GRE Problem Words

David C.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. abjure
    formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief
  2. arrogate
    seize and take control without authority
  3. bilk
    cheat somebody out of what is due, especially money
  4. blight
    any plant disease resulting in withering without rotting
  5. blithe
    carefree and happy and lighthearted
  6. burgeon
    grow and flourish
  7. calumny
    a false accusation of an offense
  8. caustic
    capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action
  9. assiduous
    marked by care and persistent effort
  10. relinquish
    turn away from; give up
  11. contrite
    feeling or expressing pain or sorrow
  12. contumacious
    willfully obstinate; stubbornly disobedient
  13. insurgent
    in opposition to a civil authority or government
  14. mutiny
    open rebellion against constituted authority
  15. corroborate
    give evidence for
  16. undermine
    weaken or impair, especially gradually
  17. craven
    lacking even the rudiments of courage; abjectly fearful
  18. abject
    of the most contemptible kind
  19. deference
    courteous regard for people's feelings
  20. demur
    politely refuse or take exception to
  21. deride
    treat or speak of with contempt
  22. contempt
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
  23. diffident
    showing modest reserve
  24. dilatory
    wasting time
  25. disparate
    fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind
  26. droll
    comical in an odd or whimsical manner
  27. dupe
    fool or hoax
  28. epicure
    a person who takes great pleasure in fine food and drink
  29. eschew
    avoid and stay away from deliberately
  30. ethos
    the distinctive spirit of a culture or an era
  31. elegy
    a mournful poem; a lament for the dead
  32. exacerbate
    make worse
  33. exonerate
    pronounce not guilty of criminal charges
  34. exigent
    demanding immediate attention
  35. expurgate
    edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate
  36. fallow
    left unplowed and unseeded during a growing season
  37. fatuous
    devoid of intelligence
  38. ludicrous
    inviting ridicule
  39. grovel
    show submission or fear
  40. fecund
    capable of producing offspring or vegetation
  41. auspicious
    indicating favorable circumstances and good luck
  42. fervid
    characterized by intense emotion
  43. ardent
    characterized by intense emotion
  44. fetid
    offensively malodorous
  45. flag
    a rectangular piece of cloth of distinctive design
  46. flamboyant
    tending to attract attention; marked by ostentatious display
  47. ostentatious
    intended to attract notice and impress others
  48. instigate
    provoke or stir up
  49. foment
    try to stir up
  50. ford
    cross a river where it's shallow
  51. fortuitous
    lucky; occurring by happy chance
  52. propitious
    presenting favorable circumstances
  53. fractious
    easily irritated or annoyed
  54. frenzied
    affected with or marked by mania uncontrolled by reason
  55. rabid
    marked by excessive enthusiasm for a cause or idea
  56. furtive
    secret and sly
  57. surreptitious
    marked by quiet and caution and secrecy
  58. caper
    a playful leap or hop
  59. boisterous
    marked by exuberance and high spirits
  60. fierce
    marked by extreme and violent energy
  61. garner
    assemble or get together
  62. glean
    gather, as of natural products
  63. effusive
    uttered with unrestrained enthusiasm
  64. gestation
    the period during which an embryo develops
  65. scowl
    frown with displeasure
  66. gradation
    relative position in a ranked series
  67. affable
    diffusing warmth and friendliness
  68. congenial
    suitable to your needs
  69. dire
    fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless
  70. duplicity
    the act of deceiving or acting in bad faith
  71. motley
    consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds
  72. hoary
    having gray or white hair as with age
  73. hyperbole
    extravagant exaggeration
  74. maverick
    someone who exhibits independence in thought and action
  75. furrow
    a long shallow trench in the ground
  76. permeate
    spread or diffuse through
  77. penurious
    excessively unwilling to spend
  78. serene
    not agitated
  79. impetuous
    characterized by undue haste and lack of thought
  80. impious
    lacking piety or reverence for a god
  81. inexorable
    impossible to prevent, resist, or stop
  82. imprecation
    the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil
  83. slander
    words falsely spoken that damage the reputation of another
  84. inchoate
    only partly in existence; imperfectly formed
  85. inculcate
    teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions
  86. indolent
    disinclined to work or exertion
  87. obdurate
    stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
  88. obstinate
    refusing to change one's mind or ways; difficult to convince
  89. relentless
    never-ceasing
  90. fawn
    a young deer
  91. inimical
    tending to obstruct or cause harm
  92. iniquity
    absence of moral or spiritual values
  93. insipid
    lacking interest or significance or impact
  94. inter
    place in a grave or tomb
  95. deluge
    a heavy rain
  96. inundate
    fill or cover completely, usually with water
  97. inure
    cause to accept or become hardened to
  98. invective
    abusive language used to express blame or censure
  99. investiture
    the ceremonial promotion of a person to an office or rank
  100. invidious
    containing or implying a slight or showing prejudice
  101. irascible
    quickly aroused to anger
  102. cantankerous
    stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate
  103. jargon
    technical terminology characteristic of a particular subject
  104. jettison
    throw away, of something encumbering
  105. jingoism
    fanatical patriotism
  106. belligerent
    characteristic of an enemy or one eager to fight
  107. prudent
    marked by sound judgment
  108. sagacious
    acutely insightful and wise
  109. confluence
    a place where things merge or flow together
  110. obtuse
    of an angle, between 90 and 180 degrees
  111. knell
    the sound of a bell rung slowly to announce a death
  112. peal
    a deep prolonged sound
  113. kudos
    an expression of approval and commendation
  114. lachrymose
    showing sorrow
  115. curt
    brief and to the point
  116. pithy
    concise and full of meaning
  117. pompous
    puffed up with vanity
  118. deplore
    express strong disapproval of
  119. lampoon
    ridicule with satire
  120. languid
    lacking spirit or liveliness
  121. lapidary
    relating to precious stones or the art of working with them
  122. larceny
    the act of taking something from someone unlawfully
  123. debilitation
    serious weakening and loss of energy
  124. lavish
    given or giving freely, generously, or without restriction
  125. leery
    openly distrustful and unwilling to confide
  126. levity
    a manner lacking seriousness
  127. bounteous
    given or giving freely
  128. latitudinarian
    unwilling to accept authority or dogma
  129. hedonist
    someone motivated by desires for sensual pleasures
  130. limpid
    clear and bright
  131. diligent
    quietly and steadily persevering in detail or exactness
  132. lionize
    assign great social importance to
  133. lissome
    moving and bending with ease
  134. livid
    furiously angry
  135. lugubrious
    excessively mournful
  136. lurch
    move suddenly or as if unable to control one's movements
  137. lumber
    the wood of trees prepared for use as building material
  138. lustrous
    reflecting light
  139. incandescent
    emitting light as a result of being heated
  140. resplendent
    having great beauty
  141. maelstrom
    a powerful circular current of water
  142. tycoon
    a very wealthy or powerful businessperson
  143. malleable
    capable of being shaped or bent
  144. mannered
    having unnatural behavioral attributes
  145. mar
    cause to become imperfect
  146. maudlin
    very sentimental or emotional
  147. saccharine
    overly sweet
  148. mendacious
    given to lying
  149. mendicant
    a pauper who lives by begging
  150. pauper
    a person who is very poor
  151. meretricious
    tastelessly showy
  152. meticulous
    marked by precise accordance with details
  153. mirth
    great merriment
  154. missive
    a written message addressed to a person or organization
  155. molt
    cast off hair, skin, horn, or feathers
  156. secluded
    hidden from general view or use
  157. monastic
    relating to life in an isolated religious community
  158. drone
    make a monotonous low dull sound
  159. mores
    the conventions embodying the fundamental values of a group
  160. myopic
    unable to see distant objects clearly
  161. obloquy
    state of disgrace resulting from public abuse
  162. nadir
    the lowest point of anything
  163. nascent
    being born or beginning
  164. tenacious
    stubbornly unyielding
  165. oblique
    slanting or inclined in direction or course or position
  166. occlude
    block passage through
  167. officious
    intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner
  168. onerous
    burdensome or difficult to endure
  169. arduous
    characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion
  170. opprobrium
    a state of extreme dishonor
  171. orotund
    overly formal and pompous in style
  172. aureate
    elaborately or excessively ornamented
  173. ossify
    become bony
  174. ostensible
    appearing as such but not necessarily so
  175. overwrought
    deeply agitated especially from emotion
  176. palliate
    lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
  177. pallid
    pale, as of a person's complexion
  178. panache
    distinctive and stylish elegance
  179. verve
    an energetic style
  180. panoply
    a complete and impressive array
  181. paragon
    a perfect embodiment of a concept
  182. pare
    strip the skin off
  183. pariah
    a person who is rejected from society or home
  184. derelict
    a person without a home, job, or property
  185. leper
    a pariah who is avoided by others
  186. parry
    impede the movement of
  187. pastiche
    a work of art that imitates the style of some previous work
  188. pathogenic
    able to cause disease
  189. morbid
    suggesting the horror of death and decay
  190. peccadillo
    a petty misdeed
  191. pedant
    a person who is preoccupied with rules and learning
  192. peregrinate
    travel around, through, or over, especially on foot
  193. perfidious
    tending to betray
  194. pervade
    spread or diffuse through
  195. philistine
    a person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits
  196. bourgeois
    being of the property-owning class
  197. phlegmatic
    showing little emotion
  198. plebeian
    of or associated with the great masses of people
  199. polyglot
    a person who speaks more than one language
  200. posit
    take as a given; assume as a postulate or axiom
  201. potentate
    a powerful ruler, especially one who is unconstrained by law
  202. blather
    talk foolishly
  203. precipitate
    bring about abruptly
  204. nuptial
    of or relating to a wedding
  205. precis
    a sketchy summary of the main points of an argument
  206. prevaricate
    be deliberately ambiguous or unclear
  207. perjure
    make oneself guilty of telling untruths in a court of law
  208. pristine
    immaculately clean and unused
  209. immaculate
    completely neat and clean
  210. propensity
    a natural inclination
  211. prodigal
    recklessly wasteful
  212. profligate
    unrestrained by convention or morality
  213. proliferate
    grow rapidly
  214. propitiate
    make peace with
  215. propriety
    correct behavior
  216. prudence
    discretion in practical affairs
  217. puerile
    displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity
  218. pugilism
    boxing with bare hands
  219. pungent
    strong and sharp to the sense of taste or smell
  220. quiescent
    being quiet or still or inactive
  221. quixotic
    not sensible about practical matters
  222. sublime
    of high moral or intellectual value
  223. redress
    make reparations or amends for
  224. rejoinder
    a quick reply to a question or remark
  225. replete
    filled to satisfaction with food or drink
  226. requite
    make repayment for or return something
  227. fretful
    nervous and unable to relax
  228. oratory
    the act of addressing an audience formally
  229. ribald
    humorously vulgar
  230. bucolic
    devoted to raising sheep or cattle
  231. salient
    conspicuous, prominent, or important
  232. salubrious
    promoting health
  233. sanguine
    confidently optimistic and cheerful
  234. sardonic
    disdainfully or ironically humorous
  235. snide
    expressive of contempt
  236. gorge
    a deep ravine, usually with a river running through it
  237. speck
    a very small spot
  238. sedition
    an illegal action inciting resistance to lawful authority
  239. sentient
    endowed with feeling and unstructured consciousness
  240. seraphic
    having a sweet nature befitting an angel
  241. sinecure
    a job that involves minimal duties
  242. slake
    satisfy, as thirst
  243. sobriquet
    a familiar name for a person
  244. solecism
    a socially awkward or tactless act
  245. slumberous
    inclined to or marked by drowsiness
  246. spartan
    unsparing and uncompromising in discipline or judgment
  247. sophistic
    of or pertaining to sophists
  248. sportive
    given to merry frolicking
  249. frisky
    playful like a lively kitten
  250. stasis
    inactivity resulting from a balance between opposing forces
  251. stentorian
    very loud or booming
  252. stigma
    a symbol of disgrace or infamy
  253. stolid
    having or revealing little emotion or sensibility
  254. feint
    any distracting or deceptive maneuver
  255. ruse
    a deceptive maneuver, especially to avoid capture
  256. sully
    make dirty or spotty
  257. taint
    place under suspicion or cast doubt upon
  258. defile
    make dirty or spotty
  259. supplant
    take the place or move into the position of
  260. surly
    unfriendly and inclined toward anger or irritation
  261. testy
    easily irritated or annoyed
  262. sybarite
    a person addicted to luxury and pleasures of the senses
  263. symbiosis
    the relation between two interdependent species of organisms
  264. syncopation
    a musical rhythm accenting a normally weak beat
  265. talon
    a sharp hooked claw especially on a bird of prey
  266. vulture
    a large diurnal bird of prey feeding chiefly on carrion
  267. tawdry
    tastelessly showy
  268. mundane
    found in the ordinary course of events
  269. tellurian
    of or relating to or inhabiting the land as opposed to the sea or air
  270. tirade
    a speech of violent denunciation
  271. fulmination
    the act of exploding with noise and violence
  272. trenchant
    having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought
  273. turgid
    ostentatiously lofty in style
  274. fledgling
    young bird that has just become capable of flying
  275. tenderfoot
    an inexperienced person
  276. umbrage
    a feeling of anger caused by being offended
  277. asperity
    harshness of manner
  278. upbraid
    express criticism towards
  279. rebuke
    an act or expression of criticism and censure
  280. usury
    the act of lending money at an exorbitant rate of interest
  281. falter
    move hesitatingly, as if about to give way
  282. variegated
    having an assortment of colors
  283. veracity
    unwillingness to tell lies
  284. probity
    complete and confirmed integrity
  285. long-winded
    using or containing too many words
  286. prolix
    tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at length
  287. verdure
    green foliage
  288. vernal
    suggestive of youth; vigorous and fresh
  289. vestige
    an indication that something has been present
  290. condescension
    showing arrogance by patronizing those considered inferior
  291. relic
    an antiquity that has survived from the distant past
  292. chafe
    become or make sore by or as if by rubbing
  293. gall
    a digestive juice secreted by the liver
  294. vicissitude
    a variation in circumstances or fortune
  295. vim
    a healthy capacity for vigorous activity
  296. viscous
    having a relatively high resistance to flow
  297. vituperate
    spread negative information about
  298. volatile
    liable to lead to sudden change or violence
  299. wan
    pale, as of a person's complexion
  300. wily
    marked by skill in deception
  301. winsome
    charming in a childlike or naive way
  302. wizened
    lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness
  303. gnarl
    make complaining remarks or noises under one's breath
  304. wraith
    a ghostly figure, especially one seen shortly before death
  305. vigil
    a purposeful surveillance to guard or observe
  306. xenophobia
    a fear of foreigners or strangers
  307. yoke
    a wooden frame across the shoulders for carrying buckets
  308. fervor
    feelings of great warmth and intensity
  309. zealot
    a fervent and even militant proponent of something
  310. zephyr
    a slight wind
  311. dearth
    an insufficient quantity or number
  312. scad
    any of a number of fishes of the family Carangidae
  313. trench
    any long ditch cut in the ground
  314. oust
    remove from a position or office
  315. squander
    spend thoughtlessly; throw away
  316. transience
    the attribute of being brief or fleeting
  317. protrusion
    something that bulges out or projects from its surroundings
  318. recess
    a state when work or action are paused
  319. entice
    provoke someone to do something through persuasion
  320. sumptuous
    rich and superior in quality
  321. dank
    unpleasantly cool and humid
  322. dissipated
    unrestrained by convention or morality
  323. retribution
    a justly deserved penalty
  324. limber
    easily bent
  325. obliquity
    the quality of being deliberately vague or deceptive
  326. slur
    utter indistinctly
  327. apotheosis
    model of excellence or perfection of a kind
  328. acquiesce
    agree or express agreement
  329. abrogate
    revoke formally
  330. ratify
    approve and express assent, responsibility, or obligation
  331. sloth
    a disinclination to work or exert yourself
  332. spunk
    the courage or spirit to carry on
  333. admonish
    scold or reprimand; take to task
  334. chary
    characterized by great caution
  335. brash
    offensively bold
  336. fickle
    liable to sudden unpredictable change
  337. ungainly
    lacking grace in movement or posture
  338. petulant
    easily irritated or annoyed
  339. hallow
    render holy by means of religious rites
  340. desecrate
    violate the sacred character of a place or language
  341. harangue
    a loud bombastic declamation expressed with strong emotion
  342. harbinger
    something indicating the approach of something or someone
  343. spur
    a prod on a rider's heel used to urge a horse onward
  344. luminary
    a celebrity who is an inspiration to others
  345. nefarious
    extremely wicked
  346. begrudge
    be envious of or feel annoyance toward
  347. cavil
    raise trivial objections
  348. commend
    present as worthy of regard, kindness, or confidence
  349. crass
    so unrefined as to be offensive or insensitive
  350. recalcitrant
    stubbornly resistant to authority or control
  351. prim
    affectedly dainty or refined
  352. repugnance
    intense aversion
  353. pugnacious
    ready and able to resort to force or violence
  354. callous
    emotionally hardened
  355. paltry
    contemptibly small in amount or size
  356. munificent
    given or giving freely, generously, or without restriction
  357. exhort
    spur on or encourage especially by cheers and shouts
  358. extol
    praise, glorify, or honor
  359. exalt
    praise, glorify, or honor
  360. exalted
    of high moral or intellectual value
  361. scathe
    the act of damaging something or someone
  362. fetter
    a shackle for the ankles or feet
  363. recoil
    spring back; spring away from an impact
  364. opaque
    not transmitting or reflecting light or radiant energy
  365. predilection
    a predisposition in favor of something
  366. seedy
    shabby and untidy
  367. ruffle
    stir up (water) so as to form ripples
  368. repudiate
    refuse to acknowledge, ratify, or recognize as valid
  369. hidebound
    stubbornly inflexible and narrow-minded
  370. gambol
    play or run boisterously
  371. exuberant
    joyously unrestrained
  372. plod
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
  373. raucous
    unpleasantly loud and harsh
  374. mellifluous
    pleasing to the ear
  375. buoyant
    tending to float on a liquid or rise in air or gas
  376. contentious
    showing an inclination to disagree
  377. taper
    diminish gradually
  378. diminution
    change toward something smaller or lower
  379. embroil
    force into some kind of situation or course of action
  380. refute
    overthrow by argument, evidence, or proof
  381. vouchsafe
    grant in a condescending manner
  382. condescend
    behave in a patronizing manner
  383. salvage
    rescuing a ship or its crew from a shipwreck or a fire
  384. muffle
    deaden (a sound or noise), especially by wrapping
  385. plucky
    showing courage
  386. gamely
    in a plucky or sporting manner
  387. crestfallen
    brought low in spirit
  388. haughty
    having or showing arrogant superiority
  389. desultory
    marked by lack of definite plan, purpose, or enthusiasm
  390. pulchritude
    physical beauty, especially of a woman
  391. rancor
    a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will
Created on Thu Nov 08 06:14:22 EST 2007

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