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 |