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GRE vocabulary

pan

verbHigh-frequency wordMore P words

to criticize something harshly and unfavorably

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In a sentence

Pan in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing pan in a sentence.

Critics panned the film for its incoherent plot and wooden acting.

Critics panned the novel for its wooden dialogue and predictable plot.

Antonyms
praiseextollaudcommend
Usage & nuance

Using “pan” well

In this sense pan is informal and specific to reviews or public judgment, unlike the broader censure or disparage. Do not confuse it with the everyday noun for a cooking vessel.

Keep going

More GRE words starting with P

pacify

to calm or soothe someone who is angry or agitated

paean

a song or expression of joyful praise or triumph

painstaking

done with careful and thorough effort

palatable

agreeable to the taste or acceptable to the mind

palatial

resembling a palace in size or grandeur

palingenesis

rebirth, regeneration, or renewal into a new existence

palliate

to ease the severity of something without curing it

pallid

pale or lacking vitality and color

Common questions

Questions about “pan”

Pan (verb) means to criticize something harshly and unfavorably
Here is pan used in an example sentence: "Critics panned the film for its incoherent plot and wooden acting." Another example: "Critics panned the novel for its wooden dialogue and predictable plot."
Common synonyms for pan include lambaste, censure, disparage, excoriate.
Antonyms of pan include praise, extol, laud, commend.
On the GRE, pan clusters with lambaste, censure, disparage, and excoriate, opposing praise, extol, laud, and commend.
Yes. Pan is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

See these words the way the GRE tests them.

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