Test - Barron's 300 Absolutely Essential Gre Words

Front 1

aberrant

Back 1

adj. deviating from what is normal
- chiefly Biology diverging from the normal type: aberrant chromosomes.

Front 2

abeyance

Back 2

n. temporary suppression or suspension
- matters were held in abeyance pending further inquiries.

Front 3

abscond

Back 3

v. to depart secretly
- she absconded with the remaining thousand dollars.

Front 4

abstemious

Back 4

adj. moderate in appetite
- “We only had a bottle.” “Very abstemious of you.”

Front 5

admonish

Back 5

v. to caution or reprimand
- she admonished me for appearing at breakfast unshaven

Front 6

aesthetic

Back 6

adj. relating to beauty or art
- concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty: the pictures give great aesthetic pleasure.

Front 7

aggregate

Back 7

adj. amounting to a whole; total

Front 8

alacrity

Back 8

n. cheerful willingness; eagerness; speed
- she accepted the invitation with alacrity.

Front 9

amalgamate

Back 9

v. to combine into a unified whole
- he amalgamated his company with another
- numerous small railroad companies amalgamated

Front 10

ambiguous

Back 10

adj. unclear or doubtful in meaning

Front 11

ambivalence

Back 11

n. the state of having conflicting emotional attitudes
- the law's ambivalence about the importance of a victim's identity

Front 12

ameliorate

Back 12

v. improve
- make (something bad or unsatisfactory) better: the reform did much to ameliorate living standards.

Front 13

anachronism

Back 13

something out of proper time

Front 14

analogous

Back 14

adj. comparable

Front 15

anomalous

Back 15

adj. irregular; deviating from the norm

Front 16

antipathy

Back 16

n. dislike; hostility
- his fundamental antipathy to capitalism

Front 17

apprise

Back 17

v. to inform
- I thought it right to apprise Chris of what had happened.

Front 18

approbation

Back 18

n. praise; approval
-The King received the official approbation of the church.

Front 19

appropriate

Back 19

v. to take possession for ones own use; confiscate
- his images have been appropriated by advertisers.

Front 20

artless

Back 20

adj. guileless; natural

Front 21

ascetic

Back 21

n. one who practices self denial (abstention from all forms of indulgence,)
- an ascetic life of prayer, fasting, and manual labor

Front 22

assiduous

Back 22

adj. diligent; hardworking
- she was assiduous in pointing out every feature.

Front 23

assuage

Back 23

v. to make less sever
- he letter assuaged the fears of most members.
- an opportunity occurred to assuage her desire for knowledge.

Front 24

attenuate

Back 24

v. to weaken
- her intolerance was attenuated by a rather unexpected liberalism.

Front 25

audacious

Back 25

adj. bold; daring
- a series of audacious takeovers.

Front 26

austere

Back 26

adj. stern; unadorned
(severe or strict in manner, attitude, or appearance:)
(having no comforts or luxuries; harsh or ascetic:)
- conditions in the prison could hardly be more austere.

Front 27

autonomous

Back 27

adj. self-governing; independent
- autonomous republics.

Front 28

aver

Back 28

v. to affirm; declare to be true
- he averred that he was innocent of the allegations

Front 29

banal

Back 29

adj. commonplace; trite (so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring)
- songs with banal, repeated words.

Front 30

belie

Back 30

v. to contradict; misrepresent; give a false impression
- his lively alert manner belied his years.
- the notebooks belie Darwin's later recollection.

Front 31

beneficent

Back 31

adj. kindly; doing good

Front 32

bombastic

Back 32

adj. pompous; using inflated language
- high-sounding but with little meaning; inflated: bombastic
- bombastic music that drowned out what anyone was saying.

Front 33

boorish

Back 33

adj. rude; insensitive
- boorish behavior.

Front 34

burgeon

Back 34

v. to flourish, begin to grow or increase rapidly
- burgeoning demand.

Front 35

burnish

Back 35

v. to polish

Front 36

buttress

Back 36

v. to reinforce; support حائل / نگه داشتن

Front 37

cacophonous

Back 37

adj. unpleasant or harsh sounding

Front 38

capricious

Back 38

adj. fickle (given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior)
- a capricious and often brutal administration | a capricious climate.

Front 39

castigation

Back 39

n. punishment; chastisement; criticism
- reprimand (someone) severely: he was castigated for not setting a good example.

Front 40

catalyst

Back 40

n. something causing change

Front 41

causality

Back 41

adj. involving a cause

Front 42

chicanery

Back 42

n. trickery; fraud
- an underhanded person who schemes corruption and political chicanery behind closed doors.

Front 43

coagulate

Back 43

v. thicken; congeal (of a fluid, esp. blood)
- blood had coagulated around the edges of the wound.

Front 44

coda

Back 44

n. concluding part of a literary or musical composition; something that summarizes or concludes
- his new novel is a kind of coda to his previous books.

Front 45

commensurate

Back 45

adj. proportional
- salary will be commensurate with experience

Front 46

compendium

Back 46

n. brief, comprehensive summary

Front 47

complaisant

Back 47

adj. overly polite; willing to please; obliging

Front 48

conciliatory

Back 48

adj. overcoming distrust or hostility

Front 49

confound

Back 49

v. to baffle; perplex; mix-up

Front 50

connoisseur

Back 50

n. a person possessing expert knowledge or training; a person of informed or discriminating taste

Front 51

contention

Back 51

v. thicken; congeal

Front 52

contentious

Back 52

adj. quarrelsome; causing quarrels

Front 53

conundrum

Back 53

n. riddle; puzzle with no solution

Front 54

conventional

Back 54

adj. customary; commonplace

Front 55

convoluted

Back 55

adj. twisted; complicated

Front 56

craven

Back 56

adj. cowardly

Front 57

decorum

Back 57

n. proper behavior

Front 58

deference

Back 58

n. respect; regard for another's wish

Front 59

delineate

Back 59

v. to represent or depict

Front 60

denigrate

Back 60

v. to slur someones reputation

Front 61

derivative

Back 61

n. something derived; unoriginal

Front 62

desiccate

Back 62

v. to dry completely

Front 63

desultory

Back 63

adj. random; disconnected; rambling

Front 64

diatribe

Back 64

n. bitter verbal attack

Front 65

dichotomy

Back 65

n. division into two usually contradictory parts

Front 66

diffidence

Back 66

n. shyness; lack of confidence

Front 67

diffuse

Back 67

v. to spread out

Front 68

digression

Back 68

n. act of straying from the main point

Front 69

dirge

Back 69

n. funeral hymn

Front 70

disabuse

Back 70

v. disabuse somebody (of something) (formal)
to tell somebody that what they think is true is, in fact, not true

Front 71

discerning

Back 71

adj. perceptive; exhibiting keen insight and good judgement

Front 72

discordant

Back 72

adj. not in tune

Front 73

discredit

Back 73

v. to dishonor; disgrace; cause to be doubted

Front 74

discrepancy

Back 74

n. difference between

Front 75

discrete

Back 75

adj. constituting a separate thing; distinct

Front 76

disingenuous

Back 76

adj. not candid; crafty
-not sincere, especially when you pretend to know less about something than you really do
It would be disingenuous of me to claim I had never seen it.

Front 77

disinterested

Back 77

adj. unprejudiced; objective

Front 78

disjointed

Back 78

adj. lacking order or coherence; dislocated

Front 79

dismiss

Back 79

v. put away from consideration; reject

Front 80

disparage

Back 80

v. to belittle
-disparage somebody/something (formal)
to suggest that somebody/something is not important or valuable
-I don't mean to disparage your achievements.

Front 81

disparate

Back 81

adj. dissimilar

Front 82

dissemble

Back 82

v.to pretend; disguise ones motive
-to hide your real feelings or intentions, often by pretending to have different ones
She was a very honest person who was incapable of dissembling.

Front 83

disseminate

Back 83

v. to spread; scatter; disperse

Front 84

dissolution

Back 84

n. disintegration; debauchery
-1the act of officially ending a marriage, a business agreement or a parliament
2 the process in which something gradually disappears
the dissolution of barriers of class and race
3 the act of breaking up an organization, etc.

Front 85

dissonance

Back 85

n. discord; lack of harmony

Front 86

distend

Back 86

v. to expand; swell out

Front 87

distill

Back 87

v. extract the essential elements

Front 88

doctrinaire

Back 88

adj. relating to a person who cannot compromise about points of a theory or doctrine; dogmatic; unyielding

Front 89

dogmatic

Back 89

adj. being certain that your beliefs are right and that others should accept them, without paying attention to evidence or other opinions

Front 90

dupe

Back 90

v. to deceive; trick

Front 91

ebullient

Back 91

adj. exhilarated; enthusiastic

Front 92

eclectic

Back 92

adj. selecting from various sources

Front 93

efficacy

Back 93

n. efficiency; effectiveness

Front 94

effrontery

Back 94

n. shameless boldness; presumptuousness

Front 95

elegy

Back 95

n. a poem or song expressing lamentation

Front 96

elicit

Back 96

v. to provoke; draw out
-to get information or a reaction from somebody, often with difficulty
I could elicit no response from him.
Her tears elicited great sympathy from her audience.

Front 97

embellish

Back 97

v. to adorn; decorate; enhance; make more attractive by adding details

Front 98

empirical

Back 98

adj. derived from observation or experiment

Front 99

emulate

Back 99

v. to imitate; copy

Front 100

endemic

Back 100

adj. inherent; belonging to an area
-regularly found in a particular place or among a particular group of people and difficult to get rid of

Front 101

enervate

Back 101

v. to weaken
-to make somebody feel weak and tired
an enervating disease/climate

Front 102

engender

Back 102

v. to cause; produce
-to make a feeling or situation exist
The issue engendered controversy.
problems engendered by the restructuring of the company

Front 103

ephemeral

Back 103

adj. short-lived; fleeting

Front 104

equanimity

Back 104

n. composure; calmness

Front 105

equivocate

Back 105

v. to intentionally use vague language

Front 106

erudite

Back 106

adj. learned; scholarly

Front 107

esoteric

Back 107

adj. hard to understand; known only to a few

Front 108

eulogy

Back 108

1 eulogy (of/to somebody/something)
a speech or piece of writing praising somebody/something very much
a eulogy to marriage
2 eulogy (for/to somebody) (especially North American English)
a speech given at a funeral praising the person who has died

Front 109

euphemism

Back 109

n. use of agreeable or inoffensive language in place of unpleasant or offensive language
-‘Pass away’ is a euphemism for ‘die’.
‘User fees’ is just a politician's euphemism for taxes.

Front 110

exacerbate

Back 110

v. to aggravate; make worse

Front 111

exculpate

Back 111

v. to clear of blame; vindicate

Front 112

exigency

Back 112

n. crisis; urgent requirements

Front 113

extraneous

Back 113

adj. not essential

Front 114

facetious

Back 114

adj. humorous

Front 115

facilitate

Back 115

v. to make less difficult

Front 116

fallacious

Back 116

adj. based on a false idea or fact; misleading

Front 117

fatuous

Back 117

adj. foolishly self-satisfied

Front 118

fawning

Back 118

adj. seeking favor by flattery

Front 119

felicitous

Back 119

adj. suitably expressed; appropriate; well-chosen

Front 120

flag

Back 120

v. to droop; grow weak

Front 121

fledgling

Back 121

n. beginner; novice

Front 122

flout

Back 122

v. to treat scornfully

Front 123

foment

Back 123

v. to incite; arouse

Front 124

forestall

Back 124

v. to prevent; delay

Front 125

frugality

Back 125

n. thrift

Front 126

*gainsay

Back 126

v. to deny; dispute; oppose

Front 127

garrulous

Back 127

adj. hard to understand; known only to a few

Front 128

goad

Back 128

v. to prod; urge on

Front 129

gouge

Back 129

v. to tear out; scoop out; overcharge

Front 130

grandiloquent

Back 130

adj. pompous; bombastic

Front 131

gregarious

Back 131

adj. sociable

Front 132

guileless

Back 132

adj. free of cunning or deceit; artless

Front 133

gullible

Back 133

adj. easily deceived

Front 134

harangue

Back 134

n. long pompous speech; tirade

Front 135

homogeneous

Back 135

adj. composed of identical parts; uniform in composition

Front 136

hyperbole

Back 136

n. purposeful exaggeration for effect

Front 137

iconoclastic

Back 137

adj. attacking cherished traditions

Front 138

idolatry

Back 138

n. idol worship; blind or excessive devotion

Front 139

immutable

Back 139

adj. unchangeable

Front 140

impair

Back 140

v. to damage; injure

Front 141

impassive

Back 141

adj. showing no emotion

Front 142

impede

Back 142

v. to hinder; block

Front 143

impermeable

Back 143

adj. impossible to penetrate

Front 144

imperturbable

Back 144

adj. not easily disturbed

Front 145

impervious

Back 145

adj. impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected

Front 146

implacable

Back 146

v. to incite; arouse

Front 147

implicit

Back 147

adj. implied; understood but not stated

Front 148

implode

Back 148

v. to collapse inward violenty

Front 149

inadvertently

Back 149

adv. carelessly; unintentionally

Front 150

inchoate

Back 150

adj. imperfectly formed or formulated

Front 151

incongruity

Back 151

n. state of not fitting

Front 152

inconsequential

Back 152

adj. insignificant; unimportant

Front 153

incorporate

Back 153

v. to introduce something into another thing already in existence; combine

Front 154

indeterminate

Back 154

adj, uncertain; indefinite

Front 155

indigence

Back 155

n. poverty

Front 156

indolent

Back 156

adj. habitually lazy; idle

Front 157

inert

Back 157

adj. unable to move; sluggish

Front 158

ingenuous

Back 158

adj. naive and trusting; lacking sophistication

Front 159

inherent

Back 159

adj. firmly established by nature or habit

Front 160

innocuous

Back 160

adj. harmless

Front 161

insensible

Back 161

adj. unconscious; unresponsive

Front 162

insinuate

Back 162

v. to suggest; say indirectly; imply

Front 163

insipid

Back 163

adj. lacking in flavor; dull

Front 164

insularity

Back 164

n. narrow-mindedness; isolation

Front 165

intractable

Back 165

adj. unchangeable

Front 166

intransigence

Back 166

n. stubbornness; refusal to compromise

Front 167

inundate

Back 167

v. to cover with water; to overwhelm

Front 168

inured

Back 168

v. hardened; accustomed; used to

Front 169

invective

Back 169

n. verbal abuse

Front 170

irascible

Back 170

adj. easily angered

Front 171

irresolute

Back 171

adj. unsure of how to act; weak

Front 172

laconic

Back 172

adj. using few words

Front 173

lassitude

Back 173

n. lethargy; sluggishness

Front 174

laud

Back 174

v. to praise

Front 175

lethargic

Back 175

adj. inactive

Front 176

levee

Back 176

n. an embankment that prevents a river from overflowing

Front 177

levity

Back 177

n. light manner or attitude

Front 178

log

Back 178

n. record of a voyage or daily activities

Front 179

loquacious

Back 179

adj. talkative

Front 180

lucid

Back 180

adj. bright; clear; intelligible

Front 181

magnanimity

Back 181

n. generosity; nobility

Front 182

malinger

Back 182

v. to feign illness to escape duty

Front 183

malleable

Back 183

adj. capable of being shaped by pounding; impressionable

Front 184

maverick

Back 184

n. poverty

Front 185

mendacious

Back 185

adj. dishonest

Front 186

metamorphosis

Back 186

n. change; transformation

Front 187

meticulous

Back 187

adj. very careful; fastidious

Front 188

misanthrope

Back 188

n. one who hates humanity

Front 189

mitigate

Back 189

v. to cause to become less harsh, severe, or painful; alleviate

Front 190

mollify

Back 190

v. soothe

Front 191

mundane

Back 191

adj. worldly as opposed to spiritual; concerned with the ordinary

Front 192

morose

Back 192

adj. ill-humored; sullen

Front 193

negate

Back 193

v. to cancel out; nullify

Front 194

neophyte

Back 194

n. novice; beginner

Front 195

obdurate

Back 195

adj. stubborn

Front 196

obsequious

Back 196

adj. overly submissive

Front 197

obviate

Back 197

v. to make unnecessary; to anticipate and prevent

Front 198

occlude

Back 198

v. to shut; block

Front 199

officious

Back 199

adj. too helpful; meddlesome

Front 200

onerous

Back 200

adj. burdensome

Front 201

opprobrium

Back 201

n. disgrace; contempt

Front 202

oscillate

Back 202

v. to move back and forth

Front 203

ostentatious

Back 203

adj. unsure of how to act; weak

Front 204

paragon

Back 204

n. model of excellence or perfection

Front 205

partisan

Back 205

adj. one-sided;committed to a party, group, or cause; prejudiced

Front 206

pathological

Back 206

adj. departing from normal condition

Front 207

paucity

Back 207

n. scarcity

Front 208

pedantic

Back 208

adj. showing off learning

Front 209

penchant

Back 209

n. inclination

Front 210

penury

Back 210

n. extreme poverty

Front 211

perennial

Back 211

adj. present throughout the years; persistent

Front 212

perfidious

Back 212

adj. faithless; disloyal; untrustworthy

Front 213

perfunctory

Back 213

adj. superficial; not thorough; performed really as a duty

Front 214

permeable

Back 214

adj. penetrable

Front 215

pervasive

Back 215

adj. spread throughout every part

Front 216

phlegmatic

Back 216

calm in temperament; sluggish

Front 217

piety

Back 217

n. devoutness

Front 218

placate

Back 218

v. to lessen another's anger; to pacify

Front 219

plasticity

Back 219

n. condition of being able to be shaped or formed; pliability

Front 220

platitude

Back 220

n. stale, overused expression

Front 221

plethora

Back 221

n. excess; overabundance

Front 222

plummet

Back 222

to full, plunge

Front 223

pragmatic

Back 223

adj. practical

Front 224

precarious

Back 224

adj. uncertain

Front 225

precipitate

Back 225

v. to cause to happen; to throw down from a height
adj. rash; hasty; sudden

Front 226

precursor

Back 226

n. forerunner; predecessor

Front 227

presumptuous

Back 227

adj. rude; improperly bold

Front 228

prevaricate

Back 228

v. to quibble, evade the truth

Front 229

pristine

Back 229

adj. untouched; uncorrupted

Front 230

probity

Back 230

n. honesty; high-mindedness

Front 231

problematic

Back 231

adj. posing a problem; doubtful; unsettled

Front 232

prodigal

Back 232

adj. wasteful; extravagant; lavish

Front 233

proliferate

Back 233

v. to increase rapidly

Front 234

propensity

Back 234

n. inclination; tendency

Front 235

propitiate

Back 235

v. to win over; appease

Front 236

propriety

Back 236

n. correct conduct; fitness

Front 237

proscribe

Back 237

v. to condemn; forbid; outlaw

Front 238

pungent

Back 238

adj. strong or sharp in smell and taste; penetrating; caustic

Front 239

qualified

Back 239

adj. limited; restricted

Front 240

quibble

Back 240

v. to argue over insignificant and irrelevant details

Front 241

quiescent

Back 241

adj. showy; trying to attract attention; pretentious

Front 242

rarefied

Back 242

adj. refined

Front 243

recalcitrant

Back 243

adj. resisting authority or control

Front 244

recant

Back 244

v. to retract a statement or opinion

Front 245

recondite

Back 245

adj. abstruse; profound

Front 246

refractory

Back 246

adj. stubborn; unmanageable;resisting ordinary methods of treatment

Front 247

refute

Back 247

v. to contradict; to disprove

Front 248

relegate

Back 248

v. to confine to an inferior position

Front 249

reproach

Back 249

v. to find fault with; to blame

Front 250

reprobate

Back 250

n. morally unprincipled person

Front 251

repudiate

Back 251

v. reject as having no authority

Front 252

rescind

Back 252

v. to cancel

Front 253

resolution

Back 253

n. determination; resolve

Front 254

reticent

Back 254

adj. not speaking freely; reserved; reluctant

Front 255

reverent

Back 255

adj. expressing deep respect; worshipful

Front 256

sage

Back 256

adj. wise

Front 257

salubrious

Back 257

adj. healthful

Front 258

sanction

Back 258

v. to approve; ratify; permit

Front 259

satiate

Back 259

v. to satisfy

Front 260

saturate

Back 260

n. condition of being able to be shaped or formed; pliability

Front 261

secrete

Back 261

v. to produce and release substance into organism

Front 262

shard

Back 262

n. a piece of broken glass or pottery

Front 263

skeptic

Back 263

n. one who doubts

Front 264

solicitous

Back 264

adj. attentive; eager; concerned

Front 265

soporific

Back 265

adj. sleep producing

Front 266

specious

Back 266

adj. seeming to be logical and sound, but not really so

Front 267

spectrum

Back 267

n. band of colors produced when sunlight passes through a prism; a broad range of related ideas or objects

Front 268

sporadic

Back 268

adj. irregular

Front 269

stigma

Back 269

n. mark of disgrace or inferiority

Front 270

stint

Back 270

v. to be sparing
n. period of time spent doing something

Front 271

stipulate

Back 271

v. to specify as an essential condition

Front 272

stolid

Back 272

adj. having or showing little emotion

Front 273

striated

Back 273

adj. marked with thin narrow grooves or channels

Front 274

strut

Back 274

v. to swagger; display to impress others

Front 275

subpoena

Back 275

n. notice ordering someone to appear in court

Front 276

substantiate

Back 276

v. to support with proof or evidence

Front 277

supersede

Back 277

v. to replace, especially to displace as inferior or antiquated

Front 278

supposition

Back 278

n. the act of assuming to be true or real

Front 279

tacit

Back 279

v. to win over; appease

Front 280

tangential

Back 280

adj. peripheral; digressing

Front 281

tenuous

Back 281

adj. weak; insubstantial

Front 282

tirade

Back 282

n. long, violent speech, verbal assualt

Front 283

torpor

Back 283

n. lethargy; dormancy; sluggishness

Front 284

tortuous

Back 284

adj. having many twists and turns; highly complex

Front 285

tractable

Back 285

adj. obedient; yielding

Front 286

transgression

Back 286

n. act of of trespassing or violating a law or rule

Front 287

truculence

Back 287

n. aggressiveness; ferocity

Front 288

vacillate

Back 288

v. to waver; oscillate

Front 289

venerate

Back 289

v. to adore; honor; respect

Front 290

veracious

Back 290

adj. truthful; accurate

Front 291

verbose

Back 291

adj. wordy

Front 292

viable

Back 292

adj. practicable; capable of developing

Front 293

viscous

Back 293

adj. thick, syrupy, and sticky

Front 294

vituperative

Back 294

adj. using or containing harsh, abusive censure
v. vituberate

Front 295

volatile

Back 295

adj. tending to vary frequently; fickle

Front 296

warranted

Back 296

adj. justified

Front 297

wary

Back 297

adj. careful; cautious

Front 298

welter

Back 298

v. reject as having no authority

Front 299

whimsical

Back 299

adj. fanciful; unpredictable

Front 300

zealot

Back 300

n. one who is fanatically devoted to a cause