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

habituate
accustom or familiarize; addict

He got habituated to that culture

hackles
hairs on back and neck, especially of a dog

Make someone’s hackles rise

hackneyed
commonplace; trite

The hackneyed plot bored the audience to the hilt

haggard
wasted away; gaunt;

Haggard faces of the rescued miners

haggle
argue about prices (in an attempt to bargain)

Women haggled in the market relentlessly

halcyon
calm; peaceful;

Those were the halcyon days of his youth

hale
healthy

The child looks hale and healthy

hail
frozen rain drop; V: salute or greet; precipitate hail

A ferocious Hailstorm almost deluged the village

hallowed
blessed; consecrated; Ex. hallowed ground; V. hallow: set apart as holy

our hallowed political institutions

hallucination
delusion; false idea; false perception of objects with a compelling sense of their reality; objects so perceived; V. hallucinate; ADJ. hallucinatory

The drug causes hallucination

halting
hesitant; faltering; not fluent; Ex. halting steps/voice; V. halt: proceed or act with uncertainty; falter; hesitate; waver; stop

The boy walked in halting steps

hamper
obstruct; prevent the free movement of

Illiteracy hampers the progress of a country

hap
chance; luck

haphazard
random; by chance; happening in an unplanned manner; Ex. haphazard growth of the town

His behavior looks rather haphazard

hapless
unfortunate; luckless

Hapless youth; hapless maid. –Dryden

harangue
long, passionate, and vehement speech; V

Gray-headed men and grave, with warriors mixed, Assemble, and harangues are heard. –Milton

harass
annoy by repeated attacks

The prisoners were brutally harassed

harbinger
forerunner (which foreshadows what is to come)

Black clouds are the harbingers of rain

harbor
give protection (by giving food and shelter); provide a refuge for; hide; keep in mind (thoughts or feelings); Ex. harbor a grudge/criminal; N: place of shelter; refuge

She harbors unnecessary hatred towards some people

habitat
natural home of a plant or animal; CF. habitation

An aquarium is an artificial habitat

hardy
(of people or animals) sturdy; robust; (of plants) able to stand inclement(stormy) weather

It was hard for us to cope with the hardy weather

harping
tiresome dwelling on a subject; V. harp: dwell on(think or speak a lot about) tediously

He was always harping on the importance of taking vitamin supplements

harrowing
agonizing; distressing; traumatic; V. harrow: break up and level (soil) with a harrow; inflict great distress on; agonize; N: farming machine to break up the earth

The farm land is broken up and leveled with a harrow

harry
harass, annoy, torment (by repeated attacks); raid

The prisoner was harried to death

hatch
deck opening; lid covering a deck opening; V: emerge from an egg; produce (young) from an egg

The egg takes usually three weeks to hatch

haughtiness
pride; arrogance; ADJ. haughty

His haughtiness made him unpopular

haunt
(of a spirit) visit (a place); come to mind continually; visit (a place) regularly; frequent; Ex. haunted house; Ex. haunted by his last words; N: place much frequented

The villagers say that the place is haunted

haven
place of safety; refuge; harbor; Ex. tax haven

A haven for refugees

havoc
widespread damage; disorder; chaos

The false news spread havoc

hazardous
dangerous

It is hazardous to work in a nuclear plant

hazy
slightly obscure; misty; unclear; N. haze: light mist or smoke; confused state of mind

Her comments were rather hazy

headlong
hasty; rash; headfirst; ADV

She plunged headlong into the water

headstrong
willful; stubborn; unyielding; determined to have one’s own way; CF. no ‘excessive’

She is a headstrong executive

heckler
person who verbally harasses others; V. heckle: verbally harass as with gibes (by interrupting a speaker or speech)

Her mother-in-law is such a heckler

hedonist
one who believes that pleasure is the sole aim in life; CF. hedonism: practice of living one’s life purely for pleasure

Many Indian kings of the yore sought hedonistic pleasures

heedless
not noticing; disregarding

She was heedless of the imminent danger

heed
pay attention to; N: close attention

The teacher asked her students to pay heed

hegemony
dominance especially of one nation over others

World is under the American hegemony

heinous
atrocious; wicked; hatefully bad;

It was a heinous crime

helm
steering wheel of a ship; position of control

He was the helm of affairs

herbivorous
grain-eating; CF. herbivore

Giraffe is herbivorous

heresy
opinion contrary to popular belief; opinion contrary to accepted religion; ADJ. heretical; CF. heretic

Joan was considered a heretic

hermetic
sealed by fusion so as to be airtight; airtight

A hermetically sealed container

hermetic
concerning alchemy or magic; obscure and mysterious; occult

The hermetic lived in woods

hermitage
home of a hermit

Sita lived in Valmiki’s hermitage

herpetologist
one who studies reptiles; CF. herpetology: branch of zoology that deals with reptiles and amphibians

He is a world-renowned herpetologist

heterodox
(of beliefs) against accepted opinion; unorthodox; unconventional

These days people harbor heterodox beliefs

heterogeneous
dissimilar; mixed; not homogeneous; consisting of dissimilar elements or plants

A solution is a heterogeneous mixture

hew
cut to pieces with ax or sword; chop; N.

The wood was hewed

heyday
time of greatest success or power; prime

She is in the heydays of her life

hiatus
gap; pause; gap or interruption in space or time; break

Scholars attempted to account for the hiatus in the medieval manuscript

hibernal
wintry; wintery; of or like winter

The weather is hibernal

hibernate
sleep throughout the winter; N. hibernation

Many animals hibernate during winters

hierarchy
arrangement by rank or standing; authoritarian body divided into ranks; body of persons having authority

The organization has a well defined hierarchy

hieroglyphic
picture writing; ADJ.

Hieroglyphics paved way for the modern languages

hilarity
boisterous mirth(merriment; laughter); ADJ. hilarious: full of laughter

His hilarity keeps the surroundings happy and energetic

hindmost
furthest behind; farthest to the rear

hindrance
block; obstacle; V. hinder

Diffidence is a potential hindrance to her career

hinterlands
back country; inner part of a country; OP. foreland

The tribes reside in the hinterlands

hireling
one who serves for hire (usually used contemptuously); one who works solely for compensation

He’s a hireling politician

hirsute
hairy; having a lot of hair

Cynical and hirsute in his behavior. –Life of A. Wood

histrionic
theatrical; excessively dramatic or emotional; affected; of actors or acting; N. histrionics: histrionic behavior

Cut out the histrionics—we know you’re not really mad

historic
important in history;

Many historic battles were fought for spreading Christianity

historical
connected with history; based on events in history (whether regarded as important or not)

Many monuments in the city are historical

hoard
stockpile; accumulate for future use; N: supply stored for future use

To hoard food during a shortage

hoary
white with age

The old man has become hoary

hoax
trick which makes someone take action; practical joke; Ex. hoax mail; V.

The hoax call created panic in the office

holocaust
destruction by fire; CF. burnt whole; CF. Holocaust

“Israel emerged from the Holocaust and is defined in relation to that catastrophe” (Emanuel Litvinoff)

holster
leather pistol case (that hangs on a belt around the waist)

The robber put back the pistol into the holster

homage
honor; tribute; great respect; Ex. pay/do homage to

In her speech she paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru

homeostasis
tendency of a system or organism to maintain relative stability or internal equilibrium; CF. homeo-: constant; Ex. homeotherm

homespun
domestic; made at home; spun or woven at home; simple and ordinary;

It’s a homespun philosophy

homily
sermon; tedious moralizing lecture; serious warning; ADJ. homiletic

As I have heard my father Deal out in his long homilies. –Byron

homogeneous
of the same kind; uniform in composition throughout

x²y³ is a homogeneous expression of degree 5

hone
sharpen (a tool); N: whetstone for sharpening a tool

The students were suggested to hone their skills

hoodwink
deceive; delude

We will blind and hoodwink him. –Shak

horde
crowd; swarm

A horde of tourists gathered near the monumental tombs

hortatory
encouraging; exhort; marked by exhortation; CF. exhort

He made a hortatory speech

horticultural
pertaining to cultivation of gardens; N. horticulture: science or art of cultivating fruits, vegetables, or ornamental plants; CF. agriculture: science or art of farming or growing crops

He earned a lot in the horticultural domain

hostility
unfriendliness; hatred; enmity; ADJ. hostile

The hostility between the families grew

hovel
shack; small wretched house

The old couple lived in a hovel

hut
crude dwelling; shack

Many poor Indians spend a lifetime in huts

hubbub
confused uproar; loud noise; din

The massive crowds created a hubbub

hubris
arrogance; excessive self-conceit

Hubris was the fatal flaw of the protagonist

hue
color; aspect

Opinions of every hue

hue and cry
outcry; loud cry or clamor; strong protest

There was a lot of hue and cry against the new rule

humane
marked by kindness or consideration; kind and compassionate; humanitarian

He had a humane attitude

humanitarian
one devoted to the promotion of human welfare; CF. humanism

The culprit was set free on humanitarian grounds

humdrum
dull; monotonous

I want to get rid of this humdrum

humid
damp; humidity

The atmosphere today has been humid

humility
humbleness of spirit

She was known for her humility

humble
of low rank or position; modest; having a low opinion of oneself and a high opinion of others; unassuming; not proud; V. humiliate: make humble; cause to feel ashamed or to lose the respect of others

The couple led a humble life

hummock
small hill; hillock

There was a dilapidated temple on the hummock

humus
substance or rich soil formed by decaying vegetable matter; CF. soil

Plants grow well in humus rich soils

hurtle
crash; rush; move with great speed;

A hurtling runaway train

husband
use sparingly; conserve; save

Husband one’s energy

husbandry
frugality; thrift; economy; agriculture; farming;

He works in the department of animal husbandry

hybrid
mongrel; mixed breed; V. hybridize

The wheat available is of a hybrid variety

hydrophobia
fear of water; rabies

Hydrophobia is a dangerous disease

hygiene
science and practice of the promotion and preservation of health; ADJ. hygienic: showing careful attention to cleanness (to prevent disease);

Lack of hygienic conditions marked the place

hyperbole
exaggeration; overstatement; ADJ. hyperbolic: of hyperbole; of a hyperbola

Hyperbole is a figurative speech

hypercritical
excessively exacting; too critical (without noticing good qualities)

His analysis is hypercritical

hypochondriac
person unduly worried about his health; worrier without cause about illness; ADJ. CF. hypochondria: neurosis that one is or is becoming ill; CF. abdomen

Alexander Pope was a hypochondriac

hypothetical
based on assumptions or hypotheses; supposed; N. hypothesis

The Finance Minister refused to discuss hypotheticals with the reporters

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