GRE High Frequency Words

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Barron's GRE 17th Edition High Freq Words
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definitions & notes only words
  1. abate
    become less in amount or intensity
  2. chicanery
    the use of tricks to deceive someone
  3. disseminate
    cause to become widely known
  4. gainsay
    take exception to
  5. latent
    potentially existing but not presently evident or realized
  6. aberrant
    markedly different from an accepted norm
  7. coagulate
    change from a liquid to a thickened or solid state
  8. dissolution
    separation into component parts
  9. garrulous
    full of trivial conversation
  10. laud
    praise, glorify, or honor
  11. abeyance
    temporary cessation or suspension
  12. coda
    the closing section of a musical composition
  13. dissonance
    disagreeable sounds
  14. goad
    stab or urge on as if with a pointed stick
  15. lethargic
    deficient in alertness or activity
  16. abscond
    run away, often taking something or somebody along
  17. cogent
    powerfully persuasive
  18. distend
    cause to expand as if by internal pressure
  19. gouge
    an impression in a surface, as made by a blow
  20. levee
    an embankment built to prevent a river from overflowing
  21. abstemious
    marked by temperance in indulgence
  22. commensurate
    corresponding in size or degree or extent
  23. distill
    undergo condensation
  24. grandiloquent
    lofty in style
  25. levity
    a manner lacking seriousness
  26. admonish
    scold or reprimand; take to task
  27. compendium
    a publication containing a variety of works
  28. diverge
    move or draw apart
  29. gregarious
    temperamentally seeking and enjoying the company of others
  30. log
    a segment of the trunk of a tree when stripped of branches
  31. adulterate
    make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance
  32. complaisant
    showing a cheerful willingness to do favors for others
  33. divest
    take away possessions from someone
  34. guileless
    innocent and free of deceit
  35. loquacious
    full of trivial conversation
  36. aesthetic
    characterized by an appreciation of beauty or good taste
  37. compliant
    disposed to act in accordance with someone's wishes
  38. document
    a representation of a person's thinking with symbolic marks
  39. gullible
    naive and easily deceived or tricked
  40. lucid
    transparently clear; easily understandable
  41. aggregate
    a sum total of many heterogeneous things taken together
  42. conciliatory
    making or willing to make concessions
  43. dogmatic
    pertaining to a code of beliefs accepted as authoritative
  44. harangue
    a loud bombastic declamation expressed with strong emotion
  45. luminous
    softly bright or radiant
  46. alacrity
    liveliness and eagerness
  47. condone
    excuse, overlook, or make allowances for
  48. dormant
    inactive but capable of becoming active
  49. homogeneous
    all of the same or similar kind or nature
  50. magnanimity
    nobility and generosity of spirit
  51. alleviate
    provide physical relief, as from pain
  52. confound
    be confusing or perplexing to
  53. dupe
    fool or hoax
  54. hyperbole
    extravagant exaggeration
  55. malingerer
    someone shirking duty by feigning illness or incapacity
  56. amalgamate
    bring or combine together or with something else
  57. connoisseur
    an expert able to appreciate a field
  58. ebullient
    joyously unrestrained
  59. iconoclastic
    characterized by attack on established beliefs
  60. malleable
    capable of being shaped or bent
  61. ambiguous
    having more than one possible meaning
  62. contention
    the act of competing as for profit or a prize
  63. eclectic
    selecting what seems best of various styles or ideas
  64. idolatry
    the worship of objects or images as gods
  65. maverick
    someone who exhibits independence in thought and action
  66. ambivalence
    mixed feelings or emotions
  67. contentious
    showing an inclination to disagree
  68. efficacy
    capacity or power to produce a desired result
  69. immutable
    not subject or susceptible to change or variation
  70. mendacious
    given to lying
  71. ameliorate
    make better
  72. contrite
    feeling or expressing pain or sorrow for sins or offenses
  73. effrontery
    audacious behavior that you have no right to
  74. impair
    make worse or less effective
  75. metamorphosis
    striking change in appearance or character or circumstances
  76. anachronism
    locating something at a time when it couldn't have existed
  77. conundrum
    a difficult problem
  78. elegy
    a mournful poem; a lament for the dead
  79. impassive
    having or revealing little emotion or sensibility
  80. meticulous
    marked by precise accordance with details
  81. analogous
    similar or equivalent in some respects
  82. converge
    be adjacent or come together
  83. elicit
    call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
  84. impede
    be a hindrance or obstacle to
  85. misanthrope
    someone who dislikes people in general
  86. anarchy
    a state of lawlessness and disorder
  87. convoluted
    highly complex or intricate
  88. embellish
    make more attractive, as by adding ornament or color
  89. impermeable
    preventing especially liquids to pass or diffuse through
  90. mitigate
    lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
  91. anomalous
    deviating from the general or common order or type
  92. craven
    lacking even the rudiments of courage; abjectly fearful
  93. empirical
    derived from experiment and observation rather than theory
  94. imperturbable
    marked by extreme calm and composure
  95. mollify
    cause to be more favorably inclined
  96. antipathy
    a feeling of intense dislike
  97. daunt
    cause to lose courage
  98. emulate
    strive to equal or match, especially by imitating
  99. impervious
    not admitting of passage or capable of being affected
  100. morose
    showing a brooding ill humor
  101. apathy
    an absence of emotion or enthusiasm
  102. decorum
    propriety in manners and conduct
  103. endemic
    native to or confined to a certain region
  104. implacable
    incapable of being appeased or pacified
  105. mundane
    found in the ordinary course of events
  106. appease
    make peace with
  107. default
    an option that is selected automatically
  108. enervate
    weaken physically, mentally, or morally
  109. implicit
    suggested though not directly expressed
  110. negate
    make ineffective by counterbalancing the effect of
  111. apprise
    inform somebody of something
  112. deference
    courteous regard for people's feelings
  113. engender
    call forth
  114. implode
    burst inward
  115. neophyte
    any new participant in some activity
  116. approbation
    official acceptance or agreement
  117. delineate
    represented accurately or precisely
  118. enhance
    increase
  119. inadvertently
    without knowledge or intention
  120. obdurate
    stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
  121. appropriate
    suitable for a particular person, place, or situation
  122. denigrate
    attack the good name and reputation of someone
  123. ephemeral
    anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day
  124. inchoate
    only partly in existence; imperfectly formed
  125. obsequious
    attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
  126. arduous
    characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion
  127. deride
    treat or speak of with contempt
  128. equanimity
    steadiness of mind under stress
  129. incongruity
    the quality of disagreeing
  130. obviate
    do away with
  131. artless
    simple and natural; without cunning or deceit
  132. derivative
    a compound obtained from another compound
  133. equivocate
    be deliberately ambiguous or unclear
  134. inconsequential
    lacking worth or importance
  135. occlude
    block passage through
  136. ascetic
    someone who practices self denial as a spiritual discipline
  137. desiccate
    lacking vitality or spirit; lifeless
  138. erudite
    having or showing profound knowledge
  139. incorporate
    make into a whole or make part of a whole
  140. officious
    intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner
  141. assiduous
    marked by care and persistent effort
  142. desultory
    marked by lack of definite plan, purpose, or enthusiasm
  143. esoteric
    understandable only by an enlightened inner circle
  144. indeterminate
    not fixed or known in advance
  145. onerous
    burdensome or difficult to endure
  146. assuage
    provide physical relief, as from pain
  147. deterrent
    something immaterial that interferes with action or progress
  148. eulogy
    a formal expression of praise for someone who has died
  149. indigence
    a state of extreme poverty or destitution
  150. opprobrium
    a state of extreme dishonor
  151. attenuate
    become weaker, in strength, value, or magnitude
  152. diatribe
    thunderous verbal attack
  153. euphemism
    an inoffensive expression substituted for an offensive one
  154. indolent
    disinclined to work or exertion
  155. oscillate
    move or swing from side to side regularly
  156. audacious
    disposed to venture or take risks
  157. dichotomy
    a classification into two opposed parts or subclasses
  158. exacerbate
    make worse
  159. inert
    unable to move or resist motion
  160. ostentatious
    intended to attract notice and impress others
  161. austere
    of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor
  162. diffidence
    lack of self-assurance
  163. exculpate
    pronounce not guilty of criminal charges
  164. pate
    liver or meat or fowl finely minced or ground and variously seasoned
  165. ingenuous
    lacking in sophistication or worldliness
  166. paragon
    a perfect embodiment of a concept
  167. autonomous
    existing as an independent entity
  168. diffuse
    spread out; not concentrated in one place
  169. exigency
    a pressing or urgent situation
  170. inherent
    existing as an essential constituent or characteristic
  171. partisan
    a fervent and even militant proponent of something
  172. aver
    declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true
  173. digression
    a message that departs from the main subject
  174. extrapolation
    an inference about the future based on known facts
  175. innocuous
    not injurious to physical or mental health
  176. pathological
    relating to the study of diseases
  177. banal
    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
  178. dirge
    a song or hymn of mourning as a memorial to a dead person
  179. facetious
    cleverly amusing in tone
  180. insensible
    barely able to be perceived
  181. paucity
    an insufficient quantity or number
  182. belie
    be in contradiction with
  183. disabuse
    free somebody from an erroneous belief
  184. facilitate
    make easier
  185. insinuate
    suggest in an indirect or covert way; give to understand
  186. pedantic
    marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning
  187. beneficent
    doing or producing good
  188. discerning
    having or revealing keen insight and good judgment
  189. fallacious
    containing or based on incorrect reasoning
  190. insipid
    lacking interest or significance or impact
  191. penchant
    a strong liking or preference
  192. bolster
    support and strengthen
  193. discordant
    not in agreement or harmony
  194. fatuous
    devoid of intelligence
  195. insularity
    the state of being isolated or detached
  196. penury
    a state of extreme poverty or destitution
  197. bombastic
    ostentatiously lofty in style
  198. discredit
    the state of being held in low esteem
  199. fawning
    attempting to win favor by flattery
  200. intractable
    difficult to manage or mold
  201. perennial
    lasting an indefinitely long time
  202. boorish
    ill-mannered and coarse in behavior or appearance
  203. discrepancy
    a difference between conflicting facts or claims or opinions
  204. felicitous
    exhibiting an agreeably appropriate manner or style
  205. intransigence
    stubborn refusal to compromise or change
  206. perfidious
    tending to betray
  207. burgeon
    grow and flourish
  208. discrete
    constituting a separate entity or part
  209. fervor
    feelings of great warmth and intensity
  210. inundate
    fill or cover completely, usually with water
  211. perfunctory
    hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
  212. burnish
    polish and make shiny
  213. disingenuous
    not straightforward or candid
  214. flag
    a rectangular piece of cloth of distinctive design
  215. inured
    made tough by habitual exposure
  216. permeable
    allowing fluids or gases to pass or diffuse through
  217. buttress
    a support usually of stone or brick
  218. disinterested
    unaffected by concern for one's own welfare
  219. fledgling
    young bird that has just become capable of flying
  220. invective
    abusive language used to express blame or censure
  221. pervasive
    spreading or spread throughout
  222. cacophonous
    having an unpleasant sound
  223. disjointed
    taken apart at the points of connection
  224. flout
    treat with contemptuous disregard
  225. irascible
    quickly aroused to anger
  226. phlegmatic
    showing little emotion
  227. capricious
    determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity
  228. dismiss
    stop associating with
  229. foment
    try to stir up
  230. irresolute
    uncertain how to act or proceed
  231. piety
    righteousness by virtue of being religiously devout
  232. castigation
    verbal punishment
  233. disparage
    express a negative opinion of
  234. forestall
    keep from happening or arising; make impossible
  235. itinerary
    an established line of travel or access
  236. placate
    cause to be more favorably inclined
  237. catalyst
    substance that initiates or accelerates a chemical reaction
  238. disparate
    fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind
  239. frugality
    prudence in avoiding waste
  240. laconic
    brief and to the point
  241. plasticity
    the property of being physically malleable
  242. caustic
    capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action
  243. dissemble
    behave unnaturally or affectedly
  244. futile
    producing no result or effect
  245. lassitude
    a feeling of lack of interest or energy
  246. platitude
    a trite or obvious remark
  247. plethora
    extreme excess
  248. propitiate
    make peace with
  249. rescind
    cancel officially
  250. sporadic
    recurring in scattered or unpredictable instances
  251. tractable
    easily managed
  252. plummet
    drop sharply
  253. propriety
    correct behavior
  254. resolution
    a decision to do something or to behave in a certain manner
  255. stigma
    a symbol of disgrace or infamy
  256. transgression
    the violation of a law or a duty or moral principle
  257. porous
    full of holes
  258. proscribe
    command against
  259. resolve
    find a solution or answer
  260. stint
    supply sparingly and with restricted quantities
  261. truculence
    stubborn and defiant aggressiveness
  262. pragmatic
    concerned with practical matters
  263. pungent
    strong and sharp to the sense of taste or smell
  264. reticent
    reluctant to draw attention to yourself
  265. stipulate
    make an express demand or provision in an agreement
  266. vacillate
    be undecided about something
  267. preamble
    a preliminary introduction, as to a statute or constitution
  268. qualified
    meeting the proper standards and requirements for a task
  269. reverent
    feeling or showing profound respect or veneration
  270. stolid
    having or revealing little emotion or sensibility
  271. venerate
    regard with feelings of respect and reverence
  272. precarious
    not secure; beset with difficulties
  273. quibble
    evade the truth of a point by raising irrelevant objections
  274. sage
    a mentor in spiritual and philosophical topics
  275. striate
    marked with stripes
  276. veracious
    habitually speaking the truth
  277. precipitate
    bring about abruptly
  278. quiescent
    being quiet or still or inactive
  279. salubrious
    promoting health
  280. strut
    walk in a proud, confident way
  281. verbose
    using or containing too many words
  282. precursor
    something indicating the approach of something or someone
  283. rarefied
    of high moral or intellectual value
  284. sanction
    official permission or approval
  285. subpoena
    a writ issued to compel the attendance of a witness
  286. viable
    capable of life or normal growth and development
  287. presumptuous
    going beyond what is appropriate, permitted, or courteous
  288. recalcitrant
    stubbornly resistant to authority or control
  289. satiate
    fill to satisfaction
  290. subside
    wear off or die down
  291. viscous
    having a relatively high resistance to flow
  292. prevaricate
    be deliberately ambiguous or unclear
  293. recant
    formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief
  294. saturate
    infuse or fill completely
  295. substantiate
    establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts
  296. vituperative
    marked by harshly abusive criticism
  297. pristine
    immaculately clean and unused
  298. recluse
    one who lives in solitude
  299. savor
    a particular taste or smell, especially an appealing one
  300. supersede
    take the place or move into the position of
  301. volatile
    liable to lead to sudden change or violence
  302. probity
    complete and confirmed integrity
  303. recondite
    difficult to understand
  304. secrete
    generate and separate from cells or bodily fluids
  305. supposition
    the cognitive process of conjecturing
  306. unwarranted
    incapable of being justified or explained
  307. problematic
    making great mental demands
  308. refractory
    stubbornly resistant to authority or control
  309. shard
    a broken piece of a brittle artifact
  310. tacit
    implied by or inferred from actions or statements
  311. wary
    marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
  312. prodigal
    recklessly wasteful
  313. refute
    overthrow by argument, evidence, or proof
  314. skeptic
    someone who habitually doubts accepted beliefs
  315. tangential
    of superficial relevance if any
  316. welter
    a confused multitude of things
  317. profound
    situated at or extending to great depth
  318. relegate
    assign to a lower position
  319. solicitous
    full of anxiety and concern
  320. tenuous
    lacking substance or significance
  321. whimsical
    determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity
  322. prohibitive
    tending to discourage, especially of prices
  323. reproach
    express criticism towards
  324. soporific
    inducing sleep
  325. tirade
    a speech of violent denunciation
  326. zealot
    a fervent and even militant proponent of something
  327. proliferate
    grow rapidly
  328. reprobate
    a person without moral scruples
  329. specious
    plausible but false
  330. torpor
    a state of motor and mental inactivity
  331. propensity
    a natural inclination
  332. repudiate
    refuse to acknowledge, ratify, or recognize as valid
  333. spectrum
    a broad range of related objects, values, or qualities
  334. tortuous
    marked by repeated turns and bends
Created on October 8, 2012 (updated October 8, 2012)

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