GRE Vocabulary Groups 1–32

Essential GRE vocabulary words and their exact definitions, organized across Groups 1 through 32.

amorphous

lacking structure; unclear

austere

1. (of a person) strict and stern in character 2. (of living conditions) lacking luxury; extremely harsh

belie

give a false impression of; mask

capricious

having varying moods; fickle

loquacious

likely to talk a lot; wordy

obsequious

excessively submissive to authority

quixotic

excessively visionary; unfeasible

taciturn

of few words; speaking little

adulterate

damage the quality of; corrupt

ameliorate

improve a bad feeling or bad situation

anachronistic

of the wrong time or era

calumny

slander and defamation

castigate

scold someone harshly

contrite

feeling regretful or guilty

desiccate

dry out; remove all moisture

diatribe

an angry rant; verbal abuse

abjure

strongly reject (an idea); forgo

assuage

1. decrease a negative feeling 2. fulfill a certain desire

cacophonous

extremely noisy; grating

chicanery

using deception to attain a certain goal

diffident

reserved or shy; without confidence

equivocate

speak evasively; avoid taking a stance

prodigal

1. carelessly wasteful; extravagant 2. a person who is excessively wasteful

corroborate

lend support to; bolster

enervate

sap the energy out of someone; fatigue

ephemeral

extremely short lasting

garrulous

tending to talk too much; wordy

inimical

damaging; hostile in manner or tone

pedantic

overly concerned with (minor) details

precipitate

1. cause to happen 2. done quickly or suddenly

recondite

obscure and difficult to understand

vacillate

go back and forth with one's view

debunk

prove a belief or idea false

enigmatic

hard to understand; mysterious

heterogeneous

composed of varying, diverse elements

impertinent

1. disrespectful or inappropriate 2. irrelevant or unrelated to something

laudable

worthy of admiration or praise

panache

a stylish and confident manner

restive

demonstrating difficulty in staying still

stigmatize

label or mark as disgraceful

affectation

a pretense or show meant to impress others

dissemble

hide or misrepresent one's true feelings or beliefs

empirical

based on observation or experience rather than conjecture

probity

the characteristic of having strong ethical standards

specious

seemingly reasonable but actually wrong

spurious

not genuine; bogus

tortuous

1. marked by numerous twists or turns 2. overly complicated and long

venal

open to bribery or corruption

dearth

lack of something in a particular area

immutable

not capable of being changed

indolent

habitually lazy; averse to activity

intransigent

refusing to compromise; stubborn

neophyte

an amateur or novice in a field

prescient

possessing foresight of upcoming events

salubrious

1. promoting health or well-being 2. (of a place or accommodation) pleasant

soporific

causing sleep or lethargy

egregious

remarkably bad or shocking, to a conspicuous degree

evanescent

vanishing or fading away quickly, like mist or a phantom

forestall

prevent something by taking strategic action in advance

gainsay

deny or refute an assertion or argument

obviate

sidestep or bypass a potential problem or difficulty

perfidy

act of betrayal or unfaithfulness

pugnacious

quick to engage in a conflict or argument; combative

sagacious

demonstrating wisdom or sound judgment

circumspect

cautious or wary, especially when considering potential consequences

comity

a courteous harmony or mutual respect toward others

deleterious

having a harmful effect

erudite

possessing great knowledge, typically from study or research

fecund

fertile or highly productive

impetuous

rash or hasty in action or decision

irascible

easily angered or irritated

repudiate

reject or refute

acumen

quickness and keenness in understanding and judgment

eschew

intentionally avoid or abstain from

esoteric

understood by few or a small group of people

exculpate

clear from blame or guilt

fastidious

showing great care and attention to detail; hard to please

furtive

sneaky or secretive, especially due to guilt

myopic

short-sighted; lacking creativity

stoic

unaffected by pain or distress; showing no emotion

churlish

rude or lacking good manners

clandestine

secretive; avoiding attention

complacent

smugly self-satisfied, often without awareness of potential dangers

fractious

quarrelsome and irritable; unruly

mawkish

overly sentimental in a way that seems exaggerated or insincere

ostentatious

showy or designed to impress

panacea

a perfect cure for something

truculent

aggressively combative or confrontational

acrimonious

bitter and sharp in language or tone

hackneyed

lacking creativity; derivative and overused

laconic

economical with words; quiet and reserved

onerous

involving a heavy burden; challenging or difficult

opprobrium

severe criticism or public shame

parsimonious

extremely frugal or stingy

verisimilitude

appearance or semblance of truth or reality; believability.

vitiate

impair or corrupt the quality of something

byzantine

overly complex or intricate

conciliatory

intended to appease or calm someone down

covert

hidden or concealed; not openly practiced

invidious

1. likely to cause resentment or envy 2. unfair; prejudiced against someone or something