Vocabulary for the GRE

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards for GRE preparation.

abscond

to depart clandestinely; to steal off and hide

adversity

hardship or difficulty; opposition

aggravate

to worsen or intensify

arduous

strenuous; taxing; requiring significant effort

belie

to give a false impression of; to misrepresent

bombast

self-important or pompous writing or speech

cacophony

harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance

castigation

severe criticism or punishment

censure

to criticize severely; to officially rebuke

chicanery

trickery or subterfuge

coercive

serving or intended to compel by force or authority

condemn

to blame or denounce

conspire

to secretly work together with the intent to commit a wrong or illegal act

covert

hidden; clandestine

cower

to shrink in fear; to cringe

craven

contemptibly fainthearted; lacking any courage

denigrate

to blacken; to belittle; to sully; to defame; to disparage

denounce

to publicly condemn or criticize

derision

scorn; ridicule; contemptuous treatment

diatribe

a harsh denunciation

discomfit

to defeat; to put down

disingenuous

insincere; lacking in honesty or frankness

dissemble

to disguise or conceal; to mislead

exacerbate

to make worse or more severe; to increase in violence

fraud

deliberate deceit with the goal of gaining an unlawful advantage

furtive

marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious

garrulous

pointlessly talkative; talking too much

harangue

to deliver a pompous speech or tirade

impudent

saucy; impertinent; bold and disrespectful

inopportune

ill-timed; unsuitable; inappropriate

irascible

easily angered; prone to temperamental outbursts

malevolent

having or showing often vicious ill-will, spite, or hatred

martial

associated with war and the armed forces

misanthrope

one who hates all other humans

morose

sad; sullen; melancholy

obdurate

unyielding; hardhearted; intractable

obsequious

exhibiting a fawning attentiveness

obstinate

stubborn; hardheaded; uncompromising

onerous

troubling; burdensome

opprobrium

disgrace; contempt; scorn

pedantic

the parading of learning; excessive attention to minutiae and formal rules

perjury

the purposeful giving of false or misleading testimony while under oath

provoke

to incite anger, resentment, or exasperation

recalcitrant

obstinately defiant of authority; difficult to manage

secrete

to ensconce, conceal, or stow

specious

seeming true, but actually being fallacious; misleadingly attractive

spurious

lacking authenticity or validity; false; counterfeit

squander

to waste by spending or using irresponsibly

tirade

a long and extremely critical speech; a harsh denunciation

vexation

annoyance or irritation

amalgamate

to combine several elements into a whole

assuage

to ease or lessen; to appease or pacify

bolster

to provide support or reinforcement

burgeon

to grow rapidly or flourish

buttress

a support or prop, often an external prop used to bolster a wall

capricious

inclined to change one’s mind impulsively; erratic; unpredictable

catalyst

a person or thing that causes change

caustic

burning or stinging; causing corrosion

centrifuge

a machine that spins very swiftly about a central axis, and, using centrifugal force, separates disparate substances

converge

to tend toward the same spot or outcome; to incline to join at an intersecting point

conversion

the act or process of transforming to another form, state, or product

corrosion

act or process of causing deterioration; a wearing away, especially of metals

decibel

unit used in measuring the intensity of a sound, usually in relation to another sound

desiccate

to dry out or dehydrate; to make dry or dull

distill

to purify or concentrate through a process of vaporization and concentration

divest

to remove or strip, especially clothing

enervate

to weaken; to reduce in vitality

ephemeral

brief; fleeting

eradicate

to remove completely; to annihilate; to pull out by the roots

expel

to force out; to discharge

extend

to lengthen or stretch out

facilitate

to aid by making easier

implode

to abruptly and violently collapse inward

inchoate

in an initial stage; not fully formed

incubation

the act of sitting on or otherwise warming eggs in order to keep them at a temperature favorable for hatching

infuse

to imbue; to pour in; to introduce; to instill

intransigent

refusing to compromise

inundate

to flood or overwhelm

invigoration

the quality of being energized or filled with liveliness

lackluster

dull; lacking vitality or luminosity

lethargic

lacking energy; sluggish or sleepy

luminous

characterized by brightness and the emission of light

obviate

to anticipate and make unnecessary

pervasive

having the tendency to permeate or spread throughout

placate

to appease; to calm by making concessions

plod

to trudge; to move slowly and heavily

plummet

to plunge or drop straight down

precipitate

to act with excessive haste or impulse

precursor

one that precedes and indicates or announces another

proliferate

to grow or increase swiftly and abundantly

propagate

to cause to spread, multiply, or reproduce

prune

to cut back or clip branches or other parts of a plant, especially parts that are dead or unnecessary

rarefy

to make or become thin, less dense; to refine

rectify

to make right or fix; to correct

retard

to slow, delay, or hamper

saturate

to fill until there is no further capacity for absorbance; to soak

sever

to remove or separate by cutting off

stimulant

an invigorating substance that excites mental or physical activity

synthesis

the combination of parts to make a whole

tentative

not definite; uncertain; experimental