GMAT Vocabulary

Word PrimaryMeaning/S

Usage Example Add To My List

Actuate put intomotion

The lack of sufficient money for the project actuated him to apply for a bank loan to make up the deficiency.

Adjudicate to judge adispute

The court has refused to adjudicate on the matter saying that it is a political question and that the court does not enter into such political domains.

Benefactor a gift giver “There is nothing like a free lunch in the world” , thus goes the famous Americanism, unless you have a benefactor who is not interested in making money.

Clientele one'scustomers

Since the bank was located on the outskirts of the city, its clientele primarily consisted of villagers living in nearby villages.

Collusion conspiracy The Vohra Committee examined at length the much-debated topic of collusion between the politicians and criminals and made recommendations to break this unholy nexus.

Condemnation

passingjudgment

The all-round condemnation of Pajama Hi Laade has done little to force the Taliban to surrender him to the US-led forces.

Dastard coward You dastard! Come out in the open if you have the courage to face me.

Decomposition

decay The decomposition of the dead body gave out a strong stink.

Degrade corrupt The degradation of our once-pure environment is one issue that has failed to attract the attention of any of our major national political parties.

Demented insane The wild, crazy way in which the old man behaved with others suggested that he had probably become demented and was a case fit for a psychiatrist.

Demise death Professor Dinkar's demise at this critical time has come as a big loss to our college, which had not yet recovered from the Principal's death.

Despise a strongdislike

Mrs. Liberty really despised the restrictions put on her freedom by her orthodox husband, who never relished the idea of women going out.

Disarm make friendly Her disarming smile played a great role in her ability to get along with even total strangers.

Douse drench The police report said that the victim was doused with petrol all over his body before being set afire by the violent mob.

Drawn tense Why should you look so drawn? Take it easy, nothing bad is going to happen.

Dupe one who iseasily

deceived orused, to

deceive ortrick

Since Mauji Nath has already been duped by these fly-by-night operators several times, he is not ready to touch these schemes even with a barge pole.

Eminent standingabove

Several eminent film directors like Kahesh Butt, Sharan Mohar, Hush Topra and Savid Gaban are likely to attend the conference.

Entity a completething

The Lok Dal became a separate political entity once it was recognized as an independent political party by the Election Commission.

Episode incident The entire episode of the US furiously searching for Osama bin Laden exemplifies the fact that it has acted only when its own house was set on fire.

Expedite hasten In view of the shortage of time available, we will have to expedite our work so that it gets completed before the 10th of August.

Fanatic zealot It is the religious fanatics who interpret religion in a narrow sense, and are eager to create communal trouble.

Fantasy illusion Real and Reel life differ from each other only to the extent to which reality differs from fantasy.

Fauna animal life The toxic wastes released by the factory into the river are playing havoc with the fauna flourishing in the river- only last week there were reports of many fish and other aquatic animals dying due to excessive pollution.

Feline catlike Walking stealthily is one of the major feline traits, while being able to sense even the slightest sound is the exclusive preserve of dogs.

Fiat decree The High Court has issued a fiat to attach his property in the event of his failure to pay up the fine prescribed by it.

Florescent blooming The florescent plants withered in the month of March and we will have new flowers only in October.

Grave very serious I shall never recommend this course of action, at least in your case, as it is beset with grave dangers.

Honorarium a payment The NGO being a non-profit organization, could not afford to give him a decent salary; what all they could give him was a small honorarium in recognition of his services.

Ignite to set afire 1. Since the matchstick has become damp due to water seepage, it would not be able to ignite.2. What ignited his desire to go in for a Ph.D. was the promise of a very good job after completing it.

Impel to push The motivating speech given by the Marketing Chief should impel the sales staff towards more hard work and better results.

Imperative requirement In view of the short time available, it is imperative that we should be super quick in making preparations for this important event.

Infrequent rare His not-so-infrequent foreign visits, which belie his claim that he did not enough money even to travel in India, must have resulted in so many entries on his passport.

Juggernaut terrible force The small company, with little financial muscle, could hardly withstand the juggernaut of the mighty marketing company in the form of its extensive marketing campaign.

Leech parasite Mind you, we are not leeches sticking to your body to suck your blood, we have got our own means of survival.

Minute tiny Even a minute particle of dust in the engine can lead to an explosion in the launch of a rocket.

Momentous very important The nomination of Lagaan for the Oscars was once-in-a-lifetime, momentous occasion not just for Aamir Khan, but for the entire Bollywood.

Monologue long speech Since none of the participants except Bidhi spoke, the group discussion became a monologue.

Nocturnal done at night Several nocturnal animals like lizards, owls and snakes cannot see well during the day, as their eyes are designed for the dim lighting of nights.

Oblivious unaware I was oblivious of the fact that somebody behind me was listening in while I was revealing my secrets.

Opiate somethingthat soothes

The swiftness with which the troubled-with-pain patient went into sleep suggested that the doctor must have given him some opiate to kill pain and induce sleep.

Ordinance a law The FOTO ordinance was issued by the President, as the issue was of urgent importance and the parliament could not meet to pass it.

Parochial local The parochial-minded elements within the community, who cannot think beyond the confines of their own religious teachings, are a real threat to communal harmony.

Paucity scarcity There is no paucity of hard-working, innovative and committed scientists in India; the only thing they need in order to be discovered is a merit-based compensation, freedom from politicization and an atmosphere suited to the promotion of new ideas.

Quarantine isolation Those suffering from TB and other infectious disease were quarantined to avoid the patients’ social interaction with other people and the consequent spread of the disease.

Quench to put out Some people have such a thirst for money that it is difficult to quench it by any ordinary means.

Radical extreme Osho Rajneesh’s radical ideas, which were in direct opposition to those of prevailing and popular religions, obviously gave rise to lots of criticism.

Recompense to repay 1. The notice to customers put up by the gift shop “Good To See, Nice To Behold, But If broken, Will Be Treated As Sold” was enough warning to window-shoppers not to play around; the management expects them to recompense any damages made.2. The paltry sum awarded by the government to the accident victims was not enough to recompense for the losses they had suffered due to the driver’s negligence.

Recover to get back, toregain health

1. Rangeen was slowly recovering from his neck pain problem after the surgery.2. Harnam has still not been able to recover the losses he incurred in the fraudulent land deal.

Regimen a regulatedsystem

The 200Kg. - man could not cope with the regimented dieting plan recommended by the trainer and soon reverted to his old ways.

Reinforce to makestronger

My practical experience has only served to reinforce my fondly-held belief that trickery and deception may help you win sometimes, but ultimately honesty and hard work stay with you till the end.

Scamper to go quickly As soon as the news of a fire on the third floor spread, the workers scampered down the stairs in haste.

Scheme a plot The police alleged that there was no truth in the allegations leveled by Bhoot Nath and that he had schemed against the honest officer to discredit him.

Sibling a brother orsister

Three of her seven brothers and sisters are engaged in the traditional family business of diamond trading, while the rest of the siblings are involved in their own independent businesses.

Simile an explicitcomparison

The simile of “a night half completed, half left” was an apt analogy for the crisis in which the P.M. found himself.

Situate to locate The palatial building was situated on the Ludhiana-Ferozepur road, much to the anger of the IT department under whose very nose the illegal activities were being conducted.

Smug complacent You people should not remain smug in the belief that since the rival army has been driven out, they cannot come again. On the contrary, we should be more vigilant to prevent such happenings in future.

Snatch to grab quickly Fate has snatched away this bright gem from us at such a tender age.

Sobriety seriousness His sobriety in this matter is obvious from the fact that he has left everything else and is concentrating on just this affair.

Speculative uncertain While the returns on a bond are fixed and guaranteed, those on a share are absolutely speculative; it may bring a fortune to you or it may lose even your original investment.

Stout short and fat At just 5 feet 1 inch, Golu weighed approximately 120 Kg., thereby giving him a very stout physical appearance.

Suborn to obtainillegally

The innocent child was suborned of his money by the clever stranger, who promised to double it within minutes, and then ran away with it.

Succor to help The quake victims are still waiting for the government succor to come to their rescue.

Tact a keen senseof what to do

and say inorder to avoid

offense

A grave diplomatic crisis like this one requires a great deal of tact and understanding to resolve it in a way that both the countries do not lose face.

Temper to soften ormoderate, totune or adjust

Lakshita was quite determined in pursuing a rebellious course of action, but her friends' persuasion tempered her stand.

Utterance some speech Whatever he may say in his public utterances, at heart he is not happy with his present position in the government.

Vouch support,verify, affirm

She is such a well-known personality in this locality that even a child can vouch for her honesty and integrity.

Read more words for GMAT Vocabulary @ http://vocabulary.hitbullseye.com/