GRE Prep 1000
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441 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Abase | to humiliate; to humble; to lower |
| Abash | ashamed; embarrassed |
| Abate | to lessen |
| Abdicate | give up, such as power, as of monarchs and emperors, or duties and obligations |
| Aberration | something that differs from the norm |
| Abet | to aid, help, encourage |
| Abeyance | temporary suspension |
| Abhor | to hate |
| Abject | most unfortunate or miserable |
| Abjure | to give up (rights) |
| Ablution | a washing or cleansing, especially of the body |
| Abnegate | deny or renounce |
| Abominate | to detest; to dislike strongly |
| Abortive | unsuccessful |
| Abrade | wear away |
| Abrogate | to abolish, repeal |
| Abscond | to leave secretly; to flee |
| Abstemious | sparing or moderate, especially in eating and drinking |
| Abstruse | difficult to understand |
| Accede | to agree to |
| Acclaim | welcome with approval; applaud loudly |
| Acclivity | upward slope |
| Accost | to approach and speak to |
| Accertion | an addition or increase |
| Acerbic | sharp in smell and taste; harsh in tone |
| Acme | highest point; peak |
| Acquiesce | to agree; to consent |
| Acrid | bitter to sense of taste or smell |
| Acrimonious | harsh in speech or behavior |
| Acrophobia | fear of heights |
| Acumen | mental keenness |
| ad infinitum | endlessly; forever |
| Addled | confused |
| Adduce | to give an example in proving something |
| Adipose | fatty |
| Adjudicate | to judge |
| Adjunct | an assistant; a subordinate |
| Adonis | a very handsome man |
| Adroit | skillful; clever |
| Adulterate | to make impure |
| Adventitious | accidental; nonessential |
| Aegis | a shield; protection |
| Affable | friendly |
| Affectation | a phony attitude; insincerity |
| Affinity | an attraction to |
| Affliction | a cause of great suffering and distress |
| Affront | an insult |
| Agape | open-mouthed; surprised |
| Aggrandize | To increase or make greater |
| Aghast | shocked; horrified |
| Agoraphobia | fear of open places |
| Agrarian | pertaining to farmers and agriculture |
| Ague | a fever; plague |
| Alacrity | liveliness; willingness; eagerness |
| Alchemy | medieval chemistry |
| Alimentary | furnishing food or nourishment |
| Allay | to relieve or to calm |
| Allegory | A symbolic representation |
| Allegro | rapid; quick |
| Alluring | tempting; fascinating; charming |
| Alluvial | pertaining to a deposit of sand formed by flowing water |
| Aloof | reserved; cool; indifferent |
| Altruism | Unselfishness; concern for others |
| Amalgamate | combine; unite...as in marriage |
| Amazon | a big, strong, masculine woman |
| Ambient | surrounding; on all sides |
| Ambivalence | conflicting feelings or emotions |
| Ambrosial | pleasing to the taste or smell |
| Ambuscade | hidden or secret attack |
| Ameliorate | to make better; to improve |
| Amorous | Loving |
| Amulet | a charm worn to keep evil away |
| Anachronism | something out of place or time |
| Anathema | a curse; a person or thing to be avoided |
| Anent | regarding, concerning |
| Anhydrous | without water |
| Animadversion | criticism |
| Animus | hostile feeling or intent |
| Annals | historical records |
| Anneal | to heat and then cool; to toughen |
| Anomalous | abnormal; inconsistent |
| Anon | soon |
| Anoxia | lack of oxygen |
| Antediluvian | very old-fashioned; primitive |
| Anterior | located in front or forward |
| Anteroom | a lobby or waiting room |
| Anthology | collection of literary works |
| Anthropoid | resembling man |
| Anthropomorphic | attributing human form or characteristics to beings not human, especially gods |
| Antipathy | intense dislike |
| Antipodes | opposite sides (of the earth) |
| Antithesis | exact opposite |
| Apathy | lack of feeling; indifference |
| Aphasia | loss of speech due to injury or illness |
| Aphorism | brief saying |
| Apiary | Place where bees are kept |
| Aplomb | Self-confidence; poise |
| Apocryphal | doubtful or questionable authenticity |
| Apogee | farthest point from the earth |
| Apoplexy | sudden loss of consciousness; paralysis |
| Apostate | one who gives up his beliefs |
| Apothecary | pharmacist |
| Apothegm | brief instructive saying |
| Apotheosis | glorification of a person to the rank of god |
| Apparition | ghost |
| Appellation | a name |
| Apposite | appropriate; fitting |
| Apprise | to inform |
| Approbation | Approval |
| Appurtenance | something added to another more important thing |
| Apropos | relevant |
| Aquiline | like an eagle |
| Arable | good for farming |
| Arbiter | a judge |
| Arbitrary | partial; biased |
| Arbor | a shaded area |
| Arcane | mysterious |
| Archetype | original; first of its kind |
| Archipelago | group of islands |
| Ardent | intensely enthusiastic |
| Arduous | difficult; strenuous |
| Aria | a solo in an opera |
| Aromatic | pleasant-smelling |
| Arrant | notorious; downright |
| Arrears | in debt |
| Arroyo | a deep ditch caused by running water |
| Artifice | trick; deception |
| Ascetic | one who denies his body pleasure and comfort |
| Aseptic | without bacteria |
| Askance | with a sideways or indirect look |
| Asperity | harshness; roughness |
| Assail | to attack |
| Assay | to test; to try |
| Assent | to agree; to accept |
| Assiduity | diligence; care |
| Assuage | to calm; to make less severe |
| Asunder | into seperate parts |
| Atavistic | going back to behavior found in a remote ancestor |
| Atone | to make up for; to repent |
| Attenuated | decreased; weakened |
| Au courant | up-to-date; fully informed |
| Augur | to predict |
| August | majestic, inspiring admiration and respect |
| Aural | related to the sense of hearing |
| Auroral | rosy; pertaining to the dawn |
| Auspicious | favorable |
| Autumnal | mature; declining |
| avarice | greed |
| aver | to declare; to state firmly |
| Aversion | intense dislike |
| Aviary | place where birds are kept |
| Avocation | hobby; not one's regular work |
| Avoirdupois | heaviness; weight |
| Avuncular | like an uncle |
| axiom | true statement; established principle |
| Azure | blue |
| Bacchanalian | wild and drunken |
| Badinage | playful; teasing talk |
| Bagatelle | thing of little value |
| Baleful | harmful; menacing |
| Balmy | Mild and pleasant; soothing |
| Banal | common; dull; ordinary; trite |
| Bandy | to exchange words; to discuss casually |
| Bane | cause of ruin, harm, distress, or death |
| Barbarous | uncultured; crude |
| Bard | a poet |
| Bark | a boat or sailing vessel |
| Baroque | overdecorated; showy |
| Barrister | lawyer |
| Bastion | a strong defense; fort |
| Bauble | a small, inexpensive trinket |
| Bawdy | indecent; humorously obscene |
| Beatitude | a state of supreme happiness |
| Befuddle | to confuse; to perplex |
| Beget | to produce |
| Beguile | to deceive; to charm |
| Beholden | obligated; indebted |
| Beleaguer | to encircle (with an army); to annoy |
| Benefactor | one who helps or supports another |
| Benevolent | generous; kindly |
| Bequeath | to hand down; to pass on to |
| Bereave | to leave in a sad or lonely state; to deprive by force |
| Berserk | frenzied; violently destructive |
| Beseech | to beg |
| Beset | to attack |
| Beseige | to overwhelm; to close in on |
| Besmirch | to make dirty |
| Bestial | savage; brutal |
| Bestride | to mount (a horse) |
| Bevy | a large group |
| Bibliophile | lover of books |
| Bibulous | absorbent; fond of alcoholic beverages |
| Bilious | bad-tempered; cross |
| Bilk | to cheat; to swindle |
| Biped | two-legged animal |
| Bivouac | temporary shelter |
| Blanch | to whiten; to make pale |
| Blandishment | flattery |
| Blase | bored with life; unexcited; indifferent |
| Blazon | to display; to proclaim |
| Bleary | blurred; dimmed |
| Blight | destruction; withering; disease |
| Blithe | carefree; lighthearted |
| Bluster | to speak noisily; to boast |
| Bog | a swamp; to sink or become stuck |
| Bombastic | using impressive but meaningless language |
| Bon mot | witty remark |
| Bondage | slavery |
| Boon | a benefit; a blessing; a favor |
| Boor | a rude or impolite person |
| Booty | stolen money or goods |
| Boreal | northern |
| Borne | carried; put up with |
| Bourgeoisie | middle class |
| Bovine | pertaining to cows or cattle |
| Bowdlerize | to censor |
| Bravado | to show courage; false bravery |
| Brethren | brothers |
| Brigand | a robber |
| Brine | salt water |
| Bristling | showing irritation |
| Bronchial | pertaining to the windpipe |
| Bruit | to spread the news |
| Brusque | abrupt in manner; blunt; rough |
| Buccaneer | a pirate |
| Bucolic | pertaining to the countryside; rural |
| Bugbear | something causing fear |
| Bulbous | swollen; shaped like a bulb |
| Bulwark | a strong defense |
| Bumptious | conceited; arrogant |
| Bungle | to do things clumsily or badly |
| Burgeon | to flourish; to grow rapidly |
| Burnish | to polish |
| Buttress | a prop or support |
| Cabal | a small, secret group |
| Cache | a hiding place |
| Cacophony | harsh or unpleasant sound |
| Cadaverous | pale; corpselike |
| Caesure | pause |
| Cajole | to coax; to persuade |
| Calamitous | causing trouble or misery; disastrous |
| Calligraphy | fancy handwriting |
| Callous | unyeilding; insensitive |
| Callow | young and inexperienced |
| Calumny | a false accusation; slander |
| Canard | a false story, report, or rumor |
| Shrewd | clever; astute |
| Canon | rule; law; standard |
| Cant | insincere statements usually made in a singsong tone |
| Cantankerous | bad-tempered; quarrelsome |
| Capacious | spacious; roomy |
| Capitulate | to surrender |
| Capricious | erratic; impulsive |
| Captious | hard to please |
| Carapace | shell; hard; protective covering |
| Caricature | an exaggerated portrayal |
| Carnal (think sin) | sensual; sexual |
| Carrion | decaying flesh |
| Carte Blanche | freedom to use one's own judgement |
| Cartographer | mapmaker |
| Caste | social class |
| Castigate | to punish |
| Cataclysm | a violent change |
| Cathartic | cleansing |
| Catholic | universal; wide-ranging |
| Caucus | a private meeting |
| Cavalcade | sequence of events |
| Cavil | to argue; to quibble |
| Cavort | to leap about; to frolic |
| Celerity | speed; swiftness |
| Celibate | unmarried |
| Cerebration | thinking; using one's brain |
| Cessation | a stopping; a discontinuance |
| Chaff | worthless matter |
| Chagin | embarrassment; complete loss of courage |
| Charlatan | a fae; a quack |
| Charnel | cemetery; tomb |
| Chary | careful; cautious |
| Chasm | a wide gap |
| Chaste | pure; virtuous |
| Chattel | slave |
| Chauvinism (male-chauvist) | fanatical devotion to one's country, sex, religion, etc. |
| Chicanery | trickery; deception |
| Chide | to scold |
| Chimerical | imaginary; fantastic; unreal |
| Chirography | the art of handwriting |
| Chivalrous (think knight) | marked by honor, courtesy, and courage |
| Choleric | easily angered |
| Churlish | rude |
| Cipher | person or thing of no value; zero |
| Curcuitous | roundabout; indirect |
| Curcumlocution | roundabout way of speaking |
| Circumscribe | to encircle; set limits on, confine |
| Circumspect | cautious; careful |
| Clamber | ro climb with effort or difficulty |
| Clamor | noise |
| Clangor | harsh ringing sound |
| Clarion | clear and shrill; trumpet-like sound |
| Cleave | to cut or split open; to cling to |
| Cleft | split; divided |
| Cliche (expression) | a worn-out idea or overused expression |
| Clime | climate; region |
| Cloistered | secluded; confined |
| Cloven | divided; split |
| Coadjutor | assistant; helper |
| Coalesce | to blend; to merge; to fuse |
| Coffer | a strongbox |
| Cog | a gear tooth; a minor part |
| Cogent | convincing |
| Cogitate | to think; to consider carefully |
| Coginate | related; relevant |
| Cognomen | family name; last name |
| Cohort | colleague; associate; partner |
| Collate | to put together in order |
| Colloquial | informal |
| Colloquy | conversation |
| Collusion | conspiracy; agreement to commit a wrongful act |
| Comely | attractive |
| Commendation | praise |
| Commiserate | to express pity for |
| Commodious | roomy; spacious |
| Compendium | brief summary |
| Compensatory | paying back; making up for |
| Complacent | self-satisfied, overly content |
| Compliant | yeilding; submissive |
| Complicity | partnership in wrongful act |
| Compulsory | required |
| Compunction | uneasiness; remorse |
| Concentric | having a common center |
| Conclave | secret meeting |
| Concomitant | accompanying; attending |
| Concord | agreement; harmony |
| Concourse | a crowd; a wide street |
| Condescend | to lower oneself to an inferior's level |
| Condign | deserved; suitable |
| Conflagration | a large and destructive fire |
| Confluent | merging; flowing together |
| Confounded | confused; amazed |
| Congenial | friendly; agreeable |
| Congenital | existing at birth |
| Conglomerate | mass; cluster; corporation |
| Coniferous | bearing cones (pertaining to trees) |
| Conjecture | to guess |
| Conjugal | pertaining to marriage |
| Conjure | summon a devil; practice magic; imagine or invent |
| Connivance | pretended ignorance of another's wrong-doing; conspiracy |
| Connote | to suggest or imply |
| Connubial | pertaining to marriage |
| Consanguinity | close relationship; usually by blood |
| Consecrate | to make holy |
| Consonant | in agreement or harmony |
| Consort | a husband or wife; to associate or join |
| Consternation | sudden confusion; panic |
| Constituents | voters; supporters |
| Construe | to analyze; to interpret |
| Contemn | to regard with scorn or contempt |
| Contemptuous | scornful |
| Contiguous | nearby; neighboring |
| Contigent | possible |
| Contravene | to go against; to oppose |
| Contretemps | an embarrassing occurrence |
| Contrite | sorrowful; penitent |
| Contumacious | disobedient; obstinate |
| Contumely | rudeness |
| Conundrum | a riddle |
| Conversant | being familiar with |
| Convivial | sociable; friendly |
| Convoke | to call together |
| Coquertry | flirtation |
| Cornucopia | abundance; plenty |
| Corollary | inference; deduction; consequence |
| Corona | crown; bright circle |
| Corporeal | pertaining to the body |
| Corpulent | fat; fleshy |
| Corrugated | wrinkled; ridged; furrowed |
| Cortege | funeral procession; group of followers |
| Cosmic | pertaining to the universe; vast |
| Cosmopolitan | worldly-wise; universal |
| Coterie | close circle of friends |
| Countenance | to face; to permit, tolerate, or approve |
| Countermand | to cancel an order |
| Coup | a brilliant move; a successful or sudden attack |
| Covet | to desire |
| Coy | shy; modest |
| Cozen | to trick |
| Crass | stupid; unrefined |
| Craven | cowardly |
| Credence | belief; trust |
| Credulity | readiness to believe; gullibility |
| Creed | a religious belief |
| Crescendo | gradual increase in intensity or loudness |
| Crestfallen | dejected; humbled |
| Criterion | measure of value; standard of judging |
| Crone | hag; withered old woman |
| Crony | close friend |
| Crotchety | grouchy; eccentric |
| Crucible | a severe test or trial |
| Cudgel | club; thick stick |
| Cull | to select; to pick |
| Culpable | blameworthy |
| Cupidity | greed |
| Curry | to try to win favor by flattery |
| Cursory | superficial; hasty |
| Cynosure | center of attention |
| Dais | platform; speaker's stand |
| Dale | valley |
| Dank | chilly and wet |
| Dappled | spotted |
| Dastardly | sneaking and cowardly; shameful |
| Daub | to smear; to cover with paint |
| Daunt | to discourage |
| Dawdle | to waste time; to idle |
| De Facto | in fact; in reality |
| Dearth | a scarcity or lack |
| Debase | to lower in rank; to humilitate |
| Debauch | to corrupt |
| Debonair | pleasant; courteous; charming |
| Decadence | moral deterioration |
| Decant | to pour off (a liquid) |
| Decidious | not permanent; passing |
| Declaim | to speak dramatically |
| Declivity | downward slope |
| Decorum | appropriate social behavior |
| Decrepit | broken down by age or disease |
| Decry | to speak out against |
| Defalcate | to misuse funds; to embezzle |
| Defamatory | damaging another's repitation with false remarks |
| Deference | respect |
| Defile | to pullute; to corrupt |
| Deft | skillful |
| Defunct | no longer in existence; extinct |
| Deify | to idiolize; to make god-like |
| Deign | to lower oneself before an inferior |
| Delectable | delicious; very pleasing |
| Deleterious | harmful |
| Delude | to deceive; to mislead |
| Delve | to search; to investigate |
| Demagogue | popular leader who appeals to the emotions |
| Demean | to degrade; to lower |
| Demigod | person who is part god and part human |
| Demur | to object; to take exception to |
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