GRE High-Frequency Hundred

laud

verb — to praise highly, especially in public

extol

verb — to praise enthusiastically and at length

venerate

verb — to regard with deep respect, often for age or authority

encomium

noun — a formal expression of high praise

panegyric

noun — an elaborate speech or piece of writing in praise of someone [Panegyric and encomium are near-identical — a classic sentence-equivalence pair.]

disparage

verb — to belittle; to speak of as unimportant

denigrate

verb — to unfairly attack the reputation or worth of

excoriate

verb — to criticize severely and publicly

lambaste

verb — to attack verbally; to berate harshly

opprobrium

noun — harsh public criticism, and the disgrace that follows it

dogmatic

adjective — asserting opinions as though they were beyond question

categorical

adjective — unqualified; absolute, admitting no exceptions

axiomatic

adjective — self-evident; taken as given without proof

dispositive

adjective — decisive; settling a matter conclusively [Common in legal and econometric writing. Not related to 'disposition' or temperament.]

corroborate

verb — to confirm with supporting evidence

equivocate

verb — to use ambiguous language to conceal the truth or avoid committing oneself

tenuous

adjective — weak, flimsy, lacking substance

specious

adjective — superficially plausible but actually wrong [Specious means false-but-convincing, not merely 'showy'.]

tendentious

adjective — advancing a particular viewpoint while presenting itself as neutral

credulous

adjective — too ready to believe things; easily convinced [Credulous describes the believer; credible describes the claim.]

laconic

adjective — using very few words

terse

adjective — brief and to the point, sometimes to the point of rudeness

taciturn

adjective — habitually reserved; saying little by disposition [Taciturn is a personality trait; laconic describes the speech itself.]

garrulous

adjective — excessively talkative, especially about trivial matters

prolix

adjective — tediously wordy; long-winded

discursive

adjective — digressing; rambling from one topic to another

circumlocution

noun — the use of many words where a few would do; evasive, roundabout speech

bombastic

adjective — high-sounding but containing little meaning; inflated

polemic

noun — a strongly worded attack on an opinion or position

diatribe

noun — a bitter, abusive verbal attack

mutable

adjective — liable or able to change

protean

adjective — readily taking on different forms; versatile

ephemeral

adjective — lasting a very short time

vacillate

verb — to waver between opinions or courses of action

intransigent

adjective — refusing to compromise

obdurate

adjective — stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or course

recalcitrant

adjective — resisting authority, discipline, or control

entrenched

adjective — firmly established and very difficult to change

inveterate

adjective — long-established and unlikely to change; habitual

ossify

verb — to become rigid and incapable of change

profusion

noun — an abundance; a very large quantity

copious

adjective — abundant in supply or quantity

plethora

noun — an over-abundance; more than is needed

surfeit

noun — an excessive amount, often to the point of harm

dearth

noun — a scarcity; a shortage

paucity

noun — a smallness of quantity; insufficiency

penury

noun — extreme poverty; destitution

munificent

adjective — extremely generous

parsimonious

adjective — unwilling to spend; stingy — or, of a model, admirably economical [Two senses. Of a person: stingy. Of a theory or model: economical, and a compliment.]

prodigal

adjective — wastefully extravagant with money or resources [Prodigal means wasteful, not wandering — the son in the parable was both, and the wrong half stuck.]

phlegmatic

adjective — unemotional and calm, especially under pressure

imperturbable

adjective — unable to be upset or agitated

sanguine

adjective — optimistic, especially in a difficult situation

affable

adjective — friendly and easy to talk to

mercurial

adjective — subject to sudden and unpredictable changes of mood

querulous

adjective — habitually complaining; peevish

truculent

adjective — eager to argue or fight; aggressively defiant

dour

adjective — stern, severe, gloomy in manner

diffident

adjective — modest or shy from lack of self-confidence [Diffident means shy, not indifferent — the two are unrelated.]

supercilious

adjective — behaving as though one were superior to others

candor

noun — frankness; honest and open expression

probity

noun — complete honesty; uprightness

veracity

noun — truthfulness; conformity to the facts

guileless

adjective — free of deceit; artless, innocent

disingenuous

adjective — insincere; pretending not to know something one does know

dissemble

verb — to conceal one's true motives or feelings

duplicity

noun — deceitfulness; saying one thing while doing another

chicanery

noun — trickery, especially of a legal or political kind

obfuscate

verb — to make deliberately unclear or hard to understand

artifice

noun — clever trickery or contrivance; artful device

bolster

verb — to support or strengthen

vindicate

verb — to clear of blame, or to justify by later evidence

advocate

verb — to publicly recommend or support

countenance

verb — to tolerate or give approval to [As a noun, countenance means the face or its expression — the GRE uses both senses.]

repudiate

verb — to reject or disown; to refuse to accept

refute

verb — to prove to be wrong by argument or evidence [Refute means to disprove, not simply to deny — the GRE respects the distinction.]

undermine

verb — to weaken gradually and from below

eschew

verb — to deliberately avoid or abstain from

abrogate

verb — to repeal or formally do away with (a law or agreement)

capitulate

verb — to surrender; to cease resisting

lucid

adjective — clear and easy to understand

perspicuous

adjective — clearly expressed; easy to follow

perspicacious

adjective — having keen insight; discerning [Perspicuous = the writing is clear. Perspicacious = the reader is sharp. The GRE tests exactly this pair.]

salient

adjective — most noticeable or important; standing out

tacit

adjective — understood or implied without being stated

abstruse

adjective — difficult to understand; obscure

recondite

adjective — dealing with an obscure subject; known to few

opaque

adjective — hard to understand; not transparent

ineffable

adjective — too great or extreme to be expressed in words

inchoate

adjective — just begun and not fully formed

ubiquitous

adjective — present or found everywhere

endemic

adjective — regularly found in a particular place or among a particular group [Endemic = always present in a place. Epidemic = a sudden widespread outbreak.]

anomalous

adjective — deviating from what is standard or expected

germane

adjective — relevant to the matter at hand

extraneous

adjective — irrelevant; not belonging to the matter under consideration

ostensible

adjective — stated or appearing to be true, but perhaps not so

putative

adjective — generally supposed or assumed to be the case

concomitant

adjective — occurring alongside something else; accompanying

attenuate

verb — to reduce in force, value, or magnitude [A standard term in econometrics — attenuation bias — and a frequent GRE verb.]

exacerbate

verb — to make worse