Top GRE Words: Kaplan Flashcards
abate
to reduce in amount, degree, or severity
“as the hurricane’s force abated, the winds dropped and the sea became calm”
abscond
to leave secretly
“the patron absconded from the restaurant without paying his bill by sneaking out the back door”
abstain
to choose not do something
“she abstained from choosing a dessert”
abyss
extremely deep hole
“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
“the vegetarian advocated for a diet with no meat”
aesthetic
concerning the appreciation of beauty
“followers of the aesthetic movement regarded the pursuit of beauty as the only true form of art”
aggrandize
to increase in power, influence, and reputation
“the superior attempted to aggrandize herself by taking credit for her employees work”
alleviate
to make more bearable
“taking aspirin helps to alleviate headaches”
amalgamate
to combine; to mix together
“giant industries amalgamated with Mega Products to form Giant Mega Products Inc.”
ambiguous
doubtful or uncertain; able to be interpreted several different ways
“the directions she gave were so ambiguous we got lost several times”
ameliorate
to make better; improve
“to doctor was able to ameliorate the patient’s suffering”
anachronisms
something out of place in time
“the aged hippie used anachronistic phrases like groovy and far out that had not been popular for years”
analogous
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”
anomaly
deviation from what is normal
“albino animals may display too great an anomaly in their coloring to attract normal mates”
antagonize
to annoy or provoke with anger
“the child antagonized the cat by pulling its tail”
antipathy
extreme dislike
“the antipathy between the French and the English regularly erupted into open warfare”
apathy
lack of interest or emotion
“the apathy of voters meant that less than half of the population actually voted”
arbitrate
to judge a dispute between two opposing parties
“since the couple could not come to an agreement, the judge was forced to arbitrate their divorce proceedings”
archaic
ancient, old fashioned
“her archaic commodore computer could not run the latest software”
ardor
intense passionate feeling
“his ardor for the landscape was evident when he passionately described the beauty of the scenic Hudson valley”
articulate
able to speak clearly or expressively
“she is such an articulate defender of labor that unions are among her strongest supporters”
assuage
to make something unpleasant less severe
“Serena used aspirin to assuage her headache”
attenuate
to reduce in force or degree; to weaken
“The Bill of Rights attenuated the traditional power of government”
audacious
fearless or daring
“her audacious nature allowed her to fulfill her dream of skydiving”
austere
severe or stern in appearance; undecorated
“the lack of decoration makes the 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’”
bolster
to support; to prop up
“the presence of giant footprints bolstered the argument that Sasquatch was in the area”
bombastic
pompous in speech and manner
“the ranting of the radio talk-show host was mainly bombastic; his boasting and outrages claims had no basis in fact”
cacophony
harsh, jarring noise
“the junior high orchestra created an unbearable cacophony”
candid
impartial and honest in speech
“the observations of a child can be charming since they are candid and unpretentious”
capricious
changing one’s mind quickly and often
“the queen was quite capricious; her courtiers could never be sure which of their numbers would catch her fancy”
castigate
to punish or criticize harshly
“many Americans are amazed at how harshly the authorities in Singapore castigate perpetrators”
catalyst
something that brings about a change in something else
“the imposition of harsh taxes was the catalyst that finally brought on the revolution”
caustic
biting in wit
“Dorothy Parker gained her reputation for caustic wit from her clever insults”
chaos
great disorder, confusion
“God brings order out of chaos”
chauvinist
someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs
“the attitude that men are superior to women is common among male chauvinists”
chicanery
deception by means of craft or guile
“dishonest car salesmen often use chicanery to sell their car”
cogent
convincing and well reasoned
“swayed by the cogent argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but to acquit the defendant”
condone
to overlook, pardon, or disregard
“some theorists believe that failing to prosecute minor crimes is the same as condoning an air of lawlessness”
convoluted
intricate and complicated
“although many people bought A Brief History of Time, few could follow its convoluted ideas and theories”
corroborate
to provide supporting evidence
“fingerprints corroborated the witness’s testimony that he saw the defendant at the victim’s apartment”
credulous
to trusting, gullible
“four year old’s believe in the Santa Clause, but only the most credulous ten year old’s believe in him”
crescendo
steadily increasing volume or force
“the crescendo of tension became unbearable as the stunt junkie prepared to jump”
decorum
appropriateness in behavior or conduct; propriety
“the women complained that the vulgar man lacked decorum appropriate for a date”
deference
respect, courtesy
“the respectful young law clerk treated the Supreme Court justice with the utmost deference”
deride
to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock
“to 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 desiccate”
desultory
“she had a desultory academic record, she had changed majors 12 times in three years”
jumping from one thing to another, disconnected
diatribe
“the trucker bellowed a diatribe at the driver who had cut him off”
an abusive, condemnatory speech
diffident
“Steve’s diffident manner during the job interview stemmed from his nervous nature and lack of experience in the field”
lacking self-confidence
dilate
“when you enter a darkened room, the pupils of your eyes dilate to let in more light”
to make larger, to expand
dilatory
“the congressman used dilatory measures to delay the passage of the bill”
intended to delay
dilettante
“his friends were such dilettantes that they seemed to have new jobs and hobbies every week”
someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
dirge
“Melville wrote the poem “A dirge for James McPherson” for the funeral of a Union general who was killed in 1864”
a funeral hymn or mournful speech
disabuse
“Galileo’s observations disabused scholars of the notion that the sun revolved around the earth”
to set right, to free from error
discern
“it is easy to discern the difference between butter and butter-flavored topping”
to perceive, to recognize
disparate
“Although the twins appear to be identical physically, their personalities are disparate”
fundamentally different, entirely unlike
dissemble
“the villain could dissemble to the police no longer - he admitted the deed and tore up the floor to reveal the body of the old man”
to present a false appearance, to disguise one’s real intentions or character
dissonance
“cognitive dissonance is the inner conflict produced when long-standing beliefs are contradicted by new evidence”
a harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds
dogma
“his central dogma was that children who believed in the Great Pumpkin would be rewarded”
a firmly held opinion, often a religious belief
dogmatic
“the dictator was dogmatic - he, and only he, was right”
dictatorial in one’s opinions
dupe
“Bugs Bunny was able to dupe Elmer Fudd by dressing up as a lady rabbit”
to deceive, a person who is easily deceived
eclectic
“the architecture is an eclectic mix of eastern and western styles”
selecting from or made up from a variety of sources
efficacy
“the efficacy of penicillin was unsurpassed; the drug completely eliminated almost all bacterial infections for which it was administered”
effectiveness
elegy
“although the elegy is about death and loss, it urges readers to endure this life as well”
a sorrowful poem or speech
eloquent
“the speech was moving because of its lofty sentiments and eloquent words”
persuasive and moving, especially in speech
emulate
“the graduate student sought to emulate his professor is every way, copying everything he did”
to copy, to try to equal or excel
enervate
“the enemy hoped that a series of surprise attacks would enervate our army”
to reduce in strength
engender
“his fear and hatred of clowns was engendered when he witnessed the death of his father at the hands of a clown”
to produce, cause, or bring about
enigma
“speaking in riddles and dressed in old robes, the artist gained a reputation as something of an enigma”
a puzzle, a mystery
enumerate
“Moses returned with tablets on which the commandments were enumerated”
to count, list, or itemize
