Advanced Word List – 16

A good vocabulary is crucial to acing Verbal section in GRE, CAT, SAT and other such exams. In this series of articles, we have compiled 1000 words that frequently feature in competitive exams.Spread over 25 lists of 40 words, these lists offer you a chance to learn the most essential English words.
Each word in the list is accompanied with its meaning and followed by a usage example. The words are categorized on three levels: 1, 2 and 3, according to the degree of difficulty. Go through the word lists and strengthen your vocabulary database.
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Level 1: Let’s get warmed up
Amnesia: Partial or total loss of memory
Consumptions of drugs and alcohol can lead to amnesia.
Anomaly: Deviation from the normal or common order or form or rule
Anomalies are easy to find in the work of amateurs.
Arbiter: Someone with the power to settle matters at will
Sequins have often aroused the scorn of arbiters of taste.
Emulate: Strive to equal or match, especially by imitating
Sons are traditionally expected to emulate their fathers.
Extraneous: Not pertinent to the matter under consideration
Just give me the basic facts, with no extraneous details.
Ferment: A state of agitation or turbulent change or development
The country is in a state of political ferment.
Menial: Used of unskilled work
The name beef-eater was aimed at any well-fed menial.
Paltry: Contemptibly small in amount
He received a paltry wage for the ten hard days of labour he had put in.
Trivial: Of little substance or significance
I do not like to visit the doctor just for something trivial.
Level 2: Let’s take it up a notch
Ambiguous: Having more than one possible meaning
His remarks clarify an ambiguous statement given earlier this week.
Archaic: So extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period
These archaic practises are advocated by people of limited outlook.
Concomitant: Following or accompanying as a consequence
New methods had to be learnt, with the concomitant delays in production.
Condone: Excuse, overlook, or make allowances for; be lenient with
He could not condone lying.
Deleterious: Harmful to living things
Fear of crime is having a deleterious effect on society.
Dissent: A difference of opinion
No-one dissents from the decision to unify.
Incumbent: The official who holds an office
The previous incumbent led the party for eleven years.
Innocuous: Lacking intent or capacity to injure
Both the cultivated and the wild mushrooms look innocuous, but in fact the wild can be deadly.
Prodigious: So great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe
The business generates cash in prodigious amounts.
Propagate: Become distributed or widespread
The easiest way to propagate vines is to take cuttings.
Succinct: Briefly giving the gist of something
Make sure your work is accurate, succinct and to the point.
Usurp: Take the place of
She tried to usurp her brother’s place in her mother’s heart.
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Level 3: Time to be a master
Alleviate: Provide physical relief, as from pain
A great deal can be done to alleviate back pain.
Attenuated: Reduced in strength
Medicine attenuated the fever’s effect.
Celerity: A rate that is rapid
The horses responded with terrific celerity to the telepathic instructions of their riders.
Efficacy: Capacity or power to produce a desired effect
Recent medical studies confirm the efficacy of a healthier lifestyle.
Expedite: Speed up the progress of; facilitate
We will do all we can to expedite the procedure.
Facetious: Cleverly amusing in tone
It was difficult to listen to his facetious remarks.
Fervid: Characterized by intense emotion
He was a fervid patriot and for him, nothing mattered more than country.
Heresy: Any opinions or doctrines at variance with the official or orthodox position
It might be considered a heresy to suggest any notion that goes against the established norms of religion.
Milieu: The environmental condition
They stayed within their social milieu and choose not to interact with others.
Ostensible: Appearing as such but not necessarily so
Illness was the ostensible reason for his absence, but in fact he was just lazy.
Profound: Of the greatest intensity; complete
The overwhelming feeling is of profound shock and anger.
Prudent: Careful and sensible
He is taking a prudent and cautious approach to start his business.
Rabid: Extremely enthusiastic
The kids showed rabid emotions in the playground.
Salubrious: Promoting health; healthful
The climate in the mountains was salubrious.
Savant: Learned person
PHDs are generally savants in their field of interest.
Spurious: Plausible but false
He gathered a spurious framework for analysis.
Strident: Being sharply insistent on being heard
She tried to laugh, and the sound was harsh and strident.
Surfeit: Indulge (one's appetite) to satiety
Rationing had put an end to a surfeit of biscuits long ago.
Venerable: Impressive by reason of age
We met a venerable old man with white hair while walking.
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