SKIP TO CONTENT

GRE - Hit parade

For GRE test takers. Hope it help!
428 words 77 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Full list of words from this list:

  1. abscond
    run away, often taking something or somebody along
  2. aberrant
    markedly different from an accepted norm
  3. alacrity
    liveliness and eagerness
  4. anomaly
    deviation from the normal or common order, form, or rule
  5. approbation
    official acceptance or agreement
  6. arduous
    characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion
  7. assuage
    provide physical relief, as from pain
  8. audacious
    disposed to venture or take risks
  9. austere
    of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor
  10. axiomatic
    evident without proof or argument
  11. canonical
    conforming to orthodox or recognized rules
  12. capricious
    determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity
  13. censure
    harsh criticism or disapproval
  14. chicanery
    the use of tricks to deceive someone
  15. connoisseur
    an expert able to appreciate a field
  16. convoluted
    highly complex or intricate
  17. disabuse
    free somebody from an erroneous belief
  18. discordant
    not in agreement or harmony
  19. disparate
    fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind
  20. effrontery
    audacious behavior that you have no right to
  21. eloquent
    expressing yourself readily, clearly, effectively
  22. enervate
    weaken physically, mentally, or morally
  23. ennui
    the feeling of being bored by something tedious
  24. equivocate
    be deliberately ambiguous or unclear
  25. erudite
    having or showing profound knowledge
  26. exculpate
    pronounce not guilty of criminal charges
  27. exigent
    demanding immediate attention
  28. extemporaneous
    with little or no preparation or forethought
  29. filibuster
    a tactic for delaying legislation by making long speeches
  30. fulminate
    cause to explode violently and with loud noise
  31. ingenuous
    lacking in sophistication or worldliness
  32. inured
    made tough by habitual exposure
  33. irascible
    quickly aroused to anger
  34. laud
    praise, glorify, or honor
  35. lucid
    transparently clear; easily understandable
  36. magnanimity
    nobility and generosity of spirit
  37. martial
    suggesting war or military life
  38. mundane
    found in the ordinary course of events
  39. nascent
    being born or beginning
  40. nebulous
    lacking definite form or limits
  41. neologism
    a newly invented word or phrase
  42. noxious
    injurious to physical or mental health
  43. obtuse
    of an angle, between 90 and 180 degrees
  44. obviate
    do away with
  45. onerous
    burdensome or difficult to endure
  46. paean
    a hymn of praise
  47. parody
    a composition that imitates or misrepresents a style
  48. perennial
    lasting an indefinitely long time
  49. perfidy
    an act of deliberate betrayal
  50. perfunctory
    hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
  51. perspicacious
    mentally acute or penetratingly discerning
  52. prattle
    speak about unimportant matters rapidly and incessantly
  53. precipitate
    bring about abruptly
  54. predilection
    a predisposition in favor of something
  55. prescience
    the power to foresee the future
  56. qualm
    uneasiness about the fitness of an action
  57. recant
    formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief
  58. refute
    overthrow by argument, evidence, or proof
  59. relegate
    assign to a lower position
  60. reticent
    reluctant to draw attention to yourself
  61. solicitous
    full of anxiety and concern
  62. sordid
    foul and run-down and repulsive
  63. sporadic
    recurring in scattered or unpredictable instances
  64. squander
    spend thoughtlessly; throw away
  65. static
    not in physical motion
  66. stupefy
    make someone dazed or foolish
  67. stymie
    hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of
  68. synthesis
    the combination of ideas into a complex whole
  69. torque
    a twisting force
  70. tortuous
    marked by repeated turns and bends
  71. truculent
    defiantly aggressive
  72. veracity
    unwillingness to tell lies
  73. virulent
    extremely poisonous or injurious; producing venom
  74. voracious
    devouring or craving food in great quantities
  75. waver
    pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
  76. abate
    become less in amount or intensity
  77. accolade
    a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
  78. adulation
    exaggerated flattery or praise
  79. aesthetic
    characterized by an appreciation of beauty or good taste
  80. ameliorate
    make better
  81. ascetic
    someone who practices self denial as a spiritual discipline
  82. avarice
    reprehensible acquisitiveness; insatiable desire for wealth
  83. axiomatic
    evident without proof or argument
  84. burgeon
    grow and flourish
  85. bucolic
    devoted to raising sheep or cattle
  86. cacophony
    loud confusing disagreeable sounds
  87. canon
    a collection of books accepted as holy scripture
  88. castigation
    verbal punishment
  89. catalyst
    substance that initiates or accelerates a chemical reaction
  90. caustic
    capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action
  91. chary
    characterized by great caution
  92. cogent
    powerfully persuasive
  93. complaisance
    a tendency to try to please or yield to the will of others
  94. contentious
    showing an inclination to disagree
  95. contrite
    feeling or expressing pain or sorrow
  96. culpable
    deserving blame or censure as being wrong or injurious
  97. dearth
    an insufficient quantity or number
  98. demur
    politely refuse or take exception to
  99. didactic
    instructive, especially excessively
  100. discretion
    power of making choices unconstrained by external agencies
  101. disinterested
    unaffected by concern for one's own welfare
  102. dogmatic
    pertaining to a code of beliefs accepted as authoritative
  103. ebullience
    eager enjoyment or approval
  104. eclectic
    selecting what seems best of various styles or ideas
  105. elegy
    a mournful poem; a lament for the dead
  106. emollient
    a substance with a soothing effect when applied to the skin
  107. empirical
    derived from experiment and observation rather than theory
  108. enigmatic
    not clear to the understanding
  109. ephemeral
    anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day
  110. esoteric
    understandable only by an enlightened inner circle
  111. eulogy
    a formal expression of praise for someone who has died
  112. exonerate
    pronounce not guilty of criminal charges
  113. facetious
    cleverly amusing in tone
  114. fallacy
    a misconception resulting from incorrect reasoning
  115. furtive
    secret and sly
  116. gregarious
    temperamentally seeking and enjoying the company of others
  117. harangue
    a loud bombastic declamation expressed with strong emotion
  118. heretical
    departing from accepted beliefs or standards
  119. hyperbole
    extravagant exaggeration
  120. impecunious
    not having enough money to pay for necessities
  121. incipient
    only partly in existence; imperfectly formed
  122. inert
    unable to move or resist motion
  123. innocuous
    not injurious to physical or mental health
  124. intransigent
    impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, or reason
  125. inveigle
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
  126. morose
    showing a brooding ill humor
  127. odious
    extremely repulsive or unpleasant
  128. opaque
    not transmitting or reflecting light or radiant energy
  129. oscillation
    a complete execution of a periodically repeated phenomenon
  130. penurious
    excessively unwilling to spend
  131. pernicious
    exceedingly harmful
  132. peruse
    examine or consider with attention and in detail
  133. pious
    having or showing or expressing reverence for a deity
  134. precursor
    something indicating the approach of something or someone
  135. preen
    clean with one's bill
  136. prodigious
    great in size, force, extent, or degree
  137. prolific
    intellectually productive
  138. putrefy
    decay with an offensive smell
  139. quaff
    swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one draught
  140. quiescence
    a state of quiet (but possibly temporary) inaction
  141. redoubtable
    inspiring fear
  142. sanction
    official permission or approval
  143. satire
    witty language used to convey insults or scorn
  144. squalid
    foul and run-down and repulsive
  145. stoic
    seeming unaffected by pleasure or pain; impassive
  146. supplant
    take the place or move into the position of
  147. torpid
    in a condition of biological rest or suspended animation
  148. ubiquitous
    being present everywhere at once
  149. urbane
    showing a high degree of refinement
  150. vilify
    spread negative information about
  151. viscous
    having a relatively high resistance to flow
  152. acumen
    shrewdness shown by keen insight
  153. adulterate
    make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance
  154. amalgamate
    bring or combine together or with something else
  155. archaic
    so extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period
  156. aver
    declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true
  157. bolster
    support and strengthen
  158. bombastic
    ostentatiously lofty in style
  159. diatribe
    thunderous verbal attack
  160. dissemble
    behave unnaturally or affectedly
  161. eccentric
    conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual
  162. endemic
    native to or confined to a certain region
  163. evanescent
    short-lived; tending to vanish or disappear
  164. exacerbate
    make worse
  165. fervent
    characterized by intense emotion
  166. fortuitous
    lucky; occurring by happy chance
  167. germane
    relevant and appropriate
  168. grandiloquence
    high-flown style; excessive use of verbal ornamentation
  169. hackneyed
    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
  170. halcyon
    a mythical bird said to breed at the winter solstice
  171. hedonism
    an ethical system that values the pursuit of pleasure
  172. hegemony
    the dominance or leadership of one social group over others
  173. iconoclast
    someone who attacks cherished ideas or institutions
  174. idolatrous
    relating to or practicing idolatry
  175. impassive
    having or revealing little emotion or sensibility
  176. imperturbable
    marked by extreme calm and composure
  177. implacable
    incapable of being appeased or pacified
  178. impunity
    exemption from punishment or loss
  179. inchoate
    only partly in existence; imperfectly formed
  180. infelicitous
    not appropriate in application; defective
  181. insipid
    lacking interest or significance or impact
  182. loquacious
    full of trivial conversation
  183. luminous
    softly bright or radiant
  184. malevolent
    wishing or appearing to wish evil to others
  185. malleable
    capable of being shaped or bent
  186. meticulous
    marked by precise accordance with details
  187. misanthrope
    someone who dislikes people in general
  188. mitigate
    lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
  189. obdurate
    stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
  190. obsequious
    attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
  191. occlude
    block passage through
  192. opprobrium
    a state of extreme dishonor
  193. pedagogy
    the profession of a teacher
  194. pedantic
    marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning
  195. penury
    a state of extreme poverty or destitution
  196. pervasive
    spreading or spread throughout
  197. pine
    a coniferous tree
  198. pith
    spongelike central cylinder of the stems of flowering plants
  199. pithy
    concise and full of meaning
  200. placate
    cause to be more favorably inclined
  201. platitude
    a trite or obvious remark
  202. polemical
    of or involving dispute or controversy
  203. prodigal
    recklessly wasteful
  204. profuse
    produced or growing in extreme abundance
  205. proliferate
    grow rapidly
  206. query
    an instance of questioning
  207. querulous
    habitually complaining
  208. rancorous
    showing deep-seated resentment
  209. recalcitrant
    stubbornly resistant to authority or control
  210. repudiate
    refuse to acknowledge, ratify, or recognize as valid
  211. rescind
    cancel officially
  212. reverent
    feeling or showing profound respect or veneration
  213. rhetoric
    study of the technique for using language effectively
  214. salubrious
    promoting health
  215. solvent
    capable of meeting financial obligations
  216. specious
    plausible but false
  217. spurious
    plausible but false
  218. subpoena
    a writ issued to compel the attendance of a witness
  219. succinct
    briefly giving the gist of something
  220. superfluous
    more than is needed, desired, or required
  221. surfeit
    indulge (one's appetite) to satiety
  222. tenacity
    persistent determination
  223. tenuous
    lacking substance or significance
  224. tirade
    a speech of violent denunciation
  225. transient
    lasting a very short time
  226. zealous
    marked by active interest and enthusiasm
  227. acerbic
    sour or bitter in taste
  228. aggrandize
    embellish; increase the scope, power, or importance of
  229. alchemy
    a pseudoscientific forerunner of chemistry in medieval times
  230. amenable
    disposed or willing to comply
  231. anachronism
    locating something at a time when it couldn't have existed
  232. astringent
    tending to draw together or constrict soft organic tissue
  233. contiguous
    having a common boundary or edge
  234. convention
    the act of meeting formally
  235. credulous
    showing a lack of judgment or experience
  236. cynicism
    a pessimistic feeling of distrust
  237. decorum
    propriety in manners and conduct
  238. derision
    the act of treating with contempt
  239. desiccate
    lacking vitality or spirit; lifeless
  240. dilettante
    an amateur engaging in an activity without serious intention
  241. disparage
    express a negative opinion of
  242. divulge
    make known to the public information previously kept secret
  243. fawn
    a young deer
  244. flout
    treat with contemptuous disregard
  245. garrulous
    full of trivial conversation
  246. glib
    artfully persuasive in speech
  247. hubris
    overbearing pride or presumption
  248. imminent
    close in time; about to occur
  249. immutable
    not subject or susceptible to change or variation
  250. impetuous
    characterized by undue haste and lack of thought
  251. indifferent
    marked by a lack of interest
  252. inimical
    tending to obstruct or cause harm
  253. intractable
    difficult to manage or mold
  254. intrepid
    invulnerable to fear or intimidation
  255. laconic
    brief and to the point
  256. maverick
    someone who exhibits independence in thought and action
  257. mercurial
    liable to sudden unpredictable change
  258. mollify
    cause to be more favorably inclined
  259. neophyte
    a participant with no experience with an activity
  260. obfuscate
    make obscure or unclear
  261. obstinate
    refusing to change one's mind or ways; difficult to convince
  262. ostentatious
    intended to attract notice and impress others
  263. pervade
    spread or diffuse through
  264. phlegmatic
    showing little emotion
  265. plethora
    extreme excess
  266. pragmatic
    concerned with practical matters
  267. presumptuous
    going beyond what is appropriate, permitted, or courteous
  268. pristine
    immaculately clean and unused
  269. probity
    complete and confirmed integrity
  270. proclivity
    a natural inclination
  271. profligate
    unrestrained by convention or morality
  272. propensity
    a natural inclination
  273. prosaic
    lacking wit or imagination
  274. pungent
    strong and sharp to the sense of taste or smell
  275. quixotic
    not sensible about practical matters
  276. quotidian
    found in the ordinary course of events
  277. rarefy
    lessen the density or solidity of
  278. recondite
    difficult to understand
  279. refulgent
    radiating or as if radiating light
  280. renege
    fail to fulfill a promise or obligation
  281. sedulous
    marked by care and persistent effort
  282. shard
    a broken piece of a brittle artifact
  283. soporific
    inducing sleep
  284. sparse
    not dense or plentiful
  285. spendthrift
    someone who spends money freely or wastefully
  286. subtle
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
  287. tacit
    implied by or inferred from actions or statements
  288. terse
    brief and to the point
  289. tout
    advertise in strongly positive terms
  290. trenchant
    having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought
  291. unfeigned
    not pretended; sincerely felt or expressed
  292. untenable
    incapable of being defended or justified
  293. vacillate
    be undecided about something
  294. variegated
    having an assortment of colors
  295. vexation
    anger produced by some annoying irritation
  296. vigilant
    carefully observant or attentive
  297. vituperate
    spread negative information about
  298. volatile
    liable to lead to sudden change or violence
  299. alloy
    a mixture containing two or more metallic elements
  300. appropriate
    suitable for a particular person, place, or situation
  301. arrest
    take into custody
  302. august
    profoundly honored
  303. bent
    stooped (used of the back and knees)
  304. broach
    bring up a topic for discussion
  305. brook
    a natural stream of water smaller than a river
  306. cardinal
    a vivid red color
  307. chauvinist
    a person with a prejudiced belief in his own superiority
  308. color
    a visual attribute of things from the light they emit
  309. consequential
    having important effects or results
  310. damp
    slightly wet
  311. die
    lose all bodily functions necessary to sustain life
  312. essay
    an analytic or interpretive literary composition
  313. exact
    marked by strict and complete accordance with fact
  314. fell
    cause to go down by or as if by delivering a blow
  315. fell
    cause to go down by or as if by delivering a blow
  316. flag
    a rectangular piece of cloth of distinctive design
  317. flip
    turn upside down, or throw so as to reverse
  318. ford
    cross a river where it's shallow
  319. grouse
    popular game bird having a plump body and feathered legs
  320. guy
    an informal term for a youth or man
  321. intimate
    marked by close acquaintance, association, or familiarity
  322. list
    a database containing an ordered array of items
  323. lumber
    the wood of trees prepared for use as building material
  324. meet
    come together
  325. milk
    a white nutritious liquid secreted by mammals and used as food by human beings
  326. mince
    cut into small pieces
  327. nice
    pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
  328. obtain
    come into possession of
  329. occult
    supernatural forces and events and beings collectively
  330. pedestrian
    a person who travels by foot
  331. pied
    having sections or patches colored differently and brightly
  332. pine
    a coniferous tree
  333. plastic
    synthetic material that can be molded into objects
  334. pluck
    pull lightly but sharply
  335. prize
    something given for victory or superiority in a contest or competition or for winning a lottery
  336. rail
    a horizontal bar, usually of wood or metal
  337. rent
    a payment or series of payments made by a lessee to an owner
  338. quail
    a small game bird
  339. qualify
    prove capable or fit; meet requirements
  340. sap
    a watery fluid that circulates in a plant
  341. sap
    a watery fluid that circulates in a plant
  342. scurvy
    a condition caused by deficiency of ascorbic acid
  343. singular
    being a single and separate person or thing
  344. stand
    be standing; be upright
  345. steep
    having a sharp inclination
  346. strut
    walk in a proud, confident way
  347. table
    furniture having a smooth flat top supported by legs
  348. tender
    easy to cut or chew
  349. waffle
    a batter cake baked and pressed between two patterned metal plates
  350. wag
    a movement from side to side
  351. abjure
    formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief
  352. adumbrate
    describe roughly or give the main points or summary of
  353. anathema
    a formal ecclesiastical curse accompanied by excommunication
  354. anodyne
    capable of relieving pain
  355. apogee
    the farthest point in an orbit around the Earth
  356. apostate
    not faithful to religion or party or cause
  357. apotheosis
    model of excellence or perfection of a kind
  358. asperity
    harshness of manner
  359. asseverate
    state categorically
  360. assiduous
    marked by care and persistent effort
  361. augury
    an event indicating important things to come
  362. bellicose
    having or showing a ready disposition to fight
  363. calumniate
    charge falsely or with malicious intent
  364. captious
    tending to find and call attention to faults
  365. cavil
    raise trivial objections
  366. celerity
    a rate that is rapid
  367. chimera
    a grotesque product of the imagination
  368. contumacious
    willfully obstinate; stubbornly disobedient
  369. debacle
    a sudden and complete disaster
  370. denouement
    the outcome of a complex sequence of events
  371. descry
    catch sight of
  372. desuetude
    a state of inactivity or disuse
  373. desultory
    marked by lack of definite plan, purpose, or enthusiasm
  374. diaphanous
    so thin as to transmit light
  375. diffident
    showing modest reserve
  376. dirge
    a song or hymn of mourning as a memorial to a dead person
  377. encomium
    a formal expression of praise
  378. eschew
    avoid and stay away from deliberately
  379. excoriate
    express strong disapproval of
  380. execrate
    curse or declare to be evil or anathema
  381. exegesis
    an explanation or critical interpretation
  382. expiate
    make amends for
  383. extirpate
    destroy completely, as if down to the roots
  384. fatuous
    devoid of intelligence
  385. fractious
    easily irritated or annoyed
  386. gainsay
    take exception to
  387. heterodox
    characterized by departure from accepted standards
  388. imbroglio
    an intricate and confusing interpersonal situation
  389. indefatigable
    showing sustained enthusiasm with unflagging vitality
  390. ineluctable
    impossible to avoid or evade
  391. inimitable
    matchless
  392. insouciant
    marked by unconcern
  393. inveterate
    habitual
  394. jejune
    lacking interest or significance or impact
  395. lubricious
    characterized by lust
  396. mendicant
    a pauper who lives by begging
  397. meretricious
    tastelessly showy
  398. minatory
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
  399. nadir
    the lowest point of anything
  400. nonplussed
    filled with bewilderment
  401. obstreperous
    noisily and stubbornly defiant
  402. ossified
    set in a rigid pattern of behavior, habits, or beliefs
  403. palliate
    lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
  404. panegyric
    formally expressing praise
  405. parsimonious
    excessively unwilling to spend
  406. pellucid
    transmitting light; able to be seen through with clarity
  407. peroration
    the concluding section of a rhetorical address
  408. plangent
    loud and resounding, often in a mournful way
  409. prolix
    tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at length
  410. propitiate
    make peace with
  411. puerile
    displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity
  412. puissance
    power to influence or coerce
  413. pusillanimous
    lacking in courage, strength, and resolution
  414. remonstrate
    argue in protest or opposition
  415. sagacious
    acutely insightful and wise
  416. salacious
    suggestive of or tending to moral looseness
  417. salutary
    tending to promote physical well-being; beneficial to health
  418. sanguine
    confidently optimistic and cheerful
  419. saturnine
    bitter or scornful
  420. sententious
    concise and full of meaning
  421. stentorian
    very loud or booming
  422. Stygian
    dark and dismal as of the river in Hades
  423. sycophant
    a person who tries to please someone to gain an advantage
  424. tendentious
    having a strong bias, especially a controversial one
  425. timorous
    shy and fearful by nature
  426. tyro
    someone new to a field or activity
  427. vitiate
    make imperfect
  428. voluble
    marked by a ready flow of speech
Created on Tue Oct 08 10:14:49 EDT 2013 (updated Wed Oct 09 03:30:41 EDT 2013)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.