Top GRE Words HARD Flashcards
The GRE tests the same kinds of words over and over again. Here you will find the most popular GRE words with their definitions in context to help you remember them.
AGGRANDIZE
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.”
AMALGAMATE
to combine; to mix together
“Giant Industries AMALGAMATED with Mega Products to form Giant-Mega Products Incorporated.”
AMELIORATE
to make better; to improve
“The doctor was able to AMELIORATE the patient’s suffering using painkillers.”
ANTIPATHY
extreme dislike
“The ANTIPATHY between the French and the English regularly erupted into open warfare.”
ASSUAGE
to make something unpleasant less severe
“Serena used aspirin to ASSUAGE her pounding headache.”
AUSTERE
severe or stern in appearance; undecorated
“The lack of decoration makes military barracks seem AUSTERE to the civilian eye.”
BANAL
predictable, cliched, boring
“He used BANAL phrases like Have a nice day, or Another day, another dollar.”
BOMBASTIC
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.”
CAPRICIOUS
changing one’s mind quickly and often
“Queen Elizabeth I was quite CAPRICIOUS; her courtiers could never be sure which of their number would catch her fancy.”
CASTIGATE
to punish or criticize harshly
“Many Americans are amazed at how harshly the authorities in Singapore CASTIGATE perpetrators of what would be considered minor crimes in the United States.”
CAUSTIC
biting in wit
“Dorothy Parker gained her reputation for CAUSTIC wit from her cutting, yet clever, insults.”
CHAUVINIST
someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs
“The attitude that men are inherently superior to women and therefore must be obeyed is common among male CHAUVINISTS.”
CHICANERY
deception by means of craft of guile
“Dishonest used car sales people often use CHICANERY to sell their beat-up old cars.”
COGENT
convincing and well reasoned
“Swayed by the COGENT argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but to acquit the defendant.”
CREDULOUS
too trusting; gullible
“Although some four-year-olds believe in the Easter Bunny, only the most CREDULOUS nine-year-olds also believe in him.”
DECORUM
appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety
“The countess complained that the vulgar peasants lacked the DECORUM appropriate for a visit to the palace.”
DERIDE
to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock
“The awkward child was often DERIDED by his “cooler” peers.”
DESICCATE
to dry out thoroughly
“After a few weeks of lying on the desert’s baking sands, the cow’s carcass became completely DESICCATED.”
DESULTORY
jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
“Diane had a DESULTORY academic record; she had changed majors 12 times in three years.”
DIATRIBE
an abusive, condemnatory speech
“The trucker bellowed a DIATRIBE at the driver who had cut him off.”
DIFFIDENT
lacking self-confidence
“Steve’s DIFFIDENT manner during the job interview stemmed from his nervous nature and lack of experience in the field.”
DILATORY
intended to delay
“The congressman used DILATORY measures to delay the passage of the bill.”
DILETTANTE
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.”
DIRGE
a funeral hymn or mournful speech
“Melville wrote the poem “A DIRGE for James McPherson” for the funeral of a Union general who was killed in 1864.”
DISABUSE
to set right; to free from error
“Galileo’s observations DISABUSED scholars of the notion that the sun revolved around the earth.”
DISSEMBLE
to present a false appearance; to disguise one’s real intentions or character
“The villain could DISSEMBLE to the police no longer - he admitted to the deed and tore up the floor to reveal the body of the old man.”
DOGMA
a firmly held opinion, often a religious belief
“Linus’s central DOGMA was that children who believed in the Great Pumpkin would be rewarded.”
DOGMATIC
dictatorial in one’s opinions
“The dictator was DOGMATIC - he, and only he, was right.”
ELEGY
a sorrowful poem or speech
“Although Thomas Gray’s “ELEGY Written in a Country Churchyard” is about death and loss, it urges its readers to endure this life and to trust in spirituality.”
ENERVATE
to reduce in strength
“The guerrillas hoped that a series of surprise attacks would ENERVATE the regular army.”
ENGENDER
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.”
ENIGMA
a puzzle; a mystery
“Speaking in riddles and dressed in old robes, the artist gained a reputation as something of an ENIGMA.”
EQUIVOCATE
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.”
ERUDITE
learned, scholarly, bookish
“The annual meeting of philosophy professors was a gathering of the most ERUDITE, well-published individuals in the field.”
