GRE VOCAB

aberration

noun: a deviation from what is normal or expected

venality

noun: the condition of being susceptible to bribes or corruption

restive

adjective: restless

wanting

adjective: lacking

equivocal

adjective: confusing or ambiguous

ingenuous

adj: to be naive and innocent

frugal

adj: not spending much money

ambivalent

adj: mixed or conflicting emotions about something

galvanize

verb: to excite or inspire (someone) to action

artful

adj: clever in a cunning way/exhibiting artistic skill

calumny

noun: making of a false statement meant to injure a person’s reputation

commensurate

adj: to be in proportion or corresponding in degree or amount

maintain

verb: to assert

involved

adj: complicated, and difficult to comprehend

belie

verb: to give a false representation to; misrepresent

disinterested

adj: unbiased; neutral

censure

verb: to express strong disapproval

enervate

verb: to sap energy from

innocuous

adj: harmless and doesn’t produce any ill effects

parochial

adj: narrowly restricted in scope or outlook

auspicious

adj: favorable, the opposite of sinister

intimate

verb: to suggest something subtly

anomalous

adj: not normal

mercurial

adj: (of a person) prone to unexpected and unpredictable changes in mood

betray

verb: to reveal or make known something, usually unintentionally

demur

verb: to object or show reluctance

abate

to reduce, lessen

aberrant

abnormal, unusual

abstain

to hold back from doing

adulterate

to make impure

aesthetic

relating to beauty

alacrity

eagerness, speed

ameliorate

to improve

anachronism

something out of its proper time

anomaly

something unusual

antipathy

strong dislike

apathy

lack of interest

apt

appropriate; likely

arduous

difficult, requiring effort

articulate

able to speak clearly

avarice

greed

cacophony

harsh mixture of sounds

capricious

unpredictable

castigate

to criticize harshly

caustic

biting, sarcastic

convoluted

complicated

daunt

to discourage

decorum

proper behavior

deference

respect

deride

to mock

desiccate

to dry out

ebullient

enthusiastic

efficacious

effective

eloquent

persuasive in speech

emulate

to imitate

enervate

to weaken

facetious

joking inappropriately

fallacious

misleading, false

fervid

intensely emotional

florid

excessively decorated

furtive

secretive

garrulous

overly talkative

gregarious

sociable

guile

slyness

gainsay

to deny, contradict

harangue

long, aggressive speech

homogeneous

uniform, similar

hyperbole

exaggeration

hypocrite

one who says one thing but does another

heresy

belief against accepted doctrine

iconoclast

one who attacks traditions

idiosyncrasy

personal quirk

imminent

about to happen

implacable

unable to be claimed

inchoate

not fully formed

judicious

showing good judgement

juxtapose

to place side by side for contrast

laconic

using few words

lament

to mourn

laud

to praise

lethargic

sluggish, lacking energy

loquacious

very talkative

magnanimous

generous

malleable

flexible, adaptable

meticulous

extremely careful

mitigate

to make less severe

mollify

to soothe

nascent

just beginning

neophyte

beginner

noxious

harmful

nuance

subtle difference

obdurate

stubborn

obfuscate

to confuse

obsequious

overly flattering

obstinate

unyielding

occlude

to block

opaque

not transparent, hard to understand

ostentatious

showy

paradox

a contradiction that may be true

paragon

a model of excellence