Top GRE Words A-E

Question 1

Abate

Answer 1

To reduce.

“Jenny Abate was abated. That’s why she’s short.”

Question 2

Abscond

Answer 2

To leave secretly.

“I absconded out of the house when I woke up next to the grenade.”

Question 3

Aggrandize

Answer 3

To increase in power/influence/reputation.

“She felt aggrandized after her promotion.”

Question 4

Amalgamate

Answer 4

To combine or mix together.

“We amalgamated forces to become an incredible duo!”

Question 5

Ameliorate

Answer 5

To improve.

“Being around her ameliorates my pain.”

Question 6

Anachronism

Answer 6

Something out of place or time.

“I felt anochronistic in the bar full of college kids.”

Question 7

Antipathy

Answer 7

Extreme dislike.

“There is an obvious antipathy between the two since their divorce.”

Question 8

Arbitrate

Answer 8

To mediate.

“The judge arbitrated the custody agreement between the parents.”

Question 9

Ardor

Answer 9

Intense and passionate feeling.

“I’ve always had an ardor for poetry.”

Question 10

Assuage

Answer 10

To make something less severe.

“The tylenol assuaged the pounding headache.”

Question 11

Audacious

Answer 11

Fearless.

“Skydiving is a sport for the audacious.”

Question 12

Austere

Answer 12

Stern or severe appearance.

“The old man’s austere appearance made him difficult to approach.”

Question 13

Banal

Answer 13

Predictable or cliche.

“The plot of the movie was banal and unoriginal.”

Question 14

Bolster

Answer 14

To support or prop up.

“The case was won with the bolstering evidence.”

Question 15

Bombastic

Answer 15

Arrogant.

“The man attempted to impress the woman on their date but instead came across as bombastic.”

Question 16

Cacophony

Answer 16

Harsh noise.

“Her attempt at singing was an unbearable cacaphony.”

Question 17

Capricious

Answer 17

Fickle.

“Going shopping with her was unbearable due to her capricious nature when deciding on what to buy.”

Question 18

Castigate

Answer 18

To severely reprimand.

“He was castigated for an hour after arriving home at 3am.”

Question 19

Caustic

Answer 19

Bitterly sarcastic.

“His insults were caustic, sending the sensitive girl into tears.”

Question 20

Chicanery

Answer 20

Crafty deception.

“Salesman often use chicanery to persuade their customers.”

Question 21

Cogent

Answer 21

Convincing.

“The man’s excuse was cogent enough to warrant his wife’s forgiveness.”

Question 22

Convoluted

Answer 22

Complex or difficult to follow.

“The poem was so convoluted it left it’s readers feeling frustrated and perplexed.”

Question 23

Credulous

Answer 23

Gullible.

“My parents didn’t bother with fairytales as I wasn’t a very credulous child.”

Question 24

Crescendo

Answer 24

Steadily increasing in volume/force.

“The long silence began a crescendo of tension.”