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GRE Words In Context
Definitions
176
Other
Graduate
10/24/2013

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Term
Abate
Definition
to reduce in amount, degree, or severity
Term
Abjure
Definition
to renounce upon oath; to reject solemnly

to abstain from: avoid
Term
Abscond
Definition
to leave secretly
Term
Adroit
Definition
having or showing skill, cleverness, or resourcefulness in handling situations
Term
Adulterate
Definition
to make impure
Term
Affable
Definition
being at ease; friendly
Term
Aggrandize
Definition
to increase in power, influence, and reputation
Term
Alacrity
Definition
promptness in response; cheerful in readiness
Term
Allay
Definition
to subdue or reduce in intensity or severity: alleviate

to make quiet: calm
Term
Alleviate
Definition
to make more bearable
Term
Amalgamate
Definition
to combine; to mix together
Term
Ambiguous
Definition
doubtful or uncertain, able to be interpreted several ways
Term
Ameliorate
Definition
to make better; to improve
Term
Anachronism
Definition
something out of place in time
Term
Anodyne
Definition
serving to alleviate pain

not likely to offend or arouse tensions: innocuous
Term
Antipathy
Definition
extreme dislike
Term
Apathy
Definition
lack of interest or emotion
Term
Aphorism
Definition
a terse formulation of truth (adage)
Term
Arbitrate
Definition
to judge a dispute between two opposing parties
Term
Ardor
Definition
intense and passionate feeling
Term
Assuage
Definition
to make something unpleasant less severe
Term
Attenuate
Definition
to reduce in force or degree; to weaken
Term
Audacious
Definition
fearless and daring
Term
Austere
Definition
severe or stern in appearance; undecorated
Term
Avuncular
Definition
of or relating to an uncle; esp. in kindliness or geniality
Term
Banal
Definition
predictable, cliched, boring
Term
Bombastic
Definition
pompous in speech and manner
Term
Brusque
Definition
markedly short and abrupt; blunt
Term
Bungle
Definition
to act or work clumsily and awkwardly
Term
Cacophony
Definition
harsh, jarring noise
Term
Capricious
Definition
changing one's mind quickly and often
Term
Castigate
Definition
to punish or criticize harshly
Term
Caustic
Definition
biting in wit
Term
Chicanery
Definition
deception by means of craft or guile
Term
Cloy
Definition
to surfeit with an excess usually of something originally pleasing
Term
Cogent
Definition
convincing and well reasoned
Term
Conciliate
Definition
to become friendly or agreeable; appease
Term
Contravene
Definition
to go or act contrary to; to violate

to oppose in argument
Term
Convalesce
Definition
to recover health and strength gradually
Term
Credulous
Definition
too trusting; gullible
Term
Dearth
Definition
scarcity that makes dear; inadequate supply
Term
Decorum
Definition
appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety
Term
Deference
Definition
respect, courtesy
Term
Descry
Definition
to catch sight of; find out, discover, reveal
Term
Desiccate
Definition
to dry out thoroughly
Term
Desultory
Definition
jumping from on thing to another; disconnected
Term
Diatribe
Definition
an abusive, condemnatory speech
Term
Diffident
Definition
lacking self-confidence
Term
Dilatory
Definition
intended to delay
Term
Dilettante
Definition
someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
Term
Dirge
Definition
a funeral hymn or mournful 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
Dogma
Definition
a firmly held opinion, often a religious belief
Term
Dogmatic
Definition
dictatorial in one's opinions
Term
Effluvium
Definition
an invisible emanation; esp. an offensive exhalation or smell

a by-product esp. in the form of waste
Term
Elegy
Definition
a sorrowful poem or speech
Term
Eloquent
Definition
fluent expression; revealing
Term
Emphemeral
Definition
lasting a short time
Term
Enervate
Definition
to reduce in strength
Term
Engender
Definition
to produce, cause, or bring about
Term
Equivocate
Definition
to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead
Term
Erudite
Definition
learned, scholarly, bookish
Term
Esoteric
Definition
known or understood by only a few
Term
Espousal
Definition
a betrothal, wedding, marriage

a taking up or adopting of a cause or belief
Term
Estimable
Definition
admirable
Term
Esurient
Definition
hungry; greedy
Term
Eulogy
Definition
speech in praise of someone
Term
Exculpate
Definition
to clear from blame; prove innocent
Term
Exigent
Definition
urgent; requiring immediate action
Term
Expatiate
Definition
to move about freely or at will; to write in detail
Term
Extant
Definition
archaic: standing out or above

still existing: not destroyed or lost
Term
Fawn
Definition
to grovel
Term
Fervid
Definition
intensely emotional; feverish
Term
Fleet
Definition
to drift; to fade away. to vanish

Archaic: flow
Term
Florid
Definition
excessively decorated or embellished
Term
Foment
Definition
to arouse or incite
Term
Fricative
Definition
a consonant characterized by frictional passage of the expired breath through a narrowing at some point in the vocal tract
Term
Garrulous
Definition
tending to talk a lot
Term
Glut
Definition
to fill esp with food to satiety
Term
Gregarious
Definition
outgoing, sociable
Term
Guile
Definition
deceit or trickery
Term
Hackneyed
Definition
trite; lacking in freshness or originality
Term
Hellenistic
Definition
of or relating to Greek history, culture, or art after Alex the Great
Term
Histrionic
Definition
deliberately affected: theatrical/dramatic
Term
Hyperbole
Definition
extravagant exaggeration
Term
Iconoclast
Definition
one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions
Term
Impecunious
Definition
having little or no money usually habitually
Term
Imperturbable
Definition
not capable of being disturbed
Term
Impetuous
Definition
quick to act without thinking
Term
Inchoate
Definition
not fully formed; disorganized
Term
Incipient
Definition
beginning to come into being or to become apparant
Term
Indigent
Definition
suffering from extreme poverty
Term
Indolent
Definition
causing little or no pain; slow to develop or heal

Laziness
Term
Ingenuous
Definition
showing innocence or childlike simplicity
Term
Inimical
Definition
hostile, unfriendly
Term
Insipid
Definition
lacking interest or flavor
Term
Insolvent
Definition
unable to pay debts as they are due
Term
Intransigent
Definition
uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled
Term
Inundate
Definition
to overwhelm; to cover with water
Term
Invective
Definition
characterized by insult or abuse
Term
Inviolable
Definition
secure from violation or profanation; secure from assault or trespass
Term
Irascible
Definition
easily made angry
Term
Jounce
Definition
to move in an up-and-down manner: bounce
Term
Laconic
Definition
using few words
Term
Licentious
Definition
lacking legal or moral restraints; esp disregarding sexual restraints
Term
Malinger
Definition
to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill
Term
Mawkish
Definition
having an insipid often unpleasant taste

sickly or puerilely sentimental
Term
Misantrhope
Definition
a person who dislikes others
Term
Miscegenation
Definition
a mixture of races; esp. marriage, cohabitation, or sex between a white person and a member of another race
Term
Mitigate
Definition
to soften; to lessen
Term
Mollify
Definition
to calm or make less severe
Term
Munificent
Definition
lavish; liberal in giving or bestowing; generous
Term
Myopia
Definition
a lack of foresight or discernment: a narrow view of something
Term
Obdurate
Definition
hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion
Term
Obfuscate
Definition
to darken; to make obscure or confuse
Term
Obsequious
Definition
overly submissive and eager to please
Term
Obviate
Definition
to prevent; to make unnecessary
Term
Onerous
Definition
troublesome and oppressive; burdensome
Term
Opprobrium
Definition
public disgrace
Term
Ostentation
Definition
excessive showiness
Term
Paean
Definition
a joyous song of hymn or praise; a work that praises or honors its subject
Term
Paragon
Definition
model of excellence or perfection
Term
Patricians
Definition
person of high birth: aristocrat
Term
Pecuniary
Definition
money
Term
Pedant
Definition
someone who shows off learning
Term
Pellucid
Definition
easy to understand

reflecting light evenly from all surfaces
Term
Perfidious
Definition
willing to betray one's trust
Term
Perfunctory
Definition
done in a routine way; indifferent
Term
Piecemeal
Definition
one piece at a time: gradually
Term
Plebeian
Definition
one of the common people
Term
Pragmatic
Definition
practical as opposed to idealistic
Term
Precipitate
Definition
to throw violently or bring about abruptly; lacking deliberation
Term
Prevaricate
Definition
to lie or deviate from the truth
Term
Prodigal
Definition
lavish, wasteful
Term
Profligate
Definition
wildly extravagant
Term
Propitiate
Definition
to conciliate; to appease
Term
Propriety
Definition
correct behavior; obedience to rules and customs
Term
Protean
Definition
displaying great diversity or variety: versatile
Term
Prudence
Definition
wisdom, caution, or restraint
Term
Quiescent
Definition
motionless
Term
Quotidian
Definition
occurring every day; commonplace, ordinary
Term
Rancorous
Definition
deeply malevolent
Term
Rarefy
Definition
to make thinner or sparser
Term
Repose
Definition
to lay at rest. to lie dead

to remain still or concealed: lie
archaic: rely
Term
Repudiate
Definition
to reject the validity of
Term
Reticent
Definition
silent, reserved
Term
Rubicund
Definition
ruddy: reddish color
Term
Ruddy
Definition
Reddish color
Term
Sacroscant
Definition
most sacred or holy
Term
Salient
Definition
moving by leaps or springs: jumping
Term
Sallow
Definition
of a grayish greenish yellow color
Term
Slake
Definition
archaic: subside, abate

crumble
Term
Slipshod
Definition
wearing loose shoes or slippers: shabby, careless
Term
Soporific
Definition
causing sleep or lethargy
Term
Specious
Definition
deceptively attractive; seemingly plausible but fallacious
Term
Stolid
Definition
unemotional; lacking sensitivity
Term
Surfeit
Definition
an overabundant supply: excess
Term
Tacit
Definition
done without using words
Term
Taciturn
Definition
silent, not talkitive
Term
Timorous
Definition
of a timid disposition: fearful
Term
Tirade
Definition
long, harsh speech or verbal attack
Term
Torpor
Definition
extreme mental and physical sluggishness
Term
Torrid
Definition
parched with heat esp of the sun: hot, scorching, ardent, passionate
Term
Tortuous
Definition
marked by repeated twists, bends, or turns: winding, crooked, tricky
Term
Transitory
Definition
temporary, lasting a brief time
Term
Tyro
Definition
a beginner in learning: novice
Term
Vacillate
Definition
to sway physically; to be indecisive
Term
Vagary
Definition
an erratic, unpredictable, or extravagant manifestation, action, or notion
Term
Vaunt
Definition
to brag; to boast
Term
Veracity
Definition
filled with truth and accuracy
Term
Verbose
Definition
wordy
Term
Vex
Definition
to annoy
Term
Whet
Definition
to sharpen by rubbing on or with something

to make keen or more accurate
Term
Whimsical
Definition
acting in a fanciful or capricious manner; unpredicable
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