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Barron's GRE(1st100)
Essential words for the GRE (1 - 100)
Question | Answer |
---|---|
abate | to decrease; reduce |
abdicate | to give up a position, right, or power |
aberrant | deviating from what is normal |
abeyance | temporary suppression or suspension |
abject | miserable; pitiful |
abjure | to reject; abandon formally |
abscission | the act of cutting; the natural separation of a leaf or other part of a plant |
abscond | to depart secretly |
abstemious | moderate in appetite |
abstinence | the giving up of certain pleasures |
abysmal | very bad |
accretion | growth in size or increase in amount |
accrue | to accumulate; grow by additions |
adamant | uncompromising; unyielding |
adjunct | something added, attached, or joined |
admonish | to caution or reprimand |
adulterate | to corrupt or make impure |
aesthetic | relating to beauty or art |
affected | pretentious, phony |
affinity | fondness; liking; similarity |
aggrandize | to make larger or greater |
aggregate | amounting to a whole; total |
alacrity | cheerful willingness; eagerness; speed |
alchemy | medieval chemical philosophy based on changing metal into gold; a seemingly magical power or process of transmutation |
allay | to lessen; ease; soothe |
alleviate | to relieve; improve partially |
alloy | a combination; a mixture of two or more metals |
allure | the power to entice by charm |
amalgamate | to combine into a unified whole |
ambiguous | unclear or doubtful in meaning |
ambivalence | the state of having conflicting emotional attitudes |
ambrosia | something delicious; the food of the gods |
ameliorate | to improve |
amenable | agreeable; cooperative; suited |
amenity | something that increases comfort |
amulet | ornament worn as a charm against evil spirits |
anachronism | something out of the proper time |
analgesic | medication that reduces or eliminates pain |
analogous | comparable |
anarchy | absence of government; state of disorder |
anodyne | something that calms or soothes pain |
anomalous | irregular; deviating from the norm |
antecedent | something that comes before |
antediluvian | prehistoric |
antipathy | dislike; hostility |
apathy | indifference |
apex | the highest point |
apogee | the point in an orbit most distant from the body being orbited; the highest point |
apothegm (apophthegm) | a terse, witty saying |
appease | to calm; pacify; placate |
appellation | name |
apposite | strikingly appropriate and relevant |
apprise | to inform |
approbation | praise; approval |
appropriate | to take possession for one's own use; confiscate |
apropos | relevant |
arabesque | ornate design featuring intertwined curves; a ballet position in which one leg is extended in back while the other supports the weight of the body |
archeology | the study of material evidence of past human life |
ardor | great emotion or passion |
arduous | extremely difficult; laborious |
argot | a specialized vocabulary used by a group |
arrest | to stop; to seize |
artifact | item made by human craft |
artless | guileless; natural |
ascetic | one who practices self-denial |
asperity | severity; harshness; irritability |
aspersion | slander; false rumor |
assiduous | diligent; hard-working |
assuage | to make less severe |
astringent | harsh, severe |
asylum | place of refuge or shelter |
atavism | in biology,the reappearance of a characteristic in an organism after several generations of absence; individual or a part that exhibits atavism; return of a trait after a period of absence |
attenuate | to weaken |
audacious | bold; daring |
austere | stern; unadorned |
autonomous | self-governing; independent |
avarice | greed |
aver | to affirm; declare to be true |
avocation | secondary occupation |
avuncular | like an uncle, benevolent and tolerant |
axiomatic | taken for granted |
bacchanalian | pertaining to riotous or drunken festivity; pertaining to revelry |
banal | commonplace; trite |
banter | playful conversation |
bard | poet |
bawdy | obscene |
beatify | to sanctify; to bless; to ascribe a virtue to |
bedizen | to dress in a vulgar, showy manner |
behemoth | huge creature; anything very large and powerful |
belie | to contradict; misrepresent; give a false impression |
beneficent | kindly; doing good |
bifurcate | to divide into two parts |
blandishment | flattery |
blase | bored because of frequent indulgence; unconcerned |
bolster | to give a boost to; prop up; support |
bombastic | pompous; using inflated language |
boorish | rude; insensitive |
bovine | cowlike |
brazen | bold; shameless |
broach | to mention for the first time |