GRE Word List 04
Group 1
| Ambivalence | lack of clarity; wavering; being undecided |
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| Cantankerous | bad-tempered; quarrelsome |
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| Derogatory | uncomplimentary |
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| Exemplify | to serve as a good example |
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| Impecunious | having no money |
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| Lucid | clear |
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| Ornate | highly decorated |
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| Precipice | steep slope |
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| Salubrious | health-giving |
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| Truant | shirker; someone absent without permission |
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Group 2
| Ambulatory | able to walk around (used of hospital patients) |
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| Capacious | spacious |
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| Desecrate | to damage or pollute a holy place |
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| Exhaustive | complete and thorough |
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| Impious | wicked; profane |
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| Ludicrous | ridiculous; silly |
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| Orthodox | conventional |
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| Precipitous | done in a hurry |
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| Salutary | something which teaches you a lesson; beneficial |
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| Truncate | cut short |
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Group 3
| Ameliorate | make better |
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| Capitulate | surrender; give in to |
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| Desecration | spoiling something holy |
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| Exonerates | acquits; absolves; removes blame |
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| Impoverished | destitute; poor |
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| Lukewarm | 1. unenthusiastic; 2. neither hot nor cold |
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| Ossify | 1. turn to bone; 2. become fixed and rigid |
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| Preclude | prevent or make impossible |
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| Sanctimonious | hypocritically holy |
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| Tumult | uproar; noise |
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Group 4
| Amelioration | improvement |
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| Carping | constant criticism |
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| Desist | stop; discontinue; cease |
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| Exorcism | getting free/rid of; eliminating (especially demons) |
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| Impromptu | unrehearsed; spontaneous |
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| Lummox | clumsy person |
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| Ostentatious | showy |
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| Precocious | developing early |
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| Sanction | give approval to |
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| Turpitude | depravity |
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Group 5
| Amiable | friendly |
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| Cartographer | person who makes maps |
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| Despondent | having no hope; miserable |
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| Expatriate | refugee; emigrant; someone living away from his own country |
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| Inadvertent | not intentional |
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| Luscious | juicy; moist; succulent |
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| Oust | push out of a position |
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| Predecessor | one who came before |
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| Sanguinary | bloodthirsty; bloody |
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| Tyro | novice; beginner |
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Group 6
| Amity | friendship |
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| Castigate | scold strongly |
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| Destitution | hardship; poverty; misery |
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| Expedient | convenient; practical |
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| Incantation | chant; invocation; prayer |
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| Lynch | assassinate; kill; illegal hanging |
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| Overt | obvious; not hidden |
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| Predicament | dilemma; difficult situation |
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| Sanguine | optimistic; cheerful |
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| Ubiquitous | found everywhere; omnipresent |
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Group 7
| Amorphous | lacking in shape |
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| Catharsis | purging of pent-up emotions |
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| Deter | put off; prevent |
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| Expedite | make faster |
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| Incarceration | putting in prison |
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| Machinations | plots and plans |
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| Overwrought | worked up; in an emotional state |
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| Preeminent | famous; outstanding |
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| Sardonic | mocking |
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| Unalloyed | undiluted; total |
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Group 8
| Analgesic | medicine to combat pain |
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| Caucus | type of private political meeting |
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| Deteriorate | worsen; decline |
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| Exposition | clear explanation |
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| Incessant | without stopping |
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| Maelstrom | whirlpool; storm in the ocean |
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| Palatable | good to eat; agreeable |
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| Prerogative | right or privilege |
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| Savant | person with knowledge |
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| Unctuous | oily; using excessive flattery |
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Group 9
| Analogous | comparable |
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| Caustic | burning |
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| Detrimental | harmful |
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| Extol | praise |
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| Incipient | just beginning |
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| Magnanimous | generous; big-hearted |
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| Palisade | fence made of posts |
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| Prescient | having fore-knowledge |
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| Scale | to climb |
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| Undermined | damaged; attacked |
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Group 10
| Anarchy | chaos; lack of government |
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| Cavalcade | procession of vehicles |
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| Devoured | greedily eaten/consumed |
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| Extradite | deport from one country back to the home country |
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| Inclination | tendency; a leaning toward |
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| Magnate | powerful businessman |
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| Palliative | a remedy that improves but doesn't cure |
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| Presentiment | a feeling that something might happen |
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| Scapegoat | person on whom blame is placed for faults of others |
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| Underscore | emphasize |
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