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GRE Vocabulary
vocab
175
Other
Graduate
10/10/2008

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Term
aberrant
Definition
deviating from normal or correct.
Term
abscond
Definition
"to leave secretly and hide, often to avoid the law."
Term
advocate
Definition
"to speak, plead, or argue for a cause, or in another’s behalf. (n) -- one who advocates."
Term
aggrandize
Definition
"to make greater, to increase, thus, to exaggerate."
Term
amalgamate
Definition
to unite or mix. (n) -- amalgamation.
Term
ambiguous
Definition
vague; subject to more than one interpretation
Term
ambrosial
Definition
"extremely pleasing to the senses, divine (as related to the gods) or delicious (n: ambrosia)"
Term
anachronism
Definition
a person or artifact appearing after its own time or out of chronological order (adj: anachronistic)
Term
anomalous
Definition
"peculiar; unique, contrary to the norm (n: anomaly)"
Term
antediluvian
Definition
"ancient; outmoded; (literally,before the flood)"
Term
antipathy
Definition
"hostility toward, objection, or aversion to"
Term
arbitrate
Definition
to settle a dispute by impulse (n: arbitration)
Term
assuage
Definition
to make less severe; to appease or satisfy
Term
attenuate
Definition
weaken (adj: attenuated)
Term
audacious
Definition
"extremely bold; fearless, especially said of human behavior (n: audacity)"
Term
aver
Definition
to declare
Term
banal
Definition
commonplace or trite (n: banality)
Term
barefaced
Definition
"unconcealed, shameless, or brazen"
Term
blandishment
Definition
speech or action intended to coax someone into doing something
Term
bombast
Definition
pompous speech (adj: bombastic)
Term
breach
Definition
"a lapse, gap or break, as in a fortress wall. To break or break through.ex: Unfortunately, the club members never forgot his breach of ettiquette."
Term
burgeon
Definition
to grow or flourish; a bud or new growth (adj: burgeoning )
Term
buttress
Definition
to support. a support
Term
cadge
Definition
to get something by taking advantage of someone
Term
caprice
Definition
impulse (adj: capricious)
Term
castigate
Definition
to chastise or criticize severely
Term
catalyst
Definition
an agent of change (adj: catalytic; v. catalyze)
Term
caustic
Definition
"capable of dissolving by chemical action; highly critical: ""His caustic remarks spoiled the mood of the party."""
Term
chicanery
Definition
deception by trickery
Term
complaisant
Definition
willingly compliant or accepting of the status quo (n: complaisance)
Term
conflagration
Definition
a great fire
Term
corporeal
Definition
"of or having to do with material, as opposed to spiritual; tangible. (In older writings, coeporeal could be a synonym for corporal. This usage is no longer common)"
Term
corporal
Definition
"of the body: ""corporal punishment."" a non-commissioned officer ranked between a sergeant and a private."
Term
corroborate
Definition
"to strengthen or support: ""The witness corroborted his story."" (n: corroboration)"
Term
craven
Definition
cowardly; a coward
Term
culpable
Definition
deserving of blame (n: culpability)
Term
dearth
Definition
"lack, scarcity: ""The prosecutor complained about the dearth of concrete evidence against the suspect."""
Term
deference
Definition
"submission or courteous yielding: ""He held his tongue in deference to his father."" (n: deferential. v. defer)"
Term
depict
Definition
"to show, create a picture of."
Term
deprecation
Definition
belittlement. (v. deprecate)
Term
depredation
Definition
"the act of preying upon or plundering: ""The depredations of the invaders demoralized the population."""
Term
descry
Definition
"to make clear, to say"
Term
desiccate
Definition
to dry out thoroughly (adj: desiccated)
Term
diatribe
Definition
a bitter abusive denunciation.
Term
diffident
Definition
"lacking self-confidence, modest (n: diffidence)"
Term
disabuse
Definition
"to free a person from falsehood or error: ""We had to disabuse her of the notion that she was invited."""
Term
disparaging
Definition
belittling (n: disparagement. v. disparage)
Term
dispassionate
Definition
calm; objective; unbiased
Term
dissemble
Definition
"to conceal one's real motive, to feign"
Term
dogged
Definition
"stubborn or determined: ""Her dogged pursuit of the degree eventually paid off."""
Term
dogmatic
Definition
"relying upon doctrine or dogma, as opposed to evidence"
Term
eclectic
Definition
"selecting or employing individual elements from a variety of sources: ""Many modern decorators prefer an eclectic style."" (n: eclecticism)"
Term
efficacy
Definition
effectiveness; capability to produce a desired effect
Term
effluent
Definition
"the quality of flowing out. something that flows out, such as a stream from a river (n: effluence)"
Term
emollient
Definition
softening; something that softens
Term
emulate
Definition
to strive to equal or excel (n: emulation)
Term
encomium
Definition
a formal eulogy or speech of praise
Term
endemic
Definition
"prevalent in or native to a certain region, locality, or people: ""The disease was endemic to the region."" Don't confuse this word with epidemic."
Term
enervate
Definition
"to weaken or destroy the strength or vitality of: ""The heatenervated everyone."" (adj: enervating)"
Term
engender
Definition
"to give rise to, to propagate, to cause: ""His slip of the toungue engendered much laughter."""
Term
enigma
Definition
"puzzle; mystery: ""Math is an enigma to me."" (adj: enigmatic)"
Term
ephemeral
Definition
"lasting for only a brief time, fleeting (n: ephemera)"
Term
equivocal
Definition
"ambiguous; unclear; subject to more than one interpretation -- often intentionally so: ""Republicans complained that Bill Clinton's answers were equivocal."" (v. equivocate)"
Term
erudite
Definition
scholarly; displaying deep intensive learning. (n: erudition)
Term
esoteric
Definition
"intended for or understood by only a few: ""The esoteric discussion confused some people."" (n: esoterica)"
Term
eulogy
Definition
a spoken or written tribute to the deceased (v. eulogize)
Term
exacerbate
Definition
"to increase the bitterness or violence of; to aggravate: ""The decision to fortify the border exacerbated tensions."""
Term
exculpate
Definition
"to demonstrate or prove to be blameless: ""The evidence tended to exculpate the defendant.""(adj: exculpatory)"
Term
exorbitant
Definition
"exceeding customary or normal limits, esp. in quantity or price: ""The cab fare was exorbitant."""
Term
explicit
Definition
fully and clearly expressed
Term
extant
Definition
"in existence, still existing: The only extant representative of that species."""
Term
fathom
Definition
"a measure of length (six feet) used in nautical settings. to penetrate to the depths of something in order to understand it: ""I couldn't fathom her reasoning on that issue."""
Term
fawn
Definition
"to seek favor or attention; to act subserviantly (n, adj: fawning)"
Term
feign
Definition
"to give false appearance or impression: ""He feigned illness to avoid going to school."" (adj: feigned)"
Term
"fervid, fervent"
Definition
"highly emotional; hot: ""The partisans displayed a fervent patriotism."" (n: fervor)"
Term
fledgling
Definition
a baby bird; an inexperienced person; inexperienced.
Term
florid
Definition
"flushed with a rosy color, as in complexion; very ornate and flowery: ""florid prose."""
Term
floundering
Definition
"struggling: ""We tried to save the floundering business."""
Term
garrulous
Definition
"verbose; talkative; rambling: ""We tried to avoid our garrulous neighbor."""
Term
gossamer
Definition
"fine cobweb on foliage; fine gauzy fabric; very fine: ""She wore a gossamer robe."""
Term
guile
Definition
"skillful deceit: ""He was well known for his guile."" (v. bequile; adj: beguiling. Note, however, that these two words have an additional meaning: to charm (v.) or charming (adj:), while the word guile does not generally have any such positive connotations)"
Term
guileless
Definition
honest; straightforward (n: guilelessness)
Term
hapless
Definition
unfortunate
Term
headlong
Definition
"headfirst; impulsive; hasty. impulsively; hastily; without forethought: ""They rushed headlong into marriage."""
Term
homogenous
Definition
"similar in nature or kind; uniform: ""a homogeneous society."""
Term
iconoclast
Definition
one who attacks traditional ideas or institutions or one who destroys sacred images (adj: iconoclastic)
Term
impecunious
Definition
penniless; poor
Term
imperious
Definition
commanding
Term
implication
Definition
insinuation or connotation (v. implicate)
Term
imply
Definition
"to suggest indirectly; to entail: ""She implied she didn't believe his story."" (n: implication)"
Term
improvidence
Definition
"an absence of foresight; a failure to provide for future needs or events: ""Their improvidence resulted in the loss of their home."""
Term
inchoate
Definition
"in an initial or early stage; incomplete; disorganized: ""The act of writing forces one to clarify incohate thoughts."""
Term
incorrigible
Definition
"not capable of being corrected: ""The school board finally decided the James was incorrigible and expelled him from school."""
Term
indelible
Definition
"permanent; unerasable; strong: ""The Queen made an indelible impression on her subjects."""
Term
ineffable
Definition
undescribable; inexpressible in words; unspeakable
Term
infer
Definition
"to deduce: ""New genetic evidence led some zoologists to infer that the red wolf is actually a hybrid of the coyote and the gray wolf."""
Term
ingenious
Definition
"clever: ""She developed an ingenious method for testing her hypothesis.""(n: ingenuity)"
Term
ingenuous
Definition
"unsophisticated; artless; straightforward; candid: ""Wilson's ingenuous response to the controversial calmed the suspicious listeners."""
Term
inhibit
Definition
"to hold back, prohibit, forbid, or restrain (n: inhibition, adj: inhibited)"
Term
innocuous
Definition
harmless; having no adverse affect; not likely to provoke strong emotion
Term
insensible
Definition
"numb; unconscious: ""Wayne was rendered insensible by a blow to the head."" unfeeling; insensitive: ""They were insensibile to the suffering of others.:"
Term
insipid
Definition
lacking zest or excitement; dull
Term
insular
Definition
"of or pertaining to an island, thus, excessively exclusive: ""Newcomers found it difficult to make friends in the insular community."""
Term
intransigent
Definition
"stubborn; immovable; unwilling to change: ""She was so intransigent we finally gave up trying to convince her."" (n: intransigence)"
Term
irascible
Definition
"prone to outbursts of temper, easily angered"
Term
laconic
Definition
"using few words; terse: ""a laconic reply."""
Term
latent
Definition
present or potential but not evident or active (n: latency)
Term
laudable
Definition
praiseworthy; commendable (v. laud)
Term
leviathan
Definition
"giant whale, therefore, something very large"
Term
loquacious
Definition
talkative
Term
lucid
Definition
"clear; translucent: ""He made a lucid argument to support his theory."""
Term
lugubrious
Definition
"weighty, mournful, or gloomy, especially to an excessive degree: ""Jake's lugubrious monologues depressed his friends."""
Term
magnanimity
Definition
generosity and nobility. (adj: magnanimous)
Term
malevolent
Definition
"malicious; evil; having or showing ill will: ""Some early American colonists saw the wilderness as malevolent and sought to control it."""
Term
misanthrope
Definition
"one who hates people: ""He was a true misanthrope and hated even himself."""
Term
misnomer
Definition
incorrect name or word for something
Term
misogynist
Definition
one who hates women
Term
mitigate
Definition
"to make less forceful; to become more moderate; to make less harsh or undesirable: ""He was trying to mitigate the damage he had done."" (n: mitigation)"
Term
nefarious
Definition
"wicked, evil: ""a nefarious plot."""
Term
noisome
Definition
"harmful, offensive, destructive: ""The noisome odor of the dump carried for miles."""
Term
obdurate
Definition
hardened against influence or feeling; intractable.
Term
obviate
Definition
to prevent by anticipatory measures; to make unnecessary:
Term
occlude
Definition
to close or shut off; to obstruct (n: occlusion)
Term
opaque
Definition
"not transparent or transluscent; dense; difficult to comprehend, as inopaque reasoning"
Term
ossified
Definition
"turned to bone; hardened like bone; Inflexible: ""The ossified culture failed to adapt to new economic conditions and died out."""
Term
panegyric
Definition
a writing or speech in praise of a person or thing
Term
peccadillo
Definition
a small sin or fault
Term
pedantic
Definition
"showing a narrow concern for rules or formal book learning; making an excessive display of one's own learning: ""We quickly tired of his pedantic conversation."" (n: pedant, pedantry)."
Term
perfidious
Definition
deliberately treacherous; dishonest (n: perfidy)
Term
petulant
Definition
"easily or frequently annoyed, especially over trivial matters; childishly irritable"
Term
philanthropy
Definition
"tendency or action for the benefit of others, as in donating money or property to a charitible organization"
Term
phlegmatic
Definition
not easily excited; cool; sluggish
Term
placate
Definition
"to calm or reduce anger by making concessions: ""The professor tried to placate his students by postponing the exam."""
Term
plastic
Definition
related to being shaped or molded; capable of being molded. (n: plasticity n: plastic)
Term
plethora
Definition
"excessively large quantity; overabundance: ""We received a p lethora of applications for the position."""
Term
ponderous
Definition
"heavy; massive; awkward; dull: ""A ponderous book is better than a sleeping pill."""
Term
pragmatic
Definition
"concerned with facts; practical, as opposed to highly principled or traditional: ""His pragmatic approach often offended idealists."" (n: pragmatism)"
Term
precipice
Definition
"cliff with a vertical or nearly vertical face; a dangerous place from which one is likely to fall; metaphorically, a very risky circumstance"
Term
precipitate
Definition
"to fall; to fall downward suddenly and dramatically; to bring about or hasten the occurrence of something: ""Old World diseases precipitated a massive decline in the American Indian population."""
Term
precursor
Definition
"something (or someone) that precedes another: ""The assasination of the Archduke was a precursor to the war."""
Term
prevaricate
Definition
"to stray away from or evade the truth: ""When we asked him what his intentions were, he prevaricated.""(n: prevarication; prevaricator)"
Term
prodigal
Definition
"rashly wasteful: ""Americans' prodigal devotion to the automobile is unique."""
Term
propitiate
Definition
"to conciliate; to appease: ""They made sacrifices to propitiate angry gods."""
Term
Pulchritudinous
Definition
beautiful (n: pulchritude)
Term
pusillanimous
Definition
"cowardly, timid, or irreselute; petty: ""The pusillanimous leader soon lost the respect of his people."""
Term
quiescence
Definition
inactivity; stillness; dormancy (adj: quiescent)
Term
rarefy
Definition
"to make or become thin; to purify or refine (n: rarefaction, adj: rarefied)"
Term
reproof
Definition
"the act of censuring, scolding, or rebuking. (v. reprove)."
Term
rescind
Definition
to repeal or annul
Term
sagacious
Definition
having a sharp or powerful intellect or discernment. (n: sagacity).
Term
sanguine
Definition
"cheerful; confident: ""Her sanguine attitude put everyone at ease.""(Sangfroid (noun) is a related French word meaning unflappibility. Literally, it means cold blood)"
Term
sate
Definition
to satisfy fully or to excess
Term
saturnine
Definition
having a gloomy or morose temperament
Term
savant
Definition
a very knowledgable person; a genious
Term
sedulous
Definition
"diligent; persevering; persistent: ""Her sedulous devotion to overcoming her background impressed many."" (n: sedulity; sedulousness; adv. sedulously)"
Term
specious
Definition
"seemingly true but really false; deceptively convincing or attractive: ""Her argument, though specious, was readily accepted by many."""
Term
superficial
Definition
"only covering the surface: ""A superficial treatment of the topic was all they wanted."""
Term
tacit
Definition
"unspoken: ""Katie and carmella had a tacit agreement that they would not mention the dented fender to their parents."""
Term
taciturn
Definition
habitually untalkative or silent (n: taciturnity)
Term
temperate
Definition
exercising moderation and self-denial; calm or mild (n: temperance)
Term
tirade (diatribe)
Definition
"an angry speech: ""His tirade had gone on long enough."""
Term
tortuous
Definition
"twisted; excessively complicated: ""Despite public complaints, tax laws and forms have become increasingly tortuous."" Note: Don't confuse this with torturous."
Term
tractable
Definition
"ability to be easily managed or controlled: ""Her mother wished she were more tractable."" (n: tractibility)"
Term
turpitude
Definition
"depravity; baseness: ""Mr. Castor was fired for moral turpitude."""
Term
tyro
Definition
"beginner; person lacking experience in a specific endeavor: ""They easily took advantage of the tyro."""
Term
vacuous
Definition
"empty; without contents; without ideas or intelligence:: ""She flashed a vacuous smile."""
Term
venerate
Definition
"great respect or reverence: ""The Chinese traditionally venerated their ancestors; ancestor worship is merely a popular misnomer for this tradition."" (n: veneration, adj: venerable)"
Term
verbose
Definition
"wordy: ""The instructor asked her verbose student make her paper more concise."" (n: verbosity)"
Term
vex
Definition
"to annoy; to bother; to perplex; to puzzle; to debate at length: ""Franklin vexed his brother with his controversial writings."""
Term
viscous
Definition
"slow moving; highly resistant to flow: ""Heintz commercials imply that their catsup is more viscous than others'."" (n: viscosity)"
Term
volatile
Definition
explosive; fickle (n: volatility).
Term
voracious
Definition
"craving or devouring large quantities of food, drink, or other things. She is a voracious reader."
Term
waver
Definition
to hesitate or to tremble
Term
wretched
Definition
extremely pitiful or unfortunate (n: wretch)
Term
zeal
Definition
"enthusiastic devotion to a cause, ideal, or goal (n: zealot; zealoutry. adj: zealous"
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