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GRE word list with shortened definitions(in progress)

Terms

undefined, object
copy deck
astute
clever; quick at seeing; to get an advantage
attenuate
make thin; weaken; enervate
augury
omen; sign
austere
severely moral and strict; simple and plain
aversion
strong dislike
asterisk
the mark *(e.g.. omitted letters)
atonement
repayment; death of Jesus
attune
bring into harmony
august
majestic; venerable
auxiliary
helping; supporting
avid
eager; greedy
assuage
make something(pain, desire) less
alleviate
make(pain)easier to bear
abate
to lessen or to subside
abacus
frame with balls for calculating
abdication
giving up control or authority
aberration
straying away from what is normal
abet
help or encourage someone(in wrong doing)
abeyance
suspended action
abhor
to hate; to detest
abide
to be faithful; to endure
abjure
promise or swear to give up
abraded
rubbed off or worn away by friction
abrogate
repeal or annul by authority
abscond
to go away suddenly(to avoid arrest)
abstruse
difficult to comprehend; obscure
abut
border on
abysmal
bottomless extreme
acarpous
effete; no longer fertile; worn out
acclaimed
welcomed with shouts and approval
accolade
praise; approval
accretion
the growing of separate things into one
adamant
kind of stone; inflexible
admonitory
containing warning
adorn
add beauty; decorate
adulteration
making unpure or poorer in quality
affable
polite and friendly
affinity
close connection or relationship
aggravate
make worse; irritate
agile
quick and skillfully moving
agog
eager; excited
ail
trouble; be ill
alacrity
eager and cheerful readiness
alcove
recess; partially enclosed place
allegiance
duty; support; loyalty
alloy
to debase by mixing with something inferior
aloof
reserved; indifferent
astringent
substance that shrinks
audacious
daring; foolishly bold; impudent
avow
admit; declare openly
aver
affirm; assert; prove; justify
baleful
harmful; ominous; causing evil
balk
obstacle;purposely to get in the way of
baneful
causing harm or ruin; pernicious; destructive
barrage
artificial obstacle built across a river
barren
not good enough; unable to have young ones; without value
bask
enjoy warmth and light
beatify
to bless; make happy or ascribe a virtue to
bedizen
to adorn especially in a cheap showy manner
belabor
beat hard
belligerent
(person, nation) waging war
benefactor
person what has given help
benevolence
wish or activity in doing good
benign
kind and gentle; mild(climate)
bequest
arrangement to give something at death
berate
scold sharply
bereft
rob or dispossess of something(material)
bewilder
puzzle; confuse
bigot
stubborn,narrow-minded person
blige
bulge; the protuberance of a cask
blandishment
flattery; coaxing
blandness
polite manner; comforting; uninteresting
blithe
cheerful;casual;carefree
bogus
sham; counterfeit; not genuine
bolster
give greatly needed support
boorish
crude; offensive; rude
brash
hasty; rush; cheeky; saucy
brass
yellow metal(mixing copper and zinc)
breach
opening; broken; place breaking
brittle
easily broken
broach
Bring up; announce; begin to talk about
brook
to tolerate; endure
buoyant
able to float; light-hearted
burgeon
grow forth; send out buds
burnish
to polish; rub to a shine
cabal
a scheme or plot; a group of plotters
cadge
to beg; to get by begging
cajole
use flattery or deceit to persuade
calipers
metal supports attached to the legs; measuring instrument
calumny
slander; aspersion
candid
frank, straight forward
cant
insincere talk;jargon
cantankerous
bad-tempered; quarrelsome
canvass
discuss thoroughly; sort of touting
castigate
to chastise; correct by punishing
castigation
severe punishment
catalyst
substance that causes speeding up
caustic
biting; sarcastic
censure
expression of blame or disapproval; a rebuke
centurion
leader of a unit of 100 soldiers
chary
cautious;wary
chastened
corrected; punished
chastisement
punishment
chauvinist
a blindly devoted patriot
chicanery
legal trickery; false argument
chisel
steel tool for shaping materials
churl
bad-tempered person
clamor
shout; complain with a lot of noise
auspicious
favorable; successful; prosperous
bellicose
belligerent; pugnacious; warlike
boisterous
loud;noisy;rough;lacking restraint
coalescing
coming together and uniting into one substance
coeval
of the same period; coexisting
commemorate
keep the memory of
conceit
over-high opinion of; too much pride
congeal
make or become stiff and solid
conspicuous
easily seen; remarkable
contemn
to scorn or despise
conviction
convincing; firm belief
correlate
have a mutual relation
covetous
eagerly desirous
crease
line made by crushing white line on th ground in cricket
clientele
customers
coax
get somebody to do something by kindness
cogent
strong; convincing
commodious
having plenty of space for what is needed
concilatory
reconciling; soothing; comforting; mollifying
conjoin
to join together
consternation
supprise and fear; dismay
contentious
argumentative; pugnacious; combative; quarrelsome
convoluted
complicated; coiled; twisted
corroboration
additional strengthening; evidence
cower
crouch; shrink bacck
credulity
too great a readinuous to believe things
clinch
come to grips; settle conclusively
cling
to resist separation
cognizant
being fully aware of
commuter
person who travels regularly
concord
agreement or harmony
connoisseur
a person with good judment(e.g in art)
constrain
compel
contiguous
touching; neighboring; near
cordial
warm and sincere
countenance
look (as of hate, love, etc),
expression
coy
shy or modest(especially of a girl)
crush
press; lose shape; subdue; overwhelm
clot
half-solid lump formed from liquid
coda
passage that completes a piece of music
colander
bowl-shaped vessel with many holes to drain off water
complaisance
tending to comply; obliging; willingness to please
concur
agree in opinion; happen together
connotation
suggestion in addition to
constrict
make tighter or smaller
contrite
filled with deep sorrow for wrongdoing
cordon
line(of police acting as a guard)
conterfeit
forgery
crass
very great(especially stupidity)
cryptic
secret; with a hidden meaning
cloture
closing device(in Parliament) to end a debate by voting
coddle
treat with care and tenderness
collusion
secret agreement for a deceitful purpose
compunction
feeling of regret for one's action
condense
increase in density ro strength; make laconic
consequential
pompous; self important
consume
get to the end of
contumacious
insubordiinate; rebellious
cornucopia
abundant supply
countervail
conterbalance
cravat
piece of linen worn as a necktie
cumbersome
burdensome; heavy and awkward to carry
coagulation
change to a thick and solid state
coerce
compel; to force; to make obedient
combustion
process of burning
conceal
hide; keep secret
condone
forgive
console
give comfort or sympathy to
consummate
perfect;make perfect; complete
conundrum
a riddle; dilemma; enigma
corporeal
physical; of or for the body
covert
disguised
craven
cowardly
curmudgeon
bad-tempered person
curriculum
course of study
cursory
quick; hurried
curtail
make shorter than was planned
dainty
pretty; delicate(food); difficult to please
daunt
intimidate; make fearful
dawdler
person who is slow; waste of time
dearth
shortage
debacle
a breakup; overthrow; sudden disaster
decorum
propriety; properness
decree
order given by authority
defer
postpone; give way(to show respect);
deferential
showing respect
defiance
open disobedience or resistance
delineate
to portray; depict; sketch out
deluge
great flood; heavy rush of water
demagogue
person appealing not to reasons
demur
to hesitate; raise objections
denigrate
blacken; belittle; sully; defame;
denouement
an outcome or solution; the unraveling of a plot
deplete
use until none remains
deposition
dethronement; depositing
deprave
make morally bad; corrupt
deprecate
protest against; express disapproval of
dereliction
deserting and leaving to fall into ruins
derision
ridicule; mockery; deriding
derivative
unoriginal; obtained from another source
derogatory
insulting; tending to damage
descry
catch sight of; see something in the distance
desiccant
substance used to absorb moisture
desuetude
cessation of use; disuse
desultory
aimless; haphazard; digressing at random
deter
discourage; hinder
detraction
slandering; verbal attack; aspersion
detumescence
diminishing or lessening of swelling
deviance
being different in moral standards(from normal)
dexterity
skill(especially in handling)
diaphanous
transparent; gauzy
diatribe
bitter and violent attack in words
diffidence
shyness
dilate
speak comprehensively; become wider ; large
disallow
refuse to allow or accept as correct
discern
see with an effort but clearly
discomfit
confuse; embarrass
disconcert
upset the self-possession of
discountenance
refuse to approve of
discourse
speech; lecture
discredit
refuse to believe
discreet
careful; prudent
discrete
individually distinct
disdain
look on with contempt
disencumber
free from encumbrance
disheveled
untidy
disingenuous
sophisticated; artful; trying to decieve; cunning
blatant
obvious; conspicuous; noisy

Deck Info

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