GRE VOCAB

abate

(verb)

Also abatement (noun)

Reduce, diminish

abdicate

(verb)

Also abdication (noun)

Formally give up the throne (or some other power or responsibility)

aberrant

(adj)

Also aberration (noun)

Abnormal, deviant

abhor

(verb)

Detest, regard with disgust

abjure

(verb)

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

abrasive

(adj)

Also abrade (verb)

Rough, suitable for grinding or polishing (such as sandpaper); causing irritation or annoyance

abridge

(verb)

Also abridged (adj)

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

abstain

(verb)

Also abstemious (adj.)

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

acme

(noun)

Summit, peak, highest point

activism

(noun)

Also activist (noun)

The practice of pursuing political or other goals through vigorous action, often including protests and demonstrations

adhere

(verb)

Stick (to), such as with glue, or to a plan or belief

admonish

(verb)

Also admonition (noun)

Mildly scold; caution, advise, or remind to do something

adverse

(adj)

Also adversity (noun)

Opposing, harmful

advocate

(verb, noun)

Speak or argue in favor of (verb); a person who pleads for a cause or on behalf of another person (noun)

aesthetic

(adj, noun)

Also aesthete (noun)

Concerning the appreciation of beauty or good taste, pertaining to the science of what is beautiful (adj); a sense of beauty and taste of a particular time and place (noun)

affable

(adj)

Also affability (noun)

Warm and friendly, pleasant, approachable

affectation

(noun)

Also affected (adj)

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

aggrandize

(verb)

Also self-aggrandizing (adj)

Make greater; exaggerate

aggregate

(verb, adj)

Gather together, amount to (verb); constituting a whole made up of constituent parts (adj)

alacrity

(noun)

Cheerful or speedy willingness

alienate

(verb)

Also inalienable (adj)

Cause to become unfriendly, hostile, or distant

alleviate

(verb)

Lessen, make easier to endure

ambiguous

(adj)

Not clear, hard to understand, open to having several meanings or interpretations

ambivalent

(adj)

Also ambivalence (noun)

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

analogous

(adj)

Comparable, corresponding in some particular way (making a good analogy)

anarchy

(noun)

Also anarchism (noun), anarchist (noun)

Absence of law or government; chaos, disorder

anoint

(verb)

Also anointed (adj)

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

anomaly

(noun)

Also anomalous (adj)

Deviation from what is common; inconsistency

antagonize

(verb)

Also antagonistic (adj)

Make hostile or unfriendly

antipathy

(noun)

Deep dislike, aversion, or repugnance, sometimes without reason

apathy

(noun)

Also apathetic (adj)

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

apocryphal

(adj)

Also Apocrypha (noun)

Of questionable authenticity; false

appease

(verb)

Pacify, satisfy, relieve; concede to belligerent demands, sometimes at the expense of principles

appreciable

(adj)

Enough to be perceived, considerable

arbitrary

(adj)

Based entirely on one’s discretion; capricious, unreasonable, or having no basis

arcane

(adj)

Also arcanum (noun)

Known or understood by only a few; obscure, secret

archaic

(adj)

Also archaism (noun)

Characteristic of an earlier period, ancient, primitive

arduous

(adj)

Very difficult, strenuous; severe, hard to endure

articulate

(adj, verb)

Using language in a clear, fluent way (adj); speak distinctly or give clarity to an idea (verb)

artifact

(noun)

Any object made by humans, especially those from an earlier time, such as those excavated by archaeologists

artless

(adj)

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

ascertain

(verb)

Find out with certainty

ascetic

(adj, noun)

Also asceticism (noun)

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

assuage

(verb)

Make milder, relieve; soothe, pacify, or calm

audacious

(adj)

Very bold or brave, often in a rude or reckless way; extremely original

augment

(verb)

Make larger

austere

(adj)

Also austerity (noun)

Severe in manner or appearance; very self-disciplined, ascetic; without luxury or ease; sober or serious

autonomous

(adj)

Also autonomy (noun)

Self-governing, independent

aver

(verb)

Declare or affirm with confidence

avid

(adj)

Also avidity (noun)

Enthusiastic, dedicated, passionate; excessively desirous

balk

(verb)

Refuse to proceed or to do something

base

(adj)

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

belie

(verb)

Contradict or misrepresent

benign

(adj)

Also benignant (adj)

Harmless; favorable; kindly, gentle, or beneficial; not cancerous

bogus

(adj)

Fake, fraudulent

bolster

(verb)

Strengthen or support

boor

(noun)

Also boorish (adj)

Rude, ill-mannered, or insensitive person; a peasant or country bumpkin

bureaucracy

(noun)

Also bureaucratic (adj), bureaucrat (noun)

Government characterized by many bureaus and petty administrators or by excessive, seemingly meaningless requirements

burgeon

(verb)

Grow or flourish rapidly; put forth buds or shoots (of a plant)

buttress

(verb, noun)

Support or encourage (verb); a support or prop, esp. projecting from and supporting the wall of a building (noun)

bygone

(adj, noun)

Past, former (adj); that which is in the past (usually plural noun)

cacophony

(noun)

Also cacophonous (adj)

Harsh, discordant, or meaningless mixture of sounds

candid

(adj)

Also candor (noun)

Open, sincere, honest

canonical

(adj)

Also “the canon” (noun)

Authorized, recognized; pertaining to the canon, or body of accepted rules, standards or artistic works

capricious

(adj)

Also caprice (noun)

Acting on impulse, erratic

cartography

(noun)

Mapmaking

castigate

(verb)

Criticize severely; punish in order to correct

catalyst

(noun)

Causer of change

caustic

(adj)

Capable of corroding metal or burning the skin; very critical or sarcastic

censure

(noun, verb)

Strong disapproval or official reprimand (noun); to issue such disapproval or reprimand (verb)

chauvinism

(noun)

Also chauvinist (noun), chauvinistic (adj)

Fanatical patriotism or blind enthusiasm for military glory; undue or biased devotion to any group, cause, etc.

chronological

(adj)

Arranged in or relating to time order

clamor

(verb)

Noisy uproar or protest, as from a crowd; a loud, continuous noise

clinch

(verb)

Make final or settle conclusively; to fasten or hold together

coalesce

(verb)

Come together, unite; fuse together

cogent

(adj)

Very convincing, logical

commensurate

(adj)

The same in size, extent, etc., equivalent; proportional

complacent

(adj)

Self-satisfied, smug; overly content (and therefore lazy, neglectful, or some other bad quality)

complementary

(adj)

Completing; fitting together well; filling mutual needs

compliant

(adj)

Obeying, submissive; following the requirements

concede

(verb)

Also concession (noun)

Give in, admit, yield; acknowledge reluctantly; grant or give up (such as giving up land after losing a war)

conciliatory

(adj)

Reconciling, appeasing, attempting to make the peace

concur

(verb)

Approve, agree

condone

(verb)

Overlook, tolerate, regard as harmless

confer

(verb)

Consult, compare views; bestow or give

connoisseur

(noun)

Expert, especially in the fine arts; person of educated, refined tastes

console

(verb, noun)

Lessen the suffering or grief of (verb); a control panel, or small table or cabinet (noun)

consolidate

(verb)

Unite, combine, solidify, make coherent

constrict

(verb)

Squeeze, compress; restrict the freedom of

construe

(verb)

Interpret or translate

contentious

(adj)

Also contend (verb), contention (noun)

Controversial; prone to causing arguments, especially gratuitous or petty ones

contextualize

(verb)

Place in context, such as by giving the background or circumstances

conundrum

(noun)

Riddle, the answer to which involves a play on words; any mystery

converge

(verb)

Move towards one another or towards a point; unite

conversant

(adj)

Knowledgeable about or experienced with

conversely

(adverb)

In an opposite way; on the other hand

convoluted

(adj)

Twisted; very complicated

copious

(adj)

Plentiful, bountiful

corroborate

(verb)

Support, add evidence to

cosmopolitan

(adj)

Also cosmopolite (noun)

Belonging to the entire world, at home globally; free from local or national prejudices or attachments