GRE My Vocab

relish

to enjoy greatly; to take pleasure in something.

disseminated

spread or distributed widely; shared among a group.

promulgated

to make an idea, law, or rule known officially or publicly; to announce formally.

marginalized

treated as insignificant or peripheral; excluded from mainstream society.

fecklessness

the quality of being weak or ineffective; lack of strength or vitality.

punctiliousness

the quality of showing great attention to detail or correct behavior; strictness in observing formalities.

scintillating

describing something that is sparkling or shining brightly; also refers to someone who is brilliantly and excitingly clever or skillful.

veracious

habitually speaking the truth; accurate or honest in reporting or representation.

incendiary

describing something that is capable of causing fire; also refers to something that stirs up conflict or provokes tension.

clangorous

making a loud, harsh, or grating sound; often used to describe noisy environments or clashing metal.

tepid

moderately warm; lukewarm or lacking in force or enthusiasm.

banal

lacking originality or freshness; clichéd or obvious.

insipid

lacking flavor or vigor; dull and uninteresting.

witty

showing quick and inventive verbal humor; clever or amusing.

impecunious

having little or no money; impoverished.

contemporary

living or occurring at the same time; belonging to the present time.

assiduous

showing great care and perseverance; diligent in effort.

precocious

characterized by early development or maturity, especially in mental aptitude.

dissemble

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

abstruse

difficult to understand; obscure.

hortatory

tending to exhort or encourage; persuasive in nature.

trifling

malign

to speak harmful untruths about; to slander.

penchant

a strong inclination or liking for something.

fortuitous

happening by chance or accident, often with a positive outcome.

foresighted

having the ability to anticipate and prepare for future events or needs.

prescient

having knowledge of events before they happen; foresighted.

serendipitous

occurring by chance in a happy or beneficial way; fortuitous.

lucrative

producing a considerable profit or financial gain; profitable.

pretensions

attempts to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, or culture than is actually possessed; ostentation.

commensurate

corresponding in size, degree, or amount; proportionate.

incensed

anger or outrage; provoked to extreme anger.

iconoclastic

characterized by attack on cherished beliefs or institutions.

dogmatic

stubbornly adhering to principles or doctrines, often without consideration for evidence or the opinions of others; opinionated.

heterodox

differing from commonly accepted beliefs; unorthodox.

ubiquitous

present, appearing, or found everywhere; widespread.

sporadic

occurring at irregular intervals or only in a few places; scattered.

scanty

small or insufficient in quantity or amount; minimal.

acute

having or experiencing a sharp or severe effect; intense.

prolix

lengthy and excessive in writing or speech, often to the point of being tedious.

ameliorate

to make something better or improve a situation.

outmoded

no longer in style or use; obsolete.

quotidian

occurring daily; commonplace or ordinary.

disparate

essentially different or distinct; dissimilar.

herald

to announce or proclaim; to signal the arrival of something.

panacea

a solution or remedy for all difficulties or diseases.

perfunctory

(of an action or gesture) carried out with a minimum of effort or reflection.

cursory

hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed.

industrious

diligent and hard-working.

canny

having or showing shrewdness and good judgment, especially in money or business matters.

arcane

understood by few; mysterious or secret.

sanguine

optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation.

equivocal

open to more than one interpretation; ambiguous.

ambivalent

having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone.

irresolute

showing or feeling hesitancy; uncertain.

opulent

ostentatiously rich and luxurious or lavish.

eclectic

deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.

enigmatic

difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious.

bucolic

relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life.

adroit

clever or skillful in using the hands or mind.

unpretentious

not attempting to impress others with an appearance of greater importance, talent, or culture than is actually possessed.

spurious

not being what it purports to be; false or fake.

lucidity

clarity of expression; intelligibility.

vindicated

clear (someone) of blame or suspicion

boon

a thing that is helpful or beneficial.

debacle

a sudden and ignominious failure; a fiasco.

hidebound

unwilling or unable to change because of tradition or convention.

surly

describes someone who is unfriendly, bad-tempered, and rude

prudent

acting with or showing care and thought for the future.

acerbic

(especially of a comment or style of speaking) sharp and forthright.

premonitory

serving as a warning or giving a premonition, typically about something bad that is about to happen

laudatory

(of speech or writing) expressing praise and commendation.

buoyant

cheerful and optimistic.

temperate

showing moderation or self-restraint.

abreast

side by side and facing the same way.

noxious

harmful, poisonous, or very unpleasant.

assiduous

showing great care and perseverance.

loquacious

tending to talk a great deal; talkative.

diffident

modest or shy because of a lack of self-confidence.

stanch

to stop or check in its course

taciturnity

the state of being reserved or reticent in conversation

alacrity

brisk and cheerful readiness.

rhapsody

an effusively enthusiastic or ecstatic expression of feeling.

devolve

transfer or delegate (power) to a lower level, especially from central government to local or regional administration.

quandary

a state of perplexity or uncertainty over what to do in a difficult situation.

deleterious

causing harm or damage.

zealots

a person who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of their religious, political, or other ideals.

sycophant

a person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain advantage.

adulator

a person who flatters or praises others excessively, often insincerely, to gain favor or advantage

braggart

a person who boasts about achievements or possessions.

mercurial

(of a person) subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind.

blithe

showing a casual and cheerful indifference considered to be callous or improper.

phlegmatic

a personality or temperament characterized by a calm, unemotional, and apathetic disposition

bemused

puzzled, confused, or bewildered.

obduracy

stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing or hardened in feelings

caprice

a sudden and unaccountable change of mood or behavior.

ephemeral

lasting for a very short time.

perspicacity

the quality of having a ready insight into things; shrewdness.

callousness

insensitive and cruel disregard for others.

fickleness

changeability, especially as regards one's loyalties or affections.