GRE words

Maggie H. (United States of America)
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. abate
    become less in amount or intensity
  2. aberrant
    markedly different from an accepted norm
  3. abscond
    run away, often taking something or somebody along
  4. accolade
    a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
  5. acerbic
    sour or bitter in taste
  6. acumen
    shrewdness shown by keen insight
  7. adulation
    exaggerated flattery or praise
  8. adulterate
    make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance
  9. aesthetic
    characterized by an appreciation of beauty or good taste
  10. aggrandize
    embellish; increase the scope, power, or importance of
  11. alacrity
    liveliness and eagerness
  12. alchemy
    a pseudoscientific forerunner of chemistry in medieval times
  13. amalgamate
    bring or combine together or with something else
  14. ameliorate
    make better
  15. amenable
    disposed or willing to comply
  16. anachronism
    locating something at a time when it couldn't have existed
  17. anomaly
    deviation from the normal or common order, form, or rule
  18. approbation
    official acceptance or agreement
  19. archaic
    so extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period
  20. arduous
    characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion
  21. ascetic
    someone who practices self denial as a spiritual discipline
  22. assuage
    provide physical relief, as from pain
  23. astringent
    tending to draw together or constrict soft organic tissue
  24. audacious
    disposed to venture or take risks
  25. austere
    of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor
  26. avarice
    reprehensible acquisitiveness; insatiable desire for wealth
  27. aver
    declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true
  28. axiom
    a proposition that is not susceptible of proof or disproof
  29. bolster
    support and strengthen
  30. bombast
    pompous or pretentious talk or writing
  31. bombastic
    ostentatiously lofty in style
  32. bucolic
    devoted to raising sheep or cattle
  33. burgeon
    grow and flourish
  34. cacophony
    loud confusing disagreeable sounds
  35. canon
    a collection of books accepted as holy scripture
  36. canonical
    conforming to orthodox or recognized rules
  37. capricious
    determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity
  38. castigation
    verbal punishment
  39. catalyst
    substance that initiates or accelerates a chemical reaction
  40. caustic
    capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action
  41. censure
    harsh criticism or disapproval
  42. chary
    characterized by great caution
  43. chicanery
    the use of tricks to deceive someone
  44. cogent
    powerfully persuasive
  45. complaisance
    a tendency to try to please or yield to the will of others
  46. connoisseur
    an expert able to appreciate a field
  47. contentious
    showing an inclination to disagree
  48. contrite
    feeling or expressing pain or sorrow
  49. convention
    the act of meeting formally
  50. convoluted
    highly complex or intricate
  51. credulous
    showing a lack of judgment or experience
  52. culpable
    deserving blame or censure as being wrong or injurious
  53. cynicism
    a pessimistic feeling of distrust
  54. dearth
    an insufficient quantity or number
  55. decorum
    propriety in manners and conduct
  56. demur
    politely refuse or take exception to
  57. derision
    the act of treating with contempt
  58. desiccate
    lacking vitality or spirit; lifeless
  59. diatribe
    thunderous verbal attack
  60. didactic
    instructive, especially excessively
  61. dilettante
    an amateur engaging in an activity without serious intention
  62. disabuse
    free somebody from an erroneous belief
  63. discordant
    not in agreement or harmony
  64. discretion
    power of making choices unconstrained by external agencies
  65. disinterested
    unaffected by concern for one's own welfare
  66. disparage
    express a negative opinion of
  67. disparate
    fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind
  68. dissemble
    behave unnaturally or affectedly
  69. divulge
    make known to the public information previously kept secret
  70. dogmatic
    pertaining to a code of beliefs accepted as authoritative
  71. ebullience
    eager enjoyment or approval
  72. eccentric
    conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual
  73. eclectic
    selecting what seems best of various styles or ideas
  74. effrontery
    audacious behavior that you have no right to
  75. elegy
    a mournful poem; a lament for the dead
  76. eloquent
    expressing yourself readily, clearly, effectively
  77. emollient
    a substance with a soothing effect when applied to the skin
  78. empirical
    derived from experiment and observation rather than theory
  79. endemic
    native to or confined to a certain region
  80. enervate
    weaken physically, mentally, or morally
  81. enigmatic
    not clear to the understanding
  82. ennui
    the feeling of being bored by something tedious
  83. ephemeral
    anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day
  84. equivocate
    be deliberately ambiguous or unclear
  85. erudite
    having or showing profound knowledge
  86. esoteric
    understandable only by an enlightened inner circle
  87. eulogy
    a formal expression of praise for someone who has died
  88. evanescent
    short-lived; tending to vanish or disappear
  89. exacerbate
    make worse
  90. exculpate
    pronounce not guilty of criminal charges
  91. exigent
    demanding immediate attention
  92. exonerate
    pronounce not guilty of criminal charges
  93. extemporaneous
    with little or no preparation or forethought
  94. facetious
    cleverly amusing in tone
  95. fallacy
    a misconception resulting from incorrect reasoning
  96. fawn
    a young deer
  97. fervent
    characterized by intense emotion
  98. filibuster
    a tactic for delaying legislation by making long speeches
  99. flout
    treat with contemptuous disregard
  100. fortuitous
    lucky; occurring by happy chance
  101. fulminate
    cause to explode violently and with loud noise
  102. furtive
    secret and sly
  103. garrulous
    full of trivial conversation
  104. germane
    relevant and appropriate
  105. glib
    artfully persuasive in speech
  106. grandiloquence
    high-flown style; excessive use of verbal ornamentation
  107. gregarious
    temperamentally seeking and enjoying the company of others
  108. hackneyed
    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
  109. halcyon
    a mythical bird said to breed at the winter solstice
  110. harangue
    a loud bombastic declamation expressed with strong emotion
  111. hedonism
    an ethical system that values the pursuit of pleasure
  112. hegemony
    the dominance or leadership of one social group over others
  113. heretical
    departing from accepted beliefs or standards
  114. hubris
    overbearing pride or presumption
  115. hyperbole
    extravagant exaggeration
  116. iconoclast
    someone who attacks cherished ideas or institutions
  117. idolatrous
    relating to or practicing idolatry
  118. imminent
    close in time; about to occur
  119. immutable
    not subject or susceptible to change or variation
  120. impassive
    having or revealing little emotion or sensibility
  121. impecunious
    not having enough money to pay for necessities
  122. imperturbable
    marked by extreme calm and composure
  123. impetuous
    characterized by undue haste and lack of thought
  124. implacable
    incapable of being appeased or pacified
  125. impunity
    exemption from punishment or loss
  126. inchoate
    only partly in existence; imperfectly formed
  127. incipient
    only partly in existence; imperfectly formed
  128. indifferent
    marked by a lack of interest
  129. inert
    unable to move or resist motion
  130. infelicitous
    not appropriate in application; defective
  131. ingenuous
    lacking in sophistication or worldliness
  132. inimical
    tending to obstruct or cause harm
  133. innocuous
    not injurious to physical or mental health
  134. insipid
    lacking interest or significance or impact
  135. intractable
    difficult to manage or mold
  136. intransigent
    impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, or reason
  137. intrepid
    invulnerable to fear or intimidation
  138. inured
    made tough by habitual exposure
  139. inveigle
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
  140. irascible
    quickly aroused to anger
  141. laconic
    brief and to the point
  142. laud
    praise, glorify, or honor
  143. loquacious
    full of trivial conversation
  144. lucid
    transparently clear; easily understandable
  145. luminous
    softly bright or radiant
  146. magnanimity
    nobility and generosity of spirit
  147. malevolent
    wishing or appearing to wish evil to others
  148. malleable
    capable of being shaped or bent
  149. martial
    suggesting war or military life
  150. maverick
    someone who exhibits independence in thought and action
  151. mendacity
    the tendency to be untruthful
  152. mercurial
    liable to sudden unpredictable change
  153. meticulous
    marked by precise accordance with details
  154. misanthrope
    someone who dislikes people in general
  155. mitigate
    lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
  156. mollify
    cause to be more favorably inclined
  157. morose
    showing a brooding ill humor
  158. mundane
    found in the ordinary course of events
  159. nebulous
    lacking definite form or limits
  160. neologism
    a newly invented word or phrase
  161. neophyte
    a participant with no experience with an activity
  162. noxious
    injurious to physical or mental health
  163. O
    the 15th letter of the Roman alphabet
  164. obdurate
    stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
  165. obfuscate
    make obscure or unclear
  166. obsequious
    attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
  167. obstinate
    refusing to change one's mind or ways; difficult to convince
  168. obtuse
    of an angle, between 90 and 180 degrees
  169. obviate
    do away with
  170. occlude
    block passage through
  171. odious
    extremely repulsive or unpleasant
  172. onerous
    burdensome or difficult to endure
  173. opaque
    not transmitting or reflecting light or radiant energy
  174. opprobrium
    a state of extreme dishonor
  175. oscillation
    a complete execution of a periodically repeated phenomenon
  176. ostentatious
    intended to attract notice and impress others
  177. paean
    a hymn of praise
  178. parody
    a composition that imitates or misrepresents a style
  179. pedagogy
    the profession of a teacher
  180. pedantic
    marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning
  181. penurious
    excessively unwilling to spend
  182. penury
    a state of extreme poverty or destitution
  183. perennial
    lasting an indefinitely long time
  184. perfidy
    an act of deliberate betrayal
  185. perfunctory
    hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
  186. pernicious
    exceedingly harmful
  187. perspicacious
    mentally acute or penetratingly discerning
  188. peruse
    examine or consider with attention and in detail
  189. pervade
    spread or diffuse through
  190. pervasive
    spreading or spread throughout
  191. phlegmatic
    showing little emotion
  192. pine
    a coniferous tree
  193. pious
    having or showing or expressing reverence for a deity
  194. pirate
    someone who robs and plunders at sea
  195. pith
    spongelike central cylinder of the stems of flowering plants
  196. pithy
    concise and full of meaning
  197. placate
    cause to be more favorably inclined
  198. platitude
    a trite or obvious remark
  199. plethora
    extreme excess
  200. plummet
    drop sharply
  201. polemical
    of or involving dispute or controversy
  202. pragmatic
    concerned with practical matters
  203. prattle
    speak about unimportant matters rapidly and incessantly
  204. precipitate
    bring about abruptly
  205. precursor
    something indicating the approach of something or someone
  206. predilection
    a predisposition in favor of something
  207. preen
    clean with one's bill
  208. prescience
    the power to foresee the future
  209. presumptuous
    going beyond what is appropriate, permitted, or courteous
  210. prevaricate
    be deliberately ambiguous or unclear
  211. pristine
    immaculately clean and unused
  212. probity
    complete and confirmed integrity
  213. proclivity
    a natural inclination
  214. prodigal
    recklessly wasteful
  215. prodigious
    great in size, force, extent, or degree
  216. profligate
    unrestrained by convention or morality
  217. profuse
    produced or growing in extreme abundance
  218. proliferate
    grow rapidly
  219. prolific
    intellectually productive
  220. propensity
    a natural inclination
  221. prosaic
    lacking wit or imagination
  222. pungent
    strong and sharp to the sense of taste or smell
  223. putrefy
    decay with an offensive smell
  224. quaff
    swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one draught
  225. qualm
    uneasiness about the fitness of an action
  226. querulous
    habitually complaining
  227. query
    an instance of questioning
  228. quiescence
    a state of quiet (but possibly temporary) inaction
  229. quixotic
    not sensible about practical matters
  230. quotidian
    found in the ordinary course of events
  231. rancorous
    showing deep-seated resentment
  232. rarefy
    lessen the density or solidity of
  233. recalcitrant
    stubbornly resistant to authority or control
  234. recant
    formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief
  235. recondite
    difficult to understand
  236. redoubtable
    inspiring fear
  237. refulgent
    radiating or as if radiating light
  238. refute
    overthrow by argument, evidence, or proof
  239. relegate
    assign to a lower position
  240. renege
    fail to fulfill a promise or obligation
  241. repudiate
    refuse to acknowledge, ratify, or recognize as valid
  242. rescind
    cancel officially
  243. reticent
    reluctant to draw attention to yourself
  244. reverent
    feeling or showing profound respect or veneration
  245. rhetoric
    study of the technique for using language effectively
  246. salubrious
    promoting health
  247. sanction
    official permission or approval
  248. satire
    witty language used to convey insults or scorn
  249. sedulous
    marked by care and persistent effort
  250. shard
    a broken piece of a brittle artifact
  251. solicitous
    full of anxiety and concern
  252. solvent
    capable of meeting financial obligations
  253. soporific
    inducing sleep
  254. sordid
    foul and run-down and repulsive
  255. sparse
    not dense or plentiful
  256. specious
    plausible but false
  257. spendthrift
    someone who spends money freely or wastefully
  258. sporadic
    recurring in scattered or unpredictable instances
  259. spurious
    plausible but false
  260. squalid
    foul and run-down and repulsive
  261. squander
    spend thoughtlessly; throw away
  262. static
    not in physical motion
  263. stoic
    seeming unaffected by pleasure or pain; impassive
  264. stupefy
    make someone dazed or foolish
  265. stymie
    hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of
  266. subpoena
    a writ issued to compel the attendance of a witness
  267. subtle
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
  268. succinct
    briefly giving the gist of something
  269. superfluous
    more than is needed, desired, or required
  270. supplant
    take the place or move into the position of
  271. surfeit
    indulge (one's appetite) to satiety
  272. synthesis
    the combination of ideas into a complex whole
  273. tacit
    implied by or inferred from actions or statements
  274. tenacity
    persistent determination
  275. terse
    brief and to the point
  276. tirade
    a speech of violent denunciation
  277. torpid
    in a condition of biological rest or suspended animation
  278. torque
    a twisting force
  279. tortuous
    marked by repeated turns and bends
  280. tout
    advertise in strongly positive terms
  281. transient
    lasting a very short time
  282. trenchant
    having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought
  283. truculent
    defiantly aggressive
  284. ubiquitous
    being present everywhere at once
  285. unfeigned
    not pretended; sincerely felt or expressed
  286. untenable
    incapable of being defended or justified
  287. urbane
    showing a high degree of refinement
  288. vacillate
    be undecided about something
  289. variegated
    having an assortment of colors
  290. veracity
    unwillingness to tell lies
  291. vexation
    anger produced by some annoying irritation
  292. vigilant
    carefully observant or attentive
  293. vilify
    spread negative information about
  294. virulent
    extremely poisonous or injurious; producing venom
  295. viscous
    having a relatively high resistance to flow
  296. vituperate
    spread negative information about
  297. volatile
    liable to lead to sudden change or violence
  298. voracious
    devouring or craving food in great quantities
  299. waver
    pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
  300. zealous
    marked by active interest and enthusiasm
Created on Mon Mar 02 20:27:10 EST 2009

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