GRE Vocab List 2
Most commonly occurring GRE vocab
Terms
undefined, object
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- pious
- adj: extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion
- ephemeral
- adj: brief; fleeting
- torpid
- adj: lethargic; sluggish;dormant
- discretion
- n: cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions
- accolade
- n: an expression of praise
- emollient
- adj/n: soothing, esp. to the skin; making less harsh; ;mollifying; an agent that softens or smooths the skin
- prolific
- adj: producing large volumes or amounts; productive
- esoteric
- adj: intended for or understood by a small, specific group
- sanction
- n/v: authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to force compliance; to give permission or authority to
- ubiquitous
- adj: existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; wide-spread
- aesthetic
- adj: dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful
- furtive
- adj: marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious
- exonerate
- v: to remove blame
- eulogy
- n: a speech honoring the dead
- cacophony
- n: harsh, jarring, discordant sound
- didactic
- adj: intended to teach or instruct
- redoubtable
- adj: awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
- supplant
- v: to take the place of; supersede
- demur
- v: to question or oppose
- prodigious
- adj: abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary
- avarice
- n: greed, esp. for wealth
- elegy
- n: a mournful poem, exp. one lamenting the dead
- vilify
- v: to defame; to characterize harshly
- intransigent
- adj: refusing to compromise
- castigation
- n: severe criticism or punishment
- opaque
- adj: impenetrable by light; not reflecting light
- bucolic
- adj: rustic or pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants
- axiom
- n: a universally recognized principle
- oscillation
- n: the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm
- preen
- v: to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care
- precursor
- n: one that precedes and indicates or announces another
- incipient
- adj: beginning to come into being or to become apparent
- burgeon
- v: to grow rapidly or flourish
- abate
- v: to lessen in intensity or degree
- odious
- adj: evoking intense aversion or dislike
- urbane
- adj: sophisticated; refined; elegant
- viscous
- adj: thick; sticky
- adulation
- n: excessive praise; intense adoration
- catalyst
- a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction without itself changing; a person or thing that causes change
- culpable
- adj: deserving blame
- complaisance
- n: the willingness to comply with wishes of others
- squalid
- adj: sordid; wretched an dirty as from neglect
- quiescence
- n: stillness; motionless; quality of being at rest
- morose
- adj: sad; sullen;melancholy
- hyperbole
- n: an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech
- canon
- n: an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature
- chary
- adj: wary; cautious; sparing
- dogmatic
- adj: expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or improvable principles
- empirical
- adj: based on observation or experiment
- ebullience
- n: the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings
- penurious
- adj: penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous
- peruse
- v: to examine with treat care
- fallacy
- n: an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief
- inert
- adj: unmoving; lethargic; sluggish
- quaff
- v: to drink deeply
- putrefy
- v: to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor
- pernicious
- adj: extremely harmful; potentially causing death
- enigmatic
- adj: mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand
- caustic
- adj: burning or stinging; causing corrosion
- disinterested
- adj: free of bias or self-interest; impartial
- ameliorate
- v: to make better or more tolerable
- eclectic
- adj: composed of elements drawn from various sources
- gregarious
- adj: sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people
- dearth
- n:smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack
- contrite
- adj: regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness
- stoic
- adj: indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast
- facetious
- adj: playful; humorous
- harangue
- n: to deliver a pompous speech or tirade; a long, pompous speech
- heretical
- adj: violating accepted dogma or convention
- ascetic
- one who practices rigid self-denial, exp. as an act of religious devotion
- innocuous
- adj: harmless; causing no damage
- contentious
- adj: argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement
- satire
- n: a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision
- cogent
- adj: appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing
- inveigle
- v: to obtain by deception or flattery
- impecunious
- adj: lacking funds; without money