GRE Word List 11

Group 1

Abate	reduce in intensity
Abjure	renounce; swear to refrain from something
Blandishment	words used to coax or flatter [blandish (v)]
Boor	ill-mannered person [boorish (a)]
Cardinal	1. high ranking church official; 2. major, important
Deliberate	1. slow (a); 2. to think over (v); 3. on purpose (a)
Equivocation	speaking ambiguously [equivocate (v), equivocal (a)]
Feckless	feeble; helpless; lacking in initiative
Imperturbability	quality of being calm and not easily disturbed [imperturbable (a)]
Meretricious	falsely attractive; tawdry

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Group 2

Augury	prediction, looking for omens [augur (v)]
Boycott	refuse to have dealings with
Glib	slick; superficial esp. in speech
Incise	cut into [incision (n); incisive (a)]
Moralistic	concerned with morals [moralize (v)]
Ostracism	shunning; social isolation [ostracize (v)]
Penchant	inclination; leaning; tendency; predilection
Rarefy	make less dense [rarefaction (n)]
Repine	fret; be discontented
Stipulate	specify [stipulation (n)]

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Group 3

Diaphanous	transparent; thin and delicate
Feint	pretended attack; a move intended to deceive
Inured	hardened; habituated
Mettlesome	spirited [mettle (n)]
Puissance	power
Recondite	obscure
Stygian	very dark
Touting	advertising; supporting [tout (v)]
Virtuosity	skill, expertise [virtuoso (n); virtuosi (n.pl)]
Volubility	excessive talkativeness [voluble (a)]

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Group 4

Caret	punctuation mark signifying omission
Contiguous	adjacent; touching; abutting [contiguity (n)]
Damp	(used of vibration) reduce in extent
Ellipsis	omission of essential words
Extirpation	wiping out; complete destruction [extirpate (v)]
Foppish	behaving or dressing like a dandy; excessively concerned with fashion
Gaffe	blunder; social mistake
Hortatory	encouraging; exhorting
Opprobrious	expressing great scorn [opprobrium (n)]
Recumbent	reclining; lying down

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Group 5

Ambidextrous	able to use both left and right hands equally well
Culpability	guilt [culpable = blameworthy]
Discernment	judgment; perceptiveness
Encomium	praise
Inveigle	coax; cajole; wheedle; entice
Minatory	threatening
Ossified	turned to bone; become rigid [ossification (n)]
Plumb	measure depth of (v); exact (a. slang)
Quintessential	most typical; the perfect example of [quintessence (n)]
Runic	mysterious; magical

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Group 6

Accretion	accumulation of matter; growth produced by adding from the outside
Anachronistic	occurring in the wrong time period [anachronism (n)]
Chronic	long lasting (often used for diseases in which case the opposite is acute)
Churlishness	rudeness; ill-mannered behavior
Demagogue	mob leader (who appeals to base instincts) [demagogy/demagoguery (n)]
Effrontery	daring; audacity (has a negative connotation)
Idyll	story or incident in peaceful or ideal setting [idyllic (a)]
Interregnum	interval between reigns or governments
Nugatory	of minor significance; futile
Sinecure	job which pays salary but requiring little effort

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Group 7

Anodized	electroplated; coated with thin layer of metal
Aphoristic	expressed tersely [aphorism (n) = short statement; maxim]
Canonical	orthodox [canon (n) = set of accepted works]
Commensurate	equal in significance
Dexterity	skill, esp. with hands [dexterous (a)]
Extant	still in existence (opposite of extinct)
Impugned	challenged; called into question
Probity	uprightness; honesty
Raconteur	person who relates a story
Solicitous	kindly; expressing care and concern

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Group 8

Amalgamate	join; consolidate [amalgamation (n)]
Baleful	evil
Coerce	force [coercion (n); coercing (a)]
Inchoate	undeveloped; nascent
Iniquitous	evil; unjust [iniquity (n)]
Libertine	dissolute person; prodigal
Millinery	hats and hat-making
Natty	neat; dapper; smart
Occluded	obscured; blocked
Sidereal	of or related to stars

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Group 9

Avaricious	greedy for money
Extirpate	wipe out totally
Halcyon	peaceful and happy; calm (esp. of summer weather)
List (v)	1. to lean to one side; 2. to write in order
Maudlin	sad; sentimental; inclined to weep
Refulgent	glowing; radiant
Subliminal	below the threshold of consciousness
Testiness	irritability; irascibility [testy (a)]
Vituperate	attack bitterly
Whittle	1. carve with knife; 2. reduce step by step

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Group 10

Colander	bowl with holes used to drain vegetables etc.
Cumbersome	bulky; difficult to carry [encumber = to burden]
Diaphanous	transparent; thin and delicate
Dispatch	1. send (v); 2. speed; celerity (n)
Epistemology	theory of knowledge
Froward	stubborn; wayward; disobedient
Supine	lying flat on one�s back
Throwback	exhibiting primitive, or ancestral, traits
Untoward	unexpected
Verisimilar	true to life; giving the appearance of reality

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