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GRE study terms
GRE terms and definitions
186
English
Undergraduate 4
10/27/2011

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Term
abscond
Definition
to depart clandestinely; to steal off and hide
Term
adversity
Definition
hardship or difficulty; opposition
Term
aggravate
Definition
to worsen or intensify
Term
arduous
Definition
strenuous; taxing; requiring significant effort
Term
belie
Definition
to give a false impression of; misrepresent
Term
bombast
Definition
self-important or pompous writing or speech
Term
cacophony
Definition
harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance
Term
castigation
Definition
severe criticism or punishment
Term
censure
Definition
to criticize severely; to officially rebuke
Term
chicanery
Definition
trickery or subterfuge
Term
coercive
Definition
serving or intended to compel by force or authority
Term
condemn
Definition
to blame or denounce
Term
conspire
Definition
to secretly work together with the intent to commit a wrong or illegal act
Term
covert
Definition
hidden; clandestine
Term
cower
Definition
shrink in fear; cringe
Term
craven
Definition
contemptibly fainthearted, lacking any courage
Term
denigrate
Definition
to blacken; to belittle; to sully; to defame; to disparage
Term
denounce
Definition
to publicly condemn or criticize
Term
derision
Definition
scorn; ridicule; contemptuous treatment
Term
diatribe
Definition
a harsh denunciation
Term
discomfit
Definition
to defeat; to put down
Term
disingenuous
Definition
insincere; lacking in honesty or frankness
Term
dissemble
Definition
to disguise or conceal; to mislead
Term
exacerbate
Definition
to make worse or more severe; to increase in violence
Term
fraud
Definition
deliberate deceit with the goal of gaining an unlawful advantage
Term
furtive
Definition
marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious
Term
garrulous
Definition
pointlessly talkative; talking too much
Term
harangue
Definition
to deliver a pompous speech or tirade
Term
impudent
Definition
saucy; impertinent; bold and disrespectful
Term
inopportune
Definition
ill-timed; unsuitable; inappropriate
Term
irascible
Definition
easily angered; prone to temperamental outbursts
Term
malevolent
Definition
having or showing often vicious ill-will, spite, or hatred
Term
martial
Definition
associated with war and the armed forces
Term
misanthrope
Definition
one who hates all other humans
Term
morose
Definition
sad; sullen; melancholy
Term
obdurate
Definition
unyielding, hardhearted; intractable
Term
obsequious
Definition
exhibiting a fawning attention
Term
obstinate
Definition
stubborn; hardheaded; uncompromising
Term
onerous
Definition
troubling; burdensom
Term
opprobrium
Definition
disgrace; contempt; scorn
Term
pedantic
Definition
the parading of learning; excessive attention to minutiae and formal rules
Term
perjury
Definition
the purposeful giving of false or misleading testimony while under oath
Term
provoke
Definition
to incite anger, resentment, or exasperation
Term
recalcitrant
Definition
obstinately defiant of authority; difficult to manage
Term
secrete
Definition
to ensconce, conceal, or stow
Term
specious
Definition
seeming true, but actually fallacious; misleadingly attractive
Term
spurious
Definition
lacking authenticity or validity; false; counterfeit
Term
squander
Definition
to waste by spending or using irresponsibly
Term
tirade
Definition
a long and extremely critical speech; a harsh denunciation
Term
vexation
Definition
annoyance or irritation
Term
amalgamate
Definition
to combine several elements into a whole
Term
assuage
Definition
to ease or lessen; to appease or pacify
Term
bolster
Definition
to provide support or reinforcement
Term
burgeon
Definition
to grow rapidly or flourish
Term
buttress
Definition
a support or prop, often an external prop used to bolster a wall
Term
capricious
Definition
inclined to change one's mind impulsively; erratic; unpredictible
Term
catalyst
Definition
a person or thing that causes change
Term
caustic
Definition
burning or stinging; causing corrosion
Term
centrifuge
Definition
machine that spins to separate disparate substances
Term
converge
Definition
to tend toward the same spot or outcome; inclining to join at an intersecting point
Term
conversion
Definition
transforming to another form, state, or product
Term
corrosion
Definition
process of causing deterioration; wearing away, esp of metals
Term
decibel
Definition
unit used in measuring the intensity of a sound
Term
desiccate
Definition
to dry out or dehydrate; make dry or dull
Term
distill
Definition
to purify or concentrate through a process of vaporization and concentration
Term
divest
Definition
to remove or strip, esp clothing
Term
enervate
Definition
to weaken; reduce in vitality
Term
ephemeral
Definition
brief; fleeting
Term
eradicate
Definition
to remove completely; to annihilate; to pull out by the roots
Term
expel
Definition
to force out
Term
extend
Definition
to lengthen or stretch out
Term
facilitate
Definition
to aid by making easier
Term
implode
Definition
to abruptly and violently collapse inward
Term
inchoate
Definition
an initial stage; not fully formed
Term
incubation
Definition
warming eggs in order to keep them at a favorable temperature
Term
infuse
Definition
to imbue; to pour in; introduce; instill
Term
intransigent
Definition
refusing to compromise
Term
inundate
Definition
to flood or overwhelm
Term
invigoration
Definition
the quality of being energized or filled with liveliness
Term
lackluster
Definition
dull; lacking vitality or luminosity
Term
lethargic
Definition
lacking energy; sluggish or sleepy
Term
luminous
Definition
characterized by brightness and the emission of light
Term
obviate
Definition
to anticipate and make unnecessary
Term
pervasive
Definition
having the tendency to permeate or spread throughout
Term
placate
Definition
to appease; to calm by making concessions
Term
plod
Definition
to trudge
Term
plummet
Definition
to plunge or drop straight down
Term
precipitate
Definition
acting with excessive haste or impulse
Term
precursor
Definition
one that precedes and indicates or announces another
Term
proliferate
Definition
to grow or increase swiftly and abundantly
Term
propagate
Definition
to cause to spread, multiply, or reproduce
Term
prune
Definition
to cut back or clip
Term
rarefy
Definition
to make or become thin, less dense; to refine
Term
rectify
Definition
to make right or fix; correct
Term
retard
Definition
to slow, delay, or hamper
Term
saturate
Definition
to fill until there is no further capacity for absorbance
Term
sever
Definition
to remove or separate by cutting off
Term
synthesis
Definition
a combination of parts to make a whole
Term
viscous
Definition
thick; sticky
Term
vital
Definition
essential
Term
vitality
Definition
vigor, ability to live or grow; energy
Term
volatile
Definition
readily changeable; fickle, explosive
Term
waver
Definition
to sway; to be unsettled in decision
Term
aberrant
Definition
deviating from the norm
Term
ambiguous
Definition
unclear
Term
anachronistic
Definition
belonging to another time; removed from natural chronological context
Term
anomalous
Definition
abnormal; deviating from the common or general type
Term
ascetic
Definition
one who practices rigid self-denial, esp as an act of religious devotion
Term
banal
Definition
lacking originality; commonplace
Term
commensurate
Definition
matching; corresponding or proportionate in degree, size, or amount
Term
derivative
Definition
unoriginal; obtained from another source
Term
diffuse
Definition
dispersed or scattered, not centralized
Term
distention
Definition
the state or act of extending or being swollen out of shape
Term
eclectic
Definition
culled from many sources
Term
emulate
Definition
to imitate with the goal of rivaling or surpassing
Term
esoteric
Definition
intended for or understood by a small, specific group
Term
iconoclastic
Definition
attacking cherished beliefs; heretical
Term
idiosyncrasy
Definition
a quirk particular to a group or individual
Term
mitigate
Definition
to make or become less severe or intense
Term
mundane
Definition
of the world, typical of or concerned with the ordinary
Term
superfluous
Definition
exceeding what is sufficient or necessary
Term
tangential
Definition
only touching briefly upon the topic at hand; irrelevant
Term
apprise
Definition
to give notice to; to inform
Term
approbation
Definition
an expression of approval or praise
Term
aver
Definition
to state as a fact; to confirm or support
Term
candor
Definition
honesty
Term
circumspect
Definition
discreet; prudent; careful
Term
cogent
Definition
appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing
Term
diffident
Definition
reserved, shy, or unassuming; lacking in self confidence
Term
disabuse
Definition
to undeceive; to set right
Term
dissertation
Definition
a long and formal written thesis or treatise
Term
elegy
Definition
a mournful poem
Term
enumerate
Definition
to list or count off individually
Term
equivocate
Definition
to use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent
Term
euphemism
Definition
a mild replacement for a harsher and more offensive term
Term
exculpate
Definition
exonerate; to clear of blame
Term
extemporaneous
Definition
improvised; done without preparation
Term
glib
Definition
marked by ease or informality; superficial
Term
implicit
Definition
implied but not directly stated
Term
laconic
Definition
using few words; terse
Term
laud
Definition
to praise highly
Term
loquacious
Definition
extremely talkative
Term
platitude
Definition
a superficial remark, esp one offered as meaningful
Term
propitiate
Definition
to appease; conciliate
Term
rhetoric
Definition
the art or study of effective use of language for communication and persuation
Term
sanction
Definition
authoritative permission or approval
Term
stanza
Definition
a group of two or more verses or lines that make up a division in a poem
Term
tacit
Definition
implied; not explicitly stated
Term
taciturn
Definition
not talkative; reserved
Term
tout
Definition
to publicly praise or promote
Term
veracity
Definition
truthfulness, honesty
Term
antipathy
Definition
aversion, dislike
Term
aversion
Definition
an intense feeling of dislike or disgust
Term
banal
Definition
lacking originality; commonplace
Term
bent
Definition
an inclination or tendency
Term
dogma
Definition
doctrine or set of religious principles
Term
equivocal
Definition
ambiguous
Term
illusory
Definition
deceptive
Term
inured
Definition
accustomed to accepting something undesirable
Term
penury
Definition
poverty; destitution
Term
preempt
Definition
to replace, supersede, to appropriate
Term
prodigal
Definition
recklessly wasteful; extravagant; profuse; lavish
Term
repudiate
Definition
to refuse to have anything to do with; disown
Term
solvent
Definition
able to meet financial obligations
Term
stint
Definition
to restrain; to be sparing or frugal
Term
superfluous
Definition
exceeding what is sufficient or necessary
Term
veneration
Definition
extreme respect and reverence; worship
Term
audacious
Definition
daring and fearless
Term
blithe
Definition
carefree; merry
Term
burnish
Definition
polish
Term
consternation
Definition
dismay; startling, distressing fear or shock that results in complete confusion
Term
dogmatic
Definition
stubbornly opinionated
Term
effrontery
Definition
boldness; impudence; arrogance
Term
erudite
Definition
very learned; scholarly
Term
facetious
Definition
playful; humorous
Term
fatuous
Definition
silly, inanely foolish
Term
ingenuity
Definition
cleverness, inventiveness
Term
intemperance
Definition
excessive indulgence of appetite or passion
Term
intrepid
Definition
steadfast and courageous
Term
magnanimity
Definition
the quality of being generously noble in mind and heart
Term
perfunctory
Definition
cursory
Term
probity
Definition
adherence to the highest principles
Term
prodigious
Definition
abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary
Term
solicitous
Definition
concerned and attentive; eager
Term
tortuous
Definition
winding; twisting; excessively complex
Term
tractable
Definition
docile; obedient; easily led
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