More Word Smart: How to Build an Impressive Vocabulary (2012)

Chapter 5. VOCABULARY FOR THE GRE (CONTINUED FROM WORD SMART)

Vocabulary on the GRE is just as important as on the SAT. The following list is the second batch of words that appear often on the GRE. This list is a supplement to the list that appeared in Word Smart. If you want to do well on the GRE, you should know all the words on the GRE and SAT Hit Parades, starting with those in Word Smart. Take ten words a day and commit them to memory. In a few weeks you’ll have mastered this list.

As with the SAT Hit Parade, you will find that many of the GRE Hit Parade words appear in our main listing.

distend (distension) to expand or extend greatly

vilify to attack someone’s reputation; to slander

din loud noise

ebullient eager; enthusiastic

endemic native; belonging to a specific region or people

doff to take off, especially clothing

somatic of the body

chary careful; cautious; wary

loll to hang out lazily

gauche unsophisticated; inelegant

apprise to inform

palatable tasty; easily accepted

quiescent to grow quiet; calm

verdant greenery; fertile green fields

wax to grow stronger, larger, or more intense

diatribe a bitter verbal attack

aversion (averse) dislike

mollycoddle to pamper; to spoil someone with kind treatment

profligate (profligacy) extravagantly wasteful; wildly immoral

whimsy playfulness

eschew to avoid; to shun

recant to take back what was said

nonplus to baffle; to confuse

belie to show or prove something as false

perfunctory careless; unenthusiastic

fulminate to denounce harshly

macerate to soften by soaking

tout to praise highly; to brag publicly about

profuse flowing; extravagant

serrated with many edges, as a knife

fluke a chance event; a coincidence

ubiquitous everywhere at the same time

supposition an assumption

puissant powerful

rue to regret

predilection a natural preference for something; an inclination; a strong liking for

tortuous twisting; winding

fledgling a beginner; a young bird

glib easy and superficial in speech; insincere

tendentious argumentative

scotch to put an end to; to injure

forestall to put off; to prevent

estrange to alienate; to lose the affection of someone

precursor someone or something that precedes another

preen to adorn oneself carefully; to primp

perorate to speak formally

pluck spirit; courage

molt to shed periodically an outer covering of skin or feathers

altruistic selfless; devoted to the welfare of others

encomium high praise

embellish to beautify; to add to, especially details to a story; to exaggerate

derivative unoriginal; coming from or based on something else

armada a fleet of warships

endow to give, especially a large gift

taciturn not talkative by nature; silent

overwrought overly nervous; overly detailed or complicated

reconcile to settle a dispute; to make up

upright honest; moral; virtuous

discount to deduct; to disregard

exhort (hortatory) to urge strongly

parquet (parquetry) a type of floor using a pattern of inlaid wooden pieces

peccadillo a minor offense

epitaph writing on a tombstone

aspersion (asperity) an insult; slander; defamation

implacable angry; really pissed off; unable to be pleased

extirpate to rip out; to uproot; to destroy

propensity natural inclination or tendency; predilection

pan to criticize harshly

simper to smile foolishly

prelude the preliminary part, especially of a musical piece; an introduction

interregnum the period between two successive governments

don to put on, especially clothing

steadfast loyal; faithful

iconoclast one who attacks popular beliefs or institutions; a maverick

lope to run at a steady, easy pace

ballast heavy material used to balance a ship

conviction determination; resolve

droll (drollery) humorous; funny

unlettered ignorant; unschooled; unsophisticated

affirm to declare something to be true

resilient able to recover quickly; able to be stretched and returned to normal

deluge a flood

complaisant eager to please

malapropism the humorous misuse of a word

agog eager; excited

pucker to gather into wrinkles

alcove a room extension

burgeon to expand; to flourish

aver to assert; to state as true

cornucopia an abundance of food

stickler someone who stubbornly insists on something

striated with thin lines or grooves

mace a medieval war club

apparition a ghost

commensurate of equal size; of the proper amount

lassitude exhaustion; weakness

adulterate to contaminate; to make impure

trinket a small piece of jewelry; something of little value

forfeit to give up something, especially as a penalty

transitional temporary; during a time of change

girder a steel beam used in the frame of a building

vertigo extreme dizziness

leverage positional advantage; being able to exploit something to one’s advantage

sonata a musical composition

lumen a measure of light intensity

drawl to speak with drawn-out vowels; to speak slowly

filibuster delaying tactics, especially in the political process

supplant to take the place of, especially by being better than; to replace

engaging charming, interesting

feign (feint) to pretend; to deceive

latitude freedom

leaven to raise dough

ellipsis the omission of words from a sentence

arable able to be farmed

outgrowth a result; a part growing out of something else; a consequence

metaphysics the study of what exists; the study of ultimate reality

rind a tough outer covering, especially of a fruit

subdue to conquer; to bring under control; to lessen the intensity of something

skiff a small boat

agenda program; things to be done

prompting inspiration; strong encouragement; incitement

rift a narrow crack; a split; a break in friendship

abeyance a temporary suspension

perquisite a “perk”; something extra on top of a regular salary; a claimed right

admonish to scold gently; to warn

retiring shy; modest

putrefy (putrefaction) to rot

grovel to beg persistently

self-deprecating modest; humble; reserved; retiring

reclaim (reclamation) to take back what was once your own

babble to talk foolishly; to chatter

castigate to criticize severely

ballad a folk song or poem

perplex to confuse

irate extremely angry

resound to ring; to sound loudly

decimate to slaughter; to destroy utterly

successive following immediately one after another

commodity a thing; something bought or sold

coerce (coercion) to force someone to do something

awe the emotion of respect mixed with fear

retard to slow down; to hold back

receptive open; willing to accept

murmur a low, unclear sound

delirious (delirium) incoherent; seriously mentally confused

indomitable invincible; unconquerable

reside to live in a place

sneer to express contempt for

gaffe an embarrassing social error

anomalous (anomaly) irregular; deviating from a rule; unusual; unexpected

burlesque a silly imitation; racy entertainment

cultivate to help grow; to develop; to farm

mediocre (mediocrity) unimpressive; of medium to poor quality

waver to swing back and forth; to be unsure

numismatist a coin collector or specialist

nostrum a quack remedy

hieroglyphics illegible or incomprehensible symbols; illegible writing

amalgam a blend of different things

devoid empty

heterodoxy conventional wisdom

consign to give someone something for safekeeping

epistemology the study of what can be known

dossier a file of documents or records

marginal on the edge; insignificant; secondary

palpitate to beat strongly, as a heart

nest to fit snugly together; to make a home

lavish extravagant; freely given in abundance

intimate to hint

abscond to leave quickly and secretly

routine habitual; regular; ordinary; expected

dichotomy a division

purist someone who observes traditions or conventions strictly

conscript to draft

fusillade a rapid outburst, as of gunfire

inborn present at birth, as opposed to something acquired

grill to question aggressively

burnish to polish

buttress support for a wall; support

adumbrate to sketch; to outline; to give a hint of things to come

congruent of the same shape

atone to make amends for

aggrieve to offend; to treat unjustly

captious critical; fault-finding

commiserate to sympathize with

bask to enjoy warmth and sunshine; to enjoy praise

bereave (bereft) to be left alone, especially through the death of another

coagulate to solidify

clamor to cry out loud; public noise or protest

bilk to cheat

converge to come together

archetype an original mold, model, or pattern

angular with sharp edges

annotation a note explaining or criticizing a literary work

elicit to draw out

ogle to stare at, especially in a disrespectful or suggestive way

hoard to accumulate; to save constantly

litigant person involved in a lawsuit

foppish overly dressed

histrionic overly dramatic; theatrical

elucidate to explain; to make understandable

operetta a light, operalike theater work

officious overly helpful; meddlesome; interfering

efficacious (efficacy) effective

martial warlike; pertaining to war; intending to fight

mimic to imitate

espy to glimpse; to descry

insular of limited outlook or experience; isolated; insulated

penury (penurious) extreme poverty

gouge to scoop or cut out

descry to perceive something, especially something hard to see; to discern

misanthrope someone who hates mankind

iniquitous (iniquity) evil; unjust

emend to change

ensign a flag; a naval officer

perennial continual; happening again and again, year after year

dilettante a dabbler; an amateur

magnanimous (magnanimity) generous; big-hearted

extrapolate to infer; to draw a conclusion based on past evidence; to project a trend

obviate to make unnecessary

debilitate to weaken

immutable unchanging; everlasting

coy shyly flirtatious; calculating

demote to lower in rank

intractable not tractable; stubborn; unyielding; uncompromising

gloat to brag greatly

exemplar an excellent model

homeopathy a system of natural healing