GRE Vocabulary Definitions

GRE Word List Definitions

• abase: To degrade or humble; lower in rank, status, or esteem
• abate: To reduce, diminish
• abdicate: To formally give up the throne or other power
• aberrant: Abnormal, deviant
• abeyance: Temporary suspension, inactivity
• abhor: To detest, regard with disgust
• abjure: To give up, renounce, repudiate, or shun
• abrasive: Rough, suitable for grinding, causing irritation
• abreast: Side-by-side; keeping up with
• abridge: To reduce or lessen; shorten by omitting parts
• abscission: Cutting off; separation of parts from a plant or animal
• abscond: To depart suddenly and secretively
• abstain: To hold back; decline to vote
• abyss: A deep and vast space; anything profound or infinite
• accede: To agree, give consent; assume power
• accretion: Gradual increase; an added part or addition
• acerbic: Sour; harsh or severe
• acidulous: Slightly acid; sharp or caustic
• acme: Summit, peak
• activism: The practice of pursuing goals through vigorous action
• acumen: Keen, quick, accurate insight
• adhere: Stick to; be loyal to
• admonish: Mildly scold; caution, advise
• adulterate: Make impure by adding inferior ingredients
• adumbrate: Give a rough outline of, foreshadow
• adverse: Opposing, harmful
• advocate: Speak or argue in favor of; a person who pleads for a cause
• aerie: Fortress built on a high place; nest of a bird of prey
• aesthetic: Concerning appreciation of beauty; a sense of beauty and taste
• affectation: Fake behavior; adopted to give a certain impression
• affable: Warm and friendly, approachable
• affirmation: Adopting to give an impression
• aggrandize: Make greater; exaggerate
• aggregate: Gather together, amount to; constitute a whole
• agility: Quickness, dexterity
• alacrity: Cheerful or speedy willingness
• albeit: Although, even though
• alienate: Cause to become unfriendly, hostile, or distant
• alleviate: Lessen, make easier to endure
• aloof: Distant physically or emotionally; reserved; indifferent
• amalgamate: Blend, merge, or unite
• ambiguous: Not clear, hard to understand, open to diverse interpretations
• ambivalent: Uncertain; unable to decide, or wanting to do contradictory things
• ameliorate: Improve; make better or more bearable
• amortize: Gradually pay off a debt, or gradually write off an asset
• anachronism: Something that is not in its correct historical time; a chronological error
• analgesia: Pain relief; inability to feel pain
• analogous: Comparable, corresponding in some way
• anarchy: Absence of law or government; chaos, disorder
• annul: Make void or null, cancel, abolish
• anodyne: Medicine that relieves pain; soothing, relieving pain
• anoint: Rub or sprinkle oil on; make sacred
• anomaly: Deviation from what is common; inconsistency
• antagonize: Make hostile or unfriendly
• antedate: Be older than, precede in time
• antithetical: Directly opposed, opposite; involving antithesis