Princeton Review GRE - Key Terms Group 1

abscond (verb)

to depart clandestinely; to steal off and hide

aberrant (adj)

deviating from the norm (adj form)

aberration (noun)

deviation from the norm (noun form)

alacrity (noun)

eager and enthusiastic willingness

anomaly (noun)

deviation from the normal order, form, or rule; abnormality (noun form)

approbation (noun)

an expression of approval or praise

arduous (adj)

strenuous, taxing; requiring significant effort

assuage (verb)

to ease or lessen; to appease or pacify

audacious (adj)

daring and fearless; recklessly bold (adj form)

austere (adj)

without adornment; bare; severely simple; ascetic (adj form)

axiomatic (adj)

taken as a given; possessing self-evident truth (adj form)

canonical (adj)

following or in agreement with accepted traditional standards (adj form)

capricious (adj)

inclined to change one's mind impulsively; erratic, unpredictable

censure (verb)

to criticize severely; too officially rebuke

chicanery (noun)

trickery or subterfuge

connoisseur (noun)

an informed and astute judge in matters of taste; expert

convoluted (adj)

complex or complicated

disabuse (verb)

to undeceive; to set right

discordant (adj)

conflicting; dissonant or harsh in sound

disparate (adj)

fundamentally distinct or dissimilar

effrontery (noun)

extreme boldness; presumptuousness

eloquent (adj)

well-spoken, expressive, articulate (noun form: eloquence)

enervate (verb)

to weaken; to reduce in vitality

ennui (noun)

dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy

equivocate (verb)

to use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent (verb form)

erudite (adj)

very learned; scholarly (adj form)

exculpate (verb)

exonerate; to clear of blame

exigent (adj)

urgent, pressing; requiring immediate action or attention

extemporaneous (adj)

improvised; done without permission

filibuster (noun)

intentional obstruction, exp using prolonged speechmaking to delay legislative action

fulminate (verb)

to loudly attack or denounce

ingenuous (adj)

artless, frank and candid; lacking in sophistication

inured (adj)

accustomed to accepting something undesirable

irascible (adj)

easily angered; prone to temperamental outbursts

laud (verb)

to praise highly (verb form)

lucid (adj)

clear; easily understood

magnanimity (noun)

the quality of being generously noble in mind and heart, esp in forgiving (noun form)

martial (adj)

associated with war and the armed forces

mundane (adj)

of the world; typical of or concerned with the ordinary

nascent (adj)

coming into being; in early development stages

nebulous (adj)

vague cloudy; lacking clearly defined form

neologism (noun)

a new word, expression, or usage; the creation or use of new words or senses

noxious (adj)

harmful, injurious

obtuse (adj)

lacking sharpness of intellect; not clear or precise in thought or expression

obviate (verb)

to anticipate and make unnecessary

onerous (adj)

troubling; burdensome

paean (noun)

a song or hymn of praise and thanksgiving

parody (noun)

a humorous imitation intended for ridicule or comic effect, esp in literature and art

perennial (adj)

recurrent through the year or many years; happening repeatedly

perfidy (noun)

intentional breach of faith; treachery (noun form)

perfunctory (adj)

cursory; done without care or interest

perspicacious (adj)

acutely perceptive; having keen discernment (adj form)

prattle (verb)

to babble meaninglessly; to talk in an empty and idle manner

precipitate (adj)

acting with excessive haste or impulse

precipitate (verb)

to cause to happen before anticipated or required

predilection (noun)

a predisposition in favor of something

prescience (noun)

foreknowledge of events; knowing of events prior to their occurring (noun form)

prevaricate (verb)

to deliberately avoid the truth; to mislead

qualms (noun)

misgivings; reservations; causes for hesitancy

recant (verb)

to retract, exp a previously held belief

refute (verb)

to disprove; to successfully argue against

relegate (verb)

to forcibly assign, exp to lower a place or position

reticent (adj)

quiet; reserved; reluctant to express thoughts and feelings

solicitous (adj)

concerned and attentive; eager

sordid (adj)

characterized by filth, grime, or squalor; foul

sporadic (adj)

occurring only occasionally, or in scattered instances

squander (verb)

to waste by spending or using irresponsibly

static (adj)

not moving, active, or in motion; at rest

stupefy (verb)

to stun, baffle, or amaze

stymie (verb)

to block; to thwart

synthesis (noun)

the combination of parts to make a whole (noun form)

torque (noun)

a force that causes rotation

tortuous (adj)

winding, twisting; excessively complicated

truculent (adj)

fierce and cruel; eager to fight

veracity (noun)

truthfulness, honesty

virulent (adj)

extremely harmful or poisonous; bitterly hostile or antagonistic

voracious (adj)

having an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit; ravenous

waver (verb)

to move to and fro; to sway; to be unsettled in opinion

anomalous (adj)

deviating from the normal order, form, or rule; abnormal (adj form)

audacity (noun)

daringness and fearlessness; reckless boldness (noun form)

austerity (noun)

without adornment; bare; severely simple; ascetic (noun form)

axiom (noun)

taken as a given; possessing self-evident truth (noun form)

canon (noun)

an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature (noun form)

equivocal (adj)

to use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent (adj form)

erudition (noun)

very learned; scholarly (noun form)

laudatory (adj)

praised highly (adj form)

magnanimous (adj)

generously noble in mind and heart, esp in forgiving (adj form)

perfidious (adj)

intentional breach of faith; treacherous (adj form)

perspicacity (noun)

acutely perceptive; having keen discernment (noun form)

prescient (adj)

having foreknowledge of events; knowing of events prior to their occurring (adj form)

synthesize (verb)

act of combining parts to make a whole (verb form)