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
A person or thing which seems to belong to a different time or period of time.
"The plastic water bottle was an anachronism hidden in the scene of the movie that depicted medieval times."
"Farming with a ox driven plow would be considered an anachronism these days."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
difficult to accomplish; demanding considerable mental effort and skill
"Walking uphill on a hot and sunny day can be an arduous task."
"The arduous hike was made more difficult by the hot and humid weather."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
Unadorned; unembellished; severely simple.
"The princess rejected her family's wealth and opulence and chose to live a more austere lifestyle far away from civilization."
"His rural homestead was quite austere in nature; he only had the things necessary to live at hand."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
not dangerous to health; not recurrent or progressive (especially of a tumor)
"The harmless medicine has only benign side effects."
"The benign tumor did not require chemotherapy."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
Reasonable and convincing; based on evidence.
"The author made difficult topics accessible with her cogent writing."
"The teacher could communicate even the most complicated topics in a cogent manner."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
To fail to see the difference; to mix up; to confuse right and wrong.
"The complicated and twisting roads confounded every tourist."
"It is easy to confound the words farther and further."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
Complex, intricate or complicated.
"The code behind the software was so convoluted that even a slight change would crash the whole program."
"They had a convoluted game plan that was sure to fall apart once anything unforeseen happens."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
To free (someone) of a misconception or misapprehension; to unveil a falsehood held by (somebody).
"Travel can disabuse people of their misconceptions about foreigners."
"Education can disabuse people of their prior beliefs."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
Not influenced by regard to personal advantage; free from selfish motive; having no relation of feeling; not biased or prejudiced.
"The judge listened to the case with a disinterested and unbiased approach."
"To be disinterested does not mean to be unengaged, but rather, unbiased."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
make worse
"The increase in rent exacerbated her financial problems."
"Oversleeping in the morning can exacerbate insomnia."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
To clear of or to free from guilt; exonerate.
"The judge exculpated the criminal of all his crimes, setting him free from a 10 year sentencing."
"The judge exculpated him from all his crimes."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
deceptiveness, deceit, fraud, duplicity, dishonesty
"The scam artist used guile to convince the helpless target that they were not losing any money."
"The poker player wore sunglasses to hide his guile."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
naive and easily deceived or tricked
"The gullible child will believe anything you say."
"It's easy to tell the gullible girl a lie."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
Refusing compromise; uncompromising; inflexible; irreconcilable.
"The intransigent boss refused to give the worker a raise."
"It's impossible compromise with my intransigent father."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
Characterized by very precise, conscientious attention to details.
"It is best to be meticulous when doing your taxes so you do not get audited by the IRS."
"You should meticulously check if you packed everything before taking an international flight."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
Promptly obedient, or submissive, to the will of another; compliant; yielding to the desires of another; devoted.
"The royal servants were obsequious and obedient to their queen."
"Many people are blindly obsequious to authority."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
Burdensome; oppressive.
"Transporting tons of groceries to the house can be quite onerous."
"Walking to school in three feet of snow is an onerous task."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
A person who is overly concerned with formal rules and trivial points of learning.
"The pedant preferred to philosophize over little qualms rather than focus on the practical aspects of the issue."
"The grammatical pedant never skipped an opportunity to correct someone else's grammar."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
A state or act of deceit.
"It is impossible to win a game of poker without at least a little perfidy."
"His constant perfidy made it hard to believe anything he said."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
showing little emotion
"The phlegmatic bouncer displayed no emotion when the drunkards were yelling at him."
"Her phlegmatic face showed no emotion."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
Held by a doubtful tenure; depending on unknown causes or events; exposed to constant risk; not to be depended on for certainty or stability; uncertain
"The novelist's royalty paychecks came with precarious consistency."
"The cup was positioned in a precarious location on the edge of the table."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
Tried virtue or integrity; approved moral excellence; honesty; rectitude; uprightness.
"The public official's probity lead her to dissent against her president; her oath to the constitution took precedence."
"The soldier's character could be characterized by probity and honour."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
Possessing or acting with the desire to do noble and romantic deeds, without thought of realism and practicality.
"The young man made a quixotic attempt to woo the woman he had no business talking to."
"The quixotic student would have his expectations ruined when he enters the real world."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
Not proceeding from the true source, or from the source pretended; not genuine; counterfeit; false; adulterate.
"The spurious Gucci bag was only worth $10."
"The street vendors sold spurious designer clothing on the sidewalk."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
To be unsettled in opinion; to vacillate; to be undetermined; to fluctuate.
"The athlete's confidence would waver at the first sign of adversity."
"Neither opponent wavered or gave way during the fight."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
