GRE Vocabulary Common Words IV

Denigrate

Charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone

Largess

Extreme generosity and giving

Pragmatic

Guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory.

Provincial

Characteristic of a limited perspective; not fashionable or sophisticated

Confound

To cause confusion

Laudable

Worthy of high praise

Temperance

The trait of avoiding excesses

Idiosyncrasy

A behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual

Espouse

To adopt or support an idea or cause

Apocryphal

Being of questionable authenticity

Implausible

Describing a statement that is not believable

Forthcoming

• Available when required or as promised

• At ease in talking to others

Unscrupulous

Without scruples or principles

Exacting

Requiring and demanding accuracy

Refute

Prove to be false or incorrect

Underscore

Give extra weight to (a communication)

Eradicate

To completely destroy

Admonitory

Serving to warn; expressing reproof or reproach especially as a corrective

Aberrant

Markedly different from an accepted norm

Incorrigible

Impervious to correction by punishment

Burgeon

Grow and flourish

Opaque

Not clearly understood or expressed

Ostentatious

Intended to attract notice and impress others; tawdry or vulgar

Contingent

• A gathering of persons representative of some larger group

• Dependent on (usually used with upon)

Iconoclastic

Defying tradition or convention

Ingratiate

Gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts

Pundit

Someone who has been admitted to membership in a scholarly field

Copious

In abundant supply

Myopic

Lacking foresight or imagination

Abstruse

Difficult to understand; incomprehensible

Ignoble

Dishonorable

Expound

Add details or explanation; clarify the meaning; state in depth

Reconcile

Make (one thing) compatible with (another)

Bumbling

Lacking physical movement skills, especially with the hands

Implacable

Incapable of making less angry or hostile

Adament

Refusing to change one’s mind

Decorum

Propriety in manners and conduct

Soporific

Inducing mental lethargy; sleep inducing

Discrete

Constituting a separate entity or part

Hackneyed

Lacking significance through having been overused

Indifference

The trait of seeming not to care

Pedantic

Marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects

Exalt

Praise or glorify

Intransigent

Unwilling to change one’s beliefs or course of action

Construe

Interpreted in a particular way

Acerbic

Harsh in tone

Tortuous

Marked by repeated turns and bends; not straightforward

Blatant

Without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious

Exonerate

Pronounce not guilty of criminal charges

Petulant

Easily irritated or annoyed