GRE vocabulary

Abandon

extreme enthusiasm; dispensing of all inhibitions

Abash

to humiliate

Abate

to lessen

Abbreviate

to shorten, abridge

Abdicate

to formally give up a position ("to ___ a throne")

Aberration

departure from the normal; abnormality

Abet

to encourage

Abhor

to hate

Abide

to follow or put up with ("to ___ by the rules")

Abject

utterly hopeless; miserable

Abjure

to give up (rights); to deny

Ablution

washing or cleansing the body as part of a religious rite

Abnegate

to deny privilege to

Abominable

something that causes disgust; easily hated

Aboriginal

the first of its kind in a region

Abortive

unsuccessful or fruitless

Abrade

to wear away or rub off; to wear down in spirit

Abridge

to edit a book by shortening the text

Abrogate

to cancel; to nullify

Abscond

to depart secretly, especially to avoid criminal charges

Absolve

to free from blame or responsibility

Abstemious

to be moderate, especially in eating and drinking

Abstinence

the act of refraining from pleasurable activity, e.g., eating or drinking

Abstruse

complex and difficult to comprehend

Abuts

lie adjacent

Accede

to give one’s consent

Accentuate

to put emphasis on

Accessory

a partner in a crime

Accolade

a mark of acknowledgement or expression of praise

Accord

a formal reaching of agreement

Accost

to greet; to address

Accrue

to be added to by growth

Acculturation

change of one culture from interacting with another

Acerb

acid; sour

Acme

highest point

Acolyte

novice; young assistant

Acquiesce

to comply; to yeild

Acquit

to free from charge

Acrid

biting or harsh in odor or taste; deeply or violently bitter

Acrimonious

bitter and sharp in language or tone; mean-spirited; bitter; ill-natured (“___ remarks”)

Acumen

keen insight

Acute

sharp; shrewd; severe

Adage

a short proverb or saying

Adamant

persistent; stubborn

Adaptation

a composition that has been recast into a new form

Addendum

something additional; an item to be added on

Adduce

to cite as an example or justification

Adept

proficient; expert; highly skilled

Adherent

someone who adheres to an opinion

Adjudicate

to judge; to hear and decide a case in court

Adjure

to command solemnly as if under oath

Admonition

a gentle rebuke

Adroit

nimble; skillful in the use of one’s hands or body

Adulation

high praise

Adulterate

to make impure or tainted

Adumbrate

foreshadow

Adventitious

happening by chance; incidental; accidental

Adversity

misfortune, an unfavorable turn of events

Advocate

to support

Aeon

age

Aesthetic

beautiful

Affect

to influence or produce an effect on

Affinity

a natural attraction between two things

Affirmative

positive in nature; factually valid

Affliction

suffering; a state of pain

Affluent

prosperous

Aggrandize

to raise the importance or make to appear great

Aggravate

to make worse; to intensify

Aggregate

total; to form into a mass or whole

Agnostic

one who says that man cannot understand the nature of God

Akin

showing a similar feature or quality

Alacrity

eagerness; promptness; willingness

Albatross

a significant impediment; handicap; burden

Allay

to lessen fear; put something to rest; to mitigate; to calm

Allegation

a statement that is unproven and needs to be proven

Alleviate

to lighten

Allude

to hint at

Alluvial

pertaining to mud left by running water

Aloof

cool; indifferent

Altercation

a quarrel

Altruistic

unselfish

Amalgamate

to blend into a coherent single unit

Ambidextrous

capable of using both hands with equal skill

Ambient

surrounding atmosphere (“___ of a restaurant”)

Ambiguous

vague; unclear

Ambivalent

having conflicting feelings about something

Amble

to saunter or stroll

Ameliorate

to better

Amenable

responsive; agreeable (to an idea)

Amend

to formally alter from the original

Amenity

a pleasant manner or feature

Amiable

having a pleasant, cordial nature

Amicable

friendly, agreeable

Amity

friendliness

Amoral

without moral standards

Amorous

passionate

Amorphous

formless (“an amoeba is ___”)

Amortize

to settle a debt by means of installment payments

Anachronism

something in the wrong time period; out-of-date

Analogy

similarity