A Guide to the GRE/Vocabulary List 2

GRE Vocabulary List 2

Edify (v.) to build

The affordability and reliability of its products would slowly edify the company's reputation over the next decade.

Malevolent (adj.) desiring to do evil or malicious things

Local folklore told of a malevolent spirit that came out on moonless nights to wreak havoc.

Chaste (adj.)(1) not sexually promiscuous; (2) modest, simple or restrained

Michelle was by far the most chaste in her lifestyle among the housemates.

Malinger (v.) to fake or exaggerate illness to avoid some type of work

Most of her colleagues expected at least some malingering on the part of Susan when she called in sick.

Inquisitive (adj.) tending to ask questions or seek information; curious

Felicity was rather inquisitive about the past weekend's events.

Centrifuge (n.) a circular device which forces its contents toward the outside when spun, typically used to separate substances or simulate gravity

The "gravitron" ride at the fair was nothing more than a large centrifuge.

Dilatory (adj.) something conducive to being late; something which causes delay

Car trouble was always a dilatory issue for Frank in getting to work; after all, he drove an old Jaguar. Buttress (n.)(1) a protruding section of a wall designed to give it more support; (2) that which supports a given position or argument; (v.) to give support to something

Remi would buttress his argument by pointing to the fact that one of humans' blood factors was also present in great apes.

Supercilious (adj.) believing or conveying the impression that one is superior

Natasha was always supercilious in her demeanor around the office.

Antithetical (adj.) directly opposing or contravening

Continuing the war was antithetical to the will of the Russian people, and led to the toppling of the provisional government by the Bolsheviks.

Fidelity (n.) the state of always being true to something; faithfulness

John acted with remarkable fidelity while a prisoner of war.

Rationale (n.) set of reasons or bases for a particular belief

Scott's rationale for purchasing the car was that it would be better on the snow when he moved up to Canada.

Dynamo (n.) (1) an electrical generator; (2) a person with a great deal of energy

Bert was a dynamo after a few drinks.

Florid (adj.) of, relating to, or resembling a flower

Kelly awoke to florid arrangements in that white room after the accident.

Enumerate (v.) to assign numbers to something

The enumerated parts of the letter were not the only content which Richard found striking.

Adroit (adj.) clever or skillful in use of one's hands or mind

Wilson was adroit when it came to fixing air conditioners.

Sacrosanct (adj.) valued too highly to be subject to change or interference

Church in the Bankman household was far to sacrosanct to give way for anything else.

Impudent (adj.) rude; failing to give appropriate respect

Bryce was an impudent child, always talking back to teachers.

Insouciant (adj.) lacking care or concern

Marie was far too insouciant to care for her late grandmother's pet dog.

Probate (v.) to establish the validity of a will; (n.) the action of establishing a will

The children hoped that there would not be any disputes related to the upcoming probate of Herman's will.

Involute (adj.)(1) complex, convoluted or involved; (2) physically curling inward

There was a rather involute dilemma, however, as to whether to use the newly acquired land to expand the store or build a sister store.

Eulogy (n.) a positive formal speech or writing regarding a deceased person

Meredith read a beautiful eulogy at the funeral, referencing her times with Elise watching ducks on the pond in the park.

Rue (v.) to deeply regret or wish to have never happened

Anne would later rue her decision not to buy a snowblower.

Mendacity (n.) lack of truthfulness or candor; dishonesty

Only after a background check did Joseph's mendacity become completely apparent.

Obstreperous (adj.) noisy and difficult to manage

The children were far to obstreperous for Erica to deal with effectively.

Pragmatic (adj.) approaching situations and problems on a realistic and sensible basis

While usually she was very pragmatic, Vivie's decision to buy the new television was somewhat impulsive and whimsical.

Complaisance (adj.) tending to want to please or abide by the wishes of others

Trisha's complaisance made her bite her tongue instead of yelling at Ernie for not picking up his cigarette butts.

Forswear (v.) to swear falsely; to deny or renounce under oath

Megan went on to forswear that she did not know anything about where the funds had been transferred to.

Inveterate (adj.) having a longstanding habit or routine which is insusceptible to change or modification

Cecilia was rather inveterate when it came to her weekly routine.

Extirpate (v.) to wholly destroy or remove, often by pulling or cutting out

After the merger, the new management went on to extirpate any reference to old brand names.

Occlude (v.)(1) to close up or obstruct, often in the context of an opening or pathway; (2) to shut away or hide

Christopher occluded himself in the months prior to the bar exam.

Prodigy (n.) a person, often young, of outstanding talent or ability

Monica proved to be a prodigy at playing the fiddle, and went on to win many talent competitions in her native Nebraska.

Misogynist (n.) one who has a strong dislike for women

Cheryl argued that Freud was too much of a misogynist and should be removed from psychology curricula.

Tractable (adj.) easily dealt with, controlled or influenced

Wes was the most tractable after he'd had his morning coffee.

Maculate (v.) to mark with a spot or a stain; (adj.) marked with spots or stained

The maculate dress was just another reminder of the tragic accident.

Forbearance (adj.) restraint, tolerance, self-control

Becky's forbearance prevailed in her decision to save money by not taking the trip to Hawaii.

Eloquent (adj.) clear, simple and understandable

Christina's book featured an eloquent description of the Doge's palace in Venice.

Hierarchy (n.) a system or organization in which individuals belong to ranks above or below each other

Matt was still very low amongst the hierarchy in the bureau.

Penchant (n.) a strong or regular inclination toward liking something or doing something

Gwendolyn was happy that her husband had caught a redfish, as she had a penchant for eating them.

Luculent (adj.) clear and understandable

The preacher's sermon was luculent and beautiful.

Cavil (v.) to raise a groundless or trivial objection to something

Though the opposition continued to cavil with complaints about making the rich richer, the tax cut act overwhelmingly passed.

Doctrinaire (adj.) intending to impose an idea or doctrine

Both men were very doctrinaire about their globalization ideas.

Debacle (n.) a great disaster or upheaval; a catastrophic failure

He hadn't spoken with Chloe since the debacle at her birthday.

Esoteric (adj.) directed at or understood primarily by a small group with special knowledge

The cryptologists' esoteric ramblings went over most peoples' heads.

Tranquil (adj.) calm, relaxing

Rachael loved tranquil, natural piano music.

Aphorism (n.) a short, simple statement which relays a simple concept or lesson; an adage

Aunt Jeanne had so many aphorisms that it was almost annoying to hear her say one.

Aggravate (v.) to annoy or bother

Viennese imperialism would continue to aggravate the Italians well into the 20th century.

Reversion (n.) a return to a previously existing condition

Reversion of the property to the cooperative was part of the agreement.

Spurious (adj.) not as purported; false despite seeming to be true

Uma's spurious claims about the stegosaurus were met with great skepticism.

Retard (v.) to slow or delay the progress or advancement of; (n.) a person of compromised mental ability

The Marne offensive would retard and ultimately hault the German advance on Paris in 1914.

Efficacy (adj.) ability to create a certain result; effectiveness

The efficacy of the sleeping pills was so great that Caitlin did not even remember anything past lying down.

Arduous (adj.) requiring a lot of effort, difficult

Crossing the hills in a Conestoga wagon proved to be an arduous task.

Logistical (n.) of or relating to the organization or transportation of persons or things

The offensive in Galicia proved to be a logistical nightmare for the Russian army.

Apprise (v.) to inform or give notice

The treasurer went on to apprise the others of the situation.

Disabuse (v.) to set right or clarify something; to eliminate a misconception or error

Tony went on to disabuse rumors that he would be retiring.

Churlish (adj.) lacking manners, civility or composure; rude

The boys from Holy Cross Academy were surprisingly churlish given their education.

Qualms (n.) (1) fears or concerns; (2) feelings of sickness or faintness

The weather report did little to ease Edna's qualms about damage to her property in the impending hurricane.

Loquacious (adj.) talkative

Knowing how loquacious his children were, Christopher restricted their use of the telephone so as not to run up his bill.

Commensurate (adj.) set to an appropriately relative level; proportionate

The salary for the position was commensurate with experience.

Unscathed (adj.) without suffering injury or detriment

Since it was captured early on in the war, New Orleans escaped relatively unscathed.

Convention (n.) (1) that which is normal or standard in a given circumstance; (2) a meeting, often of widespread members of an organization

Beethoven's string quartets both exemplified and moved away from convention.

Excoriate (v.) (1) to wear off the outer surface of something; (2) to criticize something heavily

Years of use had excoriated the gardening tools.

Quiescence (adj.) the state of being still, at rest, or at peace

Hubert loved the quiescence when he was home on his ranch.

Laud (v.) to praise or commend, often publicly

Teddy was lauded for his Eagle Scout project at the annual dinner.

Exorbitant (adj.) exceeding any appropriate limit or boundary

After her appointment, Ursula found the corporate jet far too exorbitant and immediately sold it.

Innervate (v.) to stimulate to some action

Marcel's crash would innervate the banning of road racing in Europe.

Overweening (adj.) exhibiting excessive self-confidence

Barry had a very overweening attitude everytime he went to the gym.

Propitious (adj.) favorably inclined

Sister Margaret was very propitious when it came to helping others.

Preempt (v.) to engage in a course of action to prevent a particular event from happening

The goal of refusing to hire smokers was to preempt lost working hours due to smoke breaks.

Militate (v.) to be an important or sufficient means of preventing something

The flood control measures failed to militate valley flooding as expected.

Mollify (v.) (1) to appease or reduce a person’s anger; (2) to reduce or mitigate an impending threat

While Susanna was quite angry, he hoped he could mollify her by talking about it.

Supine (adj.) lying face up

Both of them lay supine, watching the stars.

Piquant (adj.) pleasantly stimulating

The piquant smell of Marty's cooking excited his children.

Effluvia (n.) some emanation or outflow which is often unpleasant or disliked

The effluvia from the plant raised some degree of concern for local conservation groups.

Marginal (adj.) of or relating to the edge of some thing or concept

The success was, at most, marginal, and the team could have done better.

Propitiate (v.) to win favor by doing something; to appease

The success of the research project proved to propitiate sources of funding, and paved the way for newer projects.

Ignominious (adj.) deserving of or causing public disapproval or disgrace

Larry's ignominious behavior caused him so much shame that he ultimately moved out of Lawndale.

Lackluster (adj.) unimpressive or boring

Wootley was threatened with termination after his lackluster performance in September.

Nefarious (adj.) notoriously sinister or treacherous, often with regard to a criminal

Though not as nefarious as some, he was just as dangerous and maniacal.

Recidivism (n.) habitual relapse into crime

Willy's recidivism after release was an embarrassment to his family and friends.

Pellucid (adj.) clear and easy to understand

It was a most pellucid account of the Third Battle of Ypres as told by an English soldier.

Epitome (n.) a perfect example or symbol of something

Wal-Mart was perhaps the epitome of large generic American chain stores.

Placate (v.) to cause to be less angry or hostile

The telegraph to the Kaiser was intended to placate war tensions.

Sidereal (adj.) of or relating to the stars

The sidereal wallpaper in the dining room glowed when the lights were low.

Martial (adj.) of or relating to war or the appropriations therefore

The French martialed as many resources as possible to move troops to the front, including commandeering Parisian taxis.

Pristine (adj.) pure, in perfect condition

Thinking Michigan to be an industrial wasteland, Kent was surprised by its pristine wilderness.

Corroborate (v.) to verify or support with additional independent evidence

Her project was to identify which evidence corroborated the stories in the Book of Acts.

Tyro (n.) beginner or novice

Collin was a tyro when it came to poker.

Minatory (adj.) that which expresses a threat

The letter to the Duke was somewhat minatory when it mentioned what would be done in the event of noncompliance.

Extraneous (adj.) unnecessary, irrelevant or superfluous

Maurice's coat proved to be completely extraneous, as the weather was sunny during the entire trip.