GRE Common Words (A-M) Flashcards
to reduce in amount, degree, or severity
-As the hurricane’s force ________, the winds dropped and the sea became calm.
abate
to leave secretly
-The patron ________ from the restaurant without paying his bill by sneaking out the back door.
abscond
to choose not to do something
-She ________ from choosing a mouthwatering dessert from the tray.
abstain
an extremely deep hole
-The submarine dove into the ________ to chart the previously unseen depths.
abyss
to make impure
-The chef made his ketchup last longer by ________ it with water.
adulterate
to speak in favor of
-The vegetarian ________ a diet containing no meat.
advocate
concerning the appreciation of beauty
-Followers of the ________ movement regarded the pursuit of beauty as the only true purpose of art.
aesthetic
to increase in power, influence, and reputation
-The supervisor sought to ________ herself by claiming that the achievements of her staff were actually her own.
aggrandize
to make more bearable
-Taking aspirin helps to ________ a headache.
alleviate
to combine; to mix together
-Giant Industries ________ with Mega Products to form Giant-Mega Products Incorporated.
amalgamate
doubtful or uncertain; able to be interpreted many ways
-The directions she gave were so ________ that we disagreed on which way to turn.
ambiguous
to make better; to improve
-The doctor was able to ________ the patient’s suffering using painkillers.
ameliorate
something out of place in time
-The aged hippie used ________ phrases, like “groovy” and “far out”, that had not been popular for years.
anachronism
similar or alike in some way; equivalent to
-They saw the relationship between a ruler and his subjects as ________ to that of father and children.
analogous
deviation from what is normal
-The near-boiling river in Peru called Shanay-Timpishka is a geological ________: it is the only naturally heated body of water that is not heated by its proximity to a volcano.
anomaly
to annoy or provoke to anger
-The child discovered that he could ________ the cat by pulling its tail.
antagonize
extreme dislike
-The ________ between the French and the English regularly erupted into open warfare.
antipathy
lack of interest or emotion
-The ________ of voters is so great that less than half the people who are eligible to vote actually bother to do so.
apathy
to judge a dispute between two opposing parties
-Since the couple could not come to an agreement, a judge was forced to ________ their divorce proceedings.
arbitrate
ancient, old-fashioned
-Her ________ Commodore computer could not run the latest software.
archaic
intense and passionate feeling
-Bishop’s ________ for the landscape was evident when he passionately described the beauty of the scenic Hudson Valley.
ardor
able to speak clearly and expressively
-She is such an ________ defender of labor that unions are amongst her strongest supporters.
articulate
self-denying; austere
-Though he would not have to be completely ________, his physician did warn him to cut down on decadent confections.
ascetic
to make something unpleasant less severe
-Selena used aspirin to ________ her pounding headache.
assuage
to reduce in force or degree; to weaken
-The Bill of Rights ________ the traditional power of governments to change laws at will.
attenuate
fearless and daring
-Her ________ nature allowed her to fulfill her dream of skydiving.
audacious
severe or stern in appearance; undecorated
-The lack of decoration makes military barracks seem ________ to the civilian eye.
austere
predictable, cliched, boring
-He used ________ phrases like “have a nice day” and “another day, another dollar”.
banal
to support; to prop up
-The presence of giant footprints ________ the argument that Sasquatch was in the area.
bolster
pompous in speech and manner
-The ranting of the radio talk-show host was mostly ________; his boasting and outrageous claims had no basis in fact.
bombastic
harsh, jarring noise
-The junior high orchestra created an almost unbearable ________ as they tried to tune their instruments.
cacophony
impartial and honest in speech
-The observations of a child can be charming since they are ________ and unpretentious.
candid
changing one’s mind quickly and often
-Our boss is quite ________; we never know how he will react.
capricious
to punish or criticize harshly
-Many Americans are amazed at how harshly the authorities in other countries ________ their criminals.
castigate
something that brings about a change in something else
-The imposition of harsh taxes was the ________ that brought on the American Revolution.
catalyst
biting in wit
-Dorothy Parker gained her reputation for ________ wit from her cutting, yet clever, insults.
caustic
great disorder or confusion
-In many religious traditions, God created an ordered universe from ________.
chaos
someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he/she belongs
-The attitude that men are inherently superior to women and therefore must be obeyed is common amongst male ________.
chauvinist
deception by means of craft or guile
-Dishonest used car salespeople often use ________ to sell their beat-up old cars.
chicanery
mercy
-Many people on death row are granted ________ for their crimes by governing officials.
clemency
convincing and well-reasoned
-Swayed by the ________ argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but to acquit the defendant.
cogent
to overlook, pardon, or disregard
-Some theorists believe that failing to prosecute minor crimes is the same as ________ an air of lawlessness.
condone
intricate and complicated
-Although many people bought “A Brief History of Time”, few could follow its ________ ideas and theories.
convoluted
to provide supporting evidence
-Fingerprints ________ the witness’s testimony that he saw the defendant in the victim’s apartment.
corroborate
too trusting; gullible
-Although some 4 year olds believe in the Easter Bunny, only the most ________ 9 year olds still believe in him.
credulous
steadily increasing volume or force
-The ________ of tension became unbearable as Evel Knievel prepared to jump his motorcycle over the school buses.
crescendo
appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety
-The countess complained that the vulgar peasants lacked the ________ appropriate for a visit to the palace.
decorum
respect, courtesy
-The respectful young law clerk treated the Supreme Court justice with the utmost ________.
deference
to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock
-The awkward child was often ________ by his “cooler” peers.
deride
to dry out thoroughly
-After a few weeks of lying on the desert’s baking sands, the cow’s carcass became completely ________.
desiccate
jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
-Diane had a ________ academic record; she had changed majors 12 times in 3 years.
desultory
an abusive, condemnatory speech
-The trucker bellowed a ________ at the driver who had cut him off.
diatribe
