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GRE Barrons Words F
A complete list of Barron's GRE Wordlist, with meanings and sentences.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| fabricate | build; lie Because of the child's tendency to fabricate, we had trouble believing her. |
| facade | front of the building The facade of the church had often been photographed by tourists because it was more interesting than the rear. |
| facet | small plane surface (of a gem); a side The stonecutter decided to improve the rough diamond by providing it with several facets. |
| facetious | humorous; jocular Your facetious remarks are not appropriate at this serious moment. |
| facile | easy; expert Because he was a facile speaker, he never refused a request to address an organization. |
| facilitate | make less difficult He tried to facilitate repayment of the loan by getting a part-time job. |
| facsimilie | copy Many museums sell facsimilies of the works of art on display. |
| faction | party; clique; dissension The quarrels and bickering of the two small factions within the club disturbed the majority of the members. |
| factious | inclined to form factions; causing dissension. Your statement is factious and will upset the harmony that now exists. |
| factitous | artificial; sham Hollywood actresses often create factitious tears by using glycerine. |
| factotum | handyman; person who does all kinds of work Although we had hired him as a messenger, we soon began to use him as a general factotum around the office. |
| faculty | mental or bodily powers; teaching staff As he grew old, he feared he might lose his faculties and become useless to his employer. |
| fallacious | misleading Your reasoning must be fallacious because it leads to a ridiculous answer. |
| fallible | liable to err I know I am fallible, but I feel confident that I am right this time. |
| fallow | plowed but sowed; uncultivated Farmers have learned that it is advisable to permit land to le fallow every few years. |
| falter | hesitate When told to dive off the high board, she did not falter, but proceeded at once. |
| fanaticism | excessive zeal The leader of the group was held responsible even though he could not control the fanaticism of his followers. |
| fancied | imagined; unreal You are resenting fancied insults. No one has ever said such things about you. |
| fancier | breeder or dealer of animals The dog fancier exhibited her prize collie at the annual Kennel Club show. |
| fanciful | whimsical; visionary This is a fanciful scheme because it does not consider the facts. |
| fanfare | call by bugles or trumpets; showy display The exposition was opened with fanfare of trumpets and the firing of cannon. |
| fantastic | unreal; grotesque; whimsical Your fears are fantastic because no such animal as you have described exists. |
| farce | broad comedy; mockery Nothing went right; the entire interview degenerated into a farce. |
| fastidious | difficult to please; squeamish The waitresses disliked serving him dinner because of his very fastidious taste. |
| fatalism | belief that events are determined by forces beyond one's control With fatalism, he accepted the hardships that beset him. |
| fathom | comprehend; investigate I find his motives impossible to fathom. |
| fatuous | foolish; inane He is far too intelligent to utter such fatuous remarks. |
| fauna | animals of a period or region The scientist could visualize the fauna of the period by examining the skeletal remains and the fossils. |
| fawning | courting favor by cringing and flattering She was constantly surrounded by a group of fawning admirers who had hoped to win some favor. |
| faze | disconcert; dismay No crisis could faze the resourceful hotel manager. |
| feasible | practical This is an entirely feasible proposal. I suggest we adopt it. |
| febrile | feverish In his febrile condition, he was subject to nightmares and hallucinations. |
| fecundity | fertility; fruitfulness The fecundity of his mind is illustrated by the many vivid images in his poems. |
| feign | pretend Lady Macbeth feigned illness in the courtyard although she was actually healthy. |
| feint | trick; shift; sham blow The boxer was fooled by his opponent's feint and dropped his guard. |
| felicitous | apt; suitably expressed; well chosen He was famous for his felicitous remarks and was called upon to serve as master-of-ceremonies at many banquet. |
| felicity | happines; appropriateness (of a remark, choice, etc.) She wrote a note to the newlyweds wishing them great felicity in their wedded life. |
| fell | cruel; deadly The newspapers told of the tragic spread of the fell disease |
| felon | person convicted of a grave crime A convicted felon loses the right to vote |
| ferment | agitation; commotion With the breakup of the Soviet Union, much of Eastern Europe was in a state of ferment. |
| ferret | drive or hunt out of hiding She was ferreted out their secret. |
| fervent | ardent; hot She felt that the fervent praise was excessive and somewhat undeserved. |
| fervid | ardent Her fervid enthusiasm inspired all of us to undertake the dangerous mission. |
| fervor | glowing ardor Their kiss was full of the fervor of first love. |
| fester | generate pus When her finger began to fester, the doctor lanced it and removed the splinter that had caused the pus to form. |
| fester | rankle, produce irritation or resentment Joe's insult festered in Anne's mind for days, and made her too angry to speak to him. |
| festive | joyous; celebratory Their wedding in the park was a festive occasion. |
| fete | honor at a festival The returning hero was feted at a community supper and dance. |
| fetid | malodorous The neglected wound became fetid. |
| fetter | shackle The prisoner was fettered to the wall. |
| fiasco | total failure Our ambitious venture ended in a fiasco and we were forced to flee. |
| fiat | command I cannot accept government by fiat; I feel that I must be consulted. |
| fickle | changeable; faithless He discovered his supposedly faithful girlfriend was fickle |
| fictitious | imaginary Although this book purports to be a biography of George Washington, many of the incidents are fictitious. |
| fidelity | loyalty A dog's fidelity to its owner is one of the reasons why that animal is a favorite household pet. |
| figment | invention; imaginary thing That incident never took place; it is a figment of your imagination. |
| figurative | not literal, but metaphorical; using a figure of speech "To lose one's marbles" is a figurative expression; if you're told Jack has lost his marbles, no one expects you to rush out to buy him a replacement set. |
| figurine | small ornamental statuette In the Maltese Falcon, Sam Spade was hired to trace the missing figurine of a black bird. |
| filch | steal The boys filched apples from the fruit stand. |
| filial | pertaining to a son or daughter Many children forget their filial obligations and disregard the wishes of their parents. |
| filibuster | block legislation by making long speeches Even though we disapproved of Senator Foghorn's political goals, we were impressed by his ability to filibuster endlessly to keep an issue from coming to a vote. |
| filigree | delicate, lacelike metalwork The pendant with gold filigree that she wore round her neck trembled with each breath she took. |
| finale | conclusion It is not until we reach the finale of this play that we can understand the author's message. |
| finesse | delicate skill The finesse and adroitness of the surgeon impressed the observers in the operating room. |
| finicky | too particular; fussy The old lady was finicky about her food and ate very little. |
| finite | limited It is difficult for humanity with its finite existence to grasp the infinite. |
| firebrand | hothead; troublemaker The police triedto keep track of all the local firebrands when the President came to town. |
| fissure | crevice The mountain climbers secured footholds in tiny fissures in the rock. |
| fitful | spasmodic; intermittent After several fitful attempts, he decided to postpone the start of the project until he felt more energetic. |
| flaccid | flabby His sedentary life had left him with flaccid muscles. |
| flag | droop; grow feeble When the opposing hockey team scored its third goal only minutes into the first period, the home team's spirits flagged. |
| flagrant | conspicuously wicked We cannot condone such flagrant violations of the rules. |
| flail | thresh grain by hand; strike or slap; toss about In medieval times, warriors flailed their foe with a metal ball attached to a handle. |
| flair | talent She has an uncanny flair for discovering new artists before the public has become aware of their existence. |
| flamboyant | ornate Modern architecture has discarded the flamboyant trimming on buildings and emphasizes simplicity of line. |
| flaunt | display ostentatiously She is not the one of those actresses who flaunt their physical charms; she can act. |
| flay | strip off skin; plunder The criminal was condemned to be flayed alive. |
| fleck | spot Her cheeks flecked with tears, were testimony to the hours of weeping. |
| fledgling | inexperienced While it is necessary to provide these fledgling poets with an opportunity to present their work, it is not essential that we admire everything they write. |
| fleece | wool coat of a sheep They shear sheep of their fleece, which they then comb into separate strands of wool. |
| fleece | rob; plunder The tricksters fleeced him of his inheritance. |
| flick | light stroke as with a whip The horse needed no encouragement; only one flick of the whip was all the jockey had to apply to get the animal to run at top speed. |
| flinch | hesitate; shrink He did not flinch in the face of danger but fought back bravely. |
| flippancy | trifling gaiety Your flippancy at this serious moment is offensive. |
| flit | fly; dart lightly; pass swiftly by Like a bee flitting from flower to flower, Rose flitted from one boyfriend to the next. |
| floe | mass of floating ice The ship made slow progress as it battered its way through the ice floes. |
| flora | plants of a region or era Because she was a botanist, she spent most of her time studying the flora of the desert. |
| florid | flowery; ruddy His complexion was even more florid than usual because of his anger. |
| flotsam | drifting wreckage Beachcombers eke out a living by salvaging the flotsam and jetsam of the sea. |
| flourish | grow well; prosper; make sweeping gestures The orange trees flourished in the sun. |
| flout | reject; mock The headstrong youth flouted all authority; he refused to be curbed. |
| fluctuation | wavering Meteorologists watch the fluctuations of the barometer in order to predict the weather. |
| fluency | smoothness of speech He spoke French with fluency and ease. |
| fluke | unlikely occurrence; stroke of fortune When Douglass defeated Tyson for the heavyweight championship, some sportscasters dismissed his victory as a fluke. |
| fluster | confuse The teacher's sudden question flustered him and he stammered his reply. |
| fluted | having vertical parallel grooves (as in a pillar) All that remained of the ancient building were the fluted columns. |
| flux | flowing; series of changes While conditions are in such a state of flux, I do not wish to commit myself too deeply in this affair. |
| fodder | coarse food for cattle, horses etc. One of Nancy's chores ar the ranch was to put fresh supplies of fodder in the horses' stalls. |
| foible | weakness; slight fault We can overlook the foibles of our friends; no one is perfect. |
| foil | contrast In "Star Wars," dark, evil Darth Vader is a perfect foil for fair-haired, naive Luke Skywalker. |
| foil | defeat; frustrate In the end, Skywalker is able to foil Vader's diabolical schemes. |
| foist | insert improperly; palm off I will not permit you to foist such ridiculous ideas upon the membership of this group. |
| foliage | masses of leaves Every autumn before the leaves fell he promised himself he would drive though the New England to admire the colorful fall foliage. |
| foment | stir up; instigate This report will foment disssension in the club. |
| foolhardy | rash Don't be foolhardy. Get the advice of experienced people before undertaking this venture. |
| foppish | vain about dress and appearance He tried to imitate the foppish manner of the young men of the court. |
| foray | raid The company staged a midnight foray against the enemy outpost. |
| forberance | patience We must use forbearance in dealing with him because he is still weak from his illness. |
| ford | place where a river can be crossed on foot Rather than risk using the shaky rope bridge, David walked a half-mile downstream until he came to the neartest ford. |
| forebears | ancestors Reverence for one's forebears (sometimes referred to as ancestor worship) plays an important part in many Oriental cultures. |
| foreboding | premonition of evil Caeser ridiculed his wife's foreboding about the Ides of March. |
| forensic | suitable to debate or courts of law In her best forensic manner, the lawyer addressed the jury. |
| foreshadow | give an indication beforehand; portend; prefigure In retrospect, political analysts realized that Yeltsin's defiance of the attempted coup foreshadowed his emergence as the dominant figure of the new Russian republic. |
| foresight | ability to foresee future happenings; prudence A wise investor, she had the foresight to buy land just before the current real estate boom. |
| forestall | prevent by taking action in advance By setting up a prenuptial agreement, the prospective bride and groom hoped to forestall any potential arguments about money in the event of a divorce. |
| forgo | give up; do without Determined to lose weight for the summer, Ida decided to forgo dessert until she could fit into a size eight again. |
| formality | adherence to established rules or procedures Signing this petition is a mere formality; it does not obligate you in any way. |
| formidable | menacing; threatening We must not treat the battle lightly for we are facing a formidable foe. |
| forsake | desert; abandon; renounce No one expected Foster to forsake his wife and children and run off with another woman. |
| forswear | renounce; abandon The captured knight could escape death only if he agreed to forswear Christianity and embrace Islam as the one true faith. |
| forte | strong point or special talent I am not eager to play this rather seious role, for my forte is comedy. |
| forthright | straightforward; direct; frank I prefer Jill's forthright approach to Jack's tendency to beat around the bush. |
| fortitude | bravery; courage He was awarded the medal for his fortitude in the battle. |
| fortuitous | accidental; by chance There is no connection between these two events; their timing is entirely fortuitous. |
| foster | rear; encourage According to the legend, Romulus and Remus were fostered by a she-wolf that raised the abandoned infants as her own. |
| founder | fail completely; sink After hitting the submerged iceberg, the Titanic started taking in water rapidly and soon foundered. |
| founder | person who establishes (an organization, business) Among those drowned when the Titanic sank was the founder of the Abraham & Straus chain. |
| fracas | brawl; melee The military police stopped the fracas in the bar and arrested the belligerents. |
| fractious | unruly The fractious horse unseated its rider. |
| frailty | weakness The doctor prescribed vitamin and mineral supplements for the sick old woman because of her frailty. |
| franchise | right granted by authority The city issued a franchise to the company to operate surface transit lines on the streets for ninety-nine years. |
| frantic | wild At the time of the collision, many people became frantic with fear. |
| fraudulent | cheating; deceitful The government seeks to prevent fraudulent and misleading advertising. |
| fraught | filled Since this enterprise is fraught with danger, I will ask for volunteers who are willing to assume the risks. |
| fray | brawl The three musketeers were in the thick of fray. |
| frenetic | frenzied; frantic His frenetic activities convinced us that he had no organized plan of operation. |
| frenzied | madly excited As soon as they smelled smoke, the frenzied animals milled about in their cages. |
| fresco | painting in plaste (usually fresh) The cathedral is visited by many tourists who wish to admire the frescoes by Glotto. |
| fret | to be annonyed or vexed To fret over your poor grades is foolish; instead, decide to work harder in the future. |
| friction | clash in opinion; rubbing against At this time when harmony is essential, we cannot afford to have any friction in our group. |
| frieze | ornamental band on a wall The frieze of the church was adorned with sculpture. |
| frigid | intensely cold Alaska is in the frigid zone. |
| fritter | waste He could not apply himself to any task and frittered away his time in idle conversation. |
| frivolous | lacking in seriousness; self-indulgently carefree; relatively unimportant Though Nancy enjoyed Bill's frivolous, lighthearted companionship, she sometimes wondered whether he could ever be serious. |
| frolicsome | prankish; gay The frolicsome puppy tried to lick the face of its master. |
| frond | fern leaf; palm or banana leaf After the storm the beach was littered with the fronds of palm trees. |
| fructify | bear fruit This peach tree should fructify in three years. |
| frugality | thrift; economy In these economically difficult days businesses must practice frugality or risk bankruptcy. |
| fruition | bearing of fruit; fulfillment; realization This building marks the fruition of all our aspirations and years of hard work. |
| fugitive | fleeting or transitory; roving The film brought a few fugitive images to her mind, but on the whole it made no lasting impression upon her. |
| fulcrum | support on which a lever rests If we use this stone as a fulcrum and the crowbar as a lever, we may be able to move this boulder. |
| fulminate | thunder; explode The people against whom she fulminated were innocent of any wrongdoing. |
| fulsome | disgustingly excessive His fulsome praise of the dictator annoyed his listeners. |
| functionary | official As his case was transferred from one functionary to another, he began to despair of ever reaching a settlement. |
| fundamental | basic; primary; essential The committee discussed all sorts of side issues without ever getting down to addressing the fundamental problem. |
| funereal | sad; solemn I fail to understand why there is such a funereal atmosphere; we have lost a battle, not a war. |
| furor | frenzy; great excitement The story of her embezzlement of the funds created a furor on the stock exchange. |
| furtive | stealthy; sneaky The boy gave a furtive look at his classmate's test paper. |
| fusilade | simultaneous firing or outburs (of missiles, questions, etc.) Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture concludes with a thunderous fusilade of cannon fire. |
| fusion | union; coalition The opponents of the political party in power organized a fusion of disgruntled groups and became an important element in the election. |
| futile | ineffective; fruitless Why waste your time on futile pursuits? |
| feckless | feeble, ineffective; unthinking, irresponsible Einstein was noted for his extraordinary inspirations; on the other hand, he was noted for being feckless in his daily chores. |
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