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GRE Vocabulary
words!
281
English
Graduate
07/05/2008

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Term
factitious
Definition
not spontaneous or natural; artificial; contrived
Term
abscond
Definition
to leave secretly
Term
adulterate
Definition
to make impure
Term
apothegm
Definition
a short, instructive saying
Term
amalgamate
Definition
to combine, to mix together (merge)
Term
liniment
Definition
medical liquid used externally to ease pain
Term
encomium
Definition
warm praise
Term
arbitrate
Definition
to judge a dispute between two opposing parties
Term
compendious
Definition
containing the substance of a subject, often an exclusive subject, in a brief form; concise
Term
expatiate
Definition
to wander; to discuss or describe at length
Term
sanguine
Definition
cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confident
Term
turpitude
Definition
vile, shameful, or base character; depravity
Term
obsequy/ies
Definition
a funeral rite or ceremony
Term
bombastic
Definition
pompous in speech and manner
Term
expiate
Definition
to atone for; make amends or reparation for
Term
capricious
Definition
changing one's mind quickly and often; impulsive, unpredictable
Term
castigate
Definition
to punish or criticize harshly
Term
apotheosis
Definition
deification; glorified ideal
Term
cogent
Definition
convincing and well-reasoned
Term
corroborate
Definition
to provide supporting evidence
Term
credulous
Definition
too trusting; gullible
Term
gratuitous
Definition
freely given; uncalled for
Term
limpid
Definition
clear, transparent, or pellucid, as water, crystal, or air
Term
expurgate
Definition
to censor
Term
disquietude
Definition
anxiety
Term
fulminate
Definition
to explode with anger
Term
enervate
Definition
to weaken, to debilitate
Term
abut
Definition
to touch, to be in contact with
Term
belie
Definition
contradict, misrepresent; show to be false
Term
equanimity
Definition
mental or emotional stability or composure, esp. under tension or strain; calmness; equilibrium
Term
surfeit
Definition
overabundance, excess
Term
garrotte
Definition
strangle
Term
adumbrate
Definition
to sketch, outline in a shadowy way
Term
apprehend
Definition
to take into custody;
to grasp the meaning of; understand, esp. intuitively - perceive;
to expect with anxiety, suspicion, or fear - anticipate
Term
deference
Definition
respect, courtesy
Term
deride
Definition
to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock
Term
desiccate
Definition
to dry out thoroughly
Term
desultory
Definition
jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
Term
diffident
Definition
lacking confidence in one's own ability, worth, or fitness; timid; shy
Term
dilatory
Definition
intended to delay
Term
dilettante
Definition
someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
Term
dirge/elegy/threnody
Definition
a funeral hymn or mournful speech/poem
Term
disabuse
Definition
to set right; to free from error
Term
disparate
Definition
fundamentally different; entirely unlike
Term
dissemble
Definition
to present a false appearance; to disguise one's real intentions or character
Term
fey
Definition
doomed
Term
esurient
Definition
hungry; greedy; maybe poor
Term
engender
Definition
to produce, cause, or bring out
Term
ephemeral
Definition
lasting a short time
Term
equivocate
Definition
to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead
Term
martinet
Definition
strict disciplinarian; one who diligently follows rules
Term
estimable
Definition
admirable (esteem)
Term
exculpate/exonerate
Definition
to clear from blame; prove innocent
Term
exigent
Definition
urgent; requiring immediate action
Term
fervid
Definition
intensely emotional; feverish
Term
florid
Definition
excessively decorated or embellished
Term
foment
Definition
to arouse or incite
Term
garrulous/loquacious
Definition
tending to talk a lot
Term
gregarious
Definition
outgoing, sociable
Term
iconoclast
Definition
one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions
Term
riposte
Definition
a quick, sharp return in speech or action; counterstroke
Term
fulsome
Definition
excessive, overdone, sickeningly abundant
Term
implacable
Definition
unable to be calmed down or made peaceful
Term
inchoate
Definition
not fully formed; disorganized
Term
ingenuous
Definition
showing innocence or childlike simplicity (naive)
Term
inimical
Definition
hostile, unfriendly
Term
innocuous
Definition
harmless
Term
insipid
Definition
lacking interest or flavor; bland, vapid
Term
intransigent
Definition
uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled
Term
irascible
Definition
easily made angry
Term
pique
Definition
annoy
Term
mordant/mordacious
Definition
biting and caustic
Term
lucid
Definition
clear and easily understood
Term
malinger
Definition
to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill
Term
mitigate
Definition
to soften; to lessen
Term
mollify
Definition
to calm or make less severe
Term
obdurate
Definition
hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion
Term
obsequious
Definition
overly submissive and eager to please
Term
mendicant
Definition
beggar
Term
obviate
Definition
to prevent; to make unnecessary
Term
occlude
Definition
to stop up; to prevent the passage of
Term
opprobrium
Definition
public disgrace
Term
paragon
Definition
model of excellence or perfection
Term
pedant/pedantic
Definition
someone who is ostentatious in one's learning; overly concerned with minute details or formalisms, esp. in teaching
Term
perfidious
Definition
willing to betray one's trust
Term
perfunctory
Definition
done in a routine way; indifferent
Term
mote
Definition
small partical, speck
Term
precipitate
Definition
to throw violently or bring about abruptly; lacking deliberation
Term
prevaricate
Definition
to lie or deviate from the truth
Term
prodigal
Definition
lavish, wasteful
Term
propitiate
Definition
to conciliate; to appease
Term
propriety
Definition
correct behavior; obedience to rules and customs
Term
quiescent
Definition
motionless
Term
rarefy
Definition
to make thinner or sparser
Term
strident
Definition
making or having a harsh sound; grating; creaking; having a shrill, irritating quality or character
Term
reticent
Definition
silent, reserved
Term
abstemious
Definition
consuming moderately
Term
abrogate
Definition
to abolish or invalidate by authority
Term
stolid
Definition
unemotional; lacking sensitivity
Term
tacit
Definition
done without using words
Term
torpor
Definition
extreme mental and physical sluggishness
Term
transitory
Definition
temporary; lasting a brief time
Term
vacillate
Definition
to sway physically; to be indecisive
Term
vex
Definition
to annoy
Term
amortize
Definition
to diminish by installment payments
Term
pedagogue
Definition
teacher
Term
litigate
Definition
to make the subject of a lawsuit
Term
abdicate
Definition
to renounce or relinquish a throne
Term
acrid/acrimonious
Definition
sharp or biting to the taste or smell / in nature
Term
ambient
Definition
moving freely; circulating
Term
animus
Definition
hostile feeling or attitude
Term
magnanimous
Definition
generous in forgiving an insult or injury
Term
annuity
Definition
a specified income payable at stated intervals
Term
perennial
Definition
lasting for an indefinite (long) amount of time
Term
annals
Definition
a record of events
Term
antediluvian
Definition
belonging to the period before the biblical flood; very old or old-fashioned
Term
philanderer
Definition
one who carries on flirtations
Term
dither
Definition

to move or act confusedly or without clear purpose

OR a trembling; vibration; a state of flustered excitement or fear

Term
apocryphal
Definition
of doubtful authorship or authenticity
Term
apostasy
Definition
a total desertion of one's religion, principles, party, cause, etc.
Term
bemoan
Definition
to express pity for
Term
decadent
Definition
decaying, deteriorating; self-indulgent
Term
recidivist
Definition
one who repeatedly relapses, as into crime
Term
percipient
Definition
having perception; discerning; discriminating
Term
precept
Definition
a commandment or direction given as a rule of conduct
Term
capitulate
Definition
to surrender unconditionally or on stipulated terms
Term
discrete
Definition
separate
Term
truculent
Definition
harsh; fierce; cruel; savagely brutal
Term
proclivity
Definition
inclination, bias
Term
commensurate
Definition
suitable in measure; proportionate
Term
cavil
Definition
to raise irritating and trivial objections; find fault with unnecessarily
Term
cursory
Definition
going rapidly over something; hasty; superficial
Term
mercurial
Definition
quick, shrewd, and unpredictable
Term
credo
Definition
any formula of belief
Term
inculpate
Definition
to charge with fault
Term
indoctrinate
Definition
to imbue a person with learning
Term
aerie
Definition
nook or nest built high in the air
Term
interdict
Definition
to forbid; prohibit
Term
condign
Definition
well deserved; fitting; adequate
Term
doleful
Definition
sorrowful, mournful
Term
dolorous
Definition
full of pain or sorrow, grievous
Term
enjoin
Definition
to prescribe (a course of action) with authority or emphasis
Term
duress
Definition
compulsion by threat, coercion
Term
terse
Definition
neatly or effectively concise; brief and pithy
Term
pithy
Definition
brief, forceful, and meaningful in expression; full of vigor, substance, or meaning; terse; forcible
Term
invective
Definition
insulting accusation; vehement or violent denunciation, censure, or reproach
Term
convalescent
Definition
recovering from illness
Term
ineffable
Definition
too great for description in words; that which must not be uttered
Term
prolific
Definition
producing many offspring or much output
Term
confer
Definition
to grant, bestow
Term
fiduciary
Definition
of a trust; held or given in trust
Term
tendentious
Definition
having or showing a definite tendency, bias, or purpose
Term
genuflect
Definition
to bend knee (like in worship)
Term
fractious
Definition
irritable, peevish
Term
refractory
Definition
stubborn, unmanageable, rebellious
Term
fusillade
Definition
continuous discharge of firearms or outburst of criticism
Term
congenital
Definition
existing or as such from birth
Term
filial
Definition
appropriate for a child
Term
ingratiate
Definition
to bring oneself into favor
Term
egress
Definition
act of exiting; right to exit; place of exit
Term
interloper
Definition
one who intrudes in the domain of others
Term
abjure
Definition
to renounce an oath
Term
adjure
Definition
to beg or command
Term
profligate
Definition
1. utterly and shamelessly immoral or dissipated; thoroughly dissolute.
2. recklessly prodigal or extravagant
Term
dissipated
Definition
indulging in or characterized by excessive devotion to pleasure; intemperate; dissolute
Term
dissolute
Definition
indifferent to moral restraints; given to immoral or improper conduct; licentious; dissipated
Term
intemperate
Definition
immoderate in indulgence of appetite or passion
Term
vouchsafe
Definition
to allow, grant or give, as by favor, graciousness, or condescension
Term
unassailable
Definition
not subject to attack, denial or dispute
Term
canard
Definition
a false or baseless, usually derogatory story, report, or rumor
Term
venal
Definition
corrupt or capable of being bought
Term
equivocal
Definition
allowing the possibility of several different meanings, esp. with intent to deceive or misguide
of doubtful nature or character; questionable; ambiguous
Term
indelible
Definition
permanent; unable to be erased, forgotten, changed
Term
platitude
Definition
a flat, dull, or trite remark, esp. one uttered as if it were fresh or profound
Term
perdition
Definition
a state of final spiritual ruin; loss of the soul; damnation
Term
restive
Definition
restless, uneasy
Term
insular
Definition
isolated
Term
craven
Definition
cowardly
Term
petulant
Definition
moved to or showing sudden, impatient irritation, esp. over some trifling annoyance
Term
fastidious
Definition
excessively particular, critical, or demanding; hard to please
Term
sedulity
Definition
diligence
Term
diaphanous
Definition
very sheer and light; almost completely transparent or translucent
Term
asperity
Definition
harshness or sharpness of tone, temper, or manner; hardship
Term
baleful
Definition
full of menacing or malign influences; pernicious
Term
penurious
Definition
1. extremely stingy; parsimonious; miserly.
2. extremely poor; destitute; indigent.
Term
recondite
Definition
dealing with very profound, difficult, or abstruse subject matter
Term
recreant
Definition
cowardly or craven; unfaithful, disloyal, or traitorous
Term
probity
Definition
integrity and uprightness; honesty
Term
itinerant
Definition
traveling from place to place
Term
sententious
Definition
abounding in pithy aphorisms or maxims
Term
abeyance
Definition
temporary inactivity, cessation, or suspension
Term
imprecation
Definition
curse
Term
noisome
Definition
offensive or disgusting, as an odor
Term
cupidity
Definition
greed or irresistible desire for material goods
Term
cosset
Definition
pamper or treat with great care
Term
slake
Definition
quench; calm down or moderate
Term
burnish
Definition
to polish
Term
unconscionable
Definition
unfair or unjust, even indefensibly so
Term
voluble
Definition
talkative or speaking easily
Term
turgid
Definition
bloated or swollen, as from fluid
Term
intrepid
Definition
fearless and resolutely courageous
Term
glib
Definition
easily and casually fluent, with overtones of insincerity
Term
vim
Definition
vitality and energy
Term
abet
Definition
to help
Term
dispassionate
Definition
unbiased or objective
Term
panegyric
Definition
formal or elaborate praise in writing or oration
Term
prolix
Definition
wordy; tedious
Term
punctilious
Definition
precise, demanding; careful, conscientious
Term
captious
Definition
apt to notice and make much of trivial faults or defects; faultfinding; difficult to please
Term
donnybrook
Definition
uproar; brawl
Term
pernicious
Definition
extremely harmful
Term
sybarite
Definition
a person who is devoted to the enjoyment of worldly pleasures
Term
natty
Definition
neat and well dressed
Term
sapience
Definition
wisdom
Term
fatuity
Definition
foolishness; weakness of the mind
Term
insidious
Definition
intended to entrap or beguile
Term
beatific
Definition
saintly, angelic
Term
bilious
Definition
easily irritated
Term
calumny
Definition
false and malicious accusation, misrepresentation, slander
Term
carom
Definition
to strike and rebound
Term
chattel
Definition
piece of personal property
Term
comeliness
Definition
physical grace or beauty
Term
contumacious
Definition
rebellious
Term
declivity
Definition
downward slope
Term
descry
Definition
to discover or reveal
Term
denigrate
Definition
to slur or blacken someone's reputation
Term
distaff
Definition
the female branch of a family
Term
doughty
Definition
courageous
Term
gainsay
Definition
to deny
Term
gustatory
Definition
relating to sense of taste
Term
harangue
Definition
a pompous speech
Term
hoary
Definition
very old, whitish or gray from age
Term
impolitic
Definition
unwise
Term
inculcate
Definition
to teach; impress in the mind
Term
insuperable
Definition
insurmountable; unconquerable
Term
internecine
Definition
deadly to both sides
Term
interpolate
Definition
to insert; to change by adding new words or meaning
Term
intimation
Definition
clue, suggestion
Term
inveterate
Definition
confirmed, long-standing, deeply rooted
Term
jibe
Definition
to shift suddenly from one side to another
Term
lapidary
Definition
relating to precious stones
Term
lassitude
Definition
lethargy, sluggishness
Term
nadir
Definition
lowest point
Term
numismatics
Definition
coin collecting
Term
obstreperous
Definition
troublesome, boisterous, unruly
Term
paean
Definition
song of praise or thanksgiving
Term
panoply
Definition
impressive array
Term
pastiche
Definition
piece of literature or music imitating other works
Term
peccadillo
Definition
major sin or offense
Term
peculation
Definition
theft of money or goods
Term
plangent
Definition
resounding; plaintive
Term
promulgate
Definition
to make known publicly
Term
propitious
Definition
favorable, advantageous
Term
prurient
Definition
lustful; exhibiting lewd desires
Term
pulchritude
Definition
beauty
Term
redress
Definition
relief from wrong or injury
Term
renege
Definition
to go back on one's word
Term
reprobate
Definition
morally unprincipled person
Term
requite
Definition
to return or repay
Term
retinue
Definition
group of attendants with an important person (posse!)
Term
ribald
Definition
humorous in a vulgar way
Term
scabbard
Definition
sheath for sword or daggar
Term
scurrilous
Definition
vulgar, low, indecent
Term
sedition
Definition
behavior promoting rebellion
Term
senescent
Definition
growing old
Term
sinecure
Definition
well paying job that requires little work
Term
solecism
Definition
grammatical mistake
Term
supercilious
Definition
arrogant, haughty, overbearing, condescending
Term
temerity
Definition
recklessness
Term
untoward
Definition
not favorable; unruly
Term
vitiate
Definition
reduce in value or effectiveness
Term
peerless
Definition
without equal or perfect
Term
mince
Definition
to take tiny steps while walking
Term
pinioned
Definition
tied down
Term
provident
Definition
providing for the future, frugal
Term
skinflint
Definition
miser
Term
coterminous
Definition
sharing a boundary
Term
exegesis
Definition
critical explanation or interpretation of a text or portion of a text, esp. of the Bible
Term
apposite
Definition
directly relevant
Term
relegate
Definition
assign a position
Term
provenance
Definition
source of origin
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