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GRE vocabulary
GRE vocabulary
160
General Vocab
Graduate
08/17/2010

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Term
neophyte
Definition
a beginner or novice; a person newly converted to a belief
Term
ennui
Definition
a feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest
Term
platitude
Definition
a flat, dull or trite remark; the quality or state of being flat, dull or trite
Term
diatribe
Definition
a harsh denunciation
Term
misanthrope
Definition
a hater of humankind
Term
maverick
Definition
a lone dissenter who takes an independent stand apart from associates
Term
elegy
Definition
a mournful or plaintive poem
Term
neologism
Definition
a new word, meaning, usage or phrase; a new doctrine
Term
spendthrift
Definition
a person who spends money extravagantly or wastefully
Term
predilection
Definition
a tendency to think favorably of something in particular
Term
virulent
Definition
actively poisonous; violently or spitefully hostile; malicious
Term
inimical
Definition
adverce in tendency or effect; harmful; unfriendly, hostile
Term
amenable
Definition
agreeable
Term
approbation
Definition
an expression of approval and praise
Term
solicitous
Definition
anxious or concerned; anxiously desirous; eager; careful or particular
Term
paean
Definition
any song of joy, praise or triumph
Term
incipient
Definition
beginning to exist or appear; in an initial stage
Term
quiescence
Definition
being at rest, quiet, still; inactive or motionless
Term
pithy
Definition
brief, forceful and meaningful in expression; forcible
Term
onerous
Definition
burdensome, oppressive or troublesome; causing hardship; having or involving obligations that outweigh the advantages (esp. in Legal affairs)
Term
halycon
Definition
calm, peaceful, tranquil; rich, wealthy, prosperous; happy, carefree
Term
soporific
Definition
causing or tending to cause sleep
Term
mercurial
Definition
changeable, volatile, fickle/ animated, lively, spritely/ pertaining to mercury
Term
erudite
Definition
characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly
Term
prosaic
Definition
commonplace or dull; matter of fact and unimaginative; having character and form of prose rather than poetry
Term
discordant
Definition
conflicting; dissonant or harsh in sound
Term
polemical
Definition
controversial; characterized by controversial arguement
Term
cogent
Definition
convincing; appealing forcibly to the mind
Term
quotidian
Definition
daily; usual or customary; ordinary, commonplace
Term
recondite
Definition
dealing with very profound. difficult or abtruse subject matter; esoteric
Term
reverent
Definition
deeply respectful; godly, worshipful
Term
perfidy
Definition
deliberate breach or faith or trust; act of treachery
Term
culpable
Definition
deserving blame
Term
odious
Definition
deserving or causing hatred; highly offensive; disgusting
Term
abberant
Definition
deviating from the norm
Term
sedulous
Definition
diligent in application or attention; persevering; persistently
Term
reticent
Definition
disposed to be silent or not to speak freely; reserved, reluctant
Term
extemporaneous
Definition
done, spoken, performed, etc..without special advanced preparation; previously planned but delivered with the help of few; made for the occasion as a shelter
Term
irascible
Definition
easily provoked to anger; characterized or produced by anger
Term
surfeit
Definition
excess or overindulgence; general disgust caused by excess; to suffer from the effects of overindulgence (v)
Term
adulation
Definition
excessive praise
Term
garrulous
Definition
excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, esp about trivial matters
Term
impunity
Definition
exemption from punishment; immunity from detremental effects
Term
ubiquitous
Definition
existing or being everywhere, esp at the same time; omnipresent
Term
prodigious
Definition
extraordinary in size, amount, extent, degree, etc...; marvelous; abnormal
Term
penury
Definition
extreme poverty; dearth; insufficiency
Term
penurious
Definition
extremely stingy; poorly or inadequately supplied
Term
salubrious
Definition
favorable to or promoting health; healthful
Term
truculent
Definition
fierce, cruel, savagely brutal; scathing, belligerent
Term
canonical
Definition
following or in agreement with Orthodox requirements
Term
squalid
Definition
foul and repulsive, as from lack of care or cleanliness; sordid
Term
querulous
Definition
full of complaints; complaining
Term
rancorous
Definition
full of or showing rancor - malicious resentfulness or hostility
Term
tortuous
Definition
full of twists, turns or bends; not directed or straight forward
Term
disparate
Definition
fundamentally distinct or dissimilar
Term
veracity
Definition
habitual observance of truth in speech or statement; accuracy
Term
noxious
Definition
harmful to health or physical well-being/ morally harmful
Term
astringent
Definition
having a tightening effect on living tissue
Term
perspicacious
Definition
having keen mental perception and understanding; having keen vision
Term
impecunious
Definition
having little or no money; penniless
Term
emollient
Definition
having the power of softening or relaxing
Term
nebulous
Definition
hazy, vague, indistinct or confused, cloudy or cloudlike
Term
torpid
Definition
inactive or sluggish; slow, dull, apathetic; lethargic
Term
infelicitous
Definition
inapt, inappropriate or awkward; unhappy
Term
untenable
Definition
incapable of being defended as an argument, thesis; not fit to be occupied
Term
imperturbable
Definition
incapable of being upset or agitated; not easily excited; calm
Term
trenchant
Definition
incisive or keen, as language or person; vigorous; sharply defined
Term
probity
Definition
integrity and uprightness; honesty
Term
vexation
Definition
irritation; annoyance
Term
prescience
Definition
knowledge of things before they exist or happen
Term
perennial
Definition
lasting for an indefinitely long time/ continuing throughout the year
Term
hegemony
Definition
leadership or predominant influence exercised by one nation over others/ aggression or expansionism by large nations in an effort to achieve world domination
Term
hackneyed
Definition
made commonplace or trite; stale, banal
Term
torque
Definition
measured ability of a rotating element; to cause to rotate
Term
sordid
Definition
morally ignoble or base; meanly selfish; dirty or filthy
Term
proclivity
Definition
natural or habitual tendency; predisposition
Term
endemic
Definition
natural to or characteristic of a specific people/place/ endemic disease
Term
terse
Definition
neatly or effectively concise; curt
Term
intractable
Definition
not easily controlled or directed; hard to cure, treat or work with
Term
spurious
Definition
not genuine, authentic or true; of illegitimate birth
Term
obtuse
Definition
not quick or alert in perception, feeling or intellect/rounded at the extremity
Term
inchoate
Definition
not yet completed or fully developed; rudimentary/ lacking order
Term
viscous
Definition
of glutinous nature or consistency
Term
dilettante
Definition
one with an amateurish or superficial interest
Term
pedantic
Definition
ostentatious in ones learning; overly conceived with formalisms
Term
opprobrium
Definition
outrageously shameful; infamy; cause or object of such disgrace or reproach
Term
perfunctory
Definition
performed merely as a routine duty; hasty and superficial; lacking interest, care or enthusiasm
Term
enigmatic
Definition
perplexing; mysterious
Term
tirade
Definition
prolonged outburst of bitter, outspoken denunciation
Term
acumen
Definition
quick, keen or accurate knowledge or insight
Term
glib
Definition
readily fluent, often thoughtlessly; easy or unconstrained
Term
intransigent
Definition
refusing to agree or compromise
Term
contrite
Definition
regretful, seeking forgiveness
Term
exigent
Definition
requiring immediate assistance or action; urgent, pressing
Term
quixotic
Definition
resembling Don Quixote; extravagantly chivalrous or Romantic/ visionary/ impetuous
Term
recalcitrant
Definition
resisting authority or control; not obedient or compliant
Term
intrepid
Definition
resolutely fearless, dauntless
Term
harangue
Definition
scolding or long verbal attack; long, passionate, vehement speech
Term
harangue
Definition
scolding or long verbal attack; long, passionate, vehement speech
Term
castigation
Definition
severe criticism or punishment
Term
effrontery
Definition
shameless or impudent boldness/an act or instance of this
Term
refulgent
Definition
shining brightly; radiant, gleaming
Term
unfeigned
Definition
sincere or genuine
Term
dearth
Definition
smallness of quantity or number; scarcity
Term
plummet
Definition
something that weighs down or depresses (n)/ to drop down; to plunge (v)
Term
grandiloquence
Definition
speech that is lofty in tone, often to the point of being pompous
Term
pervasive
Definition
tending to pervade (see definition for pervade)
Term
redoubtable
Definition
that which is to be feared; formitable; commanding or evoking respect
Term
pith
Definition
the important or essential part; the core; significant weight, substance
Term
filibuster
Definition
the use of irregular or obstructive tactics to prevent adoption or a measure
Term
complaisance
Definition
the willingness to comply with the wishes of others
Term
inured
Definition
to accustom to hardship, toughen or harden; to become advantageous
Term
rescind
Definition
to annul; revoke; repeal, invalidate
Term
obviate
Definition
to anticipate and prevent or eliminate by effective measures
Term
pervade
Definition
to become spread throughout all parts of
Term
exculpate
Definition
to clear from a charge of guilt or fault; vindicate
Term
occlude
Definition
to close, shut or stop up/ shut in, out or off
Term
obfuscate
Definition
to confuse, bewilder or stupefy/ make obscure or unclear
Term
censure
Definition
to criticize severely; expression of blame or disapproval
Term
enervate
Definition
to deprive of force or strength; destroy the vigor of; weaken
Term
dissemble
Definition
to disguise or conceal; to mislead
Term
preen
Definition
to dress oneself carefully or smartly; pride oneself on achievement
Term
quaff
Definition
to drink an alcohol beverage profusely with heart enjoyment
Term
desiccate
Definition
to dry out or dehydrate; preserve by drying
Term
assuage
Definition
to ease or lessen; to appease or pacify
Term
inveigle
Definition
to entice, lure or ensnare by flatteryor artful talk/ to obtain by talk
Term
fulminate
Definition
to explode with a loud noise; detonate; to issue denunciations or the like; (n) on of a group of unstable compounds
Term
renege
Definition
to go back on one's word; deny, disown, renounce
Term
proliferate
Definition
to grow or produce by multiplication of parts; increase and spread rapidly and often excessively
Term
stymie
Definition
to hinder, block or thwart (v). A situation presenting such difficulties as to discourage or defeat any attempt to deal with or resolve it
Term
mitigate
Definition
to lesson in force or intensity, to make less severe
Term
abate
Definition
to lesson in intensity or degree
Term
ameliorate
Definition
to make better or more tolerable
Term
demur
Definition
to question or oppose; to hesitate/raise objections
Term
repudiate
Definition
to regect as having no authority or bending force; cast-down, disown
Term
relegate
Definition
to send or consign to an inferior position; consign or commit; banish
Term
mollify
Definition
to soften in feeling or temper, to mitigate or reduce
Term
tout
Definition
to solicit business, employement, votes or the like; to describe boastfully; to watch, to spy on (v); Person who solicites business (n)
Term
prevaricate
Definition
to speak falsely ore misleadingly; create an incorrect impression
Term
vilify
Definition
to speak ill of; defame; slander
Term
aver
Definition
to state as a fact; to confirm or support
Term
supplant
Definition
to take the place of another, as through force, scheming, etc; replace
Term
prattle
Definition
to talk in a foolish or simple-minded way; babble
Term
flout
Definition
to treat with disdain, scorn or contempt
Term
disabuse
Definition
to undeceive; to set right
Term
equivocate
Definition
to use ambiguous or unclear expressions to mislead or avoid committment
Term
vituperate
Definition
to use or address with harsh or abusive language
Term
pine
Definition
to yearn deeply, suffer with longing; fail from grief or intense desperation
Term
chicanery
Definition
trickery or subterfuge
Term
immutable
Definition
unchangeable; changeless
Term
obdurate
Definition
unmoved by persuasion, pity or tender feelings; resistant to influence
Term
mendacity
Definition
untruthfulness; and instance of lying; falsehood
Term
profligate
Definition
utterly and shamelessly immoral or dissapated; extravagant
Term
evanescent
Definition
vanishing, fading away or fleeting; scarcely perceptible
Term
variegated
Definition
varied in appearance or color; varied; diversified
Term
chary
Definition
wary; cautious
Term
malevolent
Definition
wishing evil or harm to another or others; evil, harmful, injurious
Term
insipid
Definition
without distinctive, interesting or stimulating qualities; vapid
Term
impassive
Definition
without emotion; apathetic, unmoved/ calm, serene/ insensible
Term
idolatrous
Definition
worshipping idols; blindly adoring
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