GRE Vocab

Ablution

a cleansing with water or other liquid, especially as a religious ritual; the liquid thus used.

Abnegate

to refuse or deny oneself (some rights, conveniences, etc.); reject; renounce; relinquish; give up.

Acidulous

slightly sour; sharp; caustic; moderately acid or tart.

Adventitious

associated with something by chance rather than as an integral part; extrinsic.

Afflatus

inspiration; an impelling mental force acting from within; divine communication of knowledge.

Impel

to drive or urge forward; press on; propel; incite or constrain to action.

Agathism

the belief that things ultimately lead to good.

Agnate

related or akin through males or on the father's side; allied or akin.

Aleatory

of or pertaining to accidental causes; of luck or chance; unpredictable

Ana

a collection of miscellaneous information, or an item, about a particular subject, person, place, or thing.

Animus

strong dislike or enmity; hostile attitude; animosity; purpose; intention; animating spirit.

Antediluvian

very old, old-fashioned, or out of date; antiquated.

Antinomy

opposition between one law, principle, rule, etc., and another (especially two seemingly true statements).

Aphasia

The loss of a previously held ability to speak or understand spoken or written language.

Aphorism

a terse saying embodying a general truth, or astute observation.

Arable

suitable for producing crops.

Downright

thorough; absolute; out-and-out; frankly direct; straightforward.

Out-and-out

complete; total; thoroughgoing.

Thoroughgoing

carried out to the full extent; thorough; complete; unqualified.

Arriviste

a person who has recently acquired unaccustomed status, wealth, or success, especially by dubious means and without earning concomitant esteem.

Dubious

of doubtful quality or propriety; questionable; wavering or hesitating in opinion.

Concomitant

existing or occurring with something else, often in a lesser way; accompanying; concurrent.

Aseptic

free from the living germs of disease, fermentation, or putrefaction.

Atrabilious

gloomy; morose; melancholy; morbid; irritable; bad-tempered; splenetic.

Morose

gloomily or sullenly ill-humored, as a person or mood.

Splenetic

irritable; peevish; spiteful; of the spleen.

Bailiwick

a person's area of skill, knowledge, authority, or work.

Banausic

serving utilitarian purposes only; mechanical; practical.

Bellwether

a person or thing that assumes the leadership or forefront.

Benison

blessing; benediction.

Bibulous

fond of or addicted to drink; absorbent; spongy.

Bifurcate

to divide or fork into two branches.

Boondoggle

a product of simple manual skill; work of little or no value done merely to keep or look busy.

Bosky

covered with bushes, shrubs, and small trees; woody; shady.

Braggadocio

empty boasting; bragging; a boasting person; braggart.

Brummagem

showy but inferior and worthless.

Caducity

the infirmity or weakness of old age; senility; frailty; transitoriness.

Infirm

feeble or weak in body or health; unsteadfast, faltering, or irresolute, as persons or the mind; vacillating; unsound or invalid, as an argument or a property title..

Vacillate

to waver in mind or opinion; be indecisive or irresolute; to sway unsteadily; waver; totter; stagger.

Transitoriness

not lasting, enduring, permanent, or eternal; lasting only a short time; brief; short-lived; temporary.

Canard

a false or baseless, usually derogatory story, report, or rumor.

Celerity

swiftness; speed.

Centrifugal

moving or directed outward from the center.

Centripetal

directed toward the center.

Claque

a group of persons hired to applaud an act or performer; a group of sycophants.

Obsequious

characterized by or showing servile complaisance or deference; fawning; obedient; dutiful.

Clerisy

learned persons as a class; intellectual elites.

Compendium

a concise treatise; a summary, epitome, or abridgment.

Epitome

a person or thing that is typical of or possesses to a high degree the features of a whole class; a condensed account, especially of a literary work; abstract.

Culvert

a drain or channel crossing under a road, sidewalk, etc.; sewer; conduit.

Conduit

a pipe, tube, or the like, for conveying water or other fluid.

Daedal

skillful; ingenious; cleverly intricate; diversified.

Deciduous

falling off or shed at a particular season, stage of growth, etc., as leaves, horns, or teeth; not permanent; transitory.

Defalcation

misappropriation of money or funds held by an official, trustee, or other fiduciary.

Defenestration

the act of throwing a thing, especially a person, out of a window.

Deism

belief in a God who created the world but has since remained indifferent to it.

Demimonde

prostitutes or courtesans in general; a group characterized by lack of success or status.

Courtesan

a prostitute or paramour, especially one associating with noblemen or men of wealth.

Paramour

an illicit lover, especially of a married person; any lover.

Denouement

the outcome or resolution of a doubtful series of occurrences, in life or as in a novel or drama.

Denounce

to condemn or censure openly or publicly.

Diadem

A crown or cloth headband that indicates royalty; royal dignity or authority.

Dolorous

full of, expressing, or causing pain or sorrow; grievous; mournful.

Éclat

brilliance of success, reputation, etc.; showy or elaborate display; acclamation; acclaim.

Edacious

devouring; voracious; consuming.

Ephemeral

lasting a very short time; short-lived; transitory.

Epicene

belonging to, or partaking of the characteristics of, both sexes; flaccid; feeble; weak; effeminate; unmasculine.

Effeminate

(of a man or boy) having traits, tastes, habits, etc., traditionally considered feminine, as softness or delicacy; characterized by excessive softness, delicacy, self-indulgence, etc.

Escarpment

cliff, a steep slope resulting from erosion.

Esculent

suitable for use as food; edible.

Etiolate

to cause to become weakened or sickly; drain of color or vigor.

Euthenics

a science concerned with bettering the condition of human beings through the improvement of their environment.

Evince

to show clearly; make evident or manifest; prove.

Filial

of, pertaining to, or befitting a son or daughter; noting or having the relation of a child to a parent.

Forward

presumptuous, impertinent, or bold.

Fustian

a stout fabric of cotton and flax; inflated or turgid language in writing or speaking.

Galoot

an awkward, eccentric, or foolish person.

Gemeinschaft

an association of individuals having sentiments, tastes, and attitudes in common; fellowship.

Grig

a cricket or grasshopper; a small or young eel; a lively person.

Hegira

any flight or journey to a more desirable or congenial place.

Congenial

agreeable, suitable, or pleasing in nature or character; compatible.

Homolgate

to approve; confirm or ratify.

Ratify

to confirm by expressing consent, approval, or formal sanction.

Sanction

authoritative permission or approval, as for an action; something that serves to support an action, condition, etc.

Horatory

urging to some course of conduct or action; exhorting; encouraging.

Exhort

to urge, advise, or caution earnestly; admonish urgently.

Admonish

to caution, advise, or counsel against something; to reprove or scold, especially in a mild and good-willed manner; to urge to a duty; remind.

Hugger-mugger

disorder or confusion; muddle; secrecy; reticence.

Imago

an adult insect; an idealized concept of a loved one, formed in childhood and retained unaltered in adult life.

Indeterminate

not determinate; not precisely fixed in extent; indefinite; uncertain; not clear; vague; not established; not settled or decided.

Indubitable

that cannot be doubted; patently evident or certain; unquestionable.

Ineffable

incapable of being expressed or described in words; inexpressible; not to be spoken because of its sacredness; unutterable.

Ineluctable

inescapable, not to be evaded.

Inquietude

restlessness or uneasiness; disquietude; disquieting thoughts.

Inure

to accustom to hardship, difficulty, pain, etc.; toughen or harden; habituate; to come into use; take or have effect; to become beneficial or advantageous.

Jejune

without interest or significance; dull; insipid; juvenile; immature; childish; uninformed; deficient or lacking in nutritive value.

Labile

apt or likely to change.

Apt

inclined; disposed; given; prone; likely; appropriate; unusually intelligent; able to learn quickly and easily.

Lachrymose

suggestive of or tending to cause tears; mournful; tearful.

Lambent

running or moving lightly over a surface; dealing lightly and gracefully with a subject; brilliantly playful; softly bright or radiant.