GRE Vocabulary List (2025) - Notes

High-Yield GRE Vocabulary List (2025)

Common Tone & Attitude Words

• 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.

Argument & Logic Words

• 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.

Difficult or Deceptive Words

• 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.

Positive or Favorable Words

• Sanguine: Optimistic, hopeful.
• Altruistic: Selfless, generous.
• Munificent: Very generous.
• Effusive: Emotionally expressive.
• Salubrious: Health-promoting.

Negative or Critical Words

• 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.

Style, Clarity, or Complexity

• Succinct: Brief and clear.
• Verbose: Wordy.
• Lucid: Clear and easy to understand.
• Florid: Overly elaborate or flowery.
• Terse: Sparing in the use of words.

Miscellaneous Must-Know 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).