Words Meanings as tested on GRE
improvise Meaning 1: create and
perform (music, drama, or
verse) spontaneously or
without preparation.
Meaning 2: produce or make
(something) from whatever is
available.
prophetic accurately describing or
predicting what will happen in
the future.
monotonous dull, tedious, and repetitious;
lacking in variety and interest.
activism the policy or action of using
vigorous campaigning to bring
about political or social
change.
apathy lack of interest, enthusiasm, or
concern.
affable friendly, good-natured, or easy
to talk to.
indifferent having no particular interest or
sympathy; unconcerned.
unqualified without reservation or
limitation; total.
qualify Limit the scope of a statement;
add reservations to an
assertion
unresolved (of a person) uncertain of what
to think or do.
incongruous not in harmony or keeping
with the surroundings or other
aspects of something.
equitable fair and impartial.
fortuitous happening by a lucky chance;
fortunate.
reverence deep respect for someone or
something.
fastidious very attentive to and
concerned about accuracy and
detail.
didactic intended to teach, particularly
in having moral instruction as
an ulterior motive.
iconoclast a person who attacks
cherished beliefs or
institutions.
Context
Context 1: "he was improvising to a backing of
guitar chords"
Context 2: "I improvised a costume for myself out
of an old blue dress"
"his warnings proved prophetic"
"the statistics that he quotes with monotonous
regularity"
"growing activism on the abortion issue in the US"
"widespread apathy among students"
"an affable and agreeable companion"
"most workers were indifferent to foreign affairs"
"the experiment was not an unqualified success"
"she felt obliged to qualify her enthusiastic support
of the politician"
"the jury remained unresolved regarding the
plaintiff"
"the duffel coat looked incongruous with the black
dress she wore underneath"
"an equitable balance of power"
"from a cash standpoint, the company's timing is
fortuitous"
"rituals showed honor and reverence for the dead"
"he chooses his words with fastidious care"
"a didactic novel that set out to expose social
injustice"
Because Jared was an iconoclast and dared to
question the company's mission, he was fired from
his job.
polemical relating to or involving strongly "a polemical essay"
critical, controversial, or
disputatious writing or speech.
dissimilar not alike; different. "a collection of dissimilar nations lacking overall
homogeneity"
disseminate spread (something, especially "health authorities should foster good practice by
information) widely. disseminating information"
capricious given to sudden and "it's terrible to feel our livelihood hinges on a
unaccountable changes of capricious boss"
mood or behavior.
corroborate confirm or give support to (a "the witness had corroborated the boy's account of
statement, theory, or finding). the attack"
debunk expose the falseness or "the magazine that debunks claims of the
hollowness of (a myth, idea, or paranormal"
belief).
bogus not genuine or true; fake. "a bogus insurance claim"
exacting making great demands on "the professor had such exacting standards for the
one's skill, attention, or other students to follow"
resources.
copious abundant in supply or "she took copious notes"
quantity.
acerbic (especially of a comment or "his acerbic wit"
style of speaking) sharp and
forthright.
scathing witheringly scornful; severely “scathing remarks by the manager”
critical.
meticulous showing great attention to "he had always been so meticulous about his
detail; very careful and appearance"
precise.
stingy unwilling to give or spend; "his employer is stingy and idle"
ungenerous.
diffident modest or shy because of a "a diffident youth"
lack of self-confidence.
frugal sparing or economical with "he led a remarkably frugal existence"
regard to money or food.
illiberal Meaning 1: opposed to liberal
principles; restricting freedom
of thought or behavior.
Meaning 2: not generous;
mean.
thrifty (of a person or their behavior) "he had been brought up to be thrifty and careful"
using money and other
resources carefully and not
wastefully.
inconsequential not important or significant. "they talked about inconsequential things"
involved difficult to comprehend; "a long, involved conversation"
complicated.
disinterested having or feeling no interest in
something.
belie (of an appearance) fail to give
a true notion or impression of
(something); disguise or
contradict.
frivolous not having any serious purpose
or value.
impenetrable impossible to understand.
prolix (of speech or writing) using or
containing too many words;
tediously lengthy.
austere having an extremely plain and
simple style or appearance;
unadorned.
prodigal spending money or resources
freely and recklessly;
wastefully extravagant.
taciturn (of a person) reserved or
uncommunicative in speech;
saying little.
voluble lengthy speech, long-winded.
(often unnecessarily)
pellucid lucid in style or meaning; easily
understood.
eclipse deprive (someone or
something) of significance,
power, or prominence.
bolster support or strengthen; prop
up.
intrinsic essential.
peripheral of secondary or minor
importance; marginal.
complementary combining in such a way as to
enhance or support each
other.
rumination a deep or considered thought
about something.
prosaic commonplace, ordinary,
boring, dull
hackneyed (of a phrase or idea) lacking
significance through having
been overused; unoriginal,
boring, dull and trite.
aloof not friendly or forthcoming;
cool and distant.
"her father was so disinterested in her progress
that he only visited the school once"
"his lively, alert manner belied his age"
"rules to stop frivolous lawsuits"
"her expression was impenetrable"
"he found the narrative too prolix and discursive"
"the cathedral is impressive in its austere
simplicity"
"prodigal habits die hard"
"after such gatherings she would be taciturn and
morose"
"a voluble game-show host"
"he writes, as always, in pellucid prose"
"the state of the economy has eclipsed the
environment as the main issue"
"the fall in interest rates is starting to bolster
confidence"
"access to the arts is intrinsic to a high quality of
life"
"she will see their problems as peripheral to her
own"
"three guitarists playing interlocking,
complementary parts"
"philosophical ruminations about life and
humanity"
"the masses were too preoccupied by prosaic day-
to-day concerns"
"hackneyed old sayings"
"they were courteous but faintly aloof"
placid (especially of a place or stretch "the placid waters of a small lake"
of water) calm and peaceful,
with little movement or
activity.
restive (of a person) unable to keep "the crowd had been waiting for hours and many
still or silent and becoming were becoming restive"
increasingly difficult to control,
especially because of
impatience, dissatisfaction, or
boredom.
skittish (of a person) unable to keep "a skittish chestnut mare"
still or silent and becoming
increasingly difficult to control,
especially because of
impatience, dissatisfaction, or
boredom.
tranquil free from disturbance; calm. "her tranquil gaze"
vociferous (especially of a person or "he was a vociferous opponent of the takeover"
speech) vehement or
clamorous, loud and noisy.
circumscribe restrict (something) within "their movements were strictly monitored and
limits. circumscribed"
indecorous not in keeping with good taste "an indecorous debate"
and propriety; improper,
lacking manners
unseemly not in keeping with good taste "an unseemly squabble"
and propriety; improper,
lacking manners
anachronistic belonging or appropriate to an "she is rebelling against the anachronistic morality
earlier period, especially so as of her parents"
to seem conspicuously old-
fashioned.
emulate match or surpass (a person or "lesser men trying to emulate his greatness"
achievement), typically by
imitation.
alienate cause (someone) to feel "an urban environment that would alienate its
isolated or estranged. inhabitants"
exotic attractive or striking because "there was a touch of the exotic in her appearance"
colorful or out of the ordinary.
dogmatic inclined to lay down principles "he gives his opinion without trying to be
as incontrovertibly true, dogmatic"
opinionated.
stigma a mark of disgrace associated "the stigma of having gone to prison will always be
with a particular circumstance, with me"
quality, or person.
lionize give a lot of public attention "modern athletes are lionized"
and approval to (someone);
treat as a celebrity.
marginalize treat (a person, group, or "attempts to marginalize those who disagree"
concept) as insignificant or
peripheral.
foreground the most prominent or "whenever books are chosen for children, meaning
important position or should always be in the foreground"
situation.
transcend surpass (a person or "he doubts that he will ever transcend
achievement). Shakespeare"
obscure not discovered or known "his origins and parentage are obscure"
about; uncertain; difficult to
understand
caprice a sudden and unaccountable "the caprices of the electorate"
change of mood or behavior.
aesthetic concerned with beauty or the "the pictures give great aesthetic pleasure"
appreciation of beauty.
demur raise doubts or objections or "normally she would have accepted the challenge,
show reluctance. but she demurred"
schism a split or division between "the widening schism between Church leaders and
strongly opposed sections or politicians"
parties, caused by differences
in opinion or belief.
syntactical in a way that relates to the
grammatical arrangement of
words in a sentence
sartorial relating to tailoring, clothes, or "sartorial elegance"
style of dress.
panache flamboyant confidence of style "he entertained Palm Springs society with great
or manner. panache"
gawky nervously awkward and "a gawky teenager"
ungainly.
quixotic exceedingly idealistic; "a vast and perhaps quixotic project"
unrealistic and impractical.
brandish wave or flourish (something,
especially a weapon) as a "a man leaped out brandishing a knife"
threat or in anger or
excitement, openly disregard
(a rule, law or convention).
flout openly disregard (a rule, law or "these same companies still flout basic ethical
convention). practices"
cynic a person who believes that "some cynics thought that the controversy was all a
people are motivated purely publicity stunt"
by self-interest rather than
acting for honorable or
unselfish reasons.
pragmatic dealing with things sensibly
and realistically in a way that is
based on practical rather than
theoretical considerations.
profound (of a state, quality, or emotion)
very great or intense.
innocuous not harmful or offensive.
benign gentle and kindly, not harmful
antedated precede in time; come before
(something) in date.
cloaked hide, cover, or disguise
(something).
preceded come before in order or
position.
commonplace not unusual; ordinary.
disparate essentially different in kind;
not allowing comparison.
divergent tending to be different or
develop in different directions.
trite (of a remark, opinion, or idea)
overused and consequently of
little import; lacking originality
or freshness.
trivial of little value or importance.
arbitrary based on random choice or
personal whim, rather than
any reason or system.
elated ecstatically happy.
"profound feelings of disquiet"
"it was an innocuous question"
"his benign but firm manner"
"a civilization that antedated the Roman Empire"
"the horror of war was cloaked in the trappings of
chivalry"
"take time to read the chapters that precede the
recipes"
"unemployment was commonplace in his
profession"
"they inhabit disparate worlds of thought"
"divergent interpretations"
"this point may now seem obvious and trite"
"huge fines were imposed for trivial offenses"
"his mealtimes were entirely arbitrary"
"after the concert, I felt elated"