Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
GRE Barrons Words I
A complete list of Barron's GRE Wordlist, with meanings and sentences.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| ichthyology | study of fish Jacques Cousteau's rpograms about sea life have advanced the cause of ichthyology. |
| icon | religious image; idol The icons on the walls of the church were painted in the 13th century. |
| iconoclastic | attacking cherished traditions George Bernard Shaw's iconoclastic plays often startled more conventional people. |
| ideology | ideas of a group of people That ideology is dangerous to this country because it embraces undemocratic philosophies. |
| idiom | spcial usage in language I could not understand their idioms because literal translation made no sense. |
| idiosyncrasy | peculiarity; eccentricity One of his personal idiosyncrasies was his habit of rinsing all cutlery given him in a restaurant. |
| idiosyncratic | private; peculiar to an individual Such behavior is idiosyncratic, it is as easily identifiable as a signature. |
| idolatry | worship of idols; excessive admiration Such idolatry of singers of country music is typical of the excessive enthusiasm of youth. |
| idyllic | charmingly carefree; simple Far from the city, she led an idyllic existence in her rural retreat. |
| igneous | produced by fire; volcanic Lava, pumice, and other igneous rocks are found in great abundance around Mount Vesuvius near Naples. |
| ignite | kindle; light When Desi crooned, "Baby, light my fire," literal-minded Lucy looked around for some paper to ignite. |
| ignoble | of lowly origin; unworthy This plan is inspired by ignoble motives and I must, therefore, oppose it. |
| ignominious | disgraceful The country smarted under the ignominious defeat and dreamed of the day when it would be victorious. |
| illicit | illegal The defense attorney claimed that the police had entrapped his client; that is, they had elicited the illicit action of which they now accuse of him. |
| illimitable | infinite Human beings, having explored the far corners of the earth, are now reaching out into illimitable space. |
| illuminate | brighten; clear up or make understandable; enlighten Just as a lamp can illuminate a dark room, a perceptive comment can illuminate a knotty problem. |
| illusion | misleading vision It is easy to create an optical illusion in which lines of equal length appear different. |
| illusive | deceiving This is only a mirage; let us not be fooled by its illusive effect. |
| illusory | deceptive; not real Unfortunately, the costs of running the lemonade stand were so high that Tom's profits proved illusory. |
| imbalance | lack of balance or symmetry; disproportion Because of the great imbalance between the number of men and women invited, the dance was unsuccessful. |
| imbecility | weakness of mind I am amazed at the imbecility of the readers of these trashy magazines. |
| imbibe | drink in The dry soil imbibed the rain quickly. |
| imbroglio | complicated situation; perplexity; entanglement He was called in to settle the imbroglio but failed to bring harmony into the situation. |
| imbue | saturate, fill His visits to the famous Gothic cathedrals imbued him with feelings of awe and reverence. |
| immaculate | pure; spotless The West Point cadets were immaculate as they lined up for inspection. |
| imminent | near at hand; impending Rosa was such a last-minute worker that she could never start writing a paper till the deadline was imminent. |
| immobility | state of being immovable Modern armies cannot afford the luxury of immobility, as they are vulnerable to attack while standing still. |
| immolate | offer as a sacrifice The tribal kind offered to immolate his daughter to quiet the angry gods. |
| immure | imprison; shut up in confinement For the two weeks before the examination, the student immureed himself in his room and concentrated upon his studies. |
| immutable | unchangeable Scientists are constantly seeking to discover the immutable laws of nature. |
| impair | worsen; diminish in value This arrest will impair her reputation in the community. |
| impale | pierce He was impaled by the spear hurled by his adversary. |
| impalpable | imperceptible; intangible The ash is so fine that it is impalpable to the touch but it can be seen as a fine layer covering the window ledge. |
| impasse | predicament from which there is no escape In this impasse, all turned to prayer as their last hope. |
| impassive | without feeling; not affected by pain The Native American has been incorrectly depicted as an impassive individual, undemonstrative and stoical. |
| impeach | charge with crime in office; indict The angry congressman wanted to impeach the President for his misdeeds. |
| impeccable | faultless He was proud of his impeccable manners. |
| impecunious | without money Now that he was wealthy, he gladly contributed to funds to assist impecunious and disbled persons. |
| impede | hinder; block The special prosecutor determined that the Attorney General, though inept, had not intentionally set out to impede the progress of the investigation. |
| impediment | hindrance; stumbling-block She had a speech impediment that prevented her from speaking clearly. |
| impending | nearing; approaching The entire country was saddened by the news of his impending death. |
| impenetrable | not able to be pierced or entered How could the murderer have gotten into the locked room? To Watson, the mystery, like the room, was impenetrable. |
| impenitent | not repentant We could see by his brazen attitude that he was impenitent. |
| imperial | like an emperor; related to an empire When hotel owner Leona Helmsley appeared in ads as Queen Leona standing guard over the Palace Hotel, her critics mocked her imperial fancies. |
| imperiousness | lordliness; domineering manner; arrogance His imperiousness indicated that he had long been accustomed to assuming command. |
| impermeable | impervious; not permitting passage through its substance This new material is impermeable to liquids. |
| impertinent | insolent I regard your remarks as impertinent and I resent them. |
| imperturbable | calm; placid Wellington remained imperturbable and in full command of the situation in spite of the hyteria and panic all around him. |
| impervious | not penetrable; not permitting passage through You cannot change their habits for their minds are impervious to reasoning. |
| impetuous | violent; hasty; rash We tried to curb his impetuous behavior because we felt that in his haste he might offend some people. |
| impetus | moving force; incentive; stimulus A new federal highway program would create jobs and five added impetus to our economic recovery. |
| impiety | irreverence; wickedness We must regard your blasphemy as an act of impiety. |
| impinge | infringe; touch; collide with How could they be married without impinging on one another's freedom? |
| impious | irreverent The congregation was offended by her impious remarks. |
| implacable | incapable of being pacified Madame Defarge was the implacable enemy of the Evremonde family. |
| implausible | unlikely; unbelievable Though her alibi seened implausible, it in fact turned out to be true. |
| implement | put into effect; supply with tools The mayor was unwilling to implement the plan until she was sure it had the governor's backing. |
| implication | that which is hinted at or suggested If I understand the implications of your remark, you do not trust our captain. |
| implicit | understood but not stated Jack never told Jill he adored her; he believed his love was implicit in his deeds. |
| implore | beg He implored her to give him a second chance. |
| imply | suggest a meaning not expressed Even though your statement does not declare that you are at war with that country, your actions imply that that is the actual situation. |
| impolitic | not wise I think it is impolitic to raise this issue at the present time because the public is too angry. |
| imponderable | weightless I can evaluate the data gathered in this study; the imponderable items are not so easily analyzed. |
| import | significance I feel that you have not grasped the full import of the message sent tous by the enemy. |
| importunate | urging; demanding He tried to hide from his importunate creditors until his allowance arrived. |
| importune | beg persistently Democratic and Republican phone solicitors importuned her for contributions so frequently that she decided to give nothing to either party. |
| imposture | assuming a false identity; masquerade She was imprisoned for her imposture of a doctor. |
| impotent | weak; ineffective Although he wished to break the nicotine habit, he found himself impotent in resisisting the craving for a cigarette. |
| imprecation | curse Roused from the bed at what he considered an ungodly hour, Roy muttered imprecations under his breath. |
| impregnable | invulnerable Until the development of the airplane as a military weapon, the fort was considered impregnable. |
| impromptu | without previous preparation Her listeners were amazed that such a thorough presentation could be made in an impromptu speech. |
| impropriety | state of being inappropriate Because of the impropriety of his costume, he was denied entrance into the dining room. |
| improvident | thriftless He was constantly being warned to mend his improvident ways and begin to "save for a rainy day." |
| improvise | compose on the spur of the moment She would sit at the piano and improvise for hours on themes from Bach and Handel. |
| imprudent | lacking caution; injudicious It is imprudent to exercise vigorously and become overheated when you are unwell. |
| impugn | doubt; challenge; gainsay I cannot impugn your honesty without evidence. |
| impuissance | powerlessness; feebleness The lame duck President was frustrated by his shift from enormous power to relative impuissance. |
| impunity | freedom from punishment The bully mistreated everyone in the class with impunity for he felt that no one would dare retaliate. |
| impute | attribute; ascribe If I wished to impute blame to the officers in charge of this program, I would state my feelings definitely and immediately. |
| inadvertently | carelessly; unintentionally; by oversight She inadvertently omitted two questions on the examination and mismarked her answer sheet. |
| inalienable | not to be taken away; nontransferable The Declaration of Independence mentions the inalienable rights that all of us possess. |
| inane | silly; senseless Such comments are inane because they do not help us solve our program. |
| inanimate | lifeless she was asked to identify the still and inanimate body. |
| inarticulate | speechless; producing indistinct speech He became inarticulate with rage and uttered sounds without meaning. |
| inaugurate | begin formally; install in office The candidate promised that he would inaugurate a new nationwide health care plan as soon as he was inaugurated as president. |
| incandescent | stikingly bright; shining with intense heat If you leave on an incandescent light bulb, it quickly grows too hot to touch. |
| incantation | singing or chanting of magical formula Uttering incantations to make the brew more potent, the witch doctor stirred the liquid in the caldron. |
| incapacitate | disable During the winter, many people were incapacitated by respiratory ailments. |
| incarcerate | imprison The warden will incarcerate the felon after conviction. |
| incarnate | endowed with flesh; personified Your attitude is so fiendish that you must be a devil incarnate. |
| incarnation | act of assuming a human body and human nature The incarnation of Jesus Christ is a basic tenet of Christian theology. |
| incendiary | arsonist The fire spread in such an unusual manner that the fire department chiefs were certain that it had been set by an incendiary. |
| incense | enrage; infuriate Unkindness to children incensed her. |
| incentive | spur; motive Students who dislike school must be given an incentive to learn. |
| inception | start; beginning She was involved with the project from its inception. |
| incessant | uninterrupted The crickets kept up an incessant chirping that disturbed our attempts to fall asleep. |
| inchoate | recently begun; rudimentary; elementary Before the Creation, the world was an inchoate mass. |
| incidence | rate of occurrence; particular occurrence Health professionals expressed great concern over the high incidence of infant mortality in major urban areas. |
| incidental | not essential; minor The scholarship covered his major expenses at college and some of his incidental expenses as well. |
| incipient | beginning; in an early stage I will go to sleep early for I want to break an incipient cold. |
| incisive | cutting; sharp His incisive remarks made us see the fallacy in our plans. |
| incite | arouse to action The demogogue incited the mob to take action into its own hands. |
| inclement | stormy; unkind I like to read a good book in inclement weather. |
| incline | slope; slant The architect recommended that the nursing home's ramp be rebuilt because its incline was too steep for wheelchairs. |
| inclined | tending or leaning toward; bent Though I am inclined to be skeptical, the witness's manner inclines me to believe his story. |
| inclusive | tending to include all The comedian turned down the invitation to join the Player's Club, saying any club that would let him in was too inclusive for him. |
| incognito | with identity concealed; using an assumed name The monarch enjoyed traveling throughthe town incognito and mingling with the populace. |
| incoherent | unintelligible; muddled; illogical The bereaved father sobbed and stammered, his words becoming almost incoherent in his grief. |
| incommodious | not spacious; inconvenient In their incommodious quarters, they had to improvise for closet space. |
| incompatible | inharmonious The married couple argued incessantly and finally decided to separate because they were incompatible. |
| incongruity | lack of harmony; absurdity The incongruity of his wearing sneakers with formal attire amused the observers. |
| inconsequential | insignificant; unimportant Brushing off Ali's apologies for having broken the wine glass, Tamara said, "Don't worry about it; it's inconsequential." |
| inconsistency | state of being self-contradictory; lack of uniformity or steadiness How are lawyers different from agricultural inspectors? Where lawyers check inconsistencies in witnesses' statements, agricultural inspectors check inconsistencies in Grade A eggs. |
| incontinent | lacking self-restraint His incontinent behavior off stage shocked many people and they refused to attend the plays and movies in which he appeared. |
| incontrovertible | indisputable We must yield to the incontrovertible evidence that you have presented and free your client. |
| incorporate | introduce something into a larger whole; combine; unite Breaking with precedent, President Truman ordered the military to incorporate blacks into every branch of the armed services. |
| incorporeal | immaterial; without a material body We must devote time to the needs of our incorporeal mind as well as our corporeal body. |
| incorrigible | uncorrectable Though Widow Douglass hoped to reform Huck, Miss Watson pronounced him incorrigible and said he would come to no good end. |
| incredulity | a tendency to disbelief Your incredulity in the face of all the evidence is hard to understand. |
| incredulous | withholding belief; skeptical When Jack claimed he hadn't eaten the jelly doughnut, Jill took an incredulous look at his smeared face and laughed. |
| increment | increase The new contract calls for a 10 percent increment in salary for each employee for the next two years. |
| incriminate | accuse; serve as evidence against The witness's testimony against the racketeers incriminates some high public officials as well. |
| incubate | hatch; scheme Inasmuch as our supply of electricity is cut off, we shall have to rely on the hens to incubate these eggs. |
| incubus | burden; mental care; nightmare The incubus of financial worry helped bring on her nervous breakdown. |
| incumbent | officeholder The newly elected public official received valuable advice from the present incumbent. |
| incur | bring upon oneself His parents refused to pay any future debts he might incur. |
| incursion | temporary invasion The nightly incursions and hit-and-run raids of our neighbors across the border tried the patience of the country to the point where we decided to retaliate in force. |
| indefatigable | tireless He was indefatigable in his constant efforts to raise funds for the Red Cross. |
| indemnify | make secure against loss; compensate for loss The city will indemnify all home owners whose property is spoiled by this project. |
| indenture | bind as servant or apprentice to master Many immigrants could come to America only after they had indentured themselves for several years. |
| indeterminate | uncertain; not clearly fixed; indefinite That interest rates shall rise appears certain; when they will do so, however, remains indeterminate. |
| indicative | suggestive; implying A lack of appetite may be indicative of a major mental or physical disorder. |
| indict | charge If the grand jury indicts the suspect, he will go to trial. |
| indifferent | unmoved; lacking concern Because she felt no desire to marry, she was indifferent to his constant proposals. |
| indigence | poverty Neither the economists nor the political scientists have found a way to wipe out the inequities of wealth and eliminate indigence from our society. |
| indigenous | native Tobacco is one of the indigenous plants that the early explorers found in this country. |
| indignation | anger ar an injustice He felt indignation at the ill-treatment of the helpless animals. |
| indignity | offensive or insulting treatment Although he seemed to accept cheerfully the indignities heaped upon him, he was inwardly very angry. |
| indiscriminate | choosing at random; confused She disapproved of her son's indiscriminate television viewing and decided to restrict him to educational programs. |
| indisputable | too certain to be disputed In the face of these indisputable statements, I withdraw my complaint. |
| indissoluble | permanent The indissoluble bonds of marriage are all too often being dissolved. |
| indite | write; compose Cyrano indited many letters for Christian. |
| indolence | laziness He outgrew his youthful indolence to become a model of industry and alertness on the job. |
| indomitable | unconquerable The founders of our country had indomitable willpower. |
| indubitably | beyond a doubt Because her argument was indubitably valid, the judge accepted it. |
| induce | persuade; bring about After the quarrel, Tina said nothing could induce her to talk to Tony again. |
| inductive | pertaining to induction or preceeding from the specific to the general The discovery of the planet Pluto is an excellent example of the results that can be obtained from inductive reasoning. |
| indulgent | humoring; yielding; lenient indulgent parents spoil their children by giving in to their every whim. |
| inebriety | habitual intoxication Because of his inebriety, he was discharged from his position as family chauffeur. |
| ineffable | unutterable; cannot be expressed in speech Such ineffable joy must be experienced; it cannot be described. |
| ineffectual | not effective; weak Because the candidate failed to get across his message to the public, his campaign was ineffectual. |
| ineluctable | irresistable; not to be escaped He felt that his fate was ineluctible and refused to make any attempt to improve his lot. |
| inept | lacking skill; inadequate; inappropriate inept as a carpenter, Ira was all thumbs. |
| inequity | unfairness In demanding equal pay for equal work, women protest the basic inequity of a system that allots greater financial rewards to men. |
| inerrancy | infallibility Jane refused to believe in the pope's inerrancy, reasoning: "All human beings are capable of error. The pope is a human being. Therefore, he pope is capable of error. |
| inertia | state of being inert or indisposed to move Our inertia in this matter may prove disastrous; we must move to aid our allies immediately. |
| inevitable | unavoidable Death and taxes are both inevitable. |
| inexorable | relentless; unyielding; implacable After listening to the pleas for clemency, the judge was inexorable and gave the convicted man the maximum punishment allowed by law. |
| infallible | unerring We must remember that none of us is infallible; we all make mistakes. |
| infamous | notoriously bad Jesse James was an infamous outlaw. |
| infantile | childish; infantlike When will he outgrow such infantile behavior? |
| infer | deduce; conclude We must be particularly cautious when we infer that a person is guilty on the basis of circumstantial evidence. |
| infernal | pertaining to hell; devilish They could think of no way to hinder his infernal scheme. |
| infidel | unbeliever The Saracens made war against tne infidels. |
| infiltrate | pass into or through; penetrate (an organization) sneakily In order to infiltrate enemy lines at night without being seen, the scouts darkened their faces and wore black coveralls. |
| infinitesimal | very small In the twentieth century, physicists have made their greatest discoveries about the characteristics of infinitesimal objects like the atom and its parts. |
| infirmity | weakness Her greatest infirmity was lack of willpower. |
| inflated | exaggerated; pompous; enlarged (with air or gas) His claims about the new product were inflated; it did not work as well as he had promised. |
| influx | flowing into The influx of refugees into the country has taxed the relief agencies severely. |
| infraction | violation Because of his many infractions of school regulations, he was suspended by the dean. |
| infringe | violate; encroach I think your machine infringes on my patent and intend to sue. |
| ingenious | clever He came up with a use for Styrofoam packing balls that was so ingenious that his business school professors declared it was marketable. |
| ingenuous | naive; young and unsophisticated Although she was over forty, the movie star still insisted that she be cast as an ingenuous sweet young thing. |
| ingrained | deeply established; firmly rooted Try as they would, the missionaries were unable to uproot the ingrained superstitions of the natives. |
| ingrate | ungrateful person That ingrate Bob sneered at the tie I gave him. |
| ingratiate | become popular with He tried to ingratiate himself into her parents' good graces. |
| inherent | firmly established by nature or habit His inherent love of justice compelled him to come to their aid. |
| inhibit | prohibit; restrain The child was not inhibited in her responses. |
| inimical | unfriendly; hostile She felt that they were inimical and were hoping for her downfall. |
| inimitable | matchless; not able to be imitated We admire Auden for his inimitable use of language; he is one of a kind. |
| iniquitous | unjust; wicked I cannot approve of the iniquitous methods you used to gain your present position. |
| initiate | begin; originate; receive into a group The college is about to initiate a program for reducing math anxiety among students. |
| injurious | harmful Smoking cigarettes can be injurious to your health. |
| inkling | hint This came as a complete surprise to me as I did not have the slightest inkling of your plans. |
| innate | inborn His innate talent for music was soon recognized by his parents. |
| innocuous | harmless Let him drink it; it is innocuous and will have no ill effect. |
| innovation | change; introduction of something new She loved innovatins just because they were new. |
| innuendo | hint; insinuation I can defend myself against direct accusations; innuendos and oblique attacks on my character are what trouble me. |
| inopportune | untimely; poorly chosen A rock concert is an inopportune setting for a quiet conversation. |
| inordinate | unrestrained; excessive She had an inordinate fondness for candy. |
| inquisitor | questioner (specially harsh); investigator Fearing being grilled ruthlessly by the secret police, Marsha faced her inquisitors with trepidation. |
| insalubrious | unwholesome; not healthful The mosquito-ridden swamp was an insalubrious place, a breeding ground for malarial contagion. |
| insatiable | not easily satisfied; greedy Welty's thirst for knowledge was insatiable; she was in the library day and night. |
| inscrutable | impenetrable; not readily understood; mysterious Experienced poker players try to keep their expressions inscrutable, hiding their reactions to the cards behind a so-called poker face. |
| insensate | without feeling She lay there as insensate as a log. |
| insensible | unconscious; unresponsive Sherry and I are very different; at times when I would be covered with embarrassment, she seems insensible to shame. |
| insidious | treacherous; stealthy; sly The fifth column is insidious because it works secretly within our territory for our defeat. |
| insinuate | hint; imply What are you trying to insinuate by that remark? |
| insipid | lacking in flavor; dull Flat prose and flat ginger ale are equally insipid: both lack sparkle. |
| insolence | imprudent disrespect; haughtiness How dare you treat me so rudely! The manager will hear of you insolence. |
| insolvent | bankrupt; lacking money to pay When rumors that he was insolvent reached his creditors, they began to press him for payment of the money due them. |
| insomnia | wakefulness; inability to sleep He refused to join us in a midnight cup of coffee because he claimed it gave him insomnia. |
| insouciant | indifferent; without concern or care Your insouciant attitude at such a critical moment indicates that you do not understand the gravity of the situation. |
| instigate | urge; start; provoke I am afraid that this statement will instigate a revolt. |
| insubordinate | disobedient The insubordinate private was confined to the barracks. |
| insubstantial | lacking substance; insignificant; frail His hopes for a career in acting proved insubstantial; no one would cast him, even in an insubstantial role. |
| insularity | narrow-mindedness; isolation The insularity of the islanders manifested itself in their suspicion of anyuthing foreign. |
| insuperable | insurmountable; invincible In the face of insuperable difficulties they maintained their courage and will to resist. |
| insurgent | rebellious We will not discuss reforms until the insurgent troops have returned to their homes. |
| insurrection | rebellion; uprising Given the current state of affairs in South Africa, an insurrection seems unavoidable. |
| intangible | not able to be perceived by touch; vague Though the financial benefits of his Oxford post were meager, Lewis was drawn to it by its intangible rewards: prestige, intellectual freedom, the fellowship of his peers. |
| integral | complete; necessary for completeness Physical education is an integral part of our curriculum; a sound mind and a sound body are complementary. |
| integrate | make whole; combine; make into one unit She tried to integrate all their activities into one program. |
| integrity | uprightness; wholeness Lincoln, whose personal integrity has inspired millions, fought a civil war to maintain the integrity of the republic, that these United States might remain undivided for all time. |
| intellect | higher mental powers He thought college would develop his intellect. |
| intelligentsia | intellectuals; members of the educated elite She preferred discussions about sports and politics to the literary conversations of the intelligentsia. |
| inter | bury They are going to inter the body tomorrow ar Broadlawn Cemetry. |
| interdict | prohibit; forbid Civilized nations must interdict the use of nuclear weapons if we expect out society to live. |
| interim | meantime The company will not consider our proposal until next week; in the interim, let us proceed as we have in the past. |
| interloper | intruder The merchant thought of his competitors as interlopers who were stealing away his trade. |
| interminable | endless Although his speech lasted for only twenty minutes, it seemed interminable to his bored audience. |
| intermittent | periodic; on and off Our picnic was marred by intermittent rains. |
| internecine | mutually destructive The rising death toll on both sides indicates the internecine natire of his conflict. |
| interpolate | insert between She talked so much that I could not interpolate a single remark. |
| interregnum | period between two reigns Henry VIII desperately sought a male heir because he feared the civil strife that might occur if any prolonged interregum succeeded his death. |
| interrogate | question closely; cross-examine Knowing that the Nazis would interrogate him about his background, the secret agent invented a cover story that would help him meet their quesions. |
| intervene | come between She intervened in the argument between her two sons. |
| intimate | hint She intimated rather than stated her preferences. |
| intimidation | fear A ruler who maintains his power by intimidation is bound to develop clandestine resistance. |
| intractable | unruly; refractory The horse was intractable and refused to enter the starting gate. |
| intransigence | state of stubborn unwillingness to compromise The intransigence of both parties in the dispute makes an early settlement almost impossible to obtain. |
| intrepid | fearless For his intrepid conduct in battle, he was promoted. |
| intrinsically | essentially; inherently; naturally Although my grandmother's china has intrinsically little value, I shall always cherish it for the memories it evokes. |
| introspective | looking within oneself We all have our introspective moments during which we examine our souls. |
| introvert | one who is introspective; inclined to think more about oneself In his poetry, he reveals that he is an introvert by his intense interest in his own problems. |
| intrude | trespass; enter as an uninvited person She hesitated to intrude on their conversation. |
| intuition | power of knowing without reasoning She claimed to know the truth by intuition. |
| inundate | overflow; flood The tremendous waves inundated the town. |
| inured | accustomed; hardened She became inured to the Alaskan cold. |
| invalidate | weaken; destroy The relatives who received little or nothing sought to invalidate the will by claiming that the deceased had not been in his right mind when he signed the document. |
| invective | abuse He had expected criticism but not the invective that greeted his proposal. |
| inveigh | denounce; utter censure or invective He inveighed against the demagoguery of the previous speaker and urged that the audience reject his philosophy as dangerous. |
| inveigle | lead astray; wheedle She was inveigled into joining the club after an initial reluctance. |
| inverse | opposite There is an inverse ratio between the strength of light and its distance. |
| invert | turn upside down or inside out When he inverted his body in a hand stand, he felt the blood rush to his head. |
| inveterate | deep-rooted; habitual She is an inveterate smoker and cannot break the habit. |
| invidious | designed to create ill will or envy We disregarded her invidious remarks because we realized how jealous she was. |
| invincible | unconquerable Superman is invincible. |
| inviolability | security from being destroyed, corrupted or profaned They respected the inviolability of her faith and did not try to change her manner of living. |
| invoke | call upon; ask for She invoked her advisor's aid in filling out her financial aid forms. |
| invulnerable | incapable of injury Achilles was invulnerable except in his heel. |
| iota | very small quantity She hadn't an iota of common sense. |
| irascible | irritable; easily angered Her irascible temper frightened me. |
| irate | angry When John's mother found out that he had overthrown his checking account for the third month in a row, she was so irate that she could scarcely speak to him. |
| iridescent | exhibiting rainbowlike colors She admired the iridescent hues of the oil that floated on the surface of the water. |
| irksome | annoying; tedious He found working on the assembly line irksome because of the monotony of the operation he had to perform. |
| ironic | occurring in an unexpected and contrary manner It is ironic that his success came when he least wanted it. |
| irony | hidden sarcasm or satire; use of words that convey a meaning opposite to the literal meaning Gradually his listeners began to realize that the excessive praise he was lavishing was merely irony; he was actually denouncing his opponent. |
| irreconsilable | incompatible; not able to be resolved Because the separated couple were irreconcilable, the marriage counselor recommended a divorce. |
| irrelevant | not applicable; unrelated This statement is irrelevant and should be disregarded by the jury. |
| irremediable | incurable; uncorrectable The error she made was irremediable; she could see no way to repair it. |
| irreparable | not able to be corrected or repaired Your apology cannot atone for the irreparable damage you have done to her reputation. |
| irrepressible | unable to be restrained or held back Her high spirits were irrepressible. |
| irresolute | uncertain how to act; weak She had no respect for him because he seemed weak-willed and irresolute. |
| irreverent | lacking proper respect The worshippers resented her irreverent remarks about their faith. |
| irrevocable | unalterable Let us not brood over past mistakes since they are irrevocable. |
| isotope | varying form of an element The study of the isotopes of uranium led to the development of the nuclear bomb. |
| isthmus | narrow neck of land connecting two larger bodies of land In a magnificent feat of engineering, Goethals and his men cut through the isthmus of Panama in constructing the Panama Canal. |
| itinerant | wandering; traveling He was an itinerant peddler and traveled through Pennsylvania and Virginia selling his wares. |
| itinerary | plan of a trip Before leaving for his first visit to France and England, he discussed his itinerary with people who had been there and with his travel agent. |
| intersperse | scatter The molecules will intersperse throughout the space according to the second law of thermodynamics. |
| inquisitive | unduly curious; prying; seeking knowledge We need more inquisitive students in this school; lectures are dull. |
Created by:
503746070
Popular GRE sets