Barron’s GRE Word List (Vocabulary) Test Prep- Letter A
arcane
esoteric; secret; mysterious; known only to the initiated; Ex. arcane ritual
That was an arcane process closed to the uninitiated listener
archaeology
study of artifacts and relics of early mankind
Dr. Zahir Abbas is a famous archeologist
archaic
antiquated; no longer used; belonging to the past
In India : a wounded civilization V.S.Naipaul suggests Indians to come out of archaic memories
archetype
prototype; primitive pattern
He’s an archetype of a successful entrepreneur
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arch-
chief; first; Ex. Archbishop
Satan was once an arch angel
archipelago
group of closely located islands
Darwin conducted his research on Galapagos an archipelago
archives
public records; place where public records are kept
All government records are archived
ardor
heat; passion; zeal; ADJ. ardent
The students demonstrated exemplary ardor during the competition
arduous
hard; strenuous
It’s going to be an arduous work
argot
slang; speech spoken by only a small group of people
Primitive African languages are characterized as argot
aria
operatic solo; a song sung by one person in an opera or oratorio
An aria is an air song
arid
(of land) dry; barren; unproductive
Most of the land in Rajasthan is arid
aristocracy
hereditary nobility; privileged class; government by nobility; N. aristocrat
In the Senate Right not our quest in this, I will protest them To all the world, no aristocracy. –B. Jonson
armada
fleet of warships
The “Invincible Armada” of Philip II of Spain (1588)
aromatic
fragrant; having a sweet smell; N. aroma: strong pleasant smell
Sage is an aromatic herb
arraign
charge in court; indict
He was arraigned for bribery
array
marshal; draw up in order; arrange in order; clothe splendidly; adorn; N: fine clothes; ordered group;
The troops stood in battle array
arrears
being in debt; money that should have been paid; work that should have been done
She got all her arrears cleared
arrhythmic
lacking rhythm or regularity; N. arrhythmia
Her song rendition was arrhythmic
arrogance
pride; haughtiness; ADJ. arrogant: unpleasantly self-important (with a strong confidence in one’s own importance and a lack of respect for other people)
Her arrogant attitude brought her no friends
arroyo
gully; narrow channel formed by rainwater
Arroyos usually have relatively flat floors and are flanked by steep sides consisting of unconsolidated sediments
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artery
blood-vessel; CF. vein
The renal artery gets vein to the kidney from the heart
articulate
effective; distinct; expressing ideas clearly; having clear sounds; having joints; Ex. articulate speech; V: express thoughts and feeling clearly; pronounce clearly; unite by joints
His speech was articulate
arsenal
storage place for military equipment
The new models of guns are in the arsenal
artifacts
object made by human beings, either hand-made or mass-produced
These artifacts are exorbitantly prized
artifice
deception; trickery
He won over through artifice
artisan
a manually skilled worker
Artisans are paid less
artless
without guile; open and honest
The bride appeared artless
ascendancy
controlling influence; position of controlling influence; CF. in the ascendant
Germany only awaits trade revival to gain an immense mercantile ascendancy
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ascertain
find out for certain; make certain
We are trying to ascertain the facts
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ascetic
practicing self-denial; avoiding physical pleasures and comforts; austere
Buddhist monks lead an ascetic life
ascribe
refer; attribute; assign
She ascribed her success to her mother
aseptic
preventing infection; having a cleansing effect
Turmeric is an aseptic
ashen
ash-colored; deadly pale
She chose an ashen dress for the wedding
asinine
stupid; imbecile, idiotic
He made asinine remarks
askance
with a sideways or indirect look (with disapproval or destruct)
He looks askance at the villain
askew
crookedly; slanted; at an angle
His askew hat drew attention
asperity
sharpness; roughness; severity (of temper or weather)
The asperities of a Russian winter are tough to define
aspersion
slanderous remark;
The public cast aspersions on the politician
aspirant
seeker after position or status
She is an aspirant of truth
aspire
seek to attain (position or status); long for
He aspires to become president
assail
assault, to attack
To assail one’s opponent with slander
assay
analyze (to discover what materials are present); evaluate (soil or ore)
She was called to assay the situation
assent
agree; accept; N. assessment
Assenting to his demands, I did as I was told
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assert
state strongly or positively; demand recognition of (rights, claims, etc.); make a claim to (by forceful action);
One should assert one’s independence
assiduous
diligent, hard working
She is an assiduous student
assimilate
absorb; take (food) into the body and digest it; understand (knowledge) completely and be able to use properly; cause to become homogeneous (the people of a country or race in the ways of behaving or thinking)
The food has to be completely assimilated
assuage
make less severe; ease or lessen (pain); satisfy (hunger); soothe (anger)
Her talk assuages suffering
assumption
something taken for granted; the taking over or taking possession of;
She has an assumption of power
assurance
firm statement that something is certainly true; promise or pledge; certainty; confidence in one’s own ability; self-confidence
In spite of all his assurances, he did not come back
asteroid
small planet
An asteroid is a minor planet
astigmatism
eye defect which prevents proper focus; OP. stigmatism
She suffers from astigmatism
astral
relating to the stars
A star is an astral body
astringent
binding; causing contraction (stopping bleeding); harsh or severe; stringent;
That was astringent criticism
Astronomical
enormously large or extensive
The prize he quotes usually is astronomical
astute
wise; shrewd; keen; seeing quickly something that is to one’s advantage
The new manager is astute
asunder
into parts; apart; V. sunder
Lightning split the old oak tree asunder
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asylum
place of refuge or shelter; protection (religious or political)
He sought asylum in the church
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asymmetric
not identical on both sides of a dividing central line
Most faces are asymmetric
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atavism
resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents; reversion to an earlier type; throwback; ADJ. atavistic
Atavism is a kind of mutation
atheistic
denying the existence of God; N. atheism
He flaunted his atheistic beliefs
atone
make amends for; pay for; Ex. atone for
He atoned his sins
atrocity
brutal deed; ADJ. atrocious
It was not easy for her to live with his atrocities
atrophy
wasting away; V: weaken and lose flesh and muscle (through lack of blood or lack of use)
The children in the famine hit region are atrophied
attentive
alert and watchful; listening carefully; paying attention; considerate; thoughtful; politely helpful; Ex. attentive audience;
He was attentive to the old lady
attenuate
make thin; weaken
The drought attenuated the river to a narrow channel
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attest
testify; bear witness
All the documents have to be attested
attribute
essential quality; V: ascribe; explain
She attributes her success to hard work
attrition
rubbing away by friction; gradual decrease in numbers or strength; reduction in the work force without firing employees; wearing away of opposition by means of harassment
It was a war of attrition
atypical
not normal; not typical
a flower atypical of the species
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audacious
daring; bold; N. audacity
an audacious vision of the city’s bright future
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audit
examination of accounts of a business; official examination; V.
An energy audit can suggest ways to reduce home fuel bills
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augment
increase; add to
Her hard work augmented their family prosperity
augury
omen; prophecy; sign of coming events; V. augur: predict; foretell; be a sign of (something in future)
He resigned himself . . . with a docility that gave little augury of his future greatness
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august
impressive; majestic
An august performance of a religious drama
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aureole
sun’s corona; halo; bright circle of light
An aureole is a halo
auroral
pertaining to the aurora borealis; CF. aurora australis
auspicious
favoring success; giving signs of future success; Cf. auspices
The sight of albatross is auspicious
austere
forbiddingly stern; ascetic; without comfort or enjoyment; severely simple and unornamented; Ex. a monk’s austere life;
One cannot describe the austere grandeur of the cathedral
authenticate
prove genuine
The documents need to be authenticated
authoritarian
subordinating the individual to the state; completely dominating another’s will; Ex. authoritarian regime/father
authoritative
having the weight of authority; regarded as providing knowledge that can be trusted; reliable; peremptory and dictatorial;
The advanced Oxford learner’s is an authoritative dictionary
autocratic
having absolute unchecked power; dictatorial; N. autocrat, autocracy
India was under the autocratic rule of the British
automaton
mechanism that imitates actions of humans; machine that works by itself
A Robot is an automaton
autonomous
self-governing; N. autonomy
The University is an autonomous body
autopsy
examination of a dead body; postmortem; V.
The autopsy revealed that the death was a murder
auxiliary
offering or providing help; additional or subsidiary; N: helper; assistant
The part time job offers some auxiliary benefits
avalanche
great mass of falling snow and ice
An avalanche is a great visual to watch
avarice
greediness for wealth
His avarice to amass wealth stooped his stature among his relatives
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avenge
take vengeance for something or on behalf of someone
He swore to avenge his brother
Aver
state confidently; declare as true
It is sufficient that the very fact hath its foundation in truth, as I do seriously aver is the case. –Fielding
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averse
reluctant; disinclined; not liking or opposed;
He is averse to men doing the house work
aversion
firm dislike
He has an aversion for films
avert
prevent; avoid; turn away (eyes or thought);
An accident was averted by his quick thinking
aviary
enclosure for birds; large cage
The zoo has an aviary
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avid
greedy; extremely eager for; Ex. avid learner; N. avidity
He is an avid reader of Shakespeare
avocation
secondary or minor occupation
He conducts workshops as an avocation
avow
declare openly; N. avowal
She avowed that she is going to avenge her husband’s death
avuncular
of or like an uncle
Kids have an avuncular affection for the lone man
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awe
solemn wonder; feeling of respect mixed with wonder and fear; V: fill with awe; ADJ. awesome
The paintings at Louver put us in awe
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awful
terrible; very bad
The sight of the slum was awful
awl
pointed tool used for piercing
An awl is used for piercing leather
awry
distorted; crooked; bent
Our plans have gone awry
axiom
self-evident truth requiring no proof
The principles of Universe are axiomatic
azure
sky blue
Birds fly in the azure skies over the azure oceans
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thank you so much for the great help!
Hey Richard there are many more lists and tests..do take the tests …
word lists are really great but the problem is there is no phonetics for the words which is nessary to be conyained in.
aida, we shall try to provide the phonetic transcription as well for all words. Meanwhile if you facing difficulty with any particular words then kindly share with us.
Thank you for every thing. but I would like to ask about these words. If am going to take test which lists I should read. and about these lists. Are these all 3500 words of barron’s I should to study. with a lot of thanks