Barron’s GRE Word List (Vocabulary) Test Prep- Letter G
gadfly
animal-biting fly; irritating person
Oh my God he’s such a gadfly
gaffe
social blunder
“The excursion had in his eyes been a monstrous gaffe, a breach of sensibility and good taste” (Mary McCarthy)
gainsay
deny
I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. –Luke xxi. 15
gait
manner of walking or running; speed
The project went forward at a steady gait
galaxy
large isolated system of stars, such as the Milky Way; collection of brilliant personalities
It’s believed now that the galaxy now has many black holes
gale
windstorm; gust of wind; emotional outburst (laughter, tears);
A gale of laughter
gall
bitterness of feeling; nerve; effrontery; CF. gall bladder
Her arrogant replies gall me
galleon
large three-masted sailing ship
The crew proceeded in a galleon
galley
low ship with sails (rowed along by slaves)
The slaves escaped in a galley
galvanize
stimulate or shock by an electric current; stimulate by shock; shock into action; stir up; coat with rust-resistant zinc by using electricity
“Issues that once galvanized the electorate fade into irrelevance” (Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.)
galvanic
of the production of electricity by the action of an acid on a metal; having the effect of an electric shock; Ex. galvanic cell; galvanic effect; CF. Luigi Galvani
gambit
opening in chess in which a piece is sacrificed; action made to produce a future advantage
An opening move made in the chess game is the gambit
gambol
romp; skip about; leap about playfully; frolic; N.
Kids gambol and run
gamely
in a spirited manner; with courage;
He fought gamely against a superior boxer
gamut
entire range
gape
open widely; open the mouth wide; stare wonderingly with the mouth open; CF. agape
The public stood agape at the ghastly site
garbled
mixed up; jumbled; distorted; V. garble: mix up or distort (a message) to such an extent as to make misleading or unintelligible
She garbled the entire plan
gargantuan
huge; enormous; gigantic; CF. the hero of Gargantua and Pantagruel
That was a gargantuan construction
gargoyle
waterspout carved in grotesque figures on a building
The gargoyle was dysfunctional
garish
overbright in color; unpleasantly bright; gaudy
She looked garish wearing a heavy make-up
garner
gather; store up; amass
She garnered her spirits before talking to him
garnish
decorate; add a garnish to; decorate (food or drink) with small items such as lemon slices; N.
Cooks garnish the food before serving
garrulous
loquacious; wordy; talkative; N. garrulity
Mrs. Bennet was a garrulous woman
gastronomy
art and science of preparing and serving good food; CF. gastronome
The science of good eating is gastronomy
gauche
clumsy (in social behavior); coarse and uncouth
His gauche mannerisms upset her
gaudy
flashy; showy
The decoration was rather gaudy
gild
cover with a thin layer of gold
After that wonderful meal, serving a fancy dessert would be gilding the lily
gaunt
lean and angular; thin and bony; emaciated; barren
A gaunt, windswept landscape
gavel
hammer like tool; mallet(wooden hammer) used by a presiding officer or an auctioneer; V.
The auctioneer hit the gavel thrice
gawk
stare foolishly; look in open-mouthed awe
The public gawked at the heroine
gazette
official periodical publication; newspaper
A change of identity has to be announced in a gazette
genealogy
record of descent; lineage; ancestry; study of ancestry
The various species of Darwin‘s finches form a closely knit genealogy
generality
vague statement; general statement which is not detailed; quality of being general; greater part; most;
Generality of people
generate
cause; produce; create
His cantankerous nature generates quarrels
generic
characteristic of an entire class or species; of a genus
“Cola” and “shuttle” are generic terms
genus
division of animals or plants, below a family and above a species
Lactobacillus belongs to the genus bacterium
genesis
beginning; origin
The origin and genesis of poor Sterling‘s club. –Carlyle
geniality
cheerfulness; kindliness; sympathy; ADJ. genial: cheerful and good-tempered
She has a genial disposition
genre
particular variety of art or literature
Milton belongs to the genre of epic poetry
genteel
well-bred; elegant; striving to convey an appearance of refinement
His genteel mannerisms made him famous
gentility
those of gentle birth; high social class; refinement; quality of being genteel
She belongs to gentility
gentry
people of standing(rank or position); people of good family or high social position; class of people just below nobility
Only gentry is allowed into the temple
gentle
kindly; soft; mild; of good family
A gentle old lady
genuflect
bend the knee as in worship
They genuflect at the sight of the queen
germane
pertinent; bearing upon(having connection with) the case at hand; appropriate
We have to concentrate upon more germane matters
germinal
pertaining to a germ; creative;
It’s a germinal idea
germ
earliest form of an organism; seed or bud; something that may develop into something larger or more important; microbe
The blood samples indicate the presence of disease causing germs
germinate
cause to sprout; sprout
The meeting germinated greater trouble
gerontocracy
Gerontocracy is the government ruled by old people
gerontology
study of the sociological phenomena associated with old age
Anthropology also deals in gerontology
geriatrics
medical treatment and care of old age
She specializes in geriatrics
gerrymander
change voting district lines in order to favor a political party; N. CF. Elbridge Gerry + (sala)mander
To subject (a state, county, etc.) to a gerrymander
gestate
evolve as in prenatal growth; N. gestation: period of development from conception until birth
The elephant gestates the longest
gesticulation
motion; gesture; V. gesticulate: make gestures (while speaking)
His gesticulations animated the speech he made
ghastly
horrible; terrifying; resembling ghosts; CF. aghast
The explosion was ghastly
gibberish
nonsense; nonsensical or unintelligible talk or writing; babbling
What they speak sounds gibberish
gibe
mock; make jeering remarks; N: jeering remarks
She gibes at her seniors
giddy
light-hearted; not serious; frivolous; dizzy; causing dizziness; Ex. giddy youth; Ex. giddy climb/height
That height causes giddiness
gingerly
very carefully; ADJ.
She gingerly walked through the muddy lane
girth
distance around something; circumference
The girth of a tree typically determines it’s age
gist
essence; main point; substance
I did get the gist of his speech
glacial
like a glacier; of an ice age; extremely cold; Ex. glacial epoch; CF. iceberg
Glaciers pose a potential threat to the ships
glaring
(of something bad) highly conspicuous; harshly bright; shining intensely and blindingly
The glaring sun almost blinded her
glaze
cover with a thin and shiny surface; apply a glaze to; N: thin, smooth, shiny coating (as for pottery); Ex. unglazed pottery
A glazed wheelbarrow
glean
gather leavings; gather grain left behind by reapers; gather bit by bit (facts or information) often with difficulty
She gleaned essence from what he spoke
glib
fluent (with insincerity or superficiality); facile; slick
A glib anchor
glimmer
shine erratically; twinkle; N: dim or unsteady light; faint indication;
A glimmer of hope was still left
glitter
shine brightly with flashing points of light; Ex. glittering diamond ring; N: sparkling light; attractiveness; glamour; Ex. glitter of the sun on the waves
All that glitters is not gold
glamour
compelling charm; ADJ. glamorous
A wife is not a glamorous concept
gloat
express evil satisfaction; look at or think about with evil satisfaction; view malevolently
The thief gloated over the stolen jewels.
gloss over
explain away with the intention of deceiving or hiding faults
She glosses over her son’s mistakes
glossary
brief explanation of words used in the text
For further clarification please run through the glossary
glossy
smooth and shining; N. gloss: shiny brightness on a surface; superficially attractive appearance;
She enchants one and all with a gloss of good manners
glower
scowl; glare; look or stare angrily
The girl glowered at the eve teaser
glut
overstock; fill beyond capacity (with food); fill to excess; N: oversupply
The store room has a glut of supplies
glutinous
sticky; viscous; gluey
The mixture became glutinous
glutton
someone who eats too much; ADJ. gluttonous: given to gluttony; greedy; CF. gluttony: habit of eating too much
A glutton as he is, he also became obese
gnarled
twisted
The proposition seems to be rather gnarled
gnome
dwarf; underground spirit who guards treasure hoards
Gnomes followed the princess
goad
urge on; drive with a goad; cause (someone) to do something by continued annoyance; N: sharp-pointed stick for driving cattle; stimulus; CF. annoy continually
They goaded him into doing it by saying he was a coward
gorge
narrow canyon; steep rocky cleft; ravine (made by a stream which runs through it)
They squeezed their way through the gorge
gorge
stuff oneself (with food); glut; CF.
Her hunger made her to gorge food, all that was available
gorgeous:
dazzlingly beautiful
She is both ravishing and gorgeous
gory
bloody; N. gore: blood (from a wound)
It’s a gory tale of chauvinism
gossamer
sheer; very light; like cobwebs; N: soft and sheer fabric; cobweb
A gossamer fabric
gouge
tear out; cut out (as if with a gouge); N: chisel for cutting out hollow areas in wood
King Oedipus gouged his eyes out in repentance
gourmand
epicure; person who takes excessive pleasure in food and drink
Bheema was a gourmand
gourmet
connoisseur of food and drink; epicure
(same as gourmand)
graduated
arranged by degrees (of height, difficulty, etc.)
She graduated with an excellent percentile
granary
storehouse for grain
India is a granary of grains
grandeur
impressiveness; stateliness; majesty
The grandeur of the palace is exemplary
grandiloquent
(of a person or speech) using high sounding or important-sounding language; pompous; bombastic
People got used to his grandiloquent speech
grandiose
affectedly grand; pretentious; high-flown; ridiculously exaggerated; impressive; great in size or scope; grand;
No one supported his grandiose ideas
granulate
form into grains or granules; N. granule: grain or particle
The tablet is granulated
graphic
pertaining to the art of delineating; vividly described
The film became popular for the graphics
graphite
black form of carbon used in lead pencils
Graphite is one extensively used minerals
grapple
wrestle; come to grips with; take hold of and struggle with;
She had to grapple with the circumstances
grate
make a harsh noise; have an unpleasant effect; shred by rubbing against a rough surface; Ex. grated cheese N: framework of metal bars to hold fuel in a fireplace
The cheese is grated and sprinkled over the bread
gratify
please; satisfy; Ex. gratify a desire
The poor people’s desires were gratified by the philanthropic politician
gratis
free; without charge; ADJ.
gratuitous
given freely; unwarranted; uncalled for; done without good reason;
He made a gratuitous comment
gravity
seriousness; ADJ. grave
He did not understand the gravity of the situation
gregarious
sociable; (of an animal) tending to form a group
He is a gregarious individual
grievance
cause of complaint; complaint
Complaints are filed in the grievance cell
grill
question severely; cook on a grill; broil; N: cooking surface of parallel metal bars
The criminal was grilled by the FBI
grim
causing great fear; unrelenting; determined in spite of fear;
He wore a grim smile
grimace
facial distortion to show feeling such as pain, disgust, etc; V.
The pain pulled a grimace over her face
grisly
ghastly; horrifying;
The police recovered the grisly remains of the bodies
groom
man employed to take care of horses; V: make neat and trim; clean and brush (an animal)
The school grooms young men and women
grotesque
fantastic; comically hideous; strange and unnatural (causing fear or amusement)
She made grotesque comments
grotto
small cavern
They unwind in a grotto
grouse
complain; fuss; grumble; grouch; N: plump chicken like game bird
She groused at her parents
grumble
complain; mutter discontentedly; grouch; N.
The old lady grumbled in annoyance
grovel
crawl or creep on ground; remain prostrate; behave in a servile manner
The man groveled through the cave
grudging
unwilling; reluctant; stingy(giving reluctantly)
The employees wrote grudgingly against the company’s policies
gruel
thin liquid porridge
The gruel was simmered
grueling
exhausting;
It was a grueling marathon race
gruesome
grisly; horrible
A gruesome and ghastly incident
gruff
rough-mannered; (of a voice) rough; hoarse
A gruff talk
grunt
utter a deep guttural sound (as a pig does); N
A pig grunts
guffaw
boisterous laughter; V.
The audience guffawed at the comedian’s performance
guile
deceit; duplicity; wiliness; cunning;
He persuaded her by guile
guileless
without deceit
She is guileless
guise
outward appearance; costume;
She has come in a new guise
gull
trick; deceive; hoodwink; N: person who is easily tricked; dupe
He was gulled into buying the product
gullible
easily deceived
Young girls are gullible
gustatory
affecting or relating to the sense of taste
The aroma produced a gustatory effect
gusto
eager enjoyment; zest; enthusiasm
They performed in gusto
gusty
windy
The weather today is gusty
gust
strong abrupt rush of wind; V. CF. bluster
The door shut aloud owing to a gust of wind
guy
cable or chain attached to something that needs to be braced or steadied; CF. guide
The object was secured with a guy
gyroscope
apparatus used to maintain balance, ascertain direction, etc.
A gyroscope is used to maintain equilibrium
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