Gre Words In Context (A)

Front 1

Abate

Back 1

to reduce in amount, degree, or severity

e.g As the hurricane's force ABATED, the winds dropped and the sea became calm.

Front 2

Abscond

Back 2

to leave secretly

e.g The patron ABSCONDED from the restaurant without paying his bill by sneaking out the back door.

Front 3

Abstain

Back 3

to choose not to do something

e.g She ABSTAINED from choosing a mouthwatering dessert from the tray.

Front 4

Abyss

Back 4

an extremely deep hole

e.g The submarine dove into the ABYSS to chart the previously unseen depths.

Front 5

Adulterate

Back 5

to make impure

e.g The chef made his ketchup last longer by ADULTERATING it with water.

Front 6

Advocate

Back 6

to speak in favor of

e.g The vegetarian ADVOCATED a diet containing no meat.

Front 7

Aesthetic

Back 7

concerning the appreciation of beauty

e.g Followers of the AESTHETIC Movement regarded the pursuit of beauty as the only true purpose of art.

Front 8

Aggrandize

Back 8

to increase in power, influence, and reputation

e.g The supervisor sought to AGGRANDIZE herself by claiming that the achievements of her staff were actually her own.

Front 9

Alleviate

Back 9

to make more bearable

e.g Taking aspirin helps to ALLEVIATE a headache

Front 10

Amalgamate

Back 10

to combine; to mix together

e.g Giant Industries AMALGAMATED with Mega Products to form Giant-Mega Products Incorporated.

Front 11

Ambiguous

Back 11

doubtful or uncertain; able to be interpreted several ways

e.g The directions she gave were so AMBIGUOUS that we disagreed on which way to turn.

Front 12

Ameliorate

Back 12

to make better; to improve

e.g The doctor was able to AMELIORATE the patient's suffering using painkillers.

Front 13

Anachronism

Back 13

something out of place in time

e.g The aged hippie used ANACHRONISTIC phrases, like "groovy" and "far out," that had not been popular for years.

Front 14

Analogous

Back 14

similar or alike in some way; equivalent to

e.g In the Newtonian construct for explaining the existence of God, the universe is ANALOGOUS to a mechanical timepiece, the creation of a divinely intelligent "clock-maker."

Front 15

Anomaly

Back 15

deviation from what is normal

e.g Albino animals may display too great an ANOMALY in their coloring to attract normally colored mates.

Front 16

Antagonize

Back 16

to annoy or provoke to anger

e.g The child discovered that he could ANTAGONIZE the cat by pulling its tail.

Front 17

Antipathy

Back 17

extreme dislike

e.g The ANTIPATHY between the French and the English regularly erupted into open warfare.

Front 18

Apathy

Back 18

lack of interest or emotion

e.g The APATHY of voters is so great that less than half the people who are eligible to vote actually bother to do so.

Front 19

Arbitrate

Back 19

to judge a dispute between two opposing parties

e.g Since the couple could not come to an agreement, a judge was forced to ARBITRATE their divorce proceedings.

Front 20

Archaic

Back 20

ancient, old-fashioned

e.g Her ARCHAIC Commodore computer could not run the latest software.

Front 21

Ardor

Back 21

intense and passionate feeling

e.g Bishop's ARDOR for the landscape was evident when he passionately described the beauty of the scenic Hudson Valley.

Front 22

Articulate

Back 22

able to speak clearly and expressively

e.g She is such an ARTICULATE defender of labor that unions are among her strongest supporters.

Front 23

Assuage

Back 23

to make something unpleasant less severe

e.g Serena used aspirin to ASSUAGE her pounding headache.

Front 24

Attenuate

Back 24

to reduce in force or degree; to weaken

e.g The Bill of Rights ATTENUATED the traditional power of governments to change laws at will.

Front 25

Audacious

Back 25

fearless and daring

e.g Her AUDACIOUS nature allowed her to fulfill her dream of skydiving.

Front 26

Austere

Back 26

severe or stern in appearance; undecorated

e.g The lack of decoration makes military barracks seem AUSTERE to the civilian eye.