GRE Words Group 3

Question 1

abate

Answer 1

(of something perceived as hostile, threatening, or negative) become less intense or widespread.

Question 2

abjure

Answer 2

solemnly renounce (a belief, cause, or claim).

Question 2

anomalous

Answer 2

deviating from what is standard, normal, or expected.

Question 3

antipathy

Answer 3

a deep-seated feeling of dislike; aversion.

Question 4

arcane

Answer 4

understood by few; mysterious or secret.

Question 5

arduous

Answer 5

involving or requiring strenuous effort; difficult and tiring.

Question 6

artless

Answer 6

without effort or pretentiousness, skill or finesse

Question 7

ascetic

Answer 7

characterized by or suggesting the practice of severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons.

Question 8

assuage

Answer 8

make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense; to satisfy a desire

Question 9

betray

Answer 9

expose (one’s country, a group, or a person) to danger by treacherously giving information to an enemy.

Question 10

bucolic

Answer 10

relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life.

Question 11

burgeon

Answer 11

begin to grow or increase rapidly; flourish.

Question 12

cacophonous

Answer 12

involving or producing a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds.

Question 13

canonize

Answer 13

to declare (a deceased person) an officially recognized saint; treat or regard as being above reproach or of great significance.

Question 14

censure

Answer 14

express severe disapproval of (someone or something), especially in a formal statement.

Question 15

chicanery

Answer 15

the use of trickery to achieve a political, financial, or legal purpose.

Question 16

coalesce

Answer 16

come together to form one mass or whole.

Question 17

cogent

Answer 17

(of an argument or case) clear, logical, and convincing.

Question 18

compelling

Answer 18

evoking interest, attention, or admiration in a powerfully irresistible way; not able to be refuted, inspiring conviction

Question 19

contend

Answer 19

struggle to surmount (a difficulty or danger); assert something as a position in an argument.

Question 20

copious

Answer 20

abundant in supply or quantity.

Question 21

cosmopolitan

Answer 21

including or containing people from many different countries.

Question 22

deference

Answer 22

humble submission and respect.

Question 23

desultory

Answer 23

lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm, going constantly from one subject to another in a halfhearted way; unfocused.

Question 24

diffident

Answer 24

modest or shy because of a lack of self-confidence.

Question 25

dilatory

Answer 25

slow to act, intended to cause delay

Question 26

equivocate

Answer 26

use ambiguous language so as to conceal the truth or avoid committing oneself.

Question 27

polarize

Answer 27

divide or cause to divide into two sharply contrasting groups or sets of opinions or beliefs.

Question 28

prodigal

Answer 28

spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant. a person who spends money in a recklessly extravagant way.

Question 29

verbose

Answer 29

using or expressed in more words than are needed.

Question 30

credulity

Answer 30

a tendency to be too ready to believe that something is real or true.