Gre Master List (Abase-Adroit)

Front 1

abate
v

Back 1

subside or moderate

Rather than leaving immediately they waited for the storm to abate.

Front 2

aberrant
v

Back 2

abnormal or deviant

Given the aberrant nature of the data we came to doubt the validity of the entire experiment.

Front 3

abdicate
v

Back 3

renounce or give up

When Edward VIII abdicated the British throne, he surprised the entire world.

Front 4

abbreviate
v

Back 4

shorten

Because we were running out of time, the lecturer had to abbreviate her speech.

Front 5

abase
v

Back 5

lower or degrade, humiliate

Anna expected to have to curtsy to the King of Siam when told to cast herself down on the ground before him, however, she refused to abase herself

Front 6

abash
v

Back 6

embarrass

He was not at all abashed by her open admiration.

Front 7

aberration
n

Back 7

abnormality; departure from the norm; mental irregularity or disorder.

It remains the consensus among investors on Wall Street that current high oil prices area temporary aberration and that we shall soon see a return to cheap oil.

Front 8

abet
v

Back 8

assist, usually in doing something wrong; encourage.

She was unwilling to abet him in the swindle he had planned.

Front 9

abeyance
n

Back 9

suspended action

The deal was held in abeyance until her arrival.

Front 10

abject
adj

Back 10

wretched; lacking pride

On the streets of New York the homeless live in abject poverty, huddling in doorways to find shelter from the wind.

Front 11

abhor
v

Back 11

detest or hate

She abhorred all forms of bigotry.

Front 12

abjure
v

Back 12

renounce upon oath; disavow

Pressure from the university authorities caused the young scholar to abjure his heretical opinions.

Front 13

ablution
n

Back 13

washing

His daily ablutions were accompanied by the loud noises he humorously labeled "Opera in the Bath."

Front 14

abnegation
n

Back 14

renunciation; self sacrifice

Though Rudolph and Duchess Flavia loved one another, their love was doomed for she had to wed the king; their act of abnegation was necessary to preserve the kingdom.

Front 15

abolish
v

Back 15

cancel; put an end to

The president of the college refused to abolish the physical education requirement.

Front 16

abominable
adj

Back 16

detestable; extremely unpleasant; very bad

Mary liked John until she realized he was dating Susan; then she called him an abominable man with abominable taste in women.

Front 17

abominate
v

Back 17

loathe; hate

Moses scolded the idol worshipers in the tribe because he abominated the custom.

Front 18

aboriginal
adj

Back 18

being the first of its king in a region; primitive; native

Her studies of the primitive art forms of the aboriginal Indians ere widely reported in the scientific journals.

Front 19

abortive
adj

Back 19

unsuccessful; fruitless

Attacked by armed troops, the Chinese students had to abandon their abortive attempt to democratize Beijing peacefully.

Front 20

abrasive
adj

Back 20

rubbing away; tending to grind down

Just as abrasive cleaners can wear away a shiny finish, abrasive remarks can wear away any listener's patience.

Front 21

abridge
v

Back 21

condense or shorten

Because the publishers felt the public wanted a shorter version of War and Peace they proceeded to abridge the novel.

Front 22

abrogate
v

Back 22

abolish

The king intended to abrogate the decree issued by his predecessor.

Front 23

abscission
n

Back 23

removal by cutting off, as in surgery; separation. Gas gangrene spreads so swiftly and is so potentially deadly that doctors advise abscission of the gangrenous tissue.

Front 24

abscond
v

Back 24

depart secretly and hide

The teller who absconded with the bonds went uncaptured until someone recognized him from his photograph on America's Most Wanted.

Front 25

absolute
adj

Back 25

complete; totally unlimited; certain

Although the King of Siam was an absolute monarch, he did not want to behead his unfaithful wife without absolute evidence of her infidelity.

Front 26

absolve
v

Back 26

pardon (an offense)

The father confessor absolved him of his sins

Front 27

abstain
v

Back 27

refrain; withhold from participation

After considering the effect of alcohol on his athletic performance, he decided to abstain from drinking while he trained for the race.

Front 28

abstemious
adj

Back 28

sparing in eating and drinking; temperate

Concerned whether her vegetarian son's abstemious diet provided him with sufficient protein, the worried mother pressed food on him.

Front 29

abstinence
n

Back 29

restraint from eating and drinking

The doctor recommended total abstinence from salted foods.

Front 30

abstract
adj

Back 30

theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational

To him, hunger was an abstract concept; he had never missed a meal.

Front 31

abstruse
adj

Back 31

obscure; profound; difficult to understand

Baffled by the abstruse philsophical texts assigned in class, Dave asked Lexy to explain Kant's Critique of Pure Reason.

Front 32

abusive
adj

Back 32

coarsely insulting, physically harmful

An abusive parent damages a child both mentally and physically.

Front 33

abut
v

Back 33

border upon; adjoin

Where our estates abut, we must build a fence.

Front 34

abyss
n

Back 34

enormous chasm; vast, bottomless pit

Darth Vader seized the evil emperor and hurled him into the abyss.

Front 35

academic
adj

Back 35

related to a school; not practical or directly useful

The dean's talk about reforming academic policy was only an academic discussion: we knew little, if anything would change.

Front 36

accede
v

Back 36

to agree

If I accede to this demand for blackmail I am afraid that I will be the victim of future demands.

Front 37

accelerate
v

Back 37

to move faster

In our science class, we learn how falling bodies accelerate.

Front 38

accessible
adj

Back 38

easy to approach; obtainable

We asked our guide whether the ruins were accessible on foot.

Front 39

accessory
n

Back 39

additional object; useful but not essential thing

She bought an attractive as an accessory to her dress

Front 40

acclaim
v

Back 40

applaud; announce with great approval

The sportscaster acclaimed every American victory in the Olympics and decried every American defeat.

Front 41

acclimate
v

Back 41

adjust to climate or environment; adapt

One of the difficulties of our present air age is the need of travelers to acclimate themselves to their new and often strange environments.

Front 42

acclivity
n

Back 42

sharp unslope of a hill

The car could not go up the acclivity in high gear.

Front 43

accolade
n

Back 43

award of merit

In Hollywood, an Oscar is the highest accolade.

Front 44

accommodate
v

Back 44

oblige or help someone; adjust or bring into harmony; adapt

Mich always did everything possible to accommodate his elderly relatices, from driving them to medical appointments to helping them with paperwork.

Front 45

accomplice
n

Back 45

partner in crime

Because he had provided the criminal with the lethal weapon he was arrested as an accomplice in the murder

Front 46

accord
n

Back 46

agreement

She was in complete accord with the verdict.

Front 47

accost
v

Back 47

approach and speak first to a person

When the two young men accosted me, I was frightened because I thought they were going to attack me.

Front 48

accoutre
v

Back 48

equip

The fisherman was accoutred with the best that the sporting foods store could supply. accoutrement

Front 49

accretion
n

Back 49

growth;increase

Over the years Bob put on weight; because of this accretion of flesh, he went from size M to size XL.

Front 50

accrue
v

Back 50

come about by addition

You must pay the interest that ahs accrued on your debt as well as the principal sum.

Front 51

acerbic
adj

Back 51

bitter or sour in nature; sharp and cutting

Noted for her acerbic wit and gossiping, Alic Roosevelt Longworth had a pillow in her home embroidered with the legend, " if you cant say something good about someone, sit right here by me."

Front 52

acerbity
n

Back 52

bitterness of speech and temper

The meeting of the United Nations Assembly was marked with such acerbity that observers held little hope of reaching any useful settlement of the problem.

Front 53

acetic
adj

Back 53

vinegary

The salad had a exceedingly acetic flavor.

Front 54

acidulous
adj

Back 54

slightly sour; sharp; caustic

James was unpopular because of his sarcastic and acidulous remarks

Front 55

acknowledge
v

Back 55

recognize; admit

Although I acknowledge that the Beatles; tunes sound pretty dated nowadays, I still prefer them to the gangsta rap my brothers play.

Front 56

acme
n

Back 56

peak; pinnacle; highest point

Welles's success in Citizen Kane marked the acme of his career as an actor, never again did he achieve such popular acclaim.

Front 57

acoustics
n

Back 57

science of sounds; quality that makes a room easy or hard to hear in

Carnegie Hall is linked by music lovers because of its fine acoustics.

Front 58

acquiesce
v

Back 58

assent; agree passively

Althought she appeared to acquiesce to her employers suggestions, I could tell she had reservations about the changes he wanted made.

Front 59

acquittal
n

Back 59

deliverance from a charge

His acquittal by the jury surprised those who had thought him guilty.

Front 60

acrid
adj

Back 60

sharp; bitterly pugnent

The acrid odor of burnt gunpowder filled the room after the pistol had been fired.

Front 61

acrimonious
adj

Back 61

bitter in words or manner

The candidate attacked his opponent in highly acrimonious terms.

Front 62

acrophobia
n

Back 62

fear of heights

A born salesman, he could convince someone with a bad case of acrophobia to sign up for a life membership in a sky-diving club.

Front 63

actuarial
adj

Back 63

calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics

according to recent actuarial tables, life expectancy is greater today than it was a century ago.

Front 64

actuate
adj

Back 64

motivate

I fail to understand what actuated you to reply to this letter so nastily

Front 65

acuity
n

Back 65

sharpness

In time his youthfulacuity of vision failed him, and he needed glasses.

Front 66

acumen
n

Back 66

mental keenness

Her business acumen helped her to succeed where others had failed.

Front 67

acute
adj

Back 67

quickly perceptive; keen; brief and severe

The acute young doctor realized immediately that the gradual deterioration of her patient's once acute hearing was due to a chronic illness, not an acute one.

Front 68

adage
n

Back 68

wise saying; proverb

There is much truth in the old adage about fools and their money.

Front 69

adament
adj

Back 69

hard; inflexible

In this movie Bronson played the part of a revenge-driven man, adamant in his determination to punish the criminals who destroyed his family.

Front 70

adapt
v

Back 70

alter; modify

Some species of animals have become extinct because they could not adapt to a changing environment

Front 71

addendum
n

Back 71

addition; appendix to book

Jane's editor approved her new comparative leterature text but thoguht it would be even better with an addendum on recent developments in literary criticism

Front 72

addiction
n

Back 72

compulsive, habitual need

his addiction to drugs caused his friends much grief

Front 73

addle
v

Back 73

muddle; drive crazy; become rotten

This idiotic plan is confusing enough to addle anyone

Front 74

address
v

Back 74

direct a speech to; deal with or discuss

Due to address the convention in July, Brown planned to address the issue of low-income housing in his speech.

Front 75

adept
adj

Back 75

expert at

She was adept at the fine art of irritating people

Front 76

adhere
v

Back 76

stick fast

I will adhere to this opinion until proof that I am wrong is presented

Front 77

adherent
n

Back 77

supporter; follower

In the wake of the scandal, the senator's one-time adherents quietly deserted him.

Front 78

adjacent
adj

Back 78

adjoining; neighboring; close by

Phillip's best friend Jason lived only four houses down the block, near but not immediately adjacent.

Front 79

adjunct
n

Back 79

something (generally non essential or inferior) added on or attached.

Although I don't absolutely need a second computer, I plan to buy a laptop to serve as an adjunct to my desktop model

Front 80

adjuration
n

Back 80

solemn urging

Her adjuration to tell the truth did not change the witnesses' testimony.

Front 81

admonish
v

Back 81

warn; reprove

When her courtiers questioned her religious beliefs, Mary Stuart admonished them, declaring that she would worship as she pleased

Front 82

adjutant
n

Back 82

staff officer assisting the commander; asistant

Though Wellington dellegated many tasks to his chief adjutant, Lord Fitzroy Somerset, Somerset was in no doubt as to who made all the major decisions.

Front 83

adorn
v

Back 83

decorate

Wall paintings and carved statues adorned the temple.

Front 84

adroit
adj

Back 84

skillful

Her adroit handling of the delicate situation pleased her employers.