Barron’s High-Frequency words Vocabulary List for GRE

Barron’s Guide, 2005, 16th Edition GRE High-Frequency Words Vocabulary List  333 Words Total

Word Definition
abate subside
or moderate
aberrant
abnormal
or deviant
abeyance
suspended
action
abscond
depart
secretly and hide
abstemious
sparing
in eating and drinking; temperate
admonish
warn;
reprove
adulterate
make
impure by adding inferior or tainted substances
aesthetic
artistic;
dealing with or capable of appreciating the beautiful
aggregate
gather;
accumulate
alacrity
cheerful
promptness; eagerness
alleviate
relieve
amalgamate
combine;
unite in one body
ambiguous
unclear
or doubtful in meaning
ambivalence
the state
of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes
ameliorate
improve
anachronism
something
or someone misplaced in time
analogous
comparable
anarchy
absence
of governing body; state of disorder
anomalous
abnormal;
irregular
antipathy
aversion;
dislike
apathy
lack of
caring; indifference
appease
pacify or
soothe; relieve
apprise
inform
approbation
approval
appropriate
v.
acquire; take possession of for one’s own use
arduous
hard;
strenuous
artless
without
guile; open and honest
ascetic
practicing
self-denial; austere
assiduous
diligent
assuage
v. ease
or lessen (pain); satisfy (hunger); soothe (anger)
attenuate
make
thinner
audacious
daring;
bold
austere
forbiddingly
stern; severely simple and unornamented
autonomous
self-governing;
independent
aver assert
confidently or declare; as used in law, state formally as a fact
banal hackneyed;
commonplace; trite; lacking originality
belie contradict;
give a false impression
beneficent
kindly;
doing good
bolster
support;
reinforce
bombastic
pompous;
using inflated language
boorish
rude;
insensitive
burgeon
grow
forth; send out buds
burnish
make
shiny by rubbing; polish
buttress
v.
support; prop up
capricious
unpredictable;
fickle
castigation
punishment;
severe criticism
catalyst
agent
that increases the pace of a chemical action
caustic
burning;
sarcastically biting
chicanery
trickery;
deception
coagulate
thicken;
congeal; clot
coda concluding
section of a musical or literary composition; summarizes or concludes
cogent
convincing
commensurate
adj.
corresponding in extent, degree, etc.; proportionate
compendium
brief,
comprehensive summary
complaisant
trying to
please; overly polite; obliging
compliant
yielding;
conforming to requirements
conciliatory
reconciling;
soothing
condone
overlook;
forgive; give tacit approval; excuse
confound
confuse;
puzzle
connoisseur
person
competent to act as a judge of art; a lover of art
contention
claim;
thesis
contentious
quarrelsome
contrite
penitent
– Her contrite tears did not influence the judge when he imposed sentence
conundrum
riddle;
difficult problem
converge
approach;
tend to meet; come together
convoluted
coiled
around; involved; intricate
craven
cowardly
daunt intimidate;
frighten
decorum
propriety;
orderliness and good taste in manners
default
failure
to act
deference
courteous
regard for another’s wishes
delineate
portray;
depict; sketch
denigrate
blacken
deride
ridicule;
make fun of
derivative
unoriginal;
obtained from another source
desiccate
dry up
desultory
aimless;
haphazard; digressing at random
deterrent
something
that discourages; hindrance
diatribe
n. bitter
scolding; invective
dichotomy
split;
branching into two parts (especially contradictory ones)
diffidence
shyness
diffuse
adj.
wordy, rambling, spread out (like a gas)
digression
wandering
away from the subject
dirge lament
with music
disabuse
correct a
false impression; undeceive
discerning
mentally
quick and observant; having insight
discordant
not
harmonious; conflicting
discredit
defame;
destroy confidence in; disbelieve
discrepancy
lack of
consistency; difference
discrete
adj.
separate; unconnected; consisting of distinct parts
disingenuous
lacking
genuine candor; insincere
disinterested
unprejudiced
disjointed
lacking
coherence; separated at the joints
dismiss
eliminate
from consideration; reject
disparage
belittle
disparate
adj.
basically different; unrelated
dissemble
v.
disguise; pretend
disseminate
distribute;
spread; scatter (like seeds)
dissolution
disintegration;
looseness in morals
dissonance
discord;
opposite of harmony
distend expand;
swell out
distill
purify;
refine; concentrate
diverge
vary; go
in different directions from the same point
divest
strip;
deprive
document
provide
written evidence
dogmatic
opinionated;
arbitrary; doctrinal
dormant
sleeping;
lethargic; latent
dupe someone
easily fooled
ebullient
showing
excitement; overflowing with enthusiasm
eclectic
selective;
composed of elements drawn from disparate sources
efficacy
power to
produce desired effect
effrontery
impudence;
shameless boldness; sheer nerve; presumptuousness
elegy poem or
song expressing lamentation
elicit
draw out
by discussion
embellish
adorn;
ornament; enhance, as a story
empirical
based on
experience
emulate
imitate;
rival
endemic
prevailing
among a specific group of people or in a specific area or country
enervate
weaken
engender
cause;
produce
enhance
increase;
improve
ephemeral
short-lived;
fleeting
equanimity
calmness
of temperament; composure
equivocate
lie;
mislead; attempt to conceal the truth
erudite
learned;
scholarly
esoteric
hard to
understand; known only to the chosen few
eulogy
expression
of praise, often on the occasion of someone’s death
euphemism
mild expression
in place of an unpleasant one
exacerbate
worsen;
embitter
exculpate
clear
from blame
exigency
urgent
situation; pressing needs or demands; state of requiring immediate attention
extrapolation
projection;
conjecture
facetious
joking (often
inappropriately); humorous
facilitate
help
bring about; make less difficult
fallacious
false;
misleading
fatuous
brainless;
inane; foolish, yet smug
fawning
trying to
please by behaving obsequiously, flattering, or cringing
felicitous
apt;
suitably expressed; well chosen
fervor
glowing
ardor; intensity of feeling
flag droop;
grow feeble
fledgling
inexperienced
flout reject;
mock; show contempt for
foment
stir up;
instigate
forestall
prevent
by taking action in advance
frugality
thrift;
economy
gainsay
deny
futile
useless;
hopeless; ineffectual
garrulous
loquacious;
talkative; wordy
goad urge on
gouge overcharge
grandiloquent pompous;
bombastic; using high-sounding language
gregarious
sociable
guileless
without
deceit
gullible
easily
deceived
harangue
long,
passionate, and vehement speech
homogeneous
of the
same kind
hyperbole
exaggeration;
overstatement
iconoclastic
attacking
cherished traditions
idolatry
worship
of idols; excessive admiration
immutable
unchangeable
impair
injure;
hurt
impassive
without
feeling; imperturbable; stoical
impede
hinder;
block
impermeable
impervious;
not permitting passage through its substance
imperturbable
calm;
placid
impervious
impenetrable;
incapable of being damaged or distressed
implacable
incapable
of being pacified
implicit
understood
but not stated
implode
burst
inward
inadvertently
unintentionally;
by oversight; carelessly
inchoate
adj.
recently begun; rudimentary; elementary
incongruity
lack of
harmony; absurdity
inconsequential
insignificant;
unimportant
incorporate
introduce
something into a larger whole; combine; unite
indeterminate
uncertain;
not clearly fixed; indefinite
indigence
poverty
indolent
lazy
inert inactive;
lacking power to move
ingenuous
naive and
trusting; young; unsophisticated
inherent
firmly
established by nature or habit
innocuous
harmless
insensible
unconscious;
unresponsive
insinuate
hint;
imply; creep in
insipid
lacking
in flavor; dull
insularity
narrow-mindedness;
isolation
intractable
unruly;
stubborn; unyielding
intransigence
n.
refusal of any compromise; stubbornness
inundate
overwhelm;
flood; submerge
inured
adj.
accustomed; hardened
invective
n. abuse
irascible
irritable;
easily angered
irresolute
uncertain
how to act; weak
itinerary
plan of a
trip
laconic
brief and
to the point
lassitude
languor;
weariness
latent
potential
but undeveloped; dormant; hidden
laud v. praise
lethargic
drowsy;
dull
levee stone
embankment to prevent flooding
levity
lack of
seriousness or steadiness; frivolity
log record of
a voyage or flight; record of day-to-day activities
loquacious
talkative
lucid easily
understood; clear; intelligible
luminous
shining;
issuing light
magnanimity
generosity
malingerer
one who
feigns illness to escape duty
malleable
capable
of being shaped by pounding; impressionable
maverick
rebel;
nonconformist
mendacious
lying;
habitually dishonest
metamorphosis
change of
form
meticulous
excessively
careful; painstaking; scrupulous
misanthrope
one who
hates mankind
mitigate
appease;
moderate
mollify
soothe
morose
ill-humored;
sullen; melancholy
mundane
worldly
as opposed to spiritual; everyday
negate
cancel
out; nullify; deny
neophyte
recent
convert; beginner
obdurate
adj.
stubborn
obsequious
slavishly
attentive; servile; sycophantic
obviate
make
unnecessary; get rid of
occlude
shut;
close
officious
meddlesome;
excessively pushy in offering one’s services
onerous
burdensome
opprobrium
infamy;
vilification
oscillate
vibrate;
waver
ostentatious
showy;
pretentious; trying to attract attention
paragon
model of
perfection
partisan
one-sided;
prejudiced; committed to a party
pathological
pertaining
to disease
paucity
scarcity
pedantic
showing
off learning; bookish
penchant
strong
inclination; liking
penury
severe
poverty; stinginess
perennial
something
long-lasting
perfidious
treacherous;
disloyal
perfunctory
superficial;
not thorough; lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm
permeable
penetrable;
porous; allowing liquids or gas to pass through
pervasive
spread
throughout
phlegmatic
calm; not
easily disturbed
piety devoutness;
reverence for God
placate
pacify;
conciliate
plasticity
ability
to be molded
platitude
n. trite
remark; commonplace statement
plethora
excess;
overabundance
plummet
fall
sharply
porous
full of
pores; like a sieve
pragmatic
practical
(as opposed to idealistic); concerned with the practical worth or impact of
something
preamble
introductory
statement
precarious
uncertain;
risky
precipitate adj.
rash, premature, hasty, sudden
precursor
forerunner
presumptuous
arrogant;
taking liberties
prevaricate
lie
pristine
characteristic
of earlier times; primitive; unspoiled
probity
uprightness;
incorruptibility
problematic
doubtful;
unsettled; questionable; perplexing
prodigal
wasteful;
reckless with money
profound
deep; not
superficial; complete
prohibitive
tending
to prevent the purchase or use of something; inclined to prevent or forbid
proliferate
grow
rapidly; spread; multiply
propensity
natural
inclination
propitiate
appease
propriety
fitness;
correct conduct
proscribe
ostracize;
banish; outlaw
pungent
stinging;
sharp in taste or smell; caustic
qualified
limited;
restricted
quibble
minor
objection or complaint
quiescent
at rest;
dormant; temporarily inactive
rarefied
made less
dense (of a gas)
recalcitrant
obstinately
stubborn; determined to resist authority; unruly
recant
disclaim
or disavow; retract a previous statement; openly confess error
recluse
hermit;
loner
recondite
abstruse;
profound; secret
refractory
stubborn;
unmanageable
refute
disprove
relegate
banish to
an inferior position; delegate; assign
reproach
express
disapproval or disappointment
reprobate
person
hardened in sin; devoid of a sense of decency
repudiate
disown;
disavow
rescind
cancel
resolution
determination
resolve
determination;
firmness of purpose
reticent
reserved;
uncommunicative; inclined to silence
reverent
respectful;
worshipful
sage person
celebrated for wisdom
salubrious
healthful
sanction
approve;
ratify
satiate
satisfy
fully
saturate
soak
thoroughly
savor enjoy;
have a distinctive flavor, smell, or quality
secrete
hide away
or cache; produce and release a substance into an organism
shard fragment,
generally of pottery
skeptic
doubter;
person who suspends judgment until having examined evidence supporting a
point of view
solicitous
worried;
concerned
soporific
sleep-causing;
marked by sleepiness
specious
seemingly
reasonable but incorrect; misleading (often intentionally)
spectrum
colored
band produced when a beam of light passes through a prism
sporadic
occurring
irregularly
stigma
token of
disgrace; brand
stint v. be
thrifty; set limits
stipulate
make
express conditions; specify
stolid
dull;
impassive
striated
marked
with parallel bands; grooved
strut pompous
walk
strut supporting
bar
subpoena
writ
summoning a witness to appear
subside
settle
down; descend; grow quiet
substantiate
establish
by evidence; verify; support
supersede
cause to
be set aside; replace; make obsolete
supposition
hypothesis;
surmise
tacit understood;
not put into words
tangential
peripheral;
only slightly connected; digressing
tenuous
thin;
rare; slim
tirade
extended
scolding; denunciation; harangue
torpor
lethargy;
sluggishness; dormancy
tortuous
winding;
full of curves
tractable
docile;
easily managed
transgression
violation
of a law; sin
truculence
aggressiveness;
ferocity
vacillate
waver;
fluctuate
venerate
revere
veracious
truthful
verbose
wordy
viable
practical
or workable
viscous
sticky,
gluey
vituperative
adj.
abusive; scolding
volatile
changeable;
explosive; evaporation rapidly
warranted
justified;
authorized
wary very
cautious
welter
turmoil;
bewildering jumble
whimsical
capricious;
fanciful
zealot
fanatic;
person who shows excessive zeal

Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.