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GRE Vocabulary > Top GRE Words > Flashcards

Top GRE Words Flashcards

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1
Q

Ababte

A

to reduce in amount, degree, or severity

As the hurricane’s force ABATED, the winds dropped and the sea became calm.

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2
Q

Abscond

A

to leave secretly

The patron ABSCONDED from the restaurant without paying his bill by sneaking out the back door.

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3
Q

Abstain

A

to choose not to do something

She ABSTAINED from choosing a mouthwatering dessert from the tray.

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4
Q

Abyss

A

an extremely deep hole

The submarine dove into the abyss to chart the previous unseen depths.

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5
Q

Adulterate

A

to make impure

The chief made his ketchup last longer by ADULTERATING it with water.

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6
Q

Advocate

A

to speak in favor of

The vegetarian ADVOCATED a diet containing no meat.

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7
Q

Aesthetic

A

concerning the appreciation of beauty

Followers of the Aesthetic Movement regarded the pursuit of beauty as the only true purpose of art.

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8
Q

Aggrandize

A

to increase in power, influence, and reputation

The supervisor sought to AGGRANDIZE herself by claiming that the achievements of her staff were actually her own.

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9
Q

Alleviate

A

to make more bearable

Taking aspirin helps ALLEVIATE a headache.

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10
Q

Amalgamate

A

to combine; to mix together

Giant Industries AMALGAMATED with Mega Products to form Giant-Mega Products Incorporated.

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11
Q

Ambiguous

A

doubtful or uncertain; able to be interpreted several ways

The directions she gave me were so AMBIGUOUS that we disagreed on which way to turn.

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12
Q

Ameliorate

A

to make better; to improve

The doctor was able to AMELIORATE the patients suffering using painkillers.

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13
Q

Anachronism

A

something out of place in time

The aged hippie used ANACHRONISTIC phrases like groovy and far out that had not been popular for years.

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14
Q

Analogous

A

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.”

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15
Q

Anomaly

A

deviation from what is normal

Albino animals may display too great an ANOMALY in their coloring to attract normally colored mates.

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16
Q

Antagonize

A

to provoke to anger or annoy

The child discovered that he could ANTAGONIZE the cat by pulling its tail.

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17
Q

Antipathy

A

extreme dislike

The ANTIPATHY between the French and the English regularly erupted into open warfare.

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18
Q

Apathy

A

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 to do so.

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19
Q

Arbitrate

A

to judge a dispute between two opposing parties

Since the couple could not come to agreement, a judge was forced to ARBITRATE their divorce proceedings.

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20
Q

Archaic

A

ancient, old fashioned

Her ARCHAIC Commodore computer could not run the latest software.

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21
Q

Ardor

A

intense and passionate feeling

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22
Q

Articulate

A

able to speak clearly and expressively

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23
Q

Assuage

A

to make something unpleasant less severe

Serena used aspirin to ASSUAGE her pounding headache.

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24
Q

Attenuate

A

to reduce in force or degree; to weaken

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25
Q

Audacious

A

fearless and daring

Her AUDACIOUS nature allowed her to fulfill her dream of skydiving.

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26
Q

Austere

A

severe or stern in appearance; undecorated

The lack of decoration makes military barracks seem AUSTERE to the civilian eye.

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27
Q

Banal

A

predictable, cliched, boring

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28
Q

Bolster

A

to support; to prop up

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29
Q

Bombastic

A

pompous in speech and manner

The ranting of the radio talk show host was mostly BOMBASTIC; his boasting and outrageous claims had no basis in fact.

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30
Q

Cacophony

A

harsh, jarring noise

The junior high orchestra created an almost unbearable CACOPHONY as they tried to tune their instruments.

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31
Q

Candid

A

impartial and honest in speech

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32
Q

Capricious

A

changing ones mind quickly and often

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33
Q

Castigate

A

to punish or criticize harshly

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34
Q

Catalyst

A

something that brings about change in something else

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35
Q

Caustic

A

biting in wit

Dorothy Parker gained her reputation for CAUSTIC wit from her cutting, yet clever, insults

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36
Q

Chaos

A

great disorder or confusion

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37
Q

Chauvinist

A

someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs

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38
Q

Chicanery

A

deception by means of craft or guile

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39
Q

Cogent

A

convincing and well reasoned

Swayed by the COGENT argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but to acquit the defendent

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40
Q

Condone

A

to overlook, pardon, or disregard

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41
Q

Convoluted

A

intricate and complicated

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42
Q

Corroborate

A

to provide supporting evidence

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43
Q

Credulous

A

too trusting; gullible

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44
Q

Crescendo

A

steadily increasing volume or force

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45
Q

Decorum

A

appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety

The countess complained that the vulgar peasants lacked the DECORUM appropriate for a visit to the palace.

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46
Q

Deference

A

respect, courtesy

The respectful young law clerk treated the Supreme Court justice with the utmost DEFERENCE.

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47
Q

Deride

A

to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock

The awkward child was often DERIDED by his “cooler” peers.

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48
Q

Desiccate

A

to dry out thoroughly

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49
Q

Desultory

A

jumping from one thing to another; disconnected

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50
Q

Diatribe

A

an abusive, condemnatory speech

The trucker bellowed a DIATRIBE at the driver who had cut him off.

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51
Q

Diffident

A

lacking self-confidence

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52
Q

Dilate

A

to make larger; to expand

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53
Q

Dilatory

A

intended to delay

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54
Q

Dilettante

A

someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic

Jerry’s friends were such DILETTANTES that they seemed to have new jobs and hobbies every week.

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55
Q

Dirge

A

a funeral hymn or mournful speech

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56
Q

Disabuse

A

to set right; to free from error

Galileo’s observations DISABUSED scholars of the notion that the sun revolved around the earth.

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57
Q

Discern

A

to perceive; to recognize

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58
Q

Disparate

A

fundamentally different; entirely unlike

Although the twins appear to be identical physically, their personalities are DISPARATE.

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59
Q

Dissemble

A

to present a false appearance; to disguise one’s real intentions or character

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60
Q

Dissonance

A

a harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds

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61
Q

Dogma

A

a firmly held opinion, often a religious belief

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62
Q

Dogmatic

A

dictatorial in one’s opinions

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63
Q

Dupe

A

to deceive; a person who is easily deceived

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64
Q

Eclectic

A

selecting from or made up from a variety of sources

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65
Q

Efficacy

A

effectiveness

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66
Q

Elegy

A

a sorrowful poem or speech

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67
Q

Eloquent

A

persuasive and moving especially in speech

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68
Q

Emulate

A

to copy; to try to equal or excel

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69
Q

Enervate

A

to reduce in strength

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70
Q

Engender

A

to produce, cause, or bring about

His fear and hatred of clowns was ENGENDERED when he witnessed the death of his father at the hands of a clown.

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71
Q

Enigma

A

a puzzle; a mystery

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72
Q

Enumerate

A

to count, list, or itemize

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73
Q

Ephemeral

A

lasting a short time

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74
Q

Equivocate

A

to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead

When faced with criticism of her policies the politician EQUIVOCATED and left all parties thinking she agreed with them.

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75
Q

Erratic

A

wandering and unpredictable

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76
Q

Erudite

A

learned, scholarly, bookish

the annual meeting of philosophy professors was a gathering of the most ERUDITE, well published individuals in the field.

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77
Q

Esoteric

A

known or understood by only a few

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78
Q

Estimable

A

admirable

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79
Q

Eulogy

A

speech in praise of someone

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80
Q

Euphemism

A

use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one

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81
Q

Exacerbate

A

to make worse

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82
Q

Exculpate

A

to clear from blame; prove innocent

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83
Q

Exigent

A

urgent; requiring immediate action

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84
Q

Exonerate

A

to clear of blame

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85
Q

Explicit

A

clearly stated or shown; forthright in expression

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86
Q

Fanatical

A

acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme, unquestioned devotion

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87
Q

Fawn

A

to grovel

The understudy FAWNED over the director in hopes of being cast in the part on a permanent basis.

88
Q

Fervid

A

intensely emotional; feverish

89
Q

Florid

A

excessively decorated or embellished

90
Q

Foment

A

to arouse or incite

The protesters tried to FOMENT feeling against the war through their speeches and demonstrations.

91
Q

Frugality

A

a tendency to be thrifty or cheap

92
Q

Garrulous

A

tending to talk a lot

93
Q

Gregarious

A

outgoing, sociable

94
Q

Guile

A

deceit or trickery

95
Q

Gullible

A

easily deceived

96
Q

Homogenous

A

of similar kind

97
Q

Iconoclast

A

one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions

98
Q

Imperturbable

A

not capable of being disturbed

99
Q

Impervious

A

impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected

100
Q

Impetuous

A

quick to act without thinking

101
Q

Implacable

A

unable to be calmed down or made peaceful

102
Q

Inchoate

A

not fully formed; disorganized

The ideas expressed in Nietzsche’s mature work also appear in an INCHOATE form in his earliest writing.

103
Q

Ingenuous

A

showing innocence or childlike simplicity

She was so INGENUOUS that her friends feared that her innocence and trustfulness would be exploited when she moved to the big city.

104
Q

Inimical

A

hostile, unfriendly

105
Q

Innocuous

A

harmless

106
Q

Insipid

A

lacking interest or flavor

The critic claimed that the painting was INSIPID, containing no interesting qualities at all.

107
Q

Intransigent

A

uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled

The professor was INTRANSIGENT on the deadline, insisting everyone turn the assignment in at the same time.

108
Q

Inundate

A

to overwhelm; to cover with water

109
Q

Irascible

A

easily made angry

110
Q

Laconic

A

using few words

111
Q

Lament

A

to express sorrow; to grieve

112
Q

Laud

A

to give praise; to glorify

113
Q

Lavish

A

to give unsparingly (v); extremely generous or extravagant (adj.)

114
Q

Lethargic

A

acting indifferent or slow; sluggish manner

115
Q

Loquacious

A

talkative

116
Q

Lucid

A

clear and easily understood

117
Q

Luminous

A

bright, brilliant, glowing

118
Q

Malinger

A

to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill

119
Q

Malleable

A

capable of being shaped

120
Q

Metaphor

A

a figure of speech comparing two different things; a symbol

121
Q

Meticulous

A

extremely careful about details

122
Q

Misanthrope

A

a person who dislikes others

123
Q

Mitigate

A

to soften; to lessen

124
Q

Mollify

A

to calm or make less severe

125
Q

Monotony

A

lack of variation

126
Q

Naive

A

lacking sophistication or experience

127
Q

Obdurate

A

hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion

128
Q

Obsequious

A

overly submissive and eager to please

129
Q

Obstinate

A

stubborn, unyielding

130
Q

Obviate

A

to prevent; to make unnecessary

The river was shallow enough to wade across at many points, which OBVIATED the need for a bridge.

131
Q

Occlude

A

to stop up; to prevent the passage of

A shadow is thrown across the earth’s surface during a solar eclipse, when the light from the sun is OCCLUDED by the moon

132
Q

Onerous

A

troublesome and oppressive; burdensome

133
Q

Opaque

A

impossible to see through; preventing the passage of light

134
Q

Opprobrium

A

public disgrace

After the scheme to embezzle the elderly was made public, the treasurer resigned in utter OPPROBRIUM.

135
Q

Ostentation

A

excessive showiness

136
Q

Paradox

A

a contradiction or dilemma

137
Q

Paragon

A

model of excellence or perfection

138
Q

Pedant

A

someone who shows off learning

The graduate instructor’s tedious and excessive commentary on the subject soon gained her a reputation as a PEDANT.

139
Q

Perfidious

A

willing to betray one’s trust

140
Q

Perfunctory

A

done in a routine way; indifferent

141
Q

Permeate

A

to penetrate

142
Q

Philanthropy

A

charity; a desire or effort to promote goodness

143
Q

Placate

A

to soothe or pacify

144
Q

Plastic

A

able to be molded, altered, or bent

145
Q

Plethora

A

excess

146
Q

Pragmatic

A

practical as opposed to idealistic

147
Q

Precipitate

A

to throw violently or bring about abruptly; lacking deliberation

148
Q

Prevaricate

A

to lie or deviate from the truth

149
Q

Pristine

A

fresh and clean; uncorrupted

150
Q

Prodigal

A

lavish, wasteful

151
Q

Proliferate

A

to increase in number quickly

152
Q

Propitiate

A

to conciliate; to appease

The management PROPITIATED the irate union by agreeing to raise wages for its members.

153
Q

Propriety

A

correct behavior; obedience to rules and customs

The aristocracy maintained a high level of PROPRIETY, adhering to even the most minor social rules.

154
Q

Prudence

A

wisdom, caution, restraint

The college student exhibited PRUDENCE by obtaining practical experience along with her studies, which greatly strengthened her resume.

155
Q

Pungent

A

sharp and irritating to the senses

156
Q

Quiescent

A

motionless

157
Q

Rarefy

A

to make thinner or sparser

158
Q

Repudiate

A

to reject the validity of

159
Q

Reticent

A

silent, reserved

160
Q

Rhetoric

A

effective writing or speaking

161
Q

Satiate

A

to satisfy fully or overindulge

162
Q

Soporific

A

causing sleep or lethargy

163
Q

Specious

A

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.

164
Q

Stigma

A

mark of shame or discredit

165
Q

Stolid

A

unemotional; lacking sensitivity

166
Q

Sublime

A

lofty or grand

167
Q

Tacit

A

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.

168
Q

Taciturn

A

silent, not talkative

169
Q

Tirade

A

long, harsh speech or verbal attack

170
Q

Torpor

A

extreme mental and physical sluggishness

171
Q

Transitory

A

temporary, lasting a brief time

172
Q

Vacillate

A

to sway physically; to be indecisive

173
Q

Venerate

A

to respect deeply

174
Q

Veracity

A

filled with truth and accuracy

175
Q

Verbose

A

wordy

176
Q

Vex

A

to annoy

The old man who loved his peace and quiet was VEXED by his neighbor’s loud music.

177
Q

Volatile

A

easily aroused or changeable; lively or explosive

178
Q

Waver

A

to fluctuate between choices

179
Q

Whimsical

A

acting in a fanciful or capricious manner; unpredictable

180
Q

Zeal

A

passion, excitement

181
Q

Excoriate

A

to denounce or berate severely

182
Q

Elucidation

A

to make lucid or clear

183
Q

Obfuscation

A

to confuse, bewilder, or stupefy

184
Q

Malapropism

A

an act or habit of misusing words ridiculously, especially by the confusion of words that are similar in sound

185
Q

Kismet

A

fate, destiny, luck

186
Q

Imbroglio

A

confusion, a misunderstanding, a disagreement

187
Q

Bemuse

A

to bewilder or confuse

188
Q

Aplomb

A

self assurance, poise

189
Q

Derision

A

ridicule, mockery, harsh criticism

190
Q

Furtively

A

secretly, sly, stealthy

191
Q

Felicitous

A

appropriate, pleasingly expressed, well suited for the occasion

192
Q

Vociferous

A

crying out noisily, loudly, and vehemently expressive

193
Q

Garrulous

A

wordy

194
Q

Imbibe

A

to consume by eating or drinking

195
Q

Imperturbation

A

freedom from perturbation, tranquility, calmness

196
Q

Moribund

A

in a dying state; near death; on the verge of extinction

197
Q

Sinecure

A

a job that does not require work

198
Q

Subjugation

A

the act, fact, or process of subjugating, or bringing under control

199
Q

Trifling

A

unimportant, insignificant

200
Q

Vernacular

A

pertaining to everyday language; slang

201
Q

Innocuous

A

harmless

202
Q

Didactic

A

intended for instruction; instructive

203
Q

Unequivocal

A

clear without exception

204
Q

Diffident

A

shy, reserved

205
Q

Oft-admonished

A

frequently scolded

206
Q

Incorrigible

A

bad beyond correction or reform

207
Q

Reviling

A

denounce

208
Q

Intransigent

A

refusing to agree or compromise, unjust, unfair

209
Q

Burgeoning

A

to grow or develop quickly, flourish

210
Q

Languid

A

lacking in vitality; slack or slow; indifferent; lazy

211
Q

Dogmatic

A

stubbornly opinionated

212
Q

Fetid

A

having an offensive odor

213
Q

Forborn

A

sad, lonely

214
Q

Brazen

A

shameless

215
Q

Fervid

A

very enthusiastic

burning, glowing, intensely hot

GRE Vocabulary (3 decks)

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