GRE vocabulary list
GRE Verbal Reasoning leans heavily on vocabulary, especially in Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence questions. In Sentence Equivalence, you pick two words that give a sentence the same meaning, so knowing near-synonyms matters. This list mixes classic GRE words with advanced words from our SAT set.
bitterness or ill feeling, especially in speech or manner
adulation nounexcessive admiration or flattery
alacrity nounbrisk and cheerful readiness
anomaly nounsomething unusual or unexpected
approbation nounapproval or praise
assiduous adjectiveshowing constant, careful attention and hard work
austere adjectivesevere or strict in manner
banal adjectiveso lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring
cacophony nouna harsh, discordant mixture of sounds
capricious adjectivegiven to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior
circumspect adjectivewary and unwilling to take risks
desiccate verbto remove the moisture from
dilettante nouna person who dabbles in an area of interest without serious commitment or expertise
dogmatic adjectiveinclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true
ebullient adjectivecheerful and full of energy
elucidate verbto make clear; explain
enervating adjectivedraining energy
ephemeral adjectivelasting a very short time
equivocal adjectiveopen to more than one interpretation, often deliberately
equivocate verbuse ambiguous language so as to conceal the truth
erudite adjectivehaving or showing great knowledge or learning
esoteric adjectiveunderstood by only a few
evanescent adjectivequickly fading or disappearing
florid adjectivehaving a reddish, flushed complexion
fortuitous adjectivehappening by chance, often with a lucky result
garrulous adjectiveexcessively talkative, especially about unimportant things
hackneyed adjectiveoverused and therefore dull or unoriginal
iconoclast nouna person who attacks or challenges cherished beliefs or established institutions
inchoate adjectivejust begun and not yet fully formed or developed
insipid adjectivelacking flavor, interest, or energy
intransigent adjectiveunwilling to compromise or change one's views
intrepid adjectivefearless and adventurous
juxtapose verbto place side by side for contrast
laconic adjectiveusing very few words, sometimes to the point of seeming curt or mysterious
laudable adjectivedeserving praise
lionize verbto treat someone as a celebrity
loquacious adjectivevery talkative
magnanimous adjectivegenerous and forgiving, especially toward a rival or someone less powerful
mendacious adjectivenot telling the truth
munificent adjectivevery generous, especially in giving money
obdurate adjectivestubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or course of action
obsequious adjectiveoverly eager to please or obey
ostensibly adverbapparently, but maybe not really
pedantic adjectiveoverly concerned with minor details or rules, often in a way that shows off one's learning
pellucid adjectivetransparently clear
perfidious adjectivedeceitful and untrustworthy
prevaricate verbto speak evasively or misleadingly in order to avoid telling the whole truth
prodigal adjectivespending money or resources freely and recklessly
quixotic adjectiveextremely idealistic in a way that is unrealistic or impractical
recondite adjectivelittle known
sagacity nounkeen wisdom and sound judgment
sanguine adjectiveoptimistic, especially in a difficult situation
spurious adjectivefalse or fake
superfluous adjectivemore than is needed
surreptitious adjectivedone secretly, to avoid being noticed
tenuous adjectivevery weak or slight
ubiquitous adjectivepresent or found everywhere
vacillate verbto waver between different opinions or actions
venerable adjectivedeserving great respect because of age, wisdom, or long service