Having a strong vocabulary is essential to scoring high on the GRE. Our analysis shows that these are some of the most commonly tested vocabulary words on the exam. It’s hard to accurately measure your understanding with simple flashcards, so take our quizzes to ensure you know these for exam day.
Definitions
corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones
"Even small chemical leaks can adulterate the water supply."
"Some coffee connoisseurs believe sugar and cream adulterates the coffee."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
Contrariety or opposition in feeling; settled aversion or dislike; repugnance; distaste.
"The passionate sports fan felt deep antipathy to the referee that ruined the game."
"The longtime enemies had mutual antipathy to one another."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
To strive in opposition; to contest; to dispute; to vie; to quarrel; to fight.
"The pundit chose to contend against the opinion shared by the rest of the panel."
"The old couple would contend against each other on every topic."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
To dry up; to deprive or exhaust of moisture; to preserve by drying.
"The fruits desiccated after sitting in the sun for days."
"The cracked earth had desiccated from the long drought."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
Wanting confidence in one's self; distrustful of one's own powers; not self-reliant; timid; modest; bashful; characterized by modest reserve.
"She was the most diffident student in the class; even when she knew the answer, she still would not raise her hand to speak."
"The diffident employee found it difficult to ask his boss for a raise."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
Any of a group of unequal or dissimilar things.
"Politicians have such disparate opinions on even mundane topics."
"The two weather channels had such disparate predictions that it was impossible to know what the weather was going to do today."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
To cause to exist; to bring forth; to produce; to sow the seeds of.
"Having similar goals engendered a sense of competition among the acquaintances."
"The interviewer's smile engendered a sense of ease for the interviewee."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
Urgent; needing immediate action.
"The city was in exigent need of natural disaster aid."
"Their financial problems became even more exigent when they had a surprise emergency expense."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
Talking much, especially about commonplace or trivial things; talkative; loquacious.
"The garrulous party attendees spoke for hours about every topic imaginable."
"The radio host's garrulous disposition prevented any dead air from occurring."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
A tirade or rant, whether spoken or written.
"He had to endure a harangue from his partner after forgetting their anniversary."
"The coach gave his team an angry harangue during his halftime speech."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
Easily provoked to outbursts of anger; irritable.
"The irascible child is impossible to calm when he is having his temper tantrums."
"The humidity and heat made his irascible temper even more short-fused."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
liberality in bestowing gifts; extremely liberal and generous of spirit
"The woman showed magnanimity when she offered to pay for a stranger's groceries."
"Magnanimity for others can pay back in dividends."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
One who hates all mankind; one who hates the human race.
"The misanthrope hid from everyone and read in his all day isolated cabin."
"Most misanthropes dread going to parties with lots of people."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
Commonplace; ordinary; banal.
"Some people prefer not to travel and enjoy the mundane aspects of life."
"Sitting through the long graduation ceremony and watching the hundreds of students get their diplomas was a mundane affair."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening
"You should bring a lifejacket when you go to the ocean to obviate a drowning accident."
"To obviate getting kicked from a flight, it may be a good idea to reserve a specific seat in addition to buying a ticket."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
Obscure; not clear; unintelligible.
"The thesis of the convoluted and confused paper was opaque at best."
"The window had become opaque from dirt and years of neglect."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
an insufficient quantity or number
"The new student only knew a paucity of vocabulary words."
"There is only a paucity of information on the effects of the long-term use of vape pens."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
"The patient could not be bothered with such minute details so he filled out the form in a perfunctory manner."
"The petulant child brushed his teeth in a perfunctory manner."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
exceedingly harmful
"Long-term alcoholism has pernicious effects on the body."
"Inflammation has many pernicious effects on the body."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
To appease; to pacify; to concilate.
"The king agreed to the demands to placate the angry mob outside his palace."
"Many ancient people would make sacrifices to placate the gods during times of trouble."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
Suitableness to an acknowledged or correct standard or rule; consonance with established principles, rules, or customs; fitness; appropriateness
"They debated the propriety of discussing salaries among coworkers."
"His sense of propriety prevented him from asking such a gauche question."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
Seemingly well-reasoned or factual, but actually fallacious or insincere; strongly held but false.
"The specious reasoning fell apart under even a small amount of inspection."
"The specious information written on his resume was certainly an exaggeration of his career."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
recurring in scattered and irregular or unpredictable instances
"Even some of the best chess players can have sporadic match results."
"His wallet could only handle the sporadic night out."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
To swing indecisively from one course of action or opinion to another.
"The moviegoer vacillated between the many choices when buying tickets at the booth, always waiting until the last second to decide."
"The frontlines had vacillated unpredictably as the tides of war were constantly changing."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
To regard with reverential respect; to honor with mingled respect and awe; to reverence; to revere.
"The wonderful biographical film venerated the life of the well respected artist."
"His induction into the hall of fame venerated his long and storied career."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
