High-Yield GRE Vocabulary List (2025)

This set of flashcards covers high-yield GRE vocabulary, including words related to tone, attitude, argument, logic, and style.

Acerbic

Harsh or severe in tone.

Amiable

Friendly and good-natured.

Belligerent

Hostile, aggressive.

Cynical

Distrustful of human sincerity.

Ebullient

Enthusiastic, cheerful.

Sardonic

Scornfully mocking.

Lugubrious

Excessively mournful.

Concede

To acknowledge as true or proper.

Refute

To disprove or challenge.

Corroborate

To support with evidence.

Undermine

To weaken or subvert.

Substantiate

To back up with evidence.

Contradict

To be in opposition to.

Equivocal

Ambiguous, open to multiple interpretations.

Obfuscate

To make something unclear or confusing.

Inscrutable

Impossible to understand.

Esoteric

Known by only a few, obscure.

Recondite

Obscure, hard to understand.

Anomalous

Deviating from the norm.

Sanguine

Optimistic, hopeful.

Altruistic

Selfless, generous.

Munificent

Very generous.

Effusive

Emotionally expressive.

Salubrious

Health-promoting.

Caustic

Severely critical or sarcastic.

Deride

To mock or ridicule.

Pedantic

Overly concerned with minor details.

Fastidious

Excessively concerned with detail.

Intransigent

Unwilling to compromise.

Succinct

Brief and clear.

Verbose

Wordy.

Lucid

Clear and easy to understand.

Florid

Overly elaborate or flowery.

Terse

Sparing in the use of words.

Capricious

Unpredictable, impulsive.

Ephemeral

Lasting a very short time.

Prosaic

Dull, unimaginative.

Iconoclast

One who challenges traditional beliefs.

Quixotic

Overly idealistic, unrealistic.

Pulchritude

Physical beauty.

Spurious

False or fake.

Tenuous

Weak or flimsy (especially an argument).