- abash - humiliate, embarrass
- abdicate - relinquish power or position
- aberrant - abnormal
- abet - aid, encourage (typically of crime)
- abeyance - postponement
- aboriginal - indigenous
- abridge - shorten
- abstemious - moderate
- acclimate - accustom oneself to a climate
- accost - to approach and speak to someone
- acquiesce - agree passively
- acumen - insight
- adamant - insistent
- admonish - warn gently
- adulterate - contaminate, corrupt
- adversity - hardship
- aegis - that which protects
- aesthetic - pleasing to the senses, beautiful
- affable - friendly
- affinity - fondness
- aggregate - total, collect
- aghast - horrified
- alacrity - swiftness
- alienate - estrange, antagonize
- alleviate - lessen, assuage
- altruism - benevolence, generosity
- amalgamation - mixture
- ambiguous - unclear
- ambivalence - conflicting emotions
- amenable - agreeable
- amorphous - shapeless
- anachronistic - out of historical order
- analogous - similar
- anarchy - absence of government
- anathema - curse
- animus - hate
- anomalous - abnormal
- antipathy - repulsion, hatred
- antipodal - exactly opposite
- antiquated - outdated, obsolete
- apathy - indifference
- appease - pacify
- approbation - approval
- artless - naive, simple
- ascetic - self-denying
- assiduous - hard-working
- assimilate - absorb
- audacity - boldness
- auspicious - favorable
- austere - harsh, Spartan
- autonomous - self-governing
- avarice - greed
- axiom - self-evident truth
- banal - trite
- belie - misrepresent
- belittle - disparage
- bellicose - warlike
- benefactor - patron
- boisterous - noisy
- boor - vulgar person
- bourgeois - middle class
- bucolic - rustic
- buttress - support
- cachet - prestige
- cacophony - dissonance, harsh noise
- callow - inexperienced
- canon - rule
- capacious - spacious
- capitulate - surrender
- castigate - criticize
- cathartic - purgative, purifying
- catholic universal, worldly
- caustic - scathing (of speech)
- censure - condemn
- chagrin - embarrassment
- charlatan - quack
- chary - cautious
- coagulate - thicken
- coda - concluding passage
- cogent - well-put, convincing
- collusion - conspiracy
- commensurate - proportionate
- commiserate - empathize
- compensatory - redeeming
- compliant - submissive
- conciliatory - reconciling
- condone - overlook wrong doing
- conducive - helping
- connoisseur - an expert, gourmet
- consensus - general agreement
- contentious - argumentative
- conundrum - puzzle, enigma
- convoluted - twisted, complicated
- covenant - agreement, pact
- covert - secret
- credence - belief
- credulous - believing
- cynical - scornful of the motives of others
- dauntless - courageous
- dearth - scarcity
- defamation - (noun) - slander
- deference - courteously yielding to another
- deleterious - harmful
- delineate - draw a line around, describe
- demur - take exception
- denigrate - defame
- deprecate - belittle
- desiccate - dehydrate
- despot - tyrant
- destitute - poor
- desultory - without direction in life
- deterrent - hindrance
- devoid - empty
- devout - pious
- diatribe - long denunciation
- dichotomy - a division into two parts
- didactic - instructional
- diffident - shy
- digress - ramble
- disabuse - correct a misconception
- discerning - observant
- discord - lack of harmony
- discrete - separate
- discretion - prudence
- disingenuous - deceptive
- disparate - various
- disseminate - distribute
- dissent - disagree
- dissolution - disintegration
- dissonance - discord
- distend - swell
- divest - strip, deprive
- divulge - disclose
- dogmatic - certain, unchanging in opinion
- dormant - asleep
- eclectic - from many sources
- efficacy - effectiveness
- effigy - likeness, mannequin
- effloresce - to bloom
- effrontery - insolence
- elicit - provoke
- eloquent - well-spoken
- emancipate - liberate
- embellish - exaggerate
- endemic - peculiar to a particular region
- enervate - weaken
- engender - generate
- ennui - boredom
- enumerate - count
- esoteric - known by only a few
- esthetic - artistic
- euphemism - genteel expression
- euphoria - elation
- evanescent - fleeting, very brief
- exacerbate - worsen
- exasperate - irritate
- exhibitionist - one who draws attention to himself
- exonerate - free from blame
- expedite - hasten
- extemporize - improvise
- extol - praise highly
- facetious - joking, sarcastic
- facilitate - make easier
- fallacy - false belief
- fathom - understand
- fervor - intensity
- fickle - always changing one’s mind
- filibuster - long speech
- fledgling - just beginning, struggling
- flout - to show disregard for the law or rules
- foment - instigate
- forsake - abandon
- fortuitous - lucky
- foster - encourage
- frugal - thrifty
- fulminate - denounce, menace
- furtive - stealthy
- gainsay - contradict
- germane - relevant
- glib - insincere manner
- gratuitous - unwarranted, uncalled for
- gregarious - sociable
- halcyon - serene
- hamper - obstruct
- harangue - tirade
- harry - harass
- hedonism - excessive pursuit of pleasure in life
- hegemony - authority, domination
- histrionic - overly dramatic
- homogeneous - uniform
- hyperbole - exaggeration
- hypocritical - deceiving, two-faced
- iconoclast one who rails against sacred institutions
- idiosyncrasy - peculiarity
- imminent - about to happen
- impecunious - indigent
- imperative - vital, pressing
- imperturbable - calm
- impervious - impenetrable
- impetuous - impulsive
- implicit - implied
- impolitic - unwise
- impulsive - to act suddenly
- impunity - exemption from harm
- inadvertent - unintentional
- incendiary - inflammatory
- incipient - beginning
- incontrovertible - indisputable
- incorrigible - unreformable
- indifferent - unconcerned
- indigent - poor
- indolent - lazy
- indomitable - invincible
- ineffable - inexpressible
- inert - inactive
- inherent - innate, inborn
- inhibit - restrain
- inimical - adverse, hostile
- insatiable - gluttonous
- insidious - treacherous
- insipid - flat, dull
- insufferable - unbearable
- insular - narrow-minded
- intangible - not perceptible by touch
- internecine - mutually destructive
- intractable - unmanageable
- intrepid - fearless
- inundate - flood
- inure - accustom, habituate, harden
- invective - verbal insult
- inveigle - lure
- irascible - irritable
- irresolute - hesitant, uncertain
- itinerary - route
- judicious - prudent
- laconic - brief, terse
- lassitude - lethargy
- laudatory - commendable
- levity - frivolity
- lucid - clearly understood
- lurid - ghastly
- Machiavellian - politically crafty, cunning
- magnanimous - generous, kindhearted
- magnate - a powerful, successful person
- malevolence - bad intent, malice
- malinger - shirk
- malleable - moldable, tractable
- misanthrope - hater of mankind
- miscreant - evildoer
- mitigate - lessen the severity
- mundane - ordinary
- nadir - lowest point
- narcissism - self-love
- nascent - incipient
- neologism - newly coined expression
- nonplus - confound
- noxious - toxic
- obfuscate - bewilder, muddle
- obtuse - stupid
- obviate - make unnecessary
- odious - despicable
- officious - forward, obtrusive
- omnipotent - all-powerful
- onerous - burdensome
- opprobrium - disgrace
- oscillate - waver
- paean - a song of praise
- paradigm - a model
- paragon - standard of excellence
- parody - imitation, ridicule
- parsimonious - stingy
- paucity - scarcity
- pedagogical - pertaining to teaching
- pedantic - bookish
- penchant - inclination
- penury - poverty
- pernicious - destructive
- perpetuity - eternity
- perspicacious - keen
- pervade - permeate
- philanthropic - charitable
- phlegmatic - sluggish
- piety - devoutness
- pious - devout, holy
- piquant - tart-tasting, spicy
- pithy - concise
- platitude - trite remark
- platonic - nonsexual
- plethora - overabundance
- polemic - a controversy
- posthumous - after death
- pragmatic - practical
- precarious - dangerous, risky
- precipitate - cause
- precursor - forerunner
- preponderance predominance
- presumptuous - assuming
- pretentious - affected, inflated
- pretext - excuse
- prevaricate - lie
- probity - integrity
- problematic - uncertain
- prodigal - wasteful
- prodigious - marvelous, enormous
- prodigy - a person with extraordinary ability or talent
- profligate - licentious, prodigal
- profound - deep, knowledgeable
- profusion - overabundance
- prolific - fruitful, productive
- propensity - inclination
- proportionate - commensurate
- propriety - decorum
- prosaic - uninspired, flat
- proscribe - prohibit
- protuberance - bulge
- pundit - politically astute person
- pungent - sharp smell or taste
- qualms - misgivings
- quash - put down, suppress
- querulous - complaining
- quixotic - impractical, romantic
- raconteur - story teller
- recalcitrant - stubborn
- recant - retract
- redoubtable - formidable, steadfast
- refractory - obstinate
- relegate - assign to an inferior position
- renege - break a promise
- renounce - disown
- reprehensible - blameworthy
- reproach - blame
- reprobate - miscreant
- repudiate - disavow
- requisite - necessary
- rescind - revoke
- resolute - determined
- reticent - reserved
- retribution - reprisal
- reverent - respectful
- rhapsody - ecstasy
- rhetoric - elocution, grandiloquence
- sanctimonious - self-righteous
- sanction - approval
- sanguinary - gory, murderous
- satiate - satisfy fully
- satire - ridicule
- schism - rift
- secular - worldly, nonreligious
- sedulous - diligent
- severance - division
- skeptical - doubtful
- solicitous - considerate, concerned
- solvent - financially sound
- sophistry - specious reasoning
- specious - false but plausible
- spurious - false, counterfeit
- squander - waste
- stolid - impassive
- stupefy - deaden, dumfound
- stymie - hinder, thwart
- sullen - sulky, sour
- supercilious - arrogant
- superfluous - overabundant
- surfeit - overabundance
- synthesis - combination
- tacit - understood without being spoken
- temerity - boldness
- tenuous - thin, insubstantial
- terse - concise
- torpid - lethargic, inactive
- tractable - docile, manageable
- transient - fleeting, temporary
- trenchant - incisive, penetrating
- truculent - fierce, savage
- ubiquitous - omnipresent, pervasive
- ulterior - hidden, covert
- untenable - cannot be achieved
- untoward - perverse
- urbane - refined, worldly
- vacillate - waver
- venerable - revered
- veracity - truthfulness
- verbose - wordy
- vernacular - common speech
- vex - annoy
- viable - capable of surviving
- vilify - defame
- virulent - deadly, poisonous
- vitriolic - scathing
- vituperative - abusive
- vivacious - lively
- volatile - unstable
- voluminous - bulky, extensive
- voracious - hungry
- xenophobia - fear of foreigners
- zealot - fanatic
28th Nov 2022
Afia Azmi
Best GRE Words List | GRE Verbal of Ubiquitous 400 Words
The GRE tests covers a surprisingly limited number of GRE words list. In the following lists, you will find words that occur frequently on the GRE words list. Granted, memorizing a list of words is rather dry, but it is probably the most effective way to improve your performance on the GRE verbal section.
As you read through the lists, mark any words that you do not know with a check mark. Then, when you read through the list again, mark any that you do not remember with two checks. Continue in this manner until you have learned the words.
The first list, The Ubiquitous 400, contains words that have appeared frequently on the GRE. Over the years, our second list, Vocabulary 4000, has been an invaluable tool for students who have both the time and the determination to wade through it. It’s chock-full of words that are prime candidates for the GRE.
GRE Words list
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