RxPG - Word List for GRE: Words starting with A-C

abacus - - frame with balls for calculating
abate - to lessen to subside
abdication - giving up control authority
aberration - straying away from what is normal
abet - help/encourage somebody (in doing wrong)
abeyance - suspended action

abhor - to hate to detest
abide - be faithful to endure
abjure - promise or swear to give up
abraded - rubbed off worn away by friction
abrogate - repeal or annul by authority
abscond - to go away suddenly (to avoid arrest)
abstruse - difficult to comprehend obscure
abut - border on
abysmal - bottomless extreme
acarpous - effete no longer fertile worn out
acclaimed - welcomed with shouts and approval
accolade - praise approval
accretion - the growing of separate things into one
adamant - kind of stone inflexible
admonitory - containing warning
adorn - add beauty decorate
adulteration - making unpure poorer in quality
affable - polite and friendly
affinity - close connection relationship
aggravate - make worse irritate
agile - active quick-moving
agog - eager/excited
ail - trouble be ill
alacrity - eager and cheerful readiness
alcove - recess/partially enclosed place
allegiance - duty support loyalty
alleviate - make (pain) easier to bear
alloy - to debase by mixing with something inferior
aloof - reserved indifferent
amalgamate - mix combine unite societies
ambidextrous - able to use the left hand or the right equally well
ambiguous - doubtful uncertain
ambivalent - having both of two contrary meanings
ameliorate - improve make better
amortize - end (a debt) by setting aside money
anguish - severe suffering
animosity - strong dislike
antidote - medicine used against a poison or a disease
antithetical - direct opposing
apartheid - brutal racial discrimination
aplomb - self-confidence
apotheosis - deification glorification to godliness
appease - make quiet or calm
apprehensive
apprise - give notice to inform
approbation - approval
apropos - appropriate to the situation apt
apt - well-suited quick-witted
arabesque - a complex ornate design
arboreal - of connected with trees
ardor - enthusiasm
arduous - steep difficult ascent laborious
argot - jargon slang
arrant - in the highest degree
arrogance - proud superior manner of behaviour
articulate - speak distinctly connect by joints
ascend - go or come up
ascertain - get to know
ascetic - practicing self-denial austere stark
ascribe - consider to be the origin of or belonging to
aseptic - surgically clean
asperity - roughness harshness ill temper irritability
aspersion - slander
assail - with attack violently
assiduous - diligent hard-working sedulous
assuage - make something (pain desire) less
asterisk - the mark * (e.g.. omitted letters)
astringent - substance that shrinks
astute - clever quick at seeing to get an advantage
atonement - repayment death of Jesus
attenuate - make thin. weaken enervate
attune - bring into harmony
audacious - daring foolishly bold impudent
augury - omen sign
august - majestic venerable
auspicious - favourable successful prosperous
austere - severely moral and strict simple and plain
auxiliary - helping supporting
aver - affirm assert prove justify
aversion - strong dislike
avid - eager greedy
avow - admit. Declare openly
baleful - harmful ominous causing evil
balk - obstacle purposely to get on the way of
baneful - causing harm or ruin pernicious destructive
barrage - artificial obstacle built across a river
barren
bask - in enjoy warmth and light
beatify - to bless make happy or ascribe a virtue to
bedizen - to adorn especially in a cheap showy manner
belabor - beat hard
bellicose - belligerent pugnacious warlike
belligerent - (person nation) waging war
benefactor - person who has given help
benevolence - wish or activity in doing good
benign - kind and gentle mild (climate)
bequest - arrangement to give something at death
berate - scold sharply
bereft - rob or dispossess of something (material)
bewilder - puzzle confuse
bigot - stubborn narrow-minded person
bilge - bulge the protuberance of a cask
blandishment - flattery coaxing
blandness - polite manner comforting uninteresting
blatant - noisy and rough
blithe - cheerful casual carefree
bogus - sham counterfeit not genuine
boisterous - loud noisy rough lacking restraint
bolster - give greatly needed support
boorish - crude offensive rude
brash - hasty rush cheeky saucy
brass - yellow metal (mixing copper and zinc)
brazen - made of brass
breach - opening broken place breaking
brittle - easily broken
broach - bring up announce begin to talk about
brook - to tolerate endure
buoyant - able to float light-hearted
burgeon - grow forth send out buds
burnish - to polish rub to a shine
cabal - a scheme or plot a group of plotters
cadge - to beg to get by begging
cajole - use flattery or deceit to persuade

calumny - slander aspersion
candid - frank straight-forward
cant - insincere talk/jargon
cantankerous - bad-tempered/quarrelsome
canvass - discuss thoroughly sort of touting
castigate - to chastise correct by punishing
castigation - severe punishment
catalyst - substance that causes speeding up
caustic - biting sarcastic
censure - expression of blame or disapproval a rebuke
centurion - leader of a unit of 100 soldiers
chary - cautious wary
chastened - corrected punished
chastisement - punishment
chauvinist - a blindly devoted patriot
chicanery - legal trickery/false argument
chisel - steel tool for shaping materials
churl - bad-tempered person
clamor - shout complain with a lot of noise
clientele - customers
clinch - come to grips/settle conclusively
cling - to resist separation
clot - half-solid lump formed from liquid
cloture
coagulation - change to a thick and solid state
coalescing - coming together and uniting into one substance
coax - get somebody to do something by kindness
coda - passage that completes a piece of music
coddle - treat with care and tenderness
coerce - compel to force to make obedient
coeval - of the same period coexisting
cogent - strong convincing
cogitate - think deeply mediate
cognizant - being fully aware of
colander
collusion - secret agreement for a deceitful purpose
combustion - process of burning
commemorate - keep the memory of
commodious - having plenty of space for what is needed
commuter - person who travels regularly
complaisance - tending to comply obliging willingness to please
compunction - feeling of regret for one's action
conceal - hide keep secret
conceit - over-high opinion of too much pride
conciliatory - reconciling soothing comforting mollifying
concord - agreement or harmony
concur - agree in opinion happen together
condense - increase in density strength make laconic
condone - forgive
congeal - make or become stiff and solid
conjoin - to join together
connoisseur - a person with good judgement (e.g.. in art)
connotation - suggestion in addition to
consequential - pompous self important
console - give comfort or sympathy to
conspicuous - easily seen remarkable
consternation - surprise and fear dismay
constrain - compel
constrict - make tight or smaller
consume - get to the end of
consummate - perfect/make perfect/complete
contemn - to scorn or despise
contentious - argumentative pugnacious combative quarrelsome
contiguous - touching neighbouring near
contrite - filled with deep sorrow for wrongdoing
contumacious - insubordinate rebellious
conundrum - a riddle dilemma enigma
conviction - convincing firm belief
convoke - call together summon
convoluted - complicated coiled twisted
cordial - warm and sincere
cordon - line (of police acting as a guard)
cornucopia - abundant supply
corporeal - physical of or for the body
correlate - have a mutual relation
corroboration - additional strengthening evidence
countenance - to favour or approve of
counterfeit - forgery
countervail - counterbalance
covert - disguised
covetous - eagerly desirous
cower - crouch shrink back
coy - shy/modest (esp. of a girl)
crass - very great (esp.. stupidity)
cravat - piece of linen worn as a necktie
craven - cowardly
crease
credulity - too great a readiness to believe things
credulous - ready to believe things
crush - press lose shape subdue overwhelm
cryptic - secret with a hidden meaning
cumbersome - burdensome heavy and awkward to carry
curmudgeon - bad-tempered person
curriculum - course of study
cursory - quick hurried
curtail - make shorter then was planned
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