GRE Vocab Flashcards - Common Words Week 1

Question 1

Aggrandize

uh graan diez

Answer 1

v. to increase in power, influence, and reputation.

The supervisor sough to aggrandize himself by claiming that the achievements of his staff were actually his own.

Question 2

Synonyms of Aggrandize

Answer 2

amplify, apotheosize, augment, dignify, elevate, enlarge, ennoble, exalt, glorify, magnify, swell, uplift.

Question 3

Affected

uh fehk tihd

Answer 3

adj. phony, artificial

The affected hairdresser spouted French phrases though she had never been to France.

Question 4

synonyms of Affected

Answer 4

insincere, pretentious, put-on.

Question 5

Aesthetic

ehs theh tihk

Answer 5

adj. concerning the appreciation of beauty

The aesthetic movement regarded the pursuit of beauty as the only true purpose of art.

Question 6

Synonyms of aesthetic

Answer 6

artistic, tasteful

Question 7

Aerie

ayr ee) (eer ee

Answer 7

n. a nest built high in the air, and elevated often secluded, dwelling.

Perched high among the trees, the eagle’s aerie was filled with eggs.

Question 8

synonyms for aerie

Answer 8

perch, stronghold

Question 9

Advocate

aad vuh kayt

Answer 9

v. to speak in favor of

The vegetarian advocated a diet containing no meat.

Question 10

synonyms for advocate

Answer 10

back, champion, support

Question 11

Adulterate

uh duhl tuhr ayt

Answer 11

v. to make impure

The restaurateur made his ketchup last longer by adulterating it with water.

Question 12

synonyms for adulterate

Answer 12

debase, doctor, load

Question 13

Acme

aak mee

Answer 13

n. the highest point, the summit, the highest level or degree attainable.

Just when he reached the acme of his power, the dictator was overthrown.

Question 14

synonyms for acme

Answer 14

apex, peak, summit

Question 15

Acidulous

uh si juh luhs

Answer 15

adj. sour in taste or manner

The acidulous taste of the spoiled milk made the young boy’s lips pucker.

Question 16

Synonyms for acidulous

Answer 16

acerbic, acetous, biting, piquant, pungent, tart

Question 17

Accretion

uh kree shuhn

Answer 17

n. a gradual growth in size, and increase in amount

The committee’s strong fundraising efforts resulted in an accretion in scholarship money.

Question 18

Synonyms for accretion

Answer 18

accumulation, buildup

Question 19

Abyss

uh bihs

Answer 19

n. an extremely deep hole

The submarine dove into the abyss to chart the previously unseen depths.

Question 20

synonyms for abyss

Answer 20

chasm, void

Question 21

Abstemious

aab stee me uhs

Answer 21

adj. moderate in appetite

Because Alyce is a vegetarian, she was able to eat only an abstemious meal at the Texas Steakhous.

Question 22

Synonyms for Abstemious

Answer 22

abstinent, continent, self-restraining, sober, temperate

Question 23

Abstain

Answer 23

v. to choose not to do something

Question 24

synonyms for abstain

Answer 24

forbear, refrain, withhold.

Question 25

Abjure | aab jur

Answer 25

v. to reject, to abandon family The spy abjured his allegiance to the United States when he defected to Russia.

Question 26

synonyms for abjure

Answer 26

forswear, recall, recant, retract, take back.

Question 27

Abscond | aab skahnd

Answer 27

v. to leave secretly The patron absconded from the restaurant without paying his bill by sneaking out the back door

Question 28

synonyms for abscond

Answer 28

decamp, escape, flee

Question 29

Abeyance | uh bay uhns

Answer 29

n. temporary suppression or suspension The baseball game was held in abeyance while it continued to rain

Question 30

synonyms for abeyance

Answer 30

deferral, delay, dormancy, postponement, remission

Question 31

Abdicate | aab duh kayt

Answer 31

v. to give up a position, right or power With the angry mob clamoring outside the palace, the king abdicated his throne and fled.

Question 32

Synonyms for abdicate

Answer 32

cede, quit, relinquish, resign, yield

Question 33

Aberrant | uh ber unt

Answer 33

adj. deviating from what is normal or expected Since he had been a steady, cheerful worker for many years, his fellow postal workers did not expect his aberrant burst of rage

Question 34

Synonyms for aberrant

Answer 34

abnormal, anomalous, deviant, divergent, errant, irregular

Question 35

Abate | uh bayt

Answer 35

v. to reduce in amount, degree, or severity As the hurricane's force abated, the winds dropped and the sea became calm.

Question 36

Synonyms for abate

Answer 36

ebb, lapse, let up, moderate, relent, slacken, subside, wane.

Question 37

Abase | uh bays

Answer 37

v. to humble, to disgrace My intention was not abase the comedian

Question 38

Synonyms for abase

Answer 38

demean, humiliate

Question 39

Officious | uh fihsh uhs

Answer 39

adj. too helpful, meddlesome While planning her wedding, Maya discovered just how officious her future mother in law could be.

Question 40

Synonyms for officious

Answer 40

eager, intrusive, unwanted

Question 41

Alacrity | uh laak crih tee

Answer 41

n. speed or quickness The restaurant won a reputation for fine service since the wait staff responded to their clients' requests with alacrity.

Question 42

synonyms for alacrity

Answer 42

celerity, dispatch, haste, swiftness.

Question 43

Alleviate | uh lee vee ayt

Answer 43

v. to make more bearable Taking aspirin helps to alleviate a headache.

Question 44

synonyms for alleviate

Answer 44

allay, assuage, comfort, ease, lessen, lighten, mitigate, palliate, relieve.

Question 45

Amalgamate | uh maal guh mayt

Answer 45

to combine, to mix together Giant industries amalgamated with Mega Products to form Giant-Mega Products Incorporated

Question 46

Synonyms for amalgamate

Answer 46

admix, blend, coalesce, combine, commingle, commix, compound, fuse, intermingle, intermix, merge, mingle, mix, unite.

Question 47

Ambiguous | aam bihg yoo uhs

Answer 47

adj. doubtful or uncertain, can be interpreted several ways. The directions he gave were so ambiguous that we disagreed on which way to turn.

Question 48

Synonyms for ambiguous

Answer 48

cloudy, doubtful, dubious, equivocal, indeterminate,nebulous, obscure, unclear, vague.

Question 49

Ameliorate | uh meel yuhr ayt

Answer 49

v. to make better, to improve The doctor was able to ameliorate the patients' suffering using painkillers

Question 50

synonyms for ameliorate

Answer 50

amend, better, improve, pacify, upgrade

Question 51

Amortize | uh mohr tiez or aam er tiez

Answer 51

v. to diminish by installment payments While college students are notorious for accumulating credit card debt, they are not as well known for amortizing it.

Question 52

Synonyms for amortize

Answer 52

decrease, reduce

Question 53

Amulet | aam yoo liht

Answer 53

n. an ornament worn as a charm against evil spirits Though she claimed it was not because of superstitioon, Vivian always wore an amulet around her neck

Question 54

synonyms for amulet

Answer 54

fetish, talisman

Question 55

Anachronism | uh naak ruh nih suhm

Answer 55

n. something out of place in time They play was set in the nineteenth century, but was ruining by anachronisms, like the lead actor's digital watch.

Question 56

Synonyms for anachronism

Answer 56

archaism, incongruity

Question 57

Analgesia | aah nuhl jee zhuh

Answer 57

n. a lessening of pain without loss of consciousness After having her appendix removed, Tatiana welcomed the analgesia that the painkillers provided.

Question 58

Analogous

Answer 58

adj. similar or alike in some way, equivalent His mother argued that not going to college was analogous to throwing his life away.

Question 59

Synonyms for analogous

Answer 59

alike, comparable, corresponding, equivalent, homogeneous, parallel, similar

Question 60

Anodyne | aah nuh dien

Answer 60

n. something that calms or soothes pain The massage was an anodyne that helped remove the knots from the lawyer's tense shoulders.

Question 61

Synonyms for Anodyne

Answer 61

narcotic, nepenthe, opiate

Question 62

Anomaly | uh nahm uh lee

Answer 62

n. deviation from what is normal Albino animals may display too great an anomaly in their coloring to attract normally colored mates.

Question 63

Synonyms for Anomaly

Answer 63

aberrancy, aberration, abnormality, deviance, deviation, irregularity, preternaturalness

Question 64

Antagonize | aan taa guh niez

Answer 64

v. to annoy or provoke to anger The child discovered that he could antagonize the cat by pulling its tail.

Question 65

Synonyms for antagonize

Answer 65

clash, conflict, incite, irritate, oppose, pester, provoke, vex

Question 66

Antipathy | aan tih pug thee

Answer 66

n. extreme dislike the antipathy between fans of the rival soccer teams made the game even more electrifying to watch

Question 67

synonyms for antipathy

Answer 67

abhorrence, animosity, animus, antagonism, aversion. dislike, enmity, hatred, hostility, loathing, repellence, repugnance, repulsion, revulsion.

Question 68

Apathy | aa pah thee

Answer 68

n. lack of interest or emotion the apathy of voters is so great that less than half the people who are eligible to vote actually bother to do so.

Question 69

synonyms for apathy

Answer 69

coolness, disinterest disregard, impassivity, indifference, insensibility, lassitude, lethargy, listlessness, phlegm, stolidity, unconcern, unresponsiveness.

Question 70

Apocryphal

Answer 70

adj. of questionable authority or authenticity There is no hard or authoritative evidence to support the apocryphal tales that link the roswell new mexico incident to a downed UFO.

Question 71

synonyms for apocryphal

Answer 71

disputed, doubtful, fictitious, fraudulent

Question 72

Apostate | uh pahs tayt

Answer 72

n. one who renounces a religious faith So that he could divorce his wife, the king scoffed at the church doctrines and declared himself an apostate.

Question 73

synonyms for apostate

Answer 73

defector deserter traitor

Question 74

Approbation | aa pruh bay shuhn

Answer 74

n. approval and praise The approbation that Jerry Lewis recieved in France included a medal from the Ministry of Culture.

Question 75

Synonyms for approbation

Answer 75

acclaim, adulation. applause, commendation, compliments, exaltation, extolment, hail, kudos, praise.

Question 76

Arbitrary | ahr bih trayr ee

Answer 76

adj determined by chance or impulse When you lack the infromation to judge what to do next you will be forced to make an arbitrary decision.

Question 77

synonyms for arbitrary

Answer 77

changeable erratic indicriminate random wayward

Question 78

Arbitrate | ahr bih trayt

Answer 78

v. to judge a dispute between two opposing parties Since the couple could not come to an agreement, a judge was forced to arbitrate their divorce proceedings.

Question 79

synonyms for arbitrate

Answer 79

adjudge, adjudicate, determine, intermidiate, intervene, judge, moderatre, referee, rule.

Question 80

archaic

Answer 80

adj. ancient, old-fashioned.

Question 81

synonyms for archaic

Answer 81

ancient, antediluvian, antique, bygone, dated, dowdy, fusty, obsolete, old fashioned, outdated,outmodled, passe, prehistoric, stale, superannuated, superseded, vintage.

Question 82

Ardor

Answer 82

n. intense and passionate feeling Bishop's ardor for landscape was evident when he passionately described the beauty of the scenic Hudson Valley.

Question 83

synonyms for ardor

Answer 83

devotion, enthusiasm, fervency, fervidity, fervidness, fervor, fire, passion, zeal, zealousness.