GRE Vocabulary

aghast

shocked & horrified

aloof

not sociable or friendly with others

amicable

friendly and good-natured

auspicious

signaling future success

belie

to contradict; give a false impression of

boisterous

noisy and lively

brevity

briefness

bucolic

pleasant, idealized country life

bumbling

clumsy, prone to mistakes

capricious

changing suddenly and often

congenial

friendliness

contentious

likely to cause an argument or disagreement

convoluted

difficult to follow

deft

skillful and quick (of the mind and body)

deify

to treat as a god

disenchant

to free from illusion

disparage

to belittle, to bad-mouth

dubious

doubtful, questionable

eloquent

clearly expressed

enigmatic

mysterious or puzzling

erudite

well-educated and well-read

exorbitant

unreasonably high, expensive

extol

to praise highly

fanciful

imaginative in an unrealistic way

garrulous

extremely talkative

homogeneous

of the same kind

incontrovertible

undeniable

ingenious

clever and inventive

innocuous

harmless

insipid

uninteresting, unexciting

insolent

rude and disrespectful

laud

to praise highly, especially publically

lax

not strict or careful enough

lucrative

profitable

mellifluous

having a pleasant or flowing sound

orthodox

traditional, conventional

ostentatious

intending to attract noise and impress others

partisan

showing strong adherence to a particular group

placid

calm, not easily excited

prescient

to be able to predict the future

prudent

showing caution and good judgement

pseudonym

a fake name

reticent

reluctant to reveal one’s thoughts and feelings

revere

to greatly admire and respect

salutary

beneficial, especially to health

slew

a large amount

solvent

able to pay one’s debts

superfluous

extra, unneccessary

taciturn

not talkative

terse

using few words, to the point of rudeness

tout

to praise and promote

ubiquitous

to present everywhere

venerate

to treat with great respect

waver

to go back and forth

contemporaneous

existing or occurring during the same time period

impassioned

filled with or showing intense emotion

discerning

showing good judgement or insight; selective

arcane

understood or known by few; mysterious/secret

capricious

impulsive; unpredictable

erroneous

inaccurate; incorrect

fastidious

attention to detail; meticulous/fussy

propensity

a natural inclination or tendency towards something

scintillating

brilliantly lively; stimulating; witty

steadfast

firm and unwavering in beliefs; loyal

scant

not enough

spartan

lacking in luxuries and comfort

palatial

large and impressive; luxurious

adulterating

making impure

buttressing

supporting

austere

plain and simple

tact

skill and sensitivity in not offending others

impudence

rudeness, not showing due respect