Vocabulary for the GRE

In the GRE, vocabulary plays a very important role. The Verbal Reasoning section contains a wide range of words. These are some of the words that are most commonly used in native-English speaking countries. You will need a strong vocabulary to be able to answer questions on

• Reading comprehension – to be able to comprehend passages on a wide range of complex topics
• Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence – these questions directly test your vocabulary in context in the GRE are vocabulary based.

To complicate matters, there are so many GRE vocabulary lists available – some with 300 words while some with 1000. But the question is – How does one remember so many words? Is it possible to remember all the words and that too, in context?

A decent strategy

We can follow the following steps:

1. Try to understand the roots of words instead of memorizing the words themselves – that way, you can try to make out a meaning of the word even if you aren’t familiar with that word.
2. Simultaneously, learn the usage of words (and the parts of speech) – often that helps in eliminating options. Remember, GRE tests contextual meanings, not the meanings of stand-alone words. Thus, memorizing meanings without knowing the applications won’t help.
3. Use of flashcards would help (it’s convenient) – use any of the ones available or make your own online! Write down the meaning and also a sentence using the word.
4. Keep reading articles, stories, news editorials which use similar vocabulary – this is the way words stick. Keep using these words in day-to-day conversations if possible. Simply trying to cram words is not a very effective strategy
5. Try to form phrases with words that are unfamiliar and use simple words in the phrases. For example, “the innocuous virus”, etc. Being able to relate to simple ideas help in memorizing faster.
6. Write down unfamiliar (or difficult to remember) words. This helps to maintain a list of such words for quick revision. Remember to regularly revise this list and keep making sentences with these words.
7. And most importantly, read aloud whenever you are trying to memorize words – hearing what you read helps your brain to process the data more efficiently, helping you to remember those.

Let’s look at some words

The following is a small list of words with which one can make a beginning (do try out the small quiz at the end of this list):

1. abstain – verb – to restrain oneself for doing or enjoying something
2. accentuate – verb – to emphasize
3. adulterate – verb – to make (something) impure or weaker by adding something of inferior quality
4. advocate – verb – publicly recommend or support
5. anomaly – noun – something that is unusual or unexpected
6. antipathy – noun – a strong feeling of dislike
7. apathy – noun – lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern
8. assuage – verb – to make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense
9. audacious – adj. – a willingness to take bold risks / adj. – showing a lack of respect
10. banal – adj. – boring, unoriginal
11. bolster – verb – to support or strengthen
12. cacophony – noun – a harsh, unpleasant mixture of sounds
13. capricious – adj. – given to sudden changes of mood or behaviour
14. corroborate – verb – to confirm or make more certain
15. deride – verb – to express contempt for; ridicule
16. desiccate – verb – remove the moisture from (something)
17. dissonance – noun – a lack of harmony or agreement
18. duplicity – noun – dishonesty, deceitfulness
19. enervate – verb – cause (someone or something) to feel drained of energy; weaken
20. engender – verb – to produce, cause, or give rise to (something)
21. enigma – noun – a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand
22. ephemeral – adj. – lasting for a very short time
23. equivocal – adj. – not easily understood or explained
24. erudite – adj. – having or showing great knowledge
25. eulogy – noun – a speech that praises someone, typically some who has recently died
26. expatiate – verb – to describe in great detail
27. fervid – adj. – intensely enthusiastic or passionate
28. galvanize – verb – to shock, or to coat in iron
29. garrulous – adj. – excessively talkative
30. gullible – adj. – easily persuaded to believe something
31. homogenous – adj. – of the same or similar kind
32. ingenuous – adj. – innocent and unsuspecting
33. intermediary – noun – one who mediates between parties
34. laconic – adj. – using few words
35. laudable – adj. – deserving praise and commendation
36. lethargic – adj. – lacking energy
37. loquacious – adj. – tending to talk a great deal
38. lucid – adj. – very clear and easy to understand
39. maladroitness – noun – lacking skill or intelligence
40. malleable – adj. – easily influenced; pliable
41. misanthrope – noun – a person who dislikes humankind
42. mitigate – verb – make less severe, serious, or painful
43. obdurate – adj. – stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion
44. olfactory – adj. – relating to scent
45. omniscience – noun – possessing all knowledge
46. opaque – adj. – not able to be seen through; not easily understood
47. orthodox – adj. – conforms to tradition
48. ostentation – noun – excessive display of wealth
49. paradox – noun – a statement that contradicts itself but might be true
50. partisanship – noun – bias in favour of one view
51. pedant – noun – a person who makes an excessive display of learning
52. philanthropic – adj. – seeking to promote the welfare of others
53. placate – verb – to make (someone) less angry or hostile
54. polemical – adj. – strongly critical
55. pragmatic – adj. – dealing with the problems that exist in a reasonable and logical way instead of depending on theories
56. precipitate – verb – to cause (something) to happen quickly or suddenly
57. pre-eminence – noun – superiority, excellence
58. prevaricate – verb – avoid telling the truth by not directly answering a question
59. prodigal – adj. – wastefully extravagant
60. propriety – noun – the state or quality of being correct or proper
61. ubiquitous – adj. – appearing everywhere
62. untenable – adj. – unable to defend
63. vacillate – verb – to waver between different opinions or actions
64. venality – noun – to be open to corruption
65. venerate – verb – regard with great respect
66. volatile – adj. – likely to change rapidly and unpredictably
67. waver – verb – to go back and forth between choices or opinions
68. zeal – noun – a strong feel of interest and enthusiasm that makes someone very eager or determined to do something

How is your vocabulary? Try this quiz and find out!

Have questions? Call us for a free consultation regarding your career moves, call us: +91 9433063089