GRE Vocab Flashcards Deck 1
(200 cards)
1
Q
Abate
A
to reduce in amount, degree, or severity
2
Q
Aberrant
A
deviating from the norm
3
Q
Abjure
A
to renounce or reject solemnly; to recant; to avoid
4
Q
Abrogate
A
to abolish or annul by authority; put down
5
Q
Abscission
A
act of cutting off or removing
6
Q
Abscond
A
to leave secretly; to steal off & hide
7
Q
Abstain
A
to choose not to do something
8
Q
Abyss
A
an extremely deep hole
9
Q
Accolade
A
expression of praise; an award
10
Q
Accretion
A
growth, increase by successive addition, building up
11
Q
Adulterate
A
to make impure
12
Q
Advocate
A
to speak in favor of
13
Q
Aesthetic
A
concerning the appreciation of beauty
14
Q
Aggrandize
A
to increase in power, influence, and reputation
15
Q
Alleviate
A
to make more bearable
16
Q
Amalgamate
A
to combine; to mix together
17
Q
Ambiguous
A
doubtful or uncertain; able to be interpreted several ways
18
Q
Ameliorate
A
to make better; to improve
19
Q
Anachronism
A
something out of place in time
20
Q
Analogous
A
similar or alike in some way; equivalent to
21
Q
Anomaly
A
deviation from what is normal
22
Q
Antagonize
A
to annoy or provoke to anger
23
Q
Antipathy
A
extreme dislike
24
Q
Apathy
A
lack of interest of emotion
25
Arbitrate
to judge a dispute between two opposing parties
26
Archaic
ancient, old-fashioned
27
Ardor
intense and passionate feeling
28
Articulate
able to speak clearly and expressively
29
Assuage
to make something unpleasant less severe
30
Attenuate
to reduce in force or degree; to weaken
31
Audacious
fearless and daring
32
Austere
severe or stern in appearance; undecorated
33
Baleful
sinister, pernicious, ominous
34
Banal
predictable, clich?d, boring
35
Bane
cause of injury, source of harm; source of persistent frustration
36
Beatify
to bless, make happy, or ascribe a virtue to; to regard as saintly
37
Bedizen
to adorn, especially in a cheap, showy manner; festoon, caparison
38
Belie
belligerent, pugnacious, warlike
39
Benign
favorable, harmless
40
Bent
leaning, inclination, proclivity, tendency
41
Blandish
to coax with flattery, toady or fawn
42
Bolster
to support; to prop up
43
Bombastic
pompous in speech and manner
44
Cacophony
harsh, jarring noise
45
Cadge
to sponge, beg, mooch
46
Cajole
to inveigle, coax, wheedle, sweet-talk
47
Calumniate
to slander, make a false accusation
48
Candid
impartial and honest in speech
49
Canon
an established set of principles or codes of laws, often religious in nature
50
Capricious
changing one?s mind quickly and often
51
Cardinal
of utmost important; primary
52
Caret
an insertion mark used by editors & proofreaders
53
Castigate
to punish or criticize harshly
54
Catalyst
something that brings about change in something else
55
Caustic
biting in wit
56
Chaos
great disorder or confusion
57
Chauvinist
someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he/she belong
58
Chicanery
deception by means of craft or guile
59
Cogent
convincing and well reasoned
60
Condone
to overlook, pardon, or disregard
61
Convoluted
intricate and complicated
62
Corroborate
to provide supporting evidence
63
Credulous
too trusting; gullible
64
Crescendo
steadily increasing volume or force
65
Damp
to diminish the intensity or check something, such as sound or feeling
66
Daunt
to intimidate or dismay
67
Dearth
smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; lack
68
Debacle
rout, fiasco, complete failure
69
Decorum
appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety
70
Deference
respect, courtesy
71
Deleterious
injurious; harmful
72
Demur
to question or oppose
73
Denigrate
blacken, belittle, sully, defame, disparage
74
Denouement
outcome or solution; unraveling of a plot
75
Deride
to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock
76
Desiccate
to dry out thoroughly
77
Desultory
jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
78
Diatribe
an abusive, condemnatory speech
79
Diffident
lacking self-confidence
80
Dilate
to make larger; to expand
81
Dilatory
intended to delay
82
Dilettante
someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
83
Dirge
funeral hymn or mournful speech
84
Disabuse
to set right; to free from error
85
Discern
to perceive; to recognize
86
Disparate
fundamentally different; entirely unlike
87
Dissemble
to present a false appearance; to disguise one?s real intentions or character
88
Dissonance
a harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds
89
Dogma
a firmly held opinion, often a religious belief
90
Dogmatic
dictatorial in one?s opinion
91
Dupe
to deceive (v); a person who is easily deceived (n)
92
Ebullience
quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts & feelings
93
Eccentric
departing from norms or conventions
94
Eclectic
selecting from or made up from a variety of sources
95
Edifying
enlightening, information
96
Efficacy
effectiveness
97
Effrontery
extreme boldness; presumptuousness
98
Effusive
gushing; excessively demonstrative
99
Egress
exit
100
Elegy
a sorrowful poem or speech
101
Eloquent
persuasive and moving, especially in speech
102
Emulate
to copy; to try to equal or excel
103
Enervate
to reduce in strength
104
Engender
to produce, cause, or bring about
105
Enigma
a puzzle; a mystery
106
Enumerate
to count, list, or itemize
107
Ephemeral
lasting a short time
108
Equivocate
to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead
109
Erratic
wandering and unpredictable
110
Erudite
learned, scholarly, bookish
111
Esoteric
known or understood by only a few
112
Estimable
admirable
113
Eulogy
speech in praise of someone
114
Euphemism
use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one
115
Exacerbate
to make worse
116
Exculpate
to clear from blame; prove innocent
117
Exigent
urgent; requiring immediate action
118
Explicit
clearly stated or shown; forthright in expression
119
Facetious
playful; humorous; not serious
120
Fallacy
invalid or incorrect notion; mistaken belief
121
Fallow
untilled, inactive, dormant
122
Fanatical
acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme unquestioned devotion
123
Fatuous
silly, inanely foolish
124
Fawn
to grovel; praise excessively
125
Feckless
ineffectual; irresponsible
126
Fell
barren or stony hill; animal?s hide
127
Fervid
intensely emotional; feverish
128
Florid
excessively decorated or embellished
129
Foment
to arose or incite
130
Frugality
a tendency to be thrifty or cheap
131
Gainsay
to deny, dispute, contradict, oppose
132
Gambol
to skip about playfully, frolic
133
Garner
to gather & save, store up; acquire
134
Garrulous
tending to talk a lot
135
Gauche
crude, awkward, tasteless
136
Germane
relevant to subject at hand; appropriate in subject matter
137
Glib
marked by ease or informality; nonchalant; lacking in depth; superficial
138
Gossamer
delicate, insubstantial or tenuous; insincere
139
Grandiloquence
pompous speech or expression
140
Gregarious
outgoing, sociable
141
Guile
deceit or trickery
142
Gullible
easily deceived
143
Hackneyed
rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage
144
Halcyon
calm & peaceful, prosperous
145
Hallow
highly venerated; set apart as holy
146
Harangue
to deliver a loud, pompous speech or tirade
147
Harrow
to distress, torment
148
Hedonism
devotion to pleasurable pursuits, especially to the pleasures of the senses
149
Hegemony
the consistent dominance or influence of one group, state, or ideology over other
150
Heretical
violating accepted dogma or convention, unorthodox
151
Hermetic
airtight, impervious to outside influence
152
Homogenous
of a similar kind
153
Iconoclast
one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions
154
Idolatrous
given to intense or excessive devotion to something
155
Idyll
carefree, light-hearted romantic experience; simple
156
Imbroglio
difficult or embarrassing situation
157
Imminent
about to happened; impending
158
Immutable
not capable of change
159
Impassive
revealing no emotion or sensibility
160
Impecunious
lacking funds; without money
161
Imperturbable
not capable of being disturbed
162
Impervious
impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected
163
Impetuous
quick to act without thinking
164
Implacable
unable to be calmed down or made peaceful
165
Inchoate
not fully formed; disorganized
166
Ingenuous
showing innocence or childlike simplicity
167
Inimical
hostile, unfriendly
168
Innocuous
harmless
169
Insipid
lacking interest or flavor
170
Intransigent
uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled
171
Inundate
to overwhelm; to cover with water
172
Irascible
easily made angry
173
Jejune
vapid, uninteresting; childish; immature
174
Jibe
to agree, to be in accord
175
Jocose
given to joking; humorous
176
Kinetic
having to do with motion; lively, active
177
Labile
readily open to change, unstable
178
Lachrymose
causing tears; tearful, showing sorrow
179
Laconic
using few words; terse
180
Lament
to express sorrow; to grieve
181
Lassitude
listlessness, languor, weariness
182
Laud
to give praise; to glorify
183
Lavish
to give unsparingly (v); extremely generous or extravagant (adj)
184
Lethargic
acting in an indifferent or slow, sluggish manner
185
Libertine
someone unrestrained by mortality or convention or leading a dissolute life
186
Limn
to draw, outline in detail
187
Loquacious
talkative
188
Lucid
clear and easily understood
189
Luminous
bright, brilliant, glowing
190
Magnanimity
the quality of being generously noble in mind & heart, especially in forgiving
191
Malevolent
having or showing often vicious ill will, spite or hatred
192
Malinger
to evade responsibility by preventing to be ill
193
Malleable
capable of being shaped
194
Martinet
rigid disciplinarian
195
Maunder
to talk or move aimlessly, mutter
196
Maverick
an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party
197
Melancholy
tending toward sadness
198
Metaphor
a figure of speech comparing two different things; a symbol
199
Meticulous
extremely careful about details
200
Misanthrope
a person who dislikes others
