GRE VOCBABULARY

GRE VOCAB FROM THE ETS GRE STUDY BOOKS VERBAL REASONING SECTIONS

ameliorate

improve or make something better

plodding(ly)

slow, continuous and not exciting

antinomian

the ideology(in christianity) that you will be saved and forgiven no matter what even if you sin and disobey the 10 commandments

secular (power)

not religious

clerical

religious(like part of the clergy)

elucidate

to make clear or explain

crestfallen

sad and disappointed

humdrum

dull or lacking excitement(synonym for monotonous)

humorless

lacking humor duh

scrupulous

extreme attention to detail(meticulous synonym)

entrench(ed)

to establish firmly so it is unlikely to change

venal

capable of being bought, open to corrupt influence(specifically bribery)

arduous

difficult or hard to understand

superfluous

unnecessary especially because of a surplus of something

nuances

a subtle difference in shade of meaning/expression/sound

subversion

undermining of the power of an institution

manacle(d)

to handcuff or to restrain something

indemnified

compensate for harm/loss or to protect against legal liability

row

quarrel or dispute

delineate

describe something precisely

pithy

(concise) brief, forceful and meaningful in purpose

immured

to enclose or confine against their will

malignant

spiteful or very virulent

perfunctory

minimum effort

paradigm

typical example or pattern(model)

misnomer

inaccurate name or designation

profundity

deep insight, great depth of knowledge

underscore

to emphasize

inimical

tending to harm to obstruct (hostile)

peculiarity

odd or unusual

enigmatic

difficult to interpret or understand(mysterious)

reconcile

restore friendly relations

affability

friendly, good natured manner

Diffidence

modesty/shyness from lack of self-confidence

disquieting

feelings of worry or anxiety

endorse

declare one’s public approval/support

belies

to be wrong, contradict, to hide something such as an emotion

injudicious

showing very poor judgement, unwise

intrinsic

belonging naturally, essential

penitential

relating to self-punishment

austerity

sternness or strictness of manner or attitude

prolixity

unnecesarily or tediously wordy

impetuous

impulsive or rash

prodigality

excessive or extravagant spending of money

intractable

unmanageable, hard to deal with

taciturnity

the state of being reserved in a conversation

volubility

talkativness, talking fluently or readily

pellucidity

easy to understand, reflecting light evenly

bolster

to strengthen or boost, type of pillow

hotly

passionate, excited

peripheral

on the edge, secondary to minor importance, a device connected to a printer

attainment

achieving a goal

rumination

a deep thought, the action of throwing up and chewing again (cud)

prosaic

dull or uninterested, unromantic

hackneyed

lacking significance due to overuse, unoriginal

novel

new and original, book

placid

calm or not easily upset

aloof

removed or distant, unfriendly manner

restive

unable to keep still or quiet

vociferous

relating to a person or speech, loud or passionate

circumscribed

restrict something withint limits, to draw a line around, encircle

indecorous

improper or unseemly

fallow acreage

arable land that is left alone to restore it for one of more vegetative cycle

recalcitrant

having an extremely uncooperative attitude (towards authority)

anachronistic

not the right time period

emulated

imitate

dogmatism

stubborn/prejudice/lay down principles that are incontrovertibly true

lionization

treating someone like they are very important or famous

foreground

make most prominent/ important

transcend

rise above

obscure

to hide/unknown

caprice(capricious)

sudden change in behavior

aesthetics

beauty

demur

raise doubts/ objecting

schism

split/divide between sections

modicum

little bit

didactic

teaching

syntactical

relating to arrangement of words

sartorial

relating to clothes/tayloring

frivolous(frivolity)

no serious purpose

panache

flamboyant/confidence/plume of feathers on helmet

quixotic

unrealistic/impractical

brandish

to wave or flourish (weapon)

flout

openly disregard

cynicism

skepticism/ doubt

pragmatism

practical/realistic

posthumous

awarded after death

notoriety

infamy (usually for a bad thing)

pejorative

disapproval/ belittle

acquisition

obtain/ purchase/acquire (learn)

attenuation

reduction of the force of something (effect)

innocuous

not harmful or offensive

remedial

given as remedy

benign

gentle/kind/ not harmful in effect

antedated

come before in date

preceded

come before

disparate

contrasting/different

trite

over used/ lacking originality

trivial

little value/importance

arbitrary

based on random choice