Top GRE words "A" & "B" Flashcards
ABSCOND
To leave secretly.
Ex: the patron ABSCONDED from the restaurant without paying his bill by sneaking out the back door.
ABSTAIN
To choose not to do something
Ex: she ABSTAINED from choosing a mouthwatering dessert from the tray.
ABYSS
An extreme deep hole
Ex: 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
Ex: the vegetarian ADVOCATED a diet containing no meat.
AMALGAMATED
To combine, to mix together
Ex: Giant Industries AMALGAMATED with Mega Products to form Giant-Mega Products Incorporated.
AMELIORATE
To make better to improve
Ex: the doctor was able to AMELIORATE the patient’s suffering using painkillers
ABATE
To reduce in amount, degree or severity.
Ex: as the hurricane’s force ABATED, the winds dropped and the sea became calm.
ANACHRONISM
Something out of place in time
Ex: the aged hippie used ANACHRONISTIC phrases like groovy and far out that had not been popular in years.
ANALOGOUS
Similar or Alike in some way, equivalent to.
Ex: AI has created a neural network ANALOGOUS to brain grid cells
ARBITRATE
To judge a dispute between two opposite parties
Ex: since the couple could not come to an agreement, the judge was forced to ARBITRATE their divorce proceedings.
ARCHAIC
Ancient, old-fashioned.
Ex : her ARCHAIC Commodore computer could not run the latest software
ARDOR
Intense and passionate feeling
E
AESTHETIC
Concerning the appreciation of beauty
Ex: the AESTHETIC movement regarded the pursuit of beauty as the only true purpose of art.
ASSUAGE
To make unpleasant less severe
Ex: Serena used aspirin to ASSUAGE her pounding headache.
ARTICULATE
Able to speak clearly and expressively
Ex: she’s such an ARTICULATE defender of labors that unions are among her strongest supporters
ATTENUATE
To reduce in force or degree, to weaken.
Ex: the bill of right ATTENUATED the traditional power of government to change laws at will
AUSTERE
Severe or stern in appearance, undecorated
Ex: the lack of decorations makes military barracks seem AUSTERE to the civilian eye
BANAL
Predictable, clichéd, boring
Ex: he used BANAL phrases like “Have a nice day or Another day another dollar”
BOLSTER
To support, to prop up
Ex: the presence of the giant footprints BOLSTERED the argument that Sasquatch was in the area
BOMBASTIC
Pompous in speech and manner
Ex: the rating of the radio talk-show host was mostly BOMBASTIC; his boasting and outrageous claims had no basis in fact
