GRE most common words
Order by
180 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 abate | To reduce in amount, degree, or severity |
| abscond | to leave secretly |
| abstain | to choose not to do something |
| abyss | an extremely deep hole |
| adulterate | to make impure |
| advocate | to speak in favor of |
| aesthetic | concerning the appreciation of beauty |
| aggrandize | to increase in power, influence, and reputation |
| alleviate | to make more bearable |
| amalgamate | to combine; to mix together |
| ambiguous | doubtful or uncertain; able to be interpreted several ways |
| ameliorate | to make better; to improve |
| anachronism | something out of place in time |
| analogous | similar or alike in some way; equivalent to |
| anomaly | deviation from what is normal |
| antagonize | to annoy or provoke to anger |
| antipathy | extreme dislike |
| apathy | lack of interest or emotion |
| arbitrate | to judge a dispute between two opposing parties |
| archaic | ancient, old-fashioned |
| ardor | intense and passionate feeling |
| articulate | able to speak clearly and expressively |
| assuage | to make something unpleasant less severe |
| attenuate | to reduce in force or degree; to weaken |
| audacious | fearless and daring |
| austere | severe or stern in appearance; undecorated |
| banal | predictable, cliched boring |
| bolster | to support; to prop up |
| bombastic | pompous in speech and manner |
| cacophony | marsh, jarring noise |
| candid | impartial and honest in speech |
| capricious | changing one's mind quickly and often |
| castigate | to punish or criticize harshly |
| catalyst | something that brings about a change in something else |
| caustic | biting in wit |
| chaos | great disorder or confusion |
| chauvinist | someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs |
| chicanery | deception by means of craft or guile |
| cogent | convincing and well reasoned |
| condone | to overlook, pardon, or disregard |
| convoluted | intricate and complicated |
| corroborate | to provide supporting evidence |
| credulous | too trusting; gullible |
| crescendo | steadily increasing volume or force |
| decorum | appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety |
| deference | respect, courtesy |
| deride | to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock |
| desiccate | to dry out thoroughly |
| desultory | jumping from one thing to another; disconnected |
| diatribe | an abusive, condemnatory speech |
| diffident | lacking self-confidence |
| dilate | to make larger; to expand |
| dilatory | intended to delay |
| dilettante | someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic |
| dirge | a funeral hymn or mournful speech |
| disabuse | to set right; to free from error |
| discern | to perceive; to recognize |
| disparate | fundamentally different; entirely unlike |
| dissemble | to present a false appearance; to disguise one's real intentions or character |
| dissonance | a harsh and disagreeable combination' often of sounds |
| dogma | a firmly held opinion, often a religious belief |
| dogmatic | dictatorial in one's opinions |
| dupe | to deceive; a person who is easily deceived |
| eclectic | selecting from or made up from a variety of sources |
| efficacy | effectiveness |
| elegy | a sorrowful poem or speech |
| eloquent | persuasive and moving, especially in speech |
| emulate | to copy; to try to equal or excel |
| enervate | to reduce in strength |
| engender | to produce, cause, or bring about |
| enigma | a puzzle; a mystery |
| enumerate | to count, list or itemize |
| ephemeral | lasting a short time |
| equivocate | to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead |
| erratic | wandering and unpredictable |
| erudite | learned, scholarly, bookish |
| esoteric | known or understood by only a few |
| estimable | admirable |
| eulogy | speech in praise of someone |
| euphemism | use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one |
| exacerbate | to make worse |
| exculpate | to clear from blame; prove innocent |
| exigent | urgent; requiring immediate action |
| exonerate | to clear of blame |
| explicit | clearly stated or shown; forthright in expression |
| fanatical | acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme, unquestioned devotion |
| fawn | to grovel |
| fervid | intensely emotional; feverish |
| florid | excessively decorated or embellished |
| foment | to arouse or incite |
| frugality | a tendency to be thrifty or cheap |
| garrulous | tending to talk a lot |
| gregarious | outgoing, sociable |
| guile | deceit or trickery |
| gullible | easily deceived |
| homogeneous | of a similar kind |
| iconoclast | one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions |
| imperturbable | not capable of being disturbed |
| impervious | impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected |
| impetuous | quick to act without thinking |
| implacable | unable to be calmed down or made peaceful |
| inchoate | not fully formed; disorganized |
| ingenuous | showing innocence or childlike simplicity |
| inimical | hostile, unfriendly |
| innocuous | harmless |
| insipid | lacking interest or flavor |
| intransigent | uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled |
| inundate | to overwhelm; to cover with water |
| irascible | easily made angry |
| laconic | using few words |
| lament | to express sorrow; to grieve |
| laud | to give praise; to glorify |
| lavish | to give unsparingly (v.); extremely generous or extravagant (adj.) |
| lethargic | acting in a n indifferent or slow, sluggish manner |
| loquacious | talkative |
| lucid | clear and easily understood |
| luminous | bright, brilliant, glowing |
| malinger | to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill |
| malleable | capable of being shaped |
| metaphor | a figure of speech comparing two different things; a symbol |
| meticulous | extremely careful about details |
| misanthrope | a person who dislikes others |
| mitigate | to soften; to lessen |
| mollify | to calm or make less severe |
| monotony | lack of variation |
| naive | lacking sophistication or experience |
| obdurate | hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion |
| obsequious | overly submissive and eager to please |
| obstinate | stubborn, unyielding |
| obviate | to prevent; to make unnecessary |
| occlude | to stop up; to prevent the passage of |
| onerous | troublesome and oppressive; burdensome |
| opaque | impossible to see through; preventing the passage of light |
| opprobrium | public disgrace |
| ostentation | excessive showiness |
| paradox | contradiction or dilemma |
| paragon | model of excellence or perfection |
| pedant | someone who shows off learning |
| perfidious | willing to betray one's trust |
| perfunctory | done in a routine way; indifferent |
| permeate | to penetrate |
| philanthropy | charity, a desire or effort to promote goodness |
| placate | to soothe or pacify |
| plastic | able to be molded, altered, or bent |
| plethora | excess |
| pragmatic | practical as opposed to idealistic |
| precipitate | to throw violently or bring about abruptly; lacking deliberation |
| prevaricate | to lie or deviate from the truth |
| pristine | fresh and clean; uncorrupted |
| prodigal | lavish, wasteful |
| proliferate | to increase in number quickly |
| propitiate | to conciliate; to appease |
| propriety | correct behavior; obedience to rules and customs |
| prudence | wisdom caution, or restraint |
| pungent | sharp and irritating to the senses |
| quiescent | motionless |
| rarefy | to make thinner or sparser |
| repudiate | to reject he validity of |
| reticent | silent, reserved |
| rhetoric | effective writing or speaking |
| satiate | to satisfy fully or overindulge |
| soporific | casing sleep or lethargy |
| specious | deceptively attractive; seemingly plausible but fallacious |
| stigma | a mark of shame or discredit |
| stolid | unemotional; lacking sensitivity |
| sublime | lofty or grand |
| tacit | done without using words |
| taciturn | silent, not talkative |
| tirade | long, harsh speech or verbal attack |
| torpor | extreme mental and physical sluggishness |
| transitory | temporary, lasting a brief time |
| vacillate | to sway physically; to be indecisive |
| venerate | to respect deeply |
| veracity | filled with truth and accuracy |
| verbose | wordy |
| vex | to annoy |
| volatile | easily aroused or changeable; lively or explosive |
| waver | to fluctuate between choices |
| whimsical | acting in a fanciful or capricious manner; unpredictable |
| zeal | passion, excitement |
First Time Here?
Welcome to Quizlet, a fun, free place to study. Try these flashcards, find others to study, or make your own.