GRE Confusing Words - Let's Enlist them here!

Ankita Katdare

Ankita Katdare

@abrakadabra Oct 26, 2024
Following are some of the easily confusable words on the GRE Word list:

ambiguous and ambivalent
emulate and imitate
descry and decry
engender and endanger
deprecation and depreciation
fission and fusion
extant and extent
corroborate and collaborate
endemic and epidemic
dissemble and disassemble
indigenous and indigent
ingenuous and ingenious
infer and imply
insensible and insensitive
effect and affect
viscous and vicious

Could someone explain the difference in the meanings of the words in above pairs?

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  • Ankita Katdare

    Ankita Katdare

    @abrakadabra Jun 16, 2011

    Ambiguous: unclear, double meaning
    Ambivalent: Having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone

    emulate: match or surpass (a person or achievement), typically by imitation.
    imitate: Take or follow as a model

    descry: catch sight of, to discover by careful observation
    decry: denounce publicly

    engender: to bring into existence
    endanger: to expose to danger/harm
  • PraveenKumar Purushothaman

    PraveenKumar Purushothaman

    @praveenkumar-66Ze92 Jun 16, 2011

    deprecation: the act of expressing disapproval (especially of yourself)
    depreciation: a decrease in price or value, "depreciation of the dollar against the yen", a communication that belittles somebody or something

    fission: a nuclear reaction in which a massive nucleus splits into smaller nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy
    fusion: the act of fusing (or melting) together, correction of an unstable part of the spine by joining two or more vertebrae; usually done surgically but sometimes done by traction or immobilization
  • PraveenKumar Purushothaman

    PraveenKumar Purushothaman

    @praveenkumar-66Ze92 Jun 16, 2011

    extant: still in existence; not extinct or destroyed or lost
    extent: the distance or area or volume over which something extends

    corroborate: establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts
    collaborate: work together on a common enterprise of project
  • PraveenKumar Purushothaman

    PraveenKumar Purushothaman

    @praveenkumar-66Ze92 Jun 16, 2011

    endemic: a plant that is native to a certain limited area
    epidemic: a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease; many people are infected at the same time

    dissemble: make believe with the intent to deceive
    disassemble: take apart into its constituent pieces
  • PraveenKumar Purushothaman

    PraveenKumar Purushothaman

    @praveenkumar-66Ze92 Jun 16, 2011

    indigenous: originating where it is found
    indigent: poor enough to need help from others
    Something Sounding Similar: indecent: not in keeping with accepted standards of what is right or proper in polite society

    ingenuous: characterized by an inability to mask your feelings; not devious
    ingenious: showing inventiveness and skill
  • PraveenKumar Purushothaman

    PraveenKumar Purushothaman

    @praveenkumar-66Ze92 Jun 16, 2011

    infer: believe to be the case
    imply: express or state indirectly

    insensible: incapable of physical sensation
    insensitive: not responsive to physical stimuli

    effect: an outward appearance
    affect: the conscious subjective aspect of feeling or emotion

    viscous: having the sticky properties of an adhesive
    vicious: marked by deep ill will; deliberately harmful
  • Ankita Katdare

    Ankita Katdare

    @abrakadabra Jun 20, 2011

    Confusing GRE Words - Enlist them here - 2

    Viscous, Vicious

    Restive, Restful

    Indigenous, Indigent, Ingenious

    Insensible, Insensitive

    Elusive, Effusive

    Corroborate, Collaborate

    Endemic, Epidemic

    Dissemble, Disassemble

    Deprecate, Depreciate

    Extant, Extent

    Incredulous, Incredible

    Descry, Decry

    Flaunt, Flout

    Write the difference in the meanings of above words in this thread.
  • Whats In Name

    Whats In Name

    @whats-in-name-KdgM7o Jun 21, 2011

    Re: Confusing GRE Words - Enlist them here - 2

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Viscous: Thick and sticky.
    Eg:: Dark,Viscous blood.
    Vicious: Violent and cruel.
    Eg:: He suffered a vicious attack.
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Restive: Impatient,bored or dissatisfied.
    Eg:: The audience grew restive.
    Restful: Calm and Relaxed.
    Eg:: Adjust the lighting so it is soft and restful.
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Elusive: Difficult to find,describe,remember or achieve.
    Eg:: Elusiveness of her character.
    Effusive: To express pleasure,gratitude,or approval in a very enthusiastic way.
    Eg:: She greeted them effusively.
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Dissemble: To hide real emotions or intentions.
    Eg:: Henry was not slow to dissemble when it served his purposes.
    Disassemble: To take it to pieces.
    Eg:: Disassemble the drill.
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------



    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Source::Collins Cobuild Advanced Dictionary of English
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  • Ankita Katdare

    Ankita Katdare

    @abrakadabra Jun 28, 2011

    Re: Confusing GRE Words - Enlist them here - 2

    @WIN: That's nice. Why don't other CEans complete the full list? 😀
  • PraveenKumar Purushothaman

    PraveenKumar Purushothaman

    @praveenkumar-66Ze92 Jun 28, 2011

    Re: Confusing GRE Words - Enlist them here - 2

    We already had another 2-set words by AKD right??? Can we merge both these threads?
  • Ankita Katdare

    Ankita Katdare

    @abrakadabra Jun 28, 2011

    @Praveen: Threads Merged. 👍