Part 1: GRE Saad Vocab - 160+ Hard Section High Frequency List Flashcards
animus
deep-seated ill-will
e.g. “the author’s animus towards her”
Synonym: animosity, antagonism, antipathy, enmity, hostility, rancor
proclivity
inclination or predisposition towards something
e.g. “a proclivity for hard work”
Synonym: penchant, predilection, predisposition, propensity
conjecture/conjectural
- to make an inference from defective or presumptive evidence
- an opinion or conclusion formed based on incomplete information
e.g. “conjectures about the newcomer were many and varied”
Synonym: guesswork, hunch, hypothesis, inference, presumption
surfeit
an excessive amount of something.
e.g. “a surfeit of food and drink”
Synonym: glut, plethora, profusion, deluge
embraced
hug or accept readily (REAL GRE uses it as the latter 99% of the time)
e.g. “We are always eager to embrace the latest technology.”
Synonym: accept, adopt, deal with, embody, espouse
panacea
a solution or remedy for all difficulties or diseases.
e.g. “the panacea for all corporate ills”
Synonym: elixir, catholicon, cure, nostrum
primitive
assumed as a basis/not derived/original
e.g. “the accommodation at the camp was a bit primitive”
Synonym: archaic, basic, primeval, primordial, rudimentary
ceded to
To give something over to the control or possession of another usually under pressure
e.g. “After the war, Spain ceded the island to America”
Synonym: capitulate, communicate, concede, hand over, relinquish, renounce, abdicate
gratify
give (someone) pleasure or satisfaction.
e.g. “she was gratified to see the shock in Jim’s eyes”
Synonym: enchant, please, thrill, delight
evanescent
temporary
e.g. “the evanescent Arctic summer”
Synonym: fugacious, ephemeral, transient
unwieldy
not easily managed or handled
e.g. “the benefits system is unwieldy and unnecessarily complex”
Synonym: burdensome, clumsy, cumbersome, inconvenient, massive, onerous
harbinger
One that pioneers or initiated a major change. Also known as a precursor.
e.g. “These works were not yet opera but they were the most important harbinger of opera”
Synonym: omen, portent, precursor, herald
rescinded
Remove or cancelled
e.g. “By the time I read about this, the impounding order had been rescinded.”
Synonym: abolish, abrogate, annul, cancel, dismantle, renege, retract
evocatively
Evoking or tending to evoke a response (usually emotional)
e.g. “He writes evocatively about nature.”
Synonym: expressive, reminiscent
furtive
- shady
- attempting to avoid notice or attention, typically because of guilt or a belief that discovery would lead to trouble; secretive.
e.g. “They spent a furtive day together”
Synonym: secretive, clandestine, conspiratorial, covert, surreptitious
quirk
a peculiar aspect of a person’s character or behavior.
e.g. “they accepted her attitude as one of her little quirks”
Synonym: idiosyncrasy, peculiarity, oddity, eccentricity, foible
ratiocinate; collate
form judgments by a process of logic; and reason.
e.g. “a tendency to ratiocinate in isolation”
Synonym: collate, cerebrate, cogitate, comprehend, conceive, consider
agglomerate
growing together but not coherent
e.g. “he is seeking to agglomerate the functions of the Home Office”
Synonym: aggregate, cluster, collection, lump
interpose
intervene between parties.
e.g. “the legislature interposed to suppress these amusements”
Synonym: intercede, interfere, interject, interpolate, intervene, moderate
perspicacious
having a ready insight into and understanding of things.
e.g. “it offers quite a few facts to the perspicacious reporter”
Synonym: astute, aware, clear-sighted, clever, discerning, heady, judicious, sagacious
unruliness
refusal to obey
e.g. “He is a peaceful person who dislikes unruliness and disorder, and prefers calm.”
Synonym: disobedience, insubordination, waywardness
artifact
Something created by humans usually for a practical purpose
e.g. “The main saloon houses an impressive collection of artifacts and artworks.”
Synonym: fossil, antiquity, relic, remnant
mainstay
something or someone to which one looks for support
e.g. “My mother has always been the mainstay of our family”
Synonym: backbone, bulwark, linchpin, pillar
mendacity
fabrication
e.g. “With characteristic mendacity, the duke spread the report that the prisoner had died a natural death”
Synonym: deceit, deception, untruth, prevarication
restorative
beneficial/healthy
e.g. “She believed firmly in the restorative powers of fresh air.”
Synonym: corrective, curative, therapeutic
unmistakable
clear (can be interchanged for decisive)
e.g. “a glint in his eye that was an unmistakable expression of greed”
Synonym: obvious, apparent, evident, distinct
genteel
stylish
e.g. “those bygone days when young women were taught how to drink tea while wearing long gloves and other genteel ways of behaving”
Synonym: polite, proper, respectable, decorous
impassioned
having or expressing great depth of feeling
e.g. “an impassioned plea for justice”
Synonym: fervent, warm, passionate, intense, incandescent, vehement
bumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy way
e.g. “He accused the White House staff of bumbling the announcement of the replacement for the cabinet post”
Synonym: stumble, wobble, lumber
rebuke
to criticize sharply
e.g. “his parents delivered a rebuke he would not soon forget”
Synonym: admonition, censure, condemnation, disapproval, rebuff
precocious
exceptionally talented at an early age
e.g. “a precocious talent for computing”
Synonym: mature
nefarious
evil
e.g. “Through other nefarious means, the spammer has also built up a list of email addresses.”
Synonym: heinous, horrible, odious, vicious
vacuous
having or showing a lack of thought or intelligence
e.g. “Choices based on the most minute reasoning but lacking any desire are vacuous.”
Synonym: absent-minded, uninterested, empty
lugubrious
looking or sounding sad and dismal.
e.g. “his face looked even more lugubrious than usual”
Synonym: bleak, depressive, depressing, dark, solemn, morose, dreary
imperturbable
unable to be upset or excited; calm.
e.g. “an imperturbable tranquillity”
Synonym: nonchalant, calm, serene, unflappable, composed, unshakable, nerveless
unprepossessing
unremarkable; not appealing to the eye.
“despite his unprepossessing appearance, he had an animal magnetism”
Synonym: dull
unruffled
free from emotional or mental agitation
e.g. “She remained unruffled by the news that stocks were in a free fall”
Synonym: peaceful, composed, collected, tranquil, placid, unperturbed
atrocious
extremely disturbing or repellent
e.g. “an atrocious crime that shocked even hardened members of the police force”
Synonym: horrific, gruesome, horrible, macabre
cavalier
unpredictable
Synonym: capricious, mercurial
fleeting
transitory - passing swiftly
e.g. “for a fleeting moment I saw the face of a boy”
Synonym: cursory, ephemeral, fading, momentary, short-lived
unsophisticated
naive - straightforward
e.g. “it’s very low-tech and unsophisticated software”
Synonym: guileless, inexperienced, naive, straightforward
deprecation
refusal to accept as right or desirable
e.g. “considering that he’s a member of the old school, his deprecation of contemporary manners isn’t surprising”
Synonym: disapproval, dislike, displeasure, criticism, condemnation, disapprobation
hauteur
arrogance
e.g. “she looked at him with the hauteur of someone who is accustomed to being instantly obeyed”
Synonym: superiority, imperiousness, disdain, haughtiness, attitude
inimical
opposition/ill-will
e.g. “received an inimical response rather than the anticipated support”
Synonym: animosity, antagonism, antipathy, enmity, hostility, rancor, animus
symbiotic
characterized by a cooperative or interdependent relationship
e.g. “The neighbors have a symbiotic relationship, each helping the other out as they are able.”
Synonym: mutual, cooperative, reciprocal, cooperating
trepidation
fearful; apprehension
e.g. “shaking with trepidation, I stepped into the old abandoned house.”
Synonym: ambivalent, anxiety, fearfulness, dread, panic
transience
the state or quality of lasting only for a short time
e.g. “the transience of spring in northern climates means residents get to enjoy temperate weather only briefly before the heat and humidity of summer set in”
Synonym: ephemeral, evanescence, transitory
adducing
to offer as an example, reason, or proof in discussion or analysis
e.g. “in support of a 12-month school year, the committee adduced data from other school districts”
Synonym:
suppleness
flexible but real GRE mostly uses this word as complaining often to the point of excessive eagerness to please
fitfully
irregular
e.g. “he has worked intermittently in a variety of jobs”
Synonym: erratically, irregularly, intermittent
camaraderie
mutual trust and friendship among people
e.g. “the enforced camaraderie of office life”
Synonym: companionship, conviviality,
presage
- a feeling that something will happen (sometimes bad)
- foretell or predict
e.g. “I had a nagging presage that the results of my medical tests would not be good”
Synonym: portent,
premonition, prognostication, foreboding, omen
sententious
preaching moral values
e.g. “a sententious crank who has written countless letters to the editor about the decline in family values”
Synonym: homiletical, moralizing, sermonic
manifest
obvious but real GRE usually tests this word as crystal clear
e.g. “despite his manifest lack of leadership skills, the shift supervisor managed to keep his position”
Synonym: conspicuous, crystal-clear
credulous
ready to believe especially on slight or uncertain evidence.
e.g. “Few people are credulous enough to believe such nonsense.”
Synonym: gullible, innocent, immature, ingenuous, callow
circumspect
cautious but real GRE can also use this word as conservative (as in protective)
Synonyms: guarded, considerate, chary, safe
inimitable
so good or unusual as to be impossible to copy; unique or incomparable
e.g. “They took the charts by storm with their inimitable style”
Synonym: unique, distinctive
decadence
A period of decline and can be used on the real GRE as degeneracy as well.
e.g. “a symbol of the decadence of their once-mighty civilization”
Synonym: decline, descent, degeneracy, downfall, degeneration, ebb, downgrade
purveyor
A person (usually producer) who sells or deals in particular goods
e.g. “a purveyor of kitchen supplies”
Synonym: provider, trader, distributor
ubiquitous
High in number/present everywhere. Real GRE uses it with omnipresent
e.g. “He was weary of the ubiquitous noise of the big city and longed for the quiet of the country.”
Synonym: universal, widespread, omnipresent
intractable
Not manageable but Real GRE uses it as stubborn.
e.g. “Cats are by nature fairly intractable animals”
Synonym: unmanageable, recalcitrant, uncontrollable, refractory
superlative
beyond excellence
e.g. “the New England town meeting is a superlative example of grassroots democracy”
Synonym: excellent, superb, wonderful, terrific
adventitious
Extraneous but real GRE can use it as something arising irregularly
e.g. “adventitious lobes may appear between the primaries”
Synonym: capricious, unpredictable
porous
It does mean having holes but real GRE uses it as not being secure
e.g. “He ran through a porous home defense to score easily”
Synonym: not secure
proscribed
Prohibit and people confuse it with prescribe which is to advise
e.g. “the organization lost its nonprofit status after it was determined to have engaged in several proscribed fund-raising activities”
Synonym: prohibited, forbidden, banned, outlawed
opprobrium
disgrace; causing shame
e.g. saw no reason why “secretary” should suddenly become a term of opprobrium among the politically correct
Synonym: scandal, disgrace, reflection, notoriety, ignominy, infamy
infamy
the state of being well known for some bad quality or deed.
e.g. “a day that will live in infamy”
Synonym: notoriety, opprobrium, disesteem, ignominy
levity
- Changeable but real GRE can also use it as cheerful
e.g. “as an attempt to introduce a note of levity, the words were a disastrous flop”
Synonym: light-heartedness, carefreeness, light-mindedness, high spirits, vivacity
indispensable
Essential but really GRE usually uses it as more towards not being neglected
e.g. “he made himself indispensable to the parish priest”
Synonym: essential, acute, paramount
perfunctory
(of an action) carried out while lacking interest, feeling, or effort.
e.g. “he gave a perfunctory nod”
Synonym: nonchalant, casual, disinterested, careless, uninterested
interminable
endless; seeming to have no end
e.g. “an interminable war”
Synonym: incessant, eternal, unceasing, uninterrupted, everlasting, unremitting
prehensile
Capable of easily grasping or a quick learner
Synonym: adaptive
quiescent
quiet or inactive
e.g. “strikes were headed by groups of workers who had previously been quiescent”
Synonym: inert, latent, fallow, dormant, torpid
ad hoc
When necessary or needed but real GRE usually uses it as a temporary basis
e.g. “the group was constituted ad hoc”
antiquarian
Dealing in old or rare books
e.g. “antiquarian booksellers”
Synonym: aged, antique, primitive
succumb
to give in
e.g. “succumb to temptation”
Synonym: buckle, capitulate, cave in, cease, defer
hyperbole
exaggeration
e.g. “he vowed revenge with oaths and hyperboles”
Synonym: hype, metaphor, overstatement
plasticity
adaptability. Real GRE uses it in the sense of being an all-rounder
e.g. “we chose that type of clay for its greater plasticity”
Synonym: flexibility, malleability
feeble
Weak usually referred on real GRE as weak bodily strength
e.g. “a feeble old man”
Synonym: fragile, frail
augmented
To make greater in size, amount, or number. Real GRE usually uses it in a positive sense.
e.g. “our volleyball team was augmented by some of the exchange team’s players”
Synonym: intensified, amplified, magnified
brook
Tolerate. Real GRE usually uses it as dealing with hardships
e.g. “I will not brook insults from my own employees”
Synonym: countenance, tolerate, abide, withstand
fecundity
Prolific or intellectually productive
e.g. “the immense fecundity of his imagination made a profound impact on European literature”
Synonym: productivity, fruitfulness, productiveness, prolific
condone
To disregard. Real GRE uses it as being the bigger person.
e.g. “he is too quick to condone his friend’s faults”
Synonym: forgive, overlook, excuse
inconsequential
Illogical or insignificant
e.g. “That’s an inconsequential problem compared to the other issues”
Synonym: insignificant, negligible, trivial, unimportant
objectivity
Impartial or unbiased
e.g. “the teacher’s objectivity would be seriously compromised if his own child were placed in the class”
Synonym: disinterested, indifferent, impartial
neophyte
beginner
e.g. “neophytes are assigned an experienced church member to guide them through their first year”
Synonym: novice, beginner
zealot
a person who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of their religious, political, or other ideals
e.g. “zealots on both sides of the issue resorted to name-calling and scare tactics”
Synonym: partisan, die-hard, extremist, fanatic
timelessness
The quality of not changing as the years go past, or as fashion changes
e.g. “There is a wondrous sense of timelessness, even for young people.”
Synonym: ceaselessness, eternity, permanence
unwarranted
not justified or authorized
e.g. “It’s an unwarranted intrusion into people’s private lives.”
Synonym: inappropriate, unsuitable, unseemly, unbecoming, improper
defensiveness
Protection but real GRE uses it as someone who is valuable.
e.g. “defensiveness of the hive was related to the size of the colony”
Synonym: protective, deterrent
punctilious
marked by or showing careful attention to set forms and details
e.g. “old-money aristocrats with a punctilious sense of propriety”
Synonym: formal, decorous, ceremonious, proper, solemn
novel
New or not known or experienced before. Real GRE uses it as original or something along the lines of an invention
e.g. “That’s a novel idea for a TV series”
Synonym: unprecedented, original
snag; hitch
Both mean a danger or difficulty that is hidden or not easily recognized.
Synonyms: hitch, peril
upshot
Final result or outcome. Real GRE can also use it as a condition or occurrence traceable to a cause.
e.g. “the upshot of the court’s ruling is that a number of communities will now have to change their gun laws”
Synonym: outcome, result, resultant, consequence, corollary
inured
Able to withstand hardship, strain or exposure. Real GRE uses it as accustomed to accept something that is usually undesirable.
e.g. “the weather-beaten, inured faces of farmers”
Synonym: brook, countenance, tolerate, abide
waning
To fall gradually from power, prosperity or influence.
(Ebb is another word that means waning and is used on the real GRE.)
e.g. “Her enthusiasm for the whole idea was waning rapidly.”
Synonym: ebb, abating
conjure
To appeal or request to someone in an earnest or urgent manner
e.g. “I conjure you to hear my plea for mercy”
Synonym: petition, entreat, beseech
maintain
To preserve but real GRE will use this word as asserting or emphasizing
e.g. “he maintains that there is indeed hard evidence for extraterrestrial visitors”
Synonym: proclaim, put forth, defend, purport
lackluster
dull or mediocre
e.g. “His writing can be lackluster at times.”
Synonym: boring, humdrum, flat
ascribed
accredit or attribute
e.g. “ascribed their stunning military victory to good intelligence beforehand”
Synonym: attributed, credited, imputed
robust
Exhibiting strength or firmness.
Real GRE usually uses this word as a representation of good health.
e.g. “a robust and sturdy toddler”
Synonym: healthy, sturdy, well, strong, vigorous
elusive
To avoid or being slippery. Real GRE can also use it as hard to comprehend or define
e.g. “the giant squid is one of the ocean’s most elusive inhabitants”
Synonym: slippery, transient, evasive, fleeting
undercut
To underline or destroy the force, value, or effectiveness of
e.g. “the chairman denied his authority was being undercut”
Synonym: undermine, attenuate, weaken, sap
affinity
An attraction or liking for something and the Real GRE can use affinity as sympathy or kinship
e.g. “he had a special affinity with horses”
Synonym: aptitude, tendency, inclination, affection, knack, predilection, penchant
abstracted
Inattentive to one’s surroundings. Also referred to as daydreaming
e.g. “the man on the train seemed somewhat abstracted, and he did indeed forget to get off at his stop”
Synonym: engrossed, preoccupied, absent-minded
divorce
Everyone knows what a marriage divorce is but real GRE divorce means to make or keep separate.
e.g. “in your head you need to divorce your wishes and fantasies from the realities of the world as it is”
Synonym: annulment, breakup, dissolution
accord
To grant or give especially as appropriate, due, or unearned and real GRE can also use it as reconciliation
e.g. “He claims that the newspaper’s quote does not accord with what he actually said”
Synonym: coincide, correspond, conform, agree, fit, harmonize
tranquility
Peaceful and real GRE can also use it as state of freedom
e.g. “He enjoyed the tranquility of the snow-covered field at dusk”
Synonym: equanimity, serenity, placidity
artlessness
Very crude or natural and real GRE can also use it as being very naive.
e.g. “the artlessness of young children should be cherished while it lasts”
Synonym: naturalness, simplicity, innocence, sincerity, naïveté, ingenuousness
nascent
beginning to come into existence
e.g. “one of the leading figures in the nascent civil-rights movement”
Synonym: incipient, budding, inchoate, elementary, inceptive, formative, embryonic, primitive, rudimentary
intractable
Stubborn or not easily manageable
e.g. “cats are by nature fairly intractable animals”
Synonym: intransigent, stubborn, uncompromising, unmanageable, refractory, recalcitrant
erudite
scholarly
e.g. “the most erudite people in medical research”
Synonym: knowledgeable, literate, scholarly
innate
Something that is inborn.
e.g. “an innate athletic ability that allowed him to excel at just about any sport he tried his hand at”
Synonym: inherent, intrinsic, ingrained
surfeit
Overabundant supply and real GRE can use this word as disgust caused by excess or an intemperate or immoderate indulgence in something.
e.g. “They ended up with a surfeit of volunteers who simply got in each other’s way”
Synonym: glut, plethora, profusion
unexceptional
commonplace
e.g. “the physicist, now regarded as one of the brightest minds in science, was an unexceptional student as a child”
Synonym: commonplace, unremarkable, common, routine, standard, prosaic
nondescript
Belonging to no particulate class or kind and real GRE can use this word as dull.
e.g. “travelers settling for nondescript motel rooms that could be located anywhere”
Synonym: boring, characterless, beige, faceless, noncommittal, dull
restorative
Beneficial to the body or mind and real GRE can use this as wholesome.
e.g. “He took a restorative vitamin mix to improve his immune system”
Synonym: healthy, medicinal, good, healthful, nutritional, wholesome, salubrious, salutary, tonic
tonic
Keynote and real GRE can use it as refreshing or bearing a principal stress or accent.
e.g. “breathe in clear tonic mountain air”
Synonym: refreshing, restorative, rejuvenating
invigorating, therapeutic
astute
crafty/shrewd/cunning
e.g. “a police detective known to be an astute judge of character”
Synonym: perspicacious, sagacious, slick, crafty/shrewd/cunning
tantamount
equal in value
e.g. “They see any criticism of the President as tantamount to treason.”
Synonym: analogous, comparable, similar, equivalent, akin
subservient
Useful but in an inferior capacity and real GRE can use it as obsequiously submissive.
e.g. “She was an equal partner in the marriage and not a subservient wife.”
Synonym: subordinate, obedient, passive, servile, submissive, obsequious, docile, obeisant
ignobility
Characterised by baseless, lowness or meanness
e.g. “such an ignoble act is completely unworthy of a military officer”
Synonym: vile, snide, immoral, cruel, contemptible, ignominious
antipathy
A deep seated ill will
e.g. “I feel no antipathy towards any of my opponents in the tournament”
Synonym: hostility, grudge, hatred, bitterness, animosity, antagonism, enmity
probity
Uprightness and honesty
e.g. “the defense attorney questioned the probity of the witness”
Synonym: integrity, morality, rectitude, veracity
heaven
I know what heaven is but real GRE can use it as an emotion in terms of bliss or eternal happiness.
e.g. “lying by the pool with a good book is my idea of heaven”
Synonym: ecstasy, bliss, rapture, contentment, felicity
wary
Having or showing a close attentiveness time avoiding danger or trouble
e.g. “dogs which have been mistreated often remain very wary of strangers”
Synonym: attentive, chary, cautious, circumspect
muddled
Confusion or lacking in order and real GRE can use it as lacking in cleanliness as well
e.g. “I fear he may have muddled the message”
Synonym: convoluted, disorganized, jumbled, befuddled
convivial
Likely to seek or enjoy the company of others
e.g. “a convivial cocktail party”
Synonym: genial, affable, amiable, congenial, jovial
cajoles; coaxes
Synonyms: both words are synonyms of each other
diurnal
occurring everyday
e.g. “a love as constant and certain as the diurnal tides”
Synonym: commonplace, quotidian, ordinary
