For those who are preparing for GRE, here's a word list to brush up their vocabulary:
DENIGRATE (VERB)
cast aspersion on
"You shouldn't denigrate people just because they have different beliefs from you."
EXCULPATE (VERB)
pronounce someone not guilty
"The pilot of the aircraft will surely be exculpated when all the facts are known."
TRANSFIGURATION (NOUN)
dramatic change in appearance
"She grew angry, and the transfiguration of her face was scary."
EXONERATE (VERB)
absolve from blame
"The report exonerated the crew from all responsibility for the collision."
VEHEMENTLY (ADVERB)
in an emotionally intense manner
"Despite vehement opposition from his family, he quit school and became an actor."
VERBATIM (ADVERB)
using the exact same words
"She had an amazing memory and could recall verbatim quite complex conversations."
MERITOCRACY (NOUN)
society where power is given to intelligent and capable people
"The prime minister claims he wants to create a classless meritocracy in Britain."
DISSEMINATE (VERB)
Cause to become widely known
"One of the organization's aims is to disseminate information about the disease."
ARCANE (ADJECTIVE)
very old
"He was the only person who understood all the arcane details of the agreement."
DISINGENUOUS (ADJECTIVE)
insincere
"It was disingenuous of her to claim she had no financial interest in the case."
SUBSEQUENT (ADJECTIVE)
coming after
"The book discusses his illness and subsequent resignation from the government."
CLEMENCY (NOUN)
good weather; mercy toward offenders by the authorities
"The jury passed a verdict of guilty, with an appeal to the judge for clemency."
EFFIGY (NOUN)
representation of someone (usually in a sculpture)
"Crowds marched through the streets carrying burning effigies of the president."
CANDOR (NOUN)
honesty and impartiality
"She answered with surprising candor."
PAUCITY (NOUN)
insufficient quantity
"There is a paucity of information on the ingredients of many cosmetics."
SACROSANCT (ADJECTIVE)
sacred
"I'm willing to help on any weekday, but I'm afraid my weekends are sacrosanct."
WEAN (VERB)
gradually allow babies and young animals not be dependant on the mothers milk by
gradually giving them less
"The studies were carried out on calves that had been weaned at 5 weeks of age."
DISINFORMATION (NOUN)
information designed to mislead
"They claimed there was an official disinformation campaign by the government."
CHAGRIN (NOUN)
embarrassment or shame
"My children have never shown an interest in music, much to my chagrin."
RETROGRADE (ADJECTIVE)
moving in the sky from east to west; moving in opposite direction the Earth
"He said it would be a retrograde step to remove single parent benefit."
DOCILE (ADJECTIVE)
(especially of animals) easily controlled
"The once docile population has finally risen up against the ruthless regime."
PEJORATIVE (ADJECTIVE)
expressing disapproval
"Make sure students realise that 'fat' is an unflattering or pejorative word."
RATIONALE (NOUN)
explanation of the reasons for a particular act
"I don't understand the rationale behind the council's housing policy."
REPUDIATE (VERB)
refuse to acknowledge something has occurred or is valid
"He repudiated the allegation/charge/claim that he had tried to deceive them."
DELINEATE (VERB)
represent by a diagram: give a precise description of
"The main characters are clearly delineated in the first chapter of the book."
EMPIRICAL (ADJECTIVE)
derived from observation
"This theory needs to be backed up with solid empirical data/evidence."
QUINTESSENTIAL (ADJECTIVE)
representing an ideal example of
"Roasted garlic with sheep's milk cheese is the quintessential Corsican meal."
POLYGLOT (ADJECTIVE)
speaking several tongues.
"She was reading a polyglot bible, with the text in English, Latin and Greek."
DISCONSOLATE (ADJECTIVE)
inconsolably sad
"The team were disconsolate after losing what should have been an easy game."
FRISSON (NOUN)
small fright or excitement
"As the music stopped, a frisson of excitement ran through the crowd."
(REFERENCE:
www.grevocabulary.org)
