GRE Word List 03

Group 1

Alacrity	eagerness; enthusiasm; quickness
Burgeon	grow; flourish; put forth new shoots
Deleterious	harmful
Euphemism	a polite phrase to cover something unpleasant
Hypocritical	insincere
Lethargic	tired; without energy
Ogle	stare at; observe in an obvious manner
Postulate	hypothesize; propose
Robust	strong; healthy; tough
Tractable	obedient; dutiful; polite

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Group 2

Alchemy	medieval chemistry; attempt to change base metal into gold
Burnish	polish
Deliberate	to think over deeply
Euphony	pleasant sounds
Iconoclast	person who opposes orthodoxy
Levity	flippancy; joking about serious matters
Olfactory	concerned with the sense of smell
Potable	suitable for drinking
Rotund	round
Tranquil	peaceful

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Group 3

Alibi	an excuse that shows someone was not at a crime scene
Buttress	strengthen; support
Delineation	demarcation; explanation; definition; outlining
Evacuate	vacate; empty; abandon
Idiosyncrasy	a personal peculiarity; something unique to an individual
Libertarian	someone who opposes tyranny
Ominous	threatening
Potent	powerful; compelling; strong
Ruminate	think over something; ponder
Transcribe	copy

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Group 4

Allay	to lessen
Byline	the line that tells you who wrote an article
Demur	hesitate; refuse
Exacerbate	make worse
Ignominious	shameful
Liniment	soothing lotion
Omnipotent	all-powerful
Pragmatic	practical
Ruse	trick; stratagem
Transgress	go astray; disobey; commit a sin

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Group 5

Alleviate	make less severe
Cacophony	discordant loud noises
Denounce	condemn; speak out against
Exasperated	frustrated; annoyed
Ignominy	shame [ignominious (a) = shameful]
Lithe	flexible; supple
Omniscient	all-knowing
Pragmatist	practical person; one who is concerned with usefulness
Saccharin	falsely sweet
Transient	short-lived; ephemeral

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Group 6

Aloof	distant; detached; cold
Cajole	coax
Deplete	use up; lessen
Exceptionable	very bad (something which we should object to)
Illuminate	to light up or make clear
Livid	very angry
Onerous	burdensome; hard to undertake
Preamble	introductory material
Sacrosanct	very holy; inviolable
Traverse	to move across

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Group 7

Altruism	putting others first; being self-sacrificing
Caldron	huge cooking pot
Deplore	regret
Exculpate	free someone from blame; pardon; acquit
Illusory	deceptive; false; misleading
Lobbyist	person who tries to persuade someone to support a particular cause
Onus	burden
Precarious	unstable; risky
Sagacious	wise
Trepidation	fear

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Group 8

Amass	accumulate
Callow	immature
Depravity	moral corruption
Execrable	very, very bad
Immoderate	excessive; extreme
Lofty	snooty; arrogant; haughty
Opaque	does not let light through
Precedent	a previous occurrence used as a guide
Sage	a wise person
Trinket	something of little value; knick-knack

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Group 9

Ambiguity	uncertainty; vagueness
Candid	frank; honest
Deprecate	criticize; denounce
Exegesis	scholarly explanation or interpretation
Immutable	unchanging; permanent
Longevity	long life
Opulent	wealthy; rich; magnificent
Precept	guiding principle
Salacious	lecherous; erotic
Trite	unoriginal; dull

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Group 10

Ambiguous	unclear in meaning; can be interpreted in different ways
Candor	frankness; openness
Deride	ridicule; make fun of; mock
Exemplary	outstandingly good; setting a fine example
Impartial	unbiased; neutral
Loquacious	talkative
Ordain	1. destine; 2. confer holy orders on a priest
Precinct	district of a city
Sallow	yellowish
Trivial	unimportant

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