Vocabulary  for  GRE

Word Primary Meaning/S Usage Example Add To My List

Abrade wear awayThe long drawn-out war abraded the army's morale and ultimately led to its dismal surrender.

Acquit to free from obligation The judge had to acquit the culprit in the case because there was no substantial evidence available to prove his role in the crime.

Attend to care for or bepresent at

1. Since the receptionist was attending to some phone call, she asked me to sit and wait for a while.2. All those who attended the function were given gifts by the host.

Bestial coarse or savage The bestial treatment meted out to our PoWs by the Pak government is in sharp contrast to the humane and dignified way India has handled such issues in the past.

Blurt to speak suddenlyIt was upon persistent questioning by the police inspector that he blurted out the truth regarding the gang.

Considerate compassionate,sympathetic,

thoughtful

The superstar is reputed to have a very considerate attitude towards newcomers; in all likelihood you will get some help from him.

Conspire to act together insecret, plot, intrigue

It was alleged that the five party members had conspired to liquidate their staunch political opponent to clear the way for their favourite in elections.

Courier messengerYou may please send your reply through the courier who

is bringing you this letter.

Credence believabilityYou need not attach any credence to what he says because he is always spreading one of his false rumours.

Cumulative accumulatedOne's present position in life is a cumulative product of all that has happened to her in the past.

Deadlock stalemate, point whereno progress is

possible

The talks between the NSCN and the government have reached a deadlock due to the uncompromising stand taken by both the parties.

Decline to sink or lessen 1. Though the inflation level was quite high last year, it has declined a bit this year.2. The Agriculture Minister declined to comment on the law and order situation in the country because it did not fall under his ministry.

Exhortation an encouragingspeech

The Principal's exhortation to their newly-admitted students to work single-mindedly towards their goal had a lasting impact on their minds.

Exploit to use immorally 1. The rich should not exploit the poor economically in the name of capitalism2. So far, India has been unable to exploit its natural beauty for the purpose of attracting more foreign tourists.

Fetter to bindThe fetters of superstition and ignorance keep us Indians from progressing further in today's atmosphere.

Finesse skillThe finesse with which the 5-year old girl performed the Bharatnatyam dance left everybody spellbound.

Folly foolishnessAamir realized the folly of his irresponsible actions, but then it was too late.

Frisky playful The young, chirpy lass with her frisky and at times, extremely funny ways was the “life” of the household; the day she was not there, it appeared to be totally lost.

Frolic make merry 1. Life is not all about fun and frolic, it is sheer hard work and dedication to one's mission.2. The young children enjoyed themselves tremendously by frolicking in the swimming pool.

Gauche tactless Narendra Modi's gauche and childish handling of the Gujarat riots has deservedly earned him a dubious distinction.

Gnarled twisted The gnarled appearance of the old peepal tree makes it look like if some expert sculptor has carved this irregular but beautiful shape out of a smooth structure.

Graphic vivid detail 1. Since Yodha was an eyewitness to the accident, he was able to testify about it in graphic detail before the committee.2. Lala Hardyal is reputed to have a very sharp brain and can recall his childhood details with graphic clarity.

Grimace show contempt Public utterances apart, his strong dislike for visiting a slum was very clear from the grimace on his face as soon as the topic was broached.

Havoc devastation The great havoc wrought by the hurricane in Orissa calls upon all of us to donate generously for re-construction and rehabilitation.

Idiom a special phrase Every language has its distinctive idiom, which only the people used to that particular culture can appreciate e.g. an American can never appreciate the meaning of “Daal main kuch kaala hain”.

Incapacitate disable 1. Ranu was incapacitated with the onset of muscular pain in the left leg.2. Depression is notorious for incapacitating its victim's ability to function normally in a social environment.

Inextricable cannot be taken out,irredeemable

Had the government intervened earlier, the situation could have been salvaged, but right now it seems we are caught in an inextricable diplomatic crisis.

Intermittent periodic Such intermittent displays of patriotism at times of crises are what give us faith in the inherent goodness of the Indians.

Interrogate to askThe police interrogated the arrested don to know more about his links with other criminals.

Judicious sensible, wise,prudent

Each solution to this problem has some commendable features, let's make a judicious selection of these features and arrive at a composite solution.

Laurels fameArundhati brought laurels to herself and her family by winning the All-India Antakshri Championship.

Legible readableYou must write your answers legibly in the answer booklet so that they are easily readable.

Magnanimous generous Magnanimous soul as he was, he did not think twice before giving out money and relief materials for the flood-ravaged populace.

Martial relating to army ormilitary life The festival will feature a special display of traditional

martial arts by the Nihangs.

Millennium thousand yearsThe end of the 2nd millennium was accompanied by great hoopla over the Y2K problem.

Naïve unsophisticated,inexperienced

1. He, being a naïve fellow, readily believed their concocted stories.2. Only the naïve would vote for such a crooked fellow in elections, whose infamous stories are rampant everywhere in the constituency.

Negotiable can be passed on 1. Though the old road is paved with potholes and other obstructions, it is still negotiable for an expert driver.2. Though the organization had fixed a minimum to maximum salary range for the new appointment, it kept the actual salary negotiable at the time of interview so as to select the best possible candidate for the job.

Palpitation to beat rapidlyEverybody's heart started palpitating as the Principal rose to announce the annual results in the school auditorium.

Parsimonious stingy 1. With a parsimonious budget of Rs. 50000/ -, you cannot expect to buy even a jhuggi-jhonpri in Bombay.2. He is extremely parsimonious with praise, even the most wonderful of musical shows will get only a "good" from him, given his seemingly high standards.

Pious devout The government has been quite swift in declaring Amritsar a holy city, but it remains to be seen if the pious status of the city can be maintained, what with paan-cigarette shops and liquor vends in the close vicinity of the gurdwaras.

Pittance small amount Since he was unable to support himself and his family on the pittance he got as salary, he decided to switch to a more paying job.

Prohibitive tending to prevent thepurchase or use of

something

The prohibitive costs of flats in Mumbai are forcing many people to live in slum-like conditions in shanties.

Pseudonym an assumed name To hide his real identity, Samuel Clemens adopted the pseudonym of Mark Twain, the name which appears in all his works.

Purify to rid of impuritiesLet's purify our minds of all malice, hatred and such feelings and strive to achieve universal brotherhood.

Quarry prey The lion, on the lookout for a suitable quarry to quench his hunger, pounced upon the small lamb and tore it into pieces before eating it up.

Quotidian occurring or recurringdaily, commonplace

1. The quotidian fever experienced by her every afternoon had made her used to it.2. Quite a quotidian movie, there is nothing novel or fresh about it.

Raze to destroyThe WTC was razed to the ground when two airplanes

hijacked by the Taliban hit it, causing it to catch fire.

Regenerate restoreNormally, the body is able to regenerate tissues damaged or killed as a result of some injury or other damage.

Reprieve to postpone, rest,relief

The war-weary soldiers got a reprieve from back-breaking duty with the announcement of a temporary ceasefire between the two warring countries.

Residual the leftovers Upon being processed chemically, the pure material rises up to the top of the mixture, while the residual at the bottom is nothing but pure junk, which is discarded.

Slumber sleep Many economists compare India to a sleeping tiger which needs to wake up from its slumber to fight its perennial problems.

Snub ignore The BJP had never intended to snub the TDP in allotting ministerial berths; in fact, the neglect of the TDP was unintentional because the BJP wanted to give representation to other groups.

Staple chief commodityThe staple diet of most South Indians is the rice, whereas

it is the wheat in case of the North Indians.

Stupendous overwhelming Integrating the more than 550 small, princely states into the Union of India after independence was a stupendous achievement for which Sardar Patel will always be held in gratitude.

Superb excellent Aamir Khan's superb portrayal of Bhuvan in Lagaan has won him richly-deserved praise from the masses and the classes alike.

Survey to view 1. The visiting experts’ team surveyed the disease-affected fields of the farmers and took samples to know the real cause of the disease.2. The survey conducted by ORG-MARG points out that the biggest status symbols in today’s India are higher education, cell-phones and houses.

Sustenance support, livelihood,living

1. The kidnapped policeman had to sustain himself on whatever little food was provided to him by his captors.2. It is almost impossible to sustain oneself on a monthly salary of Rs. 150 a month.

Toxic poisonous The bite of most of the Indian snakes is not toxic, and as a matter of fact, may people die only due to the accompanying shock.

Tributary under another'scontrol, a part of a

river

If a tributary of a river X brings in 8 million cusecs of water a day to it and the distributary takes away 7 million cusecs a day, the river is net gainer in terms of water levels and in no time, it will show water levels typical of a flood.

Twinge sudden painA heart patient normally feels a twinge in the chest at the onset of the heart attack.

Underworld criminals Most of the underworld dons like Chhota Shakeel, Dawood Ibrahim operate secretly and from different locations to dodge the law-enforcement agencies.

Unprincipled unscrupulousWe are not so unprincipled to take undue advantage of someone’s ill-luck; we do have some moral values.

Vagabond a bum Hounded out of his own country, Rousseau led the life of a vagabond, wandering here and there, in search of a place to live.

Venture chance 1. The new business venture failed to succeed due to the unrealistic demand estimates and lack of funding.2. He decided to venture out into the jungle on his own to experience first-hand the difficulties in hunting.

Waver to move to and fro,sway, to be unsettled

in opinion

The current crisis requires us to take decisive action to defuse it, any wavering on the issue is likely to cost us dearly in the long run.

Wayward disobedient Having been fed up with the wayward ways of their son, the parents decided to disown him publicly and publish a notice in the local paper to this effect.

Wholesome healthy 1. Most nutritionists do not consider fast-foods like pizza and noodles to be wholesome, therefore, they advise against them.2. The wholesome diet provided in the Gurukul Mess was one of the reasons for the excellent health of its inmates.

Worldly devoted to pleasure Throughout most of human life, worldly affairs keep us busy, it is only in the last phase of life that most of us tend to get inclined towards spiritual things.

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