GRE Vocabulary Groups 1-32

Vocabulary terms and definitions extracted from Groups 1-32 of the lecture notes.

Amorphous

lacking structure; unclear

Austere

1. (of a person) strict and stern in character 2. (of living conditions) lacking luxury; extremely harsh

Capricious

having varying moods; fickle

Daunting

scary or frightening; (of a task) seeming impossible

Loquacious

likely to talk a lot; wordy

Alacrity

eagerness to do something

Ameliorate

improve a bad feeling or bad situation

Anachronistic

of the wrong time or era

Banal

unoriginal and dull; lacking creativity

Castigate

scold someone harshly

Abjure

strongly reject (an idea); forgo

Anomalous

differing from what is normal; atypical

Assuage

1. decrease a negative feeling 2. fulfill a certain desire

Cacophonous

extremely noisy; grating

Prodigal

1. carelessly wasteful; extravagant 2. a person who is excessively wasteful

Enervate

sap the energy out of someone; fatigue

Ephemeral

extremely short lasting

Garrulous

tending to talk too much; wordy

Mitigate

diminish negative feelings or situation

Vacillate

go back and forth with one's view

Enigmatic

hard to understand; mysterious

Imperious

having an arrogant or domineering manner

Panache

a stylish and confident manner

Stigmatize

label or mark as disgraceful

Zealous

intensely passionate

Aesthetic

pertaining to beauty or the appreciation thereof

Bolster

lend support or boost

Dissemble

hide or misrepresent one's true feelings or beliefs

Ubiquitous

being everywhere at once

Venerate

regard with deep respect or reverence

Archaic

ancient or outmoded; out of date

Immutable

not capable of being changed

Indefatigable

highly determined; resistent to tiring out

Salubrious

1. promoting health or well-being 2. (of a place or accommodation) pleasant

Soporific

causing sleep or lethargy

Egregious

remarkably bad or shocking, to a conspicuous degree

Forestall

prevent something by taking strategic action in advance

Indiscriminate

lacking selectivity or judgment, often with potentially harmful effects

Pugnacious

quick to engage in a conflict or argument; combative

Sanguine

cheerfully optimistic, particularly in a difficult situation

Deleterious

having a harmful effect

Erudite

possessing great knowledge, typically from study or research

Fecund

fertile or highly productive

Irascible

easily angered or irritated

Meticulous

exhibiting great care to detail

Acumen

quickness and keenness in understanding and judgment

Esoteric

understood by few or a small group of people

Fastidious

showing great care and attention to detail; hard to please

Indispensable

completely necessary; essential

Wane

decrease in power, size, or intensity

Clandestine

secretive; avoiding attention

Mawkish

overly sentimental in a way that seems exaggerated or insincere

Panacea

a perfect cure for something

Perfunctory

done without enthusiasm or effort;

Spartan

marked by simplicity, frugality, and avoidance of luxury

Exacerbate

make a situation or condition worse

Lucrative

producing a significant amount of money

Onerous

involving a heavy burden; challenging or difficult

Pellucid

1. transparently clear in meaning or style 2. (of a body of water or substance) transparent and clear

Urbane

refined, sophisticated, and courteous

Byzantine

overly complex or intricate

Exhilarating

intensely exciting

Lethargic

sluggish; tired

Scathing

harshly or bitterly critical; vitriolic

Superficial

1. existing, occurring, or located on the surface 2. not profound or thorough

Adroit

deft, dexterous, or skillful

Flummoxed

completely unable to understand; bewildered

Polymath

a person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge

Trenchant

keen and biting; vigorously articulate

Versatile

having varied uses or many functions; capable of doing many things

Entrenched

firmly ingrained and unlikely to change

Judicious

having, characterized by, or done with good judgment or sound thinking

Lucid

clear and easy to understand

Veracity

conformity to truth or accuracy

Virulent

extremely hostile or malicious; intensely acrimonious

Iconoclastic

challenging or overthrowing tradition or established beliefs

Lionize

treat someone as a celebrity or hero

Profligate

inclined to waste resources or behave extravagantly

Skittish

easily scared or startled; timid; difficult to control

Vociferous

expressing opinions or feelings loudly and forcefully

Disingenuous

pretending to be sincere or straightforward

Fallacious

false or mistaken

Incessant

constant or unending (of something bad or unpleasant)

Sanctimonious

giving the impression that one is morally superior

Vexation

the state of being irritated or incensed

Attenuation

weaken or lessen in force or thickness

Efficacious

producing the desired effect; successful

Pernicious

causing harm in a subtle way; deadly

Prolix

using an excessive amount of words; long-winded

Unseemly

not proper or in good taste

Mendacity

dishonesty

Munificent

more generous than is usual or necessary

Pedestrian

lacking imagination or excitement; ordinary

Recrudescent

breaking out again; reviving

Temporal

1. relating to time 2. relating to worldly rather than spiritual matters

Confound

perplex or puzzle someone

Malfeasance

wrongdoing or misconduct, especially by a public official

Providential

happening at a fortunate or opportune time

Schism

a split or separation within a group or organization

Terse

brief and to the point