Ets's 200 Favorite Gre Words

Front 1

anomaly (n)

Back 1

deviation from the normal or common order or form or rule

Hint 1

A (no) + Normality = "A Not Normality"

Front 2

assuage (v)

Back 2

to pacify, to quench (thirst), to relieve

Hint 2

Ass-Usage provides much ___ on the toilet

Front 3

enigma (n)

Back 3

mystery: something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained

Front 4

equivocal (adj)

Back 4

ambiguous: open to two or more interpretations; or (often) intended to mislead

Hint 4

If everyone spoke in an "equal-voice" you wouldn't be able to decipher who was calling.

Front 5

erudite (adj)

Back 5

having or showing profound knowledge

Hint 5

Those who are erudite are often RUDE+ite(s) to those apparently "beneath them".

Front 6

fervid (adj)

Back 6

ardent: characterized by intense emotion; or very hot

Hint 6

1) fer ~ fur
2) vid ~ video
= video with girls in furs = extremely hot

Front 7

lucid (adj)

Back 7

transparently clear; or easily understandable;

Hint 7

lucid has root 'luc', means 'light' Under the clear light, we easily understand everything

Front 8

opaque (adj)

Back 8

can't be seen through; impenetrable to sight; or not clearly understood or expressed

Hint 8

The OPening wAs QUEstionable because no light was coming through. Therefore, it was OPAQUE.

Front 9

placate (v)

Back 9

pacify: cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of;

Hint 9

PL + ac + ATE = a PLATE full of tasty food to SATISFY someone

Front 10

precipitate (v)

Back 10

to throw violently; or to being about abruptly

Hint 10

precipitate also means to rain, rain HAPPENS SUDDENLY

Front 11

precipitate (adj)

Back 11

hasty & rash: lacking deliberation

Hint 11

Precipitate -> Pre + anticipate. That means you dont think/anticipate before you do something

Front 12

prodigal (adj)

Back 12

recklessly wasteful

Hint 12

To be PRO with GALs, you must waste a lot of money.

Front 13

zeal (n)

Back 13

passion, excitement; excessive fervor to do something or accomplish some end

Hint 13

Zeal sounds like meal meaning food. Therefore to earn a meal for your family you need to work with great zeal. You need zeal to earn a meal.

Front 14

abstain (v)

Back 14

to choose not to partake

Hint 14

ab (= 'away') + stain = stay away from substance that comes in (stains)

Front 15

adulterate (v)

Back 15

to corrupt w/ a foreign substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones

Hint 15

ADULTERY reduces purity in marriage

Front 16

apathy (n)

Back 16

trait of lacking enthusiasm for or interest in things generally

Hint 16

a (= 'negative') + pathy (= feelings ) = NO + FEELINGS

Front 17

audacious (adj)

Back 17

disposed to venture or take risks; bold, daring

Hint 17

Trait needed to be AUDIBLE in front of a crowd

Front 18

capricious (adj)

Back 18

determined by chance/whim/impulse, not necessity or reason

Hint 18

CAR PRICES these days are not logically determined, it seems.

Front 19

corroborate (v)

Back 19

to establish or strengthen as w/ new evidence or facts

Hint 19

CO-ROB & ORATE (speak publicly) to affirm your robber statuses

Front 20

desiccate (v)

Back 20

to lose water or moisture

Hint 20

What a DESERT would do to a CAKE

Front 21

engender (v)

Back 21

to make children; to cause, produce, or give rise to anything

Hint 21

When ENDANGERED, there's a need for ENGENDERING a new child

Front 22

ephemeral (n); (adj)

Back 22

(n) anything short-lived
(adj) lasting a very short time

Hint 22

(e-phermi-real)
- phermi ~= fermi = a very small scientific unit
-> very short RL

Front 23

gullible (adj)

Back 23

naively tricked for being too trusting

Hint 23

GULLIBLE GILLIGAN & that mean old Skipper

Front 24

homogeneous (adj)

Back 24

all of the same nature

Hint 24

HOM (= 'same') + GEN (= 'kind')

Front 25

laconic (adj)

Back 25

brief and to the point; effectively cut short

Hint 25

total LACK of a speech

Front 26

laudable (adj)

Back 26

worthy of high praise

Hint 26

"O Lord! Let me laud You for all your help!"

Front 27

loquacious (adj)

Back 27

full of trivial conversation

Hint 27

LOQ (speech, talk) + voracious

Front 28

mitigate (v)

Back 28

to lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of

Hint 28

mitigate:anything :: Colgate:plaque

Front 29

pedant (n)

Back 29

a person who pays more attention to formal rules and book learning than they merit

Hint 29

Pedant rhymes with PATENT. Usually those students get PATENT who do research. Since they do research they must be an erudite scholar.

Front 30

pragmatic (adj)

Back 30

guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory

Hint 30

PRA + gma + TIC = PRA + c + TIC + al

Front 31

propriety (n)

Back 31

correct or appropriate behavior

Hint 31

Propr (~= proper) +iety = proper in conduct&actions

Front 32

vacillate (v)

Back 32

to move or sway in a vertical/horizontal wavelike pattern; be undecided about something

Hint 32

~= OScillate = something which moves from one position to another position

Front 33

volatile (adj)

Back 33

liable to lead to sudden change or violence; evaporating readily at normal temperatures and pressures

Hint 33

Think 'Volatile memory' (= computer memory which gets erased when power is turned off, i.e., changed suddenly like RAM)
Thus, VOLATILE means...

Front 34

advocate (v)

Back 34

to speak, plead, or argue in favor of

Hint 34

VOCal opposite of hATE is a vocal praise

Front 35

antipathy (n)

Back 35

a feeling of intense dislike or aversion

Hint 35

ANTI-symPATHY

Front 36

bolster (v)

Back 36

to support and strengthen

Hint 36

Bolts bolster a wooden structure.

Front 37

cacophony (n)

Back 37

loud confusing disagreeable sounds; a loud harsh noise

Hint 37

A symPHONY of "caco"-tiels

Front 38

deride (v)

Back 38

to treat or speak of with contempt

Hint 38

RIDiculE

Front 39

dissonance (n)

Back 39

disagreeable sounds, noise; a conflict of people's opinions or actions or characters

Hint 39

DIS + ReSONANCE = not resonance

Front 40

enervate (v)

Back 40

to weaken mentally or morally; to disturb the composure of

Hint 40

If someone ATE your ENERGY (ENER+vATE), you would be WEAKENED or tired.

Front 41

eulogy (n)

Back 41

a formal expression of praise (usually done for one who has died recently)

Hint 41

'eu' (= good) + 'log' (= speech, talk) => Good speech

Front 42

garrulous (adj)

Back 42

full of trivial conversation

Hint 42

garrulous ~ "garls" ~= girls. And, girls certainly chat a lot more than guys do.

Front 43

ingenuous (adj)

Back 43

characterized by an inability to mask your feelings; not devious, innocent

Hint 43

In+genuine- In genuine relationship people are ingenuous and trusting to each other.

Front 44

lethargic (adj)

Back 44

deficient in alertness or activity

Hint 44

how you feel when you're ALLERGIC to something near you

Front 45

malleable (adj)

Back 45

capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out; easily influenced

Hint 45

Many women believe they can mold their MALE (malle) partners into ABLE-bodied husbands.

Front 46

misanthrope (n)

Back 46

someone who dislikes people in general

Hint 46

"misien" (=" to hate") + "anthropos" (= "mankind")

Front 47

obdurate (adj)

Back 47

showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings; stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing

Hint 47

DURAble 'O Boya' to the feelings of Negima's female classmates

Front 48

ostentation (n)

Back 48

visual lack of elegance as a consequence of being pompous and puffed up with vanity

Hint 48

Austin (~osten) Powers and love for his mojo

Front 49

paradox

Back 49

a statement that contradicts itself

Hint 49

The concept behind the phrase "I always lie.".