GRE.txt

  1. aberrant
    deviating from normal or correct.
  2. abscond
    to leave secretly and hide, often to avoid the law.
  3. advocate
    to speak, plead, or argue for a cause, or in another’s behalf. (n) -- one who advocates.
  4. aggrandize
    to make greater, to increase, thus, to exaggerate.
  5. amalgamate
    to unite or mix. (n) -- amalgamation.
  6. ambiguous
    • adj.
    • vague; subject to more than one interpretation
  7. ambrosial
    • adj.
    • extremely pleasing to the senses, divine (as related to the gods) or delicious (n: ambrosia)
  8. anachronism
    • n.
    • a person or artifact appearing after its own time or out of chronological order (adj: anachronistic)
  9. anomalous
    • adj.
    • peculiar; unique, contrary to the norm (n: anomaly)
  10. antediluvian
    • adj.
    • ancient; outmoded; (literally,before the flood)
  11. antipathy
    • n.
    • hostility toward, objection, or aversion to
  12. arbitrate
    • v.
    • to settle a dispute by impulse (n: arbitration)
  13. assuage
    • v.
    • to make less severe; to appease or satisfy
  14. attenuate
    • v.
    • weaken (adj: attenuated)
  15. audacious
    • adj.
    • extremely bold; fearless, especially said of human behavior (n: audacity)
  16. aver
    • v.
    • to declare
  17. banal
    • adj.
    • commonplace or trite (n: banality)
  18. barefaced
    • adj.
    • unconcealed, shameless, or brazen
  19. blandishment
    • n.
    • speech or action intended to coax someone into doing something
  20. bombast
    • n.
    • pompous speech (adj: bombastic)
  21. breach
    • n., v.
    • a lapse, gap or break, as in a fortress wall. To break or break through.ex: Unfortunately, the club members never forgot his breach of ettiquette.
  22. burgeon
    • v., n.
    • to grow or flourish; a bud or new growth (adj: burgeoning )
  23. buttress
    • v., n.
    • to support. a support
  24. cadge
    • v.
    • to get something by taking advantage of someone
  25. caprice
    • n.
    • impulse (adj: capricious)
  26. castigate
    • v.
    • to chastise or criticize severely
  27. catalyst
    • n.
    • an agent of change (adj: catalytic; v. catalyze)
  28. caustic
    • adj.
    • capable of dissolving by chemical action; highly critical: "His caustic remarks spoiled the mood of the party."
  29. chicanery
    • n.
    • deception by trickery
  30. complaisant
    • adj.
    • willingly compliant or accepting of the status quo (n: complaisance)
  31. conflagration
    • n.
    • a great fire
  32. corporeal
    • adj.
    • of or having to do with material, as opposed to spiritual; tangible. (In older writings, coeporeal could be a synonym for corporal. This usage is no longer common)
  33. corporal
    • adj.
    • of the body: "corporal punishment." a non-commissioned officer ranked
    • between a sergeant and a private.
  34. corroborate
    • v.
    • to strengthen or support: "The witness corroborted his story." (n: corroboration)
  35. craven
    • adj., n.
    • cowardly; a coward
  36. culpable
    • adj.
    • deserving of blame (n: culpability)
  37. dearth
    • n.
    • lack, scarcity: "The prosecutor complained about the dearth of concrete
    • evidence against the suspect."
  38. deference
    • n.
    • submission or courteous yielding: "He held his tongue in deference to his father." (n: deferential. v. defer)
  39. depict
    • v.
    • to show, create a picture of.
  40. deprecation
    • n.
    • belittlement. (v. deprecate)
  41. depredation
    • n.
    • the act of preying upon or plundering: "The depredations of the invaders demoralized the population."
  42. descry
    • v.
    • to make clear, to say
  43. desiccate
    • v.
    • to dry out thoroughly (adj: desiccated)
  44. diatribe
    • n.
    • a bitter abusive denunciation.
  45. diffident
    • adj.
    • lacking self-confidence, modest (n: diffidence)
  46. disabuse
    • adj.
    • to free a person from falsehood or error: "We had to disabuse her of the notion that she was invited."
  47. disparaging
    • adj.
    • belittling (n: disparagement. v. disparage)
  48. dispassionate
    • adj.
    • calm; objective; unbiased
  49. dissemble
    • v.
    • to conceal one's real motive, to feign
  50. dogged
    • adj.
    • stubborn or determined: "Her dogged pursuit of the degree eventually paid off."
  51. dogmatic
    • adj.
    • relying upon doctrine or dogma, as opposed to evidence
  52. eclectic
    • adj.
    • selecting or employing individual elements from a variety of sources: "Many modern decorators prefer an eclectic style." (n: eclecticism)
  53. efficacy
    • n.
    • effectiveness; capability to produce a desired effect
  54. effluent
    • adj., n
    • the quality of flowing out. something that flows out, such as a stream from a river (n: effluence)
  55. emollient
    • adj., n.
    • softening; something that softens
  56. emulate
    • v.
    • to strive to equal or excel (n: emulation)
  57. encomium
    • n.
    • a formal eulogy or speech of praise
  58. endemic
    • adj.
    • prevalent in or native to a certain region, locality, or people: "The disease was endemic to the region." Don't confuse this word with epidemic.
  59. enervate
    • v.
    • to weaken or destroy the strength or vitality of: "The heatenervated everyone." (adj: enervating)
  60. engender
    • v.
    • to give rise to, to propagate, to cause: "His slip of the toungue engendered much laughter."
  61. enigma
    • n.
    • puzzle; mystery: "Math is an enigma to me." (adj: enigmatic)
  62. ephemeral
    • adj.
    • lasting for only a brief time, fleeting (n: ephemera)
  63. equivocal
    • adj.
    • ambiguous; unclear; subject to more than one interpretation -- often intentionally so: "Republicans complained that Bill Clinton's answers were equivocal." (v. equivocate)
  64. erudite
    • adj.
    • scholarly; displaying deep intensive learning. (n: erudition)
  65. esoteric
    • adj.
    • intended for or understood by only a few: "The esoteric discussion confused some people." (n: esoterica)
  66. eulogy
    • n.
    • a spoken or written tribute to the deceased (v. eulogize)
  67. exacerbate
    • v.
    • to increase the bitterness or violence of; to aggravate: "The decision to fortify the border exacerbated tensions."
  68. exculpate
    • v.
    • to demonstrate or prove to be blameless:  "The evidence tended to exculpate the defendant."(adj: exculpatory)
  69. exorbitant
    • adj.
    • exceeding customary or normal limits, esp. in quantity or price: "The cab fare was exorbitant."
  70. explicit
    • adj.
    • fully and clearly expressed
  71. extant
    • adj.
    • in existence, still existing: The only extant representative of that species."
  72. fathom
    • n., v.
    • a measure of length (six feet) used in nautical settings. to penetrate to the depths of something in order to understand it: "I couldn't fathom her reasoning on that issue."
  73. fawn
    • v.
    • to seek favor or attention; to act subserviantly (n, adj: fawning)
  74. feign
    • v.
    • to give false appearance or impression: "He feigned illness to avoid going to school." (adj: feigned)
  75. fervid, fervent
    • adj.
    • highly emotional; hot: "The partisans displayed a fervent patriotism." (n: fervor)
  76. fledgling
    • n., adj.
    • a baby bird; an inexperienced person; inexperienced.
  77. florid
    • adj.
    • flushed with a rosy color, as in complexion; very ornate and flowery: "florid prose."
  78. floundering
    • adj.
    • struggling: "We tried to save the floundering business."
  79. garrulous
    • adj.
    • verbose; talkative; rambling: "We tried to avoid our garrulous neighbor."
  80. gossamer
    • n., adj.
    • fine cobweb on foliage; fine gauzy fabric; very fine: "She wore a gossamer robe."
  81. guile
    • n.
    • skillful deceit: "He was well known for his guile." (v. bequile; adj: beguiling. Note, however, that these two words have an additional meaning: to charm (v.) or charming (adj:), while the word guile does not generally have any such positive connotations)
  82. guileless
    • adj.
    • honest; straightforward (n: guilelessness)
  83. hapless
    • adj.
    • unfortunate
  84. headlong
    • adj., adv.
    • headfirst; impulsive; hasty. impulsively; hastily; without forethought: "They rushed headlong into marriage."
  85. homogenous
    • adj.
    • similar in nature or kind; uniform: "a homogeneous society."
  86. iconoclast
    • n.
    • one who attacks traditional ideas or institutions or one who destroys sacred images (adj: iconoclastic)
  87. impecunious
    • adj.
    • penniless; poor
  88. imperious
    • adj.
    • commanding
  89. implication
    • n.
    • insinuation or connotation (v. implicate)
  90. imply
    • v.
    • to suggest indirectly; to entail:  "She implied she didn't believe his story." (n: implication)
  91. improvidence
    • n.
    • an absence of foresight; a failure to provide for future needs or events: "Their improvidence resulted in the loss of their home."
  92. inchoate
    • adj.
    • in an initial or early stage; incomplete; disorganized: "The act of writing forces one to clarify incohate thoughts."
  93. incorrigible
    • adj.
    • not capable of being corrected: "The school board finally decided the James was incorrigible and expelled him from school."
  94. indelible
    • adj.
    • permanent; unerasable; strong: "The Queen made an indelible impression on her subjects."
  95. ineffable
    • adj.
    • undescribable; inexpressible in words; unspeakable
  96. infer
    • v.
    • to deduce: "New genetic evidence led some zoologists to infer that the red wolf is actually a hybrid of the coyote and the gray wolf."
  97. ingenious
    • adj.
    • clever: "She developed an ingenious method for testing her hypothesis."(n: ingenuity)
  98. ingenuous
    • adj.
    • unsophisticated; artless; straightforward; candid: "Wilson's ingenuous response to the controversial calmed the suspicious listeners."
  99. inhibit
    • v.
    • to hold back, prohibit, forbid, or restrain (n: inhibition, adj: inhibited)
  100. innocuous
    • adj.
    • harmless; having no adverse affect; not likely to provoke strong emotion
  101. insensible
    • adj.
    • numb; unconscious: "Wayne was rendered insensible by a blow to the head." unfeeling; insensitive: "They were insensibile to the suffering of others.:
  102. insipid
    • adj.
    • lacking zest or excitement; dull
  103. insular
    • adj.
    • of or pertaining to an island, thus, excessively exclusive: "Newcomers found it difficult to make friends in the insular community."
  104. intransigent
    • adj.
    • stubborn; immovable; unwilling to change: "She was so intransigent we finally gave up trying to convince her." (n: intransigence)
  105. irascible
    • adj.
    • prone to outbursts of temper, easily angered
  106. laconic
    • adj.
    • using few words; terse: "a laconic reply."
  107. latent
    • adj.
    • present or potential but not evident or active (n: latency)
  108. laudable
    • adj.
    • praiseworthy; commendable (v. laud)
  109. leviathan
    • n.
    • giant whale, therefore, something very large
  110. loquacious
    • adj.
    • talkative
  111. lucid
    • adj.
    • clear; translucent: "He made a lucid argument to support his theory."
  112. lugubrious
    • adj.
    • weighty, mournful, or gloomy, especially to an excessive degree: "Jake's lugubrious monologues depressed his friends."
  113. magnanimity
    • n.
    • generosity and nobility. (adj: magnanimous)
  114. malevolent
    • adj.
    • malicious; evil; having or showing ill will: "Some early American colonists saw the wilderness as malevolent and sought to control it."
  115. misanthrope
    • n.
    • one who hates people: "He was a true misanthrope and hated even himself."
  116. misnomer
    • n.
    • incorrect name or word for something
  117. misogynist
    • n.
    • one who hates women
  118. mitigate
    • v.
    • to make less forceful; to become more moderate; to make less harsh or undesirable: "He was trying to mitigate the damage he had done." (n: mitigation)
  119. nefarious
    • adj.
    • wicked, evil: "a nefarious plot."
  120. noisome
    • adj.
    • harmful, offensive, destructive: "The noisome odor of the dump carried for miles."
  121. obdurate
    • adj.
    • hardened against influence or feeling; intractable.
  122. obviate
    • v.
    • to prevent by anticipatory measures; to make unnecessary:
  123. occlude
    • v.
    • to close or shut off; to obstruct (n: occlusion)
  124. opaque
    • adj.
    • not transparent or transluscent; dense; difficult to comprehend, as inopaque reasoning
  125. ossified
    • adj.
    • turned to bone; hardened like bone; Inflexible: "The ossified culture failed to adapt to new economic conditions and died out."
  126. panegyric
    • n.
    • a writing or speech in praise of a person or thing
  127. peccadillo
    • n.
    • a small sin or fault
  128. pedantic
    • adj.
    • showing a narrow concern for rules or formal book learning; making an excessive display of one's own learning: "We quickly tired of his pedantic conversation." (n: pedant, pedantry).
  129. perfidious
    • adj.
    • deliberately treacherous; dishonest (n: perfidy)
  130. petulant
    • adj.
    • easily or frequently annoyed, especially over trivial matters; childishly irritable
  131. philanthropy
    • n.
    • tendency or action for the benefit of others, as in donating money or property to a charitible organization
  132. phlegmatic
    • adj.
    • not easily excited; cool; sluggish
  133. placate
    • v.
    • to calm or reduce anger by making concessions: "The professor tried to placate his students by postponing the exam."
  134. plastic
    • adj.
    • related to being shaped or molded; capable of being molded. (n: plasticity n: plastic)
  135. plethora
    • n.
    • excessively large quantity; overabundance: "We received a p lethora of applications for the position."
  136. ponderous
    • adj.
    • heavy; massive; awkward; dull: "A ponderous book is better than a sleeping pill."
  137. pragmatic
    • adj.
    • concerned with facts; practical, as opposed to highly principled or traditional: "His pragmatic approach often offended idealists." (n: pragmatism)
  138. precipice
    • n.
    • cliff with a vertical or nearly vertical face; a dangerous place from which one is likely to fall; metaphorically, a very risky circumstance
  139. precipitate
    • v., n.
    • to fall; to fall downward suddenly and dramatically; to bring about or hasten the occurrence of something: "Old World diseases precipitated a massive decline in the American Indian population."
  140. precursor
    • n.
    • something (or someone) that precedes another: "The assasination of the Archduke was a precursor to the war."
  141. prevaricate
    • v.
    • to stray away from or evade the truth: "When we asked him what his intentions were, he prevaricated."(n: prevarication; prevaricator)
  142. prodigal
    • adj.
    • rashly wasteful: "Americans' prodigal devotion to the automobile is unique."
  143. propitiate
    • v.
    • to conciliate; to appease: "They made sacrifices to propitiate angry gods."
  144. Pulchritudinous
    • adj.
    • beautiful (n: pulchritude)
  145. pusillanimous
    • adj.
    • cowardly, timid, or irreselute; petty: "The pusillanimous leader soon lost the respect of his people."
  146. quiescence
    • n.
    • inactivity; stillness; dormancy (adj: quiescent)
  147. rarefy
    • v.
    • to make or become thin; to purify or refine (n: rarefaction, adj: rarefied)
  148. reproof
    • n.
    • the act of censuring, scolding, or rebuking. (v. reprove).
  149. rescind
    • v.
    • to repeal or annul
  150. sagacious
    • adj.
    • having a sharp or powerful intellect or discernment. (n: sagacity).
  151. sanguine
    • adj.
    • cheerful; confident: "Her sanguine attitude put everyone at ease."(Sangfroid (noun) is a related French word meaning unflappibility. Literally, it means cold blood)
  152. sate
    • v.
    • to satisfy fully or to excess
  153. saturnine
    • adj.
    • having a gloomy or morose temperament
  154. savant
    • n.
    • a very knowledgable person; a genious
  155. sedulous
    • adj.
    • diligent; persevering; persistent: "Her sedulous devotion to overcoming her background impressed many." (n: sedulity; sedulousness; adv. sedulously)
  156. specious
    • adj.
    • seemingly true but really false; deceptively convincing or attractive: "Her argument, though specious, was readily accepted by many."
  157. superficial
    • adj.
    • only covering the surface: "A superficial treatment of the topic was all they wanted."
  158. tacit
    • adj.
    • unspoken: "Katie and carmella had a tacit agreement that they would not mention the dented fender to their parents."
  159. taciturn
    • adj.
    • habitually untalkative or silent (n: taciturnity)
  160. temperate
    • adj.
    • exercising moderation and self-denial; calm or mild (n: temperance)
  161. tirade (diatribe)
    • n.
    • an angry speech: "His tirade had gone on long enough."
  162. tortuous
    • adj.
    • twisted; excessively complicated: "Despite public complaints, tax laws and forms have become increasingly tortuous." Note: Don't confuse this with torturous.
  163. tractable
    • adj.
    • ability to be easily managed or controlled: "Her mother wished she were more tractable." (n: tractibility)
  164. turpitude
    • n.
    • depravity; baseness: "Mr. Castor was fired for moral turpitude."
  165. tyro
    • n.
    • beginner; person lacking experience in a specific endeavor: "They easily took advantage of the tyro."
  166. vacuous
    • adj.
    • empty; without contents; without ideas or intelligence:: "She flashed a vacuous smile."
  167. venerate
    • v.
    • great respect or reverence: "The Chinese traditionally venerated their ancestors; ancestor worship is merely a popular misnomer for this tradition." (n: veneration, adj: venerable)
  168. verbose
    • adj.
    • wordy: "The instructor asked her verbose student make her paper more concise." (n: verbosity)
  169. vex
    • v.
    • to annoy; to bother; to perplex; to puzzle; to debate at length: "Franklin vexed his brother with his controversial writings."
  170. viscous
    • adj.
    • slow moving; highly resistant to flow: "Heintz commercials imply that their catsup is more viscous than others'." (n: viscosity)
  171. volatile
    • adj.
    • explosive; fickle (n: volatility).
  172. voracious
    • adj.
    • craving or devouring large quantities of food, drink, or other things. She is a voracious reader.
  173. waver
    • v.
    • to hesitate or to tremble
  174. wretched
    • adj.
    • extremely pitiful or unfortunate (n: wretch)
  175. zeal
    • n.
    • enthusiastic devotion to a cause, ideal, or goal (n: zealot; zealoutry. adj: zealous)
Author
Spieri1
ID
76374
Card Set
GRE.txt
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GRE Most Common
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