GRE Vocabulary List-Level 1
GRE Vocabulary List
Level 1
© Test-Ease, LLC
Level 1
© Test-Ease, LLC
Terms
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- invalid
- One who is disabled by illness or injury; not valid
- cantankerous
- Ill-tempered and quarrelsome
- resuscitate
- To restore consciousness, vigor or life to
- fidget
- To behave or more nervously or restlessly
- deposition
- Testimony taken under oath (usu. written down)
- vestige
- A visible trace, mark, or impression, of something gone
- flop
- To fall or lie down heavily and noisily; to fail utterly
- emote
- To express emotion, esp. in an excessive or theatrical manner
- ambiguous
- Open to more than one interpretation; uncertain
- miser
- One who lives very meagerly to save money; a greedy person
- consummate
- To bring to completion; complete or perfect in all respects
- convoluted
- Intricate or complicated
- permeate
- To spread or flow through; to pervade
- turbulent
- Violently agitated; tumultuous; causing unrest or restless in nature
- imperturbable
- Unshakably calm and collected
- disheveled
- Disordered or untidy
- antidote
- Anything that will counteract or remove the effects of poison, disease or the like
- proximity
- Closeness; propinquity
- extol
- To praise highly or exalt
- thwart
- To prevent the occurrence, realization or attainment of
- pristine
- In a pure state; uncorrupted
- abet
- To urge, encourage or help someone or something (oft. an offense)
- extinct
- No longer in existence
- blatant
- Unpleasantly loud and noisy; totally or offensively conspicuous
- indistinct
- Not clearly or sharply delineated; vague
- impede
- To be an obstacle to or to place obstacles in the way of
- revere
- To worship or adore
- discern
- To perceive with the eyes; to detect through careful observation
- arrogance
- Overbearing pride
- inadvertent
- Marked by unintentional lack of care
- exuberant
- Full of unrestrained joy or enthusiasm
- ignoble
- Not noble in character; base
- maul
- To injure by beating; to handle roughly
- heed
- To pay attention to and consider
- disinterested
- Impartial; indifferent
- audacious
- Fearlessly daring (oft. recklessly so); brave or bold
- suppress
- To prevent from being disclosed or punished
- feign
- To give a false appearance of
- negligent
- Characterized by or inclined to neglect, esp. habitually
- pedestrian
- One who journeys on foot; commonplace
- denigrate
- To speak ill of or attack the character of
- abdicate
- To relinquish (power or responsibility) in a formal manner
- fragrant
- Having a pleasant odor
- repel
- To force or keep back in a manner, physically or mentally
- quell
- To put down forcibly; to suppress
- endorse
- To write one's signature on the back of a check; to give approval or support to
- derogatory
- Disparaging or belittling
- cryptic
- Having hidden meaning; obscure
- lavish
- Marked by or produced with extravagance; to give in abundance
- fission
- The act or process of splitting into parts
- entice
- To attract or lure
- vain
- Not yielding the desired outcome; fruitless; excessively proud of one's appearance or accomplishments
- curt
- Brief or short in speech or manner (oft. rudely so)
- drone
- To speak in a monotonous tone; a male bee that performs no work
- boisterous
- Loud and noisy (oft. in a rough
- foolproof
- Designed to be impervious to human error; infallible
- palate
- The roof of the mouth
- vivacious
- Lively or full of spirit
- dearth
- A scarcity or lack of
- propensity
- An innate inclination; a tendency
- acquiesce
- To comply or consent passively; submit
- ambivalent
- Feeling the coexistence of opposing emotions or attitudes
- malcontent
- One who is dissatisfied with the existing state of affairs
- arduous
- Demanding great effort or labor; difficult
- impair
- To cause to diminish in strength or quality
- gush
- To flow forth suddenly in great volume (esp. tears or praise)
- pivotal
- Of vital importance; crucial
- slur
- To pronounce indistinctly
- flamboyant
- Highly elaborate; given to ostentatious display
- emancipate
- To set free ownership or oppression; to liberate
- apartheid
- A policy of racial segregation practiced in South Africa against non-white people
- haughty
- Scornfully and condescendingly proud
- discreet
- Showing prudence and self-restraint; modest
- accretion
- A gradual increase in size by external addition
- digress
- To turn away from (esp. the main subject of a conversation)
- fetish
- An object of unreasonably excessive attention or interest
- engrave
- To cut, carve or etch into some material
- pariah
- A social outcast
- copious
- Abundant
- squalid
- Having a dirty, mean, poverty-stricken appearance
- evoke
- To summon or call forth
- poignant
- Keenly distressing to the spirit, body or mind; profoundly moving
- stipulate
- To lay down as a condition
- belligerent
- Inclined or eager to fight; hostile
- deride
- To speak of with contempt and mirth
- animosity
- Strong criticism
- frugal
- Economical
- massacre
- A cruel, indiscriminate killing of a large number of human beings
- provisional
- Temporary
- defiance
- Bold resistance to authority or an opposing force
- forfeit
- To surrender something as a punishment
- accede
- To give one's consent
- inferno
- A place or condition suggestive of hell; a place of fiery heat
- vex
- To annoy, bother or harass
- vociferous
- Making a noisy and vehement outcry
- oblivious
- Completely unaware or mindful of
- judicious
- Having or exhibiting sound judgment; prudent
- commemorate
- To honor the memory of through ceremony
- acclaim
- To praise enthusiastically (usu. in public)
- derision
- Ridicule
- heinous
- Grossly wicked or reprehensible; abominable
- grave
- Requiring serious thought; somber in conduct or character
- aberration
- Deviation from a proper or expected course
- perennial
- Lasting or active throughout the entire year or many years
- decimate
- To kill or destroy a large portion of something
- tenacious
- Holding persistently to something (e.g. a point of view)
- dexterity
- Skill and grace in physical activity (oft. of the hands); adroitness
- gist
- The central idea; essence
- highbrow
- Highly cultured or intellectual
- vacillate
- To sway between two sides, positions or opinions; to waver
- extrovert
- A gregarious or outgoing individual
- dismal
- Causing gloom; dreary; characterized by a lack of merit
- abate
- To lessen in quantity, intensity or degree
- talon
- The claw of a predatory bird
- eradicate
- To pull up by the roots; to destroy
- opaque
- Impenetrable by light; so obscure as to be unintelligible
- emaciate
- To make or become extremely thin
- conceit
- An unduly high opinion of one's self or abilities
- aversion
- A fixed, intense dislike
- shrill
- High-pitched and piercing in sound; harshly keen to the senses
- inundate
- To cover, overwhelm or flood with water; to swamp
- ascertain
- To discover with certainty
- portent
- A sign of something important of calamitous to come; an omen
- gust
- A strong, abrupt burst of wind
- coddle
- To treat indulgently; to baby
- lackluster
- Lacking brightness, luster or vitality; dull
- gouge
- To scoop or dig out; to charge an excessively high price
- derivative
- Something derived; unoriginal
- mischievous
- Causing mischief; Playfully naughty; troublesome
- infallible
- Incapable of erring or failing
- avid
- Marked by keen interest and enthusiasm
- jovial
- Merry
- covert
- Not openly practiced, engaged in or shown
- perpetrate
- To be responsible for or commit (esp. a crime)
- engrossing
- Fascinating
- hovel
- A small, miserable dwelling
- plod
- To move or walk in a heavy, laborious manner
- yelp
- A short, sharp cry or bark
- eloquence
- Persuasive discourse
- concur
- To agree
- surcharge
- An additional amount charged
- shard
- A piece of broken pottery or a fragment of glass
- erratic
- Irregular
- acquit
- To clear from a charge or accusation
- entangle
- To entwine in a confusing mass
- glut
- To fill beyond capacity; oversupply or excess
- zealous
- Filled with enthusiastic devotion to a principle or cause
- lucid
- Easily understood; intelligible
- conjoin
- To join together
- agile
- Quick, light, nimble
- heresy
- An opinion or doctrine at variance with established religious beliefs, esp. from Christian dogma by a church member
- falter
- To waver or stumble, oft. due to a loss of confidence
- finesse
- Refined or delicate performance, execution or artisanship
- introspection
- Contemplation of one's own thoughts and feelings
- sublime
- Majestic
- detraction
- A derogatory comment on a person's character or reputation
- severance
- The act or condition of being severed; separation
- incumbent
- Obligatory; Resting or leaning on something else; Someone currently holding a specified office
- volatile
- Prone to quick and marked change
- incense
- To cause to become extremely angry; an aromatic substance that is burned to produce a pleasant odor
- fetter
- A chain or shackle for the ankles; to restrain or restrict
- circuitous
- Indirect, roundabout
- frantic
- Highly excited with strong emotion or frustration; frenzied
- regurgitate
- To spit up partially digested food (oft. used of ideas as well)
- accolade
- Praise, approval
- erroneous
- Mistaken
- magnanimous
- Courageously noble in mind and heart; generous or unselfish
- incite
- To provoke and urge on
- gnaw
- To bite at, chew on or generally erode with the teeth
- appease
- To soothe someone angry; to bring peace or calm
- encapsulate
- To encase in a capsule; to sum up
- astringent
- Harsh or severe in nature; sharp and penetrating
- impunity
- Exempt from penalty, punishment or harm
- gesticulate
- To make gestures for emphasis (esp. while speaking)
- consecrate
- To declare or make sacred
- adorn
- To make beautiful; to put ornaments on something
- perilous
- Dangerous
- palatial
- Of the nature or a palace; magnificently enormous
- incessant
- Unceasing
- coax
- To persuade through flattery
- alchemy
- The medieval science of turning metals to gold; any magical or false mutational process
- fragile
- Easily broken; delicate
- lament
- To express grief for or about; to regret deeply
- ingenuous
- Lacking in worldliness; openly straightforward
- impervious
- Impenetrable
- condense
- To reduce in quantity or length
- banal
- Drearily commonplace; trite
- partisan
- A fervent supporter of a cause, group, person or idea
- incongruous
- Lacking in harmony; incompatible or not in agreement
- impermeable
- Impossible to penetrate or permeate
- dubious
- Doubtful
- whimsical
- Capricious
- quaff
- To drink heartily
- astute
- Shrew in judgment
- anecdote
- A short account of an interesting event
- arid
- Extremely dry
- deluge
- To overwhelm with (usu. water); a flood
- imminent
- About to occur
- reverence
- A feeling of profound awe, respect and (often) love; veneration
- callous
- Hardened; unfeeling
- inane
- Lacking sense or substance; empty or stupid
- queer
- Deviating from the expected; strange
- curtail
- To cut short
- pompous
- Marked by excessive self-esteem or exaggerated dignity
- secular
- Not specifically related to religion; occurring once in a century or from century to century
- ire
- Wrath
- invincible
- Unconquerable
- disproof
- The act of refuting; evidence the refutes
- fickle
- Capricious
- graze
- To feed on leisurely and continuously; to touch lightly
- transgress
- To go beyond or over; to act in violation of the law
- imperative
- A command or order; extremely necessary
- destitute
- Lacking or devoid of; poor
- malevolence
- Ill-will
- affinity
- A natural attraction or feeling of kinship
- forage
- The act of searching for food or provisions
- superfluous
- Beyond what is needed or required
- moderation
- Temperance
- virtue
- A rare, curious, or beautiful quality
- autocrat
- A single ruler having unlimited power; a despot
- pine
- To mourn or long for out of grief
- divulge
- To make known (esp. a secret)
- idolatry
- The worship of idols; excessive devotion to something
- aesthetic
- Relating to the appreciation of beauty
- apprehensive
- Anxious or fearful about the future; uneasy
- acrid
- Harshly bitter in taste or smell
- apt
- Inclined; having a natural tendency to
- allege
- To assert without proof
- finicky
- Hard to please
- ferocity
- Savageness
- apathy
- A lack of interest or concern; indifference
- embezzle
- To take (usu. money) for one's own use in violation of a trust
- prevalent
- Widely occurring, existing, accepted or practiced
- quack
- An untrained person who pretends to be a physician; a charlatan
- cordial
- Warm and sincere; friendly
- clamor
- A loud outcry or noise; din
- candid
- Unprejudiced or impartial; open and sincere
- implosion
- A violent collapse inward
- covet
- To secretly desire something which is not yours
- felon
- One who has committed crime more severe than a misdemeanor
- iota
- A very small amount; a bit
- superimpose
- To lay or place something over something else
- servile
- Abjectly submissive; slavish
- plea
- An earnest request
- legacy
- Money or property bequeathed to another by will; something handed down from an ancestor or a predecessor
- elucidate
- To make clear by explanation
- vivify
- To give or bring to life; to make more lively or vivid
- jabber
- To talk rapidly or unintelligibly
- lurk
- To lie in wait, as in ambush
- brazen
- Brashly audacious (oft. rudely so)
- petrify
- To turn into wood; to cause to be stiff or stone-like
- scorch
- To burn
- adulation
- Intense adoration or praise; ass-kissing
- manacle
- A device for confining the hands
- debacle
- A sudden collapse, downturn or defeat; a total failure
- pseudo-
- Prefix meaning 'false'
- addle
- To muddle or confuse
- coagulation
- The hardening of a substance into something thicker and firmer
- coalesce
- To grow together
- incredulous
- Skeptical or disbelieving
- distraught
- Deeply agitated; insane
- succinct
- Concise
- malign
- To speak evil of; evil in nature or spirit
- fixate
- To make stable; to fix one's attention on; to obsess on
- pry
- To inquire in a nosy manner or snoop; to obtain with difficulty
- despot
- A ruler with absolute power
- avarice
- Greed
- allegiance
- Loyalty or the obligation of loyalty
- aloof
- Physically or emotionally distant; reserved or remote
- alleviate
- To make more bearable; to lighten
- disdain
- To regard or treat with haughty contempt; scorn
- gullible
- Easily deceived or duped
- condone
- To overlook, forgive or tolerate an offense without protest
- ambidextrous
- Having the ability of using both hands with equal skill or ease
- prudent
- Wise in handling practical matters
- inept
- Not apt or fitting; foolish; incompetent
- anguish
- Agonizing mental or physical pain
- placate
- To allay the anger of (esp. by concessions); to appease
- grovel
- To behave in a servile manner; to lie in a prostrate manner
- connoisseur
- A person with expert knowledge or training (esp. in the fine arts)
- vilify
- To make vicious and defamatory statements about
- decree
- An authoritative order having the force of a law
- dissent
- Disagreement
- glimmer
- A dim or intermittent flicker or flash of light
- reconcile
- To re-establish a close relationship; to bring (oneself) to accept
- catalyst
- Someone or something that makes a process or event happen
- extraneous
- Inessential or irrelevant
- flaunt
- To exhibit shamelessly or ostentatiously
- adamant
- Stubborn or unyielding; an extremely hard substance
- exhaustive
- Treating all parts or aspects without omission; thoroughly
- articulate
- Marked by the use of clear, expressive language
- colloquial
- Particular to common speech as distinguished from literary
- pungent
- Sharp smelling or tasting; penetrating, biting or caustic
- abide
- To be faithful to or endure
- disallow
- To withhold permission or sanction
- congeal
- To coagulate
- extinguish
- To put out or douse (usu. a fire); to destroy
- contentious
- Quarrelsome
- hack
- To cut or chap with repeated, irregular blows
- concord
- Harmony or agreement
- cower
- To cringe in fear
- decorum
- Appropriateness of conduct; the conventions of polite behavior
- duress
- Constraint by threat; coercion
- benevolence
- An inclination to perform generous acts; a generous act
- procrastinate
- To delay or put off for later
- guile
- Cunning treachery; skillful deceit
- forgery
- Counterfeiting
- fidelity
- Loyalty
- sanction
- To approve authoritatively
- reiterate
- To say or do repeatedly
- meticulous
- Extremely careful and precise; excessively concerned with details
- suffice
- To be enough or make do
- renowned
- Famous
- dilate
- To make wider or larger
- conspicuous
- Easy to notice; obvious
- console
- To comfort
- enduring
- Lasting
- dainty
- Delicately beautiful or charming
- exploit
- An act or deed, esp. a heroic one; to use (deceitfully)
- discredit
- To injure the reputation of
- illustrious
- Well-known and distinguished
- fervor
- Great warmth and intensity of emotion; intense heat or passion
- ardor
- Intensity of passion or affection
- abhor
- To hate or detest
- paucity
- Smallness of number; fewness
- gloat
- To feel or express great self-satisfaction (oft. maliciously)
- renovate
- To restore to an earlier condition; to revive
- bask
- To expose oneself to pleasant warmth; to take pleasure or satisfaction
- deplete
- To reduce or lessen by use, exhaustion, or waste
- mundane
- Commonplace or ordinary; everyday
- irksome
- Causing annoyance, weariness or vexation
- illicit
- Illegal
- morbid
- Of, relating to or caused by disease; psychologically unhealthy
- benign
- Of a gentle or mild character; harmless
- benefactor
- One that gives aid (esp. financial)
- canvass
- To examine carefully or discuss thoroughly; scrutinize
- ominous
- Menacing or threatening; portentous
- equilibrium
- A state of balance
- cumbersome
- Difficult to handle because of weight or bulk; onerous
- rebuff
- A blunt or abrupt repulse or refusal
- interim
- An interval of time between acts or periods; temporary
- figurehead
- Someone of nominal leadership but no real authority
- extort
- To obtain from another by coercion or intimidation
- coerce
- To force to act or think in a certain way through the use of pressure, threat or force; to compel
- requisite
- Necessary; something that is required
- infuse
- To fill or cause to be filled with something
- foil
- To prevent from being successful; to thwart; a pole-like sword
- mesmerize
- To hypnotize
- plummet
- To decline suddenly and steeply; something that weighs down
- elicit
- To bring or draw out (something latent)
- lethargy
- A state of inactivity, sluggishness and apathy
- personable
- Pleasing in personality
- diligent
- Marked by painstaking effort
- shrewd
- Clever or cunning; sharp or penetrating
- patron
- A sponsor or benefactor; a customer (esp. a regular one)
- emulate
- To strive to equal or excel; to imitate
- brittle
- Likely to break, snap or crack; fragile
- zenith
- The peak
- apparition
- Ghost
- dormant
- Asleep or inactive
- embellish
- To make beautiful by decoration; to add fictitious details to a story
- auxiliary
- Giving assistance or support; helping; supplementary
- deter
- To hinder or prevent
- gorge
- A deep, narrow passage with steep, rocky sides; a ravine; to eat in a gluttonous manner
- aggravate
- To make heavier, worse or more troublesome; to provoke
- morose
- Sullenly melancholy; gloomy
- increment
- A small, often imperceptible addition or augmentation
- ingest
- To take into the body by the mouth for digestion; to take in
- brash
- Hasty and unthinking; lacking in tact or sensitivity
- pious
- Religiously devout; marked by false devoutness
- rejuvenate
- To restore to youthful vigor or appearance
- deviant
- Differing from the norm or the accepted standards of society; one who differs from the norm or the accepted standards of society
- hospitable
- Disposed to treat strangers or guests with warmth and generosity
- abscond
- To leave suddenly and secretly to avoid arrest
- counterfeit
- To forge falsely; Something illegally or falsely made
- yen
- A strong desire or urge for something
- affable
- Easy and pleasant to talk to; approachable