GRE Vocab Words

abate

Reduce, diminish

abdicate

Formally give up the throne (or some other power or responsibility)

aberrant

Abnormal, deviant

abhor

Detest, regard with disgust

abjure

Give up, renounce; repudiate, recant, or shun (especially formally or under oath)

abrasive

Rough, suitable for grinding or polishing (such as sandpaper); causing irritation or annoyance

abridge

Reduce or lessen; shorten by omitting parts throughout while retaining the main idea

abstain

Hold back, refrain (especially from something bad or unhealthy); decline to vote

acme

Summit, peak, highest point

activism

The practice of pursuing political or other goals through vigorous action, often including protests and demonstrations

adhere

Stick (to), such as with glue, or to a plan or belief

admonish

Mildly scold; caution, advise, or remind to do something

adverse

Opposing, harmful

advocate

Speak or argue in favor of (verb); a person who pleads for a cause or on behalf of another person (noun)

aesthetic

Concerning the appreciation of beauty or good taste, pertaining to the science of what is beautiful (adj); a sense of beauty and taste of a particular time and place (noun)

affable

Warm and friendly, pleasant, approachable

affectation

Fake behavior (such as in speech or dress) adopted to give a certain impression

aggrandize

Make greater; exaggerate

aggregate

Gather together, amount to (verb); constituting a whole made up of constituent parts (adj)

alacrity

Cheerful or speedy willingness

alienate

Cause to become unfriendly, hostile, or distant

alleviate

Lessen, make easier to endure

ambiguous

Not clear, hard to understand, open to having several meanings or interpretations

ambivalent

Uncertain; unable to decide, or wanting to do two contradictory things at once

analogous

Comparable, corresponding in some particular way (making a good analogy)

anarchy

Absence of law or government; chaos, disorder

anoint

Rub or sprinkle oil on; make sacred, such as by a ceremony that includes applying oil to someone

anomaly

Deviation from what is common; inconsistency

antagonize

Make hostile or unfriendly

apathy

Not caring; absence of feeling; lack of interest or concern

apocryphal

Of questionable authenticity; false

arcane

Known or understood by only a few; obscure, secret

archaic

Characteristic of an earlier period, ancient, primitive

arduous

Very difficult, strenuous; severe, hard to endure

articulate

Using language in a clear, fluent way (adj); speak distinctly or give clarity to an idea (verb)

artifact

Any object made by humans, especially those from an earlier time, such as those excavated by archaeologists

artless

Free of deceit or craftiness, natural, genuine; lacking skill or knowledge, crude, uncultured

ascertain

Find out with certainty

ascetic

abstinent or austere in lifestyle (adj); a person who leads an austere and simple life without material pleasures, esp. someone who does this for religious reasons

assuage

Make milder, relieve; soothe, pacify, or calm

audacious

Very bold or brave, often in a rude or reckless way; extremely original

augment

Make larger

austere

Severe in manner or appearance; very self-disciplined, ascetic; without luxury or ease; sober or serious

autonomous

Self-governing, independent

aver

Declare or affirm with confidence

avid

Enthusiastic, dedicated, passionate; excessively desirous

balk

Refuse to proceed or to do something

base

Morally low, mean, dishonorable; of little or no value; crude and unrefined; counterfeit

belie

Contradict or misrepresent

benign

Harmless; favorable; kindly, gentle, or beneficial; not cancerous

bogus

Fake, fraudulent

bolster

Strengthen or support

boor

Rude, ill-mannered, or insensitive person; a peasant or country bumpkin

buffer

Something that shields, protects, absorbs shock, or cushions

bureaucracy

Government characterized by many bureaus and petty administrators or by excessive, seemingly meaningless requirements

burgeon

Grow or flourish rapidly; put forth buds or shoots (of a plant)

buttress

Support or encourage (verb); a support or prop, esp. projecting from and supporting the wall of a building (noun)

bygone

Past, former (adj); that which is in the past (usually plural noun)

cacophony

Harsh, discordant, or meaningless mixture of sounds

candid

Open, sincere, honest

canonical

Authorized, recognized; pertaining to the canon, or body of accepted rules, standards or artistic works

capricious

Acting on impulse, erratic

cartography

Mapmaking

castigate

Criticize severely; punish in order to correct

catalyst

Causer of change

caustic

Capable of corroding metal or burning the skin; very critical or sarcastic

censure

Strong disapproval or official reprimand (noun); to issue such disapproval or reprimand (verb)

chauvinism

Fanatical patriotism or blind enthusiasm for military glory; undue or biased devotion to any group, cause, etc.

chronological

Arranged in or relating to time order

clamor

Noisy uproar or protest, as from a crowd; a loud, continuous noise

clinch

Make final or settle conclusively; to fasten or hold together

coalesce

Come together, unite; fuse together

cogent

Very convincing, logical

commensurate

The same in size, extent, etc., equivalent; proportional

complacent

Self-satisfied, smug; overly content (and therefore lazy, neglectful, or some other bad quality)

complementary

Completing; fitting together well; filling mutual needs

compliant

Obeying, submissive; following the requirements

concede

Give in, admit, yield; acknowledge reluctantly; grant or give up (such as giving up land after losing a war)

conciliatory

Reconciling, appeasing, attempting to make the peace

concur

Approve, agree

condone

Overlook, tolerate, regard as harmless

confer

Consult, compare views; bestow or give

connoisseur

Expert, especially in the fine arts; person of educated, refined tastes

console

Lessen the suffering or grief of (verb); a control panel, or small table or cabinet (noun)

consolidate

Unite, combine, solidify, make coherent

constrict

Squeeze, compress; restrict the freedom of

construe

Interpret or translate

contentious

Controversial; prone to causing arguments, especially gratuitous or petty ones

contextualize

Place in context, such as by giving the background or circumstances

conundrum

Riddle, the answer to which involves a play on words; any mystery

converge

Move towards one another or towards a point; unite

conversant

Knowledgeable about or experienced with

conversely

In an opposite way; on the other hand

convoluted

Twisted; very complicated

copious

Plentiful, bountiful

corroborate

Support, add evidence to

cosmopolitan

Belonging to the entire world, at home globally; free from local or national prejudices or attachments

countenance

Facial expression or face (noun); approve or tolerate (verb)

counterintuitive

Against what one would intuitively expect

counterpoint

Contrasting item, opposite; a complement; the use of contrast or interplay in a work of art