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GRE Verbal Flashcards
difficult GRE Verbal words/definitions
135
Education
Graduate
06/30/2008

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Term
abjure
Definition
to reject; abandon formally
Term
abscond
Definition
to leave secretly
Term
acidulous  
Definition
sour in taste or manner. acerbic, acetose, biting, piquant, pungent
Term
alacrity
Definition
promptness, cheerful readiness
Term
anodyne
Definition
something that calms, sooths pain
Term
apocryphal
Definition
of questionable authority or authenticity
Term
apostate
Definition
one who announces a religious faith
Term
approbation
Definition
approval or praise
Term
arrogate
Definition
to claim without justification; to claim for oneself without right
Term
assuage
Definition
to make something unpleasant less severe
Term
attenuate
Definition
to reduce in force or degree; to weaken
Term
augury
Definition
prophecy; prediction of events. auspices, harbinger, portent
Term
august
Definition
dignified, grandiose
Term
axiom
Definition
premise; postulate; self-evident truth. adage, apothegm, aphorism, maxim
Term
belfry
Definition
bell tower, room in which bell is hung. spire, steeple
Term
bilk
Definition
cheat, defraud
Term
Blithe
Definition
joyful, cheerful, or without appropriate thought
Term
bombastic
Definition
pompous in speech or manner, fustian, grandiloquent, high-flown, orotund, pretentious.
Term
bonhomie
Definition
good-natured geniality; atmosphere of good cheer
Term
boor
Definition
crude person, one lacking manners or taste
Term
calumny
Definition
a false and malicious accusation; misrepresentation
Term
canard
Definition
a lie
Term
capricious
Definition
changing one's mind quickly and often; mercurial; whimsical
Term
chicancery
Definition
deception by means of craft or guile
Term
circumspect
Definition
caustic, aware of potential consequences.
Term
cloying
Definition
sickly sweet; excessive
Term
coalesce
Definition
to grow together to form a single whole
Term
coffer
Definition
strongbox; large chest for money; exchequer
Term

condone

Definition
to overlook; to pardon, disregard
Term
connoisseur
Definition
gastronome
Term
contrite
Definition
deeply sorrowful and repentant for a wrong
Term
contumacious
Definition
rebellious, factious, seditious
Term
cosset
Definition
to pamper, treat with great care; dandle, fondle, pet
Term
craven
Definition
lacking courage
Term
cupidity
Definition
greed; strong desire; avarice; covetousness; rapacity
Term
curmudgeon
Definition
cranky person, usually old
Term
declivity
Definition
downward slope
Term
decorous
Definition
proper, tasteful, socially correct
Term
decorum
Definition
appropriateness of behavior or conduct
Term
deleterious
Definition
subtly or unexpectedly harmful
Term
demagogue
Definition
a leader, rabble rouser, usually appealing to emotion or prejudice; agitator; inciter; instigator
Term
demur
Definition
to express doubts or objections; expostulate; kick; protest; remonstrate
Term
dessicate
Definition
to dry out thoroughly; dehydrate; dry; parch
Term
desultory
Definition
jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
Term
diaphanous
Definition
allowing light to pass through; delicate; tenuous
Term
diatribe
Definition
an abusive, condemnatory speech; fulmination; harangue; invective
Term
dictum
Definition
authoritative statement
Term
diffident
Definition
lacking self confidence
Term
dilatory
Definition
intended to delay; procrastinating; sluggish; putting-off
Term
dilettante
Definition
someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
Term
dirge
Definition
a funeral hymn or mourful speech
Term
disabuse
Definition
to set right, to free from error
Term
disparate
Definition
fundamentally different; entirely unlike
Term
Dissemble
Definition
to present a false appearance, to disguise one's real intentions or character
Term
distaff
Definition

female branch of the family

Term
dither
Definition
to act confusedly or without clear purpose
Term
diurnal
Definition
existing during the day
Term
divine
Definition
to foretell or know by inspiration; auger; intuit; presage
Term
doctrinaire
Definition
rightly devoted to theories without regard for practicality; dogmatic; dictorial; inflexible.
Term
dogma
Definition
a firmly held opinion, especially a religious belief
Term
dogmatic
Definition
dictorial in one's opinions; doctrinaire; imperious
Term
droll
Definition

amusing in a wry, subtle way; risible; witty

Term
dupe
Definition
to deceive; cozen
Term
dyspeptic
Definition
suffering from indigestion; gloomy and irritable; acerb; melancholy
Term
ebullient
Definition
exhilarated, full of enthusiasm; ardent; avid; bubbly
Term

efficacy

Definition
effectiveness;dynamism; force; power; productiveness; vigor
Term
effigy
Definition
stuffed doll; likeness of a person
Term
effrontery
Definition
impudent boldness; audacity; brashness; gall; nerve; presumption; temerity
Term
elegy
Definition
a sorrowful poem or speech; dirge; lament
Term
encomium
Definition
warm praise; citation; eulogy; panegyric; tribute
Term
endemic
Definition

belonging to a particular area; inherent; indigenous

Term
enervate
Definition
to reduce in change; debilitate; enfeeble; sap; weaken
Term
engender
Definition
to produce, cause, or bring about; beget; generate; proliferate; reproduce; spawn
Term
enumerate
Definition
to count, list, itemize
Term
ephemeral
Definition
lasting a short time; evanescent; fleeting; momentary; transient
Term
epicure
Definition
person with refined taste in food and wine; bon vivant; connoisseur; gasatronomer; gastronomist; gourmand; gourmet
Term
equivocate
Definition
to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead; hedge; waffle
Term
ersatz
Definition
fake; artificial
Term
erudite
Definition
learned, scholarly, bookish
Term
eschew
Definition

to shun, to avoid; elude; escape; evade

Term
esoteric
Definition
known or understood only by few
Term
ethos
Definition
beliefs or character of a group
Term
eulogy
Definition
speech in praise of someone
Term
euphemism
Definition
use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one
Term
euphony
Definition
pleasant, harmonious sound
Term
exacerbate
Definition
to make worse; aggravate; annoy; intensify; irritate; provoke
Term
exculpate
Definition
to clear from blame; to prove innocent; absolve; acquit; clear; exonerate; vindicate
Term
exigent
Definition
urgent; requiring immediate action.
Term
exonerate
Definition
to clear of blame
Term

exponent

Definition
one who champions or advocates; respresentative; supporter
Term
expurgate
Definition
to censor
Term
fallow
Definition
dormant; unused; idle; inactive; unseeded
Term
fanatical
Definition
acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme, unquestioned devotion; extremist; fiery; frenzied; zealous.
Term

fatuous

Definition
stupid; foolishly self satisfied; absurd; ludicrous; preposterous; ridiculous; silly
Term
fawn
Definition
to grovel; bootlick; grovel; pander; toady
Term
fecund
Definition
fertile; fruitful; productive; flourishing; prolific
Term
fervid
Definition
intensely emotional; feverish; burning; impassioned; passionate; vehement; zealous
Term
fetid
Definition
foul-smelling; putrid; funky; malodorous; noisome; rank
Term
flag
Definition
to decline in vigor; ebb; dwindle; subside; wane
Term
florid
Definition
excessively decorated or embellished
Term
foment
Definition
to arouse; incite; impassion; kindle
Term
ford
Definition
to cross a body of water by wading; traverse
Term
forestall
Definition
to prevent, delay; anticipate
Term
fortuitous
Definition
happening by chancem fortunate; prosperous; propitious; haphazard
Term
fractious
Definition
unruly, rebellious; contentious; cranky; peevish; quarrelsome
Term
frenetic
Definition
frantic, frenzied; corybantic; delirious; feverish ;mad; rabid
Term
furtive
Definition
secret; stealthy; shifty; cladestine; underhand; surreptitious
Term
gambol
Definition
to dance or skip around playfully; caper; cavort; frisk; froliv; rollick; romp
Term
garner
Definition
to gather and store; amass; acquire; glean; harvest; reap
Term
garrulous
Definition
tending to talk a lot; effusive; loquacious
Term
gestation
Definition
growth process from conception to birth
Term
glib
Definition
fluent in an insincere many; offhand; casual; easy; superficial
Term
glower
Definition
to glare; stare angrily and intensely; frown; lower; scowl
Term
gradation
Definition
process occuring by regular degrees or stages; variation in color. nuance; shade; step; subtlety
Term
gregarious
Definition
outgoing; sociable; affable; congenial
Term
grievous
Definition
causing grief or sorrow; serious and distressing
Term
grovel
Definition
to humble oneself in a demeaning way; bootlick crince; fawn; kowtow; toady
Term
guile
Definition
deceit, trickery, artifice; chicancery; connivery; duplicity
Term
hapless
Definition
unfortunate; having bad luck; ill-fated; ill-starred; jinxed; luckless; unlucky
Term
hegemony
Definition
the domination of one state or group over its allies
Term
hermetic
Definition
tightly sealed; airtight; impervious; watertight
Term
heterogrneous
Definition
composed of unlike parts, differeent, diverse; assorted; miscellaneous; mixed; motley
Term
hoary
Definition
very old; whitish or gray from age; ancient; antediluvian; antique; venerable; vintage
Term
homogenous
Definition
of a similar kind; consistent; standardized; uniform; unvarying.
Term
husband
Definition
to manage economically; to use sparingly; conserve
Term
hyperbole
Definition
purposeful exaggeration for effect; embellishment; inflation; magnification
Term
iconoclast
Definition
one who opposes established beliefs, customs, institutions; maverick; nonconformists; rebel; revolutionary
Term
idiosyncracy
Definition
peculiarity if temperment, eccentricity
Term
ignoble
Definition
having low moral standards, not noble in character; mean. lowly; vulgar
Term
imbue
Definition
to infuse; dye, wet, moisten; charge; freight; impregnate; permeate; pervade
Term
impasse
Definition
blocked path; dilemma with no solution; cul-de-sace; deadlock; stalemate
Term
impecunious
Definition
poor, having no money; destitute; impoverished; indigent; needy; penniless
Term
imperturbable
Definition
not capable of being disturbed; composed; dispassionate; impassive; serene; stoical
Term
impervious
Definition
impossible to penetrate
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