101 most common GRE words

Laconic

brief and to the point; effectively cut short

Insipid

lacking taste or flavor

Pragmatic

concerned with practical matters

Iconoclast

someone who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions

Arduous

difficult to accomplish, hard to endure

Profligate

recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources

Prosaic

not challenging; dull and lacking excitement

Ameliorate

make, become better

Obsequious

obedient or attentive to an excessive degree

Capricious

given to sudden behavior change

Fortuitous

happening by accident or chance

Orthodox

Conforming to all the traditional beliefs, and religious practices

Alacrity

lively and cheerful readiness

Pellucid

translucently clear

Corroborate

confirm or give support to

Magnanimous

very generous or forgiving

Scrupulous

diligent, thorough, and extremely careful

Prolific

fruitful, present in large number

Dogmatic

dictatorial, opinionated

Placate

make (someone) less angry or hostile

Mercurial

subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood, temperamental

Exacerbate

infuriate, make worse

Redundant

redundant, superfluous

Hackneyed

unoriginal and trite

Prudent

acting with or showing care and thought

Belie

disguise or contradict

Esoteric

mysterious, obscure

Cacophony

a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds

Impetuous

acting or done quickly and without thought or care

Idiosyncrasy

a way of thought peculiar to an individual

Extant

in existence; surviving

Obscure

not discovered or known about; uncertain

Didactic

intended to teach, educational

Pithy

brief, to the point

Copious

abundant in supply or quantity

Ostentation

pretentious and vulgar display intended to impress, show off

Adulterate

alter or debase, often for profit

Vociferous

loud and clamorous

Taciturn

reserved or uncommunicative in speech

Obdurate

refuse to change one's opinion; stubborn

Garrulous

excessively talkative

Misanthrope

person who hates others

Lionize

treat someone as a celebrity

Imminent

about to happen

Frivolous

trivial, silly

Benign

gentle, kindly

Dissonance

lack of harmony, disagreement

Inculpate

accuse or blame

Docile

compliant, submissive

Sporadic

occurring at irregular intervals; scattered or isolated

Prevaricate

deceive; stretch the truth

Chicanery

deception, trickery

Gainsay

deny or contradict

Eulogy

praise, exclamation

Belligerent

hostile and aggressive

Dispassionate

unfeeling, impartial

Providential

lucky, occurring at a favorable time; opportune

Diffidence

hesitancy; lack of confidence

Fractious

irritable and quarrelsome

Malign

hurtful, injurious

Disparate

essentially different in kind, not allowing comparison

Plausible

seeming reasonable or probable

Sanguine

optimistic or positive

Venerate

regard with great respect

Trite

silly, commonplace

Succinct

brief, to the point

Ingenious

clever, original, and inventive

Meticulous

very careful and precise

Erudite

well-educated, cultured

Bolster

support or strengthen

Anachronism

error in time placement

Trivial

of little value or importance

Advocate

person supporting an idea or cause publicly

Conspicuous

obvious, easily seen

Innocuous

harmless and inoffensive

Audacious

reckless, daring

Tumultuous

confused, or disorderly

Reticent

secretive, quiet

Fervid

intensely enthusiastic or passionate

Enervate

weaken, wear out

Prodigal

wastefully extravagant

Auspicious

conducive to success; favorable

Soporific

tending to induce drowsiness or sleep

Engender

cause or give rise to

Loquacious

tending to talk a great deal; talkative

Equivocate

to avoid giving a clear or direct answer to a question

Inimical

tending to obstruct or harm

Superfluous

extra, unnecessary

Fastidious

very careful and attentive

Recalcitrant

disobedient, uncontrollable

Ephemeral

momentary, passing

Pusillanimous

lacking courage, fearful

Vacillate

go back and forth, be indecisive

Ambivalent

having mixed feelings, conflicting

Enigma

difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious

Euphoric

intense excitement and happiness

Pedant

a person who overemphasizes rules or minor details

Profound

very great or intense; thoughtful

Inchoate

undeveloped, beginning

Lethargic

lazy, sluggish