Pt 1. 357 Best GRE Vocab Words

abjure

v. to reject or renounce

"his refusal to abjure the Catholic faith"

abscond

v. to leave secretly, evading detection

"she absconded with the remaining thousand dollars"

affectation

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

A phony accent someone uses to sound more sophisticated, for example, can be considered an affectation, as can pretending to know all about some obscure band in order to seem cool.

aggrandize

v. enlarge or increase, esp. wealth, power, reputation

"he hoped to aggrandize himself by dying a hero's death"

arcane

adj. secret or known only to a select group

artless

Without guile or deception; without effort or natural simple; without skill

ascetic

adj. austere or self-denying

austere

adj. severe, unadorned

aver

v. to assert or allege

state or assert to be the case.

"he averred that he was innocent of the allegations"

bombastic

describes speech or writing that is overly inflated, grandiose, or pretentious, often lacking in substance.

bucolic

adj. pastoral, rustic, countryfied

After years of living in the noisy city, Jenna found peace in the bucolic charm of the countryside

calumny

n. lie or slander

The celebrity sued the magazine for the calumny that tarnished her name.

capricious

adj. mercurial, unpredictable, whimsical

Even though the couple wanted to get married outside, they knew their ceremony depended on the capricious weather.

chauvinist

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

chicanery

n. trickery or deception

That republican is up to his old chicanery, blaming all democrats for the recession.

contrite

adj. remorseful

craft

n. cunning; n. skill

craven

adj. cowardly to the point of being shameful

His craven refusal to stand up for his friend disappointed everyone.

credence

n. belief or trust;

The mayor said he did not give much credence to surveys means he didn't believe the surveys were accurate or reliable. 

credulous

adj. gullible, naive, adj. ready to believe things without proper evidence

Only the most credulous viewers believed the fake news report.

deference

n. respect or polite submission

deftness

adj. skill, acumen; adj. manual dexterity

demur

v. to object or raise concerns about something; to show reluctance.

She agreed to the plan without demur.

desultory

adj. halfhearted; adj. inconsistent or random

His desultory studying left him unprepared for the exam.

diatribe

n. a rant or angry speech denouncing someone or something

diffident

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

dilettante

someone with an amateur, nonserious interest in something

dirge

n. a somber song or lament expressing mourning, often performed at funerals.

disabuse

v. to free someone from a misconception or error; to correct a misunderstanding.

He thought all women liked children, but she soon disabused him of that idea.

dissemble

v. to conceal one's true motives or feelings; to disguise or misrepresent.

“she smiled, dissembling her true emotion”

dogma

n. a set of principles or beliefs held to be true by a particular group, often without questioning or doubt.

dupe

v. to deceive or trick someone; to lead someone into believing something false.

ebullient

adj. cheerful and full of energy; overflowing with enthusiasm.

His ebullient personality lit up every room he entered.

enervate

v. to weaken or drain of energy; to reduce strength or vitality.

“the heat enervated us all”

equable

adj. steady and calm; not easily disturbed or upset.

Despite the chaos around her, she remained equable and calm.

equivocate

v. to use ambiguous language to conceal the truth or avoid committing oneself; to speak vaguely.

eschew

v. to deliberately avoid or abstain from something; to shun or keep away from.

"She chose to eschew the unhealthy food options at the party."

esoteric

adj. intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with specialized knowledge; private or secret.

estimable

adj. deserving respect and admiration; worthy.

exacting

adj. making severe demands; requiring much effort or attention.

exculpate

v. to show or declare that someone is not guilty of wrongdoing; to exonerate.

exigent

adj. requiring immediate attention or action; urgent.

expatiate

v. to speak or write at length or in detail about a subject; to elaborate.

When you expatiate on a piece of writing, you add details.

explicate

v. to explain in detail

exposition

n. a comprehensive description and explanation of an idea or theory, often presented in writing or speaking.

extrapolate

v. to infer or estimate by extending or projecting known information or data, often used in statistical contexts.

facetious

adj. treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant

fastidious

adj. very attentive to detail and accuracy; hard to please.

foment

v. to instigate or stir up an undesirable or violent sentiment or course of action.

"they accused him of fomenting political unrest"

forestall

to hold off or try to prevent

To forestall the effects of aging, exercise and take care of your health all your life.