GRE Words

abate

verb | to become less strong or intense | diminish, subside, lessen | neutral | The controversy began to abate after the committee released the evidence. | Think: intensity goes down

aberrant

adjective | different from what is normal or expected | anomalous, atypical, abnormal | negative or neutral | The scientist repeated the test to determine whether the aberrant result was merely an error. | An aberration leaves the normal path

acquiesce

verb | to accept something without protest | comply, consent, yield | neutral | Although she disliked the proposal, she eventually acquiesced to the majority's decision. | Quietly say yes

ambivalent

adjective | having mixed or conflicting feelings | conflicted, uncertain, torn | neutral | The critic was ambivalent about the novel, admiring its style but disliking its plot. | Both feelings at once

anomalous

adjective | unusual and not fitting the general pattern | irregular, aberrant, atypical | neutral | One anomalous data point contradicted the otherwise consistent trend. | An anomaly breaks the pattern

appease

verb | to calm or satisfy someone | pacify, placate, mollify | neutral | The mayor offered concessions to appease residents angered by the new tax. | Ease anger with peace

arbitrary

adjective | based on personal choice rather than reason | random, capricious, subjective | negative | Because the grading rule lacked any clear standard, students considered it arbitrary. | A rule without a reason

assiduous

adjective | showing steady and careful effort | diligent, industrious, meticulous | positive | Through assiduous research, the historian uncovered evidence others had overlooked. | Always at the task

austere

adjective | plain, strict, or without comfort | severe, stern, unadorned | negative or neutral | The monastery's austere rooms contained only beds, desks, and bare walls. | Bare and severe

belie

verb | to give a false impression of something | conceal, contradict, misrepresent | neutral | Her calm voice belied the anxiety she felt before the debate. | The surface hides the truth

bolster

verb | to support or strengthen | reinforce, buttress, fortify | positive | New archaeological evidence bolstered the scholar's argument. | A bolster supports

capricious

adjective | changing suddenly and unpredictably | fickle, erratic, volatile | negative | The capricious ruler rewarded advisers one day and punished them the next. | Changes on a whim

censure

verb | to express strong official criticism | condemn, rebuke, reprimand | negative | The board censured the executive for hiding financial losses. | Serious public criticism

cogent

adjective | clear, logical, and convincing | compelling, persuasive, sound | positive | The attorney presented a cogent argument supported by reliable evidence. | Strong logic convinces

complacent

adjective | too satisfied to notice danger or problems | smug, self-satisfied, unconcerned | negative | After years of success, the company became complacent and ignored new competitors. | Comfortable enough to stop improving

concede

verb | to admit that something is true | acknowledge, grant, admit | neutral | The researcher conceded that the study's small sample limited its conclusions. | Give the other side a point

corroborate

verb | to provide evidence that confirms something | verify, substantiate, confirm | positive or neutral | Several witnesses corroborated the journalist's account of the event. | More evidence backs it up

credulous

adjective | too ready to believe things | gullible, naive, trusting | negative | Credulous investors accepted the extravagant claims without asking for proof. | Believes too easily

debilitate

verb | to make weak or less effective | weaken, impair, enfeeble | negative | Persistent drought debilitated the region's agricultural economy. | Take away strength

deference

noun | respectful submission to another's judgment | respect, submission, regard | positive or neutral | Out of deference to the senior scientist, the team delayed its objection. | Respectfully step back

deride

verb | to mock or treat with contempt | ridicule, scorn, taunt | negative | Critics initially derided the invention as impractical, but it later transformed the industry. | Laugh at with contempt

diffident

adjective | lacking confidence and hesitant to speak | shy, timid, reserved | negative or neutral | Though highly knowledgeable, the diffident student rarely contributed to discussions. | Confidence is different and distant

disinterested

adjective | not influenced by personal advantage | impartial, unbiased, objective | positive | The dispute required a disinterested judge with no connection to either party. | No personal interest at stake

dogmatic

adjective | unwilling to consider other beliefs or evidence | rigid, doctrinaire, inflexible | negative | The professor was so dogmatic that he dismissed every challenge to his theory. | Treats opinions like unquestionable rules

dubious

adjective | doubtful or not trustworthy | questionable, uncertain, suspicious | negative or neutral | The committee rejected the report because its statistics came from dubious sources. | Doubt the claim

equivocal

adjective | unclear or open to more than one meaning | ambiguous, vague, evasive | negative or neutral | The spokesperson gave an equivocal answer that neither confirmed nor denied the allegation. | Equal voices point both ways

exacerbate

verb | to make a problem worse | aggravate, intensify, worsen | negative | Cutting public transportation would exacerbate traffic congestion. | Add extra difficulty

exonerate

verb | to clear someone from blame | absolve, acquit, vindicate | positive | Newly discovered records exonerated the official accused of misconduct. | Exit from blame

fastidious

adjective | very careful about details and standards | meticulous, exacting, scrupulous | positive or neutral | The fastidious editor checked every citation and punctuation mark. | Fussy about details

fervent

adjective | showing intense passion or belief | ardent, zealous, impassioned | positive or neutral | She remained a fervent advocate for educational reform. | Feelings at full heat

flout

verb | to openly disobey or show contempt for a rule | defy, disregard, violate | negative | Several companies flouted the safety regulations despite repeated warnings. | Flaunt your defiance

garrulous

adjective | talking too much, especially about unimportant things | talkative, verbose, loquacious | negative | The garrulous witness buried the useful facts beneath endless stories. | Garrulous goes on and on

hackneyed

adjective | overused and no longer original | clichéd, trite, stale | negative | The speech relied on hackneyed phrases instead of fresh ideas. | A worn-out saying

impartial

adjective | fair and not favoring either side | unbiased, objective, disinterested | positive | An impartial panel reviewed the evidence before issuing its decision. | Equal treatment for all

imply

verb | to suggest something without stating it directly | suggest, indicate, insinuate | neutral | By calling the plan risky, the report implied that officials should reconsider it. | The speaker sends the hint

infer

verb | to reach a conclusion from evidence | deduce, conclude, reason | neutral | From the declining sales figures, analysts inferred that demand was weakening. | The listener draws the conclusion

ingenuous

adjective | innocent, honest, and straightforward | candid, naive, sincere | positive or neutral | His ingenuous questions revealed curiosity rather than an attempt to embarrass the speaker. | Genuine and innocent

laconic

adjective | using very few words | terse, concise, succinct | neutral | Known for her laconic style, the judge answered the lengthy argument with a single sentence. | Lacks lots of words

laud

verb | to praise highly | acclaim, extol, commend | positive | Reviewers lauded the study for its careful methods and clear conclusions. | Loud praise

mitigate

verb | to make something harmful less severe | alleviate, lessen, moderate | positive | Planting trees may mitigate the effects of extreme urban heat. | Make the damage milder

obdurate

adjective | stubbornly refusing to change | obstinate, inflexible, unyielding | negative | Even after seeing contrary evidence, the obdurate official would not revise the policy. | Hard and unmoving

pragmatic

adjective | focused on practical results rather than theory | practical, realistic, sensible | positive | The committee adopted a pragmatic solution that could be implemented immediately. | Practical over perfect

proliferate

verb | to increase or spread rapidly | multiply, expand, burgeon | neutral | Online journals proliferated as publishing technology became cheaper. | Produce lots quickly

refute

verb | to prove a claim wrong with evidence | disprove, rebut, invalidate | neutral | The new experiment refuted the theory by producing the opposite result. | Evidence proves it false

reticent

adjective | unwilling to speak or reveal thoughts | reserved, restrained, taciturn | neutral | The witness was reticent about discussing events that involved her colleagues. | Holds words back

scrupulous

adjective | very careful to be accurate and ethical | conscientious, meticulous, principled | positive | The investigator was scrupulous in documenting every piece of evidence. | Careful in work and morals

spurious

adjective | false but appearing genuine | bogus, counterfeit, specious | negative | The article supported its conclusion with a spurious correlation between unrelated trends. | Seems real but is false

substantiate

verb | to support a claim with evidence | corroborate, verify, validate | positive or neutral | The author used archival records to substantiate her account. | Add substance through proof

tenuous

adjective | weak, uncertain, or poorly supported | flimsy, fragile, questionable | negative | The theory rested on a tenuous connection between two isolated events. | A thin thread of support

vindicate

verb | to prove that someone or something was right | justify, exonerate, validate | positive | Later discoveries vindicated the scientist whose ideas had once been dismissed. | Evidence shows you were right

alacrity

noun | cheerful readiness and quickness | eagerness, promptness, willingness | positive | She accepted the difficult assignment with alacrity and began working immediately. | Think: alert and ready

ameliorate

verb | to make a bad situation better | improve, alleviate, relieve | positive | The reforms were designed to ameliorate overcrowding in public schools. | A meal can make hunger better

anachronistic

adjective | belonging to the wrong time period | outdated, antiquated, obsolete | negative or neutral | The critic called the law anachronistic because it addressed problems from a century ago. | A clock in the wrong era

antipathy

noun | a strong feeling of dislike | aversion, hostility, animosity | negative | Her antipathy toward corruption shaped every decision she made in office. | Anti means against

apathetic

adjective | showing little interest or emotion | indifferent, unconcerned, detached | negative | Voters became apathetic after years of promises produced no visible change. | Apathy means no passion

articulate

adjective | able to express ideas clearly | eloquent, lucid, expressive | positive | The articulate witness explained the complex sequence of events with unusual clarity. | Art clearly in speech

ascetic

adjective | living with strict self-denial and little comfort | self-denying, abstemious, severe | neutral | The philosopher led an ascetic life, rejecting wealth and unnecessary possessions. | Ask for less

assuage

verb | to make pain or worry less intense | ease, soothe, alleviate | positive | The minister's assurances did little to assuage public anxiety. | A soothing massage eases pain

audacious

adjective | bold and willing to take risks | daring, intrepid, fearless | positive or negative | Her audacious proposal challenged assumptions that had guided the field for decades. | Bold enough for an audience

banal

adjective | boring because it is unoriginal | trite, clichéd, commonplace | negative | The essay offered only banal observations that readers had encountered many times before. | Ban all boring clichés

candid

adjective | honest and direct | frank, forthright, sincere | positive | In a candid interview, the director admitted that the project had failed. | A candid camera shows the truth

circumspect

adjective | careful to consider risks before acting | cautious, prudent, wary | positive or neutral | Because the evidence was incomplete, the committee remained circumspect in its conclusions. | Inspect all around before acting

conciliatory

adjective | intended to reduce conflict and restore agreement | pacifying, diplomatic, appeasing | positive | Her conciliatory remarks helped the rival groups resume negotiations. | Conciliate creates calm

condescending

adjective | acting as though others are less intelligent or important | patronizing, superior, disdainful | negative | The professor's condescending reply made the student regret asking the question. | Descending to talk down

contentious

adjective | likely to cause argument or disagreement | controversial, disputatious, combative | negative or neutral | The council postponed the contentious proposal after hours of heated debate. | Contention means conflict

contrite

adjective | truly sorry for doing something wrong | remorseful, repentant, apologetic | positive | The contrite official apologized and accepted responsibility for the error. | Tried wrong and feels sorry

copious

adjective | large in amount | abundant, plentiful, ample | neutral | The historian supported her argument with copious evidence from private letters. | A copy machine makes many copies

decry

verb | to publicly condemn | denounce, criticize, condemn | negative | Scientists decried the policy as a threat to independent research. | Cry out against it

delineate

verb | to describe or mark something precisely | outline, define, specify | neutral | The report clearly delineated the responsibilities of each agency. | Draw the line clearly

demur

verb | to express doubt or objection | object, protest, hesitate | neutral | Most members supported the proposal, but two demurred because of its cost. | Murmur an objection

denigrate

verb | to unfairly criticize or belittle | disparage, demean, defame | negative | The candidate tried to denigrate her opponent rather than defend her own record. | Make someone's name negative

desultory

adjective | lacking a clear plan or steady effort | aimless, haphazard, unfocused | negative | His desultory research jumped between topics without developing a coherent argument. | A dull story wanders

didactic

adjective | intended to teach, often too obviously | instructive, moralizing, preachy | neutral or negative | The novel's didactic tone sometimes overwhelmed its characters and plot. | Didactics directly teach

disseminate

verb | to spread information widely | circulate, distribute, propagate | neutral | The organization used local radio to disseminate health information. | Spread seeds of information

discreet

adjective | careful not to attract attention or reveal secrets | tactful, prudent, unobtrusive | positive | The adviser was discreet and never discussed confidential meetings. | Keep secrets discreetly

discrete

adjective | separate and distinct | separate, individual, distinct | neutral | The researchers divided the process into three discrete stages. | Discrete pieces are separate

eclectic

adjective | made from ideas or styles from many sources | diverse, varied, wide-ranging | positive or neutral | The course used an eclectic collection of texts from several disciplines. | An electric mix of sources

effusive

adjective | showing excessive enthusiasm or praise | gushing, exuberant, demonstrative | positive or negative | The critic was effusive, praising nearly every aspect of the performance. | Feelings flow out

enigmatic

adjective | mysterious and difficult to understand | puzzling, cryptic, obscure | neutral | The poet's enigmatic final line inspired several conflicting interpretations. | An enigma is a mystery

ephemeral

adjective | lasting for only a short time | fleeting, transient, short-lived | neutral | The movement's early popularity proved ephemeral and disappeared within months. | A brief phase

erudite

adjective | having deep scholarly knowledge | learned, scholarly, knowledgeable | positive | The erudite professor connected modern economics with ancient philosophy. | Think: you read to become erudite

exacting

adjective | demanding great care, effort, or precision | demanding, rigorous, stringent | neutral or negative | The editor's exacting standards improved the quality of every article. | Exact work demands precision

fallacious

adjective | based on false or faulty reasoning | unsound, misleading, erroneous | negative | The argument was fallacious because it confused correlation with causation. | A fallacy is faulty logic

galvanize

verb | to shock or inspire people into action | motivate, energize, mobilize | positive | The disaster galvanized volunteers to organize relief efforts overnight. | A galvanic shock makes people move

homogeneous

adjective | made of parts that are all similar | uniform, consistent, alike | neutral | The study examined a homogeneous population with similar backgrounds. | Homo means same

iconoclast

noun | a person who challenges accepted beliefs or traditions | rebel, nonconformist, dissenter | neutral or positive | The iconoclast questioned theories that most experts accepted without hesitation. | An icon breaker challenges tradition

immutable

adjective | unable to be changed | unchangeable, fixed, permanent | neutral | Although customs evolve, some mathematical truths remain immutable. | Cannot mutate or change

incisive

adjective | clear, direct, and intelligently analytical | penetrating, sharp, perceptive | positive | Her incisive questions quickly exposed weaknesses in the proposal. | An incision cuts sharply

incongruous

adjective | not fitting well with the surroundings or situation | incompatible, inconsistent, mismatched | negative or neutral | His casual joke seemed incongruous during the solemn ceremony. | Not congruent or matching

incontrovertible

adjective | impossible to deny or dispute | indisputable, undeniable, conclusive | positive or neutral | The photographs provided incontrovertible evidence of the event. | No controversy is possible

magnanimous

adjective | generous and forgiving toward a rival | noble, charitable, forgiving | positive | The champion was magnanimous in praising the competitor she had defeated. | A magnified generous spirit

meticulous

adjective | extremely careful about small details | precise, thorough, painstaking | positive | The meticulous scientist documented every observation in the experiment. | Check every tiny detail

nefarious

adjective | wicked or criminal | evil, villainous, corrupt | negative | Investigators uncovered a nefarious scheme to steal public funds. | Far from fair or good

nuanced

adjective | showing subtle differences or complexity | subtle, refined, sophisticated | positive | The author's nuanced analysis avoided oversimplifying the historical conflict. | Notice tiny shades

obsequious

adjective | too eager to please someone powerful | servile, fawning, sycophantic | negative | The obsequious employee praised every decision the executive made. | Obey with excessive eagerness

ostensible

adjective | appearing true but possibly hiding the real reason | apparent, professed, supposed | neutral or negative | The ostensible purpose of the meeting was budget planning, but politics dominated the discussion. | Only true on the surface

parsimonious

adjective | unwilling to spend or use resources | stingy, miserly, frugal | negative | The parsimonious owner delayed necessary repairs to save money. | Purse money stays closed

pedantic

adjective | too concerned with minor rules or details | overprecise, bookish, nitpicking | negative | His pedantic corrections distracted everyone from the main argument. | A pedant picks tiny points

pervasive

adjective | spreading throughout an area or group | widespread, prevalent, ubiquitous | neutral or negative | A pervasive sense of uncertainty affected the entire organization. | It pervades everywhere

preclude

verb | to prevent something from happening | prevent, prohibit, rule out | neutral | Insufficient evidence may preclude the committee from reaching a final decision. | Close the door beforehand