Barron’s GRE Word List (Vocabulary) Test Prep- Letter B

babble
chatter idly or foolishly; make continuous sounds like water running gently over rounded stone; N

Children babble before speaking regularly

bacchanalian
drunken

He’s often found in a bacchanalian status

bacchanal
noisy party with a lot of drinking

The bacchanal party disturbed us the whole night

bacchanalia
the ancient Roman festival in honor of Bacchus

Bacchanalia was the festival of the ancient Romans

badger
pester; annoy continually with demands; persuade by asking again and again The children badgered me into taking them into the cinema; N: a kind of mountain animal

badinage
teasing conversation; banter; joking talk

The bride’s friends engaged her in a badinage

baffle
frustrate; perplex

She baffled the politician with pertinent questions

bait
harass; tease; torment; Ex. badger baiting; N: food or other lure used to catch fish or trap animals

Employees were lured with the bait of annual bonuses

baleful
evil; malignant in intent or effect; deadly; having a malign influence; portending evil; ominous; threatening;

He cast upon the princess a baleful look

balk
stop short, as if faced with an obstacle, and refuse to continue; foil; stop or get in the way of; frustrate

They were balked from proceeding further

ballast
heavy substance used to add stability or weight; V. supply with ballast

The ballast of a steady income

balm
something that relieves pain; oily liquid with a pleasant smell from trees

The Egyptians preserved the dead bodies using a certain kind of balm

balmy
soft and mild (of air); fragrant

A balmy breeze elevated my thoughts

banal
hackneyed; commonplace; trite; lacking originality; cliché

The story had a banal plot

bandy
discuss lightly or glibly; discuss in a frivolous manner; exchange (words) heatedly; quarrel

Bandy words with a foe

bane
poison; cause of ruin; ADJ. baneful: harmful; poisonous

Gambling was the bane of his existence

bantering
joking talk; good-naturedly ridiculing; N.V. banter

The boys were bantering among themselves

barb
sharp projection from fishhook, arrow, or other object; openly cutting remark

It was a barb of a comment

bard
poet

William Shakespeare, the bard

barefaced
shameless and noticeable; blatant; bold; unconcealed; having no covering on the face

That was a barefaced lie

baroque
highly ornate

His speech was affected and baroque

barrage
barrier laid down by artillery fire; overwhelming profusion; large number of questions or statement

It was a barrage of criticism

barrister
counselor-at-law or lawyer in the higher court of law; CF. bar

Mahatma Gandhi was a Barrister

barterer
trader; V. barter: trade; exchange good for other goods rather than money

He is a barterer, not a normal human

bask
luxuriate; take pleasure in warmth

She basked in the glory of her husband

bastion
stronghold; something seen as a source of protection;

He serves as the last bastion of male chauvinism

bate
let down; lessen the force of; moderate; restrain

He spoke to her with bated breath

bauble
trinket; cheap jewel; trifle

Mannequins are adorned with baubles

bawdy
indecent; obscene; about sex in a rude funny way; CF. bawd

He despises such bawdy conversation

beatific
giving or showing bliss; blissful

She has a beatific smile

bliss
complete happiness; ADJ. blissful

Ignorance is bliss

beatitude
blessedness; state of great happiness

beatitude

any of the declarations of blessedness made by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount

bedizen
dress with vulgar finery

Remnants of tapestried hangings . . . and shreds of pictures with which he had bedizened his tatters. –Sir W. Scott

bedraggle
wet thoroughly; ADJ. bedraggled: draggled

The beggar maid was in a bedraggled condition

beeline
direct quick route

The minute he came home he made a beeline for the refrigerator

befuddle
confuse thoroughly

Last month saw politicians befuddling the public with campaign promises

beget
father; become the father of; produce; give rise to

Money begets money

begrudge
envy; give or allow unwillingly; grudge

We shouldn’t begrudge him his success

beguile
deceive; mislead or delude; cheat; pass time pleasantly; charm or attract

She has a beguiling smile

behemoth
huge creature; something of monstrous size or power

The army’s new tank is a behemoth

beholden
obligated; indebted; owing thanks; obliged or indebted from gratitude

She is a woman beholden to none

behoove (behove)
be suited to; be incumbent upon; be right and necessary

It behooves one to do.

belabor
harp on; dwell on tediously; explain or go over excessively or to a ridiculous degree; assail verbally; beat severely; attack physically

He kept belaboring the point long after we had agreed

belated
delayed

I sent him belated birthday greetings

beleaguer
besiege or attack (with an army); harass; beset

The wail of famine in beleaguered towns. –Longfellow

belie
contradict; give a false impression; disguise

The poor sales belied our high hopes

belittle
disparage; depreciate

He belittles his wife in public

bellicose
warlike

The situation became bellicose

belligerent
quarrelsome

Our new neighbor is belligerent

bemoan
lament; moan for; express sorrow or disapproval of

He bemoaned his mother’s demise

bemused
confused; lost in thought; preoccupied

He seems to be bemused

benediction
blessing

His refusal was a benediction to her

benefactor
gift giver; patron; person who does good or who gives money for a good purpose

He is her sole benefactor

beneficent
kindly; doing good

God is the most beneficent

beneficial
helpful; useful; advantageous

Their association turned out to be mutually beneficial

beneficiary
person entitled to benefits or proceeds of an insurance policy or will

His daughter is his sole beneficiary

benefit
advantage; anything that brings help, advantage, or profit; money provided by the government to the people; fund-raising public entertainment; Ex. unemployment benefit; V: receive benefits; be beneficial to; give benefits

He tries to benefit from the situation whatsoever

benevolent
generous; charitable; having a wish to do good

Benevolence is in their blood

benign
kindly; favorable; not malignant (disease);

The tumor was diagnosed to be benign

benison
blessing

The child’s a benison

bent
determined;; N: natural talent or inclination

He is bent on advancing in the business

bequeath
leave to someone by means of a will; hand down in his will; N. bequest

She bequeathed her half of the company to her niece

berate
scold strongly

She berated him in public

bereavement
state of being deprived of something valuable or beloved; state of being bereaved or bereft

It would take time for him to come out of bereavement

bereft
deprived of (something valuable); lacking

Her departure left him bereft

berserk
mad with violent anger; frenzied; madly excited

The celebrity went berserk at the journalists comments

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beseech
beg; plead with

The girl beseeched the judge

beset
harass or trouble from all directions; hem in

She knew she was beset in troubles

besiege
surround with armed forces; harass (with requests); annoy continually

The besieged villagers lost hope

besmirch
soil; defile; make dirty

The bigot besmirched the shrine

bestial
beastlike; brutal; inhuman; very cruel

The bestial antiques of the performer cast the audience heavily

bestow
confer

He was bestowed with the Nobel Peace Prize

betoken
signify; indicate; be a sign of

betray
be unfaithful; reveal (unconsciously or unwillingly)

Her trembling hands betray her anxiety.

betroth
become engaged to marry

The family attended an ostentatious betrothal ceremony

bevy
large group

The performance was by a bevy of starlets

bicameral
two-chambered as a legislative body

The country has a bicameral legislature

bicker
quarrel

She did not want to interfere in a petty bicker like that

biennial
every two years

The field facilitates a biennial plant production

bifurcated
divided into two branches; forked

The main departments in the University are further bifurcated

bigot
one who is intolerant (in matters of religion or politics)

A heretic like he was also labeled a bigot

bilious
suffering from indigestion; sick from having too much bile; irritable; easily irritated

The drug causes a bilious effect

bilk
swindle; cheat

The perpetrator bilked funds and vanished

billowing
swelling out in waves; surging

The billowing crowds were hard to manage

bizarre
fantastic; violently contrasting; noticeably odd; strikingly unconventional

He became popular for his bizarre fashion trends

blanch
bleach; whiten; make white or pale

The chemical makes the leaf blanch

bland
soothing or mild (food); agreeable; causing no trouble or offence

The restaurant serves bland food

blandishment
flattery

Blandishment repels her

blare
loud or harsh roar or screech

He could not resist the dazzling blare of light

blasphemy
irreverence; sacrilege; cursing; bad language about God or holy things; V. blaspheme; ADJ. blasphemous; CF. sacrilege

He was expelled from his community owing to his blasphemous utterances

blatant
extremely (offensively) obvious; loudly offensive; Ex. blatant lie; N. blatancy

Her comments sound blatant

bleak
cold or cheerless; frigid; unlikely to be favorable; depressing

She was disenchanted by his ever bleak approach

blighted
suffering from a disease; destroyed

The crop looks blighted

blithe(blithesome)
gay; joyous

The children’s presence made the ambience blithe

bloated
(unpleasantly) swollen or puffed as with water or air

The tube bloats in water

blowhard
talkative boaster; braggart

We will go once this blowhard finishes

bludgeon
club; heavy-headed weapon; V.

The assassin uses a bludgeon

bluff
pretense (of strength); deception; high cliff; ADJ: rough but good-natured

Sam is labeled a bluff master

blunder
error; stupid mistake

She perhaps ignored the blunder

blurt
utter impulsively from nervousness or excitement

The winner blurted out in excitement

bully
one who is habitually cruel to weaker people; V.

The bully always made his colleagues work for him

bode
foreshadow; portend

The castle bodes evil

bogus
counterfeit; not authentic; intentionally false;

It was a bogus interview

bohemian
unconventional (in an artistic way)

People kept a watch on his bohemian trends

boisterous
violent; rough; noisy

It was a boisterous late night party

bolster
support; reinforce

her friends bolstered her ideas

bolt
door bar; fastening pin or screw; length of fabric; large roll of cloth; V: dash or dart off; fasten (a
door); gobble down

She bolted the door lest anyone should listen to her

bombardment
attack (as with missiles or bombs); V. bombard

The scientists were studying the bombardment of electrons

bombastic
pompous; using inflated language

The politician made a shallow bombastic speech

boon
blessing; benefit; something very helpful

The lake seems to be a boon to the villagers

boorish
rude; insensitive

Women loathe his boorish behavior

bouillon
clear beef (or meat) soup

The guests were served bouillon

bountiful
generous; graciously generous; showing bounty

The king was bountiful and kind

bourgeois
middle class; selfishly materialistic; too interested in material possessions

The post industrial development era saw the bourgeois emerging

bovine
cow like; placid and dull; slow-thinking; calm

His bovine mannerisms irritated the panel of judges

bowdlerize
expurgate; CF. Thomas Bowdler

The editing team bowdlerized the content

brackish
somewhat saline

The water tastes brackish

brag
boast

She always brags of her Son’s success

braggart
boaster;

A braggart like he is unbearable

bravado
swagger; assumed air of defiance; false show of bravery

The fool in Shakespearean plays was always bravado

brawny
muscular; having well-developed muscles

He is a brawny young man

brazen
insolent; without shame; bold; Ex. brazen lie; V: face with bold self-assurance or with unashamed confidence

She gained popularity owing to her brazen comments

brawl
noisy quarrel

The frequent brawls disturbed her

breach
breaking of contract or duty; fissure or gap; opening; V.

She was accused fro breach of conduct

breadth
width; extent

The students were asked to measure the field’s breadth

brevity
conciseness; shortness of duration

Brevity is the soul of wit

brindled
tawny or grayish with streaks or spots (of animals)

A brindled dog

bristle
short stiff hair; V: (hair or fur) stand up stiffly

The brush has soft bristles

brittle
hard but easily broken; difficult; unstable;

She was unable to handle a brittle situation like that

broach
introduce as a subject; moot; open up

I knew the discussion would broach a debate a textile designing

brocade
rich, figured(patterned) fabric

The pageant winner walked around in golden brocade

brochure
pamphlet

They ordered a thousand brochures to publicize their budding business

brooch
ornamental clasp; pin

The queen wore a diamond brooch

brook
tolerate; endure;

We would brook no interference

browbeat
bully; intimidate

The warden browbeats the inmates

browse
graze; feed on growing grass; skim or glance at casually

She browsed the University website for some useful information

brunt
main impact or shock (of an attack or blow);

She bore the brunt of the argument

brusque
blunt; abrupt; curt; not wanting to waste time being nice

She has a brusque approach

buccaneer
pirate

he excelled in the role of a buccaneer

bucolic
rustic; pastoral

The songs are bucolic in context

buffet
strike forcefully; slap; batter; knock out; N: table with food set out for people to server themselves; meal at which people help themselves to food that’s been set

The bride’s parents organized an exuberant buffet

buffoonery
clowning

bullion
gold and silver in the form of bars

She was more interested in reading the bullion index

bulwark
strong wall built for defense; earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends

bungle
mismanage; blunder; botch; blow; spoil by clumsy behavior

The inefficient managers bungled the funds

buoyant
able to float; cheerful and optimistic; N. buoyancy; Ex. buoyancy of wood/water/American market

She was known for her buoyant behavior

bureaucracy
overregulated administrative system marked by red tape; ADJ. bureaucratic

A corrupt bureaucracy dictates terms and conditions in this country

burgeon
grow rapidly; grow forth; send out buds