kaplans top gre words
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- ABATE
- to reduce in amount, degree, or severity
- ABSTAIN
- to choose not to do something
- ABYSS
- an extremely deep hole
- ADULTERATE
- to make impure
- ADVOCATE
- to speak in favor of
- AESTHETIC
- concerning the appreciation of beauty
- AGGRANDIZE
- to increase in power, influence, and reputation
- ALLEVIATE
- to make more bearable
- AMALGAMATE
- to combine; to mix together
- AMALGAM
- a mixture, especially of two metals
- AMBIGUOUS
- doubtful or uncertain; able to be interpreted several ways
- AMELIORATE
- to make better; to improve
- ANACHRONISM
- something out of place in time
- ANALOGOUS
- similar or alike in some way; equivalent to
- ANOMALY
- deviation from what is normal
- ANTAGONIZE
- to annoy or provoke anger
- ANTIPATHY
- extreme dislike
- APATHY
- lack of interest or emotion
- ARBITRATE
- to judge a dispute between two opposing parties
- ARCHAIC
- ancient, old-fashioned
- ARDOR
- intense and passionate feeling
- ARTICULATE
- able to speak clearly and expressively
- ASSUAGE
- to make something unpleasant less severe
- ATTENUATE
- to reduce in force or degree; to weaken
- AUDACIOUS
- fearless and daring
- AUSTERE
- severe or stern in appearance; undecorated
- BANAL
- predictable, cliched, boring
- BOLSTER
- to support; to prop up
- BOMBASTIC
- pompous in speech and manner
- CACOPHONY
- harsh, jarring noise
- CANDID
- impartial and honest in speech
- CAPRICIOUS
- changing one's mind quickly and often
- CASTIGATE
- to punish or criticize harshly
- ABSCOND
- to leave secretly
- catalyst
- something that brings about change in something else
- caustic
- biting in wit
- chaos
- great disorder or confusion
- chauvinist
- someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs
- chicanery
- deception by means of craft or guile
- cogent
- convincing and well reasoned
- condone
- to overlook, pardon, or disregard
- convoluted
- intricate and complicated
- corroborate
- to provide supporting evidence
- credulous
- too trusting; gullible
- crescendo
- steadily increasing volume or force
- decorum
- appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety
- deference
- respect, courtesy
- deride
- to speak of or treat with contempt: to mock
- derisive
- in a mocking manner
- dessicate
- to dry out thoroughly
- desultory
- jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
- diatribe
- an abusive, condemnatory speech
- diffident
- lacking self-confidence
- dilate
- to make larger; to expand
- dilatory
- intended to delay
- dilettante
- someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
- dirge
- a funeral hymn or mournful speech
- disabuse
- to set right; to free from error
- discern
- to perceive; to recognize
- disparate
- fundamentally different; entirely unlike
- dissemble
- to present a false appearance; to disguise one's real intentions or character
- dissonance
- a harsh and disagreeable combination, often sounds
- dogma
- a firmly held opinion, often a religious belief
- dogmatic
- dictatorial in one's opinion; tendency to think that they and only they are right
- dupe
- to deceive; a person who is easily deceived
- eclectic
- selecting from or made up from a variety of sources
- efficacy
- effectiveness
- elegy
- a sorrowful poem or speech
- eloquent
- persuasive and moving, especially in speech
- emulate
- to copy; to try to equal or excel
- enervate
- to reduce in strength
- engender
- to produce, cause, or bring about
- enigma
- a puzzle; a mystery
- enumerate
- a count, list, or itemize
- ephemeral
- lasting a short time
- equivocate
- to use expression of double meaning in order to deceive
- erratic
- wandering and unpredictable
- erudite
- learned, scholarly, bookish
- esoteric
- known or understood by only a few
- estimable
- admirable
- eulogy
- speech in praise of someone
- euphemism
- use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one; whitewash
- exacerbate
- to make worse
- exculpate
- to clear from blame; prove innocent
- exigent
- urgent; requiring immediate action
- exonerate
- to clear of blame
- explicit
- clearly stated or shown; forthright in expression
- fanatical
- acting excessively enthusiastic; fill with extreme, unquestioned devotion
- fawn
- to grovel; bootlick
- fervid
- intensely emotional; feverish
- florid
- excessively decorated or embellished; baroque
- foment
- to arouse or incite
- frugality
- a tendency to be thrifty or cheap
- garrulous
- tending to talk a lot
- gregarious
- outgoing; sociable
- guile
- deceit or trickery
- gullible
- easily deceived
- homogenous
- of a similar kind
- iconoclast
- one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions
- imperturbable
- not capable of being disturbed
- impervious
- impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected
- impetuous
- quick to act without thinking
- implacable
- unable to be calmed down or made peaceful
- inchoate
- not fully formed; disorganized
- ingenuous
- showing innocence or childlike simplicity
- inimical
- hostile; unfriendly
- innocuous
- harmless
- insipid
- lacking interest or flavor
- intransigent
- uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled/changed
- inundate
- to overwhelm; to cover with water
- irascible
- easily made angry
- laconic
- using a few words
- lament
- to express sorrow; to grieve
- laud
- to give praise; to glorify
- lavish
- to give unsparingly(v.); extremely generous or extravagant (adj.)
- lethargic
- acting in an indifferent or slow, sluggish manner
- loquacious
- talkative
- lucid
- clear and easily understood
- luminous
- bright, brilliant, glowing
- malinger
- to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill
- malleable
- capable of being shaped
- metaphor
- a figure of speech comparing two different things
- meticulous
- extremely careful about details
- misanthrope
- a person who dislikes others
- mitigate
- to soften; to lessen
- mollify
- to calm or make less severe
- monotony
- lack of variation
- naive
- lacking sophistication or experience
- obdurate
- hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion
- obsequious
- overly submissive and eager to please
- obstinate
- stubborn, unyielding
- obviate
- to prevent; to make unnecessary
- occlude
- to stop up; to prevent passage of
- onerous
- troublesome and oppressive; burdensome
- opaque
- impossible to see through; preventing the passage of light
- opprobrium
- public disgrace
- ostentation
- excessive showiness
- paradox
- a contradiction or dilemma
- paragon
- model of excellence or perfection
- pedant
- someone who shows off learning
- perfidious
- willing to betray one's trust
- perfunctory
- done in a routine way; indifferent
- permeate
- to penetrate
- philanthropy
- charity; a desire or effort to promote goodness
- placate
- to soothe or pacify
- plastic
- able to be molded, altered, or bent
- plethora
- excess
- pragmatic
- practical as opposed to idealistic
- precipitate
- to throw violently or bring about abruptly; lacking deliberation
- prevaricate
- to lie or deviate from the truth
- pristine
- fresh and clean; uncorrupted
- prodigal
- lavish, wasteful
- proliferate
- to increase in number quickly
- propitiate
- to conciliate; to appease; to satisfy
- propriety
- correct behavior; obedience to rules and customs
- prudence
- wisdom, caution, or restraint
- pungent
- sharp and irritating to the senses
- quiescent
- motionless
- rarefy
- to make thinner or sparser
- repudiate
- to reject the validity of
- reticent
- silent, reserved
- rhetoric
- effective writing or speaking
- satiate
- to satisfy fully or overindulge
- soporific
- causing sleep or lethargy
- specious
- deceptively attractive; seemingly plausible but fallacious
- stigma
- a mark of shame or discredit
- stolid
- unemotional; lacking sensitivity
- sublime
- grand, magnificent
- tacit
- done without using words
- taciturn
- silent, not talkative
- tirade
- long, harsh speech or verbal attack
- torpor
- extreme mental and physical sluggishness
- transitory
- temporary, lasting a brief time
- vacillate
- to sway physically; to be indecisive
- venerate
- to respect deeply
- veracity
- filled with truth and accuracy
- verbose
- wordy
- vex
- to annoy
- volatile
- easily aroused or changeable; lively or explosive
- waver
- to fluctuate between choices
- whimsical
- acting in a fanciful or capricious manner; unpredictable
- zeal
- passion, excitement