates who blow millions on fast cars, lavish homes, and giant yachts.
qualify
verb: to make less severe; to limit (a statement)
Chris qualified his love for San Francisco, adding he didn’t like the weather there as much as he liked the weather in Los Angeles.
This word has other definitions, but this is the most important one to study
restive
adjective: restless
The crowd grew restive as the comedian’s opening jokes fell flat.
upbraid
verb: to reproach; to scold
Bob took a risk walking into the “Students Barbershop”—in the end he had to upbraid the apparently drunk barber for giving him an uneven bowl cut.
venality
noun: the condition of being susceptible to bribes or corruption
Even some of the most sacred sporting events are not immune to venality, as many of the officials have received substantial bribes to make biased calls.
venerate
verb: to respect deeply
The professor, despite his sleep-inducing lectures, was venerated amongst his colleagues, publishing more papers yearly than all of his peers combined.
veracious
adjective: truthful
While we elect our leaders in the hope that every word they speak will be veracious, history has shown that such a hope is naive.
vindicate
verb: to clear of accusation, blame, suspicion, or doubt with supporting arguments or proof
Even seven Tour de France wins cannot vindicate Lance Armstrong in the eyes of the public–that the athlete used performance enhancing drugs invalidates all those wins.
wanting
adjective: lacking
She did not think her vocabulary was wanting, yet there were so many words that inevitably she found a few she didn’t know.
