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| GRE VOCABULARY WORDS FOR EXAMS |
List of GRE Vocabulary Words Meaning For Exams & Tests Preparations
BENEDICTION (n) [ben-i-DIK-shuh n]
Syn: blessing
Ant: malediction; curse; disapproval; censure; execration
Usage: They waited for hours so that they could get the Cardinal’s benediction
for the newborn.
BENEFACTOR (n) [BEN-uh-fak-ter]
Syn: gift giver; patron
Ant: malefactor
Usage: An anonymous benefactor has left the bereaved and impoverished family a huge sum of money that will see them through this dark phase.
BENEVOLENT (adj) [buh-NEV-uh-luh nt]
Syn: generous; charitable
Ant: niggardly; miserly; cruel
Usage: James Mender was a kindly, benevolent man and often gave out large sums of his income to various charities.
BENIGN (adj) [bi-NAHYN]
Syn: kindly; favorable; not malignant
Ant: malignant
Usage: I had never come across such a benign, caring person before; I was overwhelmed by his kind gesture.
BENISON (n) [BEN-uh-zuh n]
Syn: blessing
Ant: execration; anathema
Usage: When the priest utered the holy benison, tears streamed down the faces of people in the congregation.
BEQUEATH (v) [bi-KWEETH]
Syn: leave to someone by a will; hand down
Ant: take
Usage: Wallace bequeathed his whole property to his daughter and retired to the mountains to lead a secluded life.
BERATE (v) [bi-REYT]
Syn: scold strongly; reprimand
Ant: commend
Usage: Jane’s mother berated her all day for disobeying her instructions and wandering off into the woods alone.
BEREFT (adj) [bi-REFT]
Syn: deprived of; lacking; desolate because of a loss
Ant: full; happy
Usage: Suddenly bereft of his great power, the former tycoon now sank deep into depression.
BESMIRCH (v) [bi-SMURCH]
Syn: soil; defile
Ant: honor; compliment
Usage: Mike did not dare enter the town after the townsfolk discovered that it was he who had besmirched young Jenny’s reputation.
BESTOW (v) [bi-STOH]
Syn: give
Ant: take away
Usage: In recognition of his contributions to the country’s economy, the college decided to bestow upon him an honorary doctorate.
BETROTH (v) [bi-TROHTH]
Syn: become engaged to marry; marry
Ant: divorce; leave; separate
Usage: They are to be betrothed this weekend and married next month.
BICAMERAL (adj) [bahy-KAM-er-uh l] Syn: two-chambered, as a legislative body Ant: unicameral
Usage: It was decided that a bicameral legislature of a Senate and House of Representatives would be formed.
BICKER (v) [BIK-er]
Syn: quarrel
Ant: agree; converse; chat
Usage: They spent the whole night bickering and arguing about the money.
BIENNIAL (adj) [bahy-EN-ee-uh l]
Syn: every two years
Ant: annual
Usage: This function is a biennial event, the last event being held two years ago.
BIFURCATED (adj) [BAHY-fer-keyt-ed] Syn: divided into two branches; forked Ant: undivided; whole
Usage: The road is bifurcated into two streets, thus adding more confusion to first-time visitors.
BILIOUS (adj) [BIL-yuh s]
Syn: suffering from indigestion; irritable
Ant: healthy
Usage: People tend to keep away from him because of his bilious nature and short temper.
BILLOWING (adj) [BIL-oh-ing]
Syn: swelling out in waves; surging Ant: compact; shrinking
Usage: The billowing smoke from burning houses was a dreadful sight.
BIVOUAC (n) [BIV-oo-ak]
Syn: temporary encampment
Ant: permanent quarters
Usage: To rest for the night, we built a bivouac at the base of the mountain with tarpaulin and poles.
BLANDISH (v) [blan-dish]
Syn: cajole; coax with flatery Ant: allow
Usage: The students blandished the guard into leting them through the college gate at night.
BLANDISHMENT (n) [BLAN-dish-muh nt]
Syn: flatery
Ant: disgust
Usage: Fed up with the saleswoman’s blandishments, we bought two of the items even though we didn’t actually need them.
BLASÉ (adj) [blah-ZEY]
Syn: bored with pleasure or dissipation
Ant: enthusiastic; excited
Usage: Having such a blasé, relaxed atitude even in the presence of the boss will do Jack no good.
BLASPHEMOUS (adj) [BLAS-fuh-muh s]
Syn: profane; impious
Ant: pious
Usage: His speech was so offensive and blasphemous that even before he was halfway through it, the crowd was aiming roten tomatoes at him.
BLATANT (adj) [BLEYT-nt]
Syn: flagrant; conspicuously obvious; loudly offensive
Ant: soft; noiseless; quiet; reserved; refined
Usage: She flirted with him blatantly, without any qualms.
BLIGHTED (adj) [blahyt-ed]
Syn: suffering from a disease; destroyed
Ant: healthy
Usage: Everything he owned had been blighted in a few seconds during the bombing, but he was glad to escape with his life.
BLUDGEON (n) [BLUHJ-uh n]
Syn: club; heavy-headed weapon
Ant: NULL
Usage: The solid, wooden club could be used as a bludgeon against the bear if one were to atack him.
BLURT (v) [blurt]
Syn: uter impulsively Ant: stay silent
Usage: Trembling with fear, the man blurted out the truth about the robbery.
BLUSTER (v) [BLUHS-ter]
Syn: blow in heavy gusts; bully
Ant: be modest
Usage: Do not bluster about dead theology or throw Calvin's name around in derision; just read the words themselves in the Bible.
BOHEMIAN (adj) [boh-HEE-mee-uhn] Syn: unconventional
Ant: conventional
Usage: It used to atract true bohemians; now it atracts tired London media types.
BOISTEROUS (adj) [BOI-ster-uh s]
Syn: violent; rough; noisy
Ant: peaceful; calm; serene; self-possessed
Usage: The party was boisterous and loud, as usual.
BOLSTER (v) [BOHL-ster]
Syn: support; reinforce
Ant: hinder; obstruct; prevent
Usage: They bolstered their favorite participant’s spirits by cheering for him at the top of their lungs.
BOMBASTIC (adj) [bom-BAS-tik]
Syn: pompous; using inflated language
Ant: humble
Usage: Making bombastic statements is easy enough; to prove that you really possess knowledge is quite tough.
BOORISH (adj) [BOO R-ish]
Syn: rude; clownish
Ant: pleasant; polite
Usage: Keith is rather too aggressive and boorish.
BOUILLON (n) [BOO L-yon]
Syn: clear beef soup
Ant: NULL
Usage: She offered him the bowl of piping hot bouillon, which he grabbed eagerly, for he had been famished for days.
BOUNTIFUL (adj) [BOUN-tuh-fuh l]
Syn: abundant; graciously generous
Ant: scarce
Usage: Anne is a kind, generous soul and loves to donate bountiful gifts.
BOURGEOIS (adj) [boo r-ZHWAH]
Syn: middle-class; selfishly materialistic; dully conventional
Ant: aristocratic
Usage: It was quite bourgeois for Anne Marie to chater with the townsfolk so casually; after all, she was a blue-blooded aristocrat.
BOWDLERIZE (v) [BOHD-luh-rahyz] Syn: expurgate; cleanse; purge
Ant: allow; permit
Usage: To Peter’s horror, his masterpiece of a novel had been badly
bowdlerized by the novice editor.
BRACKISH (adj) [BRAK-ish]
Syn: somewhat saline; stagnant
Ant: moving
Usage: The lost hikers found a brackish stream and risked drinking from it despite the salty taste of the water.
BRAGGADOCIO (n) [brag-uh-DOH-shee-oh]
Syn: boasting
Ant: humility
Usage: By now, we were all tired and bored by Ken’s braggadocio and boasting.
BRANDISH (v) [BRAN-dish]
Syn: wave around; flourish
Ant: not show
Usage: Brandishing a large knife, he demanded cash, then escaped on the pedal bike.
BRAWN (n) [brawn]
Syn: muscular strength; sturdiness
Ant: weakness
Usage: Brains are beter than brawn any day.
BREACH (n) [breech]
Syn: breaking of contract or duty; fissure or gap
Ant: wholeness
Usage: The primary code of conduct in the group must never suffer from a
breach.
BREVITY (n) [BREV-i-tee]
Syn: conciseness
Ant: lengthiness; longevity; permanence
Usage: Brevity is the soul of wit.
BRINDLED (adj) [BRIN-dld]
Syn: tawny or grayish with streaks or spots
Ant: solid-colored
Usage: A fine, brindled animal was following Mary.
BRISTLING (adj) [bris-uhl-ing]
Syn: rising like bristles; showing irritation
Ant: calm
Usage: By the time Jenny reached home after her date, it was way past midnight and her father was bristling with anger.
BROOCH (n) [brohch] Syn: ornamental clasp Ant: NULL
Usage: Among the various ornaments in her jewelry box, the most precious one was the gold brooch given to her by her grandmother.
BRUNT (n) [bruhnt]
Syn: main impact or shock
Ant: NULL
Usage: He took the full brunt of the wolves' atack.
BRUSQUE (adj) [bruhsk] Syn: blunt; abrupt
Ant: courteous; polite
Usage: His manner of speaking was brusque and curt.
BUCCANEER (n) [buhk-uh-neer] Syn: pirate
Ant: NULL
Usage: Later, the governors of Caribbean islands such as Jamaica paid the
buccaneers to atack Spanish treasure ships and ports.
BUCOLIC (adj) [byoo-KOL-ik] Syn: rustic; pastoral
Ant: urban
Usage: Walt Whitman loved to ramble for hours through the bucolic man countryside.
BUFFOONERY (n) [buh-FOO-nuh-ree] Syn: clowning
Ant: seriousness
Usage: The man was a disciplinarian and would not tolerate any buffoonery.
BUGABOO (n) [BUHG-uh-boo]
Syn: bugbear; object of baseless terror; fear
Ant: bravery
Usage: Mike dismissed my fears as a bugaboo and promptly went off to sleep again.
BULWARK (n) [BOO L-werk]
Syn: earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends
Ant: weak point
Usage: The soldiers took up positions along the bulwark.
BUNGLE (v) [BUHNG-guhl]
Syn: mismanage; blunder
Ant: manage well; succeed
Usage: Peter was bound to bungle the operation; he is such a clumsy, careless man.
BURGEON (v) [BUR-juh n]
Syn: grow forth; send out buds
Ant: atrophy
Usage: The venture seems to be burgeoning day by day.
BURLESQUE (v) [ber-LESK]
Syn: give an imitation that ridicules
Ant: perform seriously
Usage: He decided to burlesque the unbearable conditions, using humor to point out the need for improvements.
BURLY (adj) [BUR-lee] Syn: husky; muscular Ant: diminutive
Usage: The henchman was hefty and burly; his mere appearance sent shivers down our spine.
BURNISH (v) [BUR-nish]
Syn: make shiny by rubbing; polish
Ant: dull
Usage: The table had been burnished with wax in preparation for his visit.
BUTTRESS (v) [BUH-tris]
Syn: support; prop up
Ant: break down
Usage: The commander buflressed the walls of the fort in hopes of keeping the villagers inside alive.
CABAL (n) [kuh-BAL]
Syn: small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interest
Ant: NULL
Usage: The police unearthed a heinous cabal to assassinate the president.
CACHE (n) [kash]
Syn: hiding place Ant: open location
Usage: It was suspected that Jim Howard had stashed away the loot in a cache
underneath his trailer.
CACOPHONOUS (adj) [kuh-KOF-uh-nuh s] Syn: discordant; inharmonious
Ant: euphonious
Usage: I wonder how far she would get as a singer with that cacophonous voice.
CADAVER (n) [kuh-DAV-er]
Syn: corpse
Ant: living body
Usage: A partly mutilated cadaver lay on the table when I entered the autopsy room.
CADENCE (n) [KEYD-ns]
Syn: rhythmic rise and fall (of words or sounds); beat
Ant: NULL
Usage: The music had a very melodious cadence, making us all sway to it.
CADGE (v) [kaj]
Syn: beg; mooch; panhandle
Ant: lend
Usage: I believe he was able to cadge a lift on the bus.
CAJOLE (v) [kuh-JOHL]
Syn: coax; wheedle
Ant: scold; warn; blame; antagonize; displease; chide
Usage: We cajoled and persuaded her to accompany us to the picnic.
CALIBER (n) [KAL-uh-ber]
Syn: ability; quality
Ant: inability; incompetence
Usage: Peter underestimated his own caliber.
CALLOW (adj) [KAL-oh]
Syn: youthful; immature; inexperienced
Ant: mature; experienced
Usage: The young recruit was callow and immature.
CALORIFIC (adj) [kal-uh-RIF-ik] Syn: heat-producing
Ant: cold-blooded
Usage: The doctor asked her to abstain from foods containing carbohydrates as they could be calorific.
CAMEO (n) [KAM-ee-oh]
Syn: shell or jewel carved in relief; star's special appearance in a minor role in a film
Ant: NULL
Usage: Valerie had been offered a cameo role in the film but she declined to accept it.
CANARD (n) [kuh-NAHRD]
Syn: false rumor
Ant: honesty; truth
Usage: His canard came back to haunt him when his friends discovered he was the source of the hurtful rumor.
CANDOR (n) [KAN-der]
Syn: frankness; open honesty
Ant: artifice; deception
Usage: I was pleased with her candor and frankness.
CANTANKEROUS (adj) [kan-TANG-ker-uh s] Syn: ill-humored; irritable
Ant: amiable
Usage: With age, old man Jim has become cantankerous and troublesome.
CANTATA (n) [kuh n-TAH-tuh]
Syn: story set to music, to be sung by a chorus
Ant: NULL
Usage: We stood at the back of the auditorium to watch Priscilla’s class perform the cantata telling the story of the town’s origin.
CANTO (n) [KAN-toh]
Syn: division of a long poem
Ant: NULL
Usage: They recited the canto together melodiously.
CAPACIOUS (adj) [kuh-PEY-shuh s] Syn: spacious; fickle; incalculable; ample
Ant: limited; shallow; restricted; narrow; pety; small
Usage: The man is built of capacious proportions.
CAPITULATE (v) [kuh-PICH-uh-leyt]
Syn: surrender
Ant: resist
Usage: Despite his unwillingness to take part in the games, eventually Paul
capitulated to the pressure of his peers.
CAPRICIOUS (adj) [kuh-PRISH-uh s] Syn: unpredictable; fickle; whimsical Ant: steady; constant; dependable
Usage: Kenneth is too capricious to stay steady with the new job; he has been job-hopping continuously for the last two years.
CARAFE (n) [kuh-RAF]
Syn: glass water botle
Ant: NULL
Usage: He poured warm water from the carafe into a glass and handed it to her saying it would soothe her sore throat.
CARAPACE (n) [KAR-uh-peys]
Syn: shell covering the back (of a turtle, crab, etc)
Ant: inside; interior
Usage: The turtle’s body was trembling beneath its hard shell-like carapace.
CARCINOGENIC (adj) [kahr-suh-nuh-JEN-ik]
Syn: causing cancer
Ant: healing
Usage: The tumor was diagnosed to be carcinogenic and Martha had barely another six months to live.
CAREEN (v) [kuh-REEN]
Syn: lurch; sway from side to side
Ant: travel in a straight line
Usage: The car careened dangerously on its side, about to fall off the bridge any moment.
CARICATURE (n) [KAR-i-kuh-cher]
Syn: distortion; burlesque
Ant: reality; fact; truth
Usage: Litle Mike was found drawing caricatures of his teachers in class.
CARNAL (adj) [KAHR-nl]
Syn: fleshly
Ant: spiritual; ethereal; exalted; refined; pure; temperate
Usage: A priest from that church was condemned and arrested for having indulged in carnal pleasures with a young devotee.
CAROUSAL (n) [kuh-ROU-zuh l]
Syn: drunken revelry
Ant: solemnity
Usage: The carousal and merry making to celebrate King George’s victory lasted all night long.
CARRION (n) [KAR-ee-uh n]
Syn: roting flesh of a dead body
Ant: living organism
Usage: Vultures are birds that love to feed on carrion.
CARTOGRAPHER (n) [kahr-TOG-ruh-feer] Syn: map-maker
Ant: NULL
Usage: Mike loves maps with such passion that there is no doubt he’ll grow up to be a cartographer.
CASTE (n) [kast]
Syn: one of the hereditary classes in Hindu society, social stratification; prestige
Ant: NULL
Usage: The application form contained a slot to fill in caste and religion.
CASTIGATION (n) [KAS-ti-gey shun]
Syn: punishment; severe criticism; chastisement; blame
Ant: exaltation; commendation; praise
Usage: Jenny knew she was in for a major castigation for having disobeyed the hostel warden’s rules.
CASUAL (adj) [KAZH-oo-uh l]
Syn: accidental; not regular or permanent; careless; informal
Ant: intended; careful
Usage: The young men were dressed in casual atire comprising of jeans and T-shirts.
CATACLYSM (n) [KAT-uh-kliz-uh m]
Syn: upheaval; deluge
Ant: boon; happiness
Usage: We weren’t prepared for the cataclysm that occurred suddenly throwing our lives totally out of gear.
CATAPULT (n) [KAT-uh-puhlt]
Syn: slingshot; a hurling machine Ant: NULL
Usage: The boy’s weapon of choice was a catapult with a leather sling.
CATECHISM (n) [KAT-i-kiz-uh m]
Syn: book for religious instruction; instruction by question and answer
Ant: NULL
Usage: Our new priest loves to preach about catechism.
CATHARSIS (n) [kuh-THAHR-sis]
Syn: purging or cleansing of any passage of the body
Ant: contamination
Usage: Shedding tears and giving vent to emotions, according to psychologists, is a form of catharsis; it heals us internally.
CAUCUS (n) [KAW-kuh s]
Syn: private meeting of members of a party to select officers or determine policy
Ant: NULL
Usage: The annual caucus was held in the basement of the council hall.
CAULK (v) [kawk]
Syn: make watertight by filling in cracks
Ant: loosen; unfasten
Usage: She instructed the kids to caulk the windows tightly for there was to be a thunderstorm.
CAVALCADE (n) [kav-uh l-KEYD]
Syn: procession; parade
Ant: NULL
Usage: The throngs gathered at the town square eagerly watched the colorful
cavalcade.
CAVIL (v) [KAV-uh l]
Syn: make frivolous objections; criticize
Ant: support; approve; endorse
Usage: His pet pastime is to cavil upon everyone’s speech, pointing out the faults in grammar and diction.
CELIBATE (adj) [SEL-uh-bit]
Syn: unmarried; abstaining from sexual intercourse
Ant: promiscuous
Usage: The man had taken an oath to stay celibate for a year and abstain from pleasures of the flesh.
CENSORIOUS (adj) [sen-SAWR-ee-uh s]
Syn: critical
Ant: complimentary; flatering
Usage: Her behavior is geting more censorious every day; she complains and is disparaging all the time.
CENTAUR (n) [SEN-tawr]
Syn: mythical figure, half man and half horse
Ant: NULL
Usage: Litle Peter then drew a beautiful picture of a centaur and proceeded to fill it with colored crayons.
