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Welcome
1. Vocabulary approach
2. Quantitative reasoning
2.1 Quant intro
2.2 Arithmetic & algebra
2.2.1 Positive negative problems
2.2.2 Defined & undefined
2.2.3 GRE vocabulary list 01 (alacrity)
2.2.4 Odd even problems
2.2.5 GRE vocabulary list 02 (adulterate)
2.2.6 Algebra
2.2.7 Fraction math
2.2.8 GRE vocabulary list 03 (abstain)
2.2.9 Percent change
2.2.10 GRE vocabulary list 04 (anachronism)
2.2.11 Function problems
2.2.12 GRE vocabulary list 05 (ameliorate)
2.2.13 Divisors, prime factors, multiples
2.2.14 Greatest common factor (GCF) & Least common multiple (LCM)
2.2.15 GRE vocabulary list 06 (acumen)
2.2.16 Permutations and combinations
2.2.17 GRE vocabulary list 07 (aesthetic)
2.2.18 Decimals
2.2.19 GRE vocabulary list 08 (aggrandize)
2.2.20 FOIL and quadratic equations
2.2.21 GRE vocabulary list 09 (anodyne)
2.2.22 Exponent rules
2.2.23 GRE vocabulary list 10 (aberrant)
2.2.24 Square roots and radicals
2.2.25 Sequences
2.2.26 Venn diagrams & tables
2.2.27 Ratios
2.2.28 Mixtures
2.2.29 Probability
2.2.30 Algebra word problems
2.2.31 Number line, absolute value, inequalities
2.2.32 Simple and compound interest
2.2.33 System of linear equations (SOLE)
2.3 Statistics and data interpretation
2.4 Geometry
2.5 Strategies
3. Verbal reasoning
4. Analytical writing
Wrapping up
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2.2.17 GRE vocabulary list 07 (aesthetic)
Achievable GRE
2. Quantitative reasoning
2.2. Arithmetic & algebra

GRE vocabulary list 07 (aesthetic)

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A strong vocabulary is essential for scoring well on the GRE. Our analysis suggests that the words below are among the most commonly tested on the exam.

Flashcards can help you memorize definitions, but they don’t always show whether you can recognize and use a word in context. Use the quizzes to check that you understand each word well enough to apply it on test day.

Definitions

aesthetic

artistic

adjective

concerning or characterized by an appreciation of beauty or good taste

"The garden had an aesthetic beauty that made it much more than just an assortment of plants."

"He was more focused on the aesthetic appearance of his outfits than comfortability."

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

arbitrary

whimsical

adjective

based on or subject to individual discretion or preference or sometimes impulse or caprice

"One should try to finish a boxing match quickly as to not leave the decision to the arbitrary judges."

"The application seemed to ask arbitrary questions that were unrelated to the job."

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

arcane

obscure

adjective

Understood by only a few; obscure; requiring secret or mysterious knowledge.

"Pure mathematics is one of the most arcane subjects in academia."

"The arcane dissertation required deep theoretical knowledge to understand the concepts."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

brazen

bold

adjective

To carry through impudently or shamelessly.

"The hyena made a brazen attempt to steal the impala from the much larger lion."

"There have been more and more instances of shop patrons openly participating in brazen theft."

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

bucolic

rural

adjective

(used with regard to idealized country life) idyllically rustic

"The New Yorker decided to leave the city for the more bucolic life."

"The bucolic homestead had many farm animals in the barn and crops in the field."

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

coalesce

combine

verb

To join into a single mass or whole.

"The two groups of friends coalesced into one larger friend group."

"The rashes coalesced into one large red area on his back."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

derivative

copied

noun

Obtained or deduced from another.

"The derivative piece of art was so similar to its "inspiration" that you could not even tell the two pieces apart."

"The professor could tell that the student's paper was derivative of one written last year."

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

didactic

instructive

adjective

Fitted or intended to teach; conveying instruction; preceptive; instructive; teaching some moral lesson.

"The didactic writing was meant to help the students learn quickly."

"The didactic film was not meant to entertain, but to teach."

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

disseminate

disperse

verb

cause to become widely known

"Newspapers are meant to disseminate news and other relevant information to the public."

"The spokesperson could not disseminate that information to the public until he got permission."

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

emulate

copy

transitive verb

To strive to equal or to excel in qualities or actions; to imitate, with a view to equal or to outdo, to vie with; to rival.

"The sequel was primarily made to emulate the hyper-successful original film."

"He wanted to emulate all the good qualities of his father."

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

erroneous

fake

adjective

Not conformed to truth or justice; incorrect; false; mistaken

"Her false argument rests upon erroneous logic."

"It is erroneous to assume that the polar bear is harmless just because it is cute."

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

exacting

demanding

adjective

Making excessive demands; hard to satisfy.

"The exacting schoolmaster expected nothing less than perfect behavior from the students."

"The exacting store owner would not give her workers even one vacation."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

extraneous

irrelevant

adjective

not essential

"Training wheels are extraneous for experienced cyclists."

"The unrelated information is extraneous to the issue at hand."

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

galvanize

energize

verb

to stimulate to action

"The prospect of moving back in with his parents galvanized the young man into working two jobs."

"The comedian galvanized the bored crowd into laughter and amusement."

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

imminent

impending

adjective

about to happen, occur, or take place very soon, especially of something which won't last long.

"The many cracks in the walls foreshadowed the building's imminent collapse."

"The tornado sirens informed the people that they were in imminent danger."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

implicit

intrinsic

adjective

Contained in the essential nature of something but not openly shown

"Though he never directly stated that he did not enjoy the movie, it was implicit in his response that he disliked the film."

"Though he lived alone, there was an implicit reliance on his parents to support him."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

indefatigable

steadfast

adjective

Extremely persistent and untiring.

"The indefatigable defensive force held the castle all throughout a year long siege."

"She had an indefatigable belief that education should be free for all."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

indolent

lazy

adjective

Indulging in ease; avoiding labor and exertion; habitually idle; lazy; inactive.

"It is easy to be indolent and sit inside all day when it is rainy outside."

"The indolent old dog sat on the couch all day."

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

maladroit

clumsy

adjective

Clumsy; awkward; unskillful.

"The maladroit juggler seemed to drop the juggling balls more often than catching them."

"The maladroit keeper could not block the soccer ball."

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

monotony

boredom

noun

the quality of wearisome constancy, routine, and lack of variety

"Working a nine-to-five while in the suburbs can be a life of monotony."

"The monotony of eating the same meal every day was beginning to frustrate him."

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

paradox

puzzle

noun

A claim that two apparently contradictory ideas are true.

"It was a paradox that the most expensive item on the menu was the cheapest to make."

"It was a paradox that the healthiest person in the family had the most difficult time recovering from the flu."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

peripheral

secondary

adjective

on or near an edge or constituting an outer boundary; the outer area

"The status of his new tv was only a peripheral worry as his entire house was burning down."

"Lifeguards often have peripheral responsibilities related to pool maintenance."

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

rationalize

justify

verb

defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning

"People often rationalize the harmful things they do in order to suppress guilt."

"Politicians can rationalize any disastrous policy."

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

repudiate

refute

verb

To reject the truth or validity of something; to deny.

"It is not difficult to repudiate illogical claims."

"Newtonian physics was repudiated by Einstein's theory of relativity."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

substantiate

support

verb

establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts

"The lack of sales substantiated the idea that the company needs to cut costs."

"He struggled to find arguments that substantiated his point of view."

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

Aesthetic

  • Appreciation of beauty or good taste
  • Synonym: artistic

Arbitrary

  • Based on individual discretion or impulse
  • Synonym: whimsical

Arcane

  • Understood by only a few; obscure, secret knowledge
  • Synonym: obscure

Brazen

  • Shameless or impudent boldness
  • Synonym: bold

Bucolic

  • Relating to idyllic country life; rustic
  • Synonym: rural

Coalesce

  • To join or combine into a single whole
  • Synonym: combine

Derivative

  • Obtained or copied from another source
  • Synonym: copied

Didactic

  • Intended to teach or instruct
  • Synonym: instructive

Disseminate

  • Cause to become widely known; spread
  • Synonym: disperse

Emulate

  • Strive to equal or surpass by imitation
  • Synonym: copy

Erroneous

  • Incorrect, false, or mistaken
  • Synonym: fake

Exacting

  • Making excessive demands; hard to satisfy
  • Synonym: demanding

Extraneous

  • Not essential; irrelevant
  • Synonym: irrelevant

Galvanize

  • Stimulate to action; energize
  • Synonym: energize

Imminent

  • About to happen very soon
  • Synonym: impending

Implicit

  • Contained in the nature of something but not openly shown
  • Synonym: intrinsic

Indefatigable

  • Extremely persistent and untiring
  • Synonym: steadfast

Indolent

  • Habitually lazy or inactive
  • Synonym: lazy

Maladroit

  • Clumsy or unskillful
  • Synonym: clumsy

Monotony

  • Wearisome constancy; lack of variety
  • Synonym: boredom

Paradox

  • Two apparently contradictory ideas that are both true
  • Synonym: puzzle

Peripheral

  • On or near the edge; outer area; secondary
  • Synonym: secondary

Rationalize

  • Defend or justify with reasoning or excuses
  • Synonym: justify

Repudiate

  • Reject the truth or validity; deny
  • Synonym: refute

Substantiate

  • Establish or strengthen with evidence or facts
  • Synonym: support

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GRE vocabulary list 07 (aesthetic)

A strong vocabulary is essential for scoring well on the GRE. Our analysis suggests that the words below are among the most commonly tested on the exam.

Flashcards can help you memorize definitions, but they don’t always show whether you can recognize and use a word in context. Use the quizzes to check that you understand each word well enough to apply it on test day.

Definitions
Key points

Aesthetic

  • Appreciation of beauty or good taste
  • Synonym: artistic

Arbitrary

  • Based on individual discretion or impulse
  • Synonym: whimsical

Arcane

  • Understood by only a few; obscure, secret knowledge
  • Synonym: obscure

Brazen

  • Shameless or impudent boldness
  • Synonym: bold

Bucolic

  • Relating to idyllic country life; rustic
  • Synonym: rural

Coalesce

  • To join or combine into a single whole
  • Synonym: combine

Derivative

  • Obtained or copied from another source
  • Synonym: copied

Didactic

  • Intended to teach or instruct
  • Synonym: instructive

Disseminate

  • Cause to become widely known; spread
  • Synonym: disperse

Emulate

  • Strive to equal or surpass by imitation
  • Synonym: copy

Erroneous

  • Incorrect, false, or mistaken
  • Synonym: fake

Exacting

  • Making excessive demands; hard to satisfy
  • Synonym: demanding

Extraneous

  • Not essential; irrelevant
  • Synonym: irrelevant

Galvanize

  • Stimulate to action; energize
  • Synonym: energize

Imminent

  • About to happen very soon
  • Synonym: impending

Implicit

  • Contained in the nature of something but not openly shown
  • Synonym: intrinsic

Indefatigable

  • Extremely persistent and untiring
  • Synonym: steadfast

Indolent

  • Habitually lazy or inactive
  • Synonym: lazy

Maladroit

  • Clumsy or unskillful
  • Synonym: clumsy

Monotony

  • Wearisome constancy; lack of variety
  • Synonym: boredom

Paradox

  • Two apparently contradictory ideas that are both true
  • Synonym: puzzle

Peripheral

  • On or near the edge; outer area; secondary
  • Synonym: secondary

Rationalize

  • Defend or justify with reasoning or excuses
  • Synonym: justify

Repudiate

  • Reject the truth or validity; deny
  • Synonym: refute

Substantiate

  • Establish or strengthen with evidence or facts
  • Synonym: support