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GRE vocabulary

hearken

verbHigh-frequency wordMore H words

to listen carefully or pay close attention to something

In a sentence

Hearken in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing hearken in a sentence.

The crowd hearkened to the elder's words with reverent silence.

The council urged the young king to hearken to the counsel of his more experienced ministers.

Synonyms
heedattendlisten
Antonyms
Usage & nuance

Using “hearken” well

Hearken is an archaic or literary word meaning to listen attentively or heed. In the modern phrase hearken back, it instead means to recall or evoke an earlier time.

Common questions

Questions about “hearken

Hearken (verb) means to listen carefully or pay close attention to something
Here is hearken used in an example sentence: "The crowd hearkened to the elder's words with reverent silence." Another example: "The council urged the young king to hearken to the counsel of his more experienced ministers."
Common synonyms for hearken include heed, attend, listen.
Antonyms of hearken include ignore, disregard, neglect.
Clusters with heed, attend, and listen, opposed by ignore, disregard, and neglect. Note the idiom hearken back, which shifts the meaning toward evoking the past.
Yes. Hearken is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

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