Kaplan GRE Study Guide: Top GRE Vocabulary Word List 295 Total Words
| Word | Definition |
| abate | to reduce in amount, degree or severity |
| abdicate |
to renounce or relinquish a throne |
| abject |
utterly hopeless, humiliating or wretched |
| abjure |
to renounce on oath |
| ablution |
act of cleansing |
| abrogate |
to abolish by formal means |
| abscond |
to leave secretly |
| abstention |
the act of refraining voluntarily |
| abstruse |
hard to understand; secret, hidden |
| accretion |
an increase by natural growth |
| acerbic |
sour or astringent in taste, harsh in temper |
| acquiesce |
to comply, give in |
| acrid | sharp or biting to the taste or smell |
| acrimonious |
caustic, stinging or bitter in nature |
| adjoin |
to be close or in contact with |
| adjoin |
to be next to and joined with |
| adjure |
to beg or command |
| admonish |
to counsel against something; caution |
| adulterate |
to make impure |
| adventitious |
accidental |
| affable |
friendly, courteous |
| aggrandize |
to increase in power, influence and reputation |
| altruist |
a person unselfishly concerned for the welfare of others |
| amatory |
of or pertaining to lovers or lovemaking |
| amity | friendship; peaceful harmony |
| anachronism |
something our of place in time |
| anachronism |
an obsolete or archaic form |
| androgen |
any substance that promotes masculine characteristics |
| androgynous |
being both male and female |
| animus |
hostile feeling or attitude |
| antipathy |
extreme dislike |
| antipathy |
aversion |
| apartheid |
any system or caste that separates people according to race |
| apathy |
lack of interest or emotion |
| apathy |
lack of interest or emotion |
| apogee |
the highest or most distant point |
| apostasy |
a total desertion of one’s religion, principles, party, cause, etc. |
| apostasy |
renunciation of one’s previous loyalty |
| apotheosis |
glorification, glorified ideal |
| approbation |
praise, consideration |
| arrogate |
to claim unwarrantably or presumptuously |
| assiduous |
diligent, persistent, hardworking |
| assuage |
to make less severe |
| atrophy |
the wasting away of body tissue |
| austere |
severe or stern in appearance; undecorated |
| autonomy |
independence, self-governance |
| aver | to affirm, to declare to be true |
| avocation |
something one does in addition to a principle occupation |
| banal | predictable; clichéd, boring |
| belligerent |
warlike, given to waging war |
| bemoan |
to express pity for |
| benevolent |
desiring to do good to others |
| benign |
having a kindly disposition |
| bilateral |
pertaining to or affecting two or both sides |
| bombastic |
pompous in speech and manner |
| capitulate |
to surrender unconditionally or on stipulated terms |
| capricious |
changing one’s mind quickly and often |
| castigate |
to punish or criticize harshly |
| chicanery |
deception by means of craft or guile |
| circuitous |
roundabout, indirect |
| circumambulate |
to walk about or around |
| circumscribe |
to draw a line around |
| circumspect |
watchful and discreet |
| cogent |
convincing and well reasoned |
| complacent |
self-satisfied, unconcerned |
| complaisant |
inclined or disposed to please |
| compunction |
a feeling of uneasiness for doing wrong |
| concentric |
having a common center |
| conciliate |
to placate, win over |
| conflagration |
a large destructive fire |
| confluence |
merging into one |
| congenital |
existing or as such from birth |
| contravene |
to come into conflict with |
| convalescent |
recovering from illness |
| convoke |
to call together |
| convoluted |
intricate and complicated |
| corroborate |
to provide supporting evidence |
| credulity |
willingness to believe or trust too easily |
| credulous |
too trusting; gullible |
| cursory |
going rapidly over something; hasty; superficial |
| decadent |
decaying; deteriorating |
| deference |
respect; courtesy |
| deferential |
respectful; to yield judgment to |
| deign | to think fit or in accordance with one’s dignity |
| delude |
to mislead the mind of judgment of, deceive |
| derision |
to act of mockery |
| desiccate |
to dry out thoroughly |
| desultory |
jumping from one thing to another; disconnected |
| desultory | at random, unmethodical |
| diatribe |
an abusive, condemnatory speech |
| dichotomy |
division into two parts, kinds, etc. |
| diffident |
lacking self-confidence |
| diffuse |
to pour out and spread |
| diffuse |
to spread widely or thinly |
| dilatory |
intended to delay |
| dilatory |
inclined to delay or procrastinate |
| dilettante |
someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic |
| disabuse |
to set right; to free from error |
| disport |
to divert or amuse oneself |
| disquiet |
a lack of calm or peace |
| dissemble |
to present a false appearance; to disguise one’s real intentions or character |
| disseminate |
to scatter or spread widely |
| distend |
to expand by stretching |
| doctrine | a principle or body of principles presented for acceptance or belief; dogma |
| dogma | a firmly held opinion, often a religious belief |
| dogmatic |
dictatorial in one’s opinions |
| doleful |
sorrowful, mournful |
| dour | sullen, gloomy |
| dupe | to deceive; a person who is easily deceived |
| duplicity |
deceitfulness in speech or conduct; double-dealing |
| dystrophy |
faulty or inadequate nutrition or development |
| eclectic |
selecting from or made up from a variety of sources |
| efficacy |
effectiveness |
| effigy |
sculpture or model or person |
| effluence |
flowing out of |
| elegy | a sorrowful poem or speech |
| elocution |
art of clear and expressive speaking |
| empathy |
the identification with the feelings or thoughts of others |
| enervate |
to reduce in strength |
| engender |
to produce, cause or bring about |
| enigma |
a puzzle; a mystery |
| ephemeral |
lasting a short time |
| epigram |
a witty or pointed saying tersely expressed |
| epithet |
a word of phrase, use invectively as a term of abuse |
| equivocate |
to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead |
| erudite |
learned, scholarly, bookish |
| esoteric |
known or understood by only a few |
| estimable |
admirable |
| eugenics |
improvement of qualities of race by control of inherited characteristics |
| eulogy |
speech in praise of someone |
| euphony | pleasantness of sound |
| exacerbate |
to increase bitterness or violence |
| exculpate |
to clear from blame; prove innocent |
| execrable |
abominable |
| exigent |
urgent; requiring immediate action |
| expound |
to set forth in detail |
| exult | to show or feel triumphant joy |
| fawn | to grovel |
| fiduciary |
of a trust; held or given in trust |
| foment |
to arouse or incite |
| forestall |
to prevent by advance action |
| fractious |
irritable, peevish |
| fusillade |
continuous discharge of firearms or outburst of criticism |
| grandiloquent |
pompous or inflated in language |
| guile | deceit or trickery |
| heterodox |
different from acknowledged standard; holding unorthodox opinions or doctrines |
| heterogeneous |
of other origin; not originating in the body |
| hypocritical |
affecting virtues or qualities one does not have |
| iconoclast |
one who opposes established beliefs, customs and institutions |
| impassive |
showing or feeling no emotion |
| impervious |
impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected |
| impetuous |
quick to act without thinking |
| impetuous |
characterized by sudden rash action or emotion |
| importune |
to urge or press with excessive persistence |
| impugn |
to challenge as false |
| inamorata |
a female lover |
| inchoate |
not fully formed; disorganized |
| inculpate |
to charge with fault |
| incursion |
a hostile entrance into a place |
| indigent |
deficient in what is requisite |
| indoctrinate |
to imbue someone with learning |
| indolence |
state of being lazy or slothful |
| indolence |
showing a disposition to avoid exertion; slothful |
| induce |
to move or lead by influence |
| ineffable |
too great for description |
| infusion |
liquid extract so obtained |
| ingenuous | showing innocence or childlike simplicity |
| inimical |
hostile, unfriendly |
| insensate |
without feeling or sensitivity |
| insidious |
intended to trap or beguile |
| insipid |
lacking interest or flavor |
| insolent |
boldly rude or disrespectful |
| interloper |
someone who intrudes in the domain of others |
| intransigent |
uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled |
| intransigent |
refusing to agree or compromise |
| invective |
of, relating to, or characterized by insult or abuse |
| irascible |
easily made angry |
| laconic |
using few words |
| litigate |
to make the subject of a lawsuit |
| magnanimous |
generous in forgiving an insult or injury |
| magnate |
a powerful or influential person |
| maladroit |
clumsy, tactless |
| malevolent |
characterized by or expressing bad will |
| malfeasance |
misconduct or wrongdoing often committed by a public official |
| malign |
to speak harmful untruths about, to slander |
| malinger |
to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill |
| maxim | an expression of general truth or principle |
| minatory |
menacing, threatening |
| misanthrope |
a person who dislikes others |
| miscegenation |
interbreeding of races |
| mitigate |
to soften, to lessen |
| mollify |
to calm or make less severe |
| nascent |
starting to develop |
| neophyte |
a recent convert |
| obdurate |
hardened in feelings; resistant to persuasion |
| obfuscate |
to render indistinct or dim |
| oblique |
having a slanting or sloping direction |
| obsequious |
overly submissive and eager to please |
| obsequious |
fawning |
| obsolescent |
becoming obsolete |
| obstreperous |
noisily defiant, unruly |
| obtuse |
not sharp, pointed or acute |
| obviate |
to prevent; to make unnecessary |
| occlude |
to stop up; to prevent the passage of |
| omnivorous |
eating or absorbing everything |
| onerous |
troublesome and oppressive; burdensome |
| opprobrium |
public disgrace |
| opprobrium |
the disgrace incurred by shameful conduct |
| panegyric |
formal or elaborate praise at an assembly |
| panoply | a wide-ranging and impressive array or display |
| paragon |
model of excellence or perfection |
| pathogenic |
causing disease |
| paucity |
smallness of quantity; scarcity; scantiness |
| percipient |
having perception; discerning; discriminating |
| perfidious |
willing to betray one’s trust |
| perfunctory |
done in a routine way; indifferent |
| perfunctory |
performed merely as routine duty |
| peripatetic |
walking or traveling about; itinerant |
| permutation |
a complete change; transformation |
| perquisite |
a gratuity, tip |
| perspicacious |
shrewd, astute |
| perspicacious |
having keen mental perception and understanding |
| pertinacious |
resolute |
| pertinacious |
persistent, stubborn |
| petulant |
showing sudden irritation, esp. over some annoyance |
| philanderer |
one who carries on flirtations |
| philanthropy |
charity; a desire or effort to promote goodness |
| philology |
the study of literary texts to establish their authenticity and determine their meaning |
| plethora |
excess |
| precept |
a commandment given as a rule of action or conduct |
| precipitate |
to throw violently or bring about abruptly; lacking deliberation |
| preclude |
to prevent the presence of |
| precocious |
unusually advanced or mature in mental development or talent |
| predilection |
preference, liking |
| prescient |
having knowledge of things before they happen |
| presentiment |
a feeling of anticipation over a future event |
| prevaricate |
to lie or deviate from the truth |
| probity |
honesty, high-mindedness |
| prodigal |
lavish, wasteful |
| proliferate |
to increase in number quickly |
| promulgate |
to make known by open declaration |
| propitiate |
to conciliate; to appease |
| propound |
to set forth for consideration |
| propriety |
correct behavior, obedience to rules and customs |
| proscribe |
to condemn as harmful or odious |
| proselytize |
to convert of attempt to recruit |
| protract |
to prolong, draw out, extend |
| provident |
having or showing foresight |
| prudence |
wisdom, caution or restraint |
| puerile |
childish, immature |
| pugnacious |
to quarrel or fight readily |
| punctilious |
strict or exact in the observance of formalities |
| pusillanimous |
lacking courage or resolution |
| querulous |
full of complaints |
| quiescence |
the condition of being at rest, still, inactive |
| quiescent |
motionless |
| recumbent |
lying down; reclining; leaning |
| refractory |
stubborn, rebellious |
| rejoinder |
to reply, retort |
| remonstrate |
to say or plead in protect, objection or reproof |
| reprehensible |
deserving rebuke or censure |
| reprisals |
retaliation against an enemy |
| reprobate |
a depraved or wicked person |
| repudiate |
to reject the validity of |
| reticent |
silent, reserved |
| reticent |
disposed to be silent or not to speak freely |
| revile |
to criticize with harsh language |
| salient |
prominent or conspicuous |
| sedition |
incitement of discontent or rebellion against a government |
| sociopath |
a person whose behavior is antisocial and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility |
| soporific |
causing sleep or lethargy |
| specious |
deceptively attractive; seemingly plausible but fallacious |
| stigma |
a mark of shame or discredit |
| stolid |
unemotional; lacking sensitivity |
| subjugate |
to conquer |
| subterfuge |
an artifice or expedient used to evade a rule |
| supercilious |
arrogant, haughty, condescending |
| supplicate |
to make humble and earnest entreaty |
| taciturn |
silent, not talkative |
| tenable |
capable of being held, maintained or defended |
| tenacious |
holding fast |
| tendentious |
having a predisposition towards a point of view |
| torpor |
extreme mental and physical sluggishness |
| tractable |
easily managed or controlled |
| transcendent |
going beyond ordinary limits |
| unconscionable |
unscrupulous |
| veracious |
habitually truthful |
| veracity |
filled with trust and accuracy |
| verisimilitude |
the appearance or semblance of truth |
| verity |
truthfulness |
| vicarious |
performed, exercised, received or suffered in place of another |
| vilify |
to slander, to defame |
| vociferous |
crying out noisily |
| volition |
free choice, free will; act of choosing |
| voracious |
having a great appetite |