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Test Your GRE Vocabulary
DO YOU NEED TO IMPROVE your vocabulary for GRE Analogies and Antonyms? Find out with this 44-word quiz from my book Words for Smart Test-Takers. Be forewarned: these are tough words—just the kind you’ll need to learn for the GRE.

Directions: For each numbered word, select the closest synonym (the word that most closely suggests the underlined word's meaning) among the three answer choices. Click on the word to check its definition and for the correct answer.

1.  agape

(A) sentimental
(B) gruesome
(C) open

2.  artifice

(A) deception
(B) argument
(C) sculpture

3.  aver

(A) avert
(B) assert
(C) avoid

4.  baleful

(A) complete
(B) sinister
(C) loud

5.  belabor

(A) enslave
(B) volunteer
(C) repeat

6.  broach

(A) disappear
(B) decorate
(C) propose

7.  castigate

(A) investigate
(B) punish
(C) remove

8.  commodious

(A) capable
(B) helpful
(C) spacious

9.  crepuscular

(A) faint
(B) shriveled
(C) supervisory

10.  cupidity

(A) beauty
(B) greed
(C) fickleness

11.  depraved

(A) wicked
(B) hungry
(C) poor

12.  disoblige

(A) sharpen
(B) pardon
(C) insult

13.  escheat

(A) decline
(B) transfer
(C) escape

14.  exude

(A) perspire
(B) separate
(C) calculate

15.  florid

(A) clean
(B) colorful
(C) liquid

16.  fracus

(A) split
(B) appetizer
(C) disturbance

17.  functionary

(A) official
(B) rule
(C) organization

18.  gainsay

(A) fasten
(B) acquire
(C) deny

19.  imbroglio

(A) promise
(B) dilemma
(C) influence

20.  inchoate

(A) new
(B) chalky
(C) underground

21.  incubus

(A) creativity
(B) miniature
(C) nightmare

22.  indefatigable

(A) energetic
(B) hazy
(C) difficult

23.  legerdemain

(A) roof
(B) territory
(C) magic

24.  libertine

(A) flexible
(B) amoral
(C) simple

25.  limpid

(A) sad
(B) transparent
(C) sluggish

26.  littoral

(A) coastal
(B) intellectual
(C) legal

27.  machination

(A) vehicle
(B) alienation
(C) scheme

28.  nefarious

(A) indigent
(B) negligent
(C) wicked

29.  obsequies

(A) rites
(B) difficulties
(C) antiques

30.  pique

(A) discover
(B) solve
(C) irritate

31.  prevaricate

(A) prevail
(B) lie
(C) diversify

32.  prurient

(A) careful
(B) lustful
(C) generous

33.  pulchritude

(A) beauty
(B) selfishness
(C) power

34.  purview

(A) scope
(B) purpose
(C) pursuit

35.  quixotic

(A) confused
(B) idealistic
(C) undecided

36.  rebuff

(A) respond
(B) massage
(C) reject

37.  recreant

(A) fearful
(B) young
(C) casual

38.  recriminate

(A) recoil
(B) accuse
(C) review

39.  rend

(A) tear
(B) oppress
(C) provide

40.  reprove

(A) convince
(B) contradict
(C) denounce

41.  serendipity

(A) luck
(B) favoritism
(C) balance

42.  symbiotic

(A) pitiful
(B) interdependent
(C) typical

43.  truant

(A) angry
(B) lazy
(C) straight

44.  verisimilitude

(A) likelihood
(B) height
(C) loudness

Answers and Definitions

  1. (C)
    agape     (adj) open-mouthed

    (A) sentimental
    (B) gruesome
    (C) open

  2. (A)
    artifice     (n) a clever and deceptive trick; cunning or craftiness

    (A) deception
    (B) argument
    (C) sculpture

  3. (B)
    aver     (v) to assert or affirm confidently; declare; claim; posit; maintain

    (A) avert
    (B) assert
    (C) avoid

  4. (B)
    baleful     (adj) evil; destructive; sorrowful

    (A) complete
    (B) sinister
    (C) loud

  5. (C)
    belabor     (v) to repeat, reiterate, or go over again and again, to the point of being tiresome

    (A) enslave
    (B) volunteer
    (C) repeat

  6. (C)
    broach     (v) to open up; to mention a subject; propose; introduce

    (A) disappear
    (B) decorate
    (C) propose

  7. (B)
    castigate     (v) to punish, chastise, or criticize severely

    (A) investigate
    (B) punish
    (C) remove

  8. (C)
    commodious     (adj) spacious; roomy; capacious

    (A) capable
    (B) helpful
    (C) spacious

  9. (A)
    crepuscular     (adj) pertaining to or resembling twilight; dim or indistinct

    (A) faint
    (B) shriveled
    (C) supervisory

  10. (B)
    cupidity     (n) greed; avarice

    (A) beauty
    (B) greed
    (C) fickleness

  11. (A)
    depraved     (adj) corrupt; wicked

    (A) wicked
    (B) hungry
    (C) poor

  12. (C)
    disoblige (v) to offen    d, insult, or slight; to refuse or act contrary to

    (A) sharpen
    (B) pardon
    (C) insult

  13. (B)
    escheat     (n) transfer of property ownership to the government by default

    (A) decline
    (B) transfer
    (C) escape

  14. (A)
    exude     (v) to ooze out or emit, as through pores

    (A) perspire
    (B) separate
    (C) calculate

  15. (B)
    florid     (adj) highly ornate, colorful, or flowery

    (A) clean
    (B) colorful
    (C) liquid

  16. (C)
    fracus     (n) a loud disturbance; melee

    (A) split
    (B) appetizer
    (C) disturbance

  17. (A)
    functionary     (n) an official; a person holding an office or position of authority

    (A) official
    (B) rule
    (C) organization

  18. (C)
    gainsay     (v) to deny; refute; contradict; impugn; repudiate

    (A) fasten
    (B) acquire
    (C) deny

  19. (B)
    imbroglio     (n) a perplexing situation; entanglement; dilemma

    (A) promise
    (B) dilemma
    (C) influence

  20. (A)
    inchoate     (adj) just begun; incipient; elementary; rudimentary

    (A) new
    (B) chalky
    (C) underground

  21. (C)
    incubus     (n) a nightmare; something that burdens or oppresses like a nightmare or demon

    (A) creativity
    (B) miniature
    (C) nightmare

  22. (A)
    indefatigable     (adj) tireless; inexhaustible; unflagging

    (A) energetic
    (B) hazy
    (C) difficult

  23. (C)
    legerdemain     (n) sleight of hand; prestidigitation

    (A) roof
    (B) territory
    (C) magic

  24. (B)
    libertine     (adj) amoral or sexually unrestrained; licentious

    (A) flexible
    (B) amoral
    (C) simple

  25. (B)
    limpid     (adj) transparent; crystal-clear

    (A) sad
    (B) transparent
    (C) sluggish

  26. (A)
    littoral     (adj) pertaining to a coastal region (shore)

    (A) coastal
    (B) intellectual
    (C) legal

  27. (C)
    machination     (n) a plot or scheme, especially a wily or deceptive one; ploy; ruse; sham; chicanery

    (A) vehicle
    (B) alienation
    (C) scheme

  28. (C)
    nefarious     (adj) wicked; iniquitous; abominable

    (A) indigent
    (B) negligent
    (C) wicked

  29. (A)
    obsequies     (n) funeral rites

    (A) rites
    (B) difficulties
    (C) antiques

  30. (C)
    pique     (v) to irritate; annoy

    (A) discover
    (B) solve
    (C) irritate

  31. (B)
    prevaricate     (v) to lie; fabricate; distort

    (A) prevail
    (B) lie
    (C) diversify

  32. (B)
    prurient     (adj) having or causing lascivious or lustful thoughts

    (A) careful
    (B) lustful
    (C) generous

  33. (A)
    pulchritude     (n) beauty; attractiveness; comeliness

    (A) beauty
    (B) selfishness
    (C) power

  34. (A)
    purview     (n) scope or range (of operation or understanding)

    (A) scope
    (B) purpose
    (C) pursuit

  35. (B)
    quixotic     (adj) idealistic but impractical

    (A) confused
    (B) idealistic
    (C) undecided

  36. (C)
    rebuff     (v) to refuse bluntly; to snub or repulse

    (A) respond
    (B) massage
    (C) reject

  37. (A)
    recreant     (adj) cowardly; faint-hearted; craven

    (A) fearful
    (B) young
    (C) casual

  38. (B)
    recriminate     (v) to accuse; charge; indict

    (A) recoil
    (B) accuse
    (C) review

  39. (A)
    rend     (v) to tear, pull apart, or rip up

    (A) tear
    (B) oppress
    (C) provide

  40. (C)
    reprove     (v) to express disapproval; censure; reprobate

    (A) convince
    (B) contradict
    (C) denounce

  41. (A)
    serendipity     (n) accidental good fortune or luck

    (A) luck
    (B) favoritism
    (C) balance

  42. (B)
    symbiotic     (adj) characterized by a mutually beneficial relationship; interdependent

    (A) pitiful
    (B) interdependent
    (C) typical

  43. (B)
    truant     (adj) shirking

    (A) angry
    (B) lazy
    (C) straight

  44. (A)
    verisimilitude     (n) likelihood or probability; having the appearance or some semblance of truth

    (A) truth
    (B) height
    (C) loudness

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