Today's GRE Vocabulary
Master these 10 high-frequency GRE words. Each word includes definition, usage, and a memory trick.
Mollify (verb)
Definition: To appease the anger or anxiety of someone; to soften in feeling or temper.
"The hotel manager tried to mollify the disgruntled guest with a complimentary upgrade and a sincere apology."
💡 Mnemonic: MOLLI-fy sounds like 'Molly, fi!', telling someone to calm down. Or, think of 'molly-coddle,' meaning to treat someone gently to make them feel better.
Vituperate (verb)
Definition: To criticize severely and angrily; to verbally abuse.
"The columnist vituperated the corrupt politicians for their flagrant disregard of public trust and ethical standards."
💡 Mnemonic: VITU-perate sounds like 'Viper-ate,' as if a viper attacked with harsh, venomous words.
Pervade (verb)
Definition: To spread throughout and be perceived in every part of; to permeate.
"A sense of quiet determination pervaded the team's locker room before the championship game."
💡 Mnemonic: PER-VADE sounds like 'per-invasion,' implying something has invaded and spread everywhere.
Anodyne (adjective)
Definition: Not likely to provoke dissent or offense; bland, innocuous; serving to assuage pain or cause no pain.
"The politician's anodyne remarks on the controversial issue managed to alienate neither side, but also failed to inspire any action."
💡 Mnemonic: AN-ODYNE sounds like 'A-NO-DYNE,' meaning no pain (dyne is a unit of force, sometimes metaphorically linked to pain).
Prevaricate (verb)
Definition: To speak or act in an evasive way; to stray from the truth; to equivocate.
"When questioned about the missing documents, the assistant manager began to prevaricate, offering vague answers and changing the subject."
💡 Mnemonic: PRE-VARICATE sounds like 'pre-vary-truth,' meaning to vary from the truth beforehand or to deliberately be unclear.
Cavalier (adjective)
Definition: Showing a lack of proper concern; offhand; dismissive.
"His cavalier attitude towards the strict safety regulations ultimately led to several minor accidents on the construction site."
💡 Mnemonic: Think of a 'cavalier' knight who is so confident he treats dangers lightly, or a 'cavalier' person who acts as if they are above trivial concerns.
Foment (verb)
Definition: To instigate or stir up (an undesirable or violent sentiment or course of action).
"The radical group attempted to foment rebellion among the populace by spreading misinformation and fear."
💡 Mnemonic: FO-MENT sounds like 'foe-men-t,' as in stirring up your foes. Or 'ferment,' which is a process of stirring up or agitation.
Paean (noun)
Definition: A song of praise or triumph; a fervent expression of praise or joy.
"The critic wrote a glowing paean to the young author's debut novel, hailing it as a masterpiece."
💡 Mnemonic: PAEAN sounds like 'PRAY-ON,' as in praying on or celebrating someone's victory or greatness with a song.
Factious (adjective)
Definition: Relating or inclined to a state of faction; divisive; creating dissension.
"The factious nature of the committee made it impossible for them to reach a consensus on even the simplest matters."
💡 Mnemonic: FACTIOUS sounds like 'factions,' which are small, often quarrelsome groups within a larger one, causing division.
Inchoate (adjective)
Definition: Not yet completely formed or organized; rudimentary; just begun and not fully developed or clear.
"The artist's early sketches were an inchoate jumble of lines and shapes, bearing little resemblance to his later refined works."
💡 Mnemonic: IN-CHOATE sounds like 'in-CHAOS,' meaning something is not yet formed or is still disorganized.
