GRE Vocabulary List 7

Wretched (adj.) that which is extremely malicious, contemptible or distressing

Jack had long hoped for a swift end to the wretched war.

Plumb (n.) a suspended weight used to determine whether something is vertically straight; (v.) to critically examine

They went on to plumb the stated explanations for not giving any notice before selling the loan into default.

Regale (v.) to entertain, amuse, or pleasure an individual with conversation, food or drink

The couple proceeded to regale at the little corner spot in Hoboken.

Assay (n.) an examination of the characteristics or qualities of something

Mert's assay of the jewelry revealed that it was very fine.

Proponent (n.) one who advocates an idea or course of action

Though a proponent of the "asteroid-impact theory", Kellogg admitted that there were still unresolved questions.

Exscind (v.) to cut or tear something and remove it

The physician proceeded to exscind the tumor.

Vex (v.) to cause distress or worry

The flood warnings would vex the residents of Riverside.

Philanthropy (n.) the contribution of money or effort toward the good of others or society

Warren Buffet's philanthropy was lesser known that his great wealth.

Gossamer (n.) the material out of which spider webs are made

Fairy tales told stories of gossamer laced toadstool shoes.

Tact (n.) adeptness at dealing with others with regard to sensitive or difficult issues

While intelligent with regard to accounting, they were both somewhat lacking when it came to tact.

Deposition (n.) (1) the act of removing some government or public figure; (2) a formal statement or declaration made under oath outside of formal proceedings

The monarch abdicated to avoid his deposition by the angry masses.

Inchoate (adj.) not fully formed; existing only mentally

His evil intentions were, at that point, merely inchoate.

Cosmopolitan (adj.) having familiarity and tolerance with regard to countries and cultures; (n.) a cosmopolitan person

She loved the vibrant, cosmopolitan nature of the big city.

Recalcitrant (adj.) having an uncooperative or difficult attitude, especially with regard to authority; (n.) a recalcitrant person

The store manager was rather recalcitrant when questioned by the detectives.

Arbitrate (v.) to decide a dispute, usually on behalf of others

They agreed to let Austin arbitrate their property division in the course of their divorce.

Porous (adj.) (1) having many small holes or pores; (2) not solid, secure, or effective at retention

The porous substance turned out to be real harvested sponge from the ocean.

Peccadillo (n.) a minor or unimportant wrongdoing

Talking on a cellphone while driving was a mere peccadillo compared to the DUI offense.

Distension (n.) the state of being swollen or extended, often unnaturally

The figure in the painting had a peculiar abdominal distension.

Substantiate (v.) to offer evidence supporting the truth of a matter

Weaver went on to substantiate his claims about global warming with evidence from contemporary research.

Infuse (v.) to fill or insert with something

As a hemophiliac, he had to infuse his blood with Factor VIII on a regular basis.

Meretricious (adj.) that which is appealing by appearance or name but has no significant value

At this point, the company's stock was relegated to being merely meretricious pieces of paper.

Articulate (v.) to put into words clearly and concisely; (adj.) clarity and conciseness with regard to putting things into words

Unable to articulate what he meant, he tried to illustrate using an example.

Impetus (n.) energy or force with which something moves or happens

The moon's gravitational pull is the impetus of the tides.

Ingenious (adj.) demonstrative of great intelligence; clever

Though it seemed ingenious at the time, Clarence's idea of mass mailings was in fact of little use or effect.

Collude (v.) to join, agree, or work together toward some immoral purpose

Keb was oblivious to their intentions to collude with regard to the shady deal.

Lunacy (n.) the state of being crazy or a lunatic; insanity

Her lunacy was apparent in her wardrobe and fashion sense.

Effusive (adj.) outpouring without restraint

The effusive leak in the pipe was a source of substantial trouble for the next week.

Countenance (n.) the state of being calm and composed

She displayed remarkable countenance for someone whose home had just been destroyed.

Stanch (v.) to stop or mitigate the flowing of something

Lisa hoped that the bandage would stanch her sister's bleeding enough to allow her to continue the hike.

Salutary (adj.) creating some positive or beneficial effect or outcome

His salutary efforts to create a public park in the region finally paid off.

Encapsulate (v.) to enclose something inside of something else

Sherry's mother would encapsulate each pill she gave her daughter in something sweet so that it could be eaten easily.

Archaic (adj.) old and fallen into disuse; exemplary of a more primitive time

To many, it was a somewhat archaic law.

Depreciate (v.) to lose value

While he knew his farm equipment would depreciate, he did not know just how much.

Satiate (v.) to fully satisfy

The monetary payments were enough to satiate their needs for the time being.

Apocryphal (adj.) having mysterious or doubtful authenticity or origin

Penny didn't know what to make of the apocryphal texts.

Impose (v.) to cause to be accepted or put in place, often with regard to something undesirable

The government proceeded to impose a total ban on the drug in the 1980s.

Exonerate (v.) to clear from liability or wrongdoing

The DNA evidence would ultimately exonerate him.

Itinerate (v.) to travel about

Michael made plans to itinerate around Midtown for the morning.

Prune (v.) (1) to trim vegetation by carefully cutting dead growth and overgrowth away; (2) to remove unnecessary components; (n.) a plum preserved by drying

She took the shears and made her way down to the hedge to prune the shrubs.

Foment (v.) to stir up or rouse, to instigate

The hockey team's loss was expected to foment a riot.

Engender (v.) to cause to exist; to bring into being

She thought that by being difficult to please, she would engender some level of respect and positive treatment.

Capricious (adj.) lacking any clear reason or standard; arbitrary

Given that every other speeder was given a warning, Barry found the officer's decision somewhat capricious.

Ostracize (v.) to cast out, exclude, or banish

Carl wasn't about to ostracize her over the issue, but he made clear his disappointment.

Aspersion (n.) (1) a false or exaggerated charge against a person meant to harm that person’s reputation; (2) a sprinkling a water at a religious or other type of ceremony

The judge maintained that the sexual harassment scandal was merely an aspersion.

Reconnaissance (n.) preliminary surveying, often in the context of military operations

The initial reconnaissance showed that the oxbow lake was about a hundred feet across.

Vacuous (adj.) (1) of or relating to a vacuum; (2) lacking thought, intelligence or personality

Jeffrey was rather vacuous and a difficult person with whom to carry on a conversion.

Apotheosis (n.) a perfect sample; that which has divine or godly status

The basketball team's performance on Saturday was the apotheosis of good teamwork.

Desuetude (n.) the state of not being used; disuse

The room was full of dust and other signs of desuetude.

Unfettered (adj.) having no restraints or restrictions

When her father was gone, her mother had unfettered discretion with regard to how to discipline her.

Viable (adj.) capable of being used or implemented successfully

Most of the senior officers did not believe Tuttle's plan was viable.

Seminal (adj.) strongly influencing later developments

Paul was a seminal figure in the spread of Christianity.

Cabal (n.) (1) the methods and interests of some secret plot, often to overthrow the government; (2) a group partaking in a cabal

Collin wasn't sure who was the mastermind behind their cabal.

Discretion (n.) an ability to choose, latitude, or deference

Polly used her discretion in selecting the appropriate castle for her goldfish tank.

Corrosion (n.) that which is contaminated, weakened, or eaten away

The effects of corrosion on the metal over time were all too apparent.

Conflagration (n.) (1) a large and destructive fire; (2) a conflict or struggle

The ensuing conflagration would engulf all of eastern Nebraska.

Rescind (v.) to revoke, cancel, or repeal, often with regard to a law or edict

The council finally decided to rescind their order about fireworks in town.

Nugatory (adj.) having no use, importance or worth

Tom's nugatory credentials failed to impress anyone. Morose (adj.) ill-tempered or gloomy

Renee was rather morose after her father's death.

Harrow (v.) to annoy or bother

Clarise knew that the boys on the bus would harrow her the entire ride home.

Chicanery (n.) an act of deceiving or fooling a person; trickery

Benjamin's chicanery was, at this point, expected.

Felicitous (adj.) (1) suited to the circumstances; (2) enjoyable and pleasing

Her big hat was rather felicitous given the occasion.

Natty (adj.) trendy and fashionable

Nate was unfamiliar with the natty apparel that people from the city wore.

Impassive (adj.) having or showing showing little feeling or emotion

He was usually impassive, but on that day, he was especially stoic.

Miser (n.) one who hoards money but spends as little as possible

Dickens' "Scrooge" character is a famous example of a miser.

Personable (adj.) easy to get along with; friendly

Elizabeth was not quite as personable as her sister Maria.

Authoritarian (adj.) of or relating to a preference for stronger authority and obedience thereto

George's mother had a very authoritarian mentality.

Anesthesia (n.) the state of being unable to feel or sense something, typically pain

Christopher was so intoxicated his condition could almost be described as anesthesia.

Compliant (adj.) satisfying the requirements of something; obedient

The bank had been compliant with federal regulations ever since it opened.

Anathema (n.) (1) a disliked or unpleasing person or thing; (2) (archaic) a person cursed by ecclesiastical authority

Onions were an anathema to Meredith, who despised their harsh taste.

Obloquy (n.) a harsh and severe statement of criticism

She felt bad after such a vicious obloquy was leveled against her.

Veritable (adj.) the state of truly being something (often used to qualify a metaphor)

After the heavy rain, Clara street was a veritable pond.

Pique (n.) a feeling of resentment or irritation; (v.) to stimulate, to create interest

Trisha sensed some level of pique with regard to Connie and Allyson's feelings toward her.

Prone (adj.) (1) likely to experience something; (2) lying flat on one’s stomach

The park ranger wasn't sure why he was so prone to being stung by wasps.

Fetter (n.) a chain used to restrain a prisoner, typically placed around the ankles; (v.) to restrain, such as with a fetter

The Supreme Court serves to fetter the powers of Congress and the President.

Judicious (adj.) of or relating to the exercise of wise judgment

William was known as an especially judicious arbitrator of disputes.

Polarize (v.) to break into directly opposed groups or categories; bifurcate

It was yet another political issue which would polarize the nation.

Trivial (adj.) having little or no value or importance

While Ms. Lambert thought that retaining customers was top priority, her associates thought it was trivial.

Stygian (adj.) (1) very dark; (2) of or relating to the underworld river Styx in Greek Mythology

Salome was a most stygian work by Richard Strauss.

Seine (n.) a fishing net which drapes down vertically in the water; (v.) to use a seine

He and his brother would go seine for minnows near the creek.

Vitiate (v.) to ruin or destroy the validity, quality or efficiency or something

When Jacquelyn was caught plagiarizing, it served to vitiate her academic credentials for years to come.

Inhibit (v.) to stop or prevent

The mouth guard was designed to inhibit certain types of injuries.

Meritocracy (n.) a society or organization where individuals are assigned duties and tasks based on ability

Michelle regretted how far the world was from being a meritocracy.

Tortuous (adj.) having many twists and turns; excessively complicated and lengthy

The tortuous Mississippi river was difficult for large ships to navigate.

Verbatim (adv.) using exactly the same words as another source

The quote was taken verbatim from one of Shakespeare's works.

Deviance (n.) the state of having gone astray from the usual norm

Her tattoos and piercings were a sign of her deviance.

Exemplar (n.) an ideal sample or specimen

Tony was not an exemplar of the typical Democrat by any means.

Expostulate (v.) to try and convince an individual otherwise; to argue against; to express strong disapproval

Mr. Ninness took his turn to expostulate with regard to the traditional understanding of feudalism.

Insurgency (n.) a rebellion or insurrection against a government

Rumsfeld commented at length about the insurgency abroad.

Noisome (adj.) that which has an unpleasant smell or is otherwise undesirable

Andy wasn't sure exactly what the noisome substance was, but he knew he did not like its odor.

Tout (v.) to promote or play up the positive characteristics of something

The RV salesman proceeded to tout the superior characteristics of the Winnebago.