GRE Vocabulary

Abhor

Nature abhors a vacuum.

Bigot

Don't let a few small-minded bigots ruin the good image of the city.

Counterfeit

My careless signature is difficult to counterfeit.

Enfranchise

The civil rights laws were enacted to end discrimination and enfranchise equal rights to all citizens.

Hamper

Road repairs were hampering the traffic on the interstate.

Kindle

The cub scouts learned to kindle a fire with a flint and steel.

Noxious

The engineering cadets were overcome by the noxious coolant fumes during the attack.

Placid

He watched the placid surface of the sea.

Remuneration

He was given generous remuneration for his work.

Talisman

He wore a glowing talisman on a leather chain around his neck.

Abrasive

Her abrasive personality drove people away.

Bilk

Vendors often bilk gullible tourists by selling imitation merchandise.

Covert

The covert affairs of the Obsidian Order slowly came to light with the investigation.

Engender

It was engendered simply by the evolutionary process.

Hangar

The Talon fighter taxied from the hangar to the runway.

Knotty

Their obscure and knotty language was shunned by the colonists.

Nuance

Vulcan facial expressions can have many nuances, with even a slightly raised eyebrow speaking volumes.

Plagiarism

The student was expelled for the plagiarism of his rival's research.

Renown

This great navigator had already won renown in the service of Starfleet.

Tangent

It surprised everyone when our organic chemistry professor went off on a tangent about physics.

Abasement

She began to apologize with copious tears and self-abasement for her wrong-doing.

Billowing

As the tempest moved into our area, the billowing clouds turned dark.

Cower

Luke refused to cower in the presence of the feared Darth Vader.

Enhance

The heads-up display enhanced the pilot's visibility in darkness.

Harangue

He delivered a violent harangue before the council of elders.

Labyrinth

They wandered the labyrinth for hours never seeing the same corridor twice.

Nullify

The shot of bourbon helped to nullify the effects of  the cold if only briefly.

Plaintiff

The plaintiff presented her evidence against the defendant.

Replete

History is replete with examples of societies' advances and regressions.

Tangible

He needed something more tangible to believe her story about alien abduction.

Abrogate

Our society needs to abrogate outdated ideas and accept all humans as equal.

Blasphemy

Many early scientists were persecuted because their ideas were considered blasphemy by religion.

Credible

The witness told an outlandish story that nobody found credible.

Enigma

The origin of the Universe is still very much an enigma despite our research.

Harbingers

The dark clouds were harbingers of the storm to come.

Labyrinthine

The landing party became lost in the labyrinthine streets of the centuries old alien city.

Nuzzle

The treecat nuzzled Honor's cheek purring all the while.

Plaudit

The battered warrior emerged from the transport and walked the length of the tarmac amid the plaudits of the admiring locals.

Reprehensible

The traitor was given a harsh sentence for his reprehensible behavior.

Tardy

"I don't feel tardy," Dave said as he walked in five minutes late.

Absolution

He felt there was no hope for absolution from his crimes against her.

Blatant

The new law was a blatant license to discriminate.

Creditable

The professor had a career that was creditable but not brilliant by any measure.

Ensconce

I was comfortably ensconced in the hammock bathed in the warming rays of sunshine.

Hasten

The travelers hastened their pace as the menacing sounds behind them grew closer.

Laceration

The laceration on his arm did not hit any major arteries.

Obdurate

Even with impending doom, the villagers were obdurate and stood their ground.

Plausible

The suspect's alibi was plausible because of the collaborating evidence.

Reprieve

The rain was a welcome reprieve to the staggering heat.

Tawdry

Most intellectuals consider reality shows to be tawdry forms of entertainment.

Abstain

To avoid offending his voters, the politician will abstain from voting on the unpopular bill.

Blighted

Because of the urban blight that has taken over the downtown area, many of the stores have relocated to suburban malls.

Credulous

For the most part, credulous individuals will believe anything they are told.

Enshroud

Despite efforts by scientists to uncover clues, the Loch Ness Monster will always be enshrouded in mystery.

Haughtiness

The great mansion was filled with an aura of haughtiness and wealth.

Lachrymose

I rarely cry so you should definitely not be calling me lachrymose!

Obfuscate

Because I am honest, I never try to obfuscate my true intentions!

Plethora

Since the recent elections, there has been a plethora of anti-government sentiment.

Repudiate

The company will repudiate any claims of negligence.

Tedium

The tedium of that kind of work drove him to search for more interesting prospects.

Abstemious

The monks had an abstemious diet which consisted chiefly of chicken, bread, water, and cabbage.

Blithe

If you want to succeed in college, you have to lose this blithe attitude about your assignments!

Crepuscular

The best time to spot many species of owls is dusk and dawn since they are crepuscular.

Enunciation

If Scotty wants people to understand what he is saying, he needs to slow down and enunciate his words.

Headstrong

Mackenzie is very headstrong often refusing help on her homework when she is having difficulty.

Lackluster

In spite of heavy promotion, Windows Vista only achieved disappointing, lackluster sales.

Objective

He felt so strongly about the issue that he could not give an objective answer to the question.

Pliable

You should always warm up before you exercise so that your muscles are pliable and you’re less likely to be injured.

Rescind

Because the law was poorly written, the public demanded that the governor rescind it immediately.

Temper

She has tempered her support for the proposal somewhat, only because the
last time they tried something like this, it didn't work out.

Abstruse

If you come across a term which is abstruse, you can always use a dictionary to review the word’s meaning.

Blunderbuss

Leave it to that blunderbuss to bungle a job that a child could do.

Cringe

The thought of eating Klingon Racht made me cringe.

Envenom

The constant bickering between her sister and her boyfriend began to envenom their relationship.

Hedonism

Hedonism is very common among the extremely rich.

Laconic

A person with few words is laconic.

Oblique

His oblique answers to the prosecutor's questions suggested he was hiding the truth.

Plumage

The peacock flaunted his whole plumage for the females.

Resignation

Surrounded by police officers on all sides, the bank robber lowered his gun as a sign of resignation.

Tenacious

Although the odds were against them, the tenacious browncoats held on until reinforcements arrived.

Accolade

The Medal of Honor is the highest accolade a soldier can win.

Bolster

Before the nervous warrior went into battle, he drank a beer to bolster his confidence.

Cryptic

The Captain's cryptic command left the crew confused.

Ephemeral

The ephemeral thunderstorm started suddenly and was gone within seconds.

Hedonist

My neighbor is a hedonist who likes to party all night.

Lamentation

There was much lamentation in the kingdom after the death of their beloved king.

Obliterate

The quantum bomb, also known as the planet buster, has the power to obliterate a planet.

Plummet

They witnessed the castle plummet into the sea when the cliff gave way.

Resolution

Even in the face of extreme danger, his resolution to survive would not fail.

Tentative

The employees were not happy when they learned their pay raises were tentative and could be cancelled at any moment.

Acquiesce

Currently, the king is considering a declaration of war, but he may acquiesce after hearing from his council.

Bombast

The speech was full of sound and fury and bombast.

Curtail

The team had to curtail their shore leave because of an impending attack.

Epicure

The head chef is an epicure who has spent over twenty years perfecting his signature dishes.

Heed

Take heed and prepare for the upcoming storm!

Lampoon

For the past few decades, the writers of “Saturday Night Live” have written one lampoon after another at the expense of whichever politicians happened to be in the news at the time.

Oblivious

She was oblivious to the destruction occurring just outside her door.

Podium

The old warrior slowly approached the podium to give his speech.

Resonant

The goddess spoke with a resonant voice.

Tenuous

The truce between the two factions was tenuous at best.