GRE Vocabulary List Set 1

SET 1 | SET 2 | SET 3

• Abate – to reduce or lessen
• Abdicate – to give up power or responsibility
• Aberrant – abnormal; deviating from the norm
• Abeyance – temporary suspension
• Abhor – to hate deeply
• Abject – miserable; wretched
• Abjure – to reject; renounce formally
• Ablution – cleansing with water
• Abnegate – to deny or renounce
• Abnegation – self-denial
• Abrogate – to abolish or cancel officially
• Abscond – to escape secretly
• Absolve – free from blame
• Abstemious – moderate; self-restrained
• Abstemious – self-denying; moderate in eating/drinking
• Abstinent – avoiding indulgence
• Abstruse – difficult to understand
• Accolade – an award or praise
• Accouter – equip or outfit
• Accretion – gradual growth
• Acculturation – cultural modification
• Acerbic – harsh or severe in tone, sharply critical
• Acme – peak; highest point
• Acquiesce – agree reluctantly
• Acquittal – clearing from charge
• Acrid – bitter and unpleasant
• Acrimonious – angry and bitter
• Acrimony – bitterness in speech or behavior
• Acumen – sharp insight
• Adage – wise saying
• Adduce – cite as evidence
• Adjudicate – judge; settle
• Admonish – warn or reprimand
• Adroit – skillful and clever
• Adulation – excessive praise
• Adulterate – to contaminate; make impure
• Adumbrate – foreshadow; sketch
• Advent – arrival
• Adventitious – accidental
• Aegis – protection or support
• Aesthetic – relating to beauty
• Affable – friendly; easy to talk to
• Affectation – artificial behavior
• Affliction – cause of suffering
• Affluent – wealthy
• Aggrandize – increase power or wealth
• Aggrandizement – increasing power
• Aggrieved – wronged; offended
• Alacrity – cheerful readiness, eager willingness
• Allay – reduce fear
• All-encompassing – covering everything
• Alleviate – lessen severity
• Alleviate – to reduce; to ease
• Allocate – distribute
• All-pervasive – widespread
• Allude – refer indirectly
• Alter ego – second self
• Altercation – noisy argument
• Amalgamate – to combine into one
• Ambience – atmosphere
• Ambiguous – unclear; open to more than one meaning
• Ambivalent – mixed feelings
• Ambulatory – able to walk
• Ameliorate – to improve
• Amenable – cooperative
• Amiable – friendly
• Amiss – wrong; faulty
• Amity – friendship
• Amorphous – shapeless; without clear form
• Amortize – reduce debt gradually
• Amphigory – nonsensical writing
• Anachronistic – out of historical time
• Anachronistic – out of time; historically incorrect
• Analogy – comparison for explanation
• Anarchy – absence of government; disorder
• Anathema – something detested
• Ancillary – subordinate; auxiliary
• Anecdote – short account
• Annex – add or attach
• Anodyne – soothing; harmless
• Anomaly – irregularity; deviation
• Anomie – social instability
• Antagonize – to provoke hostility
• Antediluvian – extremely old
• Anthropocentric – human-centered
• Antipathy – strong dislike
• Apathy – lack of interest
• Apex – the highest point
• Aphasia – loss of speech
• Aphorism – a short, wise saying
• Aphoristic – concise and witty
• Aplomb – confidence
• Apocryphal – of doubtful authenticity
• Apogee – highest point
• Apoplexy – stroke; extreme anger
• Apostate – one who abandons religion
• Apothegm – short, instructive saying
• Appease – calm; pacify
• Appeasement – calming hostilities
• Apposite – highly appropriate
• Apprehension – fear; anxiety
• Apprise – inform or notify
• Appurtenance – accessory
• Arbiter – judge
• Arbitrary – based on whim
• Arcadian – simple and peaceful
• Arcane – mysterious; obscure
• Archaic – old-fashioned
• Arduous – difficult
• Arid – extremely dry
• Arrears – unpaid debts
• Arrogate – claim without right
• Articulate – express clearly
• Artifice – deception; trickery
• Ascertain – to find out; determine
• Asperity – harshness of tone
• Asperse – slander
• Aspersion – damaging remark
• Assay – analyze
• Assiduous – hard-working; diligent
• Assuage – to reduce; to ease
• Astute – shrewd; intelligent
• Atavistic – ancestral
• Athwart – across
• Atonement – act of making amends
• Atrophy – waste away
• Attrition – gradual reduction
• Audacious – bold; daring
• Augment – increase
• Augury – omen
• Austere – strict; plain
• Autonomous – independent
• Avarice – extreme greed
• Avaricious – greedy
• Aver – affirm as true
• Averment – positive statement
• Averse – opposed
• Avert – prevent; turn away
• Avow – declare openly
• Avuncular – kind, like an uncle
• Bacchanalian – wild and drunken
• Baleful – threatening
• Balk – hesitate or refuse
• Balky – stubborn
• Balmy – soothing
• Banal – lacking originality
• Bandy – exchange (words)
• Baneful – harmful
• Banter – playful teasing
• Barrage – heavy attack
• Bastion – stronghold
• Beatific – blissful
• Beatify – declare holy
• Begrudge – envy
• Behemoth – huge creature
• Belabor – overstress; overexplain
• Beleaguer – surround and harass
• Beleaguered – troubled; besieged
• Belie – to contradict or misrepresent
• Bellicose – warlike; aggressive
• Benefactor – one who gives help
• Beneficent – doing good
• Benighted – ignorant
• Benign – harmless; kind
• Bequeath – to leave by will
• Bequest – inheritance
• Berate – to scold harshly
• Bereft – deprived; lacking
• Beset – attack from all sides
• Besmirch – damage reputation
• Betoken – indicate
• Bevy – group
• Bifurcate – divide into two
• Bilateral – two-sided
• Bilk – cheat; defraud
• Binge – excessive indulgence
• Blanch – turn pale
• Blandishment – flattery
• Blare – loud sound
• Blatant – obvious; noisy
• Bleak – hopeless
• Blight – ruin
• Blissful – extremely happy
• Blithe – cheerful; indifferent
• Bludgeon – beat or bully
• Bluster – boast loudly
• Bogus – fake
• Boisterous – noisy
• Bolster – to support or strengthen
• Bombard – attack continuously
• Bombastic – pompous; overly formal
• Bonhomie – friendliness
• Boorish – rude
• Bounty – reward
• Bowdlerize – censor
• Brackish – slightly salty
• Bravado – false bravery
• Brazen – bold and shameless
• Breach – violation
• Brevity – briefness
• Bristle – react angrily
• Broach – to bring up a topic
• Brusque – abrupt
• Bucolic – rural; pastoral
• Bumf – unnecessary paperwork
• Bumptious – arrogant
• Burgeon – to grow rapidly
• Buttress – to support
• Cabal – a secret group
• Cache – hidden supply
• Cacophony – harsh mixture of sounds
• Cadaverous – corpse-like
• Cadence – rhythmic flow
• Cajole – persuade by flattery
• Cajolery – flattery
• Calculus – complex decision rule
• Calligraphy – beautiful handwriting
• Callous – insensitive
• Callow – inexperienced
• Calumniate – slander
• Calumny – false accusation, slander
• Canard – false story
• Candor – honesty; openness
• Canny – shrewd
• Canonical – standard; accepted
• Canonize – declare saintly
• Cant – insincere talk
• Cantankerous – quarrelsome
• Capacious – spacious
• Capitulate – surrender
• Caprice – sudden change of mood
• Capricious – unpredictable; impulsive
• Captious – fault-finding
• Carapace – protective shell
• Caravanserai – group/travelers inn
• Cardinal – main; essential
• Caricature – exaggerated portrayal
• Carping – complaining
• Castigate – to criticize severely
• Castigation – severe punishment
• Cataclysm – violent upheaval
• Catalyst – something causing change
• Cathartic – emotionally purging
• Caustic – burning; sarcastic
• Cavalier – dismissive; offhand
• Cavil – trivial objection
• Celerity – speed
• Celerity – swiftness
• Censure – criticize strongly
• Cerebral – intellectual
• Chafe – irritate
• Chagrin – embarrassment; distress
• Charlatan – a fraud; fake expert
• Chary – cautious
• Chasm – deep gap
• Chasten – discipline
• Chauvinism – extreme patriotism
• Chicanery – deception
• Chide – scold
• Chimera – illusion
• Chimerical – imaginary
• Choler – anger
• Choleric – irritable
• Chronicle – record events
• Churn – stir violently
• Circumspect – cautious
• Clamber – climb awkwardly
• Clandestine – secret
• Clemency – mercy
• Cloister – isolate
• Clout – power; influence
• Coalesce – to combine
• Coercion – force
• Cogent – persuasive; well-argued
• Cogitate – think deeply
• Cognizant – aware
• Coherent – logically connected
• Cohesive – sticking together
• Cohort – group
• Collate – arrange in order
• Colloquy – formal conversation
• Collusion – secret cooperation for wrongdoing
• Commensurate – proportional
• Commodify – turn into a product
• Commodious – spacious
• Compendium – brief summary
• Complacent – overly satisfied
• Complacent – self-satisfied
• Complaisant – willing to please
• Complicity – involvement in wrongdoing
• Componential – structural
• Compote – fruit dessert
• Concatenate – link together
• Concede – admit; yield
• Concentric – sharing a center
• Conciliate – to calm; pacify
• Conciliatory – peace-making
• Conclamation – loud shouting
• Conclave – private meeting
• Concomitant – accompanying
• Concur – to agree
• Condone – to overlook or forgive
• Conducive – helpful
• Conflagration – a large fire
• Confluence – merging
• Confluent – flowing together
• Congenial – friendly
• Congruent – matching
• Conjecture – guess; speculation
• Connive – conspire
• Connoisseur – expert judge
• Conscientious – careful; diligent
• Conscript – recruit forcibly
• Consecrate – make sacred
• Consensus – general agreement
• Consonant – consistent
• Conspicuous – easily noticeable
• Consternation – shock; dismay
• Constituent – component
• Constriction – tightening
• Construe – interpret
• Contend – argue; claim
• Contention – disagreement
• Contiguous – touching
• Contravene – violate
• Contrition – deep remorse
• Contrivance – device; scheme
• Contumacious – rebellious
• Conundrum – difficult puzzle
• Convalesce – recover health
• Convalescent – recovering
• Convivial – sociable
• Convoke – summon
• Convoluted – complex
• Coopt – assimilate
• Copious – abundant
• Coquette – flirt
• Corelate – have mutual relation
• Corollary – natural consequence
• Corporeal – physical; bodily
• Corpulence – obesity
• Corroborate – confirm; support
• Cosmogony – origin of universe
• Cosset – pamper
• Countermand – cancel order
• Countervail – offset
• Crass – insensitive
• Craven – cowardly
• Credence – belief
• Credulous – too trusting
• Crescendo – gradually increasing
• Crestfallen – dejected
• Crucial – very important
• Cryptic – mysterious
• Cryptic – mysterious
• Cull – select; choose
• Culpable – guilty
• Cumbersome – heavy; difficult
• Cupidity – greed
• Cursory – quick and superficial
• Curtail – reduce
• Cyclopean – huge; monumental
• Dandle – pamper
• Dapper – neat; stylish
• Dappled – spotted
• Dastardly – wicked
• Daunt – intimidate
• Dawdle – waste time
• De rigueur – required by custom
• Dearth – scarcity
• Debacle – complete failure
• Debilitate – weaken
• Debility – weakness
• Debonair – charming
• Debunk – expose falsehood
• Decadent – in moral decline
• Decimate – destroy a large part
• Declaim – speak formally
• Decorum – proper behavior
• Decree – official order
• Decrepit – worn out
• Decrepitude – feebleness
• Decry – criticize
• Defalcate – misuse funds
• Defeatist – pessimistic
• Defenestrate – throw out a window
• Deference – respect
• Defile – spoil or pollute
• Defunct – no longer existing
• Deign – lower oneself
• Delectable – delicious
• Deleterious – harmful
• Deliberate – consider carefully
• Delineate – describe clearly
• Deluge – flood
• Delusive – misleading
• Demagogue – manipulative leader
• Demarcate – set boundaries
• Demarcation – boundary
• Demented – insane
• Demoralize – discourage
• Demotic – common people
• Demur – object; hesitate
• Denigrate – belittle
• Denizen – inhabitant
• Denouement – final outcome
• Denounce – publicly condemn
• Depict – portray
• Deplete – exhaust
• Deponent – one who testifies
• Depose – remove from office
• Deprave – corrupt morally
• Depravity – moral corruption
• Deprecate – disapprove
• Deprecatory – critical
• Derail – obstruct progress
• Deride – mock
• Derisive – mocking
• Derivative – not original
• Derogate – belittle
• Descant – lengthy discussion
• Desiccate – dry out completely
• Desist – stop
• Despairing – hopeless
• Despoil – plunder
• Despondent – depressed
• Despot – tyrant
• Desuetude – disuse
• Détente – easing tensions
• Deterrent – prevention
• Detriment – harm
• Detritus – debris
• Deviate – depart from standard
• Devolve – pass on responsibility
• Dexterous – skillful
• Diaphanous – light; delicate
• Diaphoretic – inducing sweat
• Diatribe – bitter criticism
• Dichotomous – divided into two
• Didactic – instructive
• Diffident – shy; lacking confidence
• Diffuse – spread out
• Dilapidated – ruined
• Dilate – expand
• Dilatory – slow; delaying
• Dilettante – amateur
• Diligent – hardworking
• Diluvial – relating to floods
• Din – loud noise
• Dint – force; power
• Disabuse – free from misconception
• Disaffected – dissatisfied
• Disaggregate – break into parts
• Disarray – disorder
• Disavow – deny
• Discerning – showing good judgment
• Disconcert – confuse
• Disconsolate – unhappy
• Discordant – disagreeing
• Discredit – damage reputation
• Discreet – careful
• Discrepancy – difference
• Discrete – separate
• Disdain – to despise
• Disembark – leave a ship or plane
• Disenfranchise – deprive of rights
• Disgorge – eject
• Disheveled – untidy
• Disingenuous – insincere
• Disinter – dig up
• Disparage – criticize
• Disparate – fundamentally different
• Disparity – difference
• Dispassionate – unemotional
• Dispatch – send quickly
• Dispel – scatter; drive away
• Dispensation – exemption
• Disperse – spread
• Disputatious – argumentative
• Disquiet – anxiety
• Disseminate – to spread widely
• Dissever – separate
• Dissident – rebel
• Dissipate – to waste
• Dissolute – immoral
• Dissonance – lack of harmony
• Dissuade – discourage
• Distrait – distracted
• Distraught – deeply upset
• Divagate – wander mentally
• Diverge – move apart
• Divergent – different; moving apart
• Divest – strip; deprive
• Divulge – reveal
• Docile – obedient
• Dolorous – sorrowful
• Doughty – brave
• Dour – stern
• Draconian – very harsh
• Droll – amusingly odd

SET 1 | SET 2 | SET 3