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abyss hole so deep as to appear bottomless [pic]

acquiesce agree, accept without protest [pic]

affable polite and friendly, easy to talk to

[pic]affliction distress, suffering [pic]

affluent wealthy, abundant [pic]

agitate move, shake, stir up [pic]

ambiguous having more than one meaning [pic]

annex take possession of [pic]

aqueous of or like water [pic]

arduous demanding great effort, strenuous [pic]

aroma quality or surrounding

atmosphere considered typical [pic]

atone make repayment [pic]

avarice greed

[pic]bellicose inclined to fighting [pic]

calisthenics exercises to develop strong bodies [pic]

captor person who takes someone captive [pic]

concoct invent, prepare by mixing together [pic]

dangle hand or swing loosely

[pic]deprive take away from, prevent from using [pic]

diligent hard-working [pic]

disrobe undress [pic]

docile easily trained or controlled [pic]

doleful dismal, mournful [pic]

drought a long period of dry weather [pic]

dubious feeling doubt [pic]

dumbfound astonish [pic]

efface rub or wipe out, obliterate [pic]

elucidate to make understandable [pic]

enchant charm, delight [pic]

endeavor to make an effort, to try very hard [pic]

endorse approve, support a claim or statement [pic]

enthrall take the whole attention

enslave [pic]exploit to use for selfish advantage or profit [pic]

extensive far-reaching [pic]

extol to praise highly [pic]

flimsy lacking solidarity, strength [pic]

fraud a fault, a deception [pic]

gaudy too bright and showy [pic]

ghastly death-like, pale and ill [pic]

grumble to complain [pic]

harass worry, trouble [pic]

heretic very busy; active [pic]

impediment something that hinders (esp in speech)

[pic]indigenous native [pic]

insatiate never satisfied [pic]

intrepid fearless

[pic]irate angry

[pic]jeopardy danger

[pic]leash control

[pic]loafer an idle, lazy person [pic]

lucrative profitable

[pic]lustrous bright; shining [pic]

malign to slander [pic]

meddle to interfere, to intrude [pic]

mend to repair [pic]

mirth being merry and happy [pic]

nausea feeling of sickness

[pic]neglect pay no attention to [pic]

nocturnal of or in the night [pic]

obese very fat [pic]

obsolete no longer useful, outdated [pic]

perch take up a high position [pic]

pervade spread through every part of

[pic]petulant unreasonably impatient or irritable [pic]

pillage plunder (esp in war) [pic]

presumptuous too bold or self-confident [pic]

quashed annulled [pic]

quenching satisfy, put an end to, put out [pic]

refurbished make clean, as if like new [pic]

rejoicing happiness, joy [pic]

reticent in the habit of saying little

[pic]reverberate be sent back, again and again

[pic]rigor sternness, strictness, severe conditions [pic]

rotundity state of being round [pic]

salvage the saving of property from loss [pic]

scattered not situated together

[pic]shatter to break into many pieces

[pic]shunned avoided, kept away from [pic]

sketchy shortly, roughly, quickly [pic]

sporadic happening from time to time [pic]

stifled suppressed, kept back [pic]

strive to make great efforts, to struggle [pic]

subsequent following [pic]

succumb yield, die [pic]

taciturn unspoken, silent [pic]

tantalize raise hopes that cannot be realized

[pic]tentative uncertain, probable [pic]

torpid dull and slow [pic]

treacherous not to be trusted, perfidious

[pic]tremor thrill

[pic]tyro a beginner [pic]

uproar noise and excitement [pic]

vanity a foolish pride [pic]

vehemence forcefulness, intensity, conviction [pic]

vigilance watchfulness

[pic]vindicate prove the truth [pic]

voluptuous arousing sensual pleasures [pic]

wan looking ill, not bright [pic]

wile a trick [pic]

wrinkle make small lines (eg forehead)

GRE Vocab Practice

Preparing for the Verbal section of the GRE can be daunting, especially considering the practice time necessary to build a stronger vocabulary. Fortunately, the test questions frequently rely on the same words, and these trends provide test-takers with a smaller group of terms to study.

Isolating Vocabulary Gaps

When looking over “top GRE word” lists, try to highlight or underline words that you do not know and words for which you can’t easily provide a definition. If you can’t articulate the meaning(s) of a word on demand, then it is a word you should study. Use flashcards, lists, ask a friend to quiz you, and above all else, plan adequate time to study before the GRE. Ideally, you should spend at least a month learning new words; building vocabulary takes longer than learning a math formula or argument structure.

Studying Vocabulary Roots

If you fail to recognize a word on the GRE, you can often make an educated guess as to its meaning by breaking the word into its component (com-, meaning with or together) parts. Learn common Latin roots, and take the time to study the meaning of popular prefixes and suffixes, such as a- (without, a lack of; atypical, asexual, atheism), or ex- (out [of]; exodus, extinct, exhale). Identifying affixes and roots can help you determine a word’s approximate function or meaning. A useful reference list is located at .

The Imaginary Word Method

The GRE verbal section will contain three types of vocabulary questions: sentence completion, antonyms, and analogies. For all of these questions, the most important technique to remember is the “imaginary word.” Ignoring the list of words, imagine one of your own that has the meaning you need, then 1) eliminate words that cannot mean the same as your word and 2) locate the word that has the closest meaning.

Sentence completions are a bit different. Decide whether the sentence contains agreement or disagreement by identifying words like “but,” “except” (disagreement), or “so,” and “thus” (agreement), then use your imaginary word to choose the best option.

Ex: While some students are quick to answer questions, others are ______.

Sagacious Arrogant Flamboyant Torpid

The sentence begins with “while,” indicating a compound sentence with disagreement. “Lazy” might serve well in the blank, and “torpid” is its synonym. Thus, “torpid” is the correct answer.

Before the GRE

There is no point cramming vocabulary the night before the exam, so instead, try giving yourself a cumulative review of the words you’ve learned. Get a good night’s sleep, and don’t worry about it; you’ve done all you can do.

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