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GRE Word Smart

Terms

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abate
v. to lessen in intensity or degree
aberrant
deviating from the norm
abjure
v. to renounce or reject solemnly; to recant; to avoid; forswear; repudiate
abrogate
v. to abolish or annul by authority; put down
abscission
n. act of cutting off or removing
abscond
v. to depart clandestinely; to steal off and hide
accretion
n. growth, increase by successive addition, building up
acerbic
adj. having a sour or bitter taste or character
acumen
n. a quick keen, or accurate knowledge or insight
admonish
v. to reprove; to express warning or disapproval
adroit
adept, dexterous
adulterate
v. to reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients
adumbrate
v. to foreshadow vaguely, intimate, suggest, or outline sketchily
aggrandize
v. to increase in intensity, power, or prestige; to make appear greater
alacrity
n. eager and enthusiastic willingness
alloy
v. to commingle, to debase by mixing with something inferior
amalgamate
v. to combine several elements into a whole
ameliorate
v. to make better or more tolerable
amenable
adj. agreeable, responsive to suggestion
anachronism
n. something or someone out of place in terms of historical or chronological context
anathema
n. a solemn or ecclesiastical (religious) curse; accursed or thoroughly loathed person or thing
anodyne
adj. soothing
antithetical
adj. diametrically opposed, as in antithesis
apocryphal
adj. of dubious authenticity or origin; spurious
apogee
n. farthest or highest point; culmination; zenith
apostate
one who abandons long-held religious or political convictions, a betrayer of the cause
apotheosis
n. deification, glorification to godliness, the perfect example
apposite
adj. appropriate, pertinent, relevant, apropos
apprise
v. give notice to, inform
approbation
n. an expression of approval or praise
appropriate
v. to take for one's own use, confiscate
arabesque
n. complex, ornate design
arcane
adj. mysterious, abstruse, esoteric, knowable only to initiates
arrant
adj. impudent; in every way, being completely such barefaced, utter; immodest
arrest
to suspend; to engage
artless
adj. completely without guile; natural, without artificiality
asperity
adj. severity, rigor; roughness, harshness; acrimony, irritability
aspersion
n. an act of defamation or maligning
assiduous
adj. diligent, hard-working
assuage
v. to ease or lessen; to appease or pacify
astringent
adj. having a tightening effect on living tissue; harsh; severe
attenuate
v. to rarefy, weaken or make thinner, lessen
augury
n. omen, portent, the reading of omens
august
adj. majestic, venerable
auspice
n. protection or support, patronage
auspicious
adj. favorable, propitious, successful, prosperous
austere
adj. without adornment, bare, severely simple, ascetic
avarice
n. greed, especially for wealth
aver
v. to state as a fact, to confirm or support
axiomatic
adj. taken as a given, possessing self-evident truth
baleful
adj. sinister, pernicious, ominous
bane
adj. cause of injury, source of harm, source of persistent frustration
beatify
v. to bless, make happy, or ascribe a virtue to, to regard as saintly
bedizen
v. to adorn, especially in a cheap, showy manner, festoon, caparison
belie
v. to give a false impression of, to misrepresent
bellicose
adj. belligerent, pugnacious, warlike
blandish
v. to coax with flattery, toady or fawn
blithe
adj. carefree, merry
bombastic
adj. pompous, grandiloquent
boor
n. a rude or insensitive person, lout, yokel
broach
v. bring up, announce, begin to talk about
brook
v. to tolerate, endure, countenance
bucolic
adj. rustic and pastoral, characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants
burgeon
v. to grow rapidly or flourish
burnish
v. to polish, rub to a shine
byzantine
adj. labrynthine, complex
cadge
v. to sponge, beg, or mooch
cajole
v. to inveigle, coax, wheedle, sweet-talk
calumniate
v. to slander, make a false accusation
capricious
adj. inclined to change one's mind impulsively, erratic, unpredictable
castigation
n. severe criticism or punishment
caustic
adj. burning or stinging, causing corrosion
censure
v. to criticize severely, to officially rebuke
chary
adj. wary, cautious, sparing
chasten
v. to chastise or correct, subdue
chauvinist
n. one blindly devoted to a group of which one is a member
chicanery
n. trickery or subterfuge
chimera
n. an illusion, originally, an imaginary fire-breathing she-monster
churlish
adj. boorish, vulgar, loutish, difficult and intractable
coalesce
v. to come together
cogent
adj. appealing forcibly to the mind or reason, convincing
color
v. to change as if by dying, influence, distort, or gloss over
commensurate
adj. matching, corresponding, or proportionate in degree, size, amount , or other property
complaisance
n. the willingness to comply with the wishes of others

complaisant - Exhibiting a desire or willingness to please; cheerfully obliging
consequential
adj. pompous, self-important
contemn
v. to scorn or despise
contrite
adj. regretful, penitent, seeking forgiveness
convoluted
adj. complex or complicated
corrigible
adj. capable of being set right, correctable, reparable
countenance
v. to approve or tolerate
cozen
v. to deceive, beguile, hoodwink
craven
adj. contemptibly fainthearted
credulous
adj. tending to believe too readily, gullible
culpable
adj. deserving blame
daunt
v. to intimidate or dismay
decorum
n. politeness or appropriateness of conduct or behavior
demur
v. to question or oppose
denigrate
v. blacken, belittle, sully, defame, disparage
denouement
n. an outcome or solution
deprecate
v. to disparage or belittle
depredate
v. to plunder, pillage, ravage, or destroy, to exploit in a predatory manner
derision
n. scorn, ridicule, contemptuous treatment
desuetude
n. disuse
desultory
adj. random, thoughtless; marked by a lack of plan or purpose
detraction
n. slandering, verbal attack, aspersion
diaphanous
adj. transparent, gauzy
didactic
adj. intended to teach or instruct
die
n. a tool used for shaping
diffident
adj. reserved, shy, unassuming, lacking in self-confidence
dilatory
adj. causing delay, procrastinating
dilettante
n. one with an amateurish or superficial interest in the arts or a branch of knowledge
din
n. loud sustained noise
disabuse
v. to undeceive
discomfit
v. to defeat, put down
discordant
adj. conflicting, dissonant or harsh in sound
discretion
n. cautious reserve in speech
disinterested
adj. free from self-interest
disparage
v. to slight or belittle
disparate
adj. fundamentally distinct or dissimilar
dissemble
v. to disguise or conceal, to mislead
dissolution
n. disintegration, looseness in morals
distrait
v. distracted, absent-minded, especially due to anxiety
doggerel
n. trivial, poorly constructed verse
dogmatic
adj. authoritatively and or arrogantly assertive of principles, which often cannot be proved
dross
n. slag, waste or foreign matter, impurity, surface scum
dulcet
adj. melodious, harmonious, mellifluous
dynamo
n. generator, forceful, energetic person
ebullience
adj. the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings
eccentric
adj. departing from norms or conventions
eclectic
adj. composed of elements dawn from various sources
edifying
adj. enlightening, informative
effrontery
n. extreme boldness / presumptuousness
effusive
adj. gushing / excessively demonstrative
egress
n. exit
emollient
adj. soothing, especially to the skin / making less harsh / mollifying / anodyne
empirical
adj. based on observation or experiment
encomium
n. glowing and enthusiastic praise / panegyric, tribute, eulogy
endemic
adj. characteristic of or often found in a particular locality, region, or people / restricted to or peculiar to that region / indigenous
enervate
v. to weaken / to reduce in vitality
engender
v. to cause, produce, give rise to
ennui
n. dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy
enormity
n. excessive wickedness / evilness
epicure
n. one devoted to sensual pleasure, particularly in food and drink / gourmand, sybarite
epithet
n. disparaging word or phrase
equanimity
n. composure, self-possession
equivocate
v. to use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent
errant
adj. traveling, itinerant, peripatetic
erudite
adj. very learned / scholarly
eschew
v. to shun or avoid
esoteric
adj. intended for or understood by a small specific group
essay
v. to test or try / attempt, experiment
estimable
adj. worthy, formidable
evanescent
adj. tending to disappear like vapor / vanishing
evince
v. to show clearly, to indicate

To show or demonstrate clearly; manifest: evince distaste by grimacing.
exacerbate
v. to make worse or more severe
exact
v. to demand, call for, require, take eg. to exact revenge or the job is very exacting
excoriate
v. to censure scathingly, to upbraid
exculpate
v. exonerate / to clear of blame
exemplar
n. typical or standard specimen / paradigm, model
exhort
v. to incite, to make urgent appeals
exigent
adj. urgent / pressing / requiring immediate action or attention
exonerate
v. to remove blame
expatiate
v. discuss or write about at length / to range freely
expiate
v. to atone or make amends for
expurgate
v. to remove obscenity, purify, censor
extant
adj. existing, not destroyed or lost
extirpate
v. to destroy, exterminate, cut out, pull out by the roots
fatuous
adj. silly, inanely foolish
fawn
v. to flatter or praise excessively
feckless
adj. ineffectual / irresponsible
felicitous
adj. apt / suitably expressed, well chosen, / delightful
fell
n. a barren or stony hill / an animal's hide
fervent
adj. greatly emotional or zealous
fetid
adj. stinking, having a heavy bad smell
fetter
v. to shackle, put in chains, restrain
filibuster
n. intentional obstruction, usually using prolonged speechmaking to delay legislative action
filigree
n. an ornamental work, especially of delicate lacelike patterns / resembling such a pattern
flag
v. to sag or droop, to become spiritless, to decline
flip
adj. sarcastic, impertinent
florid
adj. flushed with color, ruddy, ornate
flout
v. to demonstrate contempt for
foment
v. to stir up, incite, rouse
forbearance
n. patience, willingness to wait
ford
v. to wade across the shallow part of a river or stream
forestall
To delay, hinder, or prevent by taking precautionary measures beforehand.

To deal with or think of beforehand; anticipate.

ie. preclude, obviate
forswear
v. to renounce, disallow, repudiate
fracas
n. noisy fight or quarrel, brawl
fractious
adj. quarrelsome, rebellious, unruly, cranky
froward
adj. intractable, not willing to yield or comply, stubbornly disobedient
fulminate
v. to attack loudly or denounce
furtive
adj. marked by stealth / covert / surreptitious
gainsay
v. to deny, dispute, contradict, oppose
gambol
v. to skip about playfully, frolic
gauche
adj. crude, awkward, tasteless
glib
adj. marked by ease or informality / nonchalant / lacking in depth / superficial
gossamer
adj. delicate, insubstantial or tenuous / insincere
grandiloquence
n. pompous speech or expression
grouse
v. to complain or grumble
guy
n. a rope or cord attached to something as a brace or guide
hackneyed
adj. rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage
halcyon
adj. calm and peaceful, prosperous
hallow
v. to set apart as holy
harrow
v. to distress, create stress or torment
hedonism
n. devotion to pleasurable pursuits, especially to the pleasures of the senses
hegemony
n. the consistent dominance or influence of one group, state, or ideology over others
heretical
adj. violating accepted dogma or convention, unorthodox
hermetic
adj. airtight, impervious to outside influence
heterodox
adj. unorthodox, heretical / iconoclastic
iconoclast
n. one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions
idolatrous
adj. given to intense or excessive devotion to something
ignominious
adj. shameful, dishonorable, ignoble, undignified, disgraceful
imbroglio
n. difficult or embarrassing situation
impassive
adj. revealing no emotion or sensibility
impecunious
adj. lacking funds / without money
imperious
adj. commanding, masterful, arrogant, domineering, haughty
impetuous
adj. hastily or rashly energetic / impulsive and vehement
importune
v. to ask incessantly, beg, nag
impugn
v. attack or assail verbally, censure, execrate, deny
impunity
n. immunity from punishment, penalty or harm
impute
v. to attribute to a cause or source, ascribe, assign as a characteristic
inchoate
adj. in an initial stage, not fully formed
incipient
adj. beginning to come into being or to become apparent
indefatigable
adj. not easily exhaustible, tireless, dogged
indolent
adj. lazy, listless, torpid
ineluctable
adj. certain, inevitable
inert
adj. unmoving, lethargic, sluggish, not reactive chemically
infelicitous
adj. unfortunate / inappropriate
ingenuous
adj. artless, frank and candid/lacking in sophistication
inimical
adj. damaging, harmful, injurious, hostile, unfriendly
inimitable
adj. one of a kind, peerless
iniquity
n. wickedness, gross injustice
innervate
v. to supply with nerves, energize
innocuous
adj. harmless / causing no damage
inscrutable
adj. incapable of being discovered or understood, mysterious, incomprehensible
insensible
adj. unconscious, unresponsive, unaware, unaffected, numb
insipid
adj. without taste or flavor, lacking in spirit, dull
insouciant
adj. unconcerned, carefree, nonchalant
insular
adj. parochial, narrow-minded, like an island
interdict
v. prohibit, forbid, ban, halt
intimate
v. to imply, suggest, or insinuate
intractable
adj. not easily managed or directed, stubborn, obstinate
intransigent
adj. refusing to compromise
intrepid
adj. steadfast, courageous
inured
adj. accustomed to accepting something undesirable
inveigh
v. to attack verbally, denounce, deprecate
inveigle
v. to obtain by deception or flattery
inveterate
adj. deep rooted, ingrained, habitual
irascible
adj. easily angered / prone to temperamental outbursts
itinerate
v. to travel from place to place

Deck Info

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