GRE Test vocabularyAabase
[E5beis]
v.
[abased; abased; abasing] lower; degrade; humiliate
Anna expected to have to curtsy to the King of Siam; when told to cast herself down on the ground before him, however she refused to abase herself.

abash
[E5bAF]
v.
[abashed; abashed; abashing] embarrass
He was not at all abashed by her open admiration.

abate
[E5beit]
v.
[abated; abated; abating] subside or moderate
Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for the storm to abate.

abbreviate
[E5bri:vieit]
v.
[abbreviated; abbreviated; abbreviating] shorten
Because we were running out of time, the lecturer had to abbreviate her speech.

abdicate
[Abdi5keit]
v.
[abdicated; abdicated; abdicating] renounce; give up
When Edward VII abdicated the British throne, he surprised the entire world.

aberrant
[A5berEnt]
adj.
abnormal or deviant
Given the aberrant nature of the data, we came to doubt the validity of the entire experiment.

abet
[E5bet]
v.
[abetted; abetted; abetting] assist, usually in doing something wrong
She was unwilling to abet him in the swindle he had planned.

abeyance
[E5beiEns]
n.
suspended action
The deal was held in abeyance until her arrival.

abject
[5AbdVekt]
adj.
wretched; lacking pride
On the streets of New York the homeless live in abject poverty, huddling in doorways to find shelter from the wind.

abjure
[Eb5dVuE]
v.
[abjured; abjured; abjuring] renounce upon oath
He abjured his allegiance to the king.

ablution
[E5blu:FEn]
n.
washing
His daily ablutions were accompanied by loud noises that he humorously labeled "Opera in the Bath."

abnegation
[Abni5geiFEn]
n.
renunciation; self-sacrifice
Though Rudolph and Duchess Flavia loved one another, their love was doomed, for she had to wed the king; their act of abnegation was necessary to preserve the kingdom.

abominate
[E5bRmineit]
v.
[abominated; abominated; abominating] loathe; hate
Moses scolded the idol worshippers in the tribe because he abominated the custom.