Words starting with R | Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) for GRE PDF Download

rabid: furious; with extreme anger; a disease affecting animals

The insult made him rabid.
Discovering that the dog was rabid, the mail carrier knew he'd have to get a shot.
He's been a rabid sports fan for as long as I have known him.

raconteur: a person skilled at telling stories

Our entertainment was a raconteur who told a story of talking animals.

ramification: the arrangement of branches; consequence

One of the ramifications of driving fast is getting a speeding ticket.

rampant: growing unchecked; widespread

Social unrest was rampant because of the lack of food available to the people.

rampart: a defense; to defend

The ramparts where beginning to crumble.

rancid: having a bad odor

Left out too long, the meat turned rancid.

rancor: strong ill will; enmity

Her rancor for the man was evident in her hateful expression.
Sure they had their disagreements, but there was no rancor between them.

rant: to speak in a loud, pompous manner; rave

He disputed the bill with the shipper, ranting that he was dealing with thieves.

rapacious: using force to take

Rapacious actions were needed to take the gun from the intruder.

ratify: to make valid; confirm

The Senate ratified the new law that would prohibit companies from discriminating according to race in their hiring practices.
Hunters were called in to rarefy the deer population.

rationalize: to offer reasons for; account for on rational grounds

His daughter attempted to rationalize why she had dropped out of college, but she could not give any good reasons.

raucous: disagreeable to the sense of hearing; harsh; hoarse

The raucous protesters stayed on the street corner all night, shouting their disdain for the whale killers.

raze: to scrape or shave off; to obliterate or tear down completely

The plow will raze the ice from the road surface.
It must be time to give the cat a manicure; she razed my skin last night.
They will raze the old Las Vegas hotel to make room for a $2.5 billion gambling palace.

realm: an area; sphere of activity

In the realm of health care, the issue of who pays and how is never far from the surface.
The bounding islands were added to the realm of the kingdom.

rebuff: a blunt refusal to offered help

The rebuff of her aid plan came as a shock.

rebuttal: refutation

The lawyer's rebuttal to the judge's sentencing was to present more evidence to the case.

recalcitrant: stubbornly rebellious

The boy became recalcitrant when the curfew was enforced.
The recalcitrant youth dyed her hair purple, dropped out of school, and generally worked hard at doing whatever others did not want her to do. 

recession: withdrawal; economic downturn

Oscar's gum recession left him with sensitive teeth.
Soaring unemployment in the nation's industrial belt triggered recession.

recidivism: habitual or chronic relapse of criminal or antisocial offenses

Even after intense therapy the parolee experienced several episodes ofrecidivism, and was eventually sent back to prison.

reciprocal: mutual; having the same relationship to each other

Hernando's membership in the Picture of Health Fitness Center gives him reciprocal privileges at 245 health clubs around the U.S.
Although his first child was adopted, she had a reciprocal relationship with her father.

recluse: solitary; a person who lives secluded

His recluse life seems to make him happy.
Howard Hughes, among the most famous and enigmatic figures of the 20th century, ultimately retreated to a life as a recluse.

recondite: hard to understand; concealed

The students were dumbfounded by the recondite topic.
Many scientific theories are recondite, and therefore not known at all by the general public.

rectify: correct 

The service manager rectified the shipping mistake by refunding the customer's money.

recumbent: resting

The recumbent puppy stirred.

recusant: disobedient of authority

Recusant inmates may be denied privileges.

redolent: sweet-smelling; having the odor of a particular thing

The redolent aroma of the pie tempted everyone.
The restaurant was redolent with the smell of spices.

redundant: wordy; repetitive; unnecessary to the meaning

The redundant lecture of the professor repeated the lesson in the text.
Her comments were both redundant and sarcastic.
With millions of transactions at stake, the bank built a redundant processing center on a separate power grid.

refurbish: to make new; renovate

The Newsomes are refurbishing their old colonial home with the help of an interior designer.

refute: challenge; disprove

He refuted the proposal, deeming it unfair

regal: royal; grand

The regal home was lavishly decorated and furnished with European antiques.
The well-bred woman behaves in a regal manner.

reiterate: to repeat again

Rose found that she had to reiterate almost everything, leading her to fear her husband was going deaf.
If you did not hear me the first time, I will reiterate the directions for you.

relegate: banish; put to a lower position

With Internal Affairs launching an investigation into charges that Officer
Wicker had harassed a suspect, he was relegated to desk duty.

relevant: of concern; significant

Asking applicants about their general health is relevant since much of the job requires physical strength.

relinquish: to let go; abandon

House Speaker Jim Wright had to relinquish his position after an ethics investigation undermined his authority.

remonstrate: to protest or object to

The population will remonstrate against the new taxes.

remorse: guilt; sorrow

The prosecutor argued that the defendant had shown no remorse for his actions.

renascence: a new life; rebirth

The renascence of the band resulted in a new recording contract.

rend: to rip or pull from; to split with violence; to disturb with a sharp noise

The kidnapper rent the newborn baby from the arms of its mother as she was leaving the hospital.
A freakish water spout rent the fishing boat in half.
Every morning, the 5:47 local out of New Brunswick rends the dawn's silence with its air horn.

render: deliver; provide

The Yorkville First Aid Squad was first on the scene to render assistance.

renegade: a person who abandons something, as a religion, cause or movement;

a traitor

Benedict Arnold remains one of the most notorious renegades in American history.

repast: food that is eaten

The repast consisted of cheese, wine, and bread

replete: well supplied

The kitchen came replete with food and utensils.

replica: copy; representation; reproduction

The equine sculpture was a replica of a Remington.

reprehend: to reprimand; to find fault with

Finding the need to reprehend the student's actions, she gave her detention.

reproach: to blame and thus make feel ashamed; to rebuke

The major reproached his troops for not following orders.

reprobate: to condemn; to reject

The teacher will reprobate the actions of the delinquent student.
His assertions were reprobated as inappropriate.

reproof: a rebuke

For all his hard work, all he got was a reproof of his efforts.

repudiate: to disown; to deny support for; reject; cancel

The man will repudiate all claims that he was involved in the deal.
Although his party supported the bill, this senator repudiated it.
The offer was repudiated because of its cost.

repugnant: inconsistent; resistance

The repugnant actions of the man made others lose trust in him.
Despite their efforts to convince her, she remained repugnant.

resignation: quitting; submission

He submitted his resignation because he found a new job.
You could see the resignation on his face: Things just weren't working out as he'd expected.

resilient: flexible; capable of withstanding stress

The elderly man attributed his resilient health to a good diet and frequent exercise.

resolution: proposal; promise; determination

Former U.S. Senator George Mitchell journeyed to Ireland to help bring about a peaceful resolution to years of strife.

resonant: resounding; re-echoing

Beautiful resonant music escaped from the cathedral's windows.

respite: recess; rest period

The workers talked and drank coffee during the respite.
The team was given a respite from the long practice schedule.

resplendent: dazzling and shining

Her new diamond was resplendent in the sunshine.

resurgent: rising or tending to rise again

A resurgent wave of enthusiasm erupted from the once quiet crowd.

reticent: silent; reserved; shy

The reticent girl played with her building blocks while the other children played tag.
It was difficult to get the reticent boy to join the conversation.

retract: to draw or take back

Once you say something, it's hard to retract.

retroaction: a reverse action

The retroaction of the car sent those standing behind it fleeing.
The bill's retroaction stood to save taxpayers an average of $500 a head.

reverent: respectful; feeling or showing deep love, respect, or awe

The congregation was very reverent of its spiritual leader.

reverie: the condition of being unaware of one's surroundings, trance; dreamy thinking or imagining, especially of agreeable things

As their anniversary neared, Lisa fell into a reverie as she recalled allthe good times she and Roscoe had had.
After spending the morning in reverie, I decided to work in the afternoon.

revile: to be abusive in speech

It is not appropriate for a teacher to revile a student.

rhapsodize: to speak or write in a very enthusiastic manner

Hearing the general rhapsodize about his time as a plebe sent a wave of recognition through the academy grads.

rhetorical: having to do with verbal communication; artificial eloquence

In posing a rhetorical question, he hoped to get people thinking.
The perception that Gary Hart was spouting rhetorical flourishes enabled fellow Democrat
Walter Mondale to score debate points by asking, "Where's the beef?"

ribald: vulgar joking or mocking

Some people find the comedian's ribald act offensive.
The ribald story proved an embarrassment to its audience.

rigor: severity

She criticized the planning board's vote with rigor.

rivet: to secure; to hold firmly, as in eyes

We can rivet the boat to the dock.
She could not look away from the morbid scene; she was riveted to it.

roseate: rose-colored

The roseate sunset faded into the sky.

rout: a noisy or disorderly crowd; a retreat or terrible defeat; to dig up

The rout kept the police busy all morning with crowd control.
The Scarlet Knights beat the Fighting Irish in a rout, 56-14.
I need to rout the backyard in order to put in the pipes.

rudimentary: elementary

Adding two plus two is a rudimentary activity.

ruffian: tough person or a hoodlum

Contrary to popular opinion, ruffians are nothing new in the city.

ruminate: to consider carefully

The doctor will ruminate on his diagnosis.
Facing a tough decision, he decided to ruminate before making his thoughts known.

rummage: search thoroughly

Determined to find his college yearbook, he rummaged through every box in the garage.

rustic: plain and unsophisticated; homely; of or living in the country

The president enjoyed spending weekends at Camp David, a rustic retreat in the Catoctin Mountains of Maryland.