GRE Vocab
Terms
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- disparage
- to slight or belittle
- dilettante
- one with an amateurish or superficial interest in the arts or a branch of knowledge
- desiccate
- to dry out or dehydrate; to make dry or dull
- cynicism
- an attitude or quality of belief that all people are motivated by selfishness
- credulous
- tending to believe too readily; gullible
- astringent
- adj; having a tightening effect on living tissue; harsh; severe
- amenable
- adj; agreeable; responsive to suggestion
- aggrandize
- verb; to increase in intensity, power, or prestige
- laconic
- using few words; terse
- maverick
- an independent noun; individual who does not go along w/ a group or party
- neophyte
- noun; a recent convert; a beginner; novice
- platitude
- noun; a superficial remark, esp on offered as meaningful
- plethora
- noun; an overabundance; a surplus
- inimical
- damaging; harmful; malevolent
- intractable
- not easily managed or directed; stubborn, obstinate
- intrepid
- steadfast and courageous
- pragmatic
- adj; practical rather than idealistic
- precipitate
- verb/adj; to cause or to happen before anticipated or required; acting w/ excessive haste or impulse
- presumptuous
- adj; overstepping due bounds, as of propriety or courtesy; taking liberties
- ostentatious
- adj; characterized by or given to pretentiousness
- mercurial
- characterized by adj; rapid and unpredictable change in mood
- mollify
- verb; to calm or soothe; to reduce in emotional intensity
- glib
- adj; marked by ease or informality; nonchalant; lacking in depth; superficial
- hubris
- arrogant presumption or pride
- imminent
- about to happen; impending
- immutable
- not capable of change
- garrulous
- adj; pointlessly talkative, talking too much
- obfuscate
- verb; to deliberately obscure; to make confusing
- obstinate
- adj; stubborn; hardheaded; uncompromising
- impetuous
- hastily or rashly energetic; impulsive and vehement
- abscond
- to depart clandestinely, to steal off and hide
- aberrant
- deviating from the norm
- alacrity
- eager and enthusiastic willingness
- anomaly
- deviation from normal order or rule
- approbation
- an expression of approval or praise
- arduous
- strenuous, taxing
- assuage
- to ease or lessen, to appease or pacify
- audacious
- daring and fearless, recklessly bold
- austere
- without adornment, bare, severely simple
- axiomatic
- taken as a given, possessing self-evident truth
- canonical
- following or in agreement with accepted, traditional standards
- capricious
- inclined to change one's mind impulsively, erratic, unpredictable
- censure
- to criticize severely, to officially rebuke
- chicanery
- trickery or subterfuge
- connoisseur
- an informed and astute judge in matters of taste, an expert
- convoluted
- complex or complicated
- disabuse
- to undeceive, to set right
- discordant
- conflicting, dissonant or harsh in sound
- disparate
- fundamentally distinct or dissimilar
- effrontery
- extreme boldness, presumptuousness
- eloquent
- well-spoken, articulate
- enervate
- to weaken, to reduce in vitality
- ennui
- dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy
- equivocate
- to use ambiguous language with a diceptive intent
- erudite
- very learned, scholarly
- exculpate
- exonerate, to clear of blame
- exigent
- urgent, requiring immediate action or attention
- extemporaneous
- improvised, done without preparation
- filibuster
- intentional obstruction, esp. using prolonged speechmaking to delay legislative action
- fulminate
- to loudly attack or denounce
- ingenuous
- artless, frank and candid, lacking in sophistication
- inured
- accustomed to accepting something undesirable
- irascible
- easily angered, prone to temperamental outbursts
- laud
- to praise highly
- lucid
- clear, easily understood
- magnanimity
- the quality of being generously noble in mind and heart, esp. forgiving
- martial
- associated with war and the armed forces
- mundane
- of the world, typical or concerned with the ordinary
- nascent
- coming into being, in early developmental stages
- nebulous
- vague, lacking clearly defined form
- neologism
- a new work, expression or usage
- noxious
- harmful, injurious
- obtuse
- lacking sharpness of intellect
- obviate
- to anticipate and make unecessary
- onerous
- troubling, burdensome
- paean
- a song or hymn of praise or thanks
- parody
- a humorous imitation intended for ridicule or comic effect
- perennial
- recurrent through the year or many years, happening repeatedly
- perfidy
- intentional breach or faith, treachery
- perfunctory
- cursory, done without care or interest
- perspicacious
- acutely perceptive, having keen discernment
- prattle
- to babble meaninglessly
- pervade
- to permeate throughout
- predilection
- a disposition in favor of something, preference
- prescience
- foreknowledge of events
- prevaricate
- to deliberately avoid the truth,to mislead
- qualms
- misgivings, reservations, causes for hesitancy
- recant
- to retract, esp a previously held belief
- refute
- to disprove, to successfully argue against
- relegate
- to forcibly assign, esp. to lower position
- reticent
- quiet, reserved, reluctant to express thoughts and feelings
- solicitous
- concerned and attentive, eager
- sordid
- characterized by filth, grime or squalor
- sporadic
- occurring only occasionally
- virulent
- extremely harmful or poisonous, bitterly hostile or antagonistic
- voracious
- having an insatiable appetite for a pursuit, ravenous
- waver
- to move to and fro, to be unsettled in opinion
- squander
- to waste by spending or using irresponsibly
- static
- not moving, at rest
- stupefy
- to stun, baffle, or amaze
- stymie
- to block, thwart
- synthesis
- the combination of parts to make a whole
- torque
- a force that causes rotation
- tortuous
- winding, twisting, excessively complicated
- truculent
- fierce and cruel
- veracity
- truthfulness, honesty
- abate
- to lessen in intensity or degree, to decrease
- accolade
- an expression of praise
- adulation
- excessive praise, intense adoration
- aesthetic
- dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful
- ameliorate
- to make better or more tolerable
- ascetic
- one who practices rigid self-denial, esp. as an act of religious devotion
- avarice
- greed, esp. for wealth
- axiom
- a universally recognized principle
- burgeon
- to grow rapidly or flourish
- bucolic
- rustic and pastoral, characteristics of rural areas
- cacophony
- harsh, jarring, discordant sound
- canon
- an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature
- castigation
- severe criticism or punishment
- catalyst
- a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction, a person or thing that causes change
- caustic
- burning or stinging, causing corrosion
- chary
- wary, cautious, sparing
- cogent
- appealing forcibly to the mind or reason, convincing
- complaisance
- the willingness to comply with the wishes of others
- contentious
- argumentative, quarrelsome, causing controversy
- contrite
- regretful, penitent, seeking forgiveness
- culpable
- deserving blame
- dearth
- smallness of quantity or number, a lack
- demur
- to question or oppose
- didactic
- intended to teach or instruct
- discretion
- cautious reserve in speech, ability to make responsible decisions
- disinterested
- free of bias or self-interest, impartial
- dogmatic
- expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or unprovable principles
- ebullience
- the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings
- eclectic
- composed to elements drawn from various sources
- elegy
- a mournful poem, esp. one lamenting the dead
- emollient
- soothing, esp. to the skin, making less harsh, mollifying
- empirical
- based on observation or experiment
- enigmatic
- mysterious, obscure, difficult to understand
- ephemeral
- brief, fleeting
- esoteric
- intended for or understood by a small, specific group
- eulogy
- a speech honoring the dead
- exonerate
- to remove blame
- facetious
- playful, humorous
- fallacy
- an invalid or incorrect notion, a mistaken belief
- furtive
- marked by stealth, covert, surreptitious
- gregarious
- sociable, outgoing
- harangue
- to deliver a pompous speech or tirade, a long pompous speech
- heretical
- violating accepted dogma or convention
- hyperbole
- an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech
- impecunious
- lacking funds, without money
- incipient
- beginning to come into being or to become apparent
- inert
- unmoving, lethargic, sluggish
- innocuous
- harmless, causing no damage
- intransigent
- refusing to compromise
- inveigle
- to obtain by deception or flattery
- morose
- sad, sullen, melancholy
- odious
- evoking intense aversion or dislike
- opaque
- impenetrable by light, not reflecting light
- oscillation
- the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady rhythm
- penurious
- penny-pinching, excessively thrifty, ungenerous
- pernicious
- extremely harmful, potentially causing death
- peruse
- to examine with great care
- pious
- extremely reverent or devout, showing strong religious devotion
- precursor
- one the precedes and indicates or announces another
- preen
- to dress up, to primp, to groom oneself with excessive care
- prodigious
- abundant in size, force or extent, extraordinary
- prolific
- producing large volumes or amounts, productive
- putrefy
- to rot, to decay, to give off a foul odor
- quaff
- to drink deeply
- quiescence
- stillness, quality of being at rest
- redoubtable
- awe-inspiring, worthy of honor
- sanction
- authoritative permission or approval, a penalty intended to enforce compliance
- satire
- a literary work that ridicules or criticizes human vice through humor
- squalid
- sordid, wretched and dirty from neglect
- stoic
- indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain, steadfast
- supplant
- to take the place of, supersede
- torpid
- lethargic, sluggish, dormant
- ubiquitous
- existing everywhere at the same time, constantly encountered, widespread
- urbane
- sophisticated, refined, elegant
- vilify
- to defame, to characterize harshly
- viscous
- thick, sticky
- acumen
- keen, accurate judgment or insight
- amalgamate
- to combine several elements into a whole
- adulterate
- to reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients
- archaic
- outdated, associated with earlier more primitive time
- aver
- to state as a fact, to declare
- bolster
- to provide support or reinforcement
- bombastic
- pompous
- diatribe
- a harsh denunciation
- dissemble
- to disguise or conceal, to mislead
- eccentric
- departing from norms or conventions
- endemic
- charachteristic of or often found in a particular locality or people
- evanescent
- tending to disappear like vapor, vanishing
- exacerbate
- to make worse or more severe
- fervent
- greatly emotional or zealous
- fortuitous
- happening by accident or chance
- germane
- relevant to the subject at hand
- grandiloquence
- pompous speech or expression
- hackneyed
- rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage
- halcyon
- calm and peaceful
- hedonism
- devotion to pleasurable pursuits
- hegemony
- the consistent dominance of one state or ideology over others
- iconoclast
- one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions
- idolatrous
- given to intense or excessive devotion to something
- impassive
- revealing no emotion
- imperturbable
- marked by extreme calm and steadiness
- implacable
- not capable of being appeased or changed
- impunity
- immunity from punishment or penalty
- inchoate
- in an initial stage, not fully formed
- infelicitous
- unfortunate, inappropriate
- insipid
- without taste or flavor, lacking in spirit, bland
- loquacious
- extremely talkative
- luminous
- characterized by brightness and emission of light
- malevolent
- having or vicious ill will, spite or hatred
- malleable
- capable of being shaped or formed, pliable
- mendacity
- the condition of being untruthful, dishonesty
- meticulous
- characterized by extreme care and precision
- misanthrope
- one who hates all other humans
- mitigate
- to make or become less severe, to moderate
- obdurate
- unyielding, hardhearted
- obsequious
- exhibiting a fawning attentiveness
- occlude
- to obstruct of block
- opprobrium
- disgrace, contempt, scorn
- pedagogy
- the profession or principles of teaching
- pedantic
- overly concerned about trivial details of education, showoffish of knowledge
- penury
- poverty, destitution
- pervasive
- having the tendency to permeate or spread throughout
- pine
- to yearn intensely, to lose vigor
- pirate
- to illegally use or reproduce
- pith
- the essential or central part
- pithy
- precise and brief
- phlegmatic
- adj; calm; sluggish; unemotional
- placate
- verb; to appease; to calm by making concessions
- plummet
- to drop straight down
- polemical
- controversial, argumentative
- prodigal
- recklessly wasteful, extravagant, lavish
- profuse
- given or coming forth abundantly
- proliferate
- to grow or increase swiftly
- queries
- questions, doubts in the mind, reservations
- querulous
- prone to complaining or grumbling
- rancorous
- characterized by bitter, long-lasting resentment
- quixotic
- adj; foolishly impractical; marked by lofty romantic ideals
- repudiate
- to refuse to have anything to do with, to disown
- rescind
- to invalidate, to retract
- reverent
- marked by a feeling of profound awe and respect
- rhetoric
- the art or study of effective use of language
- salubrious
- promoting health or wellbeing
- solvent
- able to meet financial obligations, able to dissoble another substance
- specious
- seeming true but actually being false, misleadingly attractive
- spurious
- lacking validity, false, counterfeit
- subpoena
- a court order requiring appearance/testimony
- succinct
- brief, concise
- superfluous
- exceeding what is necessary
- surfeit
- an overabundant supply, to feed or supply excess
- tenacity
- the quality of adherence to something valued, persistent determination
- tenuous
- having little substance or strength, flimsy
- tirade
- a long and extremely critical speech
- transient
- fleeting, passing quickly, brief
- zealous
- fervent, ardent, devoted to a cause
- divulge
- to disclose something secret
- acerbic
- adj; having a sour or bitter taste or character
- anachronism
- noun; something or someone out of place in terms of its historical or chronological context
- decorum
- polite or appropriate conduct or behavior
- convention
- a generally agreed-upon practice or attitude
- derision
- scorn, ridicule, contemptuous treatment
- abeyance
- temporary inactivity, cessation, or suspension
- abdicate
- to give up a position, right or power
- abject
- miserable; pitiful
- abjure
- to reject; abandon formally
- abscission
- act of cutting; natural separation of a leaf
- abstemious
- moderate in appetite
- abstinence
- the giving up of certain pleasures
- pristine
- adj; pure; clean; uncorrupted
- probity
- noun; adherence to highest principles; unrightness
- proclivity
- noun; a natural predisposition or inclination
- profligate
- adj; excessively wasteful; recklessly extravagant
- propensity
- noun; a natural inclination or tendency; penchant
- prosaic
- adj; dull; unimaginative
- pungent
- adj; characterized by a strong, sharp smell or taste
- quotidian
- adj; occuring or recurring daily; commonplace
- rarefy
- verb; to make or become thin, less dense; to refine
- recalcitrant
- adj; obstinately defiant of authority; difficult to manage
- recondite
- adj; hidden; concealed; difficult to understand; obscure
- refulgent
- adj; radiant; shiny; brilliant
- renege
- verb; to fail to honor a commitment; to go back on a promise
- sedulous
- adj; diligent; persistent; hard-working
- soporific
- adj; causing drowsiness; tending to induce sleep
- sparse
- adj; thin; not dense; arranged at widely spaced intervals
- spendthrift
- noun; one who spends money wastefully
- subtle
- adj; not obvious; elusive; difficult to discern
- tacit
- adj; implied; not explicitly stated
- terse
- adj; brief and concise in wording
- tout
- verb; to publicly praise or promote
- trenchant
- adj; sharply perceptive; keen; penetrating
- unfeigned
- adj; genuine; not false or hypocritical
- untenable
- adj; indefensible; not viable; uninhabitable
- vacillate
- verb; to waver indecisively btw one course of action or opinion and another
- variegated
- adj; multicolored; characterized by a variety of patches of different color
- vexation
- noun; annoyance; irritation
- vigilant
- adj; alertly watchful
- vituperate
- verb; to use harsh, condemnatory language; to abuse or censure severely or abusively; berate
- volatile
- adj; readily changing to a vapor; changeable; fickle; explosive