Prepare for the GRE with these flashcard questions and answers. This comprehensive guide covers verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and essential concepts.
Q: abandon
Answer: complete lack of inhibition or restraint
Q: abrasive
Answer: showing little concern for the feelings of others; harsh
Q: abreast
Answer: up to date with the latest news, ideas, or information
Q: abridge
Answer: shorten (a piece of writing) without losing the sense
Q: abstruse
Answer: difficult to understand; obscure
Q: accentuate
Answer: to make (something) more prominent or noticeable
Q: accord
Answer: an official agreement or treaty
Q: acerbic
Answer: sharply or bitingly critical, sarcastic, or ironic in temper, mood, or tone
Q: acquisitive
Answer: excessively interested in acquiring money or material things
Q: activism
Answer: the policy or action of using vigorous campaigning to bring about political or social change
Q: acumen
Answer: superior insight; quickness and shrewdness of judgement, especially in practical matters
Q: acute
Answer: present or experience to a severe or intense degree
Q: acute
Answer: having or showing a perceptive understanding or insight; shrewd
Q: adroit
Answer: clever or skillful in using the hands or mind
Q: adulation
Answer: obsequious flattery; excessive admiration or praise
Q: aesthetic
Answer: concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty
Q: affable
Answer: friendly, good-natured, or easy to talk to
Q: affectation
Answer: behavior, speech, or writing that is artificial and designed to impress
Q: aghast
Answer: filled with horror or shock
Q: alacrity
Answer: brisk and cheerful readiness
Q: alienate
Answer: cause (someone) to feel isolated or estranged
Q: aloof
Answer: conspicuously uninvolved and uninterested, typically through distaste
Q: ambiguity
Answer: the quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness
Q: ambivalent
Answer: having mixed feelings or contradictory idea about something or someone
Q: ameliorate
Answer: make (something bad or unsatisfactory) better, improve
Q: amiable
Answer: having or displaying a friendly and pleasant manner
Q: amuse
Answer: cause (someone) to find something funny; entertain
Q: anachronism
Answer: belonging to a period other than being portrayed
Q: antagonistic
Answer: showing or feeling active opposition or hostility toward someone or something
Q: antedate
Answer: precede in time; come before (something) in date
Q: antiquity
Answer: the ancient past, especially the period before the middle ages
Q: antithesis
Answer: a contrast or opposition between two things
Q: apathy
Answer: lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concer
Q: aplomb
Answer: complete and confident composure or self-assurance
Q: apologist
Answer: a person who offers an argument in defense of something controversial
Q: apposite
Answer: apt in the circumstances on in relation to something
Q: appropriate
Answer: take (something) for one’s own use, typically without owner’s permission
Q: arbitrary
Answer: based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any system or system
Q: arcane
Answer: understood by few; mysterious or secret
Q: arduous
Answer: involving or requiring strenuous effort; difficult and tiring
Q: articulate
Answer: (of a person or a person’s words) having or showing the ability to speak fluently and coherently
Q: assertive
Answer: having or showing a confident and forceful personality
Q: assiduous
Answer: showing great care and perserverance
Q: astonish
Answer: surprise or impress (someone) greatly
Q: astound
Answer: shock or greatly surprise
Q: attainment
Answer: a thing achieved, especially a skill or educational achievement
Q: attribute
Answer: regard something as being caused by (someone or something)
Q: augment
Answer: make (something) greater by adding to it; increase
Q: austerity
Answer: extreme plainness and simplicity of style or appearance
Q: aversion
Answer: a strong dislike or disinclination
Q: banal
Answer: so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring
Q: banish
Answer: send (someone) away from a country or place as an official punishment
Q: bearing
Answer: relation; relevance
Q: befriend
Answer: act as a friend to (someone) y offering help or support
Q: beguile
Answer: charm or enchant (someone), sometimes in a deceptive way
Q: beguile
Answer: trick (someone) into doing something
Q: beguile
Answer: help (time) pass pleasantly
Q: beholden
Answer: owing thanks or having a duty to someone in return for help or a service
Q: belie
Answer: (of an appearance) fail to give a true notion or impression of (something); disguise or contradict
Q: bemuse
Answer: puzzle, confused, or bewilder (someone)
Q: benign
Answer: harmless, kind, gentle
Q: betray
Answer: unintentionally reveal; be evidence of
Q: bias
Answer: prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair
Q: blemish
Answer: spoil the appearance of (something) that is otherwise aesthetically perfect
Q: blight
Answer: have a severely detrimental effect on
Q: blithe
Answer: showing a casual and cheerful indifference considered to the callous or improper
Q: blunt
Answer: (of a person or remark) uncompromisingly forthright
Q: bogu
Answer: not genuine or true; fake
Q: bolster
Answer: support or strengthen; prop up
Q: boon
Answer: a thing that is helpful or beneficial
Q: braggart
Answer: a person who boasts about achievements or possessions
Q: brandish
Answer: wave or flourish (something, especially a weapon) as a threat or in anger or excitement
Q: brazen
Answer: bold and without shame. endure an embarrassing or difficult situation by behaving with apparent confidence and lack of shame
Q: brevity
Answer: concise and exact use of words in writing or speech
Q: bridle
Answer: bring (something) under control; curb
Q: bucolic
Answer: relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life
Q: buoyancy
Answer: an optimistic and cheerful dispotiion
Q: calamitous
Answer: involving calamity; catastrophic or disastrous
Q: callous
Answer: feeling or showing no sympathy for others
Q: calumny
Answer: a false and slanderous statement
Q: canny
Answer: having or showing shrewdness and good judgement, especially in money or business matters
Q: canonize
Answer: treat or regard as being above reproach or of great significance
Q: caprice
Answer: a sudden and unaccountable change of mood or behavior
Q: catastrophe
Answer: an event causing great and often sudden damage or suffering; a disaster
Q: cerebreal
Answer: intellectual rather than emotional or physical
Q: check
Answer: stop or slow down the progress of (something undesirable)
Q: cherish
Answer: protect and care for (someone) lovingly
Q: circumscribe
Answer: restrict (something) within limits
Q: circumstantial
Answer: pointing indirectly toward someone’s guilt but not conclusively proving it
Q: clangor
Answer: a continuous loud banging or ringing sound
Q: clearheaded
Answer: alert and thinking logically and coherently
Q: clerical
Answer: (of a job or person) concerned with or relating to work in an office, especially routine documentation and administrative tasks
Q: clerical
Answer: relating to the clergy
Q: cloak
Answer: hide, cover, or disguise (something)
Q: clumsy
Answer: done awkwardly or without skill or elegance
Q: coalesce
Answer: come together to form one mass or whole
Q: cogent
Answer: (of an argument or case) clear, logical, and convincing
Q: coherent
Answer: (of an argument, theory, or policy) logical and consistent
Q: collusion
Answer: secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy, especially in order to cheat or deceive others
Q: commensurate
Answer: corresponding in size and degree; in proportion