GRE Vocab

abate

v. to diminish in intensity

v. to cause to diminish in intensity

aberrant

adj. diverging from the standard type

abjure

v. to reject or renounce

abscond

v. to leave secretly, evading detection

abstain

v. to voluntarily refrain from doing something

acumen

n. keen judgment and perception

admonish

v. scold or to advise firmly

adulterate

v. to contaminate or make impure by introducing inferior elements

advocate

v. to recommend, support, or advise

n. one who advocates

aesthetic

adj. concerned with the nature of beauty and art

affectation

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

aggrandize

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

alacrity

n. promptness and eagerness

alleviate

v. to relieve a problem or ease a burden

amalgamate

v. to combine to or mix together

ambiguous

adj. unclear

adj. open to multiple interpretations

ambivalent

adj. having mixed or contradictory feelings about someone or something

ameliorate

v. to improve or mitigate a situation

amenable

adj. easily convinced or persuaded

anachronism

n. something old-fashioned

n. something appearing in a time period where it does not belong

analogous

n. comparable

n. appropriate for analogy

anoint

v. to choose for a particular office or position

v. to use oil on a person in a religious ceremony

anomaly

n. an exception or unusual case

antipathy

n. strong dislike or hatred

antithetical

adj. contrary to the very nature of

apathy

n. state of total disinterest or unenthusiasm

appease

v. to placate

v. to satisfy (an appetite, a need)

arbitrary

adj. seemingly chosen or designated without reason or purpose

arcane

adj. secret or known only to a select group

archaic

adj. old

arduous

adj. difficult, taxing, requiring considerable effort

articulate

adj. exhibiting considerable communication skills, well

artless

adj. without artifice

adj. natural, untrained

ascetic

adj. austere or self

assuage

v. to provide relief from an unpleasant feeling

v. to satisfy a need or appetite

astonishment

n. total surprise, shock

audacious

adj. very bold or presumptuous

austere

adj. severe, unadorned

avarice

n. greed

aver

v. to assert or allege

banal

adj. boring, cliché

belie

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

benign

adj. gentle, harmless

biased

adj. prejudiced, displaying partiality

bolster

v. to shore up or support

bombastic

adj. overblown, theatrical

brazen

adj. bold or open to the point of shocking

adj. shameless

bucolic

adj. pastoral, rustic, countrified

burgeon

v. flourish, bloom, expand or increase quickly

cacophony

n. loud and chaotic noise

calumny

n. lie or slander

candid

adj. honest, open

canon

n. accepted rules and tenets of a discipline

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

capacity

n. the capability to perform a particular action or fulfill a given function

n. the total amount a container can hold

n. a particular position or role (i.e. “she served in an advisory capacity”)

capricious

adj. mercurial, unpredictable, whimsical

castigate

v. to scold or berate strongly

catalyst

n. something that speeds up a process or causes action

caustic

adj. corrosive

adj. bitterly sarcastic

censure

v. to express intense condemnation

chauvinist

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

chicanery

n. trickery or deception

chronological

adj. ordered by time

coalesce

v. to come together, esp. from disparate parts

cogent

adj. clearly laid out and persuasive

commensurate

adj. in accordance with, proportional

compelling

adj. captivating

adj. very persuasive

comprehensive

adj. complete and thorough

condone

v. to approve or allow

confound

v. to confuse or astonish

connoisseur

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

consequential

adj. as a result of

adj. significant or memorable

construe

v. to interpret

consumption

n. utilization (esp. of a resource)

contend

v. assert or claim

v. grapple with

contentious

adj. controversial

adj. involving conflict

contrite

adj. remorseful

convoluted

adj. roundabout, not straightforward

copious

adj. plentiful or abundant

cosmopolitan

adj. of or relating to a city or urban area

adj. sophisticated

covet

v. to desire something that does not belong to you

craft

n. cunning

n. skill

craven

adj. cowardly to the point of being shameful

credence

n. belief or trust

credulous

adj. gullible, naïve

decorum

n. appropriate behavior or good manners

deference

n. respect or polite submission

deflect

v. divert or cause to ricochet

deftness

adj. skill, acumen

adj. manual dexterity

delineate

v. to describe very accurately

v. to clearly demarcate a boundary

v. to render an outline

demur

v. to object or raise concerns

denigrate

v. say negative things about, particularly in a defamatory way

deride

v. to mock or ridicule

derivative

adj. imitates another work in a way that is unoriginal or uninspiring

desiccate

v. to dry out completely

v. to suck out the vitality and passion

desultory

adj. halfhearted

adj. inconsistent or random

detachment

n. objectivity or aloofness

determinant

n. a strong factor in an outcome

diatribe

n. a rant or angry speech denouncing someone or something

didactic

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