Testmaker's Favorite GRE Words

Question 1

anomaly

Answer 1

something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected
-oddity, peculiarity, abnormality
Ex. the growth on her arm is a harmless anomaly

Question 2

assuage

Answer 2

1. make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense
   -relieve, ease, alleviate
   Ex. a pain that could never be assuaged
2. satisfy (an appetite or desire)
   -satisfy, gratify, appease
   Ex. her hunger was quickly assuaged

Question 3

enigma

Answer 3

a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand
-mystery, puzzle, riddle
Ex. how it works is an enigma to me

Question 4

equivocal

Answer 4

open to more than one interpretation
-ambiguous, indefinite, vague
Ex. an equivocal statement

Question 5

erudite

Answer 5

having or showing great knowledge or learning
-learned, scholarly, educated
Ex. erudite Tagle family

Question 6

fervid

Answer 6

intensely enthusiastic or passionate, especially to an excessive degree
-passionate, intense, fervent
Ex. fervid protestations of love

Question 7

lucid

Answer 7

expressed clearly; easy to understand
-intelligible, comprehensible, understandable
Ex. a lucid description

Question 8

opaque

Answer 8

not able to be seen through; not transparent
1. nontransparent, cloudy, blurred
Ex. opaque glass
2. obscure, unclear, mysterious, perplexing
Ex. the technical jargon was opaque to him

Question 9

placate

Answer 9

make someone less angry or hostile
-pacify, calm, appease, soothe
Ex. Ray does his best to placate Michelle

Question 10

precipitate

Answer 10

cause (an event or situation, typically one that is bad or undesirable) to happen suddenly, unexpectedly, or prematurely
verb
1. bring about, cause, lead to
Ex. the incident precipitated a crisis
2. hurl, catapult, throw
Ex. they were precipitated down the mountain
adjective
1. hasty, rash, hurried
Ex. their actions were precipitate

Question 11

prodigal

Answer 11

1. spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant
   -wasteful, extravagant
   Ex. prodigal shopping habits
2. having or giving something on a lavish scale
   -generous, lavish, liberal, unsparing
   Ex. a composer who is prodigal with his talents
3. rich in, abundant in
   Ex. a dessert prodigal with whipped cream

Question 12

zeal

Answer 12

great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective
-passion, ardor, love, fervor, fire
Ex. Monica’s zeal for cooking

Question 13

abstain

Answer 13

restrain oneself from doing or enjoying something
-refrain from, desist from, hold back from, renounce
Ex. she abstained from drinking because she was pregnant

Question 14

adulterate

Answer 14

render something poorer in quality by adding another substance, typically an inferior one
-make impure, degrade, spoil, taint
Ex. some of the drinks were adulterated with drugs

Question 15

apathy

Answer 15

lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern
-indifference, lack of interest
Ex. widespread apathy among the voters

Question 16

audacious

Answer 16

1. showing an impudent lack of respect
   -impudent, impertinent, insolent, presumptuous, cheeky, disrespectful
   Ex. an audacious remark
2. showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks
   -bold, daring, fearless, in
   Ex. a series of audacious takeovers

Question 17

capricious

Answer 17

given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior
-fickle, inconstant, changeable, variable
Ex. Socal’s capricious climate

Question 18

corroborate

Answer 18

confirm or give support to (a statement, theory, or finding)
-confirm, verify, endorse, authenticate
Ex. the witness had corroborated the boy’s account of the attack

Question 19

desiccate

Answer 19

1. remove the moisture from, typically in order to preserve it
   -dried, dehydrated
   Ex. desiccated coconut
2. lacking interest, passion, or energy
   Ex. desiccated history of ideas

Question 20

engender

Answer 20

cause or give rise to (a feeling, situation, or condition)
-cause, bring about
Ex. the issue engendered continuing controversy

Question 21

ephemeral

Answer 21

lasting for a very short time
-transitory, transient, fleeting
Ex. fashions are ephemeral

Question 22

gullible

Answer 22

easily persuaded to believe something
-credulous, naive, overtrusting, easily deceived
Ex. persuade a gullible public

Question 23

homogenous

Answer 23

of the same kind; alike
-uniform, identical, unvaried
Ex. should members of society become so homogenous that any trace of cultural diversity vanishes?

Question 24

laconic

Answer 24

(of a person, speech, or style of writing) using very few words
-brief, concise, terse, succinct
Ex. his laconic reply suggested a lack of interest in the topic

Question 25

laudable

Answer 25

(of an action, idea, or goal) deserving praise and commendation
-praiseworthy, commendable, admirable
Ex. laudable performance in the marathon

Question 26

loquacious

Answer 26

tending to talk a great deal; talkative
-talkative, voluble, communicative, garrulous
Ex. Joey is a loquacious little girl

Question 27

mitigate

Answer 27

make less severe, serious, or painful; lessen the gravity of
-alleviate, reduce, diminish, assuage
Ex. the worst symptoms have been mitigated

Question 28

pedant

Answer 28

a person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning
-purist, literalist, formalist
Ex. pedants insist that the twenty-first century starts with 2001

Question 29

pragmatic

Answer 29

dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations
-practical, matter of fact, sensible, down-to-earth
Ex. she remains pragmatic in the most emotional circumstances

Question 30

propriety

Answer 30

the state or quality of conforming to conventionally accepted standards of behavior or morals
-decorum, respectability, decency
Ex. she behaves with the utmost propriety

Question 31

vacillate

Answer 31

alternative or waver between different opinions or actions; be indecisive
-dither, waver, be indecisive
Ex. I vacillated between OT and MPH

Question 32

volatile

Answer 32

liable to change rapidly and unpredictable, especially for the worse

• unpredictable, changeable, variable
  ex. Mary had a volatile personality