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VOCABULARY LISTS > USER LISTS

Gre List 4 226 words

June 19, 2009 By James S. (Washington, DC)

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Definitions Notes & Examples Words Only
  1. abeyance
    temporary cessation or suspension
  2. ablution
    the ritual washing of a priest's hands or of sacred vessels
  3. abrade
    rub hard or scrub
  4. adage
    a condensed but memorable saying embodying some important fact of experience that is taken as true by many people
  5. adumbrate
    describe roughly or briefly or give the main points or summary of
  6. aggrandize
    add details to
  7. alacrity
    liveliness and eagerness
  8. anachronism
    something located at a time when it could not have existed or occurred
  9. anathema
    a formal ecclesiastical curse accompanied by excommunication
  10. antebellum
    belonging to a period before a war especially the American Civil War
  11. aplomb
    great coolness and composure under strain
  12. apoplectic
    pertaining to or characteristic of apoplexy
  13. apposition
    the act of positioning close together (or side by side)
  14. approbation
    official approval
  15. arabesque
    position in which the dancer has one leg raised behind and arms outstretched in a conventional pose
  16. arbiter
    someone chosen to judge and decide a disputed issue
  17. arboreal
    resembling a tree in form and branching structure
  18. ascetic
    someone who practices self denial as a spiritual discipline
  19. asperity
    harshness of manner
  20. attenuate
    become weaker, in strength, value, or magnitude
  21. august
    profoundly honored
  22. aver
    to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true
  23. baleful
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
  24. balk
    refuse to comply
  25. ballast
    any heavy material used to stabilize a ship or airship
  26. blandishment
    flattery intended to persuade
  27. blithe
    carefree and happy and lighthearted
  28. brusque
    marked by rude or peremptory shortness
  29. callow
    young and inexperienced
  30. calumny
    a false accusation of an offense or a malicious misrepresentation of someone's words or actions
  31. censure
    harsh criticism or disapproval
  32. chagrin
    strong feelings of embarrassment
  33. circumlocution
    an indirect way of expressing something
  34. circumspect
    heedful of potential consequences
  35. cloy
    supply or feed to surfeit
  36. pleasant
    affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
  37. coeval
    of the same period
  38. compendium
    a publication containing a variety of works
  39. compunction
    a feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed)
  40. corporeal
    having material or physical form or substance
  41. cravat
    neckwear worn in a slipknot with long ends overlapping vertically in front
  42. deciduous
    (of plants and shrubs) shedding foliage at the end of the growing season
  43. decry
    express strong disapproval of
  44. deign
    do something that one considers to be below one's dignity
  45. demur
    take exception to
  46. desideratum
    something desired as a necessity
  47. didactic
    instructive (especially excessively)
  48. diffident
    showing modest reserve
  49. discountenance
    look with disfavor on
  50. disinter
    dig up for reburial or for medical investigation; of dead bodies
  51. dissonance
    disagreeable sounds
  52. dulcet
    pleasing to the ear
  53. dynamo
    generator consisting of a coil (the armature) that rotates between the poles of an electromagnet (the field magnet) causing a current to flow in the armature
  54. eaves
    the overhang at the lower edge of a roof
  55. ebullient
    joyously unrestrained
  56. effrontery
    audacious (even arrogant) behavior that you have no right to
  57. effulgence
    the quality of being bright and sending out rays of light
  58. elegy
    a mournful poem; a lament for the dead
  59. enervate
    weaken mentally or morally
  60. entreat
    ask for or request earnestly
  61. epicurean
    devoted to pleasure
  62. epistle
    a specially long, formal letter
  63. epithet
    descriptive word or phrase
  64. equipoise
    equality of distribution
  65. espy
    catch sight of
  66. euphoria
    a feeling of great (usually exaggerated) elation
  67. exculpate
    pronounce not guilty of criminal charges
  68. expectorate
    clear out the chest and lungs
  69. expedient
    appropriate to a purpose; practical
  70. expiate
    make amends for
  71. expropriate
    deprive of possessions
  72. extant
    still in existence; not extinct or destroyed or lost
  73. extempore
    with little or no preparation or forethought
  74. extenuate
    lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
  75. extradite
    hand over to the authorities of another country
  76. facetious
    cleverly amusing in tone
  77. facile
    arrived at without due care or effort; lacking depth
  78. finical
    exacting especially about details
  79. fledge
    grow feathers
  80. florid
    elaborately or excessively ornamented
  81. garrulous
    full of trivial conversation
  82. germane
    relevant and appropriate
  83. gibe
    laugh at with contempt and derision
  84. gossamer
    a gauze fabric with an extremely fine texture
  85. grandstand
    a stand at a racecourse or stadium consisting of tiers with rows of individual seats that are under a protective roof
  86. halcyon
    a mythical bird said to breed at the time of the winter solstice in a nest floating on the sea and to have the power of calming the winds and waves
  87. hallow
    render holy by means of religious rites
  88. hermetic
    completely sealed; completely airtight
  89. hew
    make or shape as with an axe
  90. hibernal
    characteristic of or relating to winter
  91. hirsute
    having or covered with hair
  92. hubris
    overbearing pride or presumption
  93. iconoclast
    someone who attacks cherished ideas or traditional institutions
  94. idyll
    a short poem descriptive of rural or pastoral life
  95. imbroglio
    an intricate and confusing interpersonal or political situation
  96. imperious
    having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy
  97. improvident
    not provident; not providing for the future
  98. impugn
    attack as false or wrong
  99. indefatigable
    showing sustained enthusiastic action with unflagging vitality
  100. indigence
    a state of extreme poverty or destitution
  101. indolent
    disinclined to work or exertion
  102. ineffable
    defying expression or description
  103. inimitable
    defying imitation; matchless
  104. inure
    cause to accept or become hardened to; habituate
  105. invective
    abusive or venomous language used to express blame or censure or bitter deep-seated ill will
  106. inveterate
    habitual
  107. irascible
    quickly aroused to anger
  108. jibe
    shift from one side of the ship to the other
  109. lackadaisical
    idle or indolent especially in a dreamy way
  110. laconic
    brief and to the point; effectively cut short
  111. libation
    the act of pouring a liquid offering (especially wine) as a religious ceremony
  112. libertine
    unrestrained by convention or morality
  113. licentious
    lacking moral discipline; especially sexually unrestrained
  114. lode
    a deposit of valuable ore occurring within definite boundaries separating it from surrounding rocks
  115. loll
    be lazy or idle
  116. lucre
    informal terms for money
  117. malinger
    avoid responsibilities and duties, e.g., by pretending to be ill
  118. matriculate
    enroll as a student
  119. maudlin
    effusively or insincerely emotional
  120. mollycoddle
    treat with excessive indulgence
  121. monomania
    a mania restricted to one thing or idea
  122. moribund
    being on the point of death; breathing your last
  123. nonplused
    filled with bewilderment
  124. obdurate
    stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
  125. obeisance
    bending the head or body or knee as a sign of reverence or submission or shame or greeting
  126. obfuscate
    make obscure or unclear
  127. oblique
    slanting or inclined in direction or course or position--neither parallel nor perpendicular nor right-angled
  128. obtuse
    of an angle; between 90 and 180 degrees
  129. ossify
    become bony
  130. ostentation
    pretentious or showy or vulgar display
  131. ostracize
    expel from a community or group
  132. oxymoron
    conjoining contradictory terms (as in `deafening silence')
  133. deafening
    loud enough to cause (temporary) hearing loss
  134. palpitate
    beat rapidly
  135. panoply
    a complete and impressive array
  136. parsimonious
    excessively unwilling to spend
  137. patois
    a regional dialect of a language (especially French); usually considered substandard
  138. pathos
    a quality that arouses emotions (especially pity or sorrow)
  139. pecuniary
    relating to or involving money
  140. penurious
    excessively unwilling to spend
  141. peremptory
    putting an end to all debate or action
  142. perjury
    criminal offense of making false statements under oath
  143. pernicious
    exceedingly harmful
  144. perturbation
    the act of causing disorder
  145. philistine
    a person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits
  146. phlegmatic
    showing little emotion
  147. platitude
    a trite or obvious remark
  148. pleat
    any of various types of fold formed by doubling fabric back upon itself and then pressing or stitching into shape
  149. stitching
    joining or attaching by stitches
  150. precipitate
    hurl or throw violently
  151. snow
    precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
  152. presage
    a foreboding about what is about to happen
  153. prescience
    the power to foresee the future
  154. preternatural
    existing outside of or not in accordance with nature
  155. prevaricate
    be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information
  156. prim
    affectedly dainty or refined
  157. profligate
    unrestrained by convention or morality
  158. profundity
    the quality of being physically deep
  159. propitious
    presenting favorable circumstances; likely to result in or show signs of success
  160. proscribe
    command against
  161. proxy
    a person authorized to act for another
  162. punctilious
    marked by precise accordance with details
  163. purloin
    make off with belongings of others
  164. quail
    small gallinaceous game birds
  165. quixotic
    not sensible about practical matters; idealistic and unrealistic
  166. quorum
    a gathering of the minimal number of members of an organization to conduct business
  167. valid
    well grounded in logic or truth or having legal force
  168. quotidian
    found in the ordinary course of events
  169. raconteur
    a person skilled in telling anecdotes
  170. ramify
    have or develop complicating consequences
  171. recalcitrant
    stubbornly resistant to authority or control
  172. recant
    formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure
  173. recapitulate
    summarize briefly
  174. redress
    make reparations or amends for
  175. regicide
    the act of killing a king
  176. reprobate
    a person without moral scruples
  177. rotund
    spherical in shape
  178. sagacious
    acutely insightful and wise
  179. salacious
    suggestive of or tending to moral looseness
  180. sardonic
    disdainfully or ironically humorous; scornful and mocking
  181. sepulcher
    a chamber that is used as a grave
  182. shellac
    lac purified by heating and filtering; usually in thin orange or yellow flakes but sometimes bleached white
  183. shunt
    a conductor having low resistance in parallel with another device to divert a fraction of the current
  184. move
    change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
  185. somniferous
    sleep inducing
  186. somnolent
    inclined to or marked by drowsiness
  187. sonorous
    full and loud and deep
  188. spurious
    plausible but false
  189. stanch
    stop the flow of a liquid
  190. stave
    one of several thin slats of wood forming the sides of a barrel or bucket
  191. stolid
    having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited
  192. striate
    marked with stria or striations
  193. subsume
    contain or include
  194. sundry
    consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds
  195. supplicate
    ask for humbly or earnestly, as in prayer
  196. surfeit
    indulge (one's appetite) to satiety
  197. surreptitious
    marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed
  198. teetotal
    practicing complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages
  199. temerity
    fearless daring
  200. temperance
    the trait of avoiding excesses
  201. tendentious
    having or marked by a strong tendency especially a controversial one
  202. tertiary
    coming next after the second and just before the fourth in position
  203. timorous
    timid by nature or revealing timidity
  204. toady
    a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage
  205. torrid
    characterized by intense emotion
  206. tout
    advertize in strongly positive terms
  207. tractable
    easily managed (controlled or taught or molded)
  208. transmogrify
    change completely the nature or appearance of
  209. trite
    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
  210. turpitude
    a corrupt or depraved or degenerate act or practice
  211. ubiquitous
    being present everywhere at once
  212. turgid
    ostentatiously lofty in style
  213. upbraid
    express criticism towards
  214. usury
    the act of lending money at an exorbitant rate of interest
  215. vacuity
    the absence of matter
  216. veracious
    habitually speaking the truth
  217. verbose
    using or containing too many words
  218. verdant
    characterized by abundance of verdure
  219. veritable
    not counterfeit or copied
  220. wheedle
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
  221. whelp
    young of any of various canines such as a dog or wolf
  222. winsome
    charming in a childlike or naive way
  223. woo
    seek someone's favor
  224. wrangle
    an instance of intense argument (as in bargaining)
  225. wreak
    cause to happen or to occur as a consequence
  226. yeoman
    in former times was free and cultivated his own land