GRE: Verbal Reasoning Practice Vocabulary

fastidiousness

the quality of being very attentive to detail and accuracy, often to the point of being difficult to please

didacticism

an approach aimed at instructing or educating, often with an emphasis on moral lessons

iconoclasm

the rejection or destruction of religious images or beliefs, often associated with social or political upheaval

polemical

related to strong verbal or written attacks on someone or something, often in a controversial manner

disseminate

to disperse throughout or spread something widely; to spread or disperse information or knowledge widely, often for educational purposes

capricious

governed or characterized by sudden irrational and unpredictable impulses or whims; not supported by the weight of evidence or established rules of law

illiberality

quality of not being liberal/of being narrow-minded or lacking culture and refinement; restricting individual rights and freedoms

diffidence

the quality or state of being unassertive or bashful

inconsequential

of no significance; unimportant

fanciful

marked by fancy or unrestrained imagination rather than by reason and experience; whimsical

egalitarianism

a social philosophy advocating the removal of inequalities among people

ephemeral

lasting a very short time (adj.) or a plant that grows, flowers, and dies or goes dormant in a few days (n.)

polemic

an aggressive attack on or refutation of the opinions or principles of another

mercurial

characterized by rapid and unpredictable changeableness of mood

plutocracy

a government or controlling class of the wealthy

interplay

interaction

disquiet

lack of peace or tranquility; anxiety

injudicious

indiscreet, unwise (literally “not judicious”)

penitence

the quality or state of being penitent; sorrow for sins or faults

austere

stern and cold in appearance or manner; markedly simple or unadorned; morally strict

impetuous

marked by impulsive vehemence or passion or by force and violence of movement or action

prodigality

extravagance or an extravagant act in expenditure especially of money; reckless spending of resources

prolix

unduly prolonged or drawn out; wordy

taciturnity

inclination to spare, curt, or laconic speech; lack of expressiveness

voluble

characterized by ready or rapid speech; easily rolling or turning

pellucid

admitting maximum passage of light without diffusion or distortion, reflecting light evenly from all surfaces; easy to understand

intrinsic

belonging to the essential nature or constitution of a thing or occurring as a natural part of something; being or relating to a semiconductor

prosaic

characteristic of prose as distinguished from poetry; factual, dull, and unimaginative

esoteric

designed for or understood by the specially initiated alone; requiring or exhibiting knowledge that is restricted to a small group

vociferous

marked by or given to vehement insistent outcry

vociferate

to cry out loudly and insistently

hackneyed

lacking in freshness or originality

placid

serenely free of interruption or disturbance

recalcitrant

obstinately defiant of authority or restraint; stubbornly uncooperative, disobedient, or resistant; difficult to manage or operate

circumscribe

to constrict the range or activity of definitely and clearly; to draw a line around

intractable

not easily governed, managed, or directed

magnanimous

showing or suggesting a generous/kind nature or a lofty and courageous spirit

parochial

confined or restricted as if within the borders of a parish; limited in range or scope (as to a narrow area or region)

preclude

to make impossible by necessary consequence; rule out in advance

effusiveness

marked by the expression of great or excessive emotion or enthusiasm; characterized or formed by a nonexplosive outpouring of lava

inure

to accustom something or someone to accept something undesirable

ameliorate

to make better or more tolerable

perspicacious

keen; of acute mental vision or discernment

intransigent

characterized by refusal to compromise or to abandon an often extreme position or attitude

restive

marked by impatience or uneasiness; stubbornly resisting control

belie

to contradict or give a false impression of; to show (something) to be false or wrong

diffidence

the quality or state of being unassertive or bashful

disinterestedness

the quality or state of being objective or impartial

demarcate

to distinguish; the quality or state of being objective or impartial

contravene

to quality or state of being objective or impartial; to go or act contrary to

veracity

conformity with truth or fact

pithy

having substance and point; relating to the essential part of something

pith

a usually continuous central strand of spongy tissue in the stems of most vascular plants that probably functions chiefly in storage; to remove the pith from (a plant stem) or to destroy the spinal cord or central nervous system of (an animal, such as a frog) usually by passing a wire or needle up and down the spinal canal

dolorous

causing, marked by, or expressing misery or grief

fortuitous

occurring by chance; fortunate, lucky

zealous

marked by fervent partisanship for a person, a cause, or an ideal

obviate

to anticipate and prevent (something, such as a situation) or make (an action) unnecessary

extoll

to praise highly; glorify

abstruse

difficult to comprehend

obfuscate

to throw into shadow; to make more difficult to understand or to confuse

parsimonious

frugal to the point of stinginess; sparing or restrained

ecumenical

of, relating to, or representing the whole of a body of churches; worldwide or general in extent, influence, or application

recondite

difficult or impossible for one of ordinary understanding or knowledge to comprehend; of, relating to, or dealing with something little known or obscure

spurious

outwardly similar or corresponding to something without having its genuine qualities; of falsified or erroneously attributed origin

effervescent

marked by or expressing an appealingly lively quality; having the property of forming bubbles

ebullient

having or showing liveliness and enthusiasm

saturnine

cold and steady in mood or slow to act/change; born under or influenced astrologically by the planet Saturn

mawkish

exaggeratedly or childishly emotional; lacking flavor or having an unpleasant taste