GRE Vocabulary Flashcards from Lecture Notes (GRE Words 1-995)

Vocabulary flashcards created from the provided lecture notes. Each card presents a GRE-style vocabulary term and its definition.

abase

Degrade or humble; to lower in rank, status, or esteem

abate

Reduce, diminish

abdicate

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

aberrant

Abnormal, deviant

abeyance

Temporary suspension, inactivity

abhor

Detest, regard with disgust

abjure

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

abrasive

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

abreast

Side-by-side. The more common abreast of means keeping up with, staying aware of, or remaining equal in progress with.

abridge

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

abscission

Cutting off; sudden termination; the separation of leaves, petals, or other parts from a plant or animal

abscond

Depart suddenly and secretively

abstain

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

abyss

A deep and vast space or cavity; anything profound or infinite

accede

Agree, give consent; assume power (usually as accede to)

accretion

Gradual increase; an added part or addition

acerbic

Sour; harsh or severe

acidulous

Slightly acid or sour; sharp or caustic

acme

Summit, peak, highest point

activism

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

acumen

Keen, quick, accurate insight or judgment

adhere

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

admonish

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

adulterate

Make impure by adding inappropriate or inferior ingredients

adumbrate

Give a rough outline of; foreshadow; reveal only partially; obscure

adverse

Opposing, harmful

advocate

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

aerie

Dwelling or fortress built on a high place; the nest of a bird of prey, such as an eagle or hawk, built on a mountain or cliff

aesthetic

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

Warm and friendly, pleasant, approachable

affectation

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

aggrandize

Make greater; exaggerate

aggregate

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

alacrity

Cheerful or speedy willingness

albeit

Although, even though

alienate

Cause to become unfriendly, hostile, or distant

alleviate

Lessen, make easier to endure

aloof

Distant physically or emotionally; reserved; indifferent

amalgamate

Blend, merge, or unite

ambiguous

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

ambivalent

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

ameliorate

Improve; make better or more bearable

amortize

Gradually pay off a debt, or gradually write off an asset

anachronism

Something that is not in its correct historical time; a mistake in chronology, such as by assigning a person or event to the wrong time period

analgesia

Pain relief; inability to feel pain

analogous

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

anarchy

Absence of law or government; chaos, disorder

annul

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

anodyne

Medicine that relieves pain (noun); soothing, relieving pain (adj)

anoint

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

anomaly

Deviation from what is common; inconsistency

antagonize

Make hostile or unfriendly

antedate

Be older than, precede in time; assign to an earlier date

antithetical

Directly opposed, opposite; involving antithesis (the rhetorical act of placing two phrases opposite one another for contrast, as in love me or hate me)

apathy

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

apocryphal

Of questionable authenticity; false

apostate

Person who deserts a party, cause, religion, etc.

apostle

Pioneer of a reform movement (originally, an early follower of Jesus)

apposite

Highly appropriate, suitable, or relevant

apprise

Inform, give notice to

approbation

Praise or approval, especially formal approval

appropriate

Set aside or authorize (such as money) for a particular purpose; take for one's own use

arbiter

Judge, umpire, person empowered to decide matters at hand

arcane

Known or understood by only a few; obscure, secret

archaic

Characteristic of an earlier period, ancient, primitive

ardent

Very passionate, devoted, or enthusiastic

arduous

Very difficult, strenuous; severe, hard to endure

arrogate

Claim or take presumptuously or without the right to do so

articulate

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

artifact

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

artless

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

ascertain

Find out with certainty

ascetic

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

ascribe

Assign or credit to a certain cause or source

aseptic

Free from germs

asperity

Rigor, severity; harshness or sharpness of tone; roughness of surface

aspersions

Damaging remarks, defamation, slander

assail

Attack violently, assault

assiduous

Persevering, diligent, constant

assuage

Make milder, relieve; soothe, pacify, or calm

attenuate

Weaken or thin out

attuned

In harmony; in sympathetic relationship

audacious

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

augment

Make larger

augury

Telling the future, such as through supernatural means

august

Venerable, majestic; inspiring admiration

austere

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

autonomous

Self-governing, independent

avarice

Insatiable greed; a miserly desire to hoard wealth

aver

Declare or affirm with confidence

avid

Enthusiastic, dedicated, passionate; excessively desirous

axiom

Self-evident truth requiring no proof; universally or generally accepted principle

balk

Refuse to proceed or to do something

balloon

Swell or puff out; increase rapidly

banal

Lacking freshness and originality; cliché

bane

Something that ruins or spoils

base

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

baying

Howling in a deep way, like a dog or wolf

belie

Contradict or misrepresent

beneficent

Doing good