GRE Vocabulary

abase

Degrade or humble; to lower in rank, status, or esteem

abate

Reduce, diminish

aberrant

Abnormal, deviant

abeyance

Temporary suspension, inactivity

abjure

Give up, renounce; repudiate, recant, or shun (especially formally or under oath)

abreast of

Side-by-side. Commonly means keeping up with, staying aware of, or remaining equal in progress with.

abridge

Reduce or lessen; shorten by omitting parts throughout while retaining the main idea

abrogate

Repeal or do away with (a low, right, or formal agreement); evade (a responsibility or duty)

abscission

Cutting off; sudden termination; the separation of leaves, petals, or other parts from a plant or animal

abscond

Depart suddenly and secretively

abstain

Hold back, refrain (especially from something bad or unhealthy); decline to vote

abstruse

Difficult to understand; obscure

abyss

A deep and vast space or cavity; anything profound or infinite

accede

Agree, give consent; assume power (usually followed by " to")

accretion

Gradual increase; an added part or addition

accrue

Accumulate over time (of money or benefits); come about as a natural growth, increase, or advantage; come as a direct result of some state or action

acerbic

Sour; harsh or severe

acidulous

Slightly acid or sour; sharp or caustic

acme

Summit, peak, highest point

actuarial

Relating to actuaries or their work of compiling and analyzing statistics to calculate insurance risks and premiums

acumen

Keen, quick, accurate insight or judgment

adulterate

Make impure by adding inappropriate or inferior ingredients

adumbrate

Give a rough outline of; foreshadow; reveal only partially; obscure

adverse

Opposing, harmful

aerie

Dwelling or fortress built on a high place; the nest of a bird of prey, such as an eagle or hawk, built on a mountain or cliff

affable

Warm and friendly, pleasant, approachable

affect

Touch the feelings of (someone); move emotionally; pretend to have or feel (something); use, wear, or assume (something) pretentiously or so as to make an impression on others; (noun) motion or desire, especially as influencing behavior or action

affectation

Fake behavior (such as in speech or dress) adopted to give a certain impression

agglomerate

To collect or form into a mass or group; a mass or collection of things

aggrandize

Make greater; exaggerate

akimbo to

With hands on the hips and elbows turned outward; with arms or legs stretched out fully

alacrity

Cheerful or speedy willingness

amalgamate

Blend, merge, or unite

ambivalent

Uncertain; unable to decide, or wanting to do two contradictory things at once

amenable

Open and responsive to suggestion; easily persuaded or controlled

amity

A friendly relationship

amortize

Gradually pay off a debt, or gradually write off an asset

anachronism

Something that is not in its correct historical time; a mistake in chronology, such as by assigning a person or event to the wrong time period

analgesia

Pain relief; inability to feel pain

anodyne

Medicine that relieves pain (noun); soothing, relieving pain (adj)

anoint

Rub or sprinkle oil on; make sacred, such as by a ceremony that includes applying oil to someone

antedate

Be older than, precede in time; assign to an earlier date

antediluvian

Of or belonging to the time before the biblical Flood; ridiculously old-fashioned

antithetical

Directly opposed, opposite; involving antithesis (the rhetorical act of placing two phrases opposite one another for contrast, as in love me or hate me)

apathy

Not caring; absence of feeling; lack of interest or concern

apocryphal

Of questionable authenticity; false

apologist

A person who offers an argument in defense of something controversial

apostate

Person who deserts a party, cause, religion, etc.

apostle

Pioneer of a reform movement (originally, an early follower of Jesus)

apportion

Divide and allocate; assign (especially blame, liability, or money)

apposite

Highly appropriate, suitable, or relevant

apprise

Inform, give notice to

approbation

Praise or approval, especially formal approval

appropriate

Set aside or authorize (such as money) for a particular purpose; take for one's own use

arbiter

Judge, umpire, person empowered to decide matters at hand

arcadian

Relating to or constituting an ideal rural paradise; an idealized country dweller

arcane

Known or understood by only a few; obscure, secret

arrogate

Claim or take presumptuously or without the right to do so

artifice

Clever or artful skill; clever or cunning devices or expedients, especially as used to trick or deceive others

artless

Free of deceit or craftiness, natural, genuine; lacking skill or knowledge, crude, uncultured

ascertain

Find out with certainty

ascetic

Abstinent or austere in lifestyle (adj); a person who leads an austere and simple life without material pleasures, esp. someone who does this for religious reasons

ascribe

Assign or credit to a certain cause or source

aseptic

Free from germs

askance at

With disapproval or distrust/suspicion; scornfully

asperity

Rigor, severity; harshness or sharpness of tone; roughness of surface

aspersions

Damaging remarks, defamation, slander

assail

Attack violently, assault

assiduous

Persevering, diligent, constant

assuage

Make milder, relieve; soothe, pacify, or calm

attenuate

Weaken or thin out

attuned

In harmony; in sympathetic relationship

augury

Telling the future, such as through supernatural means

august

Venerable, majestic; inspiring admiration

auxiliary

A person or thing providing supplementary or additional help and support; providing supplementary or additional help and support

avarice

Insatiable greed; a miserly desire to hoard wealth

aver

Declare or affirm with confidence

axiom

Self-evident truth requiring no proof; universally or generally accepted principle

bald

Plain or blunt; not having any extra detail or explanation

balk

Refuse to proceed or to do something

banal

Lacking freshness and originality; cliché

bane

Something that ruins or spoils

baneful

Harmful or destructive

base

Morally low, mean, dishonorable; of little or no value; crude and unrefined; counterfeit

bedlam

A scene of uproar and confusion; an asylum/institution for the mentally ill

beguile

To charm or enchant someone, sometimes in a deceptive way

belie

To give a false impression; disguise or contradict; fail to fulfill or justify (a claim or expectation); betray

bellicose

Demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight

beneficent

Doing good

bent

Personal inclination or tendency

berserk

Out of control with anger or excitement; wild or frenzied

bevy

Group of birds or other animals that stay close together; any large group

bifurcate

To fork into two branches or divide into two halves

bilk

Cheat or defraud

blight

Disease that kills plants rapidly, or any cause of decay or destruction (noun); ruin or cause to wither (verb)

blithe

Joyous, merry; excessively carefree (so as to ignore more important concerns)

bombastic

(Of speech or writing) far too showy or dramatic than is appropriate; pretentious

bonhomie

Friendliness, open and simple good heartedness

brandish

Shake, wave, or flourish, as a weapon

brook

Suffer or tolerate