Manhattan 500 Essential Words – GRE (Vocabulary)

ALACRITY
ABATE
(v.) reduce, diminish
ABDICATE
(v.) formally give up the throne (or some other power or
responsibility)
ABERRANT
(adj.) abnormal, deviant
ABHOR
(v.) detest, regard with disgust
ABJURE
(v.) give up, renounce; repudiate, recant, or shun (especially
formally or under oath)
ABRASIVE
(adj.) rough, suitable for grinding or polishing; causing irritation or
annoyance
ABRIDGE
(v.) reduce or lessen; shorten by omitting parts throughout while
retaining the main idea
ABSTAIN
(v.) hold back, refrain (especially from something bad or
unhealthy); decline to vote
ACME
(n.) summit, peak, highest point
ACTIVISM
(n.) the practice of pursuing political or other goals through
vigorous action, often including protests and demonstrations
ADHERE
(v.) stick (to), such as with glue, or to a plan or belief
ADMONISH
(v.) mildly scold; caution, advise, or remind to do something
ADVERSE
(adj.) opposing, harmful
ADVOCATE
(v., n.) speak or argue in favor of (v.); a person who pleads for a
cause or on behalf of another person (n.)
AESTHETIC
(adj., n.) concerning the appreciation of beauty or good taste,
pertaining to the science of what is beautiful (adj.); a sense of
beauty and taste of a particular time and place (n.)
AFFABLE
(adj.) warm and friendly, pleasant, approachable
AFFECTATION
(n.) fake behavior (such as in speech or dress) adopted to give a
certain impression
AGRANDIZE
(v.) make greater; exaggerate
AGGREGATE
(v., adj.) gather together, amount to (v.); constituting a whole made
up of constituent parts (adj.)
 AUDACIOUS
(n.) cheerful or speedy
willingness
ALIENATE AUGMENT
(v.) cause to become unfriendly, hostile, or distant
ALLEVIATE
(v.) lessen, make easier to endure
AMBIGUOUS
(adj.) unclear, hard to understand, open to having several meanings
or interpretations
AMBIVALENT
(adj.) uncertain; unable to decide, or wanting to do two
contradictory things at once
ANALOGOUS
(adj.) comparable, corresponding in some particular way (making a
good analogy)
ANARCHY
(n.) absence or law or government; chaos, disorder
ANOINT
(v.) rub or sprinkle oil on; make sacred, such as by ceremony that
includes applying oil to someone
ANOMALY
(n.) deviation from what is common; inconsistency
ANTAGONIZE
(v.) make hostile or unfriendly
APATHY
(n.) not caring; absence of feeling; lack of interest or concern
APOCRYPHAL
(adj.) of questionable authenticity; false
ARCANE
(adj.) known or understood by only a few; obscure, secret
ARCHAIC
(adj.) characteristic of an earlier period, ancient, primitive
ARDUOUS
(adj.) very difficult, strenuous; severe, hard to endure
ARTICULATE
(adj., v.) using language in a clear, fluent way (adj.); speak
distinctly or give clarity to an idea (v.)
ARTIFACT
(n.) any object made by humans, especially those from an earlier
ARTLESS time

(adj.) free or deceit or craftiness; lacking skill or knowledge, crude,

ASCERTAIN uncultured

ASCETIC (v.) find out with certainty

(adj., n.) abstinent or austere in lifestyle (adj.); a person who leads

an austere and simple life without material pleasures, especially
ASSUAGE someone who does this for religious reasons
(v.) make milder, relieve;
soothe, pacify, calm
CAPRICIOUS
(adj.) very bold or brave,
often in a rude or reckless CARTOGRAPHY
way; extremely original
CASTIGATE
(v.) make larger
AUSTERE CATALYZE
(adj.) severe in manner or appearance; very self-disciplined, ascetic;
without luxury or ease; sober or serious
AUTONOMOUS
(adj.) self-governing, independent
AVER
(v.) declare or affirm with confidence
AVID
(adj.) enthusiastic, dedicated, passionate; excessively desirous
BALK
(v.) refuse to proceed or to do something
BASE
(adj.) morally low, mean, dishonorable; of little or no value; crude
and unrefined; counterfeit
BELIE
(v.) contradict or misrepresent
BENIGN
(adj.) harmless; favorable; kindly, gentle, or beneficial; not
BOGUS cancerous

BOLSTER (adj.) fake, fraudulent

BOOR (v.) strengthen or support

(n.) rude, ill-mannered, or insensitive person; a peasant or country

BUFFER bumpkin

BUREAUCRACY (n.) something that shields, protects, absorbs shock, or cushions

(n.) a government characterized by many bureaus and petty

BURGEON administrators or by excessive, seemingly meaningless
requirements
BUTTRESS
(v.) grow or flourish rapidly; put forth buds or shoots (of a plant)

BYGONE (v., n.) support or encourage (v.); a support or prop, especially

when projecting from and supporting the wall of a building (n.)

CACOPHONY (adj., n.) past, former (adj.); that which is in the past (usually plural
noun)
CANDID
(n.) harsh, discordant, or meaningless mixture of sounds
CANONICAL
(adj.) open, sincere, honest
CONFER
(adj.) authorized, recognized;
pertaining to the canon, or CONNOISSEUR
body of accepted rules,
standards or artistic works
CONSOLE
(adj.) acting on impulse,
erratic
CONSOLIDATE
(n.) mapmaking
CONSTRICT
(v.) criticize severely; punish
in order to correct CONSTRUE

(n.) causer of change CONTENTIOUS

CAUSTIC
(adj.) capable of corroding metal or burning the skin; very critical
or sarcastic
CENSURE
(n., v.) strong disapproval or official reprimand (n.); to issue such
disapproval or reprimand (v.)
CHAUVINISM
(n.) fanatical patriotism or blind enthusiasm for military glory;
undue or biased devotion to any group, cause, etc.
CHRONOLOGICAL
(adj.) arranged in or relating to time order
CLAMOR
(v.) noisy uproar or protest, as from a crowd; a loud, continuous
CLINCH noise

COALESCE (v.) make final or settle conclusively; to fasten or hold together

COGENT (v.) come together, unite; fuse together

COMMENSURATE (adj.) very convincing, logical

COMPLACENT (adj.) the same in size, extent, etc., equivalent; proportional

(adj.) self-satisfied, smug; overly content (and therefore lazy,

COMPLEMENTARY neglectful, or some other bad quality)

COMPLIANT (adj.) completing; fitting together well; filling mutual needs

CONCEDE (adj.) obeying, submissive; following the requirements

CONCILIATORY (v.) give in, admit, yield; acknowledge reluctantly; grant or give up

CONCUR (adj.) reconciling, appeasing, attempting to make the peace

CONDONE (v.) approve, agree

(v.) overlook, tolerate, regard
as harmless

(v.) consult, compare views;

bestow or give

(n.) expert, especially in the

fine arts; person of educated,
refined tastes

(v., n.) lessen the suffering or

grief of (v.); a control panel,
or small table or cabinet (n.)

(v.) unite, combine, solidify,

make coherent

(v.) squeeze, compress;

restrict the freedom of

(v.) interpret or translate

(adj.) controversial; prone to

causing arguments, especially
gratuitous or pretty ones
CONTEXTUALIZE
(v.) place in context, such as by giving the background or
circumstances
CONUNDRUM
(n.) riddle, the answer to which involves a play on words; any
CONVERGE mystery

CONVERSANT (v.) move towards one another or towards a point; unite

CONVERSELY (adj.) knowledgeable about or experienced with

CONVOLUTED (adv.) in an opposite way; on the other hand

COPIOUS (adj.) twisted; very complicated

CORROBORATE (adj.) plentiful, bountiful

COSMOPOLITAN (v.) support, add evidence to

(adj.) belonging to the entire world; at home globally; free from

COUNTENANCE local or national prejudices or attachments

COUNTERINTUITIVE (n., v.) facial expression or face (n.); approve or tolerate (v.)

COUNTERPOINT (adj.) against what one would intuitively expect

(n.) contrasting item,
opposite; a complement; the
use of contrast or interplay in
a work of art