High Frequency GRE Words

Abstract

existing as an idea but not having a physical existence

Abstruse

hard to understand

Accretion

addition

Adversary

an enemy or opponent

Aesthetic

concerned with beauty, the appreciation of beauty

Ambiguity

uncertainty, doubtfulness

Ambivalent (adj.)

uncertain or unable to decided about what course to follow

Amorphous

lacking structure/form, having no specific shape

Anachronism (noun)

someone or something placed in the wrong period in history, something that belongs to the past rather than the present

Anomalous

abnormal, deviating from the normal

Anticipated

expect, predict

Apparent

clearly visible, obvious

Approbation

official recognition or approval

Arbitrary

based on random choice or personal desire, rather than any reason or logic

Arcane

known or understood by very few (knowledge only few ppl have), mysterious or secret

Archaic

old or old fashioned

Assertion

insisting, defending

Assiduity

devoted attention or strong focus and determination

Atypical

uncommon, not typical

Augment

enlarge or increase

Austere

severe or strict in manner or attitude

Averse

having a strong dislike to something

Belie

to give a false impression

Benign

having no harmful effect, pleasant and kind

Bolster

support and strengthen

Boon

a benefit or blessing for which one should be grateful

brevity

concise and exact use of words in writing or speech

camouflage

to hide or disguise by blending in with surroundings

Capricious

someone or something that is subject to sudden, unpredictable changes

Cavalier

not caring about feelings or serious situation

Circuitous

not straight or direct, roundabout

Circumspect

careful not to take risks

Circumvent

to avoid (defeat, failure, unpleasantness, etc.) by artfulness or deception

Clandestine

kept secret or done secretively, especially because illegal or immoral

Compelling

very exciting and interesting

Conciliatory

intended to show that you care about the feelings or opinions of someone who is angry or upset with you

Confound

to confuse someone by being difficult to explain or deal with

Conscientious

feeling a moral responsibility to do your work carefully and to be fair to others

Consensus

a generally accepted opinion, general agreement among a group of people

Consequential

important, significant

Conspicuous

clearly visible, completely obvious

Convolute

to form into a twisted shaped

Corroborate

confirm, verify, endorse

Coy

having a shy or sweetly innocent quality that is often intended to get attention

Crust

a hard outer layer that covers something

Cumulative

something that is increasing or getting bigger with more additions

Cursory

rapidly, not thorough, no attention to detail

Cynical

believing the worst of human nature and motives, negative or pessimistic

Daunting

a task that appears challenging

Dearth

a scarcity or lack of something

Deceptive

giving an impression different from the true one, misleading

Defensible

justifiable by argument, able to be protected

Deliberate

done intentionally, careful and unhurried

Demeanor

conduct, facial appearance, behavior

Derived

dependent on or generated by something more basic, not original

Detrimental

causing harm or injury

Devoid

Lacking, free from

Diffident

lack of self-confidence, shyness, modesty

Discretion

the freedom to decide what should be done in a certain situation

Disdain

the feeling of not liking someone or something and thinking that they do not deserve your interest or respect

Disingenuous

dishonest, or not speaking the complete truth

Disparate

fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind

Disseminate

spread information widely

Distort

misleading or false impression

Diverse

different, showing a great deal of variety

Dubious

open to doubt or suspicion, doubtful or uncertain

Duplicity

fraud, dishonest talk, or behavior

Eccentric

Unconventional, strange or unusual, sometimes in a humorous way.

Eclectic

deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources

Eclipse

the phenomenon when something blocks the view of something else, making it less important and noticeable

Edifying

instructive or beneficial, especially morally or spiritually

Egalitarian

favoring social equality

Elucidate

make something clear, explain

Elusive

difficult to find, catch, or achieve

Embellish

make more attractive by adding ornament, color, etc.

Embrace

accept willingly, hold closely in one’s arms

Empirical

derived from experiment and observation rather than theory

Enamored

in love with a person or thing

Engrossing

taking all your attention, very interesting

Ephemeral

anything short-lived, temporary

Epitomize

be perfect example of

Equivocal

not clear or certain, of doubtful nature or character questionable

Erratic

not regular in pattern or movement, unpredictable

Erudite

having or showing profound knowledge

Eschew

avoid and stay away from deliberately, stay clear of

Esoteric

known or understood by very few people, mysterious

Exacerbate

make worse

Exaggerate

show something as larger, better, or worse than it really is

Exemplary

something so good that it is an example for others to follow

Exhaustive

including all aspects, complete

Exotic

of foreign origin or character, not native

Expedient

Describes something that provides an easy way to achieve a goal or result, but it’s not necessarily a moral solution

Expeditious

Done with speed and efficiency

Extraneous

irrelevant, unrelated

Enervate

weaken, wear out

Engender

cause or give rise to

Enigma

difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious

Eulogy

praise, exclamation

Extant

in existence; surviving

Fecund

intellectually productive or inventive