GRE High Frequency Words

abate
abscond
abstemious
adjoin
adulterate
anachronism
antipathy
apathy
apostasy
approbation
assiduous
austere
autonomous
aver
bombastic
capricious
castigate
chicanery
cogent
complaisant
convoluted
credulous
deference
desiccate
desultory
dichotomy
diffident
diffuse
dilatory
disabuse
dissemble
disseminate
dogmatic
dupe
eclectic
efficacy
elegy
enervate
engender
ephemeral
equivocate
erudite
esoteric
eulogy
exacerbate

To reduce in amount, degree or severity

Depart secretly and hide
Sparing in eating and drinking; temperate
To be close or in contact with
To make impure by adding inferior or tainted substances
Something or someone misplaced in time; an obsolete or archaic form
aversion; dislike
Lack of interest or emotion; uncaring; indifference
Renunciation of ones previous loyalty; a total desertion of ones religion, principles, cause, etc.
approval; praise, consideration
diligent, persistent, hardworking
Forbiddingly stern in appearance; severely simple and unornamented
self-governing; independent
Assert confidently or declare; as used in law, state formally as a fact
Pompous in speech and manner ; using inflated language
unpredictable; fickle; changing ones mind quickly and often
To punish or criticize harshly
trickery; deception by means of craft or guile
Convincing and well reasoned
Trying to please; overly polite; obliging
Intricate and complicated
Too trusting; gullible
respect; courteous regard for anothers wishes
To dry out thoroughly
aimless; haphazard; digressing at random
split; branching into two parts (especially contradictory ones)
Lacking or marked by a lack of self-confidence; shy and timid.
To spread widely or thinly
Inclined to delay or procrastinate
Correct a false impression; to set right; to free from error
disguise; pretend; to disguise ones real intentions or character
distribute; spread widely; scatter (like seeds)
opinionated; arbitrary; doctrinal
To deceive; a person who is easily deceived
selective; composed of elements from a variety of sources
Effectiveness; power to produce desired effect
A sorrowful poem or speech
weaken; to reduce in strength
To produce, cause or bring about
short-lived; fleeting
lie; mislead; attempt to conceal the truth
learned, scholarly, bookish
Hard to understand; known only to the chosen few
Expression of praise, often on the occasion of someones death
worsen; to increase bitterness or violence
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exculpate
To clear from blame; prove innocent
fawning
Trying to please by behaving obsequiously, flattering, or cringing
foment
To arouse or incite
forestall
Prevent by taking action in advance
grandiloquent Pompous or inflated in language; bombastic; using high-sounding language
iconoclast
One who opposes established beliefs, customs and institutions
impassive
Without feeling; imperturbable; showing or feeling no emotion
impervious impenetrable; incapable of being damaged or distressed
impetuous
Quick to act without thinking
inchoate
Not fully formed; disorganized; rudimentary; elementary
indolence
State of being lazy or slothful
ingenuous
Nave and trusting; young; unsophisticated
insipid
Lacking in interest or flavor; dull
intransigent Refusing to agree or compromise
invective
relating to, or characterized by insult or abuse
irascible
irritable; easily angered
misanthrope One who hates mankind
mitigate
To soften, to lessen
mollify
To calm or make less severe; soothe
neophyte
Recent convert; beginner
obsequious Overly submissive and eager to please; servile; sycophantic
onerous
Troublesome and oppressive; burdensome
opprobrium Public disgrace; infamy; vilification
paragon
Model of excellence or perfection
paucity
Smallness of quantity; scarcity; scantiness
perfidious
treacherous; disloyal; willing to betray ones trust
perfunctory superficial; not thorough; lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm; done in a routine way;
plethora
excess; overabundance
prevaricate To lie or deviate from the truth
probity
honesty; uprightness; incorruptibility
prodigal
lavish; wasteful; reckless with money
proliferate
Grow rapidly; spread; multiply
propitiate
To conciliate; to appease
propriety
Correct behavior or conduct, obedience to rules and customs
proscribe
To condemn as harmful or odious; ostracize; banish; outlaw
quiescent
at rest; dormant; temporarily inactive; motionless
refractory
stubborn; unmanageable; rebellious
reprobate
Person hardened in sin; wicked person; devoid of a sense of decency
repudiate
disown; disavow; to reject the validity of
reticent
silent; reserved; uncommunicative; inclined to silence
soporific
sleep-causing; lethargy; marked by sleepiness
specious
Having the ring of truth or plausibility but actually fallacious)
stigma
A mark of shame or discredit
stolid
dull; impassive; unemotional; lacking sensitivity
torpor
lethargy; sluggishness; dormancy
tractable
docile; easily managed or controlled
veracious
truthful
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