Princeton Review GRE - Key Terms Group 1
inured (adj)
accustomed to accepting something undesirable
synthesize (verb)
act of combining parts to make a whole (verb form)
precipitate (adj)
acting with excessive haste or impulse
perspicacious (adj)
acutely perceptive; having keen discernment (adj form)
perspicacity (noun)
acutely perceptive; having keen discernment (noun form)
canon (noun)
an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature (noun form)
approbation (noun)
an expression of approval or praise
connoisseur (noun)
an informed and astute judge in matters of taste; expert
ingenuous (adj)
artless, frank and candid; lacking in sophistication
martial (adj)
associated with war and the armed forces
sordid (adj)
characterized by filth, grime, or squalor; foul
lucid (adj)
clear; easily understood
nascent (adj)
coming into being; in early development stages
convoluted (adj)
complex or complicated
solicitous (adj)
concerned and attentive; eager
discordant (adj)
conflicting; dissonant or harsh in sound
perfunctory (adj)
cursory; done without care or interest
audacious (adj)
daring and fearless; recklessly bold (adj form)
audacity (noun)
daringness and fearlessness; reckless boldness (noun form)
aberrant (adj)
deviating from the norm (adj form)
anomalous (adj)
deviating from the normal order, form, or rule; abnormal (adj form)
aberration (noun)
deviation from the norm (noun form)
anomaly (noun)
deviation from the normal order, form, or rule; abnormality (noun form)
ennui (noun)
dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy
alacrity (noun)
eager and enthusiastic willingness
irascible (adj)
easily angered; prone to temperamental outbursts
laudatory (adj)
praised highly (adj form)
reticent (adj)
quiet; reserved; reluctant to express thoughts and feelings
perennial (adj)
recurrent through the year or many years; happening repeatedly
arduous (adj)
strenuous, taxing; requiring significant effort
axiomatic (adj)
taken as a given; possessing self-evident truth (adj form)
axiom (noun)
taken as a given; possessing self-evident truth (noun form)
synthesis (noun)
the combination of parts to make a whole (noun form)
austerity (noun)
without adornment; bare; severely simple; ascetic (noun form)
extemporaneous (adj)
improvised; done without permission
capricious (adj)
inclined to change one's mind impulsively; erratic, unpredictable
torque (noun)
a force that causes rotation
parody (noun)
a humorous imitation intended for ridicule or comic effect, esp in literature and art
neologism (noun)
a new word, expression, or usage; the creation or use of new words or senses
predilection (noun)
a predisposition in favor of something
paean (noun)
a song or hymn of praise and thanksgiving
exculpate (verb)
exonerate; to clear of blame
effrontery (noun)
extreme boldness; presumptuousness
virulent (adj)
extremely harmful or poisonous; bitterly hostile or antagonistic
truculent (adj)
fierce and cruel; eager to fight
canonical (adj)
following or in agreement with accepted traditional standards (adj form)
prescience (noun)
foreknowledge of events; knowing of events prior to their occurring (noun form)
disparate (adj)
fundamentally distinct or dissimilar
magnanimous (adj)
generously noble in mind and heart, esp in forgiving (adj form)
noxious (adj)
harmful, injurious
voracious (adj)
having an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit; ravenous
prescient (adj)
having foreknowledge of events; knowing of events prior to their occurring (adj form)
perfidious (adj)
intentional breach of faith; treacherous (adj form)
perfidy (noun)
intentional breach of faith; treachery (noun form)
filibuster (noun)
intentional obstruction, exp using prolonged speechmaking to delay legislative action
obtuse (adj)
lacking sharpness of intellect; not clear or precise in thought or expression
qualms (noun)
misgivings; reservations; causes for hesitancy
static (adj)
not moving, active, or in motion; at rest
sporadic (adj)
occurring only occasionally, or in scattered instances
mundane (adj)
of the world; typical of or concerned with the ordinary
magnanimity (noun)
the quality of being generously noble in mind and heart, esp in forgiving (noun form)
obviate (verb)
to anticipate and make unnecessary
prattle (verb)
to babble meaninglessly; to talk in an empty and idle manner
stymie (verb)
to block; to thwart
precipitate (verb)
to cause to happen before anticipated or required
censure (verb)
to criticize severely; too officially rebuke
prevaricate (verb)
to deliberately avoid the truth; to mislead
abscond (verb)
to depart clandestinely; to steal off and hide
refute (verb)
to disprove; to successfully argue against
assuage (verb)
to ease or lessen; to appease or pacify
relegate (verb)
to forcibly assign, exp to lower a place or position
fulminate (verb)
to loudly attack or denounce
waver (verb)
to move to and fro; to sway; to be unsettled in opinion
laud (verb)
to praise highly (verb form)
recant (verb)
to retract, exp a previously held belief
stupefy (verb)
to stun, baffle, or amaze
disabuse (verb)
to undeceive; to set right
equivocal (adj)
to use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent (adj form)
equivocate (verb)
to use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent (verb form)
squander (verb)
to waste by spending or using irresponsibly
enervate (verb)
to weaken; to reduce in vitality
chicanery (noun)
trickery or subterfuge
onerous (adj)
troubling; burdensome
veracity (noun)
truthfulness, honesty
exigent (adj)
urgent, pressing; requiring immediate action or attention
nebulous (adj)
vague cloudy; lacking clearly defined form
erudite (adj)
very learned; scholarly (adj form)
erudition (noun)
very learned; scholarly (noun form)
eloquent (adj)
well-spoken, expressive, articulate (noun form: eloquence)
tortuous (adj)
winding, twisting; excessively complicated
austere (adj)
without adornment; bare; severely simple; ascetic (adj form)