Demanding GRE Words from Barrons
Terms
undefined, object
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- yoke
- join together; unite; N: crossbar used to joining two draft animals
- secession
- withdrawal; V. secede: withdraw formally from membership
- pare
- cut away the outer covering or skin of (with a knife); trim; Ex. pare apples/expenses
- tendentious
- promoting a particular point of view; biased; having an aim; designed to further a cause; Ex. tendentious rather than truth-seeking; CF. tend: move in a certain direction
- quotidian
- daily; commonplace; customary; Ex. quotidian routine
- troth
- pledge of good faith especially in betrothal; betrothal; Ex. by my troth
- vigilante
- one who without authority assumes law enforcement powers
- retiring
- shy and reserved (of a person); modest; Ex. her retiring personality
- servitude
- slavery; compulsory labor imposed as a punishment
- sleek
- smooth and shining (as from good health); V.
- purported
- alleged; claimed; reputed or rumored; Ex. purported Satanists
- remit
- transmit (money) in payment; free someone from a debt or punishment
- skulk
- move furtively and secretly; Ex. He skulked through the less fashionable sections of the city.
- throng
- crowd (of people or things); V.
- tiller
- handle used to move boat's rudder (to steer)
- shack
- crude cabin
- sententious
- pithy; terse; concise; aphoristic
- tribune
- official of ancient Rome elected by the plebians to protect their rights; protector of the people
- reckon
- count; calculate; regard as; think; suppose
- wangle
- achieve by cleverness or trick; wiggle out; fake; Ex. She tried to wangle an invitation to the party.
- sleigh
- large vehicle drawn by a horse over snow or ice
- precept
- practical rule guiding conduct; Ex. mother's precept
- romp
- play or frolic boisterously; gambol; N.
- transpire
- (of a fact) become known; be revealed; happen; give off (watery waste matter) through pores
- tarry
- linger; delay in starting or going; dawdle
- saunter
- stroll(go for a leisurely walk) slowly; N.
- requiem
- mass for the dead; dirge
- sibylline
- prophetic; oracular; N. sibyl: woman prophet (in the ancient world)
- temporize
- gain time as by postponing an action; avoid committing oneself
- zany
- comic; crazy; N: clown; comical person (given to outlandish behavior)
- weather
- pass safely through (a storm or difficult period); endure the effects of weather or other forces
- vivisection
- act of dissecting living animals
- suborn
- persuade to act unlawfully (especially to commit perjury); N. subornation
- wispy
- thin; slight; barely discernible
- tedium
- boredom; weariness; ADJ. tedious
- roil
- make liquids murky by stirring up sediment; disturb
- traduce
- expose to slander
- token
- outward sign; Ex. a token of our gratitude
- scrimmage
- disorderly fight between two or more people
- zest
- outer skin of an orange used for giving a special taste to food; spice; interest; flavor; spirited enjoyment; Ex. add a certain zest to the affair; Ex. zest for life
- syllogism
- logical formula consisting of a major premise, a minor premise and a conclusion; deceptive or specious argument
- rooster
- cock; adult male chicken
- quail
- cower; shrink back in fear; lose heart
- vitiate
- spoil the effect of; make inoperative; corrupt morally
- waylay
- ambush; lie in wait for and attack
- roue
- a debauched man, especially an elderly one.
- requisition
- formal demand or request; Ex. requisition for more computing equipment; V.
- poultice
- soothing application applied to sore and inflamed portions of the body
- titular
- of a title; in name only; nominal; having the title of an office without the obligations; Ex. titular head of the company
- stricture
- severe and adverse criticism; critical comments; limit or restriction
- remonstrate
- protest; objection; V. remonstrate: say in protest
- timorous
- fearful; timid; demonstrating fear
- raffle
- lottery; V: award as a prize in a raffle; Ex. raffle off a new car
- whittle
- pare; cut away thin bits (from wood); fashion in this way; reduce gradually; trim
- rider
- amendment or clause added to a legislative bill
- titter
- nervous giggle; nervous laugh; V.
- skiff
- small light sailboat or rowboat
- promulgate
- announce; proclaim a doctrine or law; make known by official publication
- rig
- arrangement of masts and sails; V: equip (a ship) with rigging; ADJ. rigging: ropes that hold up a ship's sails
- takeoff
- burlesque; act of leaving the ground
- retinue
- following; attendants
- restitution
- returning something (lost or stolen) to the rightful owner; reparation; indemnification; compensation for loss, damage, or injury
- panache
- flair; manner of doing things without any difficulty (causing admiration); flamboyance; bunch of feathers (on a helmet); Ex. with great panache;
- warren
- tunnels in which rabbits live; overcrowded living area; crowded conditions in which people live
- prosody
- art of versification; study of the metrical structure of verse
- quorum
- minimal number of members necessary to conduct a meeting
- sepulcher
- tomb; V: place in a sepulcher; ADJ. sepulchral
- wheedle
- deceive, persuade, or obtain by flattery; cajole; coax; Ex. wheedle a promise out of her
- slough
- (of a snake) shed or cast off (dead outer skin); N: outer layer that is shed
- pinnace
- small boat
- remission
- temporary moderation (of disease symptoms); remitting of a debt or punishment; cancelation of a debt; pardon; Ex. The disease went into remission; Ex. Christians pray for the remission of sins.
- writhe
- twist in coils; contort in pain
- sidereal
- relating to stars; Ex. sidereal day
- palette
- board on which painter mixes pigments(coloring matters)
- sanctimonious
- displaying ostentatious or hypocritical devoutness; N. sanctimony: hypocritical piety
- regent
- a person who governs in place of a ruler who is ill, absent, or still a child; ADJ. Ex. the Prince regent
- scotch
- stamp out(put an end to); thwart; hinder; Ex. scotch the rumor;
- rivulet
- small stream; CF. rill < rivulet < river
- quay
- dock; wharf; pier; landing place (for boats)
- sardonic
- scornfully mocking; disdainful; sarcastic; cynical; Ex. sardonic smile
- tramp
- walk with a heavy step; travel on foot; N: vagrant; one who travels aimlessly about; long walk; sound of heavy walking
- sinecure
- well-paid position with little responsibility; CF. sine cure: without care; CF. San Serif
- parley
- conference (between opponents); CF. speak
- ruffian
- violent scoundrel; bully
- scourge
- lash; whip (formerly used for punishment); source of severe punishment; V: whip; afflict
- wrongheaded
- stubbornly wrong
- refurbish
- renovate; make clean, bright, or fresh (make new) again; make bright by polishing; Ex. refurbish an old theater; CF. furbish: polish
- parish
- area in the care of a single priest and served by one main church
- rife
- (of something bad) widespread; abundant; current
- slink
- move furtively; ADJ. slinky: stealthy; furtive; sneaky (as in ambush)
- sleeper
- one that achieves unexpected success; something originally of little value or importance that in time becomes very valuable
- sledge
- large sled drawn by work animals
- Philistine
- narrow-minded person, uncultured and exclusively interested in material gain; uncultured person who is indifferent to artistic and cultural values; member of an ancient people in Palestine; OP. aesthete
- skittish
- inconstant; capricious; frivolous; not serious; Ex. charming but skittish young woman; CF. skit
- tract
- propaganda pamphlet (esp. by a religious or political group); expanse of land; region of indefinite size; system of related organs; Ex. digestive tract
- tremulous
- trembling; wavering
- putative
- supposed; reputed; generally regarded as such; Ex. putative father of the child
- sheaf
- bundle of stalks of grain; any bundle of things tied together
- skinflint
- miser; stingy person
- stickler
- perfectionist; person who insists things be exactly right
- timbre
- quality of a musical tone produced by a musical instrument (which distinguishes it from others of the same pitch)
- pertinacious
- holding tenaciously to an action; stubborn; persistent
- pharisaical
- pertaining to the Pharisees, who paid scrupulous attention to tradition; self-righteous; hypocritical
- soliloquy
- talking to oneself (esp. in a play); CF. monologue: soliloquy; long speech by one person (often monopolizing a conversation)
- smirk
- conceited smile; offensively self-satisfied smile (often at someone else's misfortune); V.
- scowl
- frown angrily; N: angry frown
- threadbare
- worn through till the threads show; shabby and poor; hackneyed; Ex. threadbare excuses
- rococo
- ornate; highly decorated; N. CF. 18th century
- purport
- intention; purpose; meaning; V: claim; profess; Ex. order which purports to be signed by the general
- slipshod
- slovenly; careless; sloppy; untidy; shabby; Ex. slipshod work
- rabble
- mob; noisy crowd
- scurrilous
- abusive; obscene; indecent; Ex. scurrilous remark
- vicar
- parish priest; representative
- tribute
- tax levied by a ruler; payment made by one nation to another in acknowledgment of submission; mark of respect (such as praise or gift); Ex. pay tribute to
- penumbra
- partial shadow (in an eclipse); CF. almost shadow
- rotunda
- circular building or hall covered with a dome
- retribution
- deserved punishment for wrongdoing; punishment for offenses; compensation; vengeance; CF. pay back
- patrician
- noble; aristocratic; N: person of high rank; aristocrat; CF. member of the governing classes in ancient Rome; CF. plebian
- subsume
- include (as a member of a group); encompass
- smattering
- slight knowledge; small scattered number or amount; Ex. smattering of German
- squalor
- condition of being squalid; filth; degradation; dirty neglected state; ADJ. squalid: dirty; sordid; morally repulsive; Ex. squalid story
- unguent
- ointment
- wretch
- miserable person; bad or despicable person; ADJ. wretched: miserable; bad; contemptible; vile
- yen
- strong desire; longing; urge; Ex. yen for travel
- paroxysm
- fit or attack of pain, laughter, rage; sudden outburst
- penology
- study of prison management and criminal rehabilitation
- rubric
- title or heading (in red print); directions for religious ceremony; protocol
- simper
- smirk; smile in a silly way; smile affectedly
- slapdash
- hasty and careless; haphazard; sloppy(carelessly done)
- welter
- wallow (as in mud or high seas); lie soaked (as in blood); Ex. The victims weltered in their blood.
- wisp
- faint streak (of smoke); small bunch (of hair);
- rousing
- lively; inducing excitement; stirring; V. rouse: waken; arouse from sleep or depression; excite; stir up
- prong
- pointed projecting part
- runic
- mysterious; set down in an ancient alphabet; N. rune: one of the letters of an alphabet used by ancient Germanic peoples (cut on stone or wood); magic charm
- wrangle
- quarrel noisily; obtain through arguing; herd cattle; N.
- scuttle
- sink (a ship) by cutting holes in the hull; scrap; discard; N: small hatch in a ship's deck or hull
- squeamish
- easily shocked or sickened by unpleasant things; fastidious; Ex. A nurse should not be squeamish.
- refulgent
- effulgent; brilliant; brightly shining; gleaming; Ex. refulgent moon
- unregenerate
- making no attempt to change one's bad practices