Top 180 GRE Vocab Words in Context
These words appear more frequently than others. Kaplan GRE Premier Program 2009 Edition
Terms
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- Diffident
- Lacking self-confidence || -Steve's diffident manner during the interview stemmed from his nervous nature...
- Monotony
- Lack of variation
- Reticent
- Silent, reserved || -Physically small and RETICENT in her speech, Joan Didion often went unnoticed by those upon whom she was reporting
- Quiescent
- Motionless || -Many animals are QUIESCENT over the winter months
- Alleviate
- To make more bearable || -Taking aspirin helps to ALLEVIATE a headache
- Waver
- To fluctuate between choices
- Desiccate
- To dry out thoroughly || -After a few weeks of lying on the deserts sand, the cow's carcass became completely DESICCATE
- Mitigate
- To soften; To lessen
- Rarefy
- To make thinner or sparser || -Since the atmosphere RAREFIES as altitudes increase, the air at the top of the mountains is too thin to breathe
- Perfunctory
- Done in a routing way; Indifferent || -The machinelike bank teller processed the transaction & gave the customer a PERFUNCTORY smile
- Tacit
- Done without using words || -Although not a word had been said, everyone in the room knew that TACIT agreement had been made
- Impervious
- Impossible to penetrate; Incapable of being affected
- Anomaly
- Deviation from what is normal || -Albino animals may display too great an ANOMALY in their coloring to attract normally colored mates
- Obstinate
- Stubborn, unyielding || -The OBSTINATE child could not be made to eat any food that he disliked
- Pungent
- Sharp & irritating to the senses
- Vex
- To annoy
- Lethargic
- Acting in an indifferent or slow, sluggish manner
- Gullible
- Easily deceived
- Adulterate
- To make impure || -The restaurateur made his ketchup last longer by ADULTERATING it with water
- Ephemeral
- Lasting a short time || -The lives of mayflies seem EPHEMERAL to us, since the flies average life span is a matter of hours
- Apathy
- Lack of interest or emotion
- Plethora
- Excess
- Verbose
- Wordy || -The professor's answer was so VERBOSE that his student forgot what the question was
- Efficacy
- Effectiveness
- Obviate
- To prevent; To make unnecessary || -The river was shallow enough to wade across at many points, which OBVIATED the need for a bridge
- Paragon
- Model of excellence or perfection || -She is the PARAGON of what a judge should be
- Onerous
- Troublesome & oppressive; Burdensome || -The assignment was so extensive and difficult to manage that it proved ONEROUS to the team in charge of it
- Dilettante
- Someone with an amateurish & superficial interest in a topic || -Jerry's friends were such DILETTANTES that they seemed to have new jobs & hobbies every week
- Lavish
- To give unsparingly(verb); Extremely generous or extravagant(adjective) || -She LAVISHED the puppy with so many treats that it soon became fat
- Decorum
- Appropriateness of behavior or conduct; Propriety || -The countess complained that the vulgar peasants lacked the DECORUM...
- Homogenous
- Of a similar kind || -The class was fairly HOMOGENOUS, since almost all of the students were senior journalism majors
- Anachronism
- Something out of place in time || -The aged hippie used ANACHRONISTIC phrases like groovy & far out that had not been popular for years
- Meticulous
- Extremely careful about details
- Austere
- Severe or stern in appearance; Undecorated || -The lack of decoration makes Zen temples seen AUSTERE to the untrained eye
- Irascible
- Easily made angry || -Attila the Hun's IRASCIBLE & violent nature made all who dealt with him fear for their lives
- Chauvinist
- Someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which they belong
- Arbitrate
- To judge a dispute between two opposing parties || -Since the couple could not come to agreement, a judge was forced to ARBITRATE their divorce proceedings
- Fanatical
- Acting excessively enthusiastic; Filled with extreme, unquestioned devotion
- Enigma
- A puzzle; A mystery
- Enervate
- To reduce in strength || -The guerrillas hoped that a series of surprise attacks would ENERVATE the regular army
- Chicanery
- Deception by means of craft or guile || -Dishonest used car salesman often use CHICANERY to sell their beat-up old cars
- Implacable
- Unable to be calmed down or made peaceful || -His rage at the betrayal was so great that he remained IMPLACABLE for weeks
- 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
- Imperturbable
- Not capable of being disturbed || -The counselor had so much experience dealing with distraught children that she seemed IMPERTURBABLE
- Enumerate
- To count, list, or itemize || -Moses returned from the MT with tablets on which the commandments were ENUMERATED
- Florid
- Excessively decorated or embellished || -The place had been decorated in an excessively FLORID style
- Disparate
- Fundamentally different; Entirely unlike || -Although the twins appear to be identical physically, their personalities were DISPARATE
- Deride
- To speak of or treat with contempt; To mock || -The awkward child was often DERIDED by his cooler peers
- Naive
- Lacking sophistication or experience
- Chaos
- Great disorder or confusion
- Obsequious
- Overly submissive & eager to please || -The OBSEQUIOUS new associate made sure to compliment her supervisors tie & agree with him on every issue
- Placate
- To soothe or pacify
- Eloquent
- Persuasive & moving, especially in speech
- Dirge
- A funeral hymn or mournful speech
- Malleable
- Capable of being shaped
- Gregarious
- Outgoing, sociable || -She was so GREGARIOUS that when she found herself alone she felt quite sad
- Dogmatic
- Dictatorial in ones opinion
- Soporific
- Causing sleep or lethargy || -The movie proved to be so SOPORIFIC that soon loud snores were heard throughout the theater
- Satiate
- To satisfy fully or overindulge
- Philanthropy
- Charity; A desire or effort to promote goodness
- Bombastic
- Pompous in speech & manner || -The dictators speeches were mostly BOMBASTIC
- Lucid
- Clear & easily understood
- Abate
- To Reduce in amount, degree, or severity || -As the hurricane's force ABATED, the winds dropped and the sea became calm
- Corroborate
- To provide supporting evidence || -Fingerprints CORROBORATED the witness's testimony
- Antagonize
- To annoy or provoke to anger || -The child discovered that he could ANTAGONIZE the cat by pulling its tail
- Loquacious
- Talkative || -She was naturally LOQUACIOUS
- Banal
- Predictable, Clichéd, Boring || -He used BANAL phrases like "Have a nice day, or another day, another dollar"
- Innocuous
- Harmless || -Some snakes are poisonous, but most species are INNOCUOUS & pose no danger to humans
- Dogma
- A firmly held opinion, often a religious belief
- Dupe
- To deceive; A person who is easily deceived || -Bugs Bunny was able to DUPE Elmer Fudd by dressing up as a lady rabbit
- Erudite
- Learned, scholarly, bookish || -The annual meeting of philosophy professors was a gathering of the most ERUIDTE, well-published individuals in the field
- Archaic
- Ancient, old-fashioned
- Garrulous
- Tending to talk a lot || -The GARRULOUS parakeet distracted its owner with its continuous talking
- Abstain
- To choose not to do something || -She ABSTAINED from choosing a mouthwatering dessert from the tray
- Venerate
- To respect deeply || -In a traditional Confucian society, the young VENERATE their elders
- Ardor
- Intense & passionate feeling || -Bishops ARDOR for landscape was evident when he passionately described the beauty of the scenic Hudson Valley
- Sublime
- Lofty or grand || -The music was so SUBLIME...
- Lament
- to express sorrow; to grieve || -The children continued to LAMENT the death of the goldfish weeks after its demise
- Estimable
- Admirable || -Most people consider it ESTIMABLE that Mother Teresa spent her life helping the poor of India
- Explicit
- Clearly stated or shown; Forthright in expression
- Mollify
- To calm or make less severe || -Their argument was so intense that it was difficult to believe any compromise would MOLLIFY them
- Inchoate
- Not fully formed; Disorganized || -The ideas expressed in Nietzsche's mature work also appear in an INCHOATE form in his earliest writing
- Fawn
- To grovel
- Bolster
- To support; To prop up || -The presence of giant footprints BOLSTERED the argument that Bigfoot was in the area
- Misanthrope
- A person who dislikes others || -The character Scrooge is such a MISANTHROPE that even the sight of children singing makes him angry
- Advocate
- To speak in favor of || -The vegetarian ADVOCATED a diet containing no meat
- Veracity
- Filled with truth & accuracy || -She had a reputation for VERACITY, so everyone trusted her description of events
- Disabuse
- To set right; To free from error || -Galileo's observations DISABUSED scholars of the notion that the sun revolved around the earth
- Candid
- Impartial & honest in speech || -The observations of a child can be charming since they are CANDID & unpretentious
- Credulous
- Too trusting; Gullible
- Propriety
- Correct behavior; Obedience to rules & customs
- Castigate
- To punish or criticize harshly || -The authorities CASTIGATE perpetrators
- Dilate
- To make larger; To expand
- Inundate
- To overwhelm; To cover with waiter || -The tidal wave INUNDATED Atlantis
- 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
- Pragmatic
- Practical as opposed to idealistic
- Foment
- To arouse or incite || -The protestors tried to FOMENT feeling against the war through their speeches & demonstrations
- Laconic
- Using few words || -She was a LACONIC poet who built her reputation on using words as sparingly as possible
- Eulogy
- Speech in praise of someone
- Convoluted
- Intricate & complicated
- Iconoclast
- One who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions || -His lack of regard for traditional beliefs soon established him as an ICONOCLAST
- Frugality
- A tendency to be thrifty or cheap
- Volatile
- Easily aroused or changeable; Lively or explosive
- Impetuous
- Quick to act without thinking || -It is not good for an investment broker to be IMPETUOUS
- Crescendo
- Steadily increasing volume or force || -The CRESCENDO of tension became unbearable...
- 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
- Deference
- Respect, courtesy || -The respectful young law clerk treated the Supreme Court justice with the utmost DEFERENCE
- Abscond
- To leave secretly || -The patron ABSCONDED from the restaurant without paying his bill by sneaking out the back door
- Abyss
- An extremely deep hole || -The submarine dove into the ABYSS to chart unseen waters
- Erratic
- Wandering & unpredictable
- Cacophony
- Harsh, jarring noise
- Cogent
- Convincing & well reasoned || -Swayed by the COGENT argument of the defense, the jury had no choice to acquit the defendant
- Stolid
- Unemotional; Lacking sensitivity || -The prisoner appeared STOLID & unaffected by the judge's harsh sentence
- Perfidious
- Willing to betray ones trust || -The actress's PERFIDIOUS companion revealed all of her intimate secrets
- Intransigent
- Uncompromising; Refusing to be reconciled || -The professor was INTRASIGNENT on the deadline, insisting that everyone turn the assignment in at the same time
- Precipitate
- To throw violently or bring about abruptly; Lacking deliberation
- Attenuate
- To reduce in force or degree; To Weaken || -The bill of rights ATTENUATED the traditional power of government to change laws at will
- Stigma
- A mark of shame or discredit
- Antipathy
- Extreme dislike || -The ANTIPATHY between the French & English regularly erupted into open warfare
- Dilatory
- Intended to delay || -The congressman used DILATORY measures to delay the passage of the bill
- 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
- Audacious
- Fearless & Daring || -Her AUDACIOUS nature allowed her to fulfill her dream of skydiving
- Luminous
- Bright, brilliant, glowing
- Ambiguous
- Doubtful or Uncertain; Able to be interpreted several ways
- Paradox
- A contradiction or dilemma
- Dissonance
- A harsh & disagreeable combination, often sounds || -Cognitive dissonance is the inner conflict produced when long-standing beliefs are contradicted by new evidence
- Tirade
- Long, harsh speech or verbal attack || -Observers were shocked at the managers TIRADE over such a minor mistake
- Insipid
- Lacking interest or flavor || -The critic claimed that the painting was INSIPID, containing no interesting qualities at all
- Permeate
- To penetrate
- Exigent
- Urgent; Requiring immediate action || -The patient was losing blood so rapidly that it was EXIGENT to stop the source of the bleeding
- Diatribe
- An abusive, condemnatory speech
- Repudiate
- To reject the validity of || -The old woman's claim that she was Russian royalty was REPUDIATED ...
- Propitiate
- To conciliate; To appease || -The management PROPITIATED the irate union by agreeing to raise wages for its members
- Condone
- To overlook, pardon, or disregard || -Some theorists believe that failing to prosecute minor crimes is the same as CONDONING an air of lawlessness
- Plastic
- Able to be molded, altered, or bent
- Fervid
- Intensely emotional; Feverish || -The fans of Maria Callas were unusually FERVID, doing anything to catch a glimpse of her
- Eclectic
- Selecting from or made up from a variety of sources
- Analogous
- Similar or alike in some way; Equivalent to || -In a famous argument for the existence of God, the universe is ANALOGOUS to a mechanical timepiece, the creation of a divinely intelligent "clockmaker"
- Discern
- To perceive; To recognize
- Catalyst
- Something that brings about a change in something else || -The imposition of harsh taxes was the CATALYST that finally brought on the revolution
- Prudence
- Wisdom, caution, or restraint || -The college student exhibited PRUDENCE by obtaining practical experience along with her studies
- Esoteric
- Known or understood by only a few || -Only a handful of experts are knowledgeable about the ESOTERIC world of particle physics
- Aesthetic
- Concerning the appreciation of beauty || -Followers of the AESTHETIC movement regarded the pursuit of beauty as the only true purpose of art
- Taciturn
- Silent, not talkative || -The clerk's TACITURN nature earned him the nickname "Silent Bob"
- Laud
- To give praise; To glorify || -Parades & fireworks were staged to LAUD the success of the rebels
- Caustic
- Biting in wit
- Desultory
- Jumping from one thing to another; Disconnected || -Mary had a DESULTORY academic record
- Vacillate
- To sway physically; to be indecisive || -The customer held up the line as he VACILLATED between ordering chocolate chip or rocky road
- Assuage
- To make something unpleasant less severe || -Serena used aspirin to ASSUAGE her pounding headache
- Opprobrium
- Public disgrace || -After the scheme to embezzle the elderly was made public, the treasurer resigned in utter OPPROBRIUM
- Elegy
- A sorrowful poem or speech || -Although Thomas Grays ELEGY is about death & loss, it urges readers to endure this life, & trust in spirituality
- Torpor
- Extreme mental & physical sluggishness || -After surgery, the patient experienced TURPOR until the anesthesia wore off
- Proliferate
- To increase in number quickly
- Articulate
- Able to speak clearly & expressively
- Emulate
- To copy; To try to equal or excel
- Transitory
- Temporary, lasting a brief time || -The reporter lived a TRANSITORY life
- Exacerbate
- To make worse
- 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
- Pedant
- Someone who shows off learning || -The graduate instructors tedious & excessive commentary on the subject soon gained her a reputation as a PEDANT
- Exonerate
- To clear of blame || -The fugitive was EXONERATED when another criminal confessed to the crime
- Pristine
- Fresh & clean; Uncorrupted
- Ingenuous
- Showing innocence or childlike simplicity
- Whimsical
- Acting in a fanciful or capricious manner; Unpredictable || -The ballet was WHIMSICAL, delighting the children with its imaginative characters...
- Amalgamate
- To Combine; To mix together || -Giant industries AMALGAMATED with Mega Products to form Giant-Mega Products Inc
- Obdurate
- Hardened in feeling; Resistant to persuasion || -The President was completely OBDURATE on the issue, & no amount of persuasion would change his mind
- Rhetoric
- Effective writing or speaking || -Lincoln's talent for RHETORIC was evident in his speech
- Malinger
- To evade responsibility by pretending to be ill
- Prodigal
- Lavish, wasteful || -The PRODIGAL son quickly wasted all of his inheritance on a lavish lifestyle devoted to pleasure
- Opaque
- Impossible to see through; Preventing the passage of light
- Specious
- Deceptively attractive; Seemingly plausible but fallacious || -The students SPECIOUS excuse for being late sounded legitimate, but was proved otherwise
- Euphemism
- Use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one || -The funeral director preferred to use the EUPHIMISM "sleeping" instead of the word "dead"
- Zeal
- Passion, excitement || -She brought her typical ZEAL to the project, sparking enthusiasm in the other team members
- Guile
- Deceit or trickery || -Since he was not fast enough to catch the roadrunner on foot, the coyote resorted to GUILE to trap him
- Ameliorate
- To make better; To Improve || -The Dr. was able to AMELIORATE the patients suffering using painkillers
- Dissemble
- To present a false appearance; To disguise ones real intentions or character || -The villain could DISSEMBLE to the police no longer...
- Metaphor
- A figure of speech comparing two different things; A symbol
- Occlude
- To stop up; To prevent the passage of
- Ostentation
- Excessive showiness
- Inimical
- Hostile, unfriendly
- Capricious
- Changing ones mind quickly & often || -Queen was quite CAPRICIOUS