GRE Vocab in Context
Terms
undefined, object
copy deck
- Abate
-
To Reduce in amount, degree, or severity
-As the hurricane's force ABATED, the winds dropped and the sea became calm - Abscond
-
To leave secretly
-The patron ABSCONDED from the restaurant without paying his bill by sneaking out the back door - Abstain
-
To choose not to do something
-She ABSTAINED from choosing a mouthwatering dessert from the tray - Abyss
-
An extremely deep hole
-The submarine dove into the ABYSS to chart unseen waters - Adulterate
-
To make impure
-The restaurateur made his ketchup last longer by ADULTERATING it with water - Advocate
-
To speak in favor of
-The vegetarian ADVOCATED a diet containing no meat - Aesthetic
-
Concerning the appreciation of beauty
-Followers of the AESTHETIC movement regarded the pursuit of beauty as the only true purpose of art - Aggrandize
-
To increase in power, influence, & reputation
-The supervisor sought to AGGRANDIZE himself by claiming that the achievements of his staff were actually his own - Alleviate
-
To make more bearable
-Taking aspirin helps to ALLEVIATE a headache - Amalgamate
-
To Combine; To mix together
-Giant industries AMALGAMATED with Mega Products to form Giant-Mega Products Inc - Ambiguous
- Doubtful or Uncertain; Able to be interpretated several ways
- Amerliorate
-
To make better; To Improve
-The Dr. was able to AMELIORATE the patients suffering using painkillers - Anachronism
-
Something out of place in time
-The aged hippie used ANACHRONISTIC phrases like groovy & far out that had not been popular for years - Analogous
-
Similar or alike in some way; Equivalent to
-In a famouns argument for the existence of God, the universe is ANALOGOUS to a mechanical timepiece, the creation of a divinely intelligent "clockmaker" - Anomaly
-
Deviation from what is normal
-Albino animals may display too great an ANOMALY in their coloring to attract normally colored mates - Antagonize
-
To annoy or provoke to anger
-The child discovered that he could ANTAGONIZE the cat by pulling its tail - Antipathy
-
Extreme dislike
-The ANTIPATHY between the French & English regularly erupted into open warfare - Apathy
- Lack of interest or emotion
- Arbitrate
-
To judge a dispute between two opposing parties
-Since the couple could not come to agreemant, a judge was forced to ARBITRATE their divorce proceedings - Archaic
- Ancient, old-fashioned
- Ardor
-
Intense & passionate feeling
-Bishops ARDOR for landscape was evident when he passionately described the beauty of the scenic Hudson Valley - Articulate
- Able to speak clearly & expressively
- Assuage
-
To make something unpleasant less severe
-Serena used aspirin to ASSUAGE her pounding headache - Attenuate
-
To reduce in force or degree; To Weaken
-The bill of rights ATTENUATED the traditional power of government to change laws at will - Audacious
-
Fearless & Daring
-Her AUDACIOUS nature allowed her to fulfill her dream of skydiving - Austere
-
Severe or stern in appearance; Undecorated
-The lack of decoration makes Zen temples seen AUSTERE to the untrained eye - Banal
-
Predictable, Cliched, Boring
-He used BANAL phrases like "Have a nice day, or another day, another dollar" - Bolster
-
To support; To prop up
-The presence of giant footprints BOLSTERED the argument that Sasquatch was in the area - Bombastic
-
Pompous in speech & manner
-The dictators speeches were mostly BOMBASTIC - Cacophony
- Harsh, jarring noise
- Candid
-
Impartial & honest in speech
-The observations of a child can be charming since they are CANDID & unpretentious - Capricious
-
Changing ones mind quickly & often
-Queen was quite CAPRICIOUS - Castigate
-
To punish or criticize harshly
-The authorities CASTIGATE perpetrators - Catalyst
-
Something that brings about a change in something else
-The imposition of harsh taxes was the CATALYST that finally brought on the revolution - Caustic
- Biting in wit
- Chaos
- Great disorder or confusion
- Chauvinist
- Someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which they belong
- Chicanery
-
Deception by means of craft or guile
-Dishonest used car salesman often use CHICANERY to sell their beat-up old cars - Cogent
-
Convincing & well reasoned
-Swayed by the COGENT argument of the defense, the jury had no choice to acquit the defendant - Condone
-
To overlook, pardon, or disregard
-Some theorists believe that failing to prosecute minor crimes is the same as CONDONING an air of lawlessness - Convoluted
- Intricate & complicated
- Corroborate
-
To provide supporting evidence
-Fingerprints CORROBORATED the witnesses testimony - Credulous
- Too trusting; Gullible
- Crescendo
-
Steadily increasing volume or force
-The CRESCENDO of tension became unbearable... - Decorum
-
Appropriateness of behavior or conduct; Propriety
-The countess complained that the vulgar peasants lacked the DECORUM... - Deference
-
Respect, courtesy
-The respectful young law clerk treated the supreme court justice with the utmost DEFERENCE - Deride
-
To speak of or treat with contempt; To mock
-The awckward child was often DERIDED by his cooler peers - Desiccate
-
To dry out thoroughly
-After a few weeks of lying on the deserts sand, the cows carcass became completely DESICCATE - Desultory
-
Jumping from one thing to another; Disconnected
-Mary had a DESULTORY academic record - Diatribe
- An abusive, condemnatory speech
- Diffident
-
Lacking self-confidence
-Steves diffident manner during the interview stemmed from his nervous nature.. - Dilate
- To make larger; To expand
- Dilatory
-
Intended to delay
-The congressman used DILATORY measures to delay the passage of the bill - Dilettante
-
Someone with an amateurish & superficial interest in a topic
-Jerrys friends were such DILETTANTES that they seemed to have new jobs & hobbies every week - Dirge
- A funeral hymn or mournful speech
- Disabuse
-
To set right; To free from error
-Galileos observations DISABUSED scholars of the notion that the sun revolved around the earth - Discern
- To perceive; To recognize
- Disparate
-
Fundamentally different; Entirely unlike
-Although the twins appear to be identical physically, their personalities were DISPARATE - Dissemble
-
To present a false appearance; To disguise ones real intentions or character
-The villian could DISSEMBLE to the police no longer... - Dissonance
-
A harsh & disagreeable combination, often sounds
-Cognitive dissonance is the inner conflict produced when long-standing beliefs are contradicted by new evidence - Dogma
- A firmly held opinion, often a religious belief
- Dogmatic
- Dictatorial in ones opinion
- Dupe
-
To deceive; A person who is easily deceived
-Bugs Bunny was able to DUPE Elmer Fudd by dressing up as a lady rabbit - Eclectic
- Selecting from or made up from a variety of sources
- Efficacy
- Effectiveness
- Elegy
-
A sorrowful poem or speech
-Although Thomas Grays ELEGY is about death & loss, it urges readers to endure this life, & trust in spirituality - Eloquent
- Persuasive & moving, especially in speech
- Emulate
- To copy; To try to equal or excel
- Enervate
-
To reduce in strength
-The guerrillas hoped that a series of suprise attacks would ENERVATE the regular army - Engender
-
To produce, cause, or bring about
-His fear & hatred of clowns was ENGENDERED when he witnessed the death of his father at the hands of a clown - Enigma
- A puzzle; A mystery
- Enumerate
-
To count, list, or itemize
-Moses returned from the MT with tablets on which the commandments were ENUMERATED - Ephemeral
-
Lasting a short time
-The lives of mayflies seem EPHEMERAL to us, since the flies average life span is a matter of hours - Equivocate
-
To use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead
-When faced with criticism of his policies, the politician EQUIVOCATED & left all parties thinking he agreed with them - Erratic
- Wandering & unpredictable
- Erudite
-
Learned, scholarly, bookish
-The annual meeting of philosophy professors was a gathering of the most ERUIDTE, well-published individuals in the field - Esoteric
-
Known or understood by only a few
-Only a handful of experts are knowledgeable about the ESOTERIC world of particle physics - Estimable
-
Admirable
-Most people consider it ESTIMABLE that Mother Teresa spent her life helping the poor of India - Eulogy
- Speech in praise of someone
- Euphemism
-
Use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distatsteful one
-The funeral director preferred to use the EUPHIMISM "sleeping" instead of the word "dead" - Exacerbate
- To make worse
- Exculpate
-
To clear from blame; Prove innocent
-The adversarial legal system is intended to convict those who are guilty & to EXCULPATE those who are innocent - Exigent
-
Urgent; Requiring immediate action
-The patient was losing blood so rapidly that it was EXIGENT to stop the source of the bleeding - Exonerate
-
To clear of blame
-The fugitive was EXONERATED when another criminal confessed to the crime - Explicit
- Clearly stated or shown; Forthright in expression
- Fanatical
- Acting excessively enthusiastic; Filled with extreme, unquestioned devotion
- Fawn
- To grovel
- Fervid
-
Intensely emotional; Feverish
-The fans of Maria Callas were unusually FERVID, doing anything to catch a glimpse of her - Florid
-
Excessively decorated or embellished
-The place had been decorated in an excessively FLORID style - Foment
-
To arouse or incite
-The protestors tried to FOMENT feeling against the war through their speeches & demonstrations - Frugality
- A tendency to be thrifty or cheap
- Garrulous
-
Tending to talk a lot
-The GARRULOUS parakeet distracted its owner with its continuous talking - Gregarious
-
Outgoing, sociable
-She was so GREGARIOUS that when she found herself alone she felt quite sad - Guile
-
Deceit or trickery
-Since he was not fast enough to catch the roadrunner on foot, the coyote resorted to GUILE to trap him - Gullible
- Easily deceived
- Homogenous
-
Of a similar kind
-The class was failry HOMOGENOUS, since almost all of the students were senior journalism majors - Iconoclast
-
One who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions
-His lack of regard for traditional beliefs soon established him as an ICONOCLAST - Imperturbable
-
Not capable of being disturbed
-The counselor had so much experience dealing with distraught children that she seemed IMPERTURBABLE - Impervious
- Impossible to penetrate; Incapable of being affected
- Impetuous
-
Quick to act without thinking
-It is not good for an investment broker to be IMPETUOUS - Implacable
-
Unable to be calmed down or made peaceful
-His rage at the betrayal was so great that he remained IMPLACABLE for weeks - Inchoate
-
Not fully formed; Disorganized
-The ideas expressed in Nietzche's mature work also appear in an INCHOATE form in his earliest writing - Ingenuous
- Showing innocence or childlike simplicity
- Inimical
- Hostile, unfriendly
- Innocuous
-
Harmless
-Some snakes are poisonous, but most species are INNOCUOUS & pose no danger to humans - Insipid
-
Lacking interest or flavor
-The critic claimed that the painting was INSIPID, containing no interesting qualities at all - Intransigent
-
Uncompromising; Refusing to be reconciled
-The professor was INTRASIGNENT on the deadline, insisting that everyone turn the assignment in at the same time - Inundate
-
To overwhelm; To cover with waiter
-The tidal wave INUNDATED Atlantis - Irascible
-
Easily made angry
-Attila the Hun's IRASCIBLE & violent nature made all who dealt with him fear for their lives - Laconic
-
Using few words
-She was a LACONIC poet who built her reputation on using words as sparingly as possible - Lament
-
to express sorrow; to grieve
-The children continued to LAMENT the death of the goldfish weekds after its demise - Laud
-
To give praise; To glorify
-Parades & fireworks were staged to LAUD the success of the rebels - Lavish
-
To give unsparingly(verb); Extremely generous or extravagant(adjective)
-She LAVISHED the puppy with so many treats that it soon became fat - Lethargic
- Acting in an indifferent or slow, sluggish manner
- Loquacious
-
Talkative
-She was naturally LOQUACIOUS - Lucid
- Clear & 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; A symbol
- Meticulous
- Extremely careful about details
- Misanthrope
-
A person who dislikes others
-The character Scrooge is such a MISANTHROPE that even the sight of children singing makes him angry - Mitigate
- To soften; To lessen
- Mollify
-
To calm or make less severe
-Their argument was so intense that it was difficult to believe any compromise would MOLLIFY them - Monotony
- Lack of variation
- Naive
- Lacking sophistication or experience
- Obdurate
-
Hardened in feeling; Resistant to persuasion
-The President was completely OBDURATE on the issue, & no amount of persuasion would change his mind - Obsequious
-
Overly submissive & eager to please
-The OBSEQUIOUS new associate made sure to compliment her supervisors tie & agree with him on every issue - Obstinate
-
Stubborn, unyielding
-The OBSTINATE child could not be made to eat any food that he disliked - Obviate
-
To prevent; To make unnecessary
-The river was shallow enough to wade across at many points, which OBVIATED the need for a bridge - Occlude
- To stop up; To prevent the passage of
- Onerous
-
Troublesome & oppressive; Burdensome
-The assignment was so extensive and difficult to manage that it proved ONEROUS to the team in charge of it - Opaque
- Impossible to see through; Preventing the passage of light
- Opprobrium
-
Public disgrace
-After the scheme to embezzle the elderly was made public, the treasurer resigned in utter OPPROBRIUM - Ostentation
- Excessive showiness
- Paradox
- A contradiction or dilemma
- Paragon
-
Model of excellence or perfection
-She is the PARAGON of what a judge should be - Pedant
-
Someone who shows off learning
-The graduate instructors tedious & excessive commentary on the subject soon gained her a reputation as a PEDANT - Perfidious
-
Willing to betray ones trust
-The actresss PERFIDIOUS companion revealed all of her intimate secrets - Perfunctory
-
Done in a routing way; Indifferent
-The machinelike bank teller processed the transaction & gave the customer a PERFUNCTORY smile - 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
-Rather than admit that he had overslept again, the employee PREVARICATED and claimed that heavy traffic made him late - Pristine
- Fresh & clean; Uncorrupted
- Prodigal
-
Lavish, wasteful
-The PRODIGAL son quickly wasted all of his inheritance on a lavish lifestyle devoted to pleasure - Proliferate
- To increase in number quickly
- Propitiate
-
To conciliate; To appease
-The management PROPITIATED the irate union by agreeing to raise wages for its members - Propriety
- Correct behavior; Obedience to rules & customs
- Prudence
-
Wisdom, caution, or restraint
-The college student exhibited PRUDENCE by obtaining practical experience along with her studies - Pungent
- Sharp & irritating to the senses
- Quiescent
-
Motionless
-Many animals are QUIESCENT over the winter months - Rarefy
-
To make thinner or sparser
-Since the atmoshphere RAREFIES as altitudes increase, the air at the top of the MTs is too thin to breathe - Repudiate
-
To reject the validity of
-The old womans claim that she was Russian royalty was REPUDIATED ... - Reticent
-
Silent, reserved
-Physically small and RETICENT in her speech, Joan Didion often went unnoticed by those upon whom she was reporting - Rhetoric
-
Effective writing or speaking
-Lincolns talent for RHETORIC was evident in his speach - Satiate
- To satisfy fully or overindulge
- Soporific
-
Causing sleep or lethargy
-The movie proved to be so SOPORIFIC that soon loud snores were heard throughout the theater - Specious
-
Deceptively attractive; Seemingly plausible but fallacious
-The students SPECIOUS excuse for being late sounded legitimate, but was proved otherwise - Stigma
- A mark of shame or discredit
- Stolid
-
Unemotional; Lacking sensitivity
-The prisoner appeared STOLID & unaffected by the judges harsh sentence - Sublime
-
Lofty or grand
-The music was so SUBLIME... - Tacit
-
Done without using words
-Although not a word had been said, everyone knoew that a TACIT agreement had been made - Taciturn
-
Silent, not talkative
-The clerks TACITURN nature earned him the nickname "Silent Bob" - Tirade
-
Long, harsh speech or verbal attack
-Observers were shocked at the managers TIRADE over such a minor mistake - Torpor
-
Extreme mental & physical sluggishness
-After surgery, the patient experienced TURPOR until the anesthesial wore off - Transitory
-
Temporary, lasting a brief time
-The reporter lived a TRANSITORY life - Vacillate
-
To sway physically; to be indicisive
-The customer held up the line as he VACILLATED between ordering chocolate chip or rocky road - Venerate
-
To respect deeply
-In a traditional Confucian society, the young VENERATE their elders - Veracity
-
Filled with truth & accuracy
-She had a reputation for VERACITY, so everyone trusted her description of events - Verbose
-
Wordy
-The proffs answer was so VERBOSE that his student forgot what the question was - 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
-The ballet was WHIMSICAL, delighting the children with its imaginative characters.. - Zeal
-
Passion, excitement
-She brought her typical ZEAL to the project, sparking enthusiasm in the other team members