GMAT VOCABULARY

Aberration, Anomaly (n)

Something that stands out or is abnormal

The election of a liberal candidate in the conservative county was an aberration (or anomaly), made possible only by the sudden death of the conservative candidate two days before the election.

Acclaim (n)

Great praise or approval

Accord, Discord (n)

Accord is agreement, and discord is disagreement

Our management is in accord with regulatory agencies about tightening standards.

Acquisitiveness (n)

Desire to acquire more, especially an excessive desire

The firm did well in buying up its competitors as a means of growth, but its acquisitiveness ultimately resulted in problems related to growing too quickly.

Acreage (n)

Land measured in acres

Our property is large, but much of the acreage is swampland not suitable for building.

Adhere, Adherent (v)(n)

Something that stands out or is abnormal

The election of a liberal candidate in the conservative county was an aberration (or anomaly), made possible only by the sudden death of the conservative candidate two days before the election.

Ad-lib (v)

Make something up on the spot

We have ended our policy of rationing office supplies—pens may now be given to employees ad-lib.

Adopt (v)

Take and make one’s own; vote to accept

You can adopt a child or a new policy. To adopt a plan implies that you didn’t come up with it yourself.

Advent (n)

Arrival

Before the advent of the Internet, people often called reference librarians to look up information.

Adverse (adj)

Unfavorable, opposed

A noisy environment is adverse to studying, and lack of sleep can have further adverse effects.

Agency (n)

The ability to use power or influence

Some climate change deniers argue that human agency does not affect the climate.

Aggravate (v)

Make worse

Allowing your band to practice in our garage has greatly aggravated my headache.

Altogether (adv)

Completely, overall

It was an altogether stunning new design.

Ambivalent (adj)

Uncertain, wanting two contradictory things

The health care plan has been met with ambivalence from lawmakers.

Amortize (v)

Gradually pay off a debt or write off an asset

A mortgage is a common form of amortized debt.

Analogous (adj)

Corresponding in a particular way

Our situation is analogous to one in a case study I read in business school.

Annex – verb

To add on or something that has been added on.

An annex to a building is a part built later and added on or a new building that allows an organization to expand.

Annihilate – verb

Completely destroy.

Annul – verb

Make void or null, cancel, abolish (usually of laws or other established rules).

Most people associate this word with marriage—a marriage is annulled when a judge rules that it was invalid in the first place (because of fraud, mental incompetence, etc.), so it is as if the marriage never happened.

Can we appreciate the art of a murderer? For many, the value of these paintings is annulled by the artist’s crimes.

Anoint – verb

The literal meaning is to rub or sprinkle oil on, especially as part of a ceremony that makes something sacred. The word is used metaphorically to refer to power or praise being given to someone who is thought of very highly.

After Principal Smitters raised test scores over 60% at her school, it was only a matter of time before she was anointed superintendent by a fawning school board.

Antithetical – adjective

Totally opposed to; opposite.

The crimes of our chairman are totally antithetical to what the Society for Ethical Leadership stands for.

Application – noun

Act or result of applying.

Of course, you can have an application to business school, but you can also say something like: Company morale is at an all-time low, so the application of a severe cost-cutting policy may drive even more employees to look for new jobs.

Apprentice – noun

A person who works for someone else in order to learn a trade (such as shoemaking, weaving, etc.) from that person.

Arbiter – noun

Judge, umpire, person empowered to decide matters at hand. Arbitration is typically a formal process in which a professional arbitrator decides a matter outside of a court of law.

Professional mediators arbitrate disputes.

The principal said, “As the final arbiter of what is and is not appropriate in the classroom, I demand that you take down that poster of Miley Cyrus.”

Archaic – adjective

Characteristic of an earlier period, ancient, primitive.

The school’s archaic computer system predated even floppy disks—it stored records on tape drives!

Aristocracy – noun

A hereditary ruling class, nobility (or a form of government ruled by these people).

Artifact – noun

Any object made by humans, especially those from an earlier time, such as those excavated by archaeologists. Variant spelling: artefact.

The archaeologists dug up countless artifacts, from simple pottery shards and coins to complex written tablets.

Benign (adj)

Harmless; kind or beneficial; not cancerous.

He was relieved when the biopsy results came back, informing him that the growth was benign.

Blight (noun,verb)

Disease that kills plants rapidly, or any cause of decay or destruction (noun); ruin or cause to wither (verb).

Many potato farmers have fallen into poverty as a result of blight killing their crops.

Gang violence is a blight on our school system, causing innocent students to fear even attending classes. In fact, violence has blighted our town.

Blunt (verb)

To dull, weaken, or make less effective.

The new therapy has severe side effects, but they can be blunted somewhat with anti-nausea medication and painkillers.

Blur (verb)

To make blurry, unclear, indistinct.

In Japan, company titles are taken very seriously and roles are sharply defined, whereas in the United States—especially in smaller firms—roles are often blurred as everyone is expected to pitch in on a variety of projects.

Bogus (adj)

Fake, fraudulent.

The back of this bodybuilding magazine is just full of ads for bogus products—this one promises 22-inch biceps just from wearing magnetic armbands!

Bolster (verb)

Strengthen or support.

The general requested reinforcements to bolster the defensive line set up at the border.

Broad (adj)

Wide; large; in the open; obvious; clear; liberal; tolerant; covering a wide scope of things.

The panel was given broad discretionary powers. (That pretty much means that the panel can do whatever they want.)

Brook

(verb)

Suffer or tolerate. Often used with the word no.

You could say The dictator will not brook dissent, but a more common usage would be The dictator will brook no dissent.

Buffer

(noun)

Something that separates two groups or people, who potentially do not get along.

When the United States was controlled by England, the state of Georgia was colonized as a buffer between the English colonies and Spanish Florida. A breakwater of rocks would act as a buffer, protecting the beach against crashing waves.

Bureaucracy (noun)

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

Some nations have a worse reputation for bureaucracy than others—in order to get a visa, he had to file papers with four different agencies, wait for hours in three different waiting rooms, and, weeks later, follow up with some petty bureaucrat who complained that the original application should’ve been filed in triplicate.

Bygone (adj)

Past; former. Let bygones be bygones.

— At the nursing home, residents reminisced about bygone days all the time.

Bypass (v, n)

Avoid, go around; ignore.

— A synonym is to circumvent. The company president chose to bypass the normal approval process.

Canon (n)

Body of accepted rules, standards, or artistic works.

— Western canon is an expression referring to books traditionally considered necessary for education.

Chancy (adj)

Risky, not having a certain outcome.

— The idea of starting a new business can be quite chancy depending on chance.

Channel (v, n)

To direct or guide.

— You might channel your energy toward productive purposes.

Checked (adj)

Restrained, held back.

— The economy took a turn for the worse, and the investors began to hold spending in check.

Chronological (adj)

Arranged in or relating to time order.

— Put the information in chronological order.

Clamor (n, v)

Noisy uproar or protest.

— As soon as a scent of scandal emerged, the press clamored for details.

Clan (n)

Traditional social unit or group of people united by common interests.

— A clan could be any group sharing ideas, interests, etc.

Cloak (v)

To cover or conceal.

— Apple’s new products are often cloaked in mystery before release.

Coalesce (v)

Come together, unite; fuse together.
While at first, everyone on the team was jockeying for power and recognition, eventually the group coalesced, and everyone was happy to share credit for a job well done.*
East and West Germany coalesced into a single country in 1990.

Coercion (n)

Force; use of pressure, threats, etc., to force someone to do something.

Coexistence (n)

Existing at the same time or in the same place.

It is often used to mean peaceful coexistence, as in The goal of the Camp David Accords was the coexistence of Israel and Egypt.

Cogent (adj)

Very convincing, logical.

Most GMAT Critical Reasoning arguments are not terribly cogent—they depend on unspoken and unjustified assumptions.

Cognitive (adj)

Related to thinking. Cognition is the mental process of knowing (awareness, judgment, reasoning, etc.).

Collude (v)

Conspire; cooperate for illegal or fraudulent purposes.

After two competing software companies doubled their prices on the same day, leaving consumers no lower-priced alternative, the federal government investigated the companies for collusion.

Compliant (adj)

Obeying, submissive; following the requirements.

Those who are not compliant with the regulations will be put on probation and possibly expelled.

Compound (v)

Add interest to the principal and accrued interest; increase or add to. When talking about substances, compound can also mean mix, combine, as in to compound two chemicals.

Your success in studying for the GMAT can only be compounded by healthy sleep habits; in fact, the brain requires sleep in order to form new memories and thus solidify your knowledge.

Compromise (v)

Reduce the quality or value of something. Of course, to compromise can be good in personal relationships, but often compromise means to give up something in a bad way, as in to compromise one’s morals.

If you say that the hull of your boat has been compromised, you mean that you are going to sink!

Concede (v)

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

The negotiations were pointless, with each side’s representatives instructed by their home countries to make no concessions whatsoever.

Condone (v)

Overlook, tolerate, regard as harmless.

While underage drinking is illegal, at many universities, it is tacitly condoned by administrations that neglect to enforce anti-drinking policies.

Confer (v.)

Consult, compare views; bestow or give.

A PhD confers upon a person the right to be addressed as Doctor as well as eligibility to pursue tenure-track professorship.

Excuse me for a moment while I make a call—I can’t buy this car until I confer with my spouse.

Consequently (adv.)

As a result, therefore. (Don’t confuse with subsequently, which means afterwards.)

The new medicine is not only a failure, but a dangerous one; consequently, drug trials were halted immediately.

Considerable (adj.)

Large, significant.

Considerations (n.)

Factors to be considered in making a decision. Used in the singular, consideration can mean care for other people’s feelings; high esteem or admiration; or a treatment or account, as in The book began with a thorough consideration of the history of the debate.

Consolidate (v.)

Unite, combine, solidify, make coherent.

She consolidated her student loans so she would only have to make one payment per month.

Contemplative (adj)

Contemplating, thoughtful, meditative.

Contend (v)

Assert, make an argument in favor of; strive, compete, struggle. A contention is a claim, often a thesis or statement that will then be backed up with reasons. Contentious means controversial or argumentative, as in The death penalty is a contentious issue.

Contextualize (v)

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

Virginia Woolf’s feminism is hard to truly understand unless contextualized within the customs of the highly restrained, upper-class English society of her time.

Contract (v)

Shrink, pull together, and thus become smaller (used in this way, contract is the opposite of expand). You can also contract a disease or a debt, in which case contract means get or acquire. To contract can also simply mean to make a contract (*to contract an agreement*).

Conventional (adj)

Traditional, customary. This could be related to morals and culture (*Her family was surprised that she gave up a conventional wedding ceremony in favor of a bohemian ceremony on the beach*) or to technology, business methods, etc.—a conventional oven is simply a regular oven (without certain modern enhancements).

Converge (v)

Move toward one another or toward a point; unite.

Conversely (adv)

In an opposite way; on the other hand.

I am not here to argue that lack of education causes poverty. Conversely, I am here to argue that poverty causes lack of education.

Convoluted

(adjective)

Twisted; very complicated.

Your argument is so convoluted that I’m not even able to understand it enough to start critiquing it.

Copious – (adj)

Plentiful, bountiful.

Although she took copious notes in class, she found that she was missing a big-picture understanding that would have tied all the information together.

Corresponding – (adj)

Accompanying; having the same or almost the same relationship.

Our profit-sharing plan means that increases in profit will be matched by corresponding increases in employee compensation.

Corroborate – (v)

Support, add evidence to.

You're telling me you were 30 miles away riding a roller coaster when the school was vandalized? I have a hard time believing that—is there anyone who can corroborate your story?

Countenance – (v) / (n)

Approve or tolerate. Countenance can also serve as a noun, literally meaning face.

(Her countenance was familiar—had I seen her before?).

I saw you cheating off my paper, and I can’t countenance cheating—either you turn yourself in or I'll report you.

Counterintuitive – (adj)

Against what a person would intuitively expect.

Although it seems counterintuitive, for some extreme dieters, eating more can actually help them to lose weight, since the body is reassured that it is not facing a period of prolonged starvation.

Counterpoint – (n)

Contrasting item, opposite; the use of contrast or interplay in a work of art.’

The play’s lighthearted, witty narrator provides a welcome counterpoint to the seriousness and grief expressed by the other characters.

Counterproductive – (adj)

Defeating the purpose; preventing the intended goal.

The candidate’s attempt to win swing votes in Ohio was counterproductive—following his speech in Toledo, his poll numbers actually went down 5%.

Credibility – (n)

Believability, trustworthiness.

Many famous “experts” with “Dr.” before their names are not medical doctors at all. Any television “doctor” who turns out to have a PhD in a totally unrelated field, for instance, ought to suffer a serious drop in credibility.

Culminate – (v)

Reach the highest point or final stage.

A PhD program generally culminates in a written dissertation and a defense of that dissertation to a committee.

Currency (n)

Money; the act of being passed from person to person (These old coins are no longer in currency); general acceptance or a period of time during which something is accepted. Cultural currency refers to cultural knowledge that allows a person to feel “in the know.”

The call center in Mumbai trained its workers in American slang and pop culture, giving them a cultural currency that, it was hoped, would help the workers relate to customers thousands of miles away.

Curtail (v)

Cut short or reduce.

Cynical (adj)

Thinking the worst of others’ motivations; bitterly pessimistic.

Deem (v)

Judge; consider.

“You can take the black belt exam when I deem you ready, and not a moment before,” said the karate instructor.

Debase (v)

Degrade; lower in quality, value, rank, etc.; lower in moral quality.

Members of the mainstream church argued that the fringe sect was practicing a debased version of the religion, twisting around its beliefs and missing the point.

Debilitating (adj)

Weakening, disabling.

Debunk (v)

Expose, ridicule, or disprove false or exaggerated claims.

The show MythBusters debunks pseudoscientific claims.

Decry (v)

Condemn openly. The cry in decry means to cry out against.

The activist decried the destruction of the animals’ habitat.

Deflect (v)

Cause to curve; turn aside, especially from a straight course; avoid.

The purpose of a shield is to deflect arrows or bullets from an enemy.

Delimit (v)

Fix, mark, or define the boundaries of.

The role of an executive coach is delimited by our code of conduct—we may not counsel people for psychological conditions, for instance.

Denote (v)

Be a name or symbol for. A denotation is the literal meaning of a word; a connotation is the feeling that accompanies that word.

There’s nothing in the denotation of crotchety (grumpy, having strong and irrational preferences) that indicates any particular group of people, but because of the expression crotchety old man, the word connotes, for many people, an image of an especially unpleasant male senior citizen.