Difficult GRE Words
Group 2
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Difficult GRE Words (Group 2)
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avuncular
axiom
azure
bacchanalian
badinage
bailiff
baleful
bang
barbarous
batter
bead
beamline
beatific
beatitude
bedeck
beforehand
beget
beguile
behemoth
beleaguer
bellicose
benediction
besiege
bevy
bilious
bitumen
blare
blaze
bleak
blench
blindside
blithe
boisterous
bolster
bombastic
bonny
booth
boson
botnet
bounteous
bounty
bovine
breach
bridle
brimful
brindled
broil
brood
bucolic
bulwark
burgeon
burnish
bursary
buttress
buxom
bygone
cactus
cadaverous
cajole
callow
calumny
canister
canker
cannibalize
cantankerous
cantata
capacious
caper
capitalize
capitulate
capsize
captious
captivate
captivity
carapace
cardiovascular
careen
caribou
carnage
cartel
cartographer
castigate
cataclysm
catapult
cataract
categorical
caulk
cavil
cede
celerity
censorious
centrifugal
centripetal
cerebral
cerebration
cession
chagrin
chary
chasten
chastise
chicanery
chide
chimerical
choleric
chortle
christening
chug
churlish
circa
circuitous
circumlocution
circumscribe
circumspect
cistern
clamorous
clamour
clan
cloister
cloying
coagulate
coalesce
coffer
cogency
cogent
cogitate
cognate
colander
collate
collateral
commentariat
commodious
complaisant
compunction
computation
concave
conceit
concoct
concomitant
concubine
concurrent
condescension
condole
conduit
confetti
conflagration
congregate
congruent
congruity
conifer
conscientious
Word and Definition List
avuncular
a. in manner of uncle, pertaining to uncle; kind, genial, benevolent or tolerant
axiom
n. self-evident truth requiring no proofazure
a. sky blue; light purplish-bluebacchanalian
a. drunken; relating to reveling and drunkennessbadinage
n. teasing conversation; good-humored, playful conversationbailiff
n. legal officer to whom some degree of authoritybaleful
a. portending evil; harmful in intent or effect.bang
n. sudden loud noise, as of an explosion; sudden loud blow or bump; sudden burst of actionbarbarous
a. being in the state of a barbarian; uncivilized; rudebatter
v. hit heavily and repeatedly with violent blowsbead
n. small, often round piece of material, such as glass, plastic, or wood, that is pierced for stringing or threadingbeamline
n. line traveled by a particle beam in an acceleratorbeatific
a. completely happy and contented; showing or producing exalted joybeatitude
n. blessedness; state of extreme happinessbedeck
v. adorn or ornament in a showy fashionbeforehand
ad. in advance; early; at an earlier or preceding timebeget
v. produce; give rise tobeguile
v. mislead; delude; deceive by guilebehemoth
n. something enormous in size or powerbeleaguer
v. besiege or attack; harass; surround with troopsbellicose
a. warlike or hostile in manner or temperament; showing or having impulse to be combativebenediction
n. blessing; invocation of divine blessing; expression of good wishesbesiege
v. surround with hostile forces; crowd around; cause to feel distressed or worriedbevy
n. large group; a group of animals or birds, especially larks or quailbilious
a. suffering from indigestion; appearing as if affected by disorder; sicklybitumen
n. any of various naturally occurring impure mixtures of hydrocarbonsblare
n. loud, harsh roar or screech; dazzling blaze of lightblaze
n. brilliant burst of fire; flamebleak
a. depressing, sombre, coldblench
v. draw back, from lack of courage or resolution; turn pale, as if in fearblindside
v. to take by surpriseblithe
a. gay; joyous; carefree and lightheartedboisterous
a. rough and stormy; loud, noisy, and lacking in restraint or disciplinebolster
v. support or prop up with or as if with a long narrow pillow or cushionbombastic
a. pompous; using inflated language; high-sounding but with little meaningbonny
a. handsome; beautiful; pretty; attractively lively and gracefulbooth
n. small enclosed compartment with a window, used to separate the occupant from others; small stall for the display and sale of goodsboson
n. any particle that obeys Bose-Einstein statistics but not the Pauli exclusion principlebotnet
n. a collection of compromised computers that is slowly built up then unleashed as a DDOS attack or used to send very large quantities of spambounteous
a. liberal in charity; disposed to give freely; generously liberal; beneficent; free in bestowing giftsbounty
n. liberality in giving; something that is given liberally; goodness, kindnessbovine
a. dull, slow-moving, and stolid, like an ox; placid and dullbreach
n. an opening or tear; breaking of waves; a gap or riftbridle
n. headgear with which a horse is directed and which carries a bit and reinsbrimful
a. full to the brim; completely full; ready to overflowbrindled
a. of brownish, tawny colour, with streaks, spots, or patternsbroil
v. cook by direct exposure to heat over fire; subject to great heat; be subjected to the action of heat; be greatly heatedbrood
n. children in one family; young of certain animalsbucolic
a. rustic; pastoral; agricultural; relating to country affairs, or to shepherd's life and occupationbulwark
n. earthwork or other strong defense; person who defendsburgeon
v. to develop or grow rapidlyburnish
v. make shiny by rubbing; polishbursary
n. treasury, especially of a public institution or religious order; scholarship granted to a university student in needbuttress
v. support physically; prop up; support something or someone by supplying evidencebuxom
a. healthily plump and ample of figure; full-bosomed; vigorous; jollybygone
a. past; gone bycactus
n. any of various succulent, spiny, usually leafless plants native mostly to arid regionscadaverous
a. like corpse; pale; Having appearance or color of dead human bodycajole
v. influence or urge by gentle urging or flatteringcallow
a. youthful; immature; inexperienced; without featherscalumny
n. false statement maliciously made to injure another's reputation; slandercanister
n. small box or case for tea, coffee, etccanker
n. corroding or sloughing ulcer; anything which corrodes, corrupts, or destroy; disease incident to trees, causing the bark to rot and fall offcannibalize
v. remove parts of machine for use in other similar machines; consume another of one's own type or kindcantankerous
a. ill humored; irritable; marked by ill-tempered contradiction or opposition; ugly; maliciouscantata
n. story or poem set to music that can be sung by choruscapacious
a. capable of containing a large quantity; spacious or roomycaper
n. crime, especially theft, or a narrative about such a crimecapitalize
v. to use something to one's benefit for advantagecapitulate
v. surrender; end all resistance; give up; go along with or complycapsize
v. overturn or cause to overturn; turn over or upsetcaptious
a. intended to confuse in an argumentcaptivate
v. charm; enthrall; seize by force, as an enemy in war, or anything belonging to enemycaptivity
n. state or period of being imprisoned, confined, or enslavedcarapace
n. hard outer covering or case of certain organisms such as arthropods and turtlescardiovascular
a. of, relating to, or involving the heart and the blood vesselscareen
v. lean to one side, as a ship under press of sail; sway from side to sidecaribou
n. large reindeer native to northern North Americacarnage
n. massive slaughter, as in war; massacre; corpses, especially of those killed in battlecartel
n. a combination of independent business organizations formed to regulate production, pricing, and marketing of goods by the memberscartographer
n. one who makes maps or chartscastigate
v. criticize severely; punish; revise or make corrections to publicationcataclysm
n. an event resulting in great loss and misfortune; deluge or overflowing of watercatapult
v. increase the status of something rapidly; shoot forth or launchcataract
n. disease of the eye causing its opacity and, unless treated, leading to blindnesscategorical
a. absolute; having no exception; of using category or categoriescaulk
v. make watertight by filling in crackscavil
v. criticise for petty or frivolous reasons; raise trivial objectionscede
v. yield or formally resign and surrender to anothercelerity
n. swiftness of action or motion; speedcensorious
a. critical; addicted to censure; severe in making remarks on others, or on their writings or manners; implying or expressing censurecentrifugal
a. radiating; departing from the centercentripetal
a. tending toward center; moving or directed toward center or axiscerebral
a. intellectual rather than emotionalcerebration
n. act of cerebrating; thinking, mental activitycession
n. yielding to another; ceding or surrenderingchagrin
n. anxiety caused by humiliation or injured pride; disappointmentchary
a. cautious; sparing or restrained about givingchasten
v. rid of excess; refine or purify; correct by punishment or reproofchastise
v. punish, as by beating; criticize severely; rebukechicanery
n. mean or unfair artifice to obscure truth; deception by trickery or sophistrychide
v. scold mildly so as to correct or improve; express disapprovalchimerical
a. fantastically improbable; highly unrealistic; imaginativecholeric
a. hot-tempered; easily angered; bad-tempered; expressing angerchortle
v. chuckle with delight; joyful laugh or chuckle; laugh quietly or with restraintchristening
n. a Christian ceremony involving baptizing and naming an infantchug
v. dull explosive sound, usually short and repeated, made by or as if by a laboring enginechurlish
a. difficult to work with; rude; unyielding; unmanageablecirca
ad. approximately, about; commonly abbreviated ca. -- used especially before dates and numerical measures.circuitous
a. being or taking a roundabout, lengthy course; going round in a circuit; not directcircumlocution
n. indirect or roundabout expression; evasion in speech or writingcircumscribe
v. limit narrowly; confine; draw a line around; encirclecircumspect
a. carefully aware of all circumstances; cautiouscistern
n. reservoir or water tank; vessel to hold water for household usesclamorous
a. speaking and repeating loud words; full of clamor; calling or demanding loudly or urgently; vociferous; noisy; bawling; loudclamour
a. loud outcry; loud sustained noiseclan
n. a large group of relatives, friends, or associates; a traditional social unit, consisting of a number of families claiming a common ancestorcloister
n. place, especially a monastery or convent, devoted to religious seclusion; secluded, quiet placecloying
a. distasteful because excessive; excessively sweet or sentimentalcoagulate
v. cause transformation of liquid into or as if into soft, semisolid, or solid masscoalesce
v. combine; fuse; grow together; come together so as to form one whole; unitecoffer
n. casket, chest, or trunk, especially, one used for keeping money or other valuablescogency
n. power of proving or of producing belief; quality of being highly probable or convincing; force; credibilitycogent
a. reasonable and convincing; based on evidence; forcefully persuasivecogitate
v. think earnestly or studiously; meditate; ponder; think deeplycognate
a. related by blood; having common ancestor; related or analogous in nature, character, or functioncolander
n. bowl-shaped strainer, used to wash or drain foodscollate
v. to assemble something in a logical sequencecollateral
n. guarantee, usually in the form of an asset, for the repayment of a loan if one cannot procure enough funds to repaycommentariat
n. all commentators of the news media collectivelycommodious
a. spacious and comfortable; fit; proper; convenientcomplaisant
a. trying to please; showing cheerful willingness to do favors for otherscompunction
n. feeling of deep regret; strong uneasiness caused by a sense of guiltcomputation
n. calculationconcave
a. hollow; curved like inner surface of sphereconceit
n. overly high self-esteem; feelings of excessive prideconcoct
v. prepare by mixing ingredients, as in cooking; devise, using skill and intelligenceconcomitant
a. in conjunction with; accompanying; associated withconcubine
n. in certain societies, such as imperial China, a woman contracted to a man as a secondary wife, often having few legal rights and low social statusconcurrent
a. simultaneous; coincident; occurring or operating at the same timecondescension
n. act of condescending; voluntary descent from one's rank or dignity in intercourse with an inferior; courtesy toward inferiorscondole
v. grieve; express sympathy; speak sympathetically to one in pain, grief, or misfortuneconduit
n. pipe or channel for conveying fluids; tube for enclosing electric wires or cableconfetti
n. small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasionsconflagration
n. large destructive firecongregate
v. assemble; convene; gathercongruent
a. possessing congruity; suitable; agreeing; correspondingcongruity
n. relation or agreement between things; fitness; harmony; correspondence; consistency.conifer
n. any gymnospermous tree or shrub bearing conesconscientious
a. thorough, careful, or vigilant; implies a desire to do a task well; characterized by extreme care and great effort