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Must-Know GRE Words: A

Word List with 58 words
By Dictionary.com

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Words in This List

abate

to reduce in amount, degree, intensity, etc.; lessen; diminish.

aberrant

departing from the right, normal, or usual course.

abeyance

temporary inactivity, cessation, or suspension.

abnegate

to refuse or deny oneself (some rights, conveniences, etc.); reject; renounce.

abscond

to depart in a sudden and secret manner, especially to avoid capture and legal prosecution.

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abstain

to hold oneself back voluntarily, especially from something regarded as improper or unhealthy.

accolade

any award, honor, or laudatory notice.

accretion

an increase by natural growth or by gradual external addition; growth in size or extent.

acerbic

harsh or severe, as of temper or expression.

acumen

keen insight; shrewdness

admonish

to caution, advise, or counsel against something.

adroit

expert or nimble in the use of the hands or body.

adumbrate

to produce a faint image or resemblance of; to outline or sketch.

adulterate

to debase or make impure by adding inferior materials or elements.

advocate

to speak or write in favor of; support or urge by argument; recommend publicly.

aesthetic

pertaining to a sense of the beautiful.

aggrandize

to widen in scope; increase in size or intensity; enlarge; extend.

alacrity

cheerful readiness, promptness, or willingness.

alloy

to mix (metals or metal with nonmetal).

amalgamate

to mix or merge so as to make a combination; blend; unite; combine.

ambiguous

open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations; equivocal.

ambivalence

uncertainty or fluctuation, especially when caused by inability to make a choice or by a simultaneous desire to say or do two opposite or conflicting things.

ameliorate

to make or become better, more bearable, or more satisfactory; improve.

amenable

ready or willing to answer, act, agree, or yield; open to influence, persuasion, or advice.

anachronism

something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time, especially a thing or person that belongs to an earlier time.

anathema

a person or thing detested or loathed.

anodyne

anything that relieves distress or pain.

anomaly

a deviation from the common rule, type, arrangement, or form.

antagonism

an active hostility or opposition, as between unfriendly or conflicting groups.

antipathy

a natural, basic, or habitual repugnance; aversion.

apostate

a person who forsakes his religion, cause, party, etc.

apotheosis

the elevation or exaltation of a person to the rank of a god.

appease

to bring to a state of peace, quiet, ease, calm, or contentment; pacify; soothe.

apposite

suitable; well-adapted; pertinent; relevant; apt.

apprise

to give notice to; inform; advise.

approbate

to approve officially.

appropriate

suitable or fitting for a particular purpose, person, occasion, etc.

arabesque

any ornament or ornamental object, as a rug or mosaic, in which flowers, foliage, fruits, vases, animals, and figures are represented in a fancifully combined pattern.

arcane

known or understood by very few; mysterious; secret; obscure; esoteric.

archaic

marked by the characteristics of an earlier period; antiquated.

arduous

requiring great exertion; laborious; difficult.

arrant

downright; thorough; unmitigated; notorious.

arrest

to catch and hold; attract and fix; engage.

articulate

using language easily and fluently; having facility with words.

artless

free from deceit, cunning, or craftiness; ingenuous.

ascetic

a person who dedicates his or her life to a pursuit of contemplative ideals and practices extreme self-denial or self-mortification for religious reasons.

asperity

harshness or sharpness of tone, temper, or manner; severity; acrimony.

assiduous

constant; unremitting.

assuage

to make milder or less severe; relieve; ease; mitigate.

astringent

contracting; constrictive; styptic.

attenuate

to weaken or reduce in force, intensity, effect, quantity, or value.

avarice

insatiable greed for riches; inordinate, miserly desire to gain and hoard wealth.