GRE Vocabulary (Best 357)

List from https://www.prepscholar.com/gre/blog/gre-vocabulary-list-words/

Abate

to diminish in intensity; to cause to diminish in intensity

Aberrant

diverging from the standard type

Abjure

to reject or renounce

Abscond

to leave secretly, evading detection

Abstain

to voluntarily refrain from doing something

Acumen

keen judgment and perception

Admonish

scold or advise firmly

Adulterate

to contaminate or make impure by introducing inferior elements

Advocate

to recommend, support, or advise; one who advocates

Aesthetic

concerned with the nature of beauty and art

affectation

fake or artificial behavior, often meant to impress or conceal the truth

aggrandize

enlarge or increase, esp. wealth, power, reputation

alacrity

promptness and eagerness

alleviate

to relieve a problem or ease a burden

amalgamate

to combine to or mix together

ambiguous

unclear; open to multiple interpretations

ambivalent

having mixed or contradictory feelings about someone or something

ameliorate

to improve or mitigate a situation

amenable

easily convinced or persuaded

anachronism

something old-fashioned; something appearing in a time period where it does not belong

analogous

comparable; appropriate for analogy

anoint

to choose for a particular office or position; to use oil on a person in a religious ceremony

anomaly

an exception or unusual case

antipathy

strong dislike or hatred

antithetical

contrary to the very nature of

apathy

state of total disinterest or unenthusiasm

appease

to placate; to satisfy (an appetite, a need)

arbitrary

seemingly choseen or designated without reason or purpose

arcane

secret or known only to a select group

archaic

old-fashioned; no longer in the common usage

arduous

difficult, taxing, requiring considerable effort

articulate

exhibiting considerable communication skills, well-spoken

artless

without artifice; natural, untrained

ascetic

austere or self-denying

assuage

to provide relief from an unpleasant feeling; to satisfy a need or appetite

astonishment

total surprise, shock

audacious

very bold or presumptuous

austere

severe, unadorned

avarice

greed

aver

to assert or allege

banal

boring, cliché

belie

give a false impression (intentional or unintentional) in word, appearance, or deed

benign

gentle, harmless

biased

prejudiced, displaying partiality

bolster

to shore up or support

bombastic

overblown, theatrical

brazen

bold or open to the point of shocking; shameless

bucolic

pastoral, rustic, countryfied

burgeon

flourish, bloom, expand or increase quickly

cacophony

loud and chaotic noise

calumny

lie or slander

candid

honest, open

canon

accepted rules and tenets of a discipline; sacred works/scripture; in this sense it is also used to refer to notable literary and artistic works of a culture or discipline

capacity

the capability to perform a particular action or fulfill a given function; the total amount a container can hold; a particular position or role (i.e. “she served in an advisory capacity”)

capricious

mercurial, unpredictable, whimsical

castigate

to scold or berate strongly

catalyst

something that speeds up a process or causes action

caustic

corrosive; bitterly sarcastic

censure

to express intense condemnation

chauvinist

someone who believes prejudicially that their own group is the superior one

chicanery

trickery or deception

chronological

ordered by time

coalesce

to come together, esp. from disparate parts

cogent

clearly laid out and persuasive

commensurate

in accordance with, proportional

compelling

captivating; very persuasive

comprehensive

complete and thorough

condone

to approve or allow

confound

to confuse or astonish

connoisseur

an expert in particular subject matter area, usually relating to the fine arts or cultural pursuits

consequential

as a result of; significant or memorable

construe

to interpret

consumption

utilization (esp. of a resource)

contend

assert or claim; grapple with

contentious

controversial; involving conflict

contrite

remorseful

convoluted

roundabout, not straightforward

copious

plentiful or abundant

cosmopolitan

of or relating to a city or urban area; sophisticated

covet

to desire something that does not belong to you

craft

cunning; skill

craven

cowardly to the point of being shameful

credence

belief or trust

credulous

gullible, naïve

decorum

appropriate behavior or good manners

deference

respect or polite submission

deflect

divert or cause to ricochet

deftness

skill, acumen; manual dexterity

delineate

to describe very accurately

to clearly demarcate a boundary

to render an outline

demur

to object or raise concerns

denigrate

say negative things about, particularly in a defamatory way

deride

to mock or ridicule

derivative

imitates another work in a way that is unoriginal or uninspiring

desiccate

to dry out completely

to suck out the vitality and passion

desultory

halfhearted; inconsistent or random

detachment

objectivity or aloofness

determinant

a strong factor in an outcome

diatribe

a rant or angry speech denouncing someone or something

didactic

educational or with an instructive purpose; often includes an element of moralizing

diffident

shy, timid, or reserved due to a lack of confidence