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Level One GRE Vocab
Level One GRE Vocabulary: Least Difficult
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Aberration | noun, a departure from what is normal, usual, or expected Synonyms: anomaly, deviation, divergence "The Fed will probably need convincing that the latest labour-market report was an aberration before tightening policy. " |
| Abreast | adjective, Up to date with the latest news, ideas, or information Synonyms: in touch with, plugged into “These daily updates were designed to help readers keep abreast of the markets...” |
| Abstain | verb, Restrain oneself from doing or enjoying something Synonyms: refrain, desist, hold back “The decision to abstain from such techniques, just and wise though it was, came at a cost.” |
| Abyss | noun, a deep or seemingly bottomless chasm Synonyms: gorge, ravine, void “Whose dire warnings about risks... seem most believable? Which abyss looks darker and deeper?” |
| Adept | adjective, Very skilled or proficient at something Synonyms: expert, proficient, accomplished “An abundance of clever people—adept in English law as much as in finance—draws in banks, fund managers and so forth...” |
| Agog | adjective, Very eager or curious to hear or see something Synonyms: excited, impatient, in suspense “We are now agog to know when, on the basis of its forecasts, the Bank will push up interest rates...” |
| Allure | noun, the quality of being powerfully and mysteriously attractive or fascinating Synonyms: attraction, lure, draw “Yet it was the allure of the Model T for millions of consumers that finally drove the horse off the road.” |
| Altruism | noun, the belief in or practice of selfless concern for the well-being of others Synonyms: selflessness, compassion, goodwill “Dr Decety is not the first to wonder, in a scientific way, about the connection between religion and altruism.” |
| Ambivalent | adjective, having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone Synonyms: equivocal, uncertain, unsure “The first was a chronic lack of focus. Right from the start Yahoo was ambivalent about whether it should be a media or a tech comp |
| Annul | verb, Declare invalid Synonyms: repeal, reverse, rescind “Last month’s election was a re-run of a vote in October 2015, the results of which were annulled after several candidates alleged electoral malpractice.” |
| Apathy | noun, Lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern Synonyms: indifference, passivity, ennui “Perhaps most difficult will be overcoming the cynicism, and apathy, of the public.” |
| Arbitrary | adjective, Based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system Synonyms: capricious, random, chance “The prevailing belief among linguists had been that the sounds used to form those words were arbitrary.” |
| Arbiter | noun, a person who settles a dispute or has ultimate authority in a matter Synonyms: authority, judge, controller “The viewer is, ultimately, the arbiter of influence: either partaking in the objectification, or actively challenging the power dynamic.” |
| Artless | adjective, without guile or deception Synonyms: candid, direct, forthright “He is loveably artless and embarrassingly awkward in his unstoppably cheerful attempts to win over the frosty members of the band...” |
| Audacious | adjective, showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks Synonyms: bold, daring, fearless “It was as audacious as any heist and yet unlikely material for a Hollywood blockbuster.” |
| Austere | adjective, Having an extremely plain and simple style or appearance Synonyms: unadorned, subdued, stark “Not all Western airports have austere arrival concourses à la Heathrow; many have eateries and bars...” |
| Blight | noun, a thing that spoils or damages something Synonyms: affliction, scourge, bane “Yet the USFS predicts that within a couple of decades, because of slowing growth and climate-related blights, the forests will become an emissions source.” |
| Blithe | adjective, showing a casual and cheerful indifference considered to be callous or improper. Synonyms: indifferent, unconcerned, blasé “Mr. Cameron’s government was too posh, too cocky, too blithe about globalization’s merits, too metropolitan. " |
| Blowhard | : noun, a person who blusters and boasts in an unpleasant way Synonyms: boaster, bragger, show-off “His name conjured up associations such as ‘arrogant’ and ‘blowhard’ ...” |
| Bolster | verb, Support or strengthen Synonyms: reinforce, prop up, boost “If the results are confirmed, they will bolster voters’ belief in the system.” |
| Bombastic | adjective, High-sounding but with little meaning; inflated Synonyms: pompous, blustering, turgid “Cynics may ascribe Mr. Rubio’s mild tone to the diverse population of his home state, and the fact that bombastic Mr. Trump trails in the polls there.” |
| Boycott | noun, a punitive ban that forbids relations with certain groups Synonyms: veto, shunning, rejection “Conversely some prominent black women have called for a boycott, seeing Mr. Parker’s past as a disqualifying stain.” |
| Burlesque | noun, a variety show Synonyms: skit, farce, striptease “Madame JoJo’s, a burlesque bar in London’s Soho, had its license revoked in 2014 after two bouncers brandished a baseball bat at a rowdy crowd.” |
| Cacophony | noun, a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds. Synonyms: racket, noise, clamor “In 1957 New York’s subway contained a haphazard mishmash of fonts, both serif and sans, and a typographic designer, sick of the visual cacophony, submitted a brief to the NY.. |
| Chronic | adjective, (Of a problem) long lasting and difficult to eradicate Synonyms: constant, continuing, persistent “Pessimists think the productivity problem is chronic. Technological advances, they say, are ever-less revolutionary...” |
| Coda | noun, a concluding event, remark or section Synonyms: ending, finale “With distinct ballad, opera and hard rock sections—and a pensive intro and coda, for good measure—the song was not for listeners in a hurry.” |
| Confound | verb, Prove (a theory, expectation, or prediction) wrong Synonyms: contradict, counter, go against “Yet in another sense, the Fed has confounded predictions—at least, those it made itself.” |
| Deign | verb, Do something that one considers to be beneath one's dignity Synonyms: come down from one's high horse “If the Senate deigns to consider and confirm a nominee, do not expect changes overnight.” |
| Disingenuous | adjective, not candid or sincere Synonyms: dishonest, deceitful, duplicitous “But shamelessly self-interested and probably contrary to his real views on the EU though it is, the mayor’s move is perhaps not entirely disingenuous.” |
| Docile | adjective, Ready to accept control or instruction; submissive Synonyms: compliant, obedient, pliant “Docile with humans, they are fierce defenders of territory and their young.” |
| Doff | verb, Remove (an item of clothing) Synonyms: lay hold of, take hold of “To don shoes, to doff them, or even to throw them at somebody?” |
| Dote | verb, be extremely and uncritically fond of Synonyms: adore, love dearly, be devoted to “Falling birth-rates allowed parents to dote on fewer children, who were increasingly likely to go to school.” |
| Endow | verb, Provide with a quality, ability, or asset Synonyms: equip, bless, give “Good and inspiring teachers, meanwhile, such as... J.K. Rowling’s Minerva McGonagall, are portrayed as endowed with supernatural gifts...” |
| Ephemeral | :adjective, Lasting for a very short time Synonyms: fleeting, passing, short-lived “One was Song Dong, just 19 and studying oil painting which he quickly abandoned. Now he is known for his performances and his ephemeral—sometimes edible—installations.” |
| Ethos | noun, the characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community. Synonyms: character, atmosphere, climate “Mr. Cotton presented himself as a member of the generation moved by the patriotic spirit.. leaving __ to join the army and learn a ‘warrior ethos |
| Facetious | adjective, Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor Synonyms: flippant, glib, tongue-in-cheek “'More disturbing,' says Mr. Hart, I didn't note that his column was facetious. In tone, it was indeed, and I should have noted that.” |
| Faction | noun, a small, organized, dissenting group within a larger one, especially in politics Synonyms: contingent, section, sector “One particular separatist faction is now widely accepted to have been responsible for a string of small bombs which detonated.. |
| Fallow | adjective, Inactive Synonyms: dormant, quiet, slack “Their fickle attention might waver for a few fallow years of rebuilding, but Angel Stadium will still be standing...” |
| Falter | verb, Move unsteadily or in a way that shows lack of confidence Synonyms: stumble, fumble “His early steps were faltering, and a frailer soul might have been daunted by his mentors’ fate...” |
| Flail | verb, Flounder; struggle uselessly Synonyms: thrash, thresh, squirm “This means that, a good accent, rhythm and grammar notwithstanding, the intermediate-to-advanced learner is likely to flail...” |
| Fluke | noun, Unlikely chance occurrence, especially a surprising piece of luck Synonyms: coincidence, accident, a twist of fate “Was this a fluke? Mr. Baker is not the first to notice the anomaly.” |
| Forage | verb, (of a person or animal) search widely for food or provisions Synonyms: hunt, scavenge, grub “And you must be ready to abandon tired orthodoxies of the left and right and forage for good ideas across the political spectrum.” |
| Fortuitous | adjective, Happening by a lucky chance Synonyms: fortunate, advantageous, opportune “Thanks to these sensible policies, and the fortuitous tailwind of higher productivity growth, the economy boomed and prosperity was shared.” |
| Fringe | noun, the unconventional, extreme, or marginal wing of a group or sphere of activity Synonyms: peripheral, radical, unorthodox “Fringe beliefs reinforced in these ways can establish themselves and persist long after outsiders deem them debunked...” |
| Garner | verb, Gather or collect (something, especially information or approval) Synonyms: accumulate, amass, assemble “Labs that garnered more pay-offs were more likely to pass on their methods to other, newer labs...” |
| Gist | noun, the substance or essence of a speech or text Synonyms: quintessence, main idea “Machine translation, too, has gone from terrible to usable for getting the gist of a text...” |
| Gossamer | adjective, Used to refer to something very light, thin, and insubstantial or delicate Synonyms: gauzy, gossamery, fine “Like a saintly relic, the gossamer threads that tie the two halves offer the promise of miraculous healing by evoking the.. |
| Grovel | verb, Act in an obsequious manner in order to obtain someone's forgiveness or favor. Synonyms: be servile, suck up, flatter. "... ('Does she get a kick out of my groveling in the last two years?)” |
| Harangue | noun, a lengthy and aggressive speech Synonyms: tirade, diatribe, rant “State-run China Central Television (CCTV) has broadcast harsh criticisms of some multinationals, including an absurd harangue over Starbucks’ prices...” |
| Impeetuous | adjective, Acting or done quickly and without thought or care Synonyms: impulsive, rash, hasty “The report holds many lessons, including for this newspaper, which supported the invasion of Iraq: about the danger of impetuous decision-making...” |
| Indictment | noun, a formal charge or accusation of a serious crime Synonyms: arraignment, citation “A criminal indictment would, in all likelihood, force the prime minister to resign.” |
| Inert | adjective, Lacking vigor Synonyms: idle, inactive, underactive “America’s founders, he argued, put their faith in reasoned discussion among citizens and believed that the 'greatest menace to freedom is an inert people.' “ |
| Ingrate | noun, an ungrateful person “Greater liberty... over the past generation is abused by ingrates who think it funny to depict their leaders pantless...” |
| Insipid | adjective, Lacking vigour or interest Synonyms: boring, vapid, dull “It was a stultifying procession of patriotic songs... insipid skits and bald propaganda.” |
| Lax | adjective, Not sufficiently strict, severe, or careful Synonyms: slack, slipshod, negligent “Mario Draghi has faced attacks from critics in Germany (for being too lax) and Greece (for being too tight).” |
| Listless | adjective, (Of a person or their manner) lacking energy or enthusiasm Synonyms: lethargic, enervated, lackadaisical “Ukraine is brimming with weapons and thousands of militiamen, angry with a corrupt and listless government they feel has hijacked the.. |
| Livid | adjective, furiously angry Synonyms: infuriated, irate, fuming “A livid Vladimir Putin minced no words in his response, calling the downing a 'stab in the back'...” |
| Loll | verb, Sit, lie, or stand in a lazy, relaxed way Synonyms: lounge, sprawl, drape oneself “The pair loll on a green hillside at Murnau south of Munich where Münter had bought a house.” |
| Lurid | adjective, Presented in vividly shocking or sensational terms Synonyms: melodramatic, exaggerated, overdramatized “Their absence from the public eye, especially in a Western country with an abundant supply of good hospitals, tends to spark lurid rumours |
| Mar | verb, Impair the quality or appearance of Synonyms: spoil, ruin, damage “These oversights mar an otherwise engaging and interesting account, but perhaps it is natural that a history of space should have a few gaping holes.” |
| Mince | verb, Use polite or moderate expressions to indicate disapproval “President Barack Obama didn’t mince his words in a tweet on June 21st, the day after the Senate failed to pass four proposals...” |
| Minion | noun, a follower or underling of a powerful person Synonyms: henchman, yes-man, lackey “Its minions have set up thousands of social-media “bots” and other spamming weapons to drown out other content.” |
| Mirth | noun, Amusement, especially as expressed in laughter Synonyms: merriment, high spirits “A further proposal, to cut the salaries of senior public managers by 25%, has caused both anger and mirth.” |
| Modest | adjective, not excessively large, elaborate, or expensive Synonyms: ordinary, simple, plain “They can be seen in the modest dress, office decor and eating habits of Angela Merkel, the daughter of a Lutheran pastor...” |
| Morose | adjective, Sullen and ill-tempered Synonyms: sullen, sulky, gloomy “Mr. Macron’s can-do political energy stands out in morose France, home to 10% unemployment and growth last year of just 1.1%.” |
| Muse | noun, a person or personified force who is the source of inspiration for a creative artist Synonyms: inspiration, influence, stimulus “Mr. Blackwell’s mother was Fleming’s mistress, muse and supposedly the model for Pussy Galore.” |
| Oblique | adjective, Not explicit or direct in addressing a point Synonyms: indirect, inexplicit, roundabout “'Fire at Sea' has been praised for offering an oblique, poetic alternative to a more conventional campaigning documentary...” |
| Opaque | adjective, Not able to be seen through; not transparent Synonyms: cloudy, obscure “But Mr. Kim is so opaque and so little is known about how decisions come about in the capital, Pyongyang, that deterring North Korea is fraught with difficulty.” |
| Overwrought | adjective, (of a piece of writing or a work of art) too elaborate or complicated in design or construction Synonyms: overblown, contrived, exaggerated “She made prodigious strides as a writer and learned to temper her overwrought outpourings.” |
| Pertain | verb, be appropriate, related, or applicable Synonyms: concern, relate to, be related to “Religious exceptions to the law, such as those pertaining to animal welfare, should ideally be ended...” |
| Pine | verb, Miss and long for the return of “Few DJs pine for the days of ones-and-twos; the possibilities of modern technology are too alluring.” |
| Placate | verb, Make (someone) less angry or hostile Synonyms: appease, pacify, mollify “The government has tried to placate voters without abandoning its policies.” |
| Platitude | noun, A remark or statement, especially one with a moral content, that has been used too often to be interesting or thoughtful Synonyms: cliché, truism, commonplace |
| Plethora | noun, a large or excessive amount Synonyms: excess, overabundance, surplus “Podcasts were facing fierce competition for audiences’ attention from a plethora of other new digital-native products including Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.” |
| Posit | verb, Put forward as fact or as a basis for argument Synonyms: postulate, propound, submit “Mr. Ansar and his co-authors assume this margin is 40%: they posit a ratio of expected benefits to costs of 1.4 for every project.” |
| Prodigal | noun, a person who leaves home and behaves recklessly, but later makes a repentant return “As the 73-year-old Mr. Obiang becomes frailer, his sons, including the prodigal Teodorín, have begun jockeying to succeed him.” |
| Prophetic | adjective, Accurately describing or predicting what will happen in the future Synonyms: predictive, visionary “... said he still hoped it could avoid being mired in Orthodoxy’s internal woes and 'speak in a firm, prophetic voice' to humanity.” |
| Purist | noun, a person who insists on absolute adherence to traditional rules or structures Synonyms: pedant, dogmatist, perfectionist “From this purist point of view, there is only one Christian church worthy of the name....” |
| Pyre | noun, a heap of combustible material, especially one for burning a corpse as part of a funeral ceremony “Yet Ms McInerney takes the story deeper, skillfully setting a funeral pyre 'for that Ireland'...” |
| Quack | noun, a person who dishonestly claims to have special knowledge in some field Synonyms: swindler, charlatan, fraud “That can cause malnutrition and eating disorders—and supports a vast, quack-ridden diet industry.” |
| Reticence | noun, the quality of not revealing one’s thoughts or feelings readily Synonyms: reserve, introversion, restraint “Mr. Harding is more comfortable with facts; with classic English reticence, he buries his family’s responses in footnotes and summaries.” |
| Rue | verb, Bitterly regret (something one has done or allowed to happen) Synonyms: deplore, lament, bemoan “Meanwhile, Mr. Showalter will now have a long six months to rue his slavery to the save rule before his club plays another game.” |
| Ruminate | verb, Think deeply about something Synonyms: contemplate, consider, mull over “Alfred Sauvy, the French thinker... was prone to worry that the first world would become 'a society of old people, living in old houses, ruminating about old ideas.'” |
| Stigma | noun, a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person Synonyms: shame, disgrace, dishonour “A stigma against adults having fun, strong in the aftermath of the Second World War, has faded.” |
| Strut | verb, Walk with a stiff, erect, and apparently arrogant or conceited gait Synonyms: swagger, prance, parade “Dogs strut their stuff on its pavements tricked out in tutus, hoodies, boots, overalls and trousers.” |
| Sublime | adjective, of very great excellence or beauty Synonyms: awe-inspiring, awesome, majestic “Yet life in the ocean can still mount sublime spectacles.” |
| Surly | adjective, Bad-tempered and unfriendly Synonyms: ill-natured, grumpy, glum “Here, poverty and economic decline has led to the surly separation of a left-behind, resentful white working class and a Muslim minority.” |
| Syncopation | noun, A displacement of the beat or accents in (music or a rhythm) so that strong beats become weak and vice versa “She dances an assortment of steps, marvelously shedding shoes and socks as the Beethoven famously shifts from solemnity to syncopation.” |
| Taunt | noun, A remark made in order to anger, wound, or provoke someone Synonyms: jeer, gibe, sneer “But in the past two years taunts have turned into deadly attacks.” |
| Tawdry | adjective, Showy but cheap and of poor quality Synonyms: gaudy, flashy, garish “A team of 21 organisers resigned from the National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (NPBCU), throwing the festival of tawdry pop into doubt.” |
| Temperate | adjective, Relating to or denoting a region or climate characterized by mild temperatures Synonyms: mild, clement, pleasant “It can remain temperate in such a close orbit only because Proxima is a red dwarf, and thus much cooler than the sun. “ |
| Terse | adjective, Sparing in the use of words Synonyms: curt, brusque, abrupt “In a terse phone-call on Thursday night, President Barack Obama paused only briefly to congratulate Mr. Netanyahu on his victory...” |
| Tome | noun, a book, especially a large, heavy, scholarly one Synonyms: volume, work, opus “It is a tome to which most recent arguments about regulation and economic reform are merely annotations.” |
| Torrid | adjective, Full of difficulty or tribulation “The pound, after a few torrid days of trading immediately after the vote, has stabilized.” |
| Transgression | noun, an act that goes against a law, rule, or code of conduct Synonyms: offense, crime, sin “We can forgive most kinds of transgression—anger, adultery, avarice—but we cannot forgive absurdity.” |
| Treacherous | adjective, Guilty of or involving betrayal or deception Synonyms: traitorous, disloyal, perfidious “It sang of domineering men, treacherous women and the manly solace of tequila.” |
| Vapid | adjective, offering nothing that is stimulating or challenging; bland Synonyms: insipid, uninspired, uninteresting “Mr. Silver delighted in savaging commentators who relied on vapid clichés like 'momentum shifts' and 'game-changers.'” |
| Vestige | noun, a trace of something that is disappearing or no longer exists Synonyms: remnant, remainder, fragment “He said this would remove a 'lingering vestige of the cold war.' “ |
| Vilify | verb, Speak or write about in an abusively disparaging manner Synonyms: disparage, denigrate, defame “Its publications and social-media accounts, however, have vilified Turkey ever since the country decided last year to open its airbases to coalition |
| Viscous | adjective, having a thick, sticky consistency between solid and liquid Synonyms: gummy, glue-like, gluey “Not all barrels of oil are alike. Crudes can be viscous like tar or so 'light' they float on water.” |
| Volatile | adjective, Liable to change rapidly and unpredictably, especially for the worse Synonyms: tense, strained, turbulent “The period, when governments took primary responsibility for keeping economies out of slumps, was more volatile and inflationary...” |
| Waffle | noun, Lengthy but trivial or useless talk or writing Synonyms: prattle, hot air, drivel “Most voters say they know little about the candidates or their policies, some of which are pure waffle.” |
| Waft | verb, Pass or cause to pass easily or gently through or as if through the air Synonyms: drift, float, glide “The acrid scent of smoke wafts from his clothes.” |
| Wanton | adjective, (of a cruel or violent action) deliberate and unprovoked Synonyms: malicious, malevolent, spiteful “these Muslim non-people, without legal or any other sort of protection, have been the victims of wanton discrimination and violence…” |
| Whitewash | verb, Deliberately attempt to conceal unpleasant facts about (a person or organization) Synonyms: cover up, sweep under the carpet “Indeed, in trying to whitewash the past, the government may stir up prejudice instead.” |
| Whittle | verb, Reduce something in size, amount, or extent by a gradual series of steps Synonyms: erode, wear away, diminish “Democrats had spent a nervous September watching that lead whittle away after Mrs. Clinton’s bout of pneumonia...” |
| Winsome | adjective, Attractive or appealing in appearance or character Synonyms: engaging, charming, winning “By the time Mr. Pattinson came along as the winsome vampire in “Twilight”, the teenage rebels were starting the movie already dead.” |
| Wizened | adjective, Shriveled or wrinkled with age Synonyms: lined, creased, withered “His son, himself a wizened old man, is nonplussed by the news; he looks like an eccentric, or maybe the village drunk...” |
| Wry | adjective, Using or expressing dry, especially mocking, humor Synonyms: ironic, sardonic, satirical “Catherine Merridale is one of the foremost foreign historians of Russia, combining wry insights with deep sympathy for the human beings...” |
| Zeal | noun, Great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective Synonyms: passion, zealousness, fervor “But it was his zeal in amassing land by borrowing heavily that gave him his edge—and ultimately brought him down.” |
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